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.