Lions/Matt Millen/Favre Injury

So word out of the NFL today is Matt Millen has finally been fired. Yes, the Matt Millen that had the lions go something like 23 and 56. The Matt Millen that should have been fired 2 years ago at least. This should help the Lions immensely. Maybe not this year or the next, but soon. Also, Brett Favre is a trooper and he should play on Sunday. I would actually be extremely surprised if he doesn't.(I just want to add it should be a win for the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets!)

Week 3

What a week! New England gets upset, the Giants and the lowly Bengals go into overtime, and Minnesota stopped the Panther's come from behind streak(which I know you were all waiting for on Sunday!) With that said, here is the rundown on a few of the games.

Vikes over Panthers:

Was it just me, or do the Vikings look a lot better with Gus than with Mr. Jackson?? You could watch the offense and see that they were just way more comfortable and had a lot more faith in him that he would make the plays when they needed him to. 16-28 for 204 isn't a bad game at all for someone who was brought in to be a security blanket. So much for "Tavaris is our quarterback" right Childress?? Don't get me wrong, the Kitties played a good game too. This game was definitely won by the Viking defense.

New England loses to the Dolphins:

What?! Did I just write that right? Even without Tom Brady they should still beat the Dolphins! There were two big stories in this game. Ronnie Brown had an AMAZING game that I don't think a running back will beat this year. 4 rushing touchdowns and a TD pass! Amazing. He had more passing touchdowns than his starting quarterback and 113 rushing yards. The second story? The Patriots defense looked more than lost. They looked half dead. They couldn't stop anything. I'm pretty sure a pee-wee football team could have come in and won. Ok. Maybe not, but seriously. I don't think I have ever seen them look that lost. Joey Porter was right and I think even he was a little surprised at how right he was. The Patriots definitely are not the same team minus Brady.

Dallas beats Green Bay:

This was suppose to be a good game, but it was far from that. The Packers defense had so many big holes a Mack truck could have fit through them. The secondary got beat up and now the word is Al Harris will be out for the year. Both QBs played great games which says tons about both defenses, but the running game for the 'Boys was spectacular. Marion Barber had almost double of what all the Packs backs had combined. The backup for Dallas Felix Jones had more yards than the Packers Ryan Grant, their starter. Dallas's number 4 receiver, who to the defense of the packers was the leading receiver for Dallas had the same yards as Greg Jennings. It was just a rough day for the packers.

Final thoughts here....There are some impressive 3 and 0 teams right now including the Bills, the Broncos, the Titans, and of course the Super Bowl champs the New York Giants and the Cowboys. The Ravens are a very impressive 2 and 0. Then there are the 0 and 3 teams...including the Bengals, Rams, Lions, Browns, and the Chiefs. There's also the 0 and 2 Texans. It should be an interesting season and hopefully it will stay like that.

PACKERS

I'll write tomorrow(Tuesday) about what i saw week 3 in NFL, but I just had to write about the packers. I started to have hope that they would beat Dallas. They were looking so good before the game. Aaron Rodgers looked like he was going to be a pretty good quarterback this year. I also have to say I still believe that. But in my mind, the problem the Pack have is the play calling aka Mike McCarthy. In the past weeks, he has just made some calls that make me wonder what he is doing. This week was no different. He has called a run on 3rd and 10 or longer, and has tried to pound the ball in on the goal line after 2 very unsuccessful runs. I'm not a coach. I probably never will be. But come on. A coach gets roughly 100,000 dollars a year to make smart plays. McCarthy just got an extension and he isn't much of a play caller. His players make him look good. Just my opinion. Let me know what you think.

Brandon Marshall (this one should be shorter)

This one will be shorter than my last posts, I promise. I have been thinking about Brandon Marshall's situation and how it would impact the Broncos, and what I concluded might surprise you. I think that if he was suspended that it would be POSITIVE for the broncos. Now don't get me wrong. He is a great receiver and Jay Cutler likes him, but I think Cutler likes him a little too much. Their last game against the Chargers, it seemed like almost all the passes went to Marshall or in his general direction. Week one against the Raiders, Cutler spread it out pretty nicely. Just my thought for the day. Think about it. Let me know what you think.

Raiders

Ok. So I am not a Raiders fan...not by any means. But from what I can tell, they are in a tough spot and there is only one person to blame in my eyes...AL DAVIS. But what about Lane Kiffin you may say? Well. Keep this in mind. Kiffin has publicly and it hadn't been a secret that Al Davis picks all of the assistant coaches. Kiffin has no say in which players that the Raiders get. The raiders biggest pick up this season so far have been a rookie and a player with a bum knee. Don't get me wrong. They could be good, they just need the coordinators and assistant coaches that have the ability to teach them. I like James Lofton. He is a HOF WR but its not really the wide recievers that need help. They strickly need wide recievers. He has really nobody to work with. Here is the list of recivers:


84 Javon Walker
15 Johnnie Lee Higgins
81 Chaz Schilens
89 Ronald Curry
19 Todd Watkins
87 Ashley Lelie


Tell me how many PROVEN receivers there are. I see 2. I see 3 receivers names that I recognize. Walker, Curry, and Lelie. Curry is a good receiver. I can't say anything about him. Walker hasn't been healthy since he tore his knee up in Green Bay and Ashley Lelie is a disappointment. Way to give J. Russell options there Al.

The Raiders, to Al's defense, do have very good running attack with Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden. You have two backs that will bring the defense to the line and keep them on their toes. Will they run or will they pass? That is the question you want the defense to think at all times, but their receiving is so weak that most defenses can just play man with their corners and maybe keep the safeties back and the receivers are covered. Blitz a LB or 2, and the defense will still be fine.

From looking at their depth chart, the Raiders have some talented players, they just need help being developed. When a coach can't have the cast that he wants, the movie just won't work. I don't expect the Raiders to pick it up soon, especially is Al Davis is as stupid as everyone thinks he is and fires Lane Kiffin.

Don't get me wrong. I don't hate the Raiders. I'm not trying to hate on the Raiders. I'm hating on Al Davis. I don't think he has done anything good in at least 6 years. It looks like it should be to be six coaches in the past eight years. Does anyone think that in 1 and a third of a year is enough to turn a team around from a laughing stock and perennial loser? I'm trying to think. I believe the last time that they weren't laughed at and considered a probable bottom 5 team was when Gruden was coach there and maybe the year or 2 layover that most good coaches have. Al Davis couldn't even get along with him, and he was winning!!!

The point of this was to say Al Davis needs to go. NOT Lane Kiffin. Lane could be and would be a great coach if he actually had any say in what happened with HIS team. The team that Davis hired him to take over. But when the owner is so stubborn and stupid that he won't let the Head Coach have any say, you wont get anywhere. And that will be what happens with the Raiders year after year after year until Davis is done with the franchise.

Week 2

So here it is. My thoughts on week 2 of the NFL season. There were some amazing games and some surprising 2-0 teams. For example....WHAT THE HECK IS UP WITH THE PANTHERS??!!! They keep coming back from behind to beat what seems to be quality teams. Last week they come back to beat the Chargers, who, by the way, should pick it up soon. They have too many quality players to be down for too long. It will be like last year. If not, Norm will be out of a job by years end. This week the Panthers beat the Bears, who have looked great so far! But here is my run down/opinions of some of the bigger games from week 2.

Colts/Vikes:

Easy win for the Colts turns into a game that almost and should have turned into an upset for the Vikings. The Vikings led 9 nothing at half, and then only scored 6 points for the rest of the game. More importantly, their defense which has always in recent years been a power house gave up 18 points in the second half. Adrian Peterson looked great as always, but Tavaris Jackson just seems to be in a permanent learning stage. Payton looked like he always has and Anthony Gonzalez is the one of the best up and coming wide outs in the game.

Bears/panthers:

How long will the Panther's come from behind wins keep going? Jake Delhomme showed great poise and great nerve control in beating the bears who look like they could be a contender to win the NFC North. Jonathan Stewart is doing a great job at making sure that the Panthers are going to have a back that will keep defenses on their toes.

Titans/Bengals:

Vince who??? With Vince young nursing an injury (and apparently his emotions), Kerry Collins led the team to a very impressive win over the Bengals. Sure the Bengals are struggling. They are still a very solid team with great players. Look for the Bengals to also come back to fighting form soon!

Jets/Patriots:

In what many thought would be a Jets win, Matt Cassel stepped up and showed that even without Tom Brady they will be a force to recon with. He has all the weapons to lead the team to the playoffs. I never had doubts that Cassel could lead the Patriots effectively. He, like Aaron Rodgers, has had a few years to learn from one of the greats, and he showed that he payed attention to everything his coaches and Brady has taught him. The Jets defense showed holes just like week one. Brett Favre once again spread out the ball to keep the game within reach, and the rushing attack was exactly as was expected against the tough New England defense but the defense has struggled so far this year. You can guarantee that the defense will get a lot if work this week.

Chargers/Broncos:

What a game this was. Jay Cutler showed that he is the QB the Broncs need to lead his team. He is a great leader and a very smart quarterback. 4 touchdowns, an interception and 350 yards passing is a pretty successful game for any young quarterback. He played like a 10 year veteran. When they were down, he lead his team down the field to get 6 points. Then, with the game on the line, he threw a great pass to Eddie Royal for the 2 point conversion. You may argue that he lost the ball, which he did, and he never should have had the chance to win the game. It was a fumble and even the ref admitted it after the replay. That is the kind of breaks that make football great. On the other side of the field, the Philip Rivers had a great game as well with 3 touchdowns, an interception and 377 yards passing. Both defenses struggled in the high scoring game, but that will happen when you put two high powered offenses on the same field.

Eagles/Cowboys:

What a game this was. High energy and high scoring. It was definitely the game of the week. I'm almost positive that you will see these two teams in the NFC Championship. Donovan McNabb is back to the top of his game and Tony Romo is showing that he is a great quarterback no matter what his playoff record is. Terrell Owens is still a top wideout and rookie DeSean Jackson is showing he should have been drafted higher. He is playing great right now. When this game comes around again, in the words of T.O. "Getcha Popcorn Ready."

Just got word that the Vikings are starting Gus over Tavaris. Should be interesting against the Panthers.

And my picks for Week 3 games:

Atlanta over KC
Oakland over Buffalo
Chicago over Tampa
Carolina over Minnesota
NE over Miami
Giants over Cinci
Tennessee over Houston
Washington over Arizona
Denver over New Orleans
Detroit over San Fran
St Louis over Seattle
Cleveland over Baltimore
Indy over Jacksonville
Philly over Pittsburgh
Green Bay over Dallas(upset special)
Jets over San Diego