Things I Noticed: Week 1

We're back with another season of football, where I'll once again be re-capping each week with some thoughts on each game.  A re-match of last year's playoff match-up between the Ravens and Broncos kicks off the season Thursday night.  Denver is looking to avenge a humiliating loss that helped pave the path for the Ravens to become the eventual Super Bowl Champions.  The bad blood between these two AFC contenders spilled into the off-season, when a botched contract restructuring led to the Ravens stealing Elvis Dumervill.  With tensions sure to be running high, what better way to start the year!

• The pre-game show includes a video of NFL legends representing every team counting down to the start of the game, while the song Final Countdown blares through the speakers.  Of course, once the countdown ends, it's announced the game is actually going to be delayed due to lighting storms in the area.  So what exactly were we counting down to?  Not to worry, the season will begin tonight! Eventually....  
• Ok, so after a 33 min delay, plus a few extra minutes while the Ravens casually strolled out on to the field... plus their mandatory five minute warm up... wow, it's 9:15 already and we're just getting started?!
• There was some concern that the Broncos could get off to a slow start this year due to a declining
  
  defense.  Not only did they lose Dumervill, but they are still missing Von Miller (6 game suspension) and Champ Bailey (injury).  That's their three best defensive players from last season!  Scratch those concerns, as Peyton Manning has ensured that the Broncos explosive offense will more than make up for any defensive decline.
• Manning had a career night - 462 yards and a record tying 7 passing TDs!  Let me reiterate that for emphasis.  The four time MVP just had the best game of his life!  
• Wes Welker didn't wait long to entrench himself as a key cog in the offense for his new team, hauling in a team high 9 catches for 67 yards and two scores.  He is now the only player to ever catch a TD pass from both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.  Of course given Manning's huge game, Welker couldn't have been the only one getting in on the fun.  Demaryious Thomas (161 yards, 2 TDs) had a huge game, mostly due to catching a 78 yard TD pass in garbage time.  Then there was 3rd year TE Julious Thomas, who entered the game with 1 career catch for a meager 5 yards.  He has quickly become the new sleeper TE that will send fantasy owners frantically to the waiver wire to scoop him up after his 110 yard, 2 TD breakout performance.  We know Manning likes his TE's, but who saw this coming?
• Dallas Clark dropped what should have been a walk in TD just before halftime to force Baltimore to settle for a FG, so his former Colts teammate is still Peyton's favorite TE!
• The turning point in the game came early in the third quarter, when Welker was credited with a catch for 10 yards on a 3rd and 9 play.  Replay clearly showed the ball hitting the ground for an incomplete pass, but John Harbaugh never bothered to challenge the call.  Maybe he'll blame the Broncos hurry up offense for not giving him enough time to ponder the decision.  On the very next play, Manning found Demaryious Thomas for a 34 yard gain down the left sideline.  Two plays later the Broncos would be in the end zone with their first lead of the game.  
• Remember when everyone talked about how overpaying Joe Flacco, which led to the cap strapped Ravens letting go several key pieces from their Super Bowl run, would come back to haunt Baltimore?  Giving up 49 points on opening night qualifies as exhibit A supporting that argument.  I know the Broncos offense is good, but c'mon!  That was just a pathetic display from the defending champs.
• Meanwhile, the $120 million dollar man continues to show what a mediocre QB he is in the regular season.  362 passing yards doesn't look quite as impressive when it comes on 54% completion percentage, with a large chunk of that yardage getting racked up in garbage time.  Add in a couple of INTs, plus at least a couple other horrible passes that were nearly picked off, and it was a pretty lackluster performance to open the season.
• We knew it would be an adjustment for the Patriots offense given that Tom Brady was working without his top five receivers from last season, but if Week 1 is any indication, the Pats still have a lot of work to do.  New England barely skated by Buffalo on a last second field goal and were lucky to walk away with a win given how sloppy they looked.  
• It's clear that Danny Amendola (10 catches, 104 yards) has quickly established himself as one of the few options Brady can rely on, as he made several clutch catches in traffic to keep the Patriots alive, while battling through a painful groin injury. Julian Edleman (79 yards, 2 TDs) also stepped up as a reliable target, but the rest of the receiving corp had trouble getting on the same page with Brady.  Pre-season favorite Kenbrell Thompkins managed four catches, but it came on a team high 14 targets and he looked lost on several routes. Zach Studfeld was supposed to be the primary TE threat with Rob Gronkowski sidelined, but the undrafted rookie was only targeted once - on a pass that bounced off his hands and into the arms of opportunistic defensive back Justin Rogers.
• If the Pats look to rely more heavily on the running game while the passing attack catches up, it's not
  
  clear how involved Stevan Ridley will be in that plan after his second quarter fumble was returned to put the Bills on the board.  The Riddler has a history of issues holding on to the ball, so it was no surprise that his latest mistake landed him in Bill Belichick's doghouse.  He never saw the field again following the turnover, paving the way for a breakout game from Shane Vereen (101 rushing yards, 7 catches for 58 yards).  Vereen looked good weaving through open running lanes and can be used in a variety of ways.  Look for his role to increase even if Ridley manages to get back into Belichick's good graces.
• Not so fast.  Apparently Vereen broke a bone in his hand early in the game and will have surgery to repair the injury.  That will knock him out at least a few weeks and open the door for Ridley to work his way back into the picture.  Try to resist the jokes about Vereen managing to hold on to the football with a broken hand, while Ridley still has his issues with dropping it.
• The Bills are changing to a fast paced hurry up approach behind rookie QB EJ Manuel, but the plan backfired this week.  Hoping to keep the defense off balance and tire them out, Buffalo stuck with the no huddle in the fourth quarter despite milking a narrow lead.  Up by one point with under 11 minutes to play, the Bills managed to chew up less than 2 minutes off the clock before punting the ball away. When they got the ball back with under six minutes left, they ran off barely more than a minute after a three an out, handing the ball back to the Patriots with four and a half minutes left.  Brady used up nearly all that remaining time before setting up the winning FG.  Clock management is something the rookie will need to learn, but it's on the coaching staff for allowing him to stick with the hurry up game plan.  
• A.J. Green's big day (162 yards, 2 TDs) wasn't enough to overcome the Bears.  The three turnovers were costly, but you expect that to be a concern against the Bears defense.  Yet the Bengals still found more opportunities to beat themselves.  Forced to punt the ball away with under a minute remaining in the first half, the Bengals wisely kicked it out of bounds to prevent any chance of a big return.  Unwise was the unnecessary roughness penalty on Dre Kirkpatrick, which gave Chicago the ball in Bengals territory.  A few plays later, Robbie Gould boomed a career long 58 yard field goal just before the half.  Chicago would of course go on to win by three.
• Remember when people were saying the Dolphins would be fine letting Reggie Bush go because they were prepared to go with Lamar Smith as the main option in their backfield?  They may want to reconsider that logic after Smith's dismal performance.  10 carries for 3 yards??  You should never overreact to one game, but wow.  When your performance actually makes Daniel Thomas look good... no wait, 14 yards on 8 carries isn't good either.  But hey, at least Thomas found the end zone!
• Luckily they used the money they saved by letting Bush walk to put toward Mike Wallace's new $60 million contract.  That got them... 1 catch for 15 yards.  Clearly the new look Dolphins are a work in progress.
• Miami still managed to pull out a victory because, as it turns out, Cleveland's offense isn't very good either.  
• Speaking of Reggie Bush!  90 rushing yards, plus 101 receiving yards and a score in his Detroit debut helped push the Lions ahead of the Vikings.  Miami fans must be thinking, hey - why can't we get guys like that?  Nah, Miami fans have already tuned out and are looking ahead to when the Heat start up again next month.
• One year after setting the league record for receiving yards, Calvin Johnson (4 catches, 37 yards) was kept quiet in the season opener.  He did have a 20 yard TD catch that was reversed after video review, so he at least came close to making an impact.  The threat of having him stretch the field opens up plenty of empty space for Bush to operate in, so his presence helps the team even when it's not helping his stat sheet.
• Many expect Adrian Peterson to suffer a drastic decline this year, after surpassing 2,000 rushing yards
  
  last year, citing reasons such as the history of the previous six running backs to hit the 2K mark falling off the next season.  So what does AP do on his first carry of the season?  Take it to the house for a 78 yard score of course!  While the Lions managed to reasonably contain him after that (he finished with only 93 yards), Peterson would later rush for another score and also catch a TD pass.  As we heard often last season and likely will again this year - Adrian Peterson was the only reason this game was even competitive.  
• Oakland QB Terrelle Pryor showed us a few things in the Raiders loss to the Colts.  He's a threat as a running QB (112 rushing yards), but he can't throw.  So basically, he's Tim Tebow but without the perplexing popularity... or the dramatic comeback wins.  When given the chance to lead a game winning drive in the final minute, Pryor marched his team deep into Colts territory, before throwing a game ending INT.  Not what Tebow would have done!
• You know who can lead comeback victories?  Andrew Luck.  He did it again, giving him 8 game winning drives in the 4th quarter or OT since the start of last season - most of any QB in the league during that span.  He may not have Pryor's speed, but it was Luck's 19 yard scramble to the end zone that put the Colts ahead for the win.  That's what Tebow would have done!
• We assumed Sean Payton's return from a season long suspension would mean drastic improvements for the Saints, but we didn't necessarily expect those improvements to come on defense.  Yet after allowing a record setting 7,042 yards last season, the Saints defense held the high powered Falcons to only 17 points.  More importantly, they came through when it counted, picking off a tipped pass on a 4th and goal from the Saints three yard line to seal the victory.
• Steven Jackson is proving to be a substantial upgrade over the corpse of Michael Turner.  The 30 year old RB showed he still has some burst in his engine on a 50 yard run and finished with 77 yards on only 11 carries.  He also caught five passes, which is an element that Turner never provided even when he was still considered a good RB.
• Yet despite the upgrade in the backfield, the Falcons did not turn to Jackson when it counted. Facing first and goal from the three yard line, with the game on the line and timeouts in their pocket, Atlanta did not bother with a single running play.  After three pass attempts failed to get them into the end zone, the Saints defense set up in the dime, expecting pass.  With five offensive lineman blocking only three defenders on the line, Matt Ryan could have practically walked into the end zone for the winning score.  Instead, he forced a pass into double coverage for a game ending turnover.
• Clinging to a two point lead, the Bucs defense forced a scrambling Gino Smith out of bounds on the Jets half of the field with only a few seconds remaining.  They should have the game in the bag, with a miracle Hail Mary being the Jets only chance, right?  Wrong.  Tampa handed the Jets a victory with a boneheaded penalty for hitting Smith after he was out of bounds.  The 15 yard penalty puts the Jets in range for the game winning 48 yards field goal as time expires.  Congrats Lavonte David, you are guilty of the dumbest play of the season so far, single handedly costing your team the win.
• Should the game have even been close enough for the Jets to have been handed that victory to begin with?  Are the Jets better than we thought or is Tampa just much worse than we expected?  Doug Martin, considered one of the best young RBs in the league following his impressive rookie season, was held to only 65 yards on 24 carries by a defense that allowed the 26th most rushing yards in the league last season.  Josh Freeman threw for a barely acceptable 210 yards, but 206 of those yards went to Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams.  There really wasn't any other Bucs receiver available?
• What would the Jets consider to be better news?  Gino Smith winning his first game as a starter, or
  
  Mark Sanchez being out indefinitely with a shoulder injury (he's reportedly meeting with Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion - never a good sign).  To the dismay of the rest of the AFC East, we may have seen the last of Mark Sanchez as the Jets starter. 
• The Steelers lost a home opener for the first time in a decade, but the bigger loss was the likely season ending injury to Pro-Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey, who was forced out with torn ligaments in his knee.  Given how often Ben Roethlisberger got hit last season, losing the linchpin of their offensive line isn't going to help keep Big Ben upright.  The Titans defense hit him six time, sacking him five times.
• On the opening kick-off, Titans returner Darius Reynaud knelt in the end zone with one foot in the field of play.  The result was a safety to open the game.  Pittsburgh was spotted two points and the Titans were forced to punt the ball back to them.  Given how the rest of the game played out, it was awfully nice of Tennessee to spot the Steelers that handicap to start the game.
• Russell Wilson took a shot deep down field and connected with Jermaine Kearse on a leaping grab in the end zone for the winning score as the Seahawks edged the Panthers.  Then the defense sealed it by recovering a DeAngelo Williams fumble, allowing Seattle to run out the rest of the clock.
• So Jacksonville is going for year 3 of the Blaine Gabbert experience.  How's that working out so far?  45% passing for only 121 yards.  Two INTs.  Sacked six times.  A Total QBR of 1.2??  The offense was shut out, with the Jags only managing to get on the scoreboard when their defense recorded a safety.  I'd say it's doubtful that Gabbert doesn't last the year as the starter, but who would they replace him with?  If he doesn't show any potential this season, better to sink with him and get a high draft pick that could be used to find a franchise QB than to replace him this year with a veteran that could win them an extra game or two and cost them draft positioning, without getting them even close to being a contender.
• Maybe Alex Smith isn't anything special.  You probably wouldn't consider him to be an elite QB.  Yet he's such a massive upgrade over the disastrous options the Chiefs offense dealt with last season that it must feel like they are now playing with the best QB ever!
• Well, Dwayne Bowe is still wondering why he only got four catches for a meager 30 yards.  Apparently nobody told him that going deep down field is not one of Smith's specialties.  He's more of the safe, efficient throwing type.
• Speaking of receivers that are thrilled to be working with an upgrade at QB... how happy is Larry Fitzgerald these days?  Happier than a camel on Wednesday!  After catching only 4 TDs all of last season, he already has 2 this season after the season debut catching passes from Carson Palmer.  Now granted Palmer is past his prime and not close to being an elite QB, but at least he's not John Skelton or Kevin Kolb.  So, there's that.
• Jared Cook had an impressive debut with his new team in St. Louis, hauling in 7 catches for 141 yards and two scores.  His 25 yard catch in the final minutes of the fourth quarter helped set up a game winning 48 yard field goal as the Rams edged the Cardinals.  
• Cook could have had three scores, but he had the ball knocked out of his hands just short of crossing the goal line after reeling in a 47 yard catch.  Great play for the defense, but also good to see Cook was able to atone for the mistake instead of letting the missed opportunity keep him down.
• Colin Kaepernick must love playing against the Packers defense.  Green Bay seemed much better prepared to contain the read-option threat that tore them apart in last year's playoffs, but Kaepernick shredded them through the air this week to the tune of 412 yards and 3 TDs.  The Packers defense sold out to stop Kaepernick from running, but he was able to make them pay with his arm.
• Anquan Boldin helped the Ravens beat San Francisco in last year's Super Bowl.  Now as a member of the Niners, he's helping them win.  13 catches, 208 yards and a score!  Kaepernick has found a new favorite receiver.
• Of Boldin's many big catches, none may have been more clutch than his 15 yard reception late in the fourth quarter.  With the Niners facing a 4th and 2 just outside of field goal range, Jim Harbaugh made the bold decision to go for it.  With Green Bay already out of time outs, the conversion allowed the Niners to run off most of the clock before kicking a FG to put them up by six.  The Packers would get the ball back with only 26 seconds left, needing a TD.  Had they failed to convert, they would have handed Aaron Rodgers the ball back with better field position and over two minutes left, while clinging to only a three point lead.  Good luck protecting that.  Boldin's catch may have saved the game.
• If there was any concern that Vernon Davis would be a forgotten man in the offense, as he was after Kaepernick took over last season (at least until a couple of impressive postseason games), those concerns have been put to rest with a 6 catch, 98 yard, 2 TD performance in the opener.
• A late hit out of bounds by the Packers Clay Matthews (the new villain for Niners fans?) led to a scuffle between the two teams and offsetting penalties.  Since both were dead ball fouls, the down should have counted and led to 4th and 2, in which case the Niners likely settle for a field goal.  Instead the refs incorrectly replayed third down and the Niners scored a TD.
• Would that four point swing have made a difference in what ended up being a six point game?  Perhaps, considering the Packers final drive may have ended differently if they only needed three points instead of a TD.  What would have been about a 59 yard attempt on the game's final play would have been a long shot (literally), but probably more likely than trying to reach the end zone with only one throw.
• Eli Manning may have had the worst game ever by a QB that threw for 450 yards and 4 TDs.  Is it
  
  even possible to consider that a bad game?  Well, it also came with three INTs, which accounted for half of the Giants six turnovers in the game.  The Giants turned the ball over on their first three possessions of the game, yet somehow still found themselves in position to drive for a potential winning score with under two minutes in the fourth quarter.  At least until Manning's third INT was returned 49 yards the other way by Brandon Carr for a Cowboys TD that sealed the game. 
• With Ahmad Bradshaw's release over the off-season, this was supposed to be David Wilson's time to shine.  After a couple of fumbles in the season opener, that shine has faded fast.  His troubles holding on to the football are nothing new, as he got himself benched for a fumble in last year's season opener against the Cowboys too. 
• As ugly as the offense looked most of the night, Victor Cruz still managed to show off plenty of those sweet salsa moves in his three trips to the end zone.  Some terribly blown coverage by the Cowboys defense led to a 70 yard strike for his first TD just before halftime to salvage a brutal first half for New York.
• Tony Romo gave the Cowboys a scare after suffering an apparent rib injury near the end of the half.  The team announced that he only had the wind knocked out of him (which certainly didn't seem to be the case at the time).  He returned to finish the game, leading Dallas to their first home win over the Giants since moving into AT&T Stadium.
• X-Rays after the game revealed Romo had suffered bruised ribs, but no fractures.  He's expected to be ready to start next week.
• The Giants game planned to take Dez Bryant out of the game with constant double teams by having a safety play over the top of him, limiting the star receiver to 4 catches for a meager 22 yards.  Of course that left plenty of open field available for Romo to find Miles Austin (10 catches, 72 yards) and Jason Witten (8 catches, 70 yards, 2 TDs).
• Chip Kelly's Eagles played at a furiously fast pace from the start, pushing the limits of how quickly they could set up to run another play.  Michael Vick led the offense all the way to the Washington 4 yard line on the opening drive in less than three minutes, before turning the ball over.  Throwing from out of the shotgun, Vick tried for a quick out pass to the right side, but the ball was deflected.  The pass was ruled a lateral rather than a forward pass, which meant it was a loose ball.  DeAngelo Hall scooped it up and casually jogged to the end zone for a Washington score.  The dumbfounded Eagles players stood around watching, as if perplexed why the play wasn't blown dead.  Hall literally could have walked into the end zone, as there wasn't an Eagles player within 30 yards of him.
• The pace slowed in the second half, as Philadelphia was up big and looked to run down the clock.  After ripping off 53 first half plays, the Eagles finished with 77.  They at least proved capable of playing at the break neck pace we expected based on what they did in the first half.
• Last year the league average was 64 plays per game, so despite the slower paced second half, the 77 total is still impressive.  Washington finished with 70 plays, in part because the Eagles quick drives resulted in each team getting more possessions. 
• Kelly is attempting to infuse the Blur Offense he used at Oregon into this Eagles offense, but will it work as well as it did in college?  More plays means adding more situations where Vick is forced to make a decision.  Decision making has never been Vick's strong suit (not just his off the field history either).  How will the players hold up during a brutal 16 game schedule under this pace?  College players don't play as many games.  Will the Eagles wear themselves out?  New England was successful last season playing at a fast pace, but what Kelly's Eagles want to do may be even beyond that.  Time will tell how it will work out, but they are off to a good start.  If nothing else, it should be fun to watch.
• LeSean McCoy fell just short of a career high with 184 rushing yards and added a TD.  Shady is
  
  coming off a down season where his offensive line left him little room to operate, but he showed he still has impressive bursts and elusive quick cuts that made him one of the league's best RBs in previous seasons.  Looks for him to get back to that level in this offense.
• Robert Griffin III understandably looked rusty in his first live game action since tearing his ACL in last year's postseason loss.  He seemed to have trouble moving his feet and stepping into his throws early on, leading to several passes that were far off target.  He looked more comfortable as the game went on and rallied a near comeback late in the fourth quarter, but it proved to be too little, too late.
• The Chargers got off to a quick start by intercepting Matt Schaub's first pass attempt of the season. Philip Rivers connected with Ryan Mathews on a 14 yard TD pass on their first play, giving San Diego a 7-0 lead 15 seconds into the game.  
• When Rivers threw his fourth TD pass of the night to put his Chargers ahead by 21 points in the third quarter, it looked like San Diego was poised to cruise to an upset victory over the Texans.  Then in classic Charger fashion they of course blew that lead in ways that would make you think Norv Turner was still coaching on the sidelines.  When Randy Bullock's 41 yard kick sailed through the uprights as time expired, it sealed the start of another frustrating season for the Chargers.
• While it was that last second kick that wrapped up the victory, it was the field goal that didn't happen that changed the game.  Early in the fourth quarter, Houston kicked a 37 yard field goal that was nullified by a penalty for... roughing the center?  Apparently that's a new rule that almost nobody has ever heard of.  Roughing the kicker, sure.  Understandable rule, considering they are often in a prone position after a kick that leaves them vulnerable to injuries if defenders were clear to tee off on them. But roughing the center??  Aren't you supposed to run into offensive lineman?  The Texans threw a TD pass to Owen Daniels on the next play, gifting them an extra four points.  Houston would of course go on to win by three points.  
• To make matters worse, I fell asleep during halftime of this game (hey, it was past midnight already!) feeling fairly confident that I had wrapped up a win in my fantasy football league.  I held a near 7 point lead at the time and my opponent only had one player left.  Yup, Owen Daniels.  That bizarre penalty handed the Texans the opportunity to score a TD instead of a FG, so of course that TD went to the one guy I couldn't afford to see score again.  I lost my match-up by 1 point.  I feel your pain, Chargers fans. 
• Four teams recorded a safety in the first quarter this week (Jets, Steelers, Jaguars, Eagles).
• Eight teams opened the season with new head coaches (Chiefs, Eagles, Bears, Jaguars, Chargers, Bills, Browns, Cardinals).  Those teams went 3-5 to open their seasons.  
• Last month the NFL and former players reached an agreement on a $765 million settlement over concussion related lawsuits.  While that figure may seem like a staggering amount, it's chunk change for a billion dollar industry that many expected would be held accountable for much more.  Despite the league not actually admitting guilt over the concussion issues, let's hope this is a sign that the league will continue to focus on protecting it's players.