| Authored by Jeff Risdon - 5th October, 2009 - 9:42 pm
 $.01 -- The Denver Broncos are 4-0 and laughing at us all. This just wasn't supposed to happen, we all thought. The team dumped Mike Shanahan, one of the best coaches in the business and replaced him with a 32-year-old naïf. They dumped Jay Cutler, one of the better young quarterbacks in the league, and replaced him with Kyle Orton. Their star wide receiver also demanded a trade and tried his best to force one with erratic, selfish behavior. Defensively, a very bad unit in 2008 got older, chock full of aging castoffs while changing schemes under a new coordinator, Mike Nolan, that couldn't construct a solid defense with better players in San Francisco.
We all thought wrong. Orton has proved to be the perfect quarterback for Josh McDaniels' offense, which values precision and ball control over risk-taking. Brandon Marshall bought in, and the mercurial wide receiver is letting his incredible talent do his talking. I suspected the offense would be fine, what with an exceptional tackle tandem, a solid quarterback, and a stable of quality running backs. But it's the defense that simply astonishes me. I thought this would be one of, if not the worst, unit in the NFL.
Nolan deserves loads of praise for constructing what has been the stingiest defense in the league thus far. He's done it by stripping away the gimmicks and putting his players in position to take advantage of their strengths. Guys like Andra Davis, Renaldo Hill, Ronnie Fields, and Kenny Peterson have stepped up and been perfect fits after uneven (at best) recent careers elsewhere. The secondary has been fantastic, led by aging-but-still-game Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. Some film study shows a group that is seldom out of position and almost never misses tackles. It's an overly simple concept that is lost far too easily by others, but this Broncos team has embraced. If they keep their discipline, this is a team that isn't going to just fade away.
$.02 -- For all the buildup about the Jets attacking defense that wreaks havoc on opposing offenses, it was the Saints play-making defense that generated a victory in the battle of the unbeatens. new Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams correctly diagnosed the weak spots on the Jets offensive line (the B gaps, between the guards and tackles) and designed stunts, swipes, and blitzes that exploited them. Rookie stud quarterback Mark Sanchez made some rookie mistakes, but most of them were a function of a vastly improved New Orleans defense. Want to know how much confidence the Saints have in that defense? They left sure points on the board and went for it on fourth and short inside the Jets 3. After the Jets valiantly rebuffed them, Will Smith flew around D'Brickashaw Ferguson and extracted the ball from Sanchez for a defensive touchdown. A team that doesn't believe in its defense would have taken the easy three points. That the Saints succeeded in large part because of their defense is a very scary proposition for the rest of the NFC. Darren Sharper is proving to be the best free agent signing of the offseason with his 5 interceptions and rock solid leadership in the secondary. You can sense the confidence and swagger growing in New Orleans, and if you still cling to the notion that the Saints defense is poor (cough, Dan Marino, cough), you're just not watching the games.
$.03 -- The epitome of empty statistics is Matt Cassel in Kansas City. The quarterback has thrown five touchdowns in his three games and has a decent overall QB rating, no doubt providing many a fantasy owner with a satisfactory season. But a closer look reveals a very different story. Cassel has thrown four of those five touchdowns when behind by more than two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, i.e. garbage time. His QB rating when the game has yet to be decided (margin between 0-8 points) is 66.3, which is Joey Harrington territory. No, he does not have a lot of viable weapons. No, his line is not very good. But the Chiefs are paying him to overcome those deficiencies and lead them to victories, not pile up after-the-fact numbers that conceal the fact he's not a very good quarterback. At least with the trade of Tyler Thigpen to Miami, now Cassel can rightly claim he's not the worst quarterback on Kansas City's roster anymore. Of course we haven't seen Matt Gutierrez play yet...
$.04 -- The first quarter of the season is over, time for some seriously meaningless hardware...
MVP: Peyton Manning, quietly having one of the best starts ever for any quarterback, doing it without Tony Dungy, Marvin Harrison, and Anthony Gonzalez.
Offensive Player of the Quarter: Drew Brees.
Defensive Player of the Quarter: Patrick Willis, the star of a much-improved 49ers defense.
Offensive Rookie: Mark Sanchez, even with his bad Sunday. To do what he's doing in his situation and limited experience is awesome in the literal sense of the word. Special mention for Bears receiver Johnny Knox, who would earn it if special teams were factored in.
Defensive Rookie: Louis Delmas, a very good (if inconsistent) impact defender and building block for a Lions team that badly needed one.
Coach: Sean Payton, who edges out Josh McDaniels in Denver only because of higher expectations.
$.05 -- Highlight of the week goes to Carson Palmer for his 15-yard scamper on fourth and 11 deep into overtime of the Bengals/Browns game. I know it's not the sexiest play, but Bengals fans have long been waiting for Palmer to demonstrate his willingness to lay it all on the line for his team. Mission accomplished. On a day when the Cleveland defense was often dominant (yes, you read that correctly), the Bengals were desperate for someone to step forward and show how badly he wanted to win. Palmer didn't hesitate, not even with his surgically-repaired knee and his plodding gait, and because of his effort the Bengals avoided a catastrophic upset and find themselves in first place in the AFC North. For far too long the Bengals have been a team of finger-pointers and blowhards, talking a good game but not always backing it up. Carson Palmer seized the moment, proving to his teammates that he can lead them in crunch time. It might seem like a minor victory now, but this could be a huge building block and rallying moment for a team that sure appears to legitimately be on the rise.
$.06 -- Five random Sunday observations:
1. It had to feel good for Rod Marinelli to be on the other side of the ball in the Bears' win over the Lions, his former employer. Who better than Marinelli to know exactly how to attack the Lions offensive line, which the Bears did repeatedly and effectively.
2. Longtime readers will note my football man-crush on Shaun Rogers, and he did even more to earn my adoration. Rogers damn near won the game for the Browns by himself, blocking a field goal and an extra point and consistently tying up at least two blockers. His outstanding performance will once again get overlooked and pooh-poohed by most pundits, but true football fans will recognize his greatness.
3. I thought the Cowboys lack of a legit #1 wide receiver cost them the Denver game. The final two throws from Tony Romo weren't perfect, but a better/quicker/stronger wideout would have been more open and made better plays on the ball, perhaps catching a game-winner. Champ Bailey knew he could give up the inside on the slant and undercut the route, knowing the wideout wasn't able to separate laterally or vertically from him. With Terrell Owens in the game, he cannot make that gamble. Of course T.O. is apt to drop the ball...
4. For as bad as the officiating can be (see the Chicago/Detroit game), it's my pleasure to point out when it's done well. The crew in the Jacksonville/Tennessee game did a very good job making some very tough calls.
5. Is Jim Zorn the last person on earth to realize that Jason Campbell thrives at throwing the deep ball, and that Tampa's secondary can't cover anyone further than about 15 yards downfield? I hate to pour gasoline onto the fire under his seat, but Zorn continues to fail to impress as a head coach.
$.07 -- College time!
Two teams really showed their mettle this Saturday, putting on displays that should equate into BCS berths down the line. USC eviscerated a plummeting Cal team 30-3, while Miami (the Florida one) held on for dear life and a one-point victory over Oklahoma. With just Oregon standing in their way, the Trojans are once again poised to rebound from their yearly clunker; remember, they never lose to good teams. Meanwhile, Miami bounced back nicely from their drubbing by Virginia Tech and finished the most brutal opening four-game schedule in NCAA history at 3-1 and looking very much like a team that can beat anyone, anywhere. Except in Blacksburg in the rain, of course. With the Hokies struggling against Duke (can you say hangover!) and the rest of the ACC looking real bad, the Canes have a very good chance at an at-large BCS berth. I'll take their one-loss schedule over an undefeated Boise State team any time.
$.08 -- Non-football thought of the week:
I live close enough to Chicago (150 miles) that the 2016 Olympics decision drew a lot of local interest. The shocking decision that the Second City was the first city eliminated is probably for the best in the end, even though it would have been pretty cool to have the Olympics so close to home. Attending an Olympic games should be on every sports fan's bucket list, but the more I think about it, the more I want to attend one abroad. It's not like we haven't had all these Olympics in North America already, including one in less than 6 months. As for Chicago, it's a wonderful city with so many things to do already. If they can apply some of the projected capital that was designated for Olympic construction into other projects, Chicagoans can reap the benefits even more. Maybe a jet boat service connecting Chicago and West Michigan...
$.09 -- Responding to a reader email:
Jack Finney asked, "You're always going out of your way to rip the Bears...what gives?"
Well Jack, consider it my motherly protectionist instincts coming out. As I mentioned above, I live close enough to Chicago that I can listen to the local sports radio, and there are loads of Bears fans around here. And Bears fans have a funny way of taking everything to the fullest extreme. Either the team or an individual player has to be the greatest or the worst; there is no happy medium with most Bears fans. I seek to restore some harmonic balance to the fan base. Brain Urlacher is not the best MLB around, but he's not the disaster some make him out to be either (yet!). Jay Cutler is not the answer to your dreams but he's also a lot better than his detractors make him out to be. I could go on and on, but suffice to say I just want to produce a more level-headed sports citizenry. I come from Cleveland, where we give standing ovations to opponents for great performances (unless they're from Cincy, in which we'll throw battery-laced snowballs!) and the glass is half-empty but clear. Chicago sports fans would be wise to not chug the whole glass willy-nilly.
$.10 -- Scouting Report:
Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska. 6'4", 300, 40 time not pertinent.
Positives: Extraordinarily quick big man with long, powerful limbs. Naturally athletic and strong. Tremendous foot quickness and balance. Has a great initial hand punch and can quickly follow it up by going inside or outside. Effective bull rusher who uses his hands well and explodes through gaps. Disengages quickly and has a motor that never stops. Good nose for the ball and solid football IQ, rarely abandons backside containment. Has enough strength to play inside, even as a one-technique. Very active in chasing the play, even far downfield. Disrupts passing lanes with his long arms and good timing. Intelligent off the field, good student with a sound work ethic.
Negatives: Can play tall at times, will get caught upright by tackles that fire out low. Has had some knee issues (medical redshirt for torn meniscus, another knee surgery two years later) and has shown a propensity to be too careful in short-yardage scrums, as if he's afraid of getting hurt again. His athletic versatility could tempt a team to move him to multiple spots, which often backfires (see Adam Carriker, Glenn Dorsey). Inconsistent pad level. Not as strong a run anchor as you would expect from such a physically strong player.
Forecast: An NFL-ready impact pass rusher with the ability to play all over any sort of scheme up front, Suh will be among the first three players selected in the 2010 draft, barring injury.
Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com
--Catch Jeff every Monday at 5:05 ET, 2:05 PT with Papa Joe Chevalier at papajoetalk.com |
