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1. If you have a Jake Plummer jersey, signed photograph and the matching #16 toothbrush and soap case, there’s no need to incinerate those souvenirs yet. More importantly, it is not time to throw the Denver Broncos starting quarterback under a bus. There is no arguing how despicable his performance was in week one in St. Louis, but take a look at his numbers from week one last season in Miami:
22-48, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1 FUMBLE LOST (and returned for a touchdown)
Result: MIA 34, DEN 10
After that ugly 2005 opener, Plummer threw only five more interceptions the rest of the season and the Broncos ran to a 13-3 finish.
Jay Cutler is still a rookie and has only looked good against second-string defenses in the preseason. If you want a run for the Championship this season, Plummer is the best option.
2. The losses of tackles John Welbourn and Willie Roaf has definitely hurt the one-time potent Kansas City rushing attack but one free agency exit that has flown under the radar has been the loss of fullback Tony Richardson. The departure of the tackles has forced the running game inside and taken away that wide toss run that both Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson loved so much in the past few seasons. But inside, it has also been, and will be, tough sledding without a lane-clearing fullback. Richardson is a two-time Pro Bowler and blocked for four of the top five single-season rushing performances in Kansas City.
Also, the fact that Roaf’s replacement, Kyle Turley, is still undersized and is still trying to add bulk after a season off is not helping matters either.
Johnson will still have a good season but with the offense stripping Roaf, Welbourn, Richardson, offensive coordinator Al Saunders and now Trent Green, you can forget the talk about a 2000-yard season or any Super Bowl aspirations in Kansas City.
3. The Cleveland Browns invested a lot of money into their offensive line this offseason and so far the results have been disappointing. The two signings were left tackle Kevin Shaffer and center LeCharles Bentley.
Bentley tore his knee up and is done for the season while Shaffer has not looked so go in a non-run oriented offense. Shaffer was a great fit in Atlanta, where he didn’t have to protect the blindside of the quarterback and where run blocking was his first priority.
In his first regular season game as Charlie Frye’s pass protector, Shaffer didn’t look so hot. He had a holding penalty on the very first offensive play of the game that negated a 74-yard touchdown to Braylon Edwards and struggled all day with New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith.
Shaffer has to play better or Frye will be looking over his left shoulder before getting crunched all season long.
4. Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Dan Morgan is one of the best playmakers in the NFL when he is on the field. The problem is that he doesn’t spend a lot of time on it.
In five previous NFL seasons, Morgan has yet to participate in the full 16 games and he will not be challenging that dubious feat this season. Morgan suffered yet another concussion, this time coming in the Panthers week one loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
This is now the fifth concussion of Morgan’s career and there are now rumblings as to whether he should consider retirement. Judging the depth – or lack thereof – at linebacker behind Morgan, the Panthers better get Eric Lindros on the phone to convince Morgan otherwise.
The Panthers allowed Pro Bowl caliber outside linebacker Will Witherspoon to sign with the St. Louis Rams in free agency and the fact that he has looked outstanding in his switch to middle linebacker there is not helping the situation.
With Morgan out indefinitely and left tackle Travelle Wharton out for the season, you can drop the Panthers out of the elite group of Super Bowl contenders.
5. If you think the Arizona Cardinals are going to be competing for a playoff spot, think again. Sure, they did trounce the lowly San Francisco 49ers in week one but with a closer look, you might want to use the words “squeak by” instead of “trounce” in the first part of this sentence.
The good news is that they scored 34 points against a spectral secondary. The bad news is that Edgerrin James found little running room and gained only 73 yards on 26 carries. Take away his longest rush of 10 yards and he averaged only 2.52 yards on his other 25 carries.
In pass protection, the Arizona Cardinals’ offensive line also looked weak all day long, allowing three sacks.
On the flipside, the defense barely got enough stops to hold on to a seven point win. Second year quarterback Alex Smith, who looked as lost as Britney Spears in an algebra class last season, completed 23 of 40 passes with 288 yards and a touchdown. And that’s not counting a 52-yard touchdown to Antonio Bryant that was called back because of a penalty.
The passing game is top-10 while the rushing game has improved a little bit but the Cardinals still can’t cover, tackle, or stop the run on defense which keep them out of the playoffs.
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