DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING…

- “If only the Rams could now somehow beat the Saints on Sunday, this would be the greatest sports weekend EVER,” uttered the random St. Louis fan on Friday night after the Cardinals defeated the Rangers in Game 7 of the World Series. How do the previously winless Rams defeat a team in the Saints that just racked up 62 points on the Colts? Well, that’s pretty easy. When you can’t stop Steven Jackson even though you know he’s going to get the ball every down, you lose two turnovers over on your side of the field, and you don’t protect your quarterback, you’re going to lose to most opponents regardless of whether or not they have any wins. The Rams won this game because of Jackson and their defense, which sacked Drew Brees six times and returned one of his passes for a game-clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter. Chris Long absolutely abused Charles Brown, who should have been given more help because he clearly needed it. The Rams clearly haven’t checked out and they’ll continue to fight every Sunday. That was apparent for anyone who saw Jackson flip out on his offensive line late in the second half following yet another false start penalty. What a sweet first win this was for a city that is on cloud nine right now.

- It’s not really shocking that the 2-6 Panthers lost another game. But considering whom they were playing and given that they were 3.5-point home favorites, it was a little surprising to see Carolina go down in flames to Minnesota on Sunday. Christian Ponder’s 102.7 passer rating and 8.4 yards per attempt were both season-highs for the Vikings, who apparently just should have started the kid from Week 1 and bypassed acquiring Donovan McNabb altogether. Ponder threw for 236 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-28 passing while earning his first career win thanks in large part to Olindo Mare’s inability to hit a 31-yard chip shot. The miss, which came with under a minute left to play, cost the Panthers an opportunity to force overtime. Good thing Carolina GM Marty Hurney spent so much money on Mare this offseason. Dude was totally worth it.

AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM…

- Tebowmania was rather short lived. One week after fueling a fourth-quarter comeback in an 18-15 win over the Dolphins, Tebow and the Broncos were absolutely embarrassed by the Lions in a 45-10 rout at Sports Authority Champs Dick’s Sporting Goods Field at Mile High. Tebow did nothing to silence the nearly 4 billion people who think he can’t throw, can’t be a NFL-caliber quarterback, and can’t buckle his chinstrap without having assistance. Thanks to his longer-than-necessary windup, he was sacked seven times and single-handedly accounted for 14 Detroit points off turnovers. He fumbled three times on the day and was intercepted once, which was returned 100 yards by Chris Houston for a Lions’ touchdown. Thanks to Eric Decker (six receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD), who is used to saving quarterbacks coming from the University of Minnesota, Tebow’s stat line was much better than his performance on the field. While he did throw for one touchdown and rushed for 63 yards on 10 carries, he was simply brutal.

- The blueprint to beating the Saints is still pretty clear: Generate pressure on Drew Brees using four down linemen and create turnovers. The Cowboys accomplished this when they ruined the Saints’ perfect season in Week 15 of 2009, and the Browns also did it last year when they forced four turnovers and produced three sacks in a 30-17 Week 7 shocker at the Superdome. It’s easier said than done to bring the heat with only four linemen and force the Saints to turn the ball over. But the Rams once again proved today that limiting Brees’ effectiveness isn’t rocket science.

- The Patriots may have cost themselves home field advantage in the playoffs. While the Steelers played inspired football, New England was flat from the start. Bill Belichick has to do something about his secondary, which is incredibly thin and hemorrhaging yards at the moment. It’s hard for Tom Brady and the explosive Pats’ offense to score when they don’t have the ball. The defense couldn’t get off the field as the New England offense only held the ball for three plays in the first quarter. While they certainly didn’t get blown out, there weren’t a lot of positives to be taken from this game for Belichick and Co. They’ll just have to regroup and start fresh on Monday, especially considering they’re now tied with the Bills again in the AFC East.

– Once again Pete Carroll has me completely befuddled. Tarvaris Jackson was healthy enough to start today against Cincinnati. In fact, he was even named the starter in the pre-game. But who trots onto the field for Seattle’s first possession? Well Charlie Whitehurst, of course. Why announce that Jackson is starting and then play Whitehurst instead? Who did Carroll think he was fooling? The Bengals don’t care if they’re going up against Jackson or Whitehurst. First of all, both quarterbacks are pretty brutal so it’s not like Cincinnati is going to be thrown for a loop if one is announced as the starter and the other one winds up playing. Secondly, the Bengals likely prepared for both quarterbacks during the week so Pistol Pete fooled nobody with his little switch-a-roo (if that was his intention, to deceive, that is). Either way, Carroll continues to pay for his decision to not bring back Matt Hasselbeck this offseason. Why anyone would think Jackson is a starter or Whitehurst was worth a third-round pick is beyond me. (Not that Carroll had anything to do with acquiring Whitehurst.) The Jets didn’t even have to give up a third-rounder for Santonio Holmes and he was a former Super Bowl MVP for cribb’s sake.

- As much as I hate to say it because I’ve rooted for the kid since he was a freshman at Texas, I don’t think Colt McCoy is the long-term answer for the Browns. That might be an overreaction on my part, but he continues to struggle with downfield throws and passes outside the numbers. He was 22-of-34 for 241 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Niners today, which certainly isn’t bad. Not when you consider the Browns didn’t have a running game because of injuries and considering San Francisco’s defense has played exceptionally well all season. But what happens when the Browns get deeper into November and December and they have to trust that McCoy will beat the Steelers and Ravens in nasty weather with limited arm-strength? As I’ve written many times on this site, McCoy is the prototypical West Coast Offense quarterback in that he’s accurate and makes good decisions with the football (for the most part). But as Phil Simms has lamented over the course of his broadcast career, Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks can make all of the throws. I realize that doesn’t fit Trent Dilfer but Trent Dilfer also played for a team whose defense was one of the best the NFL has ever seen. The last time I checked, Cleveland’s defense isn’t exactly on the same level as the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. Thus, at some point Mike Holmgren will have to make a decision about whether or not McCoy is the franchise’s best option under center.

- The Dolphins, who were winless coming into the day, mind you, held a 17-10 lead after three quarters and decided to get conservative in the fourth. Why? They’re winless. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain by pressing their foot firmly to the floor and staying aggressive. Instead, the Miami coaching staff decided to play soft in coverage in hopes of avoiding the big play and the Giants scored 10 unanswered points in the final quarter to win the game. This game affirms what everyone already knew: That the Dolphins don’t have the right men in place to lead this team on the field.

- It’s pretty telling that Javon Ringer received almost all of the Titans’ fourth-quarter snaps today against the Colts. Maybe that’s because Ringer fought for his 60 yards on 14 carries while Chris Johnson often gave up on half of his 14 runs when he knew he wasn’t going to break a big one. Sunday marked the fourth time in seven weeks that Johnson failed to rush for at least 50 yards and the sixth time in seven weeks that he failed to rush for even 55 yards. Mike Munchak said in his post-game presser that the Titans would use a backfield committee going forward, which is smart. If Johnson isn’t going to raise his level of production, then he shouldn’t play over more-willing runners like Ringer. Johnson and the Titans have seemingly flipped roles. Now it’s the team that isn’t getting what they deserve.

- With their 30-27 loss to the Ravens on Sunday, the Cardinals have now blown second-half leads in losses to the Redskins, Seahawks, Giants, and now Baltimore. Kevin Kolb did some good things despite being constantly under pressure today. He hit Larry Fitzgerald on a 66-yard competition and scrambled to find Early Doucet for a touchdown to give Arizona a 24-3 lead late in the second quarter. But Kolb remains awfully inconsistent – too inconsistent for a quarterback that the Cardinals surrendered draft picks and a ton of money in order to acquire from Philadelphia. Arizona paid too big of a price for him to play like Rex Grossman.

- Cam Newton completes 22 of 35 pass attempts for 290 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions, runs for a team-high 53 yards and the Panthers still find a way to lose. Thanks, defense!

- The Redskins were extremely banged up offensively coming into their game with the Bills on Sunday. But it takes some effort not to score a single point against Buffalo’s suspect defense. The Skins had a field goal blocked in the second quarter and despite marching into Buffalo territory twice in the fourth quarter, they didn’t produce a score. John Beck completed 20 of his 33 pass attempts for 208 yards but his day was marred by several poor underthrows and interceptions on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter. Suddenly Mike Shanahan’s coveted running game has disappeared as well. The Skins amassed just 26 yards on 12 carries. Yikes.

“CHAMPIONSHIP”…

- The Steelers’ 25-17 win over the Patriots on Sunday doesn’t mean that Pittsburgh is now on a crash course for the Super Bowl again. It does not mean that they’re the best team in their conference or even in their own division. But given their struggles over the years with spread teams like New England and Green Bay, this was a signature win for the Steelers and one that could propel them to big things in the second half. Make no mistake: they dominated the Patriots in all facets today. Ben Roethlisberger (365 yards, 2 TDs) absolutely shredded New England’s secondary and while Tom Brady did complete 69% of his passes and threw for two scores, Pittsburgh’s defense held him to under 200 yards passing. Given the Ravens’ struggles the past two weeks, the Steelers suddenly look very powerful again in the AFC North.

- Think the Lions were a little steamed coming into day? My God, man. Forty-five points, 376 total yards, two defensive touchdowns, seven sacks and a cure for Athlete’s Foot later and suddenly Detroit has everyone’s attention again. Granted, Tim Tebow did hand them the game on a silver platter but the ’85 Bears weren’t beating the Lions on this day. Jim Schwartz still has to figure out how to plug his leaky run defense but there’s really nothing for him or any Lion fan to complain about right now. It had to be a great sight watching Matthew Stafford throw for three touchdowns after he hobbled off the field at the end of the game last week. What a day for the silver and Honolulu blue.

- For my weekly filling of crow I’d like a serving of Andy Dalton and a side of humiliation, please. This morning I wrote that the rookie would struggle in a rough Seattle environment (rough, ha!) and all he did was throw for two touchdowns in a 34-12 rout of the hapless Seahawks. The Bengals, who once again played well defensively and on special teams, are now 5-2 and 3-1 on the road. That’s impressive considering many people felt they wouldn’t win five games all year and seeing as how a rookie quarterback has already led them to three wins on the road. It’ll be interesting to see how Cincy plays in back-to-back games against the Steelers and Ravens next month.

- In less than a week the Ravens have gone from being Super Bowl contenders to a team that couldn’t beat the Jaguars and had to mount a massive comeback in order to beat the one-win Cardinals. But at least a) they did win the game today and b) Joe Flacco rebounded from a brutal start to finish 31-of-51 for 336 yards. It was also good to see Ray Rice (three touchdowns) receive 25 touches, although the Ravens could certainly still boost his opportunities. Baltimore needs to cut down on the mistakes (the Ravens were flagged 11 times for 99 yards on Sunday) but at least it didn’t suffer back-to-back losses against two teams that will probably be picking in the top 10 next April.

- The Niners’ plan for victory is pretty simple these days, isn’t it? Put the game on the defense’s shoulders, give the ball to Frank Gore 25-plus times and don’t let Alex Smith do anything to ruin the game. That approach will work for the regular season but it’ll be interesting to see how the Niners fare when they reach the postseason and Smith has to throw the ball to beat teams.

- It wasn’t all good for the Texans on Sunday but they did what they had to do against an inferior Jacksonville team. They only allowed rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert to complete 33 percent of his passes and held Maurice Jones-Drew (18 carries, 63 yards) in check. They also rode Arian Foster (33 carries, 112 yards, 1 TD) to another victory without much need for Andre Johnson, who should be back next week. With Cleveland and another match with Jacksonville coming up, Houston is in a good spot to increase its lead over Tennessee in the AFC South.

- What in God’s name can you say about the Giants at this point? Everyone left them for dead at the start of the year because of the amount of injuries they had on both sides of the ball. Then they beat the Eagles on the road as a 9-point underdog and jumped out to a small lead in the NFC East. Then they needed a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Cardinals, they lost to the Seahawks at home, needed a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Bills, and then needed yet another fourth-quarter rally to beat winless Miami on Sunday. Do you laud them for their resiliency or hammer them for constantly playing down to their competition? I want to say the Patriots will crush them next Sunday but knowing the Giants they’ll probably win a nail-bitter. I just can’t figure them out.

- With the Patriots having a tough go of things in Pittsburgh, the Bills did exactly what they needed to today: Beat a bad Washington team in order to keep the heat on New England in the AFC East. The Bills out-gained the Redskins 390-178 in total yards, forced two turnovers and rushed for 138 yards as a team. Ryan Fitzpatrick also completed 21-of-27 passes for 262 yards while Fred Jackson rushed for 120 yards on 26 carries. Outside of their two turnovers on the day, this was win was about as perfect as they come for Buffalo, which finally showed up defensively.

Eagles (1-0) @ Falcons (0-1), 8:20PM ET
Outside of Chargers-Patriots or maybe Bears-Saints, there isn’t a juicer matchup on the schedule this week. The Falcons should be embarrassed by the way they performed last week in Chicago but they have zero time to wallow in self pity because Michael Vick and the Eagles come storming into the Georgia Dome this weekend. Andy Reid has had major ownage on the Falcons over the years, as Philly is 9-2-1 against the spread in its last 12 games against Atlanta, which includes a 4-1-1 ATS mark on the road. With defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux set to miss over a month with a knee injury, the Falcons’ defense is in major trouble. An 0-2 start for the defending NFC South champions is a big-time reality.
THE ODDS: EAGLES –1.5

Chargers (1-0) @ Patriots (1-0), 4:15PM ET
Two teams picked by many to win their respective divisions will square off in New England on Sunday when the Pats host the Chargers at 4:15PM ET. These two teams met in San Diego last October and despite dominating the first half, the Bolts fell to the Pats, 23-20. The underdog is 6-2 against the spread in the last eight meetings between these two teams, while the under is 4-1 in the last five meetings. That said, the over is 4-1 in the last five meetings in New England and after watching Tom Brady dissect the Dolphins on Monday night, it’s hard to envision a low-scoring game this Sunday at Foxboro.
THE ODDS: PATRIOTS –7

Bears (1-0) @ Saints (0-1), 1:00PM ET
It’s a little early for anyone to be playing the disrespect card but if there were one team who could justify it, it would be the Chicago Bears. I couldn’t find one prognosticator who picked them to repeat as NFC North champions, which is understandable given that they play in the same division as the Super Bowl-winning Packers. But some people even had the Bears finishing below the Lions in the North. (Not that Detroit is bad, but the Bears essentially have the same roster as last year and some expect them to crash this season.) All Chicago did in Week 1 was dominate the Falcons in all facets of the game and yet, Da Bears find themselves as 6.5-point road dogs against the Saints. If they can beat New Orleans in the Superdome this Sunday, the Bears will certainly have everyone’s attention in the NFC. Chicago is 2-0-2 against the spread in its last four games against the Saints, while the underdog is 5-2-2 ATS in the last nine overall meetings between these two teams. That said, the home team is 3-0-2 ATS in the last five meetings.
THE ODDS: SAINTS –6.5

Rams (0-1) @ Giants (0-1), 8:30PM ET
The Giants will look to get back on track this Monday when they host a banged-up Rams team. Steven Jackson has been ruled out for St. Louis but quarterback Sam Bradford plans to play. The favorite is 5-2 against the spread in the last seven meetings between these two teams, while the Rams are 0-5 against the number in their last five games against the Giants. Many analysts picked the Rams to win the NFC West but they have a brutal first-half schedule and after hosting the Eagles last week, they’ll hit the road on Monday to face another tough NFC East opponent.
THE ODDS: GIANTS –5.5

Check out Bullz-Eye.com for a complete list of NFL Week 2 odds.

DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING…

- According to every NFL analyst in America, there was a better chance of Cam Newton putting his pants on backwards than resembling anything even close to a quarterback. But lo and behold the kid can play a little. He completed 24-of-37 passes for 422 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, setting a record for most passing yards in a NFL debut. He also rushed eight times for 18 yards and scored on the goal line in the Panthers’ 28-21 loss the Cardinals. Thanks to Newton, Steve Smith looked rejuvenated after spending a year in NFL hell last season. Obviously the former Auburn product isn’t going to throw for 400-plus yards every week but even his biggest critics have to be impressed with how he performed in his debut. And hey, the young man even put his pants on straight, too.

- The Steelers, the Falcons and the Chiefs: What are three teams who apparently forgot that the preseason was only four weeks long, Alex? Give credit where credit is due – the Ravens, Bears and Bills were dominate on Sunday. But it’s not like any of those teams used black magic to fool the Steelers, Falcons and Chiefs, who were absolutely shocked that they had to suit up today. Those three teams, who all won their divisions a year ago, mind you, managed to make flying to the moon look easier than playing football.

- Speaking of the Bills, this team isn’t a pushover any more. Forty-one points on the road? Good grief, man. Ryan Fitzpatrick is just good enough to be dangerous and they have some offensive weapons in Steve Johnson, Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. Given how bad the offensive line looked in preseason, Chan Gailey has to be thrilled with his team’s performance. And the best part about the Bills today? They acted as if they expected that outcome. I dare say they were fun to watch.

- Not many people had the Bengals beating the Browns in Cleveland today, which is why they wind up in the “DIDN”T SEE THAT COMING” section. But I’m telling you, if Andy Dalton can play mistake free and just mange games in his first year, Cincinnati won’t be as bad as everyone expects.

AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM…

- Tell me Pete Caroll isn’t playing to win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes this season. I want to see him look someone in the face and tell them Tarvaris Jackson is a starting quarterback in the National Football League.

- Nobody told me it was Halloween today at Solider Field. It was cute the way Atlanta’s entire offensive line dressed up like revolving doors.

- Atlanta HC Mike Smith has received praise over the years for resting his veterans throughout the week so that they’re fresh on Sundays. But maybe if those vets practiced more they would actually know how to tackle somebody. The Falcons’ defenders might as well have ushered Matt Forte and Devin Hester to the end zone like they were walking bridesmaids down the aisle of a wedding. Because they had zero interest in tackling either player today.

- Wait, I’m not done with the Falcons. During the game, I watched Roddy White run directly into the backfield at the snap, turn around, and run right back to the same sideline in order to catch a pass for a 1-yard loss. I hope for the Falcons’ sake White ran the wrong route because if that was actually how the play was designed then this team is in for a long year with Mike Mularkey at the controls. I want to know who that play was supposed to fool: the Bears, or Falcon fans for believing their team actually employs an offensive coordinator.

- Jim Brown couldn’t have run behind the Giants’ offensive line today.

- Methinks this could be the second straight season Donovan McNabb will be benched for his ineffective play. How the Vikings managed to keep things close in San Diego despite McNabb only throwing for 39 yards is beyond me.

- Fort knox wouldn’t have stood upright behind the Steelers’ offensive line today.

- If anyone questions whether or not Peyton Manning has been one of the best on-field generals this game has ever seen, pop in the film of the Colts’ loss to the Texans on Sunday. Outside of Reggie Wayne’s ridiculous touchdown grab, there was nothing positive about Indy’s offense on Sunday. The Colts looked absolutely befuddled without Manning calling the shots. It’s simply a different team.

- A.J. Green’s touchdown may wind up going down as the easiest score in NFL history. Hey Cleveland defense, this isn’t T-ball. The officials don’t ask if everyone is ready before play can begin. Break the huddle and get into position so you don’t allow opponents to walk into the end zone.

- How long before Cleveland fans start ramping up the complaints that Mike Holmgren should have stayed at No. 6 last April and taken Julio Jones? Greg Little: 1 catch for 12 yards today in his debut.

- Speaking of the Browns: at no point should this team ever be 6.5-point favorites over anyone. Ever.

- Pretty slick of Mike Munchak and the Titans to give everyone the impression that Chris Johnson was going to be a big part of their offense in Week 1. After holding out throughout the preseason, the Titans barely used Johnson but because of Munchak’s deceiving words, the Jaguars still had to game plan for him anyway. Of course, that strategy did absolutely nothing to help the Titans on the scoreboard, but it was slick nonetheless.

- Mostly because of their ridiculous first-half schedule, the Rams were already in for a bumpy ride this season. And that was before Sam Bradford and Steven Jackson suffered injuries right out of the gates.

- Hey Carolina, next time a player suffers an Achilles’ injury, give him time to actually recover. If Jon Beason is lost for the season, and he may very well be, the Panthers have nobody to blame but themselves.

- Talk about adding injury to insult: Eric Berry’s knee injury could be serious. The Chiefs’ secondary is in for a long year.

“CHAMPIONSHIP…”

- This was the game that Raven fans have been waiting to see for a while out of their team. A good Pittsburgh squad came to town and instead of Baltimore toying with them for a couple of quarters and losing in the end, the Ravens beat the Steelers’ ass up and down the field. Joe Flacco threw some of the best passes of his career and Ray Rice played like a man trying to prove a point against a defense that has shut him down over the years. If the Ravens play with this kind of consistency every week, they’re going to be tough to beat.

- Pass me some of that Lions Kool-Aid because damn it that stuff tastes fantastic. Detroit fans have waited a long time to see their team dominate anyone on the road like the Lions did today against the Bucs. And who was responsible for the majority of their success? Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew and Jahvid Best – four players that should help transform this team into a contender soon (if not very soon).

- I’m not going to ramble on about the Texans’ victory because it came against a downtrodden Indianapolis team that’s about to suffer its worst season in over a decade. But I will say this: The Texans are the clear favorites to win the AFC South with Peyton Manning out of the way. They showed up today and did exactly what they were supposed to in crushing the will of a team that has tormented them for years. Now let’s see them play with that same fire every week.

- The Eagles house more weapons than the United States’ military. On every play Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy could take one to the house. The only drawback to Philly’s offense is its O-line, but otherwise this team looks every bit as good as people thought they would in preseason.

- On Sunday, the Bears’ defense resembled the same unit that took them to the Super Bowl back in 2006. They were relentless, they swarmed to the football, and they pressured Matt Ryan for all four quarters. Everyone expects the Bears to drop off this season after reaching the NFC Championship Game a year ago. But if they play as well throughout the season as they did today, then it’s going to be a battle royal in the NFC North this year.

- Courage this: Jay Cutler is now 22-0 in his career in games when he finishes with a 100-plus passer rating. His offensive line is still shaky but the dude played his ass off today and didn’t give his critics much to write about.

- Cedric Benson rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries against the Browns. And he was in jail last week.

- The answer is “yes,” as in yes Mario Williams can play linebacker.

- Bruce Gradkowski is a terrible starter but man can that guy come off the bench and lead come-from-behind victories. I swear his record as a reliever is 44-0.

- Don’t be fooled by his overall stat line: Michael Vick was incredible this afternoon in St. Louis. The Eagles’ offensive line has little to no cohesion but Vick still managed to dazzle. How pumped do you think he’s going to be next Sunday night to play on his old carpet in Atlanta? And he’ll deserve to play well there, too. It’s not like he screwed that franchise out of millions of dollars and precise time by making them watch Joey Harrington play quarterback for a full season. No, yeah Mike, you deserve this moment…

- Hey, there’s Beanie Wells!

- Granted, it came against a shaky Carolina defense but the Cardinals couldn’t have asked for a better debut out of Kevin Kolb (18-of-27, 309 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs).

- The most underrated defense in the league? Jacksonville. The additions that team made in the offseason have already paid dividends.

- Wade Phillips is going to face bigger challenges than Kerry Collins in the upcoming months, but he’s already made a difference for Houston’s defense.

- Dating back to last season, for the first time in 17 weeks C.J. Spiller actually showed glimpses of the special player he was at Clemson.

- Congrats on your first win, Jim Harbaugh. They don’t get much easier than that.

- Rex Grossman: 21-of-34 passing for 305 yards and two touchdowns against the Giants. Maybe wily ‘ol Mike Shanahan does know what he’s doing. Nah, he’s still bat-sh*t crazy…

Steven Jackson told reporters following Sunday’s game against Seattle that his groin felt fine during and after the Rams’ 20-3 win over the Seahawks.

And even if Jackson weren’t feeling okay, he wouldn’t care.

The Rams are now 2-2 on the year and had a couple of more breaks gone their way in the first two games, they could be 3-1 or even undefeated. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that Jackson is healthy (relatively speaking), rookie Sam Bradford (289 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT on Sunday) is playing better than expected so early in his career and the defense has been outstanding.

Outstanding.

St. Louis held Seattle to 257 total yards, including 193 passing and 64 rushing, while forcing two turnovers and allowing just one Olindo Mare field goal on the day. Steve Spagnuolo is obviously leaving his impression on the Rams’ defense, which has yet to allow more than 17 points in any game this season.

Granted, it’s not like the Rams have played any offensive juggernauts to this point. But this was a team that won only one game last year and was beaten like a rented mule week in and week out. A 2-2 start is about as much as the Rams’ brass could ask for at this point.

For only the second time in their last 29 games, the St. Louis Rams actually won a football game.

With their 30-16 victory over the Redskins on Sunday, the Rams won a home game for the first time since 2006. Many factors went into the win, but the play of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford will be discussed above all else when the St. Louis faithful replay this game on the radio airwaves this week.

Bradford was far from perfect (he threw his fifth interception of the season), but he completed 23-of-37 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown – mostly without the help of Steven Jackson, who pulled his groin midway through the game. Kenneth Darby racked up 49 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown in Jackson’s absence, but it would be a stretch to say he was “effective.”

On the other side, this was an embarrassing loss for the Redskins, who have done nothing to build off their opening win against Dallas. They fell apart in the fourth quarter last week against Houston and never led at any point today in St. Louis. Donovan McNabb threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw a pick late in the fourth and the Redskins just couldn’t put the ball in the end zone.

Kudos to the Rams, who have been in every game so far this season. The defense has played decent the first three weeks and while Bradford has made his fair share of mistakes, he’s also making plays in his rookie year.

Beautiful women.

Las Vegas.

If at least two of those three things don’t grab your attention, then maybe it’s time for you to turn in your man card.

The second annual Fantasy Football SUPERDRAFT will be held at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on August 26-28 this year and will include a concert by Snoop Dogg, a Draft Room for fantasy football fans, VIP parties hosted by Stacy Keibler and a live celebrity draft conducted by Ashton Kutcher.

Interested? We thought you might be.

Nathan Zegura, the founder of TheFantasyConsultant.com and the host of “The Fantasy Consultant Live” on SiriusXM’s new Fantasy Sports Channel, joined us recently to chat up this year’s Fantasy Football SUPERDRAFT, as well as provide details on how you can attend. (You’ll probably be shocked at how very little it’ll cost you to soak in a fantasy football-filled weekend with Snoop, Stacy Keibler and Ashton Kutcher in Vegas.)

We also couldn’t allow Nathan to get off the phone without picking his brain about this year’s upcoming fantasy season, so we asked him what his top 5 looks like, who his top 3 sleepers are and what kind of expectations we could have for players like Frank Gore and Michael Turner.

For more information about the second annual Fantasy Football SUPERDRAFT, head to FantasySuperdraft.com and for more on Nathan and his fantasy football consulting services, check out TheFantasyConsultant.com and the site’s Twitter Page.

The Scores Report: Hi, this is Anthony.

Nathan Zegura: Hey Anthony, this is Nathan Zegura calling in.

TSR: Hey Nathan, how are you today, man?

NZ: I’m doing great – how are you doing?

TSR: I’m doing well. I’m just reading over this Fantasy Football SUPERDRAFT deal and I’m blown away. I’m trying to figure out a way I can go!

NZ: You gotta go! All you have to do is go to FantasySuperDraft.com, baby!

TSR: (Laughs)

NZ: It’s awesome – I went last year actually. It was cool, I was one of the experts that were asked to be on-site last year and it’s an awesome event. It’s a great time, great parties and, in addition to being able to do your draft and have all your boys there, you also get to do things in Vegas that you wouldn’t otherwise do for a grand total of $125 over the course of three days.

TSR: (Laughs) Sure.

NZ: I actually became pretty good friends with Eric Simon, who is the guy that started SUPERDRAFT. It was kind of his brainchild and it’s been very neat to see it grow and see it get to where it is this year. It’s going to be awesome with Snoop, Stacy Keibler (photo left)…they’re having a model search there – it’s going to be crazy. I can’t even wait until the end of August – I’m fired up.

TSR: Like I said, I was reading over this and my eye caught that Snoop and, well, my eye caught that Stacy Keibler was going to be there actually, but it’s amazing the entertainers that you guys got to come out this year. And it’s all centered around fantasy football, which has grown into this unbelievable vehicle now for entertainment.

NZ: Totally. Eric’s vision for SUPERDRAFT is to bring entertainment and sports together in the perfect place, which is Las Vegas. Ashton Kutcher is actually my partner and he owns half of my website, TheFantasyConsultant.com. I was able to bring Ashton and Eric together on the SUPERDRAFT idea, so we’re going to do a live broadcast of our show, which is “Fantasy Football Live” in addition to the various parties that are going to be there. And then obviously Snoop, who I personally as a kid who grew up in California, am very excited about.

TSR: Why don’t you walk our readers through the process of actually getting to Vegas for the SUPERDRAFT.

NZ: Sure. All they have to do is go to www.fantasysuperdraft.com, they sign up there and that enables them to get their Fantasy SUPERDRAFT package. That’s $125, which gets you access to the Stacy Keibler-hosted party on Friday night, there will be another party on Saturday night with some celebrities, it gets you into the tailgate concert with Snoop, and gets you into the SUPERDRAFT Ultimate Draft Room, which is basically a huge convention center with wi-fi. Last year they also had an oxygen bar, massages, memorabilia that you could bid on, an area where you could kick field goals – all very cool stuff. There’s a pool party at the Palms on Sunday, then obviously you get access to watch our show, “Fantasy Football Live” and Ashton’s league is going to do their draft from SUPERDRAFT. In that league are Eric Dane, Danny Masterson and Cameron Diaz, although I don’t know for sure if she’s going to be there. But the rest should be there and they’re going to do their draft. You get a great deal at the Palms too, where you get a $99 room rate.

TSR: Wow – that’s incredible.

NZ: Yeah, so really all you have to do is get yourself out there, get your hotel room, and then $125 gets you all the events that are associated with SUPERDRAFT.

TSR: You know what this kind of sounds like? A fantasy football draft and bachelor party all rolled into one.

NZ: Yeah, they had the SUPERDRAFT cheerleaders last year, who were some beautiful girls and who would also be in the draft rooms walking around making sure everyone is having a good time. They would either be in jerseys or had their official SUPERDRAFT outfits on and this year, they’re actually starting a model search for the woman who will become the face of SUPERDRAFT 2010-11. That’s going to kick off the SUPERDRAFT weekend with a casting call at the Palms Hotel. So football, beautiful women – it really is the ideal Vegas weekend. I wish this existed when I was in college or right out of college! This would be a no-brainer, like, listen guys, let’s hope on a plane, let’s go to Vegas and let’s do it up.

TSR: Oh, no kidding. Especially, like you said, for $125? That’s nothing for all that entertainment in Vegas for a weekend. I have to go up to Michigan for my buddy’s wedding this weekend and the room up there is $99 – and that isn’t the Palms!

NZ: Yeah, they did a really nice job – last year was top notch. Each night we were at one of the top clubs in Vegas last year and they had Flo Rida and George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. It’s going to be an out-of-control time, especially with Snoop there. I don’t think it gets much bigger than Snoop.

TSR: You can try if you’d like, but I’m with you – Snoop can’t be touched. So, I have to ask you, how did you become a fantasy consultant? You actually get paid to give people fantasy advice – talk about most guy’s wet dream.

NZ: (Laughs)

TSR: How did you get involved in this job and how did it evolve into an actual career? Talk about that process for me.

NZ: Sure, so right out of school I worked for McKinsey and Company, which is a big, strategic national consulting firm. I definitely liked it, but it wasn’t really the lifestyle I was looking for. You’re working 120 hours a week, you’re traveling four days out of the week…I got married and I was looking for something that wouldn’t take me out of town all the time. Obviously I was an avid fantasy football fan and an avid fantasy football player, so my wife says to me one day, listen, if you’re going to spend all this time on this, then you’ve got to make some money doing it. So I was sitting in the basement one night with my wife and my buddy, who said to me, you always win our leagues and people are always asking you for advice – you should charge people for it. You should start one of those fantasy football advice websites. And so, that’s exactly what I did. I started it in the Cleveland area and I got lucky because I knew somebody who was on the local sports talk radio station, so I started off as a call-in guest on the afternoon drive shows once a week. Literally after two weeks, every time they announced that I would be coming on the phone lines would be flooded. So they gave me my own show, then somebody at CBS in Cleveland heard me on that show, which turned into me doing a spot on a CBS affiliate in Cleveland. Then last year…Ashton Kutcher had always been a subscriber to my site. When I started the site, the maid of honor in my wedding was actually Ashton’s personal assistant at that time. He’s a big fantasy football player, so he got onto the site. Him and I always had this good e-mail relationship and last year when I was out at SUPERDRAFT, I said listen, I’m in Vegas and I know you’re starting this “Fantasy Football Live” show. I’d love to do an episode with you and see what you think. I went out there, did that, and he said, you’re awesome, you have to be here every week. So last year I flew out to L.A. from Cleveland every Wednesday and then flew back every Thursday to do the “Fantasy Live Show” with Ashton.

TSR: Wow – very cool.

NZ: We got along very well, so his company “Katalyst” actually purchased half of my company in order to take it to the next level. I can do the football side well, but I need someone who could get me access to things I would otherwise not have access to and help on the marketing side of things. So we kind of formed this relationship, I actually hooked them up with Eric Simon for SUPERDRAFT and got a little partnership going there. And it’s just been awesome – it’s been great. So this year, I also have my own show on Sirius every Friday from 5-7PM ET on the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Channel, which is SIRIUS 211 XM147 – it’s called “Fantasy Consult Live.” This will be the fourth week for that. I’ve had NFL players past and present on like T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Jamal Anderson the “Dirty Bird,” and Ashton’s called in. Each week I have a couple of guests and take calls from people, which helps fantasy football players and also creates a vehicle to drive people to my site. I’ve had tremendous success. Last year, which is not a typical last year, I had over 90% of my clients make the playoffs and over 50% of them won their leagues. So people are very happy with the site and now I have the forum to take it to the next level. Eric has been so kind to include me in a much bigger role this year at SUPERDRAFT, which I’m going to kind of be the fantasy football host. Any needs that people have for fantasy football, I’m going to be kind of MC’ing everything throughout the football portions of the event. Although obviously I’ll be at all the fun stuff too because it would be ridiculous to go and not be a part of that! (Laughs)

TSR: (Laughs) Yeah, don’t work too much out there, Nathan – that would be a crime.

NZ: Yeah, so I’ll be in the draft room helping coordinate and doing some Q&A sessions. I’m also going to do my radio show live from Las Vegas that week, providing analysis on Ashton’s celebrity draft and on various other drafts, as well as just talking to people. There will be a lot of players there, athletes, celebrities, so I’ll be doing interviews and just generally getting people fired up about SUPERDRAFT.

TSR: Now, I cover the NFL for our site, so I know that once the season is over with, I still have the regular draft to look forward to and prepare for. But after free agency and the draft wrap up, I know that there is a ton of dead time before the season kicks off. As a fantasy consultant, what do you do during that dead time? Because I know I’m dying for football after a couple of months, but at least I can still write about other sports.

NZ: I’ll tell you what, I’m taking a deep breath and I’m sleeping.

TSR: (Laughs) I would imagine!

NZ: I literally work 24 hours a day for my clients. I have a level of service on my website that is called the “Super Premium,” which for $200 people get direct e-mail access to me, so I’m their co-GM. People who did that last year, 64% of them won their leagues. It’s a very intensive thing. I’ve limited it to only 200 people this year because it’s starting to get out of control. I’m the type of person who takes a lot of pride in their work and who wants to make sure that people get a tremendous return on their investment. I’ve had people win $40,000 or $50,000 and I’m there for them. The last thing I do before I go to bed is check my e-mail and make sure everyone is taken care of. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I check my e-mail and make sure those people are taken care of. So when it gets to the offseason, you know, I haven’t had an hour off let alone a weekend day off since June. (Laughs)

TSR: I can imagine.

NZ: But you know, it’s great. People play in the fantasy playoff leagues, so that goes on through the Super Bowl. Then you get a little bit of a break, but then free agency comes up and it changes everything. I’m a one man show – I take a lot of pride in my work. Every keystroke that you see on Fantasy Consult.com was entered by me, everything that you see on Fantasy Consult is a result of something that I’ve done. So yeah, I relax but there really isn’t any time off. And this year, I actually had the chance to go to the draft and interview Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Trent Williams, Eric Berry, Joe Haden, C.J. Spiller the “Running back Thrilla” right after they were drafted, which was a great experience for me. There’s no rest for the weary. I’m always trying to do research and find new angles to help people win their fantasy leagues because that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.

TSR: I can’t let you get off the phone without picking your brain a little bit on this upcoming fantasy year.

NZ: No problem.

TSR: It used to be that the first four or five picks were laid out for you every year. You’d go into your draft and you new that LT was going No. 1, then Shaun Alexander or whoever. But it’s not like that anymore, or at least it doesn’t seem that way. With that in mind, what does your top 5 look like and is it harder these days to find guarantees at the top of the draft?

NZ: You know, I think this year is an interesting season in terms of drafting. In my opinion, you’re going to want to be in the top 5 in your draft because after that, there’s a pretty significant falloff in talent – or at least at the running back position. I think this year is going to be interesting in that the days of [drafting running backs in the first two rounds] are dead. Quarterback is an incredibly deep position this year so instead of jumping on an Aaron Rodgers or a Drew Brees who are going to cost you a first or second round pick, you’re going to get better value with a guy like Tony Romo, Matt Schuab, Tom Brady, who you’re going to be able to get in the fifth round. But at the top of the draft, I like Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice because of his prowess as a receiver – he caught over 70 balls last year, which was tops among running backs – and Frank Gore. I think those are the only five guys at the end of the day where you can sit there and say, I’m thrilled that those guys are going to be the anchor of my team. Steven Jackson is right behind that list, but he doesn’t quite produce the touchdowns even though he has led the league with 120-plus total yards per game over the last four years. It’s just a little bit of a different situation. He’s a big back that usually misses some time.

TSR: Right.

NZ: What I really like about Gore is that the 49ers are an up-and-coming offense, where you have Michael Crabtree who is finally going to participate in training camp and a full season, Vernon Davis is emerging, Alex Smith is playing well and then they went out in the first round and added two offensive linemen. This is a team that loves to run the ball when they’re ahead and Mike Singletary would have it no other way. Frank Gore is a guy that catches over 40 balls every single year, so he’s a very consistent, very solid guy.

TSR: Absolutely.

NZ: But outside of those top five guys, there aren’t a lot of guarantees, which makes the end of the first round very interesting. You’re going to see wide receivers like Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, even Larry Fitzgerald, who to me, is much more of a question mark without Anquan Boldin and Kurt Warner than he was last year, being selected. Reggie Wayne had single digit fantasy points in I believe seven of his last nine games last year because the Colts spread the ball around. The sure things aren’t there this year, so what I’m recommending to people on my website is to get yourself a stud running back, get yourself a stud wide receiver and then get a good quarterback, you can also wait on a tight end, although I still like to nab one of those elite guys in the middle rounds, and then just load up on running backs and receivers. You’re going to get a lot of production from those guys late. Last year it was Cedric Benson, who was typically taken in the seventh round, who was productive. That’s where a lot of the running back points are coming from now. It’s the guys in the later rounds or maybe in the committees.

TSR: That’s typically how owners win, by having their studs stay healthy and produce, as well as finding a late, or later, round gem like Benson.

NZ: The guy I really like this year is Michael Bush. I think Michael Bush is somebody who this year is going to see a lot of carries. Last year when he had 14 or more carries in a game he gave you over 100 yards. Four times he’s had that in his career and he’s rushed for over 100 yards every single time. I think this year he’ll have 14 or more carries every week, although granted he won’t give you 100 yards every week, but he’s going to be very solid. But it’s definitely going to be interesting. Going through the expert league drafts this year, and I’ve done bunch of them, you really want to be at the beginning of the first round. It makes it a lot easier because the talent pool from spots six through let’s say 24 is pretty even. There’s not a huge discrepancy between, okay, am I going to jump on Shonn Greene here at No. 12, or am I going to wait and take Beanie Wells at No. 20? There’s not really that big discrepancy, so you don’t get that benefit. It used to be that there were enough good guys that if you were at the end of the first round, you could still get a stud at No. 12 and a stud at No. 13. That’s really not the case anymore. It’s making things more interesting and the strategy is much different, especially in the case of quarterbacks. And really, the lack of elite running backs.

TSR: One name I didn’t hear you mention is Michael Turner. Do you think he bounces back this year and where would you rank him if he’s not among your top 6 guys.

NZ: Yeah, I do think he bounces back this year. To me, he’s seventh right behind Steven Jackson. But to me, those top 5 guys are a little safer because they’re all dual-threat backs. Michael Turner will maybe catch 10 passes for you all season, so if you have a game in which he gets shut down, he’s not going to produce big numbers for you. But he’s still a stud. Last year in nine games he still averaged over 5.0 yards a carry and scored 10 touchdowns. So this is a guy who, to me, is still an elite running back but in this day and age, you need a running back that can catch the ball as well. You need that to put up the huge numbers or at least feel safe week in and week out. But I like Michael turner and think he’s going to be better than what people think.

TSR: I think people forget that he was admittedly out of shape when he arrived to camp last year. He came to Atlanta in tremendous shape in 2008, but then slacked off heading into ’09 and you saw it in his game early on. But right before his injury, he had a game against the Saints in New Orleans on Monday Night Football where he started to look like the Turner of ’08.

NZ: Absolutely. And the year before that he had 376 carries, that 370-carry mark usually leads to an injury the following year, which it did for him. But like I said, in nine games he had 831 yards, 10 touchdowns at five yards per carry. If he had done that for 16 games he would have had 1,477 yards and 18 touchdowns, which would have put him in the top 3 even with only 70 yards receiving. What I do like about him, even though he’s not a great receiver, is that he’s very consistent. He gives you 100 yards or a touchdown pretty much every week out. Last year was eight or nine games, the year before that he was very solid, so he’s very good. You know, Roddy White is also there, they’ve got Matt Ryan, Tony Gonzalez, Harry Douglas should be back – this is a good offense. I do think that the effectiveness that was displayed by Jason Snelling last year will probably cut a few carries for Turner, but still, he’s going to get enough touches to be effective. He’s also one of those guys that when they’re at the goal line, you know he’s going to get the ball. It’s not a situation where they’re going to send somebody else in, if they’re going to give a fullback dive, if the quarterback is going to sneak it like the Packers where as Aaron Rodgers had five touchdowns last year, so he’s very good but he isn’t one of those locks to me. However, Jamal Anderson, who I mentioned was on my show a couple weeks ago and who is friends with Michael Turner, says he’s in tremendous shape this year. Much quicker than he was last year. If you remember his first year in Atlanta, he broke a lot of those long runs, but last year he didn’t have the 60 or 70-yard touchdown runs. Jamal said this year Turner should get back to breaking some of those long runs.

TSR: You’ve been great, Nathan – thanks for joining us. One last question: Give me three sleepers this year. I know you mentioned Michael Bush so you can use him if you want, but give me two others.

NZ: At running back I’d say Michael Bush (photo right) – Michael Bush is fine for one. At wide receiver, Michael Floyd of the San Diego Chargers is a big-time sleeper. At quarterback I do like Alex Smith, but he’s not really a sleeper. Actually, let’s go with another running back – give me Justin Forsett of Seattle.

TSR: Nice – he’s a quick kid. I like the way he runs.

NZ: Very quick kid and you know, LenDale White is gone, Julius Jones is garbage and Leon Washington is coming off a broken leg. When I had Houshmandzadeh on my show, he said Forsett is the real deal and that he’s going to be very good.

TSR: Great stuff. Is there anything else you wanted to say about SUPERDRAFT?

NZ: If you play fantasy football and you have the ability to get to Vegas that weekend, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t go. It is that good of a time and it’s something that I’m legitimately sad just started last year. If I were still in my mid-20s and was able to run out to Vegas before I had two kids and was married. It would absolutely be on the calendar, booked for every year. It’s that much fun, you’re there with your boys, you get access to things you otherwise would not have access to and you’re in Vegas. They do such a great job of giving you awesome experiences and unique experiences, and it doesn’t break the bank.

TSR: It sounds awesome! Again Nathan, thanks for joining us today and I have a great time in Vegas.

NZ: Thank you, I really appreciate it! It was great to talk to you.

TSR: You too, take care!

Police have closed the Steven Jackson assault charge case due to lack of evidence.

From ESPN.com:

Investigators found insufficient evidence that Jackson, 26, attacked Supriya Harris of Mableton, Ga., in March 2009, Las Vegas police Officer Barbara Morgan said.

Harris, 29, filed a complaint Jan. 27 with authorities in LaPlace, La., alleging that the two-time Pro Bowl running back repeatedly pushed her to the ground and “flung” her against a door before his nephew intervened.

Copies of the report were posted online by CBS Sports and the celebrity Web site TMZ. In it, Harris said she was treated at a hospital for a cut on her hip from hitting a door handle.

Harris told police Jackson later urged her to say she was injured during a fall in the shower.

Jackson issued a statement Jan. 28 through one of his agents calling the accusations “untrue” and “hurtful.”

What’s sad about this situation is that Jackson’s reputation has been tarnished by these allegations, but even though he proved to be innocent those that criticized him will just move on. The moment these allegations came out, people were bashing him for not being a model citizen and a good father. I highly doubt any of those people will admit that they jumped to conclusions and made assumptions.

But hey, I guess that’s just the day and age we live in. Criticize first, don’t worry about being held accountable later.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
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