1. Rich Rodriguez is a very good coach. And Charlie Weis is a very bad one. Alright, I’ll admit, I didn’t need to learn either thing – I was already certain of both. Notre Dame owned Michigan in the first half, but were only up by three at the break. Michigan made effective adjustments at halftime, and came out as an entirely different team in the second half. Notre Dame made no noticeable changes. The fact that Weis couldn’t win this game in the fifth year of his program with a junior QB who was at the top of his class against a team in the second year of a total rebuild with a true freshman at the helm is a clear sign of just how pathetic Weis is.
2. Oklahoma State isn’t what we thought they were. Neither, by extension, is Georgia. I hope that Houston gets the credit that they deserve for this win, though. They have defensive issues that have caused them struggles, but their offense is very much for real, and has been for a couple of years now under CaseKeenum.
3. Cincinnati is going to be an interesting team to watch again this year. They were playing a total cream puff this week, but their 70-3 win was thoroughly dominating and impressive. It was ridiculous that they were shut out of the polls at the start of the season, and I look forward to seeing what they can do now that they are in the poll. If they keep playing well then they have the kind of schedule that they could really do special things against.
4. I wasn’t buying the nearly universal story that Jay Cutler walks on water. For one week at least I am right. He threw four interceptions, including a brutal one when he had a chance to lead a final comeback for the win. His lack of receiver depth this year is going to be a real problem, and I’m not at all comfortable that he has the right personality to deal with that kind of struggle. On the other side, that was a truly incredible winning TD pass by Aaron Rodgers.
5. I respect Andy Reid, but I think he really blew it against the Panthers, and it could create a serious situation. There was really no reason for McNabb to still be in the game when he suffered his broken rib. He’s a fragile QB, and one who is very important to his team. The game was totally in hand, and Carolina looked so bad that you could know that they weren’t coming back. In my mindKolb should have been playing and McNabb should have been resting and looking forward to next week. Bad game management.
6. Very interesting performance by Brett Favre. By minimizing his passing and letting the running game do the bulk of the work he was the closest thing to selfless that we have seen from him in a long time. That’s a promising trend if he can keep to it. Keep an eye on that Adrian Peterson kid as well – that guy might be a bit of a player at some point.
7. The pick I made a couple of days ago for MVP was Drew Brees. After one week of action I wouldn’t dream of changing that pick. It was nice to see the Saints finally get some worthwhile play out of Jeremy Shockey as well.
8. I have long been loyal to the Niners, so I was pleased to have been rewarded for that loyalty today. I liked a lot of what I saw from San Francisco in that game. Shaun Hill looked good – especially down the stretch. Their defense was very solid. The general spirit of play was above what it once was. I’m a bit concerned by the near absence of a running game, but this is a team I will continue to watch enthusiastically.
9. The way the Rams played today the Lions might only have to live with their record futility for one year, because it’s hard to imagine this team being good enough to beat anyone. The lone bright spot was James Laurinaitis. He made one hell of a pro debut – a game-leading 14 tackles and a recovered fumble.
10. Mark Sanchez looked pretty solid in his debut, but I was far more impressed by the Jets’ defense. It only took Rex Ryan one game to impose his defensive will and discipline on that unit, and the defense between last year and this game was remarkable. Houston is supposed to have a good offense, but you would never guess it by their play.
