Week 2 Thoughts

Week two, the week where we realize how badly we overreacted to week one.

• The Chiefs season is over. They were already hanging on by a thread, but no Jamaal Charles means they're officially in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. I do feel bad for them since I love Matt Cassel, but it's looking like he's not the long term answer at QB.
• Does anyone else remember how a certain contingent of Pats fans wanted to trade Brady and keep Cassel because he could actually run? I wish I took names... 
• The Lions, on the other hand, are looking like the real deal. Good teams blow out bad teams, and that's what they did. 
• I'm now considering starting Matthew Stafford over everyone except Brady/Brees in my fantasy leagues. He's en fuego. 
• The Raiders Bills game was one of the most exciting games I've ever followed through game breaks. E ven more shocking is that a west coast team travelling east playing at 1:00 showed up. I can't remember the last time that happened. 
• I almost wish the Bills were in another division. Their fans are tortured, and while they're having a good year, they're not passing the Pats or Jets. 
• With how well the Bills are playing and with Miami playing decently, the AFC East is probably the 2nd best division in the NFL. Very close to the NFC South. 
• Wait, my idiotic, no reasoning/logic pick to make the playoffs beat a contender? Wow. 
• It's insanely easy to root for Matt Hasselbeck. He's one of the funniest guys in the NFL, and a Boston guy. 
• I'm just gonna blame the Ravens' performance on Steelers-domination hangover. Another performance like that though and I'll be questioning their contender status. 
• "Luke McCown gives us the best chance to win." - Jack Del Rio. They should fire him just for making that statement. I get towing the company line, but at least rephrase it as something like "We're moving in a different direction and David doesn't fit into our plans anymore." 
• The Jets, like the Lions, dominated a bad team as good teams should. 
• The Browns just took the first step of a team stepping out of the cellar. Beating a perennial playoff team on the road, no matter how hurt they are, is an important step of becoming a legitimate team. 
• If the Colts get the first pick in the draft, which they are in the running for, I think we'll see the first Ricky Williams-style trade in a while. You don't get rid of one of the best QB's of all time for a rookie, no matter how much of a sure thing he is. That'll also give the Colts enough picks to retool and add depth. 
• The thing that shocked me the most about the Cardinals is that Beanie Wells actually ran well. 
• The Skins also took a huge step out of being a cellar-dweller. They won when Rex Grossman wasn't perfect, which will probably happen often this year. Especially since they were playing core special teamers as top corners. 
• I thought the Bucs were taking a huge step back when I saw the first half score, but Josh Freeman once again engineered a huge comeback. They're a legit team and will push for the playoffs. 
• Your 2011 Minnesota Vikings!
• Christian Ponder will not be red-shirting this season; if they keep playing to this level, the fans will be screaming for him in a couple weeks. 
• I knew the Panthers were underrated coming into this season, but wow. I didn't think there was a sliver of a chance that they'd legitimately compete with the Packers, but Sunday was a moral victory. With how bad they've had it, I'm sure Panthers fans didn't mind the sports equivalent of kissing their cousins.
• Cam Newton is shocking me. I didn't think he was worth the risk because of how little history he had, but I'm eating my words. He's making smart audible calls at the line and not looking very green. 
• Losing Nick Collins is a huge blow for the Pack. He's a great free safety that makes plays all the time. They've gotten over injuries before though, and I'm sure the next guy is ready to step up. 
• The Bears are who I thought they were. They had a great week one win over the Falcons, but they couldn't stand up to the proven big boys. 
• The Saints played as they should. 
• Tarvaris Jackson! Hit that Vikings link again. 
• Steelers dominated a bad team, woo. 
• The Niners also shocked me. They looked like crap against an awful Seahawks team and barely eek'd out a win, and then they come back and challenge a team with legitimate talent. They might be this year's Jekyll & Hyde team. 
• Much props to Tony Romo for going back in the game with a cracked rib. He knew there was no coming back from a loss to the Niners so he did what he had to do and fought through the pain. 
• The Chargers always find a way to beat themselves. Even though the Pats played great, the Chargers could have won the game. Turnovers are lethal. 
• Philip Rivers to Vincent Jackson is one of the scariest and most lethal QB-WR tandems in the NFL. Rivers will just toss a ball up there and Jackson will get it, no matter how good the coverage is. 
• In case you didn't see it, RUN VINCE RUN! I wonder if a player's ever pulled back just because seeing a 325 lb lineman run back a TD is the funniest thing ever. 
• Brady continues to be sublime. I don't know what he did this offseason, but it's working. 
• The defense worries me. It played well enough to get us the win, but I never felt comfortable when San Diego was moving the ball. 
• I didn't see anything from this game, but it sure sounds like Andy Dalton's starting to develop into a legitimate QB. 
• Willis McGahee, please steal the starting job from Knowshon. Sincerely, my fantasy teams. 
• Chad Henne followed up a great performance with an awful one. Completing 40% of your passes isn't going to get it done in the NFL. 
• I really hope Ben Tate steals the starting job from Arian Foster. Yet another reason why I don't pick one year wonders early in fantasy leagues. 
• Anyone remember how I said the Eagles not having linebackers is something you can't ignore? Yeah, Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez loved that. 
• Strip-sacks happen when your offensive line isn't up to snuff. Concussions too. 
• For some reason, the Falcons didn't make me feel like they're a legitimate contender. They were able to hang around the entire game, but I never felt like they had it in them to just take over for a quarter. 
• Shame on Cadillac Williams for not falling on the ball on the lateral. I never played organized football and even I knew you have to cover that up. Shame on the rest of the team minus Bradford and Saffold for not running and trying to make the tackle. I'm sure Spagnuolo is going to be laying into them all week for that.