To Buy or Not Buy - The First Week

We join Americans everywhere in remembering the events of September 11, 2001, and pause in reflection for those who have given everything in the defense and cause of liberty. Like every American, we acknowledge the loss of life suffered 10 years ago this week. We are grateful to the men and women of our armed services and first responders who stepped up and answered the call to duty. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the families and survivors of those who perished on that awful day and in the weeks, months,  and years that followed. We celebrate their lives by carrying on and moving forward, never forgetting those who have fallen along the way.

Sports are the simplest form of diversion. While we spend endless hours debating the merits of whose team is better than whose, the real victory is the American Spirit that lives and keeps moving forward in the face of unspeakable tragedy, each of us doing what we do. In that sense, we honor that American Spirit by continuing forward and doing what we do with the week’s games in the NFL.

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After the first week of a decidedly welcome beginning of a new season in the NFL, we offer up some things we are BUYING or NOT BUYING right off the bat.

We’re BUYING the Packers offense. It has been almost than 15 years since the Rams offered up their Greatest Show on Turf, but the Pack is poised. Aaron Rodgers makes it look so easy. With a healthy Jermichael Finley, a healthy Ryan Grant, and a suddenly abundantly healthy return game with super rookie Randall Cobb the Packers will hang some huge numbers up this year. Rodgers will be kept busy by just making sure everyone gets their touches. The Packers got 2 TD’s on the ground from James Starks and John Kuhn, 3 more thru the air to Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Cobb and in the return game from Cobb. Imagine any defensive coordinator trying to decide how to best stop any part of the Packers offensive juggernaut. Are 500 points out of the question? Not with this bunch.

We’re NOT BUYING Kansas City Head Coach Todd Haley. If the Chiefs continue the path they are on from the preseason to a blowout butt kicking administered by the Buffalo Bills, Haley will be the first one shown the door. Haley’s “My way or the highway” style, his churlish demeanor, his magnificently moronic approach to the preseason (conditioning  vs. preparing to play while playing his starters against the Packers in the preseason and losing his TE Tony Moeaki for the season) and very questionable deployment of his personnel may work in the short haul with a young team that is too green to buck the system. But Haley may be in jeopardy of losing his team. Already 1^st round draft pick Jonathan Baldwin is out for several weeks with a wrist injury suffered after a locker room fight with Thomas Jones when Jones reportedly intervened after Baldwin lashed back at Haley during a practice chewing out. And this is the same Haley that played his 1^st unit in the preseason against the Packers and saw them lose to fellows no longer in the NFL. And this out of a division winner only a year ago?

We’re BUYING stock in Bengals rookie QB Andy Dalton. Hey kid, rookies aren’t supposed to keep a team close in their first ever game, lead a come from behind attack, and stay cool in in their first start, even against the Browns before he went down with an injury. Randall Cobb has some competition already in the Rookie of the Year voting. Dalton looked great and cool under fire. With fellow flashy freshman A.J. Green the Bengals have some hope now. Maybe the Bengals won’t miss Ochocinco and Carson Whatshisname very much after all. Has Marvin Lewis discovered addition by subtraction?

We are BUYING another new face. Carolina QB Cam Newton shattered Payton Manning’s rookie record for yardage in a rookie’s first game by not a narrow margin. An eye-popping 422 yards passing? Okay Cam… we apologize. We had doubts about Newton, at one point labeling him as Jamarcus Russell 2.0. Forgetaboutit. Newton is the real deal and has single handedly breathed life back into the Panthers. Now he has overtaken Cobb in the early Rookie of the Year Award sweepstakes. But, like we said, it’s only one game. Hey kid – guess who’s next on the schedule. Yeah… Green Bay. Yeah, Clay and Charles and A.J. and B.J. Get a good nights’ sleep kid.

We’re NOT BUYING the following QB’s: Good/ Bad Rex Grossman (Washington), Tavaris Jackson (Seattle), Kevin Kolb (Arizona), Donovan McNabb (Minnesota), Matt Cassell (Kansas City), Tony Romo (Dallas) or Kerry Collins (Indy). Grossman always shows up to every game with at least 1 int. or sack or bad pass or bonehead decision in his pocket – and that’s on his good days. On his bad days he shows up with the whole fun pack. Jackson is a phenomenally talented athlete that throws it soft when a laser is needed and rifles it into a touch pass spot. Duh. And Minnesota was very happy to see him go bye bye. Andy Reid deserves a raise and an extension for fleecing the Cards on Kolb. No, sports fans, he isn’t the second coming of Brett Favre. He isn’t even the second coming of Dave Kreig. Kolb has never warranted comparisons to the Golden Brett, has never won a game on his own, and until he does we’re not sold at all. McNabb laid a McEgg in his first fiasco… errrr…. GAME.. with the Vikings, throwing for an incredible 39 yards, 2 of which came in the second half. That’s no typo: McNabb threw for TWO YARDS in the entire second half. The Vikes are in serious trouble already. How’s that deal for Favre look now? In KC a head coach (the aforementioned Todd Haley) with arguably the stupidest preseason ever seen in pro football has noodle armed and substandard career backup Matt Cassell at the helm. No offensive line, no defensive line, and no hope. What the Chiefs really needs is a little Luck. Maybe Andrew Luck will look good in red next year. He’ll look better once Cassell and Haley disappear like Haley’s Comet. And when a QB is arguably more famous for his off field passes than the ones on it like Dallas’s resident celebrity skirt sniffer T. Romo it speaks volumes. If Tony was as successful completing hookups as he is off the field Dallas might be as good as they think they are. But, until Romo can find the end zone better than the Society Page, they won’t be. For all the talk of how the Colts will be ‘just fine’ with Collins at the helm better guess again. The odds of Brett’s phone ringing off the hook in Hattiesburg suddenly have dropped to 7-5.

We’re BUYING the Baltimore Ravens. Sort of. They not only proved they can beat their hated enemies from the Steel City, they can beat them up as well. The Ravens look good. The Steelers looked awful, turning the ball over 7 times in a forgettable loss. Joe Flacco played well and looks more comfortable than he has at any time during his run in Charm City. But it is only the first game. Talk to us after they beat the Steelers where it matters most – in January.

We’re NOT BUYING the Steelers as done. Nope, not at all. They’ll take their butt whipping like a man, go back, lick their wounds, regroup, and look out next week. Seattle, you’re next. It ain’t gonna be pretty. And circle the calendar for the next game, and Katy-bar-the-door if these two teams that truly hate each other meet in the playoffs again.

We’re still NOT BUYING the Eagles. Yeah, they won. But it was uneven. Their defense hardly looked Dream Team like. The Rams can’t hold on to the ball. If they had, this game is much different. Call us skeptical, because we are. The Rams have some ball security issues to address. How will the Eagles fare against a team that can pass AND catch the ball? Stay tuned…

We DON’T WANT TO BUY Da Bears, if only because they are Da Bears. But we almost have to BUY after they threw a total beatdown on what was supposed to be a high flying bunch in Atlanta. Going back to last season that makes it two consecutive thrashings the Falcons have taken at the hands of a team from the NFC North. Head Coach Mike Smith has to go back to the drawing boards after this one.

Conversely, we want to BUY the Falcons, but they paid a King’s ransom to trade up to grab Julio Jones – some are calling it overpaying for a single player – while ignoring a defense that saw the Pack shred them in last year’s playoffs and the Bears do pretty much the same thing. In 2 consecutive meaningful games that’s a total of 80 points dropped on them. Atlanta has a serious “Uh oh” moment after the Bears trounced them. But to be able to buy the Falcons they have much to prove first.

We’re NOY BUYING the Colts without Payton Manning. That giant, sucking, flushing sound you hear in Indianapolis is the sound of the Colts season swirling the bowl already. Don’t believe anything the Colts are saying about how they can win without Manning. They can’t.

We are BUYING the Houston Texans. They have arrived. Matt Schaub, Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, Mario Williams and co. are the real deal as Houston makes an early statement in knocking off the Colts. They just might run the table in their division.

We’re NOT BUYING any ‘mystique’ surrounding the New York Giants. This is an all smoke and mirrors team whose reputation far exceeds its talent or football IQ level. Try this one on for size – a Tom Coughlin team is that is terribly undisciplined, takes stupid and foolish penalties, gives up sacks in bunches, can’t tackle and gets out physicalled and beaten by a Bad Rex-led team. Someone won’t be getting an ice cream sundae after practice this week.

While we are on the subject of undisciplined, we’re NOT BUYING the Minnesota Vikings at all. A game ending penalty with no timeouts? After blowing a lead and giving up 17 consecutive points? Playing musical chairs with QB’s Donovan McNabb and the legendary Joe Webb? Packer fans are politely excused at this point to laugh, snicker, chortle and guffaw loudly.

We’re BUYING the Lions. An impressive 27 – 20 win over the rising Bucs sets their stock high. They’re going to win more frequently now. Lions fans are also invited to revel in the demise of the Vikings.

We’re BUYING Tom Terrific and New England. Year after year they are in the hunt and this year they look very, very good. Bill Belihoodie gets larger CB’s, Brady throws for over 500 yards, and the Pats are out of the gates with a bang.

We are BUYING that the two best teams in football are from each conference. They are New England in the AFC and Green Bay in the NFC. Is a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI in store?

Finally, we are NOT BUYING the Dallas Cowboys. Any talk of post season has to be tabled. If Red Jesus (the moniker bestowed upon Head Coach Jason Garrett, the newest potential savior of the franchise) can’t walk on water and fast he’ll find himself sleeping with instead of netting the fishes in Big D.