season opener

The first week of the NFL has been is almost completed and I have a few comments. Let’s start with what I think is possibly the boneheaded move of the decade – dumping Peyton Manning for Andrew Luck. (I’m not saying that Andrew Luck is not going to be a great quarterback. He may be. I’m saying that we have seen “great” college prospects flame out time after time. These great college prospects sometimes don’t live up to expectations. Peyton Manning is not a prospect. He may be the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. He still has a couple good years left in him, in my opinion.) I’ll go ahead and admit that I did not understand why the Denver Broncos opened the game in a traditional offensive set. I also didn’t understand why they tried to establish the run. Anyway, by the middle of the second quarter they were playing Peyton Manning football. Peyton Manning was in the shotgun and it was beautiful to see, unless you are a Steelers fan. Peyton Manning began to slowly and methodically take the Pittsburgh Steelers apart. If there was any rust, I did not see it. On the other hand, Andrew Luck, rookie quarterback, anointed by some observers as a future Hall of Famer (Tom Waddle, on the NFL network, just yesterday labeled Andrew Luck as a “potential” future Hall of Famer – craziness), did not have a Hall of Fame debut against the Chicago Bears. He threw one touchdown and three interceptions. He had a passer rating of 52.9.

Jay Cutler, quarterback for the Chicago Bears, had one of those games that simply make you want to shake your head. He started off terribly. He began the play well as the game wore on. Robert Griffin, III, may be as good as advertised. He threw with accuracy. He ran well in the pocket (and outside of the pocket). Washington Redskins fans should be excited. Cam Newton was not spectacular in his season opener. Carolina fans might be scratching their heads. (more…)