“Who Needs Hysteria? What Really Matters In Life Is…Life”

Week 1 Recap:

With all of the latest rumors regarding the draconian punishment to be leveled at The Mad Genius from the Lord High Commissioner’s Office, perhaps it’s best to put things in perspective. Football is an activity that involves powerful men in peak physical condition colliding into one another at high rates of speed. Every week players go out of the lineup with broken bones and torn and twisted joints. Players engage in this activity fully aware of the risks involved, and most at one stage or another of their careers suffer more than one debilitating injury. Every so often, we’re shaken by the news that catastrophic injuries can and do occur in this brutal business, such as occurred in Week 1 in Buffalo, when reserve tight end Kevin Everett was removed from the field by ambulance as having apparently suffered a cervical spinal chord injury. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the young man for a full and speedy recovery and to his loved ones, teammates and friends.

The big story of Week 1 was injuries. As devastating as Everett’s injury is to Buffalo team’s spirit, they also suffered a rash of injuries that seriously jeopardize the team’s fortunes this year (not that it much matters today). Ko Simpson, Jason Webster and Coy Wire all left Sunday’s game with injuries and didn’t make it back. In addition, here are a number of notables who suffered injuries in Week 1:

Orlando Pace (St. Louis) torn labrum: out for season
Mike Brown (Chicago) ruptured ACL: out for season
Dusty Dvoracek, (Chicago) ruptured his left ACL: out for season
Jason Ferguson (Dallas) torn right biceps: out for season
Yeremiah Bell (Miami) torn left Achilles' tendon: out for season
Chad Pennington (NYJ) injured right ankle (status unknown)
Lito Sheppard (Philadelphia) sprained knee ligament (out at least one game)
Josh Scobee (Jacksonville) leg injury, out 6-8 weeks.
Eli Manning (NY Giants) (bruised right shoulder) status unknown
Brandon Jacobs, (NY Giants) sprained right knee (week to week).
Jonathan Ogden (Ravens) aggravated toe injury (status unknown)
Ray Lewis (Ravens) arm injury (status unknown), he did return to play Monday Night.
Jason Simmons (Houston) torn patellar tendon (out for season).

For Week 1:

Vs W/L: 8-8-0
Vs Spread 9-7-0
Vs. O/U 8-8-0

All in all, not a bad way to kick off a new season. Powerhouses Indianapolis and New England (which I picked to lose) had fantastic, convincing starts. San Diego won a game they should’ve lost. The Bears are deluding themselves if they believe that Rex Grossman is a big league quarterback.

It was simply an awful day for the Bills, as even a last-second defeat paled in comparison to Everett’s horrible injury. Coach Jauron said and done all the right things in response and his leadership will be a rallying point for the team.

The Falcons and Browns didn’t do much to change the public’s perception that they’ll be at the bottom of the barrel this year. Both teams were pathetic. As far as surprises, the Raider defense was awful at home against Detroit. Tatum Bell had big afternoon against Oakland’s run defense, and the Mike Martz “Fastest Show on Turf” offense that was the rage of the NFL five years ago in St. Loo appears to be making a comeback in Motown.

The Pack snatched up a vulture win at home courtesy of Philly’s inability to hold onto the football. The biggest disappointment of the week has to be the Jaguars. Their defense allowed 282 yards on the ground losing at home to Tennessee. Chris Brown had an amazing afternoon’s work (175 yards). Maybe it’ll take time for David Garrard to fully mesh with the first unit, but it’s not as if he hasn’t started before.

While the Patriots had an outstanding (allegedly “tainted”) effort in the Meadowlands, blowing away the Jets 38-14, it was overshadowed by a controversy that arose over whether a Patriot cameraman was (to use the baseball phrase)”stealing signs” as was alleged by the good New Yorkers. These two teams have been engaging in this sort of chickenshit psychological warfare for way too long. Even if Mangini could’ve telekinetically transmitted plays to his defense (sort of like Carrie White), it wouldn’t have made a dime’s worth of difference. The Jets stunk and their rancid fans even cheered when Pennington when out with a twisted ankle. But, while this incident (which was validated by the Commissioner’s Office on Tuesday) will cause the Patriots to be penalized in some fashion (perhaps being forced to surrender draft picks), it also enabled all of the Belichick-haters to crawl from their holes and take their shots, and labeling the Patriots as “cheaters”. How pathetic, especially in light of what Kevin Everett is dealing with at this very moment.

Football fans (this one included) have zero knowledge about the inner workings of an NFL team. The team performs on stage for three hours per week and, beyond the post-game newspeak, fans are left in the dark. The media is given only very, very limited access to practice while the only information about how the team functions is only that which they choose to communicate. All football fans know about the Patriots’ coach is the guy they see on television in a hoodie who provides little or no information to the media. Maybe in his next career he can be appointed as “The Official Keeper of State Secrets” because that’s how the operation has been run on his watch. The media sycophants grovel at his feet for the crumb or two he tosses, but the real story? Forgetaboutit…Occasionally, details of Belichick’s personal life is splashed on the pink pages of the local tabloid, but whose business is it anyhow? Such is the life of a mad genius.

He gets paid a fantastic sum of money to manage a group of ball players and synthesize their talents for the collective good. After a contentious tenure in Cleveland many years ago, he appeared to have learned and the on-field result has been positive. There are a lot of us out there who go back a long, long way with this team to the AFL days of the ‘60’s. One need only remember those days in comparison to what Mr. Kraft has done since purchasing the team and handing the football operations over to Belichick and Pioli. The only thing in common is the name “Patriots”. They have turned what was a joke, a laughingstock, into one of the most profitable and best-managed franchises in American sport. In America, if the media loves one thing more than building someone or thing up, it’s knocking someone or thing down.

Given the wealth of technological resources available with which to scout an opponent, it defies reason that the team would blatantly violate league rules by photographing the opposing coaches’ signaling the defensive play calls. It was either an unprecedented manifestation of gross stupidity (which was the SOP in the old days) or some other reason about which we’ll never know. Either way, the team is going to get whacked and you can visualize the many Patriot-haters out there (especially in Bristol, CT) just rubbing their hands with glee. Maybe regular folks ought to remember that this is supposed to be “fun”.

The Sunday Night and Monday Night games were OK. The Cowboys-Giants 45-35 final was a bit deceptive inasmuch as the Giants played with a lot of heart despite allowing six touchdowns. Eli took a real beating. Dallas appears as though they’re “back in the saddle” (a terrible pun I couldn’t resist) and are poised for a big year. How do the Ravens fumble the ball on three successive series in the first quarter? How is this possible? After they lost, an injured Ray Lewis was not at all happy with the team’s offense (who committed six turnovers). By game’s end Steve McNair was on the sidelines having re-aggravated a groin injury while Kyle Boller had a golden chance to deliver a win at the goal line and…blew the game. Ugh!

“What’s Wrong With The World Today”: In the first quarter of Ravens-Bengals, Chad “Ocho Stinko” Johnson ran a beautiful route and hauled in a pass for the first score of the game. Ocho Stinko is in the vanguard of athletes that do incredibly stupid things to draw attention to themselves. This time, he raced to the sidelines where a teammate handed him a trash bag from which he pulled a large tan jacket similar to the ones that the Hall of Fame recipients wear upon induction in Canton. Someone placed it over his shoulders as if he was James Brown at the Apollo Theatre. On the back of the coat it was written “Future HOF in 20??” No one is questioning his ability as an athlete, but how much longer is the NFL going to allow this complete lack of respect for the game? Where are the coach, management and veteran leadership? No wonder half the team’s been arrested in the last two years. Such actions lack discipline, humility and respect. This time it’s a jacket, maybe nest time it’s a top hat and cane. “Hand me down my walkin’ shoes…”
Even though the game was pretty good, Johnson’s buffoonery soured the game. People will just laugh and make jokes about it, but for anyone who has ever played the game at any level such contempt for the game strikes deeply at the core of our value systems. Playing the game one day a week is an absolute joy; it’s the other five-or-six days of practice that demand commitment and respect (together with a high threshold for pain).

About the only thing worth remembering about the 49’ers 20-17 1in over Arizona was the outstanding debut of their #1 pick Linebacker Patrick Willis, who bore an uncanny resemblance to a young Ray Lewis. He was smackin’ down anyone who crossed his path. Leinart and Smith both showed their inexperience, and the call that led to the ‘Niners winning touchdown (a pass that was dropped but ruled a catch and fumble) was absolutely criminal.

Back later this week to discuss next week's games...