The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-3 in the NFL...

1. Don't make a frantic call to the eye doctor, your vision isn't impaired. When you look at the AFC East standings, those are the Buffalo Bills in sole possession of 1st place. The NFL's version of the cardiac kids have now overcome 21-point and 18-point deficits the last 2-weeks. How have they done it? Running back Fred Jackson told me and Steve Torre on the Sunday Drive: "We had tremendous help from our crowd. They stayed in it. Anytime we can feed off the crowd like that, feed off each other, we'll make some plays."

2. Tom Brady's 4-interceptions Sunday equaled his total from all of last season when he was picked off 4-times in 492-pass attempts.

3. Quit whining Michael Vick. The broken right hand you suffered against the Giants had nothing to do with the officiating. Following Sunday's loss, Vick said: "Every time I throw the ball, I'm on the ground. And I don't understand why I don't get the 15-yard flags like everybody else does." The truth of the matter is Vick takes more hits than other quarterbacks, because of way he plays. He holds onto the ball until the last possible second, and does far more scrambling than every other QB in the NFL. Unless he wants to join a flag football league, Vick better get used to his weekly beatings.

4. The Eagles signed cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha for 60-million over 5-years this off season, but tackling apparently wasn't part of the deal. Asomugha totally whiffed on his attempt to bring down Giants receiver Victor Cruz, and instead ran into safety Kurt Coleman as Cruz raced 74-yards for a 1st quarter touchdown.

5. Along with Cruz, who finished with 3-receptions for 110-yards and 2-TD's, Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith also made an unexpected splash in his first career start. The rookie out of Maryland had gone without a catch in his first 2-games. Sunday, he had touchdown receptions of 74-yards, 41-yards and 18-yards...all in the 1st quarter.

6. Maybe it's time Brett Kern demands to be paid like a top playmaker. The Titans punter had as many rushing yards against the Broncos as Chris Johnson. Kern picked up a bad 2nd quarter snap and ran 21-yards for a 1st down. Johnson finished with 21-yards rushing on 13-carries.

7. I know it's an obscure movie reference, but watching Panthers/Jaguars in that monsoon had me thinking of the 1986 film The Best of Times. No sign of Kurt Russell as gimpy QB Reno Hightower, but nevertheless.

8. So let me get this straight...It's 4th and 1 at the Lions 17-yard line with just under 12-minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. The Vikings are up 20-17, decide to go for it, and give the ball to Toby Gerhart? No...I'm not kidding.

9. Maybe it's fitting the last time the Lions were 3-0, the number-1 song in the country was Upside Down by Diana Ross. In case you're wondering, that was 1980.

10. Minnesota blew its third straight double digit second half lead, but don't blame defensive end Jared Allen. I have the feeling Lions LT Jeff Backus will be having nightmares about Allen, who had 6-tackles and 3-sacks in the loss.

11. You want a week-3 to forget...I give you Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie. He was flagged 4-times for 46-yards, lost a fumble that led to a Raiders touchdown, and left the game with what's believed to be a bruised lung. With an assist from The Shirelles, "Mama said there'd be days like this."

12. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Kerry Collins. The Colts QB completed just 13 of 29-passes for 93-yards before being forced out of Sunday night's loss to the Steelers with a possible concussion.

13. Repeat after me Corey Peters...watch the ball! With Tampa Bay clinging to a 3-point lead late in the 4th quarter, and facing 4th and inches at the Atlanta 44, the Falcons defensive tackle jumped offside. The penalty sealed the victory for the Buccaneers, who put a stop to their 5-game losing streak against the Falcons.

14. That's some balanced offense you've got there Mike Martz. 3-games into the season, the Bears have attempted 127-passes and 51-runs.

15. It doesn't always look pretty, but from what I've seen Browns QB Colt McCoy is a winner. After spending most of the day struggling against the Dolphins, he connected on 9 of 13-passes for 75-yards including the go ahead 14-yard TD strike to Mohamed Massaquoi with 43-seconds remaining. You can stop looking Cleveland...you've found your quarterback.

The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-2 in the NFL...

1. They can both say otherwise, but beating the Eagles in Michael Vick's return to Atlanta had to have some special significance for Falcons QB Matt Ryan and owner Arthur Blank. Along those lines, I respect Dan Reeves, but can't buy his claim that, "When Mike really needed them, the Falcons turned their back on Vick." I look at it this way...Vick let the Falcons organization down...not the other way around.

2. For all the Michael Vick talk, the best Mike on the field Sunday night was Michael Turner. The Falcons don't win that game without his 114-yards rushing, and go-ahead 3-yard TD run with under 5-minutes remaining.

3. Anybody else get the feeling that this is just going to be one of those years for the Chiefs? In the span of 2-weeks, they've lost one of their best defensive players, safety Eric Berry, and one of their top offensive players, running back Jamaal Charles to injury. On top of that, they've dropped their first 2-games by a combined score of 89 to 10. Let me put it this way...Chiefs head coach Todd Haley has a better chance of winning a popularity contest than Kansas City does of making the playoffs.

4. It doesn't erase his history of late game flops, but let's be fair...that was a gutsy effort by Cowboys QB Tony Romo Sunday. After suffering a fractured rib, he hit on 12 of 16-passes for 201-yards and 2-TD's in the Cowboys 27-24 overtime victory against the 49ers. Had his name been Favre instead of Romo, it would have been considered a legendary performance.

5. Count Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings as impressed with the play of Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton. I spoke with Jennings on the Sunday Drive after Green Bay's 30-23 win in Carolina, and he used words like "special" and "he's going to be a good one" to describe the number-1 overall pick in the draft.

6. Bills cornerback Da'Norris Searcy's first ever NFL stat is one I'm sure he'll never forget. The 22-year old out of North Carolina hadn't recorded so much as a tackle yet, when he intercepted Jason Campbell's last second desperation pass in the end zone to seal Buffalo's 38-35 comeback victory over Oakland. And yes...referee Mike Carey got the call right.

7. Gut wrenching loss for the Raiders, but liked what I heard from 1st year head coach Hue Jackson afterwards. When asked if a short week, and cross country travel had left his team tired, he responded with a no excuses attitude, "This is the NFL...We pay guys to make plays!"

8. You can't throw a better pass than Saints QB Drew Brees did on that 79-yard TD strike to Devery Henderson. In my best Marisa Tomei from My Cousin Vinny, Brees was "dead on balls accurate."

9. Ok I admit it, the Colts are in serious trouble. Losing at Houston is one thing, but falling to the Browns in your own building is entirely another. I thought they'd be around 7-9 without Peyton Manning. Watching them the last 2-weeks, 3-13 seems like a distinct possibility.

10. Is it possible Tom Brady could have gaudier numbers than he did during his MVP season a year ago? Through 2-weeks he's thrown for 940-yards while completing 71.6% of his passes with 7-touchdowns and 1-interception. I'd say while it's early, the answer is yes.

11. That tremor you felt yesterday afternoon was Patriots 325-pound defensive tackle Vince Wilfork rumbling 28-yards down the field after his first career interception. I'm sure in Wilfork's mind, he was moving like Usain Bolt.

12. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Luke McCown. Jacksonville's current starting quarterback, and I emphasize current, completed just 6 of 19-passes for 59-yards with 0-TD's and 4-INT's in the Jaguars 32-3 loss to the Jets.

13. It's 4th and 1 at the Broncos 36-yard line, the Bengals are trailing 24-22 with a little over 3-minutes remaining, and the play call from offensive coordinator Jay Gruden is a rollout right for rookie QB Andy Dalton? Did he not realize Cedric Benson is still on the team?

14. If this isn't Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde then I don't know what is. The Ravens went from harassing the Steeelers into 7-turnovers and allowing only 7-points in their week-1 blowout win, to giving up 432-total yards in Sunday's hard to explain 26-13 loss at the Titans. Keep in mind Tennessee scored just 14-points and had under 300-yards of offense in their season opener against Jacksonville.

15. Those are some nimble feet you have there Tony Scheffler. The Lions tight end did a little soft shoe to avoid Chiefs safety Kendrick Lewis on the way to a 36-yard TD reception Sunday. And if you're not impressed by Detroit yet, consider this...the last time they had a 45-point margin of victory came in 1957...in the NFL Title game.

The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-1 in the NFL...

1. Unless Darelle Revis has the power of invisibility, Tony Romo should have seen that Revis was all over Dez Bryant on that key 4th quarter interception Sunday night. Romo has become the ultimate tease...Just when you think he's figured things out, he provides you with further evidence that he's not a big time quarterback.

2. I'm not ready to put Cam Newton into the Hall of Fame, but what he did against the Cardinals was extremely impressive. Look past the numbers, and what stood out was Newton's poise and composure. He never looked panicked. For a rookie making his starting debut, that's saying something.

3. Who needs Todd Heap? In their 35-7 blowout win over the Steelers, Ravens young tight-ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta combined for 7-catches, 104-yards and a touchdown.

4. Caught up with Bears wide-receiver Roy Williams following their impressive victory against the Falcons, and he told me he loves watching the Chicago defense...So much so in fact that he said, "That's why I have them as my fantasy team D!" Wonder if he'd drop them in his fantasy league if they started struggling?

5. Gave Brian Urlacher my game ball on the Sunday Drive for his 10-tackle, 1-interception, and 1-fumble return for a TD performance versus Atlanta. Listening to his post game comments though, you would've thought the Bears linebacker had a rough afternoon, "Tired in the 1st half, and used alot of energy in the pre game." If that's tired, I'd hate to see what he does when he's well rested.

6. I'm still waiting for someone to cover Bengals wide-receiver AJ Green. On his go ahead 41-yard TD reception against the Browns in the 4th quarter, Green was left alone. Cleveland's defensive gaffe gave Cincinnati the lead for good. That by the way was Green's only catch of the game. Up until then, he'd been shutout by Joe Haden.

7. To say Tim Hightower carried the load for the Redskins Sunday would be an understatement. Hightower had 25 of the team's 26-carries in their win over the Giants, with Roy Helu getting the ball once.

8. Here's the reality of the Colts without Peyton Manning...Once they fall behind by double digits, the game's over. When is the last time you thought that about Indianapolis?

9. The 49ers Ted Ginn will always be a bust as a wide-receiver, but as a special teamer, he can be deadly. After Seattle pulled within 2-points late in the 4th quarter, Ginn single handedly put the Seahawks away with a kick off return for a touchdown, followed by a punt return for a score...all in the span 59-seconds.

10. You've got to wrap up Sean Weatherspoon. The Falcons linebacker more or less tried to push Bears running back Matt Forte on Forte's 56-yard TD reception..

11. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Donovan McNabb. In his Vikings debut, McNabb was a train wreck. He completed just 7 of 15-passes for 39-yards with a touchdown and an interception. Don't get too comfortable on the bench Christian Ponder.

12. Be honest Lions fans...You can't tell me you weren't holding your breath after Matt Stafford came limping off the field. It was just a cramp, so back away from the edge of that bridge now.

13. Darren Sproles will be more productive for the Saints than Reggie Bush ever was. In the Thursday night season opener, Sproles showed how dangerous he can be with 7-receptions for 75-yards, 2-runs for 7-yards, and 2-punt returns for 92-yards, including a 72-yard TD. Reggie who?

14. How's this for some brutal truth from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin..."We got handled in all 3-phases. Don't like it. We accept it, and we'll respond accordingly." Tomlin was as angry as I've ever seen him Sunday. 7-turnovers and a 28-point loss to your division rival will do that to you.

15. What a difference a year makes. When the team's met a season ago, the Chiefs ran for 274-yards in their 13-10 overtime win against the Bills. Sunday, Buffalo held Kansas City to 108-yards rushing. It helps to build a big lead, but it's also clear the additions of Marcell Dareus and Nick Barnett have made Buffalo's defense no pushover.