Every fan of every team does it to some degree after Week 1. Overreact, that is. Either their favorite team won big in their first game and is now a sure bet to reach the Super Bowl, or they lost and are the worst team in the NFL.

It’s fun to overreact and, better yet, it’s part of being a fan. When your favorite team is projected to go 2-14 and finish dead last in their respective division, it’s fun to play the “that idiot at the Scores Report has no idea what he’s talking about� card after winning Week 1. And when your team is on the losing end of a big upset, it’s almost therapeutic to go overboard in shredding them to pieces.

Below are 15 overreactions from the first week in the NFL. Some of these overreactions might prove to be true by the end of the season, while some might not even hold water after Week 2. They’re also premature, over the top, and in some cases ridiculous. But I guarantee that some football fans are thinking these exact thoughts a day after their team’s first game.

1. Without Tom Brady, the New England Patriots won’t even make the playoffs. Teams will use Matt Cassel’s inexperience against him and the Pats will unravel with a below average secondary.

2. Now that Tom Brady is likely done for the season, the Jets will win the AFC East. Brett Favre has made New York a legitimate playoff contender and Thomas Jones will have a bounce back season running behind an improved offensive line. And one of the big things that has hampered the team in the past, the run defense, has obviously been fixed after shutting down Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown on Sunday.

3. Last year was just a hiccup – the Saints are Super Bowl contenders again. Drew Brees torched a good Tampa defense on Sunday for 343 yards and Reggie Bush is almost unstoppable coming out of the backfield in the passing game. What defense is going to stop New Orleans’ offense?

4. The key to Jacksonville’s success on offense is balance and without the threat of a running game, David Garrard falters. More teams will stack the box like Tennessee did Sunday in efforts to take away the run. Once that happens, the Jags will be exposed offensively and will continue to struggle against better defensive teams. They’re still obviously a playoff contender, but people need to relax on all the Super Bowl talk.

5. The 2007 Cleveland Browns were a fluke. The defensive upgrades the Browns made this offseason won’t have much of an impact and coordinators will figure out ways to hold Cleveland’s offense in check like Dallas did Sunday.

Rotoworld.com is reporting that the New England Patriots have placed quarterback Tom Brady on injured reserve, effectively ending his season.

Patriots placed QB Tom Brady on injured reserve, ending his season.
The team is unlikely to reveal the injury’s exact extent, but the NFL Network’s Adam Schefter reported that Brady’s MCL may have been torn in addition to his ACL. It’s unclear when he’ll have surgery. Randy Moss is locked up through 2010 and Wes Welker is under control through 2011, so Brady could remain a top-five fantasy QB in 2009 barring setbacks. But he’s unlikely to return to the top of the heap coming off this devastating injury.

This injury opens the door for the Jets and Bills in the AFC East, as well as the rest of the NFL and hey, Matt Cassel, too. An injury to Drew Bledsoe in 2001 opened the door for Brady to become a multiple Super Bowl winner. I’m not saying the same thing will happen this year, but it could. Cassel was efficient in the Pats’ 17-10 win over the Chiefs on Sunday and certainly has enough weapons around him to succeed. Maybe New England has another diamond in the rough, although you obviously don’t replace a Tom Brady and assume everything will run smoothly.