Well then, that was an interesting start to the NFL's 2010 regular season. With that in mind, let's take a look back at the week that was.
Star of the week: Arian Foster, RB, Texas
Facing the nemesis Colts, all Foster did was run for 231 yards and three touchdowns. An undrafted free agent out of the University of Tennessee, Foster became the first player in the NFL to run for over 200 yards and three touchdowns on the opening weekend. The 231 yards on the ground was the second best opening day total after OJ Simpson ran for 250 yards back in 1973.
Stiff of the week: The NFL rulebook
While I could pick a particular player or coach, the award has to go out to the boneheaded NFL rule that wiped out Calvin Johnson's touchdown in the Lions loss to the Bears. I don’t care if the officiating crew got the call right; that was a touchdown. Johnson clearly had possession of the ball in the end zone -- even after landing on his butt. He lost the ball as he rolled over to start celebrating. Again, technically, the refs were right, but other than a Bears fan, everyone felt that was a touchdown. You have to think the video of the Johnson no-touchdown will be brought forth to NFL’s competition committee to see if they can tweak the rule to prevent something like this happening again in the future.
Team on the rise: Seattle Seahawks
Like Mike Singletary, I was a little shocked at how well the Seahawks played in its win over the 49ers. Yes, Alex Smith and the 49ers made mistakes, but Pete Carroll’s team capitalized on those mistakes and put together a very impressive opening day win at Qwest Field. All of a sudden a lot of people around the NFL are very interested to see how the Seahawks do this week in Denver when they take on the Broncos. Maybe, just maybe, the Seahawks are buying into Carroll’s “rah-rah” way of doing things.
What were they thinking: Dallas Cowboys
There are a few worthy candidates this week. How about Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith? Down 14-13 to the Lions, Smith decided against going for the sure three points and instead went for it on fourth and goal. The Bears got stuffed and were lucky on the disputed Calvin Johnson touchdown. But the mother of all "What were they thinking?" moments came at the end of the second quarter of the Redskins and Cowboys game Sunday night. Instead of taking a knee and going into the locker room down 3-0, Wade Phillips decided to run a play. All of a sudden DeAngelo Hall is doing a flip in the end zone and the Redskins have a 7-3 lead. I will give Phillips credit for admitting after the game that what happened was “his fault” and they should have taken a knee.
The Rex Ryan Watch
Ryan looked a little shell-shocked after watching his team stumble and bumble its way to that Monday night loss to the Ravens. After tying a franchise record that dates back to 1976 by registering only six first downs, Mark Sanchez and the Jets offence is getting crucified in the New York dailies. I will give Rex credit: After the game he looked the media in the eye and reiterated his goal for 2010 -- “We want to win the Super Bowl. We think we can win the Super Bowl.”
The Race for the No. 1 draft pick
I am really starting to like the Cleveland Browns chances of drafting quarterback Jake Locker out of the University of Washington. Especially if Jake Delhomme keeps throwing two picks a game. Going back to the 2009 season, Delhomme has thrown seven interceptions in his last three games. Oh well, Locker will look great in those awesome Browns uniforms.
The Ronnie Lott Award (hardest hit)
There were many candidates, including Packers linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. Descended from good stock to say the least, Matthews Junior knocked Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb out of the game with a concussion after a hard, but clean, hit. However this week, the award goes out to the finest inside linebacker of our generation, the Ravens Ray Lewis. Late in the fourth quarter, Mark Sanchez hit 250 pound tight end Dustin Keller with a pass over the middle. The 250 pound Lewis laid him out with one of the sweetest tackles you will ever see. What makes the Lewis hit even better, it gives me a chance to show his Old Spice commercial. It is either the best, or the worst commercial I have ever seen. I can't decide.
The big injury of the week: Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
After being sacked by Chicago's Julius Peppers, Stafford fell on his throwing shoulder. The early prognosis is that Stafford has a Grade 2 separation of his right shoulder and will be out of action for at least four weeks. Other notable injuries include the Eagles' Kevin Kolb (concussion) and Jets' Kris Jenkins (knee). Any time the owners talk about going to an 18 game season, they should take a look at the video of some of the injuries from the past week.
The Unsung Hero Award: Michael Roos, LT, Tennessee Titans
Chris Johnson is one of the most dynamic players in the NFL. Coming off a 2,006 yard season, Johnson has stated his goal this year is to run for 2,500 yards. In Week 1, Johnson ripped off a high-light reel 76-yard touchdown against the Raiders as he racked up 142 total yards on the ground. A big reason for Johnson’s success is the Titans outstanding offensive line. If you take a close look at the video, you will see this week’s unsung hero, left tackle Roos in action. The 320-pound Roos manhandled the Raiders Kamerion Wimbley, giving CJ the space he needed to do his thing. One of the best football websites going right now is called www.footballoutsiders.com. According to its exhaustive research, Michael Roos has only taken 14 holding penalties the last three seasons. Compare that to Alex Barron of the Dallas Cowboys, who has taken 41 holding penalties the last three years. And that doesn’t include the holding penalty Barron took to wipe out the Cowboys potential game winning touchdown over the Redskins. That’s why a tackle like Roos is making $43 million dollars over six years. He rarely takes penalties and can run block as well as he can pass block.
The Hot Cheerleader of the Week Award
Not only are the Houston Texans an up and coming team in the AFC, they also have some of the finest cheerleaders in the entire NFL. Say hello to Brandi (Yes, with an 'I').
What to watch for in Week 2
I am really looking forward to see how three teams rebound from losses in Week 1. First you have the Cowboys at home taking on the Bears. Then there's the Colts at home facing the Giants. And finally, the Jets at home to face Tom Brady and the Patriots. The Cowboys, Colts and the Jets are all heavy favourites to make the playoffs. Starting the season 0-2 is not an option for any of them.
