My....WEEKLY RANT!

Weekly Rant

The NFL season is off and running with week one officially in the books. There were some surprises and shockers, but all in all that is what makes the NFL so fun to watch. Before I get in to specific games and recaps, here is some notable injury news.

Green Bay Packers place running back Ryan Grant on injured reserve with torn ligament in knee.

New York Jets loose veteran defensive tackle Kris Jenkins for the season with ACL tear.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford out for 4 to 8 weeks with separated throwing shoulder.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback (Concussion) could miss Sunday’s game if not cleared by doctors, and will not practice this week.

“I Love It When I am Right!”

Washington Redskins upset the Dallas Cowboys 13-7

The Dallas Cowboys took their traveling rodeo to Fed Ex Field, in a week one match up against the Washington Redskins. It was the first game for Redskin head coach Mike Shannahan and former Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Donovan McNabb. In what was suppose to be a walk through for the heavily hyped Cowboys turned in to an old school slug-fest between these two long time rivals. The story for Dallas continues to be the ineffectiveness of their offense and instability of their offensive line. The Cowboys managed just 7 points thanks in part to a bad punt by the Skins and ideal field position. While the Cowboys defense held serve, it would prove to be a Redskins opportunistic defense that made the play of night. With time winding down in the first half and instead of just taking a knee to make the end of the half official, Wade Phillips allowed Tony Romo to run one last play. Romo stepped up in the pocket to make what looked to be a Hail Mary pass, only to shovel pass the ball to Tashard Choice. The result would be a strip fumble and return touchdown courtesy of De Angelo Hall giving the Skins the lead for good. Hard to imagine things going any worse for Jerry Jones and company, but it would. With seconds left to play in regulation and Romo with the ball in his hands, the Cowboys had an apparent game winning touchdown negated by a holding penalty. The holding call was justified and with no timeouts and an automatic clock runoff, the Boys lose a heart breaker.

Baltimore Ravens eek out a win against the New York Jets 10-9

In a game that lived up to the physical hype and lack of offensive production, the Ravens edged the Jets 10-9. The Jets defense kept them in the game by forcing three turnovers, but also kept them out of it with penalties totaling 120 yards. Joe Flacco is head and shoulders better than Mark Sanchez in every facet of the quarterback position, yet he could never get things really going against the Jets defense. In truth, poor pass interference calls are all that kept drives alive for Flacco and the Ravens. Baltimore’s only touchdown came after a running in to the kicker penalty after a field goal attempt followed by a pass interference call on third and long set them up at the goal line. As for Sanchez and the Jets offense, they would never get that close. Sanchez threw for only 76 yards and looked more like a high school quarterback then a first round pick. The Jets should have blown out the Ravens with constant favorable field position and a huge turnover advantage. But as long as the Jets continue to coddle Mark Sanchez, there is little hope for a Super Bowl in NY.


“I Hate It When I am Wrong!”

Houston Texans run all over the Indianapolis Colts 34-24

OK, I was wrong. I predicted that the Houston Texans simply could not beat the Colts or the Titans, and I have been humbled. So were the Colts as they got manhandled up front and were run by Arian Foster to the tune of 231 yards and 3 scores. Peyton Manning was Peyton Manning for most of the game, but give the Texans defense credit for getting after him early and often. There is no immediate panic for Manning and the Colts, but with Bob Sanders hurt (again), you have to wonder if they are once again susceptible to the run. You also have to wonder were the running game for the Colts is to come from, as they were once again incredibly ineffective. This could make for a long and tough season for Indy if they can’t find answers, but for Houston however, they look ready to take off.

Seattle Seahawks dominate the San Francisco 49ers 31-6

This game was the biggest head scratcher of them all, as the Seahawks put an old fashioned butt whipping on the favorite 49ers and their vaunted defense. I was wrong on two fronts in this game. First I thought Patrick Willis had taken over the mantle as the best linebacker in the game from Ray Lewis, and clearly I was wrong. Ray Lewis would never allow his defense to get run that way and Willis looked as shell shocked and his 49er teammates. Secondly I would have bet the farm (if I had a farm) on the Niners easily beating Seattle and new coach Pete Carroll. Not only did the 49ers not win they were beat in every facet of the game. The Hawks played with the passion of Coach Carroll and even Matt Hasselbeck looked rejuvenated. Niners quarterback Alex Smith looked dazed and confused and was inaccurate and out of sink. If the 49ers are to compete and win the west, Smith has to be better than pedestrian. Missing wide open receivers is inexcusable and unforgivable in the NFL. If Smith continues to do so, he may find himself in the CFL sooner than later.

Other Games of Note;

-New York Giants down the Carolina Panthers despite three interceptions by Eli Manning by a score of 31-18.

-Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills put us all to sleep with their 15-10 affair.

-Chicago Bears and the referees defeat the Detroit Lions 19-14. For the record Calvin Johnson caught the ball and in the second act went to get up and lost control of the ball. The play was ruled incomplete which is how most fans feel about that rule.

-Tennessee Titans route the Oakland Raiders 38-13

-New England Patriots handle the Cincinnati Bengals 38-24. Although the Bengals are my preseason AFC champions, the Patriots are my runner ups. Should I flip the script?

-Pittsburgh Steelers edge the Atlanta Falcons 15-9 in OT.

-Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns gave us all a good nap in the Bucs 17-14 win. How bad is Jake Delhomme? Real bad!

-Jacksonville defeats the Denver Broncos 24-21.

-Arizona slips by St. Louis Rams 17-13

-Green Bay Packers hold off Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagle 27-20. Packers won the game but may have lost more in their season ending loss of Ryan Grant.

-Kansas City Chiefs shock the San Diego Charger with a goal line stand, 21-14.

Congratulations to worlds number one player Rafael Nadal for earning the career grand slam by defeating Novac Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 at the US Open Monday. Rafa joins six others including Roger Federer as the only players to win all major championships in Tennis. Better still was the fact that Nadal did it at 24 years of age, youngest ever to accomplish the feat. The career grand slam features a win in each major tournament on tour including the US Open, Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the French Open. "Hey Roger, you hear them footsteps? It's Rafa sneaking up on your career total of 16, with his ninth major win. Step it up or relinquish your claim as best ever"!

In the words of the great Bugs Bunny, "That's all folks!" Tune in next time for my week 2 can't miss picks. OK, well I may miss a couple. :)

By Ephraim Vega
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