What a weird week. I don't think anyone would have guessed that the Steelers, Chiefs, and Bears would be undefeated and that the Colts and Saints would already have a loss. Are the Chiefs, Bears, and Steelers playoff bound? I don't know. In the case of the Steelers and Bears, maybe. But probably not the Chiefs. I think it's funny that the Chiefs are recreating Boston in the midwest with Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel.
I didn't have to time to post an update last week, so I apologize. Week three seems to be the week of the replacement players. A lot of starting QBs got benched; Kolb, Campbell, and a few others. Should be interesting going forward.
Bears
They actually look good. Mike Martz was a huge upgrade. He knows how to game plan and he makes adjustments at halftime. Not a single week has he used the same game plan. Against Detroit, with their ferocious pass rush, he slowed them down with screen plays. Against Dallas they passed against the corners and attacked the middle. Against the Packers, they couldn't run, nor pass, so they depended on penalties. (just kidding) The passing game stepped it up and the defense played a huge role. Not to mention Hester. Cutler looks more mature and refined than in his Denver days. He is slowly growing up. His decision making is much improved. Although, there were a lot of dropped interceptions. I think the Bears can go far this year if they keep playing this well on defense, allow the offense to gel, and catch a few breaks. They've already taken out Green Bay, their main foe. And Minnesota looks like they are self-destructing. (which I love)
Saints
Last year, I ranted and raved about how special the Saints were. My posts very early in the year were all about the Saints, Linnehan and how we have something very special evolving in front of our own eyes that could go down in history as extremely amazing. And it sure turned out to be. Linnehan was trying to do something special since he arrived in 2006, but not everything was in place. They had the offensive pieces in place and his system was working well, but the defense lagged behind. I think they are still very special and you should watch them on TV any time you get a chance. They are still doing something the NFL hasn't done before.
Broncos
The Broncos are also doing something very special right now. Never in the history of the NFL has a team had 4 wide receivers have 140+ yards receiving, 1+ touchdowns receiving, and 10+ receptions through the first three games. Denver has that. No one has passed for more yards than Denver. They haven't been able to convert all this passing prowess and redzone possessions into points yet, but that will come as the offense gels. I view them as the Saints of 2006 and 2007. Last year, Josh McDaniels installed his Spread Offense in Denver, and not everyone understood it, or knew what was going on. Even the QB didn't fully comprehend it. They started out 6-0 but ended up 8-8. Injuries piled up, and they didn't have depth. Think of them as the 200-2007 Saints with a very special offense, questionable defense, and no depth. Injuries derailed the Saints those years.
This is year 2 of McDaniels offense. Orton understands the scheme and is implementing it superbly. He hasn't made any mistakes on offense. Josh McDaniels philosophy is that on every single play there is going to be an open wide receiver, the quarterback's job is to get the ball to that guy and then see what happens. There is a lot of hot reads and audibling and that is new this year. They didn't give the players that much freedom last year. Further, no one is selfish. On any given play, anyone can get the ball. Depending on what the defense does. McDaniels has said that, "99 times out of 100 or 100 times out of 100 times, Orton puts us in the right play and gets the ball to the right guy." That is high praise from a guy who knows a thing or two about offense. What also helps is that Orton is actually fully healthy. No more ankle injuries. Last year he had to bum ankles and a broken hand. No more.
Can they go all the way?
The Broncos have the pieces in place this year to make a formidable run this year. They aren't the 2006 Saints with no depth and no defense. They upgraded every single position grouping and added depth. Last year's collapse after starting 6-0 was due to injury and lack of decent depth. That won't happen this year. The defensive line has held Addai, Jones-Drew, and Seattle's running backs to minimal gains. The secondary is the cream of the cream of the NFL with two future hall of famers in Dawkins and Champ. Our secondary finished 3rd last year in pass defense. We've added depth and talent. It was fun watching Denver force Indianapolis into three and out after three and out. That was beautiful. We haven't been able to stop them in the past. Although, last year we came close. We shut down Wayne and Clark, and Addai. Not bad. Then Manning realized that we had a rookie corner on the other side and started picking on him. Perish Cox played well, but Manning did what he does and found ways to bait and move Cox. So Collie and White had career days. Even with all of that, Denver had 5 trips to the redzone and came away with no points. The game was a lot closer than what the scoreboard said. I hate losing, but if we can play that well against the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.... I'll take it!
The starting offensive line hasn't even played together yet. With that said, we held Freeney and Mathis in check. They didn't do anything and Orton had all day to throw. Once the offensive line is fully intact, we will be even better. We have 3 guys starting on the O line that never played in the NFL before, and they have been outstanding. Can't wait to see what happens as the year progresses.
What about the run game? I don't care for it. We are a pass first, pass all the time team. The only reason to run is to grind out a win in the fourth quarter with four minutes remaining and you have a 20 point lead. No need to run otherwise. So I am not worried about it?
The Broncos can realistically win their division if San Diego continues to falter. They do seem to pick up speed later on in the year, but I hope they don't. I think KC may pose some challenges because they are playing really well right now, but I don't think it will last. They have no passing attack and seem to be relying on run plays and gimmick plays to win games. That's not going to win you many games. Cassell needs to stop sucking. The Raiders are the Raiders. I like that Bruce Gradkowski now starts for them. He played for my alma mater, Toledo. He broke a lot of NCAA records for pass completion percentage and accuracy, and he is a smart, hard-working kid. Glad he is there, but they aren't serious contenders. They always play Denver well, but I don't see them winning more than 5-6 games.
Colts
Peyton Manning is amazing right now! He is playing at an extremely high level. Better than I have ever seen him play before. Denver had an awesome game plan to defend him, and it worked for a while. But he found a way around it. The only thing they are lacking is a strong defense. But they are still good. When it's all said an done, Manning will likely be the best "quarterback" to have ever played the game. From a pure passing and mental aspect. He may not have the physical talent that Elway had, nor the number of rings that Montana had... but he is this generation's Marino. Racking up yards and breaking every record. If he can get a few more Super Bowl appearances or victories, he'd definitely be the best ever, no matter how you measure it. It's going to be fun to watch. I think the Colts are the best team over all in the NFL right now.
Subscribe