Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1478 of 1503)

With the first week of the NFL season coming to a conclusion with the Chargers 27-0 thumping of the Raiders last night, I give you my NFL Players of the Week:

For the record, the players of the week could have put up large numbers in their respective games, but what I’m really looking for are the guys that seemed to go above and beyond helping their squad win.

So stat guy, take your numbers and go sit in the corner – we’ll call you when we need you.

AFC Offensive Player of the Week: Chad Pennington, QB NY Jets
Chances are pretty good that I won’t be mentioning Pennington or another NY Jet here a lot during the season, so let me give credit where it’s due. This is a guy who is coming off of two shoulder surgeries within an eight-month span and he goes on to throw for 319 yards and two touchdowns against a very underrated Tennessee defense (remember, it’s the Titans offense that is atrocious). Pennington hooked up with receiver Laveranues Coles eight times for 153 yards and finished with a QB rating of 123.2, which (where is my stat guy?) was the best QB rating in week one. The result: A 23-16 victory and a 1-0 start for the Jets.

AFC Defensive Player of the Week: Justin Smith, DE Cincinnati Bengals
With all due respect to San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman, who absolutely obliterated the Oakland Raiders last night, Smith was a force to deal with all Sunday afternoon in Kansas City. He finished with three sacks, five tackles and a forced fumble (which re-covered himself) in the Bengals 23-10 victory over the Chiefs. Much like Pennington, a lot of people feel that Smith has something to prove this year. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2001 draft, but really has yet to deliver on the promise he flashed as a rookie. If Smith can give the Bengals this type of effort all season, Cincinnati’s defense probably won’t have to lead the league in interceptions again just to get themselves off the field.

NFC Offensive Player of the Week: Donte’ Stallworth, WR Philadelphia Eagles
Boy did the Eagles need a guy like this. Donovan McNabb only needed eight passes to hook up with Stallworth for a 42 yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of Philly’s 24-10 win over the Texans. Stallworth finished with six receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown and for a moment, he made everybody in Philadelphia forget about the man whose name we do not speak of. His production might not last for an entire season, but for one week Stallworth was dominant and showed why he was a former number one selection. Mark Simoneau and a forth-round pick for this guy? Sorry New Orleans, that was a stretch.

NFC Defensive Player of the Week: John Abraham, DE Atlanta Falcons
Abraham must have attended a real estate seminar before his game against the Panthers, because he took up land in Carolina’s backfield all day long. Even without fellow Pro Bowler Patrick Kerney on the other side for most of the afternoon, Abraham was a one-man wrecking crew in the Falcons 20-6 victory. He finished with two sacks, two forced fumbles, five tackles and made Jake Delhomme carry on a five minute tirade on the sidelines in the third quarter because he had no time to throw. Although he suffered a groin injury on the final defensive series of the game, Abraham is going to be a force to deal with for left tackles all season.

Stat guy wants me to list these guys too:

Offense
Kurt Warner, QB Cardinals – 23/37, 301 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, 114.8 QB rating
Donovan McNabb, QB Eagles – 24/35, 314 yards, 3 TDs, 1INT, 113.3 QB rating
LaDainian Tomlinson, RB Chargers – 31 carries for 131 yards, 4.2 AVG, 1 TD
Warrick Dunn, RB Falcons – 29 carries for 132 yards, 4.6 AVG
Laveranues Coles, WR NY Jets – Eight receptions for 153 yards
Larry Fitzgerald, WR Cardinals – Nine receptions for 133 yards

Defense
Shawne Merriman, LB Chargers – Three sacks, six tackles
Brian Young, DE Saints – Three sacks, four tackles
DeMeco Ryans, LB Texans – 12 tackles
London Fletcher, LB Bills – Nine tackles, one fumble recovery for a TD
Keith Bullock, LB Titans – Nine tackles, one forced fumble
Andre Dyson, CB Jets – Two interceptions, five tackles

Here are some random thoughts on that 19-16 barnburner that Minnesota and Washington put on this evening:

– T.J. Duckett: zero carries for zero yards and one first round pick given up by the Redskins to acquire him. Hmmm…

– Will Sean Taylor ever get it? He’s a hell of a player and he laid the wood on several people tonight, but he is as much of a risk to help lose a game for the Redskins, as he is apt to win one for them.

– Speaking of laying a crushing blow on somebody – the block that Carlos Rogers made on an Antwaan Randle El punt return in the first half was absolutely teeth rattling.

– Someone please tell Brad “elbow pads” Johnson to relax on touchdown celebrations before he hurts himself or somebody around him.

– Now that I just ripped him, as long as he stays healthy, Johnson is the perfect quarterback for Brad Childress’s offense. He made great decisions with the ball all night and if Troy Williamson didn’t drop two passes right in the breadbasket, Johnson’s stats would have looked even better.

– Minnesota’s offense will scare absolutely nobody this season, but that’s exactly why it should sneak up on teams this year. They just lull you to sleep and before you know it you’ve given up 300+ yards.

– This is just a theory, but I really think Washington’s defense is going to have a tough time going against teams that run the West Coast Offense. Vertical passing offenses and teams that rely solely on the run are probably going to fall victim to the Skins’ D. But a methodical offense like the Vikings run (Eagles too), can eventually wear this squad thin.

That’s just an observation from the preseason and tonight, but it will be something to keep an eye on.

– How bored did Katie Holmes look in the owner’s booth tonight?

– Seriously, I don’t care why he was in the booth, but if I was a Redskin fan and I saw Tom Cruise sitting next to Dan Snyder – I’d be petitioning right now to make sure Cruise and his band of freaks aren’t setting up a scientology booth outside of FedEx Stadium as we speak.

– I still don’t know what Tony Kornheiser brings to the announcers booth, but (and call me crazy) I like Mike Tirico as a play-by-play guy.

With just a nine-point offensive showing against the Lions yesterday and Darrell Jackson battling with chronic knee problems, the Seahawks traded a first overall pick in 2007 for former Patriots wide out Deion Branch.

The Seahawks, along with the New York Jets, had fashioned a contract agreement with Branch before the season, agreeing to a six-year, $39 million deal that would have paid him $13 million in combined bonuses and about $23 million in the first three years of the contract. Neither team, however, could satisfy the demands of the Patriots, who were seeking first- and middle-round choices as compensation at the time, and the deadline set by New England passed without a trade.

This was a deal that both teams had to make in my opinion.

Jackson has some durability issues for Seattle, but if he can get healthy, the Seahawks have a deep rotation at receiver. Even though Branch took some heat from the media for holding out, he is a strong locker room guy and a Super Bowl MVP. Seattle also has a solid possession receiver in Bobby Engram and acquired Nate Burleson in the offseason from Minnesota.

The Patriots have been known to let free agents in demand of a new contract walk because they seem to consistently get players who overachieve for less money. New England does a nice job of turning draft picks into starters and since the Patriots weren’t going to fork over a lot of money for Branch anyway, why not get a No. 1 pick? They were never going to get a first and middle-round pick for Branch.

Do yourself a favor and go to FOX Sports’ “Funhouse” page.

Click on the video feature in the top right corner with Frank Caliendo made up to look like James Brown. After a quick ad, the link will take you to a video clip of Joe Buck prefacing Calindeno’s predictions for four NFL games.

After hailing Caliendo’s 65% pick rate last year – including 8-1 in playoffs mind you –
Calindeno goes on to give out these beauties:

Denver over St. Louis
Tampa Bay over Baltimore
Carolina over Atlanta

Here’s the kicker though: Cincinnati over Kansas City was his “upset special”.

Upset special? Freaking Cincinnati over Kansas City is an “upset special”? That’s like having the Jets over the Titans in your upset special or Steelers over Dolphins, because hey, the line was even.

I like Caliendo’s impressions, but come on hoss, you got to do better than 1-4. Plus your upset special is a team that won its division last year over a squad who hasn’t figured out its defense and whose offensive line is in turmoil?

Wow Frank, way to go out on a limb.