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Week 1 in the NFL what I have learned

Week 1 has come and gone. Some ups, but mostly downs as a Bears fan. So here is what I've learned that maybe I didn't know before:

1) The Bills o-line isn't as bad as I thought it was - This is sort of give and take because they were playing the Patriots and I felt so sure that the Patriots would, destroy them. The Bills would get, maybe a field goal... at best. This shows me 2 things. One, as long as Trent Edwards is healthy (which will not be the full season) the Bills stand a "fighting" chance to win some games. Two, the Patriots defense must clearly not be as good as it used to, I mean to allow such a poor offensive line to help put points on the board is a bad sign.

2) Carlson Palmer is rusty. I mean, really rusty. The Bengals played the Broncos. Let's face it, the Broncos are in turmoil. But the Bengals have 3 solid options at wide receiver: Chad Johnson, Laveranues Coles, and Chris Henry. So you would think that the Bengals passing attack would be pretty strong. Palmer was a pro bowl qb at one point or another, right? Okay, maybe not.

3) The Panthers might actually be in for a long season. Jake Delhomme reminded panthers fans of his playoff disaster by throwing 4 picks. Half of the problem is that the NFC East has fierce defenses. The other half must be that Jake Delhomme isn't the franchise qb that some people apparently seem to think he is.

4) The AFC West won't be completely dominated by the Chargers as I thought it would. Three games: Chiefs @ Ravens, Broncos @ Bengals, Chargers @ Raiders. The Ravens are supposed to have a top 5 defense. Letting the Chiefs... C-H-I-E-F-S almost beat you? That is embarassing. I see stats-wise they are in the top 5 in every defensive category except passing, in which they are 7th. That is nothing compared to the points allowed category where they are 21st. Yikes?! I am only defending the Ravens because I hate the Chiefs, but come on! The Bengals, who I already mentioned above, are middle of the pack in terms of yardage, both on offense and on defense. The Broncos have surprisinly similar stats, except rushing where they fall to 23rd. And then the Raiders. This clearly shows that the Chargers defense isn't as good as it should be, allowing the game to be as close as it was. Main cause: only 1 sack?! Hello, WTF?! I thought Larry English was supposed to be put in situations WITH Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips. That's GUARANTEED pressure. It's alright, it's only week 1. The Chargers pass rush can only get better with english getting more playing experience.

5) The NFC West may come down to the 49ers and the Seahawks. I thought the Cardinals would beat the 49ers due to more explosive capabilities on offense. Mike Singletary must be doing a really good job there. Well... except for that rushing attack. I knew the Seahawks would rebound from last year, but it looks like they might stand a competing chance against the Cardinals. Who was the leading receiver for the Cardinals? Hightower. That's right, NOT Larry Fitzgerald.

Posted by wetzler2254 on 2009-09-15 08:08:33 | Rating: