Ignore any Week 1 picks that have been attributed to me. I knew the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills would shut out the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots. I knew Anquan Boldin would break the all-time rookie receiving record, for the Arizona Cardinals no less. I knew that the four worst quarterbacks would be Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Tom Brady and Donovan McNabb. It's just that nobody bothered to ask me.
My Super Bowl pick after Week 1: Bucs vs. Bills.
Now for my weekly top five lists:
Most Impressive in Victory
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| Milloy |
1. Buffalo Bills 31, New England Patriots 0 -- This game was so one-sided it was shocking.
Driven by the free-agent additions of DT Sam Adams, OLB Takeo Spikes and ex-Patriot
S Lawyer Milloy, the Bills served notice that the wagons are up and rolling.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17, Philadelphia Eagles 0 -- Despite being relatively close on the scoreboard, this game also had a one-sided feel. The defending Super Bowl champions set the record straight: The Bucs are the NFC's best. They are the team to beat, without question.
3. New York Giants 23, St. Louis Rams 13 -- No matter what part of the country you're
from, this was an old-fashioned butt kickin'. Rams' QB Kurt Warner shoulders the
blame, but that shouldn't diminish the Giants' swarming defense and an offense that
promises only to get better.
4. San Francisco 49ers 49, Chicago Bears 7 -- Hey, this is the NFL. You don't beat teams
49-7 unless you're good and, yes, unless the other team is bad. Great debut for Dennis
Erickson. Sad news for Dick Jauron, who is playing with a short deck.
5a. Minnesota Vikings 30, Green Bay Packers 25 -- The Vikings have always played the
Packers tough, even at Lambeau Field. But Mike Tice's group served notice that Green
Bay does not have a free pass to the playoffs in the NFC North.
5b. Seattle Seahawks 27, New Orleans Saints 10 -- You sort of figured that the Seahawks offense would be good for some points, but the defense answered the first bell
under Ray Rhodes. That makes the NFC West a very, very interesting division.
Best Games
1. Tennessee Titans 25, Oakland Raiders 20 -- A real heavyweight bout between two
teams guaranteed to be there in the postseason. The Raiders don't look over-the-hill to
me. And if the Titans stay healthy, they'll only get better.
2. Texans 21, Dolphins
20 -- Sure, we're focusing on the Dolphins' shocking opening loss
at home. But how about them Texans? QB David Carr went sackless and second-year LT
Chester Pitts stoned All-Pro DE Jason Taylor. Tuesday morning, the victory tradition
continued as Texans GM Charley Casserly, in honor of late Redskins coach George
Allen, had ice cream and cake served to everyone in the organization. Owner Bob McNair
also is footing the bill again by giving game balls to everyone in the organization. The
Texans became the first expansion team ever to win two straight season openers.
3. Panthers 24, Jaguars 23 -- Two games in one. The Jaguars dominated the first half
(14-0), but Jake Delhomme's splendid second-half performance off the bench saved the day.
4. Redskins 16, Jets 13 -- It didn't have a lot of fireworks (except for the pregame festivities), but it came down to a field goal by ex-Jet John Hall to win it. A fairly
error-free game in an electric atmosphere at Fed Ex Field with more than 85,000 fans in
attendance.
5. Colts 9, Browns 6 -- True, no TDs made it a little boring, but it was without question the most unpredictable result between two pretty high-powered offense (I think). Peyton Manning's final drive and Mike Vanderjagt's kick...well, wasn't that appropriate?
Best Performance: Quarterback
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| Brunell |
1. Mark Brunell, Jaguars -- That's right. I'm giving it to a losing QB. Nobody threw the
ball better (23-of-27, 272 yards, two TDs) or when it counted, than the veteran left-hander
who has worked under shaky job security and without his best WR, Jimmy Smith. Byron
Leftwich, take notes.
2. Steve McNair, Titans -- In a fierce fight against the defending AFC champion Raiders,
McNair did his thing (25-of-38, 269 yards, two TDs). He'll be an MVP candidate when
the season winds down.
3. Rich Gannon, Raiders: Oh, how I laughed at various preseason stories that seem to
question Gannon's age. As a 37-year-old, he was the league MVP and gave Dan Marino's
single-season records a good chase. What, he's going to lose it that fast? Against the Titans, Gannon showed that he's still a great one.
4. Brad Johnson, Bucs: Oh, yeah, we love these "old" guys. Johnson carved up the
Eagles and is headed for his best season.
5a. Tommy Maddox, Steelers: It's a long season, but Maddox delivered big against the
Ravens' defense. He's got a pretty good thing going with WRs like Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress, Antwaan Randle-El and an offensive coordinator like Mike Mularkey.
5b. Daunte Culpepper, Vikings: Took care of the football, made the throws when it counted, and beat Brett Favre at Lambeau.
5b. Joey Harrington, Lions: Any time you throw four TD passes, you've had a nice start, even if the opponent was the Arizona Cardinals.
Best Performance: Wide Receiver
1. Anquan Boldin, Cardinals: Apologies to all those fantasy fans looking for a nugget:
Bolin set an all-time rookie record with 10 catches for 217 yards. Let's give it up for the
kid from Florida State, a second-round pick because he was a little slow on the stopwatch
for scouts' comforts.
2. Randy Moss, Vikings: The guy I saw on Sunday (9 for 150 yards, two TDs) is the best
receiver in football.
3. Chris Chambers, Dolphins: A highlight catch for one of his two TDs, Chambers (7 for 118 yards) looked like a guy who wants to jump to a Pro Bowl level.
4. Joe Jurevicius, Bucs: His two great TD catches showed why he is one of my "breakout" players in '03.
5. Hines Ward, Steelers: One of my five favorite football players, Ward caught a pair of
TDs in a big divisional win over the Ravens.
Best Performance: Running Back
1. Priest Holmes, Chiefs: Show him the money! The Chiefs did and Holmes -- who had 183 rushing and receiving yards with two TDs -- showed everyone that the injured hip is indeed an old story.
2. Tiki Barber, Giants: In one of the day's big games, Barber came up biggest (23 rushes for 146 yards) at Giants Stadium.
3. Clinton Portis, Broncos: On a day when Jake Plummer's debut went just like the old Jake Plummer, Portis busted the Bengals for 120 yards on 24 carries.
4. Shaun Alexander, Seahawks: He's about to make a run for the Pro Bowl and this was a nice start with two TDs, one running and one receiving, while putting up 108 yards on
the ground.
5. Charlie Garner, Raiders: He had all of 22 yards on seven carries. But his seven catches for 118 yards and one TD show he's still one of the game's premier backs.
Best Plays
1. Jake Delhomme-to-Ricky Proehl for Carolina's winning TD. It doesn't get any better. Delhomme nailed it on fourth-and-goal from the 12 with 16 seconds left to give the Panthers a 24-23 win as old pro Proehl showed his hands are still clutch.
2. Bucs WR Joe Jurevicius' two TD catches Monday night against the Eagles. Both were extraordinary and show why "concentration" is more than a word for a wideout.
3. Bills DT Sam Adams' 37-yard interception return for a TD in the first half was the KO punch for a 21-0 Buffalo lead over the Patriots.
4. Dolphins WR Chris Chambers' back-of-end-zone catch was textbook for anyone with
the God-given talent to do it.
5a. Craig Hentrich's three field goals as the punter filled in for injured PK Joe Nedney. Hentrich was one of the weekend's stars.
5b. Warren Sapp's 14-yard catch-and-run as the Bucs' tight end (yes!) that put the champs on the Eagles' 11.
Defensive Stars
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| Adams |
1. Sam Adams, Bills DT: The free-agent acquisition is playing next to his pal, Pat
Williams (a pretty good one himself), and absolutely dominated the Patriots and Tom
Brady. Adams' presence also allowed MLB London Fletcher to have a big day with 13 tackles.
2. Takeo Spikes, Bills OLB: Out of Bengal stripes, Spikes had six tackles, three passes
defended, two interceptions for another great free-agent pickup.
3. Lawyer Milloy, Bills S: Not only did he provide an emotional lift, but Milloy needed just two days to go 50 of 51 plays for the Buffalo defense. He finished with five tackles, a sack and a
big pass defended that resulted in an interception.
4. Chris Claiborne, Vikings OLB: The ex-Lion looked much more athletic and
delivered a nine-tackle day against the Packers.
5. Corey Chavous, Vikings S: A two-team domination with the defensive guys, I have to
give the nod to Chavous, who looked very comfortable in his new safety spot, picking off
Brett Favre twice. He also had seven tackles.
Best Moves
1. Bills' signing of Lawyer Milloy: It happened just three days before playing the
Patriots. He is a big-time Pro Bowl player that addresses a weakness for the Bills. Give
credit to Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr., who hasn't blinked at any price tag presented by
team GM Tom Donahoe.
2. Chiefs' contract extension for Priest Holmes: I really think Holmes would have sat
out the opener if this deal had not gotten done. Good job by Chiefs GM Carl Peterson for
keeping this relatively clean.
3. Steve Spurrier: Lombardi Redux?: Well, the ol' ball coach did run it 34 times for
160 yards vs. only 23 passes and the Redskins beat the Jets.
4. Mark Brunell starts: The Jags made No. 1 pick Byron Leftwich their No. 2 QB and he was able to watch a pro in Brunell play a great game on the road. Leftwich's time will
come but Brunell ain't finished yet.
5. Craig Hentrich: The Titans' punter, actually practiced kicking field goals on his own
during the week leading up to the Raiders' game. It paid off with a 3-for-3 emergency
performance.
Worst Moves
1. Martz sticks with Warner: Hey, Kurt Warner should have been the starter but his
performance Sunday dictated a change, even if doctors told the coach the QB was all
right. Play selection, as Martz himself pointed out, might have been a worse move.
2. Patriots release Milloy: He meant too much to the Pats to cut him loose. At the very
least, it should have happened a week earlier. No, it shouldn't have happened, period.
3. Ravens start rookie Kyle Boller vs. Steelers: It was understandable but it was still a tough call by Brian Billick, who knew the risks. Of course, the Ravens' D let him down, too.
4. Titans-Raiders' officiating: Prime-time sometimes brings out the worst in these guys.
5. Bears fly west: A forfeit may have been better than the result: a 49-7 lashing by the 49ers.
Best Quotes
1. "We were probably talking about what you think we were talking about." -- Bills
QB Drew Bledsoe on his arm-around-Lawyer Milloy sideline chat near the end of Buffalo's rout over their former New England team.
2. "We couldn't figure out why he was having such a hard time getting plays in. ... I
shouldn't have played him." -- Rams coach Mike Martz on sticking with Warner, whose
six-fumble day cost St. Louis.
3. "The numbers will improve as the year goes along." -- Broncos QB Jake Plummer, after his debut for Mike Shanahan that resulted in a 21.7 passer rating. Improve? We hope
so.
4. "I'm one of the boys on the team, not some idiot kicker." -- Colts' Mike Vanderjagt, after his winning field goal vs. the Browns.
5. "Everything is fine and dandy between me and Mike in Coltsville." -- Colts QB
Peyton Manning, on his buddy Vanderjagt.
