$.01--The San Francisco 49ers hosted the Green Bay Packers in a barn burner for the marquee Sunday afternoon game. The Niners ultimately prevailed 34-28 by scoring twice in the final six minutes, overcoming a late Green Bay lead.
When last we saw these two teams, Colin Kaepernick ran wild in their playoff meeting. He rushed 16 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns against a bewildered, unprepared Packers\' defense last January. This time Green Bay promised to not let Kaepernick beat them with his legs, and they accomplished that mission. Kaepernick got just 22 yards on seven carries. Instead, the young Niners\' QB torched the Packers defense in the air: 27-of-39 for 412 yards and three touchdowns. His precision allowed the Niners to hold the ball for almost 40 minutes, and the fatigue took its toll on Green Bay.
Neither team could run the ball at all. San Francisco ran the ball 34 times for 90 yards, a paltry 2.6 yards per carry. Green Bay carried the ball 19 times for 63 yards, and their inability to milk any clock with a fourth quarter lead directly contributed to their loss.
The water cooler moment will be the offsetting penalties on a play in the second quarter. Kaepernick scrambled to the sideline and Clay Matthews clotheslined him just after he went out of bounds. That drew a flag on Matthews. It also drew the ire of Niners\' left tackle Joe Staley, who came over and shoved Matthews for attacking his quarterback and earned a flag of his own. Matthews proceeded to punch Staley as the situation escalated with the arrival of just about every player on the field. The officials either didn’t see the punch or chose to ignore it, but I’ve seen the play at least 20 times and it’s clearly evident. Matthews should have been ejected and another penalty assessed. Regardless, the offsetting penalties came after the play, which means the down should have counted. But the officials blew the call. What should have been 4th and two from the six became 3rd & 6 from the 10.
The next play resulted in a touchdown on a play that should have been fourth down and a kicking situation. Cynical Packers\' fans know this movie all too well, after last year’s ridiculous Golden Tate affair was incorrectly ruled against them as well. This official error directly impacted the situational football at the end of the game. It overwhelms and detracts from what was otherwise an entertaining, high-flying affair. These two teams could very well meet again this coming January.
$.02--The 2013 season officially kicked off on Thursday with Peyton Manning and his Broncos obliterating the new-look Ravens 49-24. Manning threw for a record-tying seven touchdowns as he lit up Baltimore for 462 yards. It was an awesome performance that indicates the Broncos are clearly the team to beat in the AFC, even without Von Miller for the first few weeks.
The flip side of that coin is that the Ravens have some serious issues. They lost nine defensive starters from the Super Bowl run, including spiritual leader Ray Lewis and secondary captain Ed Reed. As much as so many wanted to credit GM Ozzie Newsome for a wonderful patch job in bringing in guys like Elvis Dumervil, Michael Huff and Daryl Smith, I think the Ravens themselves underestimated just how much they would miss the two future Hall of Famers. Having said that, they missed pass rusher Paul Kruger even more. Manning often had enough time to scrub for surgery before dissecting the leaky secondary.
I’m not ready to throw dirt on the Ravens just yet; playing Peyton Manning on a weird night in Denver (the game was delayed due to lightning) in a payback game was a tall order for an opener. But that secondary is going to have to show a lot more cohesion and alacrity, and the pass rush is going to have to get a lot better quickly, or else this Baltimore defense is going to give up scads of points every week. It was stunning how wide open so many Denver receivers were. Just as stunning was the awful tackling by one of the teams that perennially ranks as one of the best at tackling. I suspect those problems are not going to be easy fixes for the defending Super Bowl champs.
$.03--Getting away from the on-field action, the NFL made news when it agreed to a $765M settlement with the former players who sued the league for concussion-related issues. This settlement drew much consternation from the general public, who felt that the NFL got off lightly.
I heard many trained legal minds say differently. This was a monster of a class-action suit with over 4,500 plaintiffs. Many of those former players joined and left the suit with the blowing of the perceived winds, lending the impression that it was nothing more than a brazen cash grab by many litigants. The most significant reason for the settlement, a point that I heard from several different legal minds on radio spots and in articles, is that the burden of proof for the plaintiffs was near impossible. These players had to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that all of their post-football concussion issues stemmed directly and solely from their time spent playing in the NFL. Trying to prove that, when many of these plaintiffs had played football for more than 10 years before getting to the NFL, figured to be a formidable task. The enormity of the class action played against the players here as well; perhaps some small percentage could actually prove that, but getting 4,500+ litigants to all prove it seems completely untenable.
I think the players should consider themselves lucky they got anything at all. The NFL did not have to agree to a settlement, but the positive public relations and goodwill engendered by paying out the value of an average franchise is worth it for the league. Commissioner Roger Goodell has forcibly amped up player safety as a priority, and I genuinely believe his heart is in the right place here. Among the terms of the settlement (these are taken from FoxNews.com) are setting aside $75M for medical examinations and another $10M for medical research. Also, keep in mind the NFLPA has had several opportunities to negotiate better medical care and benefits for retirees and balked for more cash for the current players every time. It’s sad, but it is what it is.
To me, the biggest disappointment is that the NFL does not have to publicly reveal what it knew about the impact of concussions or when it knew those things. That data could prove critical in helping advance the research. Unfortunately it’s likely quite damning evidence, and for that reason it stays buried in the Area 51 of the NFL.
$.04--Two AFC East teams started rookie quarterbacks, the only teams to do so. The Buffalo Bills trotted out first round pick EJ Manuel, while the New York Jets’ flip-flopping finally flopped onto second rounder Geno Smith.
Manuel did not disappoint. Facing the mighty Patriots, Manuel stood toe-to-toe with Tom Brady. He was 15-for-21 for 150 yards and two touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter as the Bills held a surprising lead late into the game. His command on the opening drive of the third quarter belied his rookie status. What makes it all the more impressive is that he missed half the preseason with an injury. I’ll admit it; I thought Manuel was a fourth round draft pick that wasn’t going to be ready for the NFL this fast. But the surprising first rounder surprised me today.
Smith wasn’t as impressive as Manuel, but he led his team to the improbable comeback win. His first 29 minutes of NFL action were not pretty. He coughed up a fumble on a sack that led to a touchdown on the next play. Smith threw an ugly INT, and he took a sack that lost 20 yards instead of throwing the ball away. Even through that time, however, Smith showed he wasn’t afraid to take shots down the field. That was a sore point with Mark Sanchez, who now appears completely out of any chance to play in New York ever again.
Smith’s legs ultimately won the game, as he scrambled to pick up yards in the desperate 30-second comeback drive. A late hit penalty on Bucs LB Lavonte David as Smith crossed out of bounds set up the game-winning field goal. Once Smith got settled down from his early yips, he avoided the catastrophic mistakes that have punctuated the Sanchez era lately. He gave the Jets a chance to win and he capitalized.
$05--The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings squared off in one of the more intriguing games in some time. The matchup at Ford Field had a little bit of everything. Detroit had two touchdowns taken off the board, one on a stupid penalty by Ndamukong Suh and the other on a stupid rule that Calvin Johnson just can’t seem to learn. Adrian Peterson took Minnesota’s first carry of the season 78 yards for a touchdown, and then gained 15 yards on his next 17 carries. Reggie Bush nearly rushed for 100 yards (he finished with 90) and caught four passes for 101 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown where he appeared to be launched by NASA past the defense.
Two other Detroit scores were subject to reviews and overturns that extended this game well past the 3:30 time allotment on my DVR. One of those was an inexcusable gaffe by the officials, as neither official responsible for checking to see if the ball breaks the plane of the goal line was actually lined up at the goal line on a play from inside the three. Perhaps the Lions tired them out with the continued barrage of asinine penalties that shows an endemic lack of discipline under Jim Schwartz.
I was proud of the Lions for showing such resiliency and for winning a game they most certainly would have lost a year ago. As for the Vikings, this game highlights the main concerns about the team. Christian Ponder is not a good enough quarterback to handle the load when Peterson is bottled up. Granted that doesn’t happen often, but Peterson will have days like these where only two of his runs gained more than three yards. The back end of their defense lacks speed, and it showed up a few times. That’s not to say Chad Greenway, Harrison Smith, and Chris Cook aren’t good players, but this defense is not going to win with speed.
One last little bit on Ndamukong Suh’s penalty: it was a dirty play by a player that no longer deserves any benefit of the doubt on that issue. He dove into John Sullivan’s knee for no reason at all on an interception return, where no blocking of any kind below the waist is permitted. But defenders have a point here--had Sullivan done that to Suh on the point of the field where Suh was flagged, it would have been perfectly legal. That is almost as dumb as Suh’s action.
$.06--The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants squared off in the Sunday night contest. This game featured more changing winds than the early presidential campaigns.
Eli Manning’s first throw of the season was picked off by Demarcus Ware, who was wide open as Manning threw the screen pass directly to him. The Giants early offensive nightmare continued on the next drive. After Manning hit Hakeem Nicks in perfect stride for a 57-yard catch-and-run, the wheels came off again. Victor Cruz dropped a pass, and then David Wilson fumbled in the red zone. On the next drive, Manning got picked by safety Will Allen. The fourth drive saw the Giants take over inside the two after a turnover, but they couldn’t punch it in.
It looked bleak for the Giants until just before halftime, when Eli Manning found Victor Cruz alone behind a blown coverage for a 70-yard touchdown. That started the sails blowing in the right direction, and the wind really picked up when Tony Romo suffered a rib injury far worse than the official “he got the wind knocked out of him” explanation at halftime.
Dallas needed the defense to win the game, and they delivered. Another Wilson fumble was scooped up by Barry Church, who ran it back for a touchdown that sent the momentum wind howling back in the other direction. A fluky bounce on a bad punt caused another Giants turnover after their defense held nicely on a third quarter drive.
The breeze blew back in New York’s favor later, as Victor Cruz danced his way to two second-half touchdowns to draw the Giants back into striking distance. Just when the winds of change seemed fully at their back, yet another turnover blew back into their face. Eli Manning threw behind an unaware Da’rel Scott and Cowboys CB Brandon Carr plucked it form the air for an easy pick six that put Dallas up 36-24. The Giants had one last gasp as Manning found Brandon Myers for a touchdown with 11 seconds left to draw within a touchdown. The winds died when Sean Lee covered up the excellent onside kick effort.
Six New York turnovers were the difference in the game. Amazingly, they still had a viable shot at winning. Dallas should consider themselves lucky to escape with the victory.
$.07--The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons opened their season with a playoff-like atmosphere in the Superdome. That befits these two teams with some of the most explosive offenses and top-shelf talent in the league.
Atlanta struck early but couldn’t sustain the lead. That’s because Drew Brees and the Saints offense got warmed up after sputtering early. His 357 yards almost seemed ho-hum, a testament to just how easy Brees makes things look. The difference between this Saints\' team and the disappointing 2012 edition was that the new-look defense held up.
Matt Ryan and the Falcons had chances to win, but three second half drives gained a collective 17 yards on 11 plays while taking up just over six minutes. That’s putting a big tax burden on a defense that lacks depth, and they paid for it. Steven Jackson did little aside from his brilliant 50-yard gash, though he did chip in with a few receptions. Their leading receiver was Harry Douglas, normally Ryan’s inside checkdown option. The Saints did a sound job of bracketing the dangerous outside receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones. When the Falcons pressed towards the end zone at the end of the game, the Saints stiffened. Roman Harper’s end zone interception sealed the win.
I was openly and vociferously critical of the Saints defense and the decision to hire Rob Ryan to run it. I’m still not a believer, but for one day Ryan’s unit was better than I expected. If he can continue that sort of voodoo, these Saints are going to be very hard to beat.
$.08—5 NFL quickies:
1. I like the choice of Bruno Mars as the halftime performer for the next Super Bowl. Musically he’s not my real cup of tea, but he’s a great performer and figures to put on an outstanding show. I’m still aghast at the living dead performance by The Who and the strange mélange of Madonna and LMFAO in recent years.
2. The Jets, Jaguars and Steelers scored their first points of the year on safeties. Without looking it up, I strongly doubt that has ever happened to more than one team in the same season before. That safety proved to be critical for the Jets in their comeback win. It proved to be the only positive moment for Jacksonville all day.
3. It’s too early to jump to conclusions, but the Steelers sure look like a last place team in the AFC North. Losing their most talented player on offense, center Maurkice Pouncey, is a huge blow. Ben Roethlisberger might not survive to the bye week, and the defense really struggled in coverage. Some of us pointed those things out in the preseason and got shouted down. I wouldn’t give up on them yet, but if this under-talented, injury-plagued team breaks six wins it is Mike Tomlin’s best coaching job ever.
4. Another thought on the Matthews/Staley fracas in the Packers/Niners game: the NFL needs to borrow from hockey when things like this happen. I love the concept of making players involved in scrums like that both have to sit out a series as punishment for going at it hard enough to draw flags. My old friend Mark Crouse, a huge hockey guy, came up with a plan I like: the instigator (Matthews in this case) gets the only enforced penalty and the ejection, just as it would be in hockey. What comes after that is all offsetting.
5. Congrats to Bears\' coach Marc Trestman for picking up the win in his NFL coaching debut. The Bears rallied late to vanquish the Bengals on a Cutler-to-Marshall touchdown connection. I’ve been a huge admirer of Trestman since his days in Kosar-era Cleveland and he deserved a NFL shot years ago. This was not an easy matchup for a first game, and credit the Bears for pulling it out.
$.09--College/Draft quickies:
1. Texas mercifully fired defensive coordinator Manny Diaz after his unit was humiliated once again, this time by BYU in an ugly upset loss for the Longhorns. This comes about a year too late for most Longhorn fans, who have watched a unit laden with NFL talent fail to perform as well as many FCS defenses. Diaz’s replacement doesn’t inspire much confidence, however. Greg Robinson’s last gig was as the DC at Michigan, where his final two squads ranked 82nd and 110th in total defense. At what point do they just fire Mack Brown and stop the madness?
2. Georgia QB Aaron Murray is a divisive figure amongst the draft community. Some see him as an athletically limited game manager in the Kellen Moore mold, while others see his years of heady production and pinpoint accuracy and think he can do that in the NFL as well. I’m firmly in the former camp, but his game against South Carolina certainly provides ample fodder for the believers. Murray’s late TD to Scott-Wesley is the kind of exclamation point to a game that the Bulldogs have struggled to come up with under Mark Richt.
3. Ohio State pounded San Diego State, as expected. What was unexpected is the quarterback that spearheaded the 42-7 Buckeye romp. Braxton Miller left very early with a knee injury, but Kenny Guiton proved he’s eminently capable of running Ohio State just as well as Miller. Guiton is a similar type of dual-threat QB; he’s not as nifty or fast as Miller (few are), but Guiton might be quicker to make decisions. Having such a reliable backup QB is a huge asset for Ohio State because Miller has not proven very durable in Columbus.
4. Much is being made of Jadeveon Clowney’s rather pedestrian start to the season. Some of that noise is coming from Clowney himself, as he sounded off to reporters about a lack of creativity from his coaches. This is the inherent problem when everyone rushes to raise a young man to unattainable expectations. I still have zero doubt that Clowney will be either the first or second pick in the draft (Teddy Bridgewater will occupy the other slot) even with the “slow” start.
5. One of my favorite small-school prospects got a chance to shine over the weekend. Sam Houston State RB Tim Flanders and his Bearkats were on the wrong end of a 65-28 hosing by Texas A&M, but Flanders demonstrated why I think he’s a mid-round draft pick next May. Flanders gashed the Aggies for 170 yards on 19 carries and scored three touchdowns, one on a 33-yard reception where he showed he could get behind the defense as a receiver too. He’s a stocky but agile 5’9”, 205 pound production machine with a game eerily similar to the first RB taken in the 2013 draft, Giovani Bernard.
$.10--The tenth cent is normally devoted to something extraneous, not necessarily football. On this particular weekend, it’s all about family...and football.
Saturday marked the 17th anniversary of my marriage to my incredible wife Julie. Sunday was my daughter Elizabeth’s fifth birthday. A lot of men struggle with remembering the dates and years, but I have no such problem. You see, my wedding date was September 7th, 1996, the first time Ohio State and Notre Dame met in football in years. My father graciously parted with his precious tickets to spend the momentous day with us. Our wedding reception was notable for all the men sneaking into their hotel rooms to catch a peek at the game. I may or may not have done the same. That day also happened to be the rainiest day in Cleveland history as the remnants of Hurricane Fran drenched the region with over six inches of rain.
My daughter was born on a Monday, the Monday that ended opening weekend of the 2008 NFL season. I spent that evening in the cold, incredibly dry hospital room holding my beautiful baby girl and watching the Broncos destroy the Raiders 41-14 in the MNF nightcap. She got to hear my laughs and feel my pulse raise as Jay Cutler, my fantasy QB for that year, tore apart a weak Raiders defense.
I got to spend a wonderful Saturday with my girls this year. I can honestly say I didn’t watch one second of college football on Saturday, and I didn’t really miss it. For as important as football is to me, nothing tops spending great time with those you love. Try and remember that as football season heats up, guys. There will be other football games, and you can watch most of them on the DVR or the internet later anyways. You never get a second chance to see that little lady ride a bike without training wheels for the first time, or to hold your wife’s hand on a long drive as you recall how beautiful she looked back then, and still looks today.