| Speed kills in the National Football League - | | | | 10, and instead of spiking the ball to stop |
| but never forget that this sport is | | | | the clock (he had 20 seconds left) he tried |
| predicated on power. Right now, Pittsburgh, | | | | to call a play. The result was a false start |
| Indianapolis, Kansas City, Tampa Bay and | | | | by Leonard Davis with seven seconds left, |
| Cincinnati are each 2-0 and have won their | | | | which ended the game. |
| games by an average score of 25-9. What is it | | | | |
| that these teams have in common besides an | | | | |
| unblemished record? That would be their | | | | |
| complete and total dominance along the | | | | * I know it's only been two weeks, but check |
| offensive and defensive lines. | | | | out the quarterback ratings of these players |
| | | | and tell me who sticks out: Brett Favre |
| | | | (76.1), Peyton Manning (74.7), Kyle Orton |
| | | | (74.4), Joey Harrington (52.3), Dante |
| On offense, these teams are completely | | | | Culpepper (41.6). If you said Orton you're |
| controlling people up front. Pittsburgh, Indy | | | | not only correct but you're probably as |
| and K.C. each boast lines with at least two | | | | surprised as me. |
| Pro Bowlers on it. Cincinnati was one of only | | | | |
| two teams that returned all five of its | | | | |
| starters from last year. Tampa Bay - I | | | | |
| honestly have no idea how they're doing it | | | | The Bears young QB has shown moxie and arm |
| with that line, but it's working - possesses | | | | strength, but more importantly he's shown |
| the NFL's leading rusher, Cadillac Williams | | | | results. Through two games, the Bears are |
| (276 yards). These five teams are muscling | | | | leading the league in third-down efficiency |
| their way to an average of 155 yards per game | | | | (oddly enough, they're tied with Minnesota |
| on the ground and have yielded only eight | | | | and Green Bay) by converting 50 percent of |
| total sacks between them. That outstanding | | | | their chances. Through all of last season, |
| play by the offensive linemen is allowing | | | | the Bears managed only 25 percent on third |
| each of these teams to control the ball and | | | | down. |
| dictate tempo to their opponents. | | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | * Why Oakland has made its way to the top of |
| Conversely, on the defensive side of the | | | | my Stay Away From List: The Raiders are down |
| ball it's all about getting after the | | | | 23-17 at home to the Chiefs on Sunday night. |
| quarterback for these five. Besides Cincy | | | | They're driving down for the game-winning |
| (two sacks) the other four clubs have notched | | | | touchdown with around two minutes left, and |
| an average of nearly four sacks per game, | | | | have just gained 14 yards on their last two |
| with Pittsburgh accounting for 11 and Indy | | | | plays - rushes by the bruising Lamont Jordan |
| chipping in nine. While household names like | | | | - to get down to the KC 14-yard line. The |
| Dwight Freeney and Simeon Rice still anchor | | | | Chiefs defense is exhausted. The Raiders have |
| their units, it's been the production of | | | | all the momentum. They just need to run right |
| players like the Colts' Montae Reagor and the | | | | over them, killing the clock along the way, |
| Steelers' Aaron Smith that's really paying | | | | right? Wrong. Incomplete pass, four-yard |
| dividends. | | | | pass, incomplete pass, timeout, incomplete |
| | | | pass. On fourth-and-six, though they still |
| | | | could've gotten a first down inside the 10, |
| | | | they threw a weak lob pass to Joey Porter. |
| All of this may seem kind of remedial and | | | | They didn't even go to Moss (forget the fact |
| trivial, but it's not. I believe that while | | | | that they just needed six yards!). Unreal. |
| it takes a few weeks for the skill players to | | | | That was a rookie mistake by Norv Turner and |
| get in a groove, the pure muscle and strength | | | | Kerry Collins - two retreads who shouldn't be |
| of players in the trenches is a determinant | | | | making those kind of errors. |
| of early season success. This is important | | | | |
| because I think that the teams that have the | | | | |
| most stability and performance at their | | | | |
| foundations - the offensive and defensive | | | | * What a complete and total shocker in |
| lines - will be the most consistent | | | | Dallas on Monday night. The Cowboys |
| throughout the season, and stats like the | | | | absolutely dominated the first 55 minutes, |
| ones I've tossed out are good indicators of | | | | were up 13-0, and had Mark Brunell at |
| future success. | | | | third-and-27 with about four minutes to play. |
| | | | Game over, right? Wrong. Brunell pulls two |
| | | | bombs out of nowhere and all of a sudden |
| | | | Daniel Snyder looks like he just won the |
| Also, popular opinion about NFL clubs - one | | | | Super Bowl. Be wary of the effects this loss |
| of the components used to set a line - is | | | | has on Dallas next week. A game like that can |
| determined in part by humans tendency for | | | | be a season-crippler. Also, that says a lot |
| grandiose delusion, which is the process of | | | | about the character of this Washington squad. |
| attributing inflated worth to someone famous. | | | | That game may have changed the complexion of |
| This is why people are so quick to assume | | | | the NFC. |
| that teams like Minnesota, Oakland and St. | | | | |
| Louis are "good" teams because they identify | | | | |
| with the stars at more visible positions | | | | |
| (quarterback, running back, receiver). But | | | | * Does anyone else think it might be a bad |
| what they fail to realize is that each of | | | | idea to rebuild the whole of New Orleans back |
| those three teams has serious issues on their | | | | into a major metropolitan area? I mean, just |
| offensive and/or defensive lines, which leads | | | | think about the toxic chemicals - oil, gas, |
| to them getting pushed around in a game based | | | | feces, pesticides, decaying corpses, etc. - |
| on physicality. | | | | that have been stewing about in that place |
| | | | for almost a month. And the federal |
| | | | government, in all its glory, didn't even put |
| | | | the Environmental Protection Agency on its |
| Anyway, that's my little five-cent | | | | list of first responders. Mark my words, all |
| psychology lesson for you. Here are the rest | | | | of that stuff is getting dumped back in the |
| of my Week 2 thoughts: | | | | water supply and in about 20 years that place |
| | | | is going to look like Venusville from Total |
| | | | Recall. |
| | | | |
| * Gutty performance by Carolina, which | | | | |
| showed why you never abandon the run. While | | | | |
| their numbers on the ground (36 carries, 104 | | | | * So far this season Indianapolis has given |
| yards) are pedestrian, the rushing attack | | | | up just 10 points in two games. Pittsburgh |
| paid off with a perfect 3-for-3 conversion | | | | has yielded 14 points, Chicago 15 and Tampa |
| rate in the red zone. A gift touchdown from | | | | Bay 16 through eight quarters. |
| the referees (one of Stephen Davis' three | | | | |
| scores) didn't hurt either. The Panthers play | | | | |
| Miami, Green Bay, Arizona and Detroit in the | | | | |
| next four weeks. Get ready to ride this | | | | * I'm not sure what the future holds for the |
| train. | | | | enigma that is Seattle, but they smacked |
| | | | around an Atlanta squad that everyone was |
| | | | ga-ga about one week earlier. Seattle has |
| | | | been very good at home (13-3) over the past |
| * It will be interesting to see how the | | | | two seasons, but have had trouble on the road |
| Jaguars respond to their 10-3 loss to | | | | (6-10). I would play them that way until they |
| Indianapolis on Sunday. They were just 22 | | | | prove otherwise. |
| yards away from overtime in the RCA Dome, but | | | | |
| there was nothing soft or cutesy about what | | | | |
| the Colts did to the Jags - they just beat | | | | |
| them up. Indy had a drive right out of the | | | | * Minnesota's game against Cincy was over |
| 1920's - a 17-play clock drainer that | | | | before halftime. That "retooled" Vikings |
| featured 14 running plays and straddled the | | | | defense got torched for 337 total yards in |
| third and fourth quarters. Edgerrin James (27 | | | | the first 30 minutes! Oh, and Culpepper has |
| carries, 128 yards) carried the load for the | | | | already thrown eight interceptions (a feat he |
| Colts like he was in a contract year or | | | | didn't accomplish until Week 13 last season) |
| something. | | | | to go with no touchdowns. The Vikings have |
| | | | turned the ball over on 12 of their 24 |
| | | | possessions in 2005, and are the biggest |
| | | | fraud since Dianetics. |
| * The Texans have only scored 14 points so | | | | |
| far, but they have faced two of the top five | | | | |
| ranked defenses in the NFL (Buffalo, Pitt). | | | | |
| The offensive line, which has given up 150 | | | | * As I'm typing this I'm laughing |
| sacks since 2001, has already seen David Carr | | | | hysterically at all those guys who benched |
| get dropped 13 times (that's a 104-sack pace | | | | Donovan McNabb this week thinking he was |
| for the year), causing Carr to chew them out | | | | injured. |
| on the sidelines last Sunday. And do you know | | | | |
| who Houston named to replaced departed | | | | |
| offensive coordinator Chris Palmer? That's | | | | |
| right, offensive line coach Joe Pendry. | | | | * Dagger-Through-The-Heart Play of the Week: |
| | | | I have New Orleans getting 16.5 points as |
| | | | part of a sweetheart teaser. They're down |
| | | | 27-10 with four minutes left (after John |
| * In Catholicism, Michael is the Angel of | | | | Carney bounced a field goal off the uprights |
| Sunday. If that's so, why is it that just | | | | on their previous possession) and Aaron |
| about every NFL head coach named Mike (Tice, | | | | Brooks has them moving down the field. Brooks |
| Sherman, Martz, Holmgren, Shanahan) is so | | | | hits Joe Horn along the sideline at about the |
| shady? Buffalo head coach Mike Mularkey is | | | | six-yard line, and while he tries to stretch |
| apparently trying to break into that dubious | | | | for the pylon, he loses the ball. It's a |
| group. I know where he was coming from when | | | | touchback and the Giants ball. Again, it was |
| he benched J.P. Losman during the fourth | | | | like getting kicked in the nuts while |
| quarter of their 19-3 loss at Tampa on Sunday | | | | watching your girlfriend cheat on you with |
| (change of pace, try something new, etc.) but | | | | the guy who just ran over your dog. Only |
| I don't agree with it. First, Kelly Holcomb | | | | worse. But again, that's why you don't bet |
| would've had to have been Jim Kelly in order | | | | the Saints. |
| to lead that comeback. Second, all you've | | | | |
| done is opened that Pandora's Box of a | | | | |
| quarterback controversy, crushed all the warm | | | | |
| and fuzzy feelings that had been built up, | | | | * When it comes to hamburgers I only have |
| and forced Losman to start questioning | | | | this to say: catsup = good, barbeque sauce = |
| himself. You're going to lose games during | | | | better, A-1 steak sauce = best. No doubt. |
| the season, that's just the way it is, but | | | | |
| the long-term effects of something like this | | | | |
| can linger and be much more harmful. | | | | |
| | | | * At this point in the season, home |
| | | | underdogs are both 3-2 straight-up and |
| | | | against the spread. Home teams are 23-9 |
| Keeping with the theme, how much longer do | | | | straight up, and 20-12 ATS thus far. Also, |
| you think Sherman and Tice will be hanging | | | | the NFC is 2-1 SU and ATS when playing the |
| around this season? They both just look | | | | AFC. |
| completely lost on their respective | | | | |
| sidelines, and their teams are playing with | | | | |
| no kind of direction, purpose or heart. Also, | | | | |
| Martz was five yards and seven seconds away | | | | * I'm still not impressed with the Giants |
| from a 0-2 start at the hands of the two | | | | (even though Joe Theisman obviously is). |
| worst teams in football. When is somebody | | | | Remember, they started 5-0 last year before |
| going to post odds on which one of these | | | | taking a complete and total nosedive. They |
| fools gets canned first? | | | | have impressed me with their ability to move |
| | | | the ball - but we expected that. The defense |
| | | | is currently ranked 29th in the league and |
| | | | has yielded an average of 370 yards per game. |
| * Donald Trump singing Green Acres at the | | | | And like I already mentioned, the Saints were |
| Emmy Awards was definitely a highlight of the | | | | seven combined inches from 10 more points. |
| weekend. You could actually see his arms. I | | | | |
| didn't even know he had skin. I thought he | | | | |
| was all suit, all the time. Regardless, it | | | | |
| was classic. | | | | Questions or comments for Robert? e-mail |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| * Anyone who thought that Kurt Warner was | | | | Doc's Sports Recent Articles:Super Bowl |
| still an NFL-caliber starting quarterback | | | | ringoffshore betting2006 Super Bowl |
| (much less The Savior of a putrid franchise) | | | | predictionsDoc's Sports Handicapping Service |
| just needs to go back and watch the last 30 | | | | |
| seconds of their game against St. Louis. Up | | | | 1-866-238-6696Since 1971 Doc's Sports has |
| 17-12, the Rams were just begging to give | | | | been recognized as one of the leaders and |
| that game away, allowing the Cards to move | | | | most trusted names in sports handicapping |
| down to their 5-yard line with time running | | | | information. |
| out. But Kurt Warner was sacked back to the | | | | |