By David Hollinshead

eek one in the NFL wasn’t only
kicked off with a bang with the
Packers beating the Saints, but

the rest of the weekend continued to have
offences put up ridiculous numbers as
defences seemed to be impotent against the

passing attack. To be a successful defence, ~

it’s now a necessity to have three comers
that can rotate in a starting role because
receivers are getting more talented and
passing schemes are getting more difficult
to cover. The Philadelphia Eagles took that
to heart this offseason as they now have
three all-pro CBs. They had a good start
playing against the St. Louis Rams winning
31-13. The Eagles though should be worried
about their run defence as the Rams had a
more successful time on the ground than in
the air with the Eagles weak LB corps. Ina
QB driven league though, they must assume
to outscore the other team until they’re
forced to pass. I’ve listened to several other
analysts say that there is no such thing as a
“dominant” defence in the NFL anymore,
and I have to believe them; The Pittsburgh
Steelers, who were once known for their
defence, couldn’t stop the Baltimore Ravens

with a defence that looked dominant as they
forced seven turnovers (including three
interceptions as Baltimore took it 35-7). As
for weak defences, the Kansas City Chiefs
defence that’s being modeled after the New
England Patriots championship winning
defence looked terrible as B-level QB Ryan
Fitzpatrick threw for four touchdowns and
RB Fred Jackson ran for 112 yards, leading
the Buffalo Bills to a commanding 41-7
win. Rookie QB Cam Newton set a record
for the best rookie passing performance
despite his Caroline Panthers losing to the
Arizona Cardinals 28-21. Newton went 24
for 37 with a whopping 422 yards and two
touchdowns in the loss. In a game with no
defence at all, the New England Patriots
beat the Miami Dolphins 38-24. The game
saw passing attacks that we’ve never seen
before with two Michigan QBs putting up
nearly 1,000 yards on their own. Miami’s
Chad Henne had the best game of his career
throwing for 416 yards, and reigning MVP
Tom Brady of the Patriots throwing for
an absolutely ridiculous 517 yards and 4
touchdowns.

The Atlanta Falcons had a tough time
in Chicago against the Bears. Falcons QB
Matt Ryan threw for 319 yards but the

ootbaliifever

/FiStakes}flight:, Weekcone review

Falcons were unable to amass a single
touchdown. Chicago QB threw for 312
yards and two touchdowns with the help
of Chicago’s defence who turned the ball
over three times. The San Diego Chargers
defence shut down Minnesota Vikings
QB Donovan McNabb who hasn’t seen
extensive action in two years and he only
threw for 34 yards. San Diego took the
game 24-17.

In other scores around the NFL; no
Manning, no chance for the Indianapolis
Colts who took on the Houston Texans.
With Peyton Manning being out for what
could be the entire season, his replacement
Kerry Collins did not fare anywhere
near as well as Peyton would have, as
he went 16 for 31 with 197 yards and a
touchdown. That said, The Colts defence
was an embarrassment. Texans QB Matt
Schaub went 17 for 24 with 220 yards and
a touchdown while second year RB Ben
Tate had the best game of his career with 24
carries for 116 yards. The Texans won 34
to 7. The Colts inability to stop the run will
be tested next week against Peyton Hillis
and the Browns. The Browns had just lost
to The Cincinatti Bengals who picked up
what will probably be a rare win as backup

 

QB Bruce Gradkowski led them to a late
27-17 victory. The Tennesee Titans new
coaching staff had a tough start as they
made Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio

look great for cutting his starting QB Dave
Gerrard a week before the regular season
as Jacksonville took the game 16-14. The
Detriot Lions were able to speak a win out
from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-20. The
San Fransisco 49ers won their first game of
the year and took their first step to winning
a division title, beating the watered down
Seattle Seahawks 33-17. The New York
Giants took on the Washington Redskins in
a game everyone thought the Giants would
take. Apparently QB Eli Manning isn’t as
great as he thinks he is as he barely threw
over 50% for a decent 268 yards. Redskins
QB Rex Grossman made his coaches look
good by returning to his old Super Bowl
form, throwing for 305 yards and two
touchdowns in a 28-14 win. The New York
Jets also had a tough time against the Dallas
Cowboys but would eventually come out
on top with 27-24. And finally, Despite QB
Kyle Orton throwing for 306 yards, the

‘Oakland Raiders beat the Denver Broncos

23-20.

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