We are back (a day late -- sorry about that) with Henry's weekly rundown of all the exciting NFL action.
Q. What was the overall theme of this weekend's games?
A. Upsets and teams getting pushed too far. The Cowboys looked as overrated as some people think they are. And the Rams just fired Scott Linehan, while the Raiders are probably going to fire Lane Kiffin.
Q. Did Linehan deserve to get whacked?
A. Well, if the Rams are going to do better, a lot of changes will have to be made. This was just one of many. They've already benched Marc Bulger and several other starters, all in an attempt by owner Chip Rosenbloom to improve the franchise.
Q. What about Kiffin? I actually think the team is playing pretty well for him.
A. Pretty well, but not well enough to hold onto leads, which they've failed to do in the past two games, and nearly failed to do in Week 2.
Q. One more Raider question before we move on: A 76-yard field goal attempt?? What the heck was that?
A. Well, Lane Kiffin had enough confidence in Sebastian Janikowski to try one of the longest field goal attempts in NFL history. It didn't exactly work though, and Antonio Cromartie, who set a record for the longest NFL play last year, attempted to return the miss but only got 28 yards.
Q. You mentioned the Cowboys. How did the highly questionable Redskins manage to stop the Cowboy juggernaut?
A. Everyone just played pretty well. Despite the injuries to the secondary, the defense did well, shutting down Tony Romo. Also, the lack of a running game for Dallas didn't help Romo much, either.
Q. We're now far enough into the season that we should be able to tell which teams are actually good, but I'm finding this difficult. What's your opinion?
A. The Bengals aren't looking that great, as they're now 0-4. Same with the Rams. But some other previously winless and horrible teams like the Browns and Chiefs won, so we'll see how they do for the rest of the season.
Q. Name the four top teams in the league right now.
A. The Titans and Bills are looking pretty good, but those are just the sleepers. Otherwise, the title of Best Team is up for grabs. Dallas lost, Philadelphia lost, New England had a bye, and Indianapolis had a bye.
Q. OK, but I'm still going to press you on this. In spite of all the confusion, who in your opinion are the teams to beat in each conference?
A. Despite perhaps not being the best, everyone still wants to beat former elite teams like the Patriots and Colts in the AFC, and the Cowboys and Eagles in the NFC.
Q. Last week everyone was saying Brett Favre looked old and worn-out. Then he drops six TDs on the Cardinals. Are they bad, or did he suddenly get good, or what?
A. Brett Favre had never gotten six touchdown passes in his career. And now he finally does it when he's about to turn 39? It's interesting. The Cardinals put up five touchdowns in the second half, but the Jets eventually pulled away.
Q. I think the Cardinals are always going to stink because of their lame-o logo. You?
A. That's an interesting thought -- except their logo has only been this way for a few years. Or maybe it would help if they stopped relocating and changing their name.
Q. I wish I knew if the Falcons were any good. Who can tell?
A. They didn't look good against the Panthers, that's for sure. But they haven't looked that great otherwise, either. There was one win against the Lions in which they looked really good; there was another win against the Chiefs where they looked good as well. But the Chiefs and Lions are really bad.
Q. Which Ohio team is more pathetic?
A. Depends on whether they're playing against each other or not. In a game in which Jamal Lewis was the leading rusher for either team with 79 yards, the Browns made a comeback and won by eight points.
Q. Texans-Jaguars and Eagles-Bears seemed to pit pairs of teams which were evenly matched.
A. Well, they didn't, because the Texans had looked bad until that game. However, Houston lost anyway on Josh Scobee's second consecutive game-winning field goal against a divisional opponent. In Eagles-Bears, the Eagles didn't look as great as they did against the Cowboys previously, but only barely lost. This was by the same margin of victory that the Cowboys had over them.
Q. Let's move off games for the moment and talk about coaches and players. What coaches at this point in the season are impressing you the most?
A. For the last game at least, Tony Sparano of the Dolphins. Now we're not sure how they'll look after their bye, but beating New England by 25 points is a great accomplishment.
Q. Who else?
A. Jeff Fisher. He's been heavily criticized, but benching Vince Young has led to a 4-0 start.
Q. Will the Dolphins modified single-wing formation fool anyone after the bye week?
A. If opposing coaches have practiced stopping it enough, it probably won't have as much success as it did against New England. Still, you have to factor in the element of surprise. Think of how the cornerbacks feel when they're defending a quarterback.
Q. What rookies are turning in standout performances?
A. Chris Johnson of Tennessee and DeSean Jackson of Philadelphia. Johnson hadn't been much of a pro prospect at East Carolina, where no one watched any of his games. But he's looking very explosive, and some people are comparing him to Adrian Peterson. As for Jackson, he's had a couple of embarrassing plays, but even though Philadelphia's receivers have come back from injury, he's looking good.
Q. Finally: What games are you most looking forward to in Week 5?
A. Dallas-Cincinnati, Carolina-Kansas City and San Diego-Miami.
Q. And now comes my favorite part of our weekly recap -- the part where I hand the keyboard over to Hen to type anything he wants.
A. Wonder how many coaches will have been fired by the end of the season.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
NFL Week 3 Interview
Q. Biggest surprise of Week 3?
The Dolphins, especially the offense that Dan Henning (the offensive coordinator) used. Similar to Mississippi's "Wild Rebel" formation, it netted Ronnie Brown four rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown.
Q. Biggest disappointment?
The Browns, who allowed three third-quarter touchdowns to the Ravens to go to 0-3. They're not looking as good as everyone thought they would. Soon, Browns fans will be chanting "Brady, Brady, Brady!" again.
Q. Outstanding individual performances?
Brian Griese. He went 38/67 (three short of the record for passing attempts) for 407 yards against the Chicago defense.
Q. Big letdowns?
The Patriots, who eventually benched Matt Cassel in a 38-13 loss to Miami at home, snapping their 21-game regular season winning streak. There were the Panthers, who just starting to look good again. There were the Colts, who, despite being very beaten up themselves, lost to the injury-demolished Jaguars.
Q. What team is better than their record would indicate, and why?
The Chargers, who lost their two games on a last-second touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to Dante Rosario and Ed Hochuli's much-talked about blown call.
Q. What team is worse than their record would indicate, and why?
The Giants, who aren't that bad but beat a weaker divisional rival by three field goals, a victory over one of the NFC's worst and needed an overtime field goal to beat the winless Bengals.
Q. Coaches on the hot seat?
Marvin Lewis, because of the Bengals' inability to return to form and an 0-3 record.
Q. Surprise quarterbacks (good and bad)?
Chad Pennington, who finished with only 3 incompletions; players from other positions playing quarterback, who were a combined 3/3 for 48 yards. That is, unless you count the NFL.com glitch that says that Eagles tackle Tra Thomas completed one pass for four yards. As for bad performances...well, there were Derek Anderson and Tyler Thigpen, just to name a few.
Q. Backups who turned on notable performances this week?
Ravens running back/fullback LeRon McClain, who ran for 66 yards on 17 carries plus two touchdowns. Technically, though, McClain is not a backup.
Q. Emergent trends?
As I said in the last interview, the Chiefs' quarterback play continues to be terrible. Even with just one quarterback (Tyler Thigpen) they are doing badly.
Q. Big games of Week 4, and your predictions?
Vikings-Titans, Eagles-Bears, Packers-Buccaneers and Jets-Cardinals look to be interesting games. Look for the Jets to be eyeing the top spot in the AFC East if the Patriots continue to underperform (New England has a bye). Also, see if the Vikings can keep their momentum.
Q. Final line where you type anything you want.
Since when did Jon Gruden turn into June Jones?
The Dolphins, especially the offense that Dan Henning (the offensive coordinator) used. Similar to Mississippi's "Wild Rebel" formation, it netted Ronnie Brown four rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown.
Q. Biggest disappointment?
The Browns, who allowed three third-quarter touchdowns to the Ravens to go to 0-3. They're not looking as good as everyone thought they would. Soon, Browns fans will be chanting "Brady, Brady, Brady!" again.
Q. Outstanding individual performances?
Brian Griese. He went 38/67 (three short of the record for passing attempts) for 407 yards against the Chicago defense.
Q. Big letdowns?
The Patriots, who eventually benched Matt Cassel in a 38-13 loss to Miami at home, snapping their 21-game regular season winning streak. There were the Panthers, who just starting to look good again. There were the Colts, who, despite being very beaten up themselves, lost to the injury-demolished Jaguars.
Q. What team is better than their record would indicate, and why?
The Chargers, who lost their two games on a last-second touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to Dante Rosario and Ed Hochuli's much-talked about blown call.
Q. What team is worse than their record would indicate, and why?
The Giants, who aren't that bad but beat a weaker divisional rival by three field goals, a victory over one of the NFC's worst and needed an overtime field goal to beat the winless Bengals.
Q. Coaches on the hot seat?
Marvin Lewis, because of the Bengals' inability to return to form and an 0-3 record.
Q. Surprise quarterbacks (good and bad)?
Chad Pennington, who finished with only 3 incompletions; players from other positions playing quarterback, who were a combined 3/3 for 48 yards. That is, unless you count the NFL.com glitch that says that Eagles tackle Tra Thomas completed one pass for four yards. As for bad performances...well, there were Derek Anderson and Tyler Thigpen, just to name a few.
Q. Backups who turned on notable performances this week?
Ravens running back/fullback LeRon McClain, who ran for 66 yards on 17 carries plus two touchdowns. Technically, though, McClain is not a backup.
Q. Emergent trends?
As I said in the last interview, the Chiefs' quarterback play continues to be terrible. Even with just one quarterback (Tyler Thigpen) they are doing badly.
Q. Big games of Week 4, and your predictions?
Vikings-Titans, Eagles-Bears, Packers-Buccaneers and Jets-Cardinals look to be interesting games. Look for the Jets to be eyeing the top spot in the AFC East if the Patriots continue to underperform (New England has a bye). Also, see if the Vikings can keep their momentum.
Q. Final line where you type anything you want.
Since when did Jon Gruden turn into June Jones?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
NFL Week 2 Interview
Q. We are BACK with Week 2 of Henry's trenchant football analysis. This week, your interviewer suffered a cruel defeat in his office football pool, picking only three out of fourteen games. So it is with barely controlled rage that I ask Hen the following questions.
Hello, Henry. Two weeks in, do you see any trends starting to emerge?
A. The trend that I see starting to emerge is Kansas City attempting to somehow succeed by using three quarterbacks, one of whom was a converted wide receiver who hadn't taken any snaps at quarterback since college at Virginia.
Q. You like when players who aren't quarterbacks play quarterback, don't you?
A. That's not the point. My point is that the Chiefs have no chance of winning games with three mediocre quarterbacks.
Q. Who else carried the banner of mediocrity this week?
A. Hmm, let's see. Perhaps the Lions, who allowed 24 fourth-quarter points after scoring 34 fourth-quarter points last year, an NFL record.
Q. Why in the world do the Lions let general manager Matt Millen keep his job? He is wrecking that franchise.
A. Well, they looked pretty good last year, but this year is probably going to end up just as bad as all of the years before. Actually, the first half of last year. The Lions started out 6-2 in the first half of the year, but were 1-7 in the second half.
Q. Bears/Panthers. The Panthers eked out another narrow victory. Which of these teams is for real?
A. The Panthers are looking fairly good, and in a division that includes the Saints, Buccaneers and Falcons, who aren't as good as they once were, they could do well. However, we'll have to wait and see how the Bears and the Panthers do.
Q. Tennessee/Cincinnati. Let's skip over how embarrassingly poor the Bengals looked at home. The Titans have opened 2-0, even given all their VInce Young issues. Does this team have what it takes to make a playoff run?
A. Remember that they still have to play the Colts twice, the Jaguars once, the Texans twice, and the Steelers, Ravens and Browns, so their schedule isn't that easy.
Q. Do you feel bad for Vince Young?
A. I guess. It doesn't really matter anymore how his injury is, because all the controversy surrounding what he and his mother Felicia Young said has effectively benched him. Also, there were a couple more incidents throughout the week.
Q. We talked about the Lions' collapse, but how 'bout the Packers' Aaron Rodgers? Has he answered his critics?
A. It appears so. He's 2-0 as a starter, and 2-0 in the NFC North. He's using an excellent receiving corps that includes Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, who have become his favorite targets. The running game isn't that bad, either, but Ryan Grant has dealt with a hamstring injury. Brandon Jackson broke a long run today against the Lions, and he's one of several backup running backs.
Q. Jacksonville kind of imploded today. Can they get it together?
A. Perhaps. They didn't look that great, and they've scored a total of only 26 points in their two games, which is just more than the Lions scored in their 23-point loss alone.
Q. RAIDERS! Do you believe in this team?
A. Darren McFadden has looked really good. He got extended playing time due to the injury to Justin Fargas on an attempted pass by JaMarcus Russell.
Q. Is Russell any good? I can't tell at this point.
A. Me either. He's looked fine so far, but the Raiders' running game looked very good against the Chiefs. However, the Chiefs did lose defensive lineman Jared Allen, who was last year's leader in sacks.
Q. You seem eager to talk about Colts/Vikings. Thoughts on that game?
A. The Vikings collapsed even though they managed to outplay the Colts. Eighteen unanswered points in the second half was all Indianapolis needed to win the game, and the Vikings managed only five field goals.
Q. Giants/Rams. Could the Rams look any more pathetic at this point?
A. I'm really not sure. They're looking as bad as they did last year in an 0-8 start. Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress had big games for the Giants.
Q. Should Scott Linehan keep his job?
A. It depends on if the Rams show any good flashes, and how much confidence the rest of the staff has in him.
Q. New Orleans/Washington. How did the Redskins pull this one out?
A. I'm not sure. They came back from nine down, and survived a missed two-point conversion.
Q. How do you like Jason Campbell?
A. He's pretty good. Not exactly one of the best quarterbacks, but he had one of his first 300-yard games in a while.
Q. How about Reggie Bush, nailed for taunting when he made that "bye-bye" gesture on his last touchdown? Is he turning into a bad citizen? And do you think that motivated the Redskins?
A. I don't think he's turning into a bad citizen. It was just a bit of a mental error. But it may have motivated the Redskins a bit.
Q. My Seahawks collapsed! How did they manage to lose to such an obviously inferior 49er team?
A. I'm not quite sure how good the Seahawks are at the moment. They've had so many injuries at wide receiver, including their starting punt returner, that quarterback Seneca Wallace had to be moved to wide receiver and punt returner.
Q. And now... the Falcons. What in the world happened today? They looked so crisp last week.
A. Last week against the Lions. Even though word got out later in the day that the Buccaneers had attempted to trade Jeff Garcia back to the 49ers (his old team), Brian Griese quarterbacked the team to victory. This is his second stint with the team. The first time, he got knocked out with an injury and was replaced by Chris Simms, now a Titan.
Q. Miami/Arizona. I have to confess, I find both these teams crushingly boring. You?
A. I just found it a bit surprising that the Dolphins, led by Chad Pennington, lost by three touchdowns to the Kurt-Warner-led Cardinals. And this is not the Kurt Warner who won a Super Bowl and set passing records.
Q. How about how the Dolphins brought in another Chad (Henne) in the fourth quarter? Are they losing confidence in Pennington?
A. You know, it seems like there hasn't been a team in a while that hasn't lost confidence in Chad Pennington. It was hard to tell whether he or Kellen Clemens was the starter last year. He's also very injury-prone.
Q. The Rat-Coach won again! How did you feel about his ratlike attempt to go for two to beat the Chargers?
A. Weird. He seemed to think that passing to the same wide receiver, rookie Eddie Royal, for both the touchdown and the two-point conversion would work. And somehow it did.
Q. I think the Chargers were totally thrown when the Broncos came out going for two.
A. It must have been a little surprising. Also, I have to note that LaDainian Tomlinson left the game after ten carries for 26 yards. Darren Sproles filled in admirably, but he still isn't LaDainian Tomlinson.
Q. Two games to go. How about the Matt Cassel era in New England? Does this guy have what it takes to go the distance?
A. Cassel didn't do too great, with 165 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions, but the Patriots rode four field goals to victory. In the running game, the Patriots weren't very effective either, with LaMont Jordan getting the most yardage. But the Jets were similarly ineffective, with their only touchdown coming on a pass from Brett Favre. However, Brett Favre was also picked off by Brandon Meriweather for his first interception as a Jet.
Q. Pittsburgh/Cleveland was so boring that we turned it off. How disappointing do the Browns look this season?
A. Really disappointing. And they still have a few prime-time games to go.
Q. That concludes our game-by-game wrapup. As is traditional, at this point I turn the keyboard over to Henry to type whatever he wants.
A. On Brandon Lloyd's blocked punt return touchdown for the Bears, it looked a lot like he was trying to steal a score from his teammate.
Hello, Henry. Two weeks in, do you see any trends starting to emerge?
A. The trend that I see starting to emerge is Kansas City attempting to somehow succeed by using three quarterbacks, one of whom was a converted wide receiver who hadn't taken any snaps at quarterback since college at Virginia.
Q. You like when players who aren't quarterbacks play quarterback, don't you?
A. That's not the point. My point is that the Chiefs have no chance of winning games with three mediocre quarterbacks.
Q. Who else carried the banner of mediocrity this week?
A. Hmm, let's see. Perhaps the Lions, who allowed 24 fourth-quarter points after scoring 34 fourth-quarter points last year, an NFL record.
Q. Why in the world do the Lions let general manager Matt Millen keep his job? He is wrecking that franchise.
A. Well, they looked pretty good last year, but this year is probably going to end up just as bad as all of the years before. Actually, the first half of last year. The Lions started out 6-2 in the first half of the year, but were 1-7 in the second half.
Q. Bears/Panthers. The Panthers eked out another narrow victory. Which of these teams is for real?
A. The Panthers are looking fairly good, and in a division that includes the Saints, Buccaneers and Falcons, who aren't as good as they once were, they could do well. However, we'll have to wait and see how the Bears and the Panthers do.
Q. Tennessee/Cincinnati. Let's skip over how embarrassingly poor the Bengals looked at home. The Titans have opened 2-0, even given all their VInce Young issues. Does this team have what it takes to make a playoff run?
A. Remember that they still have to play the Colts twice, the Jaguars once, the Texans twice, and the Steelers, Ravens and Browns, so their schedule isn't that easy.
Q. Do you feel bad for Vince Young?
A. I guess. It doesn't really matter anymore how his injury is, because all the controversy surrounding what he and his mother Felicia Young said has effectively benched him. Also, there were a couple more incidents throughout the week.
Q. We talked about the Lions' collapse, but how 'bout the Packers' Aaron Rodgers? Has he answered his critics?
A. It appears so. He's 2-0 as a starter, and 2-0 in the NFC North. He's using an excellent receiving corps that includes Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, who have become his favorite targets. The running game isn't that bad, either, but Ryan Grant has dealt with a hamstring injury. Brandon Jackson broke a long run today against the Lions, and he's one of several backup running backs.
Q. Jacksonville kind of imploded today. Can they get it together?
A. Perhaps. They didn't look that great, and they've scored a total of only 26 points in their two games, which is just more than the Lions scored in their 23-point loss alone.
Q. RAIDERS! Do you believe in this team?
A. Darren McFadden has looked really good. He got extended playing time due to the injury to Justin Fargas on an attempted pass by JaMarcus Russell.
Q. Is Russell any good? I can't tell at this point.
A. Me either. He's looked fine so far, but the Raiders' running game looked very good against the Chiefs. However, the Chiefs did lose defensive lineman Jared Allen, who was last year's leader in sacks.
Q. You seem eager to talk about Colts/Vikings. Thoughts on that game?
A. The Vikings collapsed even though they managed to outplay the Colts. Eighteen unanswered points in the second half was all Indianapolis needed to win the game, and the Vikings managed only five field goals.
Q. Giants/Rams. Could the Rams look any more pathetic at this point?
A. I'm really not sure. They're looking as bad as they did last year in an 0-8 start. Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress had big games for the Giants.
Q. Should Scott Linehan keep his job?
A. It depends on if the Rams show any good flashes, and how much confidence the rest of the staff has in him.
Q. New Orleans/Washington. How did the Redskins pull this one out?
A. I'm not sure. They came back from nine down, and survived a missed two-point conversion.
Q. How do you like Jason Campbell?
A. He's pretty good. Not exactly one of the best quarterbacks, but he had one of his first 300-yard games in a while.
Q. How about Reggie Bush, nailed for taunting when he made that "bye-bye" gesture on his last touchdown? Is he turning into a bad citizen? And do you think that motivated the Redskins?
A. I don't think he's turning into a bad citizen. It was just a bit of a mental error. But it may have motivated the Redskins a bit.
Q. My Seahawks collapsed! How did they manage to lose to such an obviously inferior 49er team?
A. I'm not quite sure how good the Seahawks are at the moment. They've had so many injuries at wide receiver, including their starting punt returner, that quarterback Seneca Wallace had to be moved to wide receiver and punt returner.
Q. And now... the Falcons. What in the world happened today? They looked so crisp last week.
A. Last week against the Lions. Even though word got out later in the day that the Buccaneers had attempted to trade Jeff Garcia back to the 49ers (his old team), Brian Griese quarterbacked the team to victory. This is his second stint with the team. The first time, he got knocked out with an injury and was replaced by Chris Simms, now a Titan.
Q. Miami/Arizona. I have to confess, I find both these teams crushingly boring. You?
A. I just found it a bit surprising that the Dolphins, led by Chad Pennington, lost by three touchdowns to the Kurt-Warner-led Cardinals. And this is not the Kurt Warner who won a Super Bowl and set passing records.
Q. How about how the Dolphins brought in another Chad (Henne) in the fourth quarter? Are they losing confidence in Pennington?
A. You know, it seems like there hasn't been a team in a while that hasn't lost confidence in Chad Pennington. It was hard to tell whether he or Kellen Clemens was the starter last year. He's also very injury-prone.
Q. The Rat-Coach won again! How did you feel about his ratlike attempt to go for two to beat the Chargers?
A. Weird. He seemed to think that passing to the same wide receiver, rookie Eddie Royal, for both the touchdown and the two-point conversion would work. And somehow it did.
Q. I think the Chargers were totally thrown when the Broncos came out going for two.
A. It must have been a little surprising. Also, I have to note that LaDainian Tomlinson left the game after ten carries for 26 yards. Darren Sproles filled in admirably, but he still isn't LaDainian Tomlinson.
Q. Two games to go. How about the Matt Cassel era in New England? Does this guy have what it takes to go the distance?
A. Cassel didn't do too great, with 165 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions, but the Patriots rode four field goals to victory. In the running game, the Patriots weren't very effective either, with LaMont Jordan getting the most yardage. But the Jets were similarly ineffective, with their only touchdown coming on a pass from Brett Favre. However, Brett Favre was also picked off by Brandon Meriweather for his first interception as a Jet.
Q. Pittsburgh/Cleveland was so boring that we turned it off. How disappointing do the Browns look this season?
A. Really disappointing. And they still have a few prime-time games to go.
Q. That concludes our game-by-game wrapup. As is traditional, at this point I turn the keyboard over to Henry to type whatever he wants.
A. On Brandon Lloyd's blocked punt return touchdown for the Bears, it looked a lot like he was trying to steal a score from his teammate.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
NFL Week 1 Interview
Hello, sports fans. This is the first installment of what we hope will become a weekly Sunday night NFL recap with our resident sports analyst, Henry.
Q. Well, Week 1 is in the bag, and there were quite a few surprises, both good and bad. Let's start with the good. What team really exceeded your expectations this week?
A. The Panthers and the Bears. The Panthers somehow managed to beat the Chargers on a last-second touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to Dante Rosario, but actually, the Chargers had needed a comeback anyway. The Bears beat the Colts by 16 points. The ridiculous, mind-numbing, short-pass-obsessed Colts offense didn't help them win at all. The Falcons also exceeded expectations, with Matt Ryan's first NFL attempt being a 62-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins.
Q. How about the unpleasant surprises of Week 1?
A. So much for the Browns and their five nationally televised games. They got blown out by Dallas. The Texans also were supposed to do well, but they got destroyed by Pittsburgh.
Q. All the talk is about Tom Brady's injury. What are you hearing?
A. It's supposedly an ACL injury, but we've never known if Tom Brady has had a groin injury, or a foot injury, or some kind of injury. Now he has another injury to add to the list.
Q. How are the Patriots set for backups?
A. It was an up and down preseason for the backups. Matt Cassel did terribly. Matt Gutierrez was really good at some points. And Kevin O'Connell, the draft choice, didn't see much playing time (or at least I didn't see much of his playing time). Gutierrez was the odd one out and got cut. But Cassel looked good in his relief time against the Chiefs.
Q. How about these Chris Simms rumors? Could he be the answer?
A. Chris Simms has been looking for someplace other than Tampa Bay for a while. He got cut, then lost out in a free agent tryout along with Joey Harrington for the Ravens. Todd Bouman was signed. Also, the Cowboys were looking at him for a while. Since the Patriots already have two backups, it would be weird for them to sign Chris Simms, but he probably has a better chance of leading them to win games than Cassel or O'Connell.
Q. What did you, as a sports analyst, learn from Week 1?
A. Injuries are getting a lot more common. Two starting quarterbacks were knocked out of the Patriots-Chiefs game (Brady and Brodie Croyle), and Dallas Clark also left the Colts-Bears game with an injury.
Q. Big individual performances in Week 1?
A. Matt Forte, the Bears' rookie running back from Tulane, definitely. Against a Colts defense that had Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis on the line, he got a ton of rushing yardage. Reggie Bush, who has been rather disappointing, had a really good game catching passes and running the ball.
Q. Let's look at our favorite teams. I know your Raiders don't play 'til tomorrow. How about the Falcons? Are they for real?
A. Well, they were against a Lions team that, while being pretty good, was coming off a 1-7 streak to end 2007. Also, they somehow squandered a 21-point lead, and the Lions cut the lead to one touchdown at one point. As many people have been saying, Matt Ryan and Michael Turner did pretty well.
Q. Seattle -- what happened? They looked awful.
A. Maurice Morris was knocked out of the game with an injury at one point. So much for the running back tandem. Also, how did they allow Roscoe Parrish to get that punt return touchdown? It was ridiculous.
Q. How about the Jets-Dolphins game? Did Brett Favre look good?
A. He did, but the Dolphins nearly won the game. What CBS focused on right after the half, during the television broadcast, was the many miscues. The Dolphins had a decent chance to win the game, but Chad Pennington somehow lost his ability to complete a pass.
Q. Does today change your impressions about the top teams?
A. A little. The Eagles looked great against the Rams. And the Redskins didn't look so good against the Giants, losing by 9. As a matter of fact, the Giants didn't play so well, either. But that's just the NFC East. I don't think that Chargers and Jaguars fans should be too worried by the opening-day losses. They still have the ability to contend for the Super Bowl. Also, my Super Bowl prediction may not work now. Despite Cassel looking pretty good, Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Q. Play of the day?
A. Brett Favre's touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey on 4th and 13. He had to escape an intense pass rush. But give some credit to Stuckey. I don't think that pass was intended for any receiver.
Q. How do you think your Raiders will fare tomorrow night against the Rat Coach (a.k.a. Denver)?
A. Well, Darren McFadden isn't officially the starter yet. Justin Fargas is the actual starter. The Raiders' defense has been recently famous for not stopping the run well. The Broncos have many running backs they can use. An example of the bad run defense was when they allowed then-rookie running back Kolby Smith to tear apart their defense.
Q. Final thoughts on Week 1?
A. It'll be interesting to see how the season plays out.
Q. Now, I turn the keyboard over to Henry to type a final line saying absolutely anything he wants.
A. Matt Cassel is probably glad now that he got to sit behind two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks at USC.
Q. Well, Week 1 is in the bag, and there were quite a few surprises, both good and bad. Let's start with the good. What team really exceeded your expectations this week?
A. The Panthers and the Bears. The Panthers somehow managed to beat the Chargers on a last-second touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to Dante Rosario, but actually, the Chargers had needed a comeback anyway. The Bears beat the Colts by 16 points. The ridiculous, mind-numbing, short-pass-obsessed Colts offense didn't help them win at all. The Falcons also exceeded expectations, with Matt Ryan's first NFL attempt being a 62-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins.
Q. How about the unpleasant surprises of Week 1?
A. So much for the Browns and their five nationally televised games. They got blown out by Dallas. The Texans also were supposed to do well, but they got destroyed by Pittsburgh.
Q. All the talk is about Tom Brady's injury. What are you hearing?
A. It's supposedly an ACL injury, but we've never known if Tom Brady has had a groin injury, or a foot injury, or some kind of injury. Now he has another injury to add to the list.
Q. How are the Patriots set for backups?
A. It was an up and down preseason for the backups. Matt Cassel did terribly. Matt Gutierrez was really good at some points. And Kevin O'Connell, the draft choice, didn't see much playing time (or at least I didn't see much of his playing time). Gutierrez was the odd one out and got cut. But Cassel looked good in his relief time against the Chiefs.
Q. How about these Chris Simms rumors? Could he be the answer?
A. Chris Simms has been looking for someplace other than Tampa Bay for a while. He got cut, then lost out in a free agent tryout along with Joey Harrington for the Ravens. Todd Bouman was signed. Also, the Cowboys were looking at him for a while. Since the Patriots already have two backups, it would be weird for them to sign Chris Simms, but he probably has a better chance of leading them to win games than Cassel or O'Connell.
Q. What did you, as a sports analyst, learn from Week 1?
A. Injuries are getting a lot more common. Two starting quarterbacks were knocked out of the Patriots-Chiefs game (Brady and Brodie Croyle), and Dallas Clark also left the Colts-Bears game with an injury.
Q. Big individual performances in Week 1?
A. Matt Forte, the Bears' rookie running back from Tulane, definitely. Against a Colts defense that had Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis on the line, he got a ton of rushing yardage. Reggie Bush, who has been rather disappointing, had a really good game catching passes and running the ball.
Q. Let's look at our favorite teams. I know your Raiders don't play 'til tomorrow. How about the Falcons? Are they for real?
A. Well, they were against a Lions team that, while being pretty good, was coming off a 1-7 streak to end 2007. Also, they somehow squandered a 21-point lead, and the Lions cut the lead to one touchdown at one point. As many people have been saying, Matt Ryan and Michael Turner did pretty well.
Q. Seattle -- what happened? They looked awful.
A. Maurice Morris was knocked out of the game with an injury at one point. So much for the running back tandem. Also, how did they allow Roscoe Parrish to get that punt return touchdown? It was ridiculous.
Q. How about the Jets-Dolphins game? Did Brett Favre look good?
A. He did, but the Dolphins nearly won the game. What CBS focused on right after the half, during the television broadcast, was the many miscues. The Dolphins had a decent chance to win the game, but Chad Pennington somehow lost his ability to complete a pass.
Q. Does today change your impressions about the top teams?
A. A little. The Eagles looked great against the Rams. And the Redskins didn't look so good against the Giants, losing by 9. As a matter of fact, the Giants didn't play so well, either. But that's just the NFC East. I don't think that Chargers and Jaguars fans should be too worried by the opening-day losses. They still have the ability to contend for the Super Bowl. Also, my Super Bowl prediction may not work now. Despite Cassel looking pretty good, Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Q. Play of the day?
A. Brett Favre's touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey on 4th and 13. He had to escape an intense pass rush. But give some credit to Stuckey. I don't think that pass was intended for any receiver.
Q. How do you think your Raiders will fare tomorrow night against the Rat Coach (a.k.a. Denver)?
A. Well, Darren McFadden isn't officially the starter yet. Justin Fargas is the actual starter. The Raiders' defense has been recently famous for not stopping the run well. The Broncos have many running backs they can use. An example of the bad run defense was when they allowed then-rookie running back Kolby Smith to tear apart their defense.
Q. Final thoughts on Week 1?
A. It'll be interesting to see how the season plays out.
Q. Now, I turn the keyboard over to Henry to type a final line saying absolutely anything he wants.
A. Matt Cassel is probably glad now that he got to sit behind two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks at USC.
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