Week 1 Edition of Holy Crap and C'mon Man
Week 1 is in the books and it's time for the second annual edition of "Holy Crap" and "C'mon Man."
After each week in the NFL there are performances from players and teams that just surprise, amaze, and have fans jumping up into the air screaming trying to not spill their beer in the process. Performances that have fans saying, "Holy Crap."
On the other hand, there are performances that are not so great, one's that make fans scratch their heads in disbelief, performances worthy of a, "C'mon Man." A lot of great, and not so great performances in week one and the season has just begun.
"Holy Crap" Performances
QB Drew Brees, Saints: 32/49, 419-yds, 3 TD
QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers: 27/35, 312-yds, 3 TD. Brees and Rodgers put on a passing display opening night and they are without question, two of the best at the quarterback position.
WR Randall Cobb, Packers: 2 rec, 35-yds, TD; 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Many people thought that Cobb would have trouble making an impact with all the great receivers in Green Bay, well they were wrong. Cobb scored two touchdowns and tied the NFL record for longest kickoff return in his debut.
Baltimore Ravens: "Holy Crap." What a performance from the Baltimore Ravens. 35 points scored against Dick LeBeau and the Steelers defense. QB Joe Flacco threw 3 TD passes, RB Ray Rice 107-yds on the ground and scored 2 total TD. But wait, there's more.
The most impressive performance, however, was the display put on by the Baltimore defense. Safety Ed Reed picked off Ben Roethlishberger twice. LB Ray Lewis had seven tackles and an interception. Baltimore forced four fumbles and DT Haloti Ngata recovered two of them and LB Terrell Suggs sacked Roethlisberger three times and forced two fumbles. Just a dominating performance in every phase of the game from Baltimore against arch rival Pittsburgh.
Buffalo Bills: Buffalo kicked off the season with a 41-7 pounding of the Kansas City Chiefs on the road in Arrowhead. The Bills forced three turnovers, allowed only 213-yds of offense and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick led the way on offense going 17/25, 208-yards, and 4 TD.
LB Brian Urlacher, Bears: 10 total tackles, interception and returned a fumble for a touchdown in a 30-12 defeat of the Atlanta Falcons.
QB Cam Newton and WR Steve Smith, Panthers: Cam Newton made a big splash in his NFL debut, 24/37, 422-yds, 3 TD (Rush TD), and he broke the record for most passing yards by a rookie in his NFL opener. His favorite target on the day was WR Steve Smith, 8 rec, 178-yds, 2 TD.
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 49ers: 102-yd kickoff return and a 55-yd punt return for touchdowns within 59 seconds of each other sealed a victory for 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh in his NFL coaching debut.
RB Mike Tolbert, Chargers: 12 car, 35-yds, TD; 9 rec, 58-yds, 2 TD. Tolbert's three TD helped San Diego overcome a 10 point deficit to beat the Vikings at home.
K Sebastian Janikowski, Raiders: Janikowski has been know to have the biggest leg in the NFL and he showed it on Monday Night Football. He was 3-3 on field goals, including tying the NFL record with a 63-yard field to end the first half. Apparently, Janikowski hit a 70-yarder in pregame warmups, so 63-yard field goal must have felt like a chip shot.
New kickoff rule: Many fans are upset over the new kickoff rule this season. Last season the ball was kicked off from the 30-yd line, this season it's being kicked off from the 35-yd line for safety reasons. This new change has resulted in many, many more touchbacks and very few returns.
Usually this would get a "C'mon Man," because kickoffs are an exciting part of the game. However, over the weekend there were seven returns for touchdowns, including three kickoffs. So, no matter where the ball is kicked off from, guys still can't resist the urge to return kicks, no matter how deep in the endzone they might go. If players continue to take kicks to the house from deep in the endzone, it sure makes for some exciting "Holy Crap" plays.
Cincinnati Bengals: Rookie QB Andy Dalton got hurt, they blew a 13 point first half lead, were down by four points with under five minute to go, yet Cincinnati won the football. This is a game the Bengals usually lose, but they found a why to win for a change.
RB Cedric Benson, 26 car, 121-yds, TD, carried the load on offense and backup QB Bruce Gradkowski led the Bengals to victory after coming into the game for the injured Dalton. Cincinnati only committed three penalties, did not turn the ball over and the defense keep the Bengals in the game even when the offense struggled.
It's only one game and one win, but the Cincinnati Bengals are off to their best start in four years and are undefeated. That's something to get excited about, "Holy Crap."
"Holy Crap" Performance of the Week:
QB Tom Brady and the New England Patriots: "Holy Crap" was the Patriot offense unstoppable on Monday Night Football. QB Tom Brady went through the Miami defense like a hot knife through butter, 32/48, 517-yds, 4 TD, but he did have his first INT in an NFL record 358 pass attempts. WR Wes Welker also had a big night, 8 rec, 160-yds, 2 TD, including a 99-yd touchdown catch, the 12th of its kind in NFL history. Brady also broke a team and MNF record, for most passing yards in a game.
"C'mon Man" Performances
Pittsburgh Steelers: An ugly, ugly start for the Steelers. 35 points given up by what was suppose to be one of the league's elite defenses. The offense only scored 7 points and it's never good when you have the same amount of points as turnovers. Seven turnovers were committed by the offense, including three Ben Roethlisberger interceptions, and four fumbles.
Kansas City Chiefs: Kansas City sure didn't look like a playoff team this past Sunday. Last year's AFC West champions were blown out 41-7 at home by the Buffalo Bills. Only 213-yds of offense and three turnovers led to Kansas City's worst opening loss in team history and the Chiefs lost saftey Eric Berry for the season with a torn ACL. Not exactly how the Chiefs planned to open the season.
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts looked lost without QB Peyton Manning and it resulted in a 34-7 loss to division rival Houston. Indianapolis fans are use to winning, but without Manning they better get use to losing. It's going to be a long season for the Colts.
QB Donovon McNabb, Vikings: Not only did McNabb struggle in his Vikings debut, 7/15, 39-yds, TD, INT; but the Vikings only had 187-yds of total offense, committed nine penalties for 78-yds and blew a 17-7 second half lead.
Defense in the Patriots/Dolphins game: The Patriots set a franchise record with 622-yds of offense and it was the most yards ever given up by the Dolphins. New England and Miami combined for 906-yds passing, an NFL single-game record, and they put up the second most net yards of offense in NFL history. 62 points were scored and defensive players sure are in for unpleasant film sessions this week.
Penalties between the Raiders and Broncos: Oakland and Denver is one of the biggest rivalries in the NFL and it's no secret that these two teams don't like each other. However, the two teams had 25 combined penalties for 222-yards, Oakland committed 15 for 131-yards and Denver 10 for 91-yards, is just ridiculous. It seemed like there was a flag on every play, everything from holding, false starts, unnecessary roughness, to numerous personal fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct.
"C'mon Man" Performance of the Week:
Cleveland Browns: The Browns did not get off on the right foot Sunday and did not look ready to play from the start. They committed 11 penalties for 72-yds, seven in the first quarter, and blew a fourth quarter lead against in-state rival Cincinnati.
The biggest miscue and my "C'mon Man" performance of the week, goes to the Cleveland defense. On 3rd and 11, with just over four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Browns were still in the huddle when the Bengals snapped the ball. This led to Bengals QB Bruce Gradkowski throwing an easy 41-yd touchdown pass to a wide open A.J. Green, resulting in Green's first catch and touchdown of his NFL career.
How is a defense not ready for the snap of the ball in the fourth quarter with the opposing team driving to take the lead? C'mon Cleveland.
A lot of impressive, and not so impressive performances in week one and the season has only just begin. Many more to follow as the season goes on.
After each week in the NFL there are performances from players and teams that just surprise, amaze, and have fans jumping up into the air screaming trying to not spill their beer in the process. Performances that have fans saying, "Holy Crap."
On the other hand, there are performances that are not so great, one's that make fans scratch their heads in disbelief, performances worthy of a, "C'mon Man." A lot of great, and not so great performances in week one and the season has just begun.
"Holy Crap" Performances
QB Drew Brees, Saints: 32/49, 419-yds, 3 TD
QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers: 27/35, 312-yds, 3 TD. Brees and Rodgers put on a passing display opening night and they are without question, two of the best at the quarterback position.
WR Randall Cobb, Packers: 2 rec, 35-yds, TD; 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Many people thought that Cobb would have trouble making an impact with all the great receivers in Green Bay, well they were wrong. Cobb scored two touchdowns and tied the NFL record for longest kickoff return in his debut.
Baltimore Ravens: "Holy Crap." What a performance from the Baltimore Ravens. 35 points scored against Dick LeBeau and the Steelers defense. QB Joe Flacco threw 3 TD passes, RB Ray Rice 107-yds on the ground and scored 2 total TD. But wait, there's more.
The most impressive performance, however, was the display put on by the Baltimore defense. Safety Ed Reed picked off Ben Roethlishberger twice. LB Ray Lewis had seven tackles and an interception. Baltimore forced four fumbles and DT Haloti Ngata recovered two of them and LB Terrell Suggs sacked Roethlisberger three times and forced two fumbles. Just a dominating performance in every phase of the game from Baltimore against arch rival Pittsburgh.
Buffalo Bills: Buffalo kicked off the season with a 41-7 pounding of the Kansas City Chiefs on the road in Arrowhead. The Bills forced three turnovers, allowed only 213-yds of offense and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick led the way on offense going 17/25, 208-yards, and 4 TD.
LB Brian Urlacher, Bears: 10 total tackles, interception and returned a fumble for a touchdown in a 30-12 defeat of the Atlanta Falcons.
QB Cam Newton and WR Steve Smith, Panthers: Cam Newton made a big splash in his NFL debut, 24/37, 422-yds, 3 TD (Rush TD), and he broke the record for most passing yards by a rookie in his NFL opener. His favorite target on the day was WR Steve Smith, 8 rec, 178-yds, 2 TD.
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 49ers: 102-yd kickoff return and a 55-yd punt return for touchdowns within 59 seconds of each other sealed a victory for 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh in his NFL coaching debut.
RB Mike Tolbert, Chargers: 12 car, 35-yds, TD; 9 rec, 58-yds, 2 TD. Tolbert's three TD helped San Diego overcome a 10 point deficit to beat the Vikings at home.
K Sebastian Janikowski, Raiders: Janikowski has been know to have the biggest leg in the NFL and he showed it on Monday Night Football. He was 3-3 on field goals, including tying the NFL record with a 63-yard field to end the first half. Apparently, Janikowski hit a 70-yarder in pregame warmups, so 63-yard field goal must have felt like a chip shot.
New kickoff rule: Many fans are upset over the new kickoff rule this season. Last season the ball was kicked off from the 30-yd line, this season it's being kicked off from the 35-yd line for safety reasons. This new change has resulted in many, many more touchbacks and very few returns.
Usually this would get a "C'mon Man," because kickoffs are an exciting part of the game. However, over the weekend there were seven returns for touchdowns, including three kickoffs. So, no matter where the ball is kicked off from, guys still can't resist the urge to return kicks, no matter how deep in the endzone they might go. If players continue to take kicks to the house from deep in the endzone, it sure makes for some exciting "Holy Crap" plays.
Cincinnati Bengals: Rookie QB Andy Dalton got hurt, they blew a 13 point first half lead, were down by four points with under five minute to go, yet Cincinnati won the football. This is a game the Bengals usually lose, but they found a why to win for a change.
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| Front page of The Cincinnati Enquirer after the Bengals first season opening win in four years. |
RB Cedric Benson, 26 car, 121-yds, TD, carried the load on offense and backup QB Bruce Gradkowski led the Bengals to victory after coming into the game for the injured Dalton. Cincinnati only committed three penalties, did not turn the ball over and the defense keep the Bengals in the game even when the offense struggled.
It's only one game and one win, but the Cincinnati Bengals are off to their best start in four years and are undefeated. That's something to get excited about, "Holy Crap."
"Holy Crap" Performance of the Week:
QB Tom Brady and the New England Patriots: "Holy Crap" was the Patriot offense unstoppable on Monday Night Football. QB Tom Brady went through the Miami defense like a hot knife through butter, 32/48, 517-yds, 4 TD, but he did have his first INT in an NFL record 358 pass attempts. WR Wes Welker also had a big night, 8 rec, 160-yds, 2 TD, including a 99-yd touchdown catch, the 12th of its kind in NFL history. Brady also broke a team and MNF record, for most passing yards in a game.
"C'mon Man" Performances
Pittsburgh Steelers: An ugly, ugly start for the Steelers. 35 points given up by what was suppose to be one of the league's elite defenses. The offense only scored 7 points and it's never good when you have the same amount of points as turnovers. Seven turnovers were committed by the offense, including three Ben Roethlisberger interceptions, and four fumbles.
Kansas City Chiefs: Kansas City sure didn't look like a playoff team this past Sunday. Last year's AFC West champions were blown out 41-7 at home by the Buffalo Bills. Only 213-yds of offense and three turnovers led to Kansas City's worst opening loss in team history and the Chiefs lost saftey Eric Berry for the season with a torn ACL. Not exactly how the Chiefs planned to open the season.
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts looked lost without QB Peyton Manning and it resulted in a 34-7 loss to division rival Houston. Indianapolis fans are use to winning, but without Manning they better get use to losing. It's going to be a long season for the Colts.
QB Donovon McNabb, Vikings: Not only did McNabb struggle in his Vikings debut, 7/15, 39-yds, TD, INT; but the Vikings only had 187-yds of total offense, committed nine penalties for 78-yds and blew a 17-7 second half lead.
Defense in the Patriots/Dolphins game: The Patriots set a franchise record with 622-yds of offense and it was the most yards ever given up by the Dolphins. New England and Miami combined for 906-yds passing, an NFL single-game record, and they put up the second most net yards of offense in NFL history. 62 points were scored and defensive players sure are in for unpleasant film sessions this week.
Penalties between the Raiders and Broncos: Oakland and Denver is one of the biggest rivalries in the NFL and it's no secret that these two teams don't like each other. However, the two teams had 25 combined penalties for 222-yards, Oakland committed 15 for 131-yards and Denver 10 for 91-yards, is just ridiculous. It seemed like there was a flag on every play, everything from holding, false starts, unnecessary roughness, to numerous personal fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct.
"C'mon Man" Performance of the Week:
Cleveland Browns: The Browns did not get off on the right foot Sunday and did not look ready to play from the start. They committed 11 penalties for 72-yds, seven in the first quarter, and blew a fourth quarter lead against in-state rival Cincinnati.
The biggest miscue and my "C'mon Man" performance of the week, goes to the Cleveland defense. On 3rd and 11, with just over four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Browns were still in the huddle when the Bengals snapped the ball. This led to Bengals QB Bruce Gradkowski throwing an easy 41-yd touchdown pass to a wide open A.J. Green, resulting in Green's first catch and touchdown of his NFL career.
How is a defense not ready for the snap of the ball in the fourth quarter with the opposing team driving to take the lead? C'mon Cleveland.
A lot of impressive, and not so impressive performances in week one and the season has only just begin. Many more to follow as the season goes on.
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