I did these in the playoffs, and they worked pretty well, so I'm bringing them back out of the coffin for the regular season. By the way, it was a nice rebound week for me, as I went 9-6-1 on the picks. So, after I give myself a little pat on the pack....... let's get to the Weekly Review.
Player of the Week #1: Jay Cutler, QB, Bears
Let's give some credit to the man that has been ducking from rocks in the Chicago area for a year now. Cutler then had to duck Cowboys for the first quarter, as DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer and company got tons of pressure on him. Cutler didn't back down, playing perfectly. He launched an epic deep ball to Johnny Knox on 3rd and 15, and then a beautiful touch pass to Hester for a TD. He was reading the Cowboys defense perfectly, throwing a jet-hot-read on a big blitz, and not making mistakes. That was the huge part, with Cutler not forcing throws, and not getting intercepted, they can get the most out of Cutler's talents, which so far seemed to have matched perfectly with Martz. Next Monday Night will be a good test for Cutler, as he'll face an even better pass-rush in the Packers.
Player of the Week #2: Michael Vick, QB, Eagles
Since he seems destined for the bench, which in theory makes sense since Kevin Kolb has a better chance of being the future than Michael Vick, Vick may not have many weeks left as the starter. If that is the case, he at least has this game. This was better than I have ever seen Michael Vick play. He did not force the run at all. He did not escape the pocket at first instance of pressure. He was poised and more accurate than ever. He always had a fastball for an arm, but I have never seen that type of accuracy from Michael Vick. Michael Vick may never have a game this good again (and playing the Lions probably aided that effort a little, or a lot, or totally) but ten weeks from now, no one will care that it was against the Lions, just care that Vick did to the Lions defense what he did to those dogs, he raosted 'em.
Goat of the Week: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots
I realize that this is starting to be too QB-centric, but I have to put Brady as the main goat. Brady at halftime had about 170 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. He ended the game with 255 yards, the exact same two touchdowns and now two interceptions. The cherry on top of that suck-sundae? Revis didn't play in that second half. I'll give the rookie Kyle Wilson for covering Wes Welker as well as anyone has in that second half, but Brady had tunnel vision for Moss. Moss was now getting safety coverage on every play, and Brady still needlessly lobbed bombs to moss three times, twice turning into interceptions and one incompletion. Brady also moved into pressure a couple of times, which is something he never used to do. Brady had his tight ends all day, but with Revis off the field, he decided that this would be 2007 all over again. It will never be 2007 again for Brady and the Pats. I told you this after week 1, and I still feel that way, even if they go beat Buffalo 42-7. Brady was awful, just horrible, in that second half. Give the Jets credit, but it says more that the last time Brady beat a good defense before Week 1 over Cinci was in 2007.
Surprise of the Week: Pacman Jones, CB, Cincinnati
I thought he might be a good risk/reward pick-up for the Bengals in the offseason. Everyone but I thought that this was another criminal going to the Cincinnati County Jail that is Paul Brown Stadium. As it turns out, I was closer to right than everyone but I, at least for this week. Pacman (or as he hilariously demands people call him, Adam) Jones was great. He took whoever was in the slot completely out of the game (mostly TJ Houshmanzadeh). Pacman's first interception was one of the best corner plays of the year. It wasn't the interception, but the coverage, just cutting off the slant route. Then, Pacman threw an amazing block on another interception return. Pacman took people out of that game. The only reason he's not a player of the week is that Flacco was so inexorably bad in that game that it made covering receivers slightly easier than normal.
Disappointment of the Week: Panther's Offense
I'll admit it freely: I got the Panthers totally wrong. Their offense is putridly bad right now. Matt Moore was awful (I will say that I don't think Jimmy Clausen will be any better). The real problem is that with Moore being this bad, and more than that, this inaccurate, the opposing defenses can go with 8-in-the-box (or even 9-in-the-box) and even stop that running game, which has really screwed up my fantasy team (which is more important to me than the running game screwing up the Panthers actual team). The Panthers line remained solid in pass-blocking, as Moore was not pressured, but they haven't become the road-grating o-line that they were in 2008-2009. It is a long season, and the Panthers had a similar slow start last year (0-3), and turned it around, but they were so bad against a below average team it is hard to see a repeat.
Team Performance of the Week#1: Indianapolis Colts Team
I had a good feeling that the Colts would come out with an intensity and lay a real drubbing on the Giants, but even I didn't expect that performance. It was so good that I was literally enraged when the Giants got the crap touchdown late after the fumble to make it 38-14. They were so good that they won a game 38-14, and could make a real case that it should not have been nearly that close. The defense was dominant, slowing the running game until the second half. The pass-rush was great, even the interior guys. The Colts played man coverage a lot more than normal and covered the Giants receivers excellently (even a good play sighting by Kelvin Hayden). That was beautiful, that was great, that was defense. Then, there was that offense. That running game is what needs to happen every week, every game. Addai and Brown both ran for over 4.0 yards-per-carry. Manning was perfect, going 20-26, with three more tds and again, no picks. That was as good as the Colts have ever played.
Team Performance of the Week#2: Pittsburgh Steelers Defense
Speaking as playing as good as ever, that was a vintage Steelers' defense. James Harrison had two sacks, LaMarr Woodley added another one. Lawrence Timmons was a monster in the middle. Bryant McFadden was good in coverage. Troy Polamalu was, well, a healthy Troy Polamalu. This was vintage 2008 Steelers' defense. Polamalu timed snap jump to stop Kerry Collins' QB Sneak was a thing of beauty. The Steelers are heading what so far has been the year of defense (just like I predicted this offseason). Teams are only averaging 19.4 points per game, which is ridiculously low (last year, the league wide was 22.5). The Steelers are the gold standard of defense, and it shows when they can win a game comfortably when their offense only gains 125 yards. They'll be really, really scary when Roethlisberger comes back.
Team Laydown of the Week: Arizona Cardinals Team
That was quite despicable. The Cardinals have a good defense. They do. Darnell Dockett is an all-pro. Calias Campbell is a good up-and-comer. They have good players in the secondary. None of that seemed to matter. The Cardinals quit on that game, which is even scarier since Micheal Turner went out of the game when it was 10-7, and the Falcons then proceeded to beat the Cardinals, much in the same manner a Falcon would eat a Cardinal (red meat!!). The Cardinals were pathetic. Ken Whisenhunt needs to be able to motivate his team, and it seems like Matt Leinart had a lot more supporters in that locker room than the media thought, since no one seems to play all that hard for Derek Anderson. A team that is probably a hair less talented than their opponent should not lose 41-7.
Storyline that Will be Beaten to Death This Week: QB switches.
It seems like every team that had sucky starting QBs got together at some convention and unanimously decided to switch their QBs this week. We have the ongoing saga of Vince Young, whose unofficial tag name has switched from "all he does is win games" to "all he does is get benched for a balding, white geriatric of a man". Then there is Oakland's possible switch to Gradkowski. Then there are the ones we know about, like Kevin Kolb returning to replace a QB who played a lot better than Kolb ever has. Of course, there is the humorous one with Trent Edwards getting benched for Ryan Fitzpatrick, which shows that Harvard can even best Stanford in "NFL Starting QBs" category of US News' 2011 College Rankings. Finally, there will be hype surrounding Jimmy Clausen's first start. Of course, none of this actually matters. All of the teams mentioned here are not that good, and I personally guarantee that NONE of them will go to the playoffs (except Oakland has a 0.3% chance to steal that AFC West). None of these QB switches will impact the playoff picture.
Storyline that Should be Beaten to Death This Week: Chicago vs. Green Bay
This is the only Week 3 matchup featuring two 2-0 teams, and they just happen to be playing in the same division, and also comprise one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL. The Bears and Packers in Soldier Field. Of course, I wish this game could have been played in December in a frigid Lambeau, but Monday Night will work just fine. The Bears defense has been excellent the first two weeks. They totally shut down Detroit in Week 1, and for the most part controlled Dallas until the Cowboys piled up yards when the game was already 27-17. The Bears defense can absolutely shut down the run. Tommie Harris looks healthy, finally and Urlacher is flying to the ball. The Packers have arguably the most well-balanced team through two games. Clay Matthews is a beast going up against a suspect o-line. These two always play close games (last three times decided by 3, 6, 7). The Packers will be favorites, but remember the lesson the Bears showed us last year in Week 16 on Monday Night against the Vikings. Soldier Field will be crazy, and it should be a great way to cap off Week 3.
