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