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Take Five - What we learned from Week 2 of the NFL season
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Sorry for the lateness of this roundup, but had to get ready for vacation coming via the Celebrity Infinity starting on Saturday for a week; I am taking a laptop, but Wi-Fi at sea is spotty at best. This last week gave us alot to consider as the season starts really ramping up.
5) Rookie WR's, as usual, are getting the early attention
Some positions are easier to master at the NFL level than others, with WR and RB usually being the quickest to shine. So far this season, the rookie crop of WR's have made their presence felt, with Garrett Wilson and Drake London leading their teams so far. Garrett Wilson would have even better numbers if he had a QB who was better at delivering him the ball (looking at you Joe Flacco), and while the Falcon offense seems to have forgotten last season's shiny toy in Kyle Pitts, you would have to think Arthur Smith will find ways to both of these guys the ball. While the tackles aren't posting the PFF ratings so far, remember football is a marathon and not a sprint.
4) Planets are starting to realign just a bit
Hopefully the Vikings fans who made reservations in Arizona for February did so with a refundable deposit, as the Vikings suddenly looked human. The Green Bay Packers got back to taking the lunch money from the Bears, while the Cowboys decided to rally behind their backup QB and use their version of Lawrence Taylor to beat back the Bengals and keep the NFC East interesting. While some teams have to wonder if their pre-season hopes will be dashed before Veteran's Day (looking at you Vegas and Cincinnati), others are contented with the idea that it will continue to be the dogfight as anticipated.
3) Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles do not coach the same
The Bruce Arians era here in Tampa showed an ageless Tom Brady chucking the ball for 5000 yards, with a complimentary style defense that held teams just enough to win most weeks. Word on the street was - stop Tom Brady and you stop the Bucs. Todd Bowles brings a different style to both ends of the ball, as the defense has been the star the past two weeks, and Tom Brady is matching Baker Mayfield in the number of TD passes so far this season, while Playoff Lenny is on pace for better than 1500 yards rushing. Clearly, these stats are against two of the better defenses in the league, and Tom Brady is, well, Tom Brady, but it was enough of a change to allow the Bucs to get out of New Orleans with a victory....something neither Brady nor Arians managed to accomplish during the season in their tenures here.
2) Indy just may be in trouble
Remember Robert Irsay and how he couldn't wait to trade Carson Wentz for anyone with beans, magic or not? Remember how making the trade for Matt Ryan was going to make the Colts forget about Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck? Well, someone forgot to check under the hood regarding the lack of receiving talent for the Colts, or that there are a few dings in the fender that is the O-line. Matt Ryan actually threw for fewer TD's, more INT's and a lower passer rating than Carson Wentz did last season. Sure, Carson Wentz will be showing up for the mediocre QB poker game with Baker, Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins....I just don't think Matt Ryan will be invited at this point.
1) Buffalo is not just the Josh Allen show
I know there is a temptation for rookie QB's to be the bestest thing ever, but honestly...Ryan Tannehill can get a seat at the above poker game, and so far in his career, Malik Willis can't. Don't get me wrong....Willis will get his shot, and may very well excel at the pro level, but last week's performance by Tannehill had alot more to do with a ferocious Bills defense than it did with anything Tannehill did. Josh Allen is probably the top QB in the league right now, and Diggs is a top 5 WR, but the Bill defense, front to back, has got to be the top defense in the league as well. There will be a game where Josh Allen doesn't play well, but it entirely may not matter if this defense continues to play as they have. Enough love for the Bills!
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