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NFL Week 1 – T Lamont’s Thoughts and Rants

T Lamont — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:04:45 +0000

After a thrilling season opener, the rest of the National Football’s week one matchups came through with a bang. And what better way to celebrate and remember the losses and heroes a decade ago than in all of the stadiums where the ‘new national pasttime’ is played.

But having opening Sunday fall on the date of such a memorable tragedy is only one of the reasons that this NFL debut was so heavily anticipated. First, there’s the appreciation that professional football is actually being played – after a work stoppage threatened to have everyone looking for sporting alternatives this autumn. Of course, there’s the personnel changes including everything from the prediction of a ‘dream team’ to the concern surrounding the untimely absence of a 4-time MVP.

Well, each week, we’ll take a glance at some of my random thoughts from the week’s contests. Let’s get started with Week 1:

- I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a moment as spine-tingling as I did when I listened to the sailor that sung the Star Spangled Banner at the start of the Eagles-Rams game. My wife and I were about to do some odd chore (I can’t recall what) when we overheard the gentleman hurling out operatic notes. We immediately jetted back to the television and stood with our mouths open as we listened. Amazing.

- As for the Eagles-Rams game, I have to give credit to the Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Philly obviously has supreme talent at the skill positions, but the cynics continue to focus on the extremely weak offensive line – and how that weakness will be the team’s eventual downfall. Now, I know today’s game was only against St. Louis, but Mornhinweg showed that he is going to do his best to keep Michael Vick from being a sitting duck. On nearly every offensive play – whether run or pass – the line pulled or the the pocket moved, in a clear attempt to negate any defensive momentum that the Rams could gain. Surely, the Eagles need to upgrade their linemen, but at this point they have to get the best out of what they have.

After committing five turnovers, Big Ben already has his sights set on his next game against Baltimore.

- Where do you start with the Steelers-Ravens? Seven turnovers – five from Ben Roethlisberger. Giving up 170 yards rushing to Ray Rice and Ricky Williams. This is the most lopsided contest that I can recall in some time between these two. As Baltimore sprinted out to a 14-0 first quarter advantage, all I could remember was last year’s playoff debacle. But the Ravens kept the pressure on, and Pittsburgh never saw the light of day. John Harbaugh’s group sent its message, and the Steelers already have the night of November 6 circled on their calendar.

- Atlanta, what happened? After last season’s 13-3 regular season mark, big things were expected from the Falcons. They ran into a sizzling Aaron Rodgers in last year’s Divisional Playoff round, and they were history. But they were supposed to build on their unexpected success, and the predictable Chicago Bears were supposed to be their first victim in the 2011 campaign. A quick look at the box score shows Matt Ryan putting up a 31-47, 319 yard game, and Michael Turner collected 100 yards on the ground. That would normally be the recipe for success, but the Falcons couldn’t finish anything today against the Bears. Chicago used turnovers and a ‘bend but don’t break’ defense to put the contest out of reach. The Falcons now face the real possibility of getting out of the box with an 0-2 start as they face Vick-adelphia on Sunday night.

- Welcome back Plaxico. It was good to see Plax catch a much needed 26-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter as the Jets tried to slice into a 14-point deficit against the Cowboys. Minutes before, Burress laid out Mike Jenkins to give Santonio Holmes more running room on a key play to extend the drive. And in classic Plaxico-style, the camera caught him mouthing off about the block on the sidelines.

- 41 points for the Buffalo Bills – and none of them came directly from a Chiefs defensive turnover. I don’t think anyone saw this coming, especially Kansas City. The Chiefs were a dominant running team last season, posting two big-time rushers in Thomas Jones (896 yards) and Jamaal Charles (1,467 yards). Although the Chiefs average six yards per rush today, they simply couldn’t keep the chains moving. They only converted 23% (3 of 13) of their third downs. In addition, Matt Cassel completed 22 passes for 119 yards. That almost seems like a misprint, but KC’s leading receiver was Steve Breaston with 26 yards. But back to the Bills – Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for four scores and Fred Jackson gained 5.5 yards per carry.

- Kickoff returners were certainly trying to prove their worth in Week 1. There was a concern the kickoff return specialists would possibly have their value lessened by the league’s mandate to have kickers tee it up from the 35-yard line. To my count, there were three kickoffs returned for TDs this week – Randall Cobb (Green Bay), Ted Ginn, Jr. (San Francisco) and Percy Harvin (Minnesota) – so there will still be opportunities. Touchbacks will be up, but I saw more returners running the rock out when they were seven, eight, or even nine yards deep in the end zone. In prior years, these would be labeled as poor decisions. So…what do you label them now that the kicking team is five yards closer to you than they were before?

- Way to go, Cam Newton. The number one draft pick showed us all that he can get it done through the air (422 yards passing), and that he’s not just the stereotypical dual threat quarterback that almost everyone wanted to label him as. The Heisman winner played great, and, perhaps his most significant accomplishment was developing a rhythm with superstar receiver Steve Smith. Newton has the potential to make the coaches look good, but they’ll need to help themselves, too. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart - both above average backs that competitors would be pleased to have – combined to rush the ball 19 times on Sunday. Regardless of how brilliant Newton is, Carolina will have a hard to winning any game will that type of unbalanced playcalling.

Despite the Panthers' loss, Newton shined on Sunday afternoon.

- The Colts got trounced by the Texans. If I recall correctly, Indy fell to the Texans early last year as well – with Peyton Manning on the field. Kerry Collins didn’t do much today, and one positive (probably the only one) was that he didn’t commit any turnovers. Houston scored 34 points in the first half, and appeared to call off the dogs a bit in the second half. Even a 4-time MVP would have had an extremely difficult time making up for his team’s poor defensive effort. The Texans pounded out 167 yards on the ground and managed 8.7 yards per pass play. Yes, Indy is in deep trouble without Manning – and I mean ‘the Colts won win 5 games’ type of trouble. But on this day, to put it bluntly, Manning would have needed to play on defense as well.

- Hats off to the team from the nation’s capital. After allowing Eli Manning to connect with Hakeem Nicks on a deep busted-play (which set up a TD run), the Redskins marched by down the field and had their drive stalled inside field goal range. However, when the 39-yarder sailed wide, the usual visions of underachievement could have easily entered their heads. But Washington didn’t stop fighting and secured an important divisional win that could give them the confidence that they need to be the second-best team in the NFC East.

Peyton Teaching Eli A Lesson

T Lamont — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 03:33:14 +0000

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There always seem to be a point during which an older, more experienced mentor passes the torch over to his younger protege’.

In the case of Peyton and Eli Manning, that point in time hasn’t arrived yet.

Peyton and his Colts schooled the Giants in just about every way imaginable, coasting to a 38-14 victory on Sunday night in Indianapolis.

The brothers’ statistics at halftime (with the Colts leading 24-0) told the whole story:

Peyton Manning: 13-18 for 154 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

Eli Manning: 3-8 for 17 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT

But of course, you might have anticipated that discrepancy in the numbers through the air. The Giants are more rugged, and usually sport a more balanced attack that is powered by their running game. And figuring that, we’d all be shocked to see that the Colts outrushed the Giants 124-58 in the first 30 minutes of game time.

The home team opened the game with a 12-play, 85 yard scoring drive that lasted for 6:44. It ended with Doanld Brown getting into the end zone after a 7-yard run. While Nerw York failed to get anything going, Indianapolis sustained their momentum by putting 17 points on the board in the second quarter – highlighted by a 50-yard TD pass to Dallas Clark and a 3-yard TD pass to Austin Collie with 0:09 left before intermission.

It's been a long, winding road since Eli hoisted this trophy in early 2008.

Not much else happened the rest of the way. Early in the third quarter, the Giants avoided posting a goose egg on the scoreboard when Eli connected with Mario Manningham for a 54-yard touchdown. The Colts added a couple of cosmetic scores – one of which was generated by a defensive hit on Eli Manning that forced a fumble which was recovered in the end zone.

Manning fumbled three times in the contest tonight. New York’s protection is not doing the job for him. They had no consistent answer for Indianapolis defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis – not that many other teams do. And the younger Manning has always seemingly been fumble prone. That’s not a good combination, and it doomed the Giants as the game progressed. Eli has to do a better job of feeling the pressure. He has endured quite a bit of punishment early in his career because of his inability to do so.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t get any pointers from his older brother on that. Peyton, as usual, was protected in stellar fashion, enabling him to get off to a great start which he maintained throughout the game.

Putting the Manning match-up aside – did we really expect the Colts to start the season 0-2? They must have been itching to get back on the gridiron after their loss to the suddenly hot Texans in the opening week.

Saints Go All The Way With Super Bowl XLIV Victory

T Lamont — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:21:42 +0000

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Two weeks ago, it was New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter who intercepted Minnesota’s Brett Favre to seal the Saints place in Super Bowl 44.

Tonight, Porter was up to his old tricks again – this time his victim was 4-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning.

Porter’s late fourth quarter interception return for a touchdown provided the final margin in Super Bowl 44, as the New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17.

In a game between two teams noted for their extraordinary offenses and top-notch quarterbacks, neither failed to live up to the hype. After a slow start to the game, both signal callers combined to complete 63 passes.

The Colts led the game 10-6 at the half, as neither team could sustain any momentum. So, coming out of halftime, the Saints went with an unconventional onside kick. Indianapolis just missed recovering the ball, but it went under the hands of a Colts player and the Saints were able to recover it. This controversial choice paid off for New Orleans. Drew Brees got on a roll and led his team on touchdown drive by completing a 16-yard screen pass to Pierre Thomas.

Drew Brees celebrates his new Super Bowl trophy with his son, Baylen.

Indianapolis responded with a 76-yard drive. The drive ended with Joseph Addai scoring on a 4-yard TD run which put the Colts ahead 17-13.

But that would be the last time that the Colts would score in the contest. First, the Saints Garrett Hartley answered with a 46-yard field goal. After keeping the Colts at bay, the Saints scored with 4:57 left in the game to put them ahead 24-17.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning began to lead his troops on a drive to tie the game, moving the ball into Saints’ territory. A key 3rd and 5 pass was intercepted by Tracy Porter, providing the game with its biggest play.

Manning tried to quickly get another score for Indy, but the drive stalled when the Colts couldn’t push the ball in the end zone on a 4th and goal with slightly over a minute left in the contest.

Drew Brees, who was named the Super Bowl MVP, downed the ball to seal the New Orleans’ victory in their first trip to the big game. Here’s the quarterback’s take on their journey this season:

”We just believed in ourselves and we knew that we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us. What can I say? I tried to imagine what this moment would be like for a long time and it’s better than expected.”

Now, Brees, the Saints and the city of New Orleans no longer have to imagine.

NFL Pro Bowl Week Rambling…

T Lamont — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:39:33 +0000

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With a couple of big football events coming up over the next two weekends, the NFL season is rapidly approaching its climax.

Here are some football-related ramblings…

- Mark Sanchez got some very valuable experience this season. Playing with a Jets team that was in, then out, then snuck back into the playoff picture, he went through a couple of seasons worth of emotions in just one campaign.

- I did not expect the Vikings to totally dominate their playoff games the way that they did. The manhandled the Cowboys on both ends of the field, and the Saints were heavily outgained (from a yards perspective) by Minnesota. As much as it pains me to say it, Brett Favre should be in the Super Bowl.

Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini can only wish that he had a quarterback of Favre's caliber on his team.

- Speaking of Favre, he’s already starting his “I thinking playing next year - oh no I’m not – yes I am…” stuff. Can he please let us enjoy the last two games of the season before he begins holding the media hostage? Note to the Vikings: Draft a young quarterback that you can develop (a la Aaron Rodgers)…and do it fast. Your team is too good to be molded by Favre’s intentions…

- I don’t agree with this Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl thing, but I can understand why it was repositioned. Ratings…viewers – and that’s the bottom line. It’s not going to add any excitement to Super Bowl week. Super Bowl is its own entity, and if you aren’t interested in it prior to watching the Pro Bowl, you won’t be any more interested in it after watching the Pro Bowl.

- Besides, if I’m the coach of one of the teams in the Super Bowl, I’m not necessarily happy about my players participating in the Pro Bowl. After all, the important game is only a week away. And in theory that’s just wrong, because they’ve earned the right to be there and should be able to enjoy it as much as everyone else.

- The Saints and the Colts are definitely the teams that people want to see battling it out. They were the best in the regular season, and it’s always good when the teams that performed the best throughout the season square off against one another.

Colts Powered to Victory by Garcon

T Lamont — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:47:03 +0000

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Haiti native Pierre Garcon has certainly had more important matters on his mind in recent weeks.

With family and friends still suffering the effects on the natural disasters in his home country, Garcon delivered the best performance of his young career. The second-year receiver had 11 receptions totaling 153 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. His brilliance inspired the Indianapolis Colts to a 30-17 victory over the New York Jets in the AFC Championship Game.

After the hard fought win, Garcon raised the Haitian flag in remembrance of the victims in that nation. His efforts are attempts to draw attention to the help that is needed by people who have suffered throughout the crushing ordeal.

”This is what it’s all about. Just trying to do it for the country. It’s just bringing awareness to that because what’s going on over there is very tough. Nobody should go through that, especially people who are less fortunate already. It’s just bringing awareness. Everybody’s been really showing their hands and helping us out, and I really do appreciate it.”

Peyton Manning will have to strecth out for two more games this season - the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl.

We’re all familiar with the man on the other end of Pierre Garcon’s catches – NFL MVP Peyton Manning. Manning shredded a highly-esteemed Jets defense by completing 26 of 39 passes for 377 yards and 3 touchdown scores. Dallas Clark and Austin Collie caught TD passes and Joseph Addai (16 rushes, 80 yards) provided respectable ground support to keep the chains moving for Indy.

By the 2:00 mark of the second quarter, the Jets had built a 17-6 lead. Braylon Edwards scored on an 80-yard reception and Dustin Keller caught a TD pass – both from Mark Sanchez. But prior to the half, Manning and the Colts struck on a momentum-changing 4-play, 80-yard drive that ended in the touchdown to Collie.

Indianapolis went on to dominate the second half, outscoring New York 17-0. The Colts defense stepped up to stifle the Jets, while Peyton and the offense kept the ball moving and had 27 first downs and 461 net yards in the game.