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Updated: 9/9/02 |
No-Brainers
Marshall Faulk at DEN
Shaun Alexander at OAK
Ahman Green vs ATL
Jerome Bettis at New England.
Anybody else thinking New England might have overplayed their hand
last year? I'm still in shock that a team with prime offensive weapons
consisting of Tom Brady, Antowain Smith, and Troy Brown can win
a Superbowl. It just doesn't seem right. I mean, it wasn't like
the Pats defense resembled the '85 Bears either... they finished
19th against the run, 24th against the pass...? This kind of thing
doesn't happen twice in a row and now that the season is here, it's
time to face reality.
This week, reality comes in the form the of the Pittsburgh Steelers
and the ground game featuring Jerome Bettis. A man, who was leading
the league in rushing a year ago before a nagging groin injury halted
his fine season. He's back, and healthy and ready to do some damage.
Here's an interesting note from our friends at ESPN... Bettis has
rushed for 1,072 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games on Monday
Night Football dating back to 1996, rushing for 100-plus yards in
eight of those contests. Yeah, that sounds good. Here's to a little
AFC Championship Game revenge for Pittsburgh this Monday night.
Bettis Recap:
(8 carries, 35 yds)
The New England Patriots ran off a streak of twenty-five straight passes from the first quarter into the third (they did have one run called back after 23 passes). They took Antowain Smith (4 rushes for 9 yards at that point) literally out of the game and went four wide. The Patriots said to the Steelers, "We're passing; you figure out where." I think everyone has seen teams run the ball repeatedly, and dare the other team to stop them, but I've never seen it so blatantly done with the pass.
I bring this up because Pittsburgh is one of those teams that, when they get going, attempt to humiliate your inability to stop the run, and the tool for that job has been Jerome Bettis. What says it all here is that the Patriots weren't even trying to run, and yet the earnestly rushing Bettis had but two more carries than Smith at the half. For the game, both Bettis' QB and the combination of Famous Amos and Tony Randall (El) had as many carries as he did. (Speaking of Randle-El, he was electric in a way that everyone expected Clinton Portis to be, or Jeremy Shockey to be. With the possible exception of David Carr, was the best of the rookie class in Week One). Most of Kordell's rushes were attempts to escape the Patriot Horde up front, but the Steelers were riddim-less across the board. Jerome was said to be on the down side this season, and true or not he was unable to dispel the rumors. I imagined the Patriots to be complacent and the Steelers resurgent. Neither was true. Time for the unfortunate grade:
Grade:
D-
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Emmitt Smith at Houston
Is it possible for Emmitt to get the rushing record in one
night? Alright, maybe that's a little much to hope for but you know
Dallas will want to establish the ground game and let Quincy Carter
ease into his 2002 season. And, for what it's worth, head coach
Jerry Jo... ooops, I mean, Dave Campo sounds like he's a one-back
kinda guy...
"Emmitt's the tailback. We're going to ride him until he needs to
come out for a breather. There's no division. Emmitt gets the ball,"
Campo said.” (Dallas
Morning News)
Emmitt has the luxury of running behind one of the biggest offensive
lines in the game and they will be a big test for the defensive
unit of the Texans. I'd make Emmitt my #1 Prime Matchup this week
if Dallas was at home, but since this game will be played in Houston,
the Cowboys may find the road a little rough during the first quarter.
Once the emotion dies down, Emmitt will be ready to roll.
Smith Recap:
(17 carries, 67 yds; 2 catches, 12 yds)
Sure is a lonely bus ride from Houston to Dallas, I'll bet. David Carr and Houston
probably surprised some people with their tenacity and early cohesiveness on defense. But I don't think
many were ready for the Supreme Suckfest that was the Dallas Cowboys in their opener. Quincy
Carter had a very effective 2nd half last year, and was looking fine in preseason. All that changed
in a hurry; Carter was pathetic. This was an EXPANSION team.
On the other hand, it's neither sensible to blame Carter entirely, nor is it necessarily relevant,
since this is a review of the Emmitt Smith pick. Emmitt is on the lower slope of that fabulous ski
resort that is his career, but with the adrenaline of the first game against
a new rival, and the desire to firmly imprint his legacy onto the NFL recordbooks, Emmitt flopped.
He had one very nice 22 yd run, and the other 16 carries netted him fewer than 50. Given who you probably
decided to sit in order to "take advantage" of Smith's game against Houston, this is a particularly harsh
blow. For all of us here at FFToday, mea culpa. Thank you, come again!
Grade:
D
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Anthony Thomas vs Minnesota
This isn't 2001, but Minnesota gave up 144 yds per game
on the ground last year. Does adding Greg Biekert change all that?
Hmmm. Chicago defeated Minnesota twice last year by counts of 17-10
and 13-6. The Bears always like "the under" and will gladly
rely on their defense and young running back to win ugly.
Jamal Lewis at Carolina
Rodney Peete? I didn't even know he was still in the league.
Knee injury or no injury to Jamal Lewis, Carolina will struggle
moving the ball, even against a Raven's defense that will likely
be a shadow of it's former self in 2002. Expect Baltimore to play
with the lead throughout the day, giving Lewis ample opportunity
to test that injured knee.
Eddie George vs Philadelphia
Since I've sort of hopped on the Eddie George bandwagon
this year, I might as well give him a nice plug here in Week 1.
Plus, this might be the healthiest he's going to be all season.
Ride 'em while you can, especially against a smallish front-seven
in Philadelphia.
Jamel White vs. Kansas City
William Green missing practice on Thursday has me a little
concerned. First, Wednesday's and Thursday are true practice days
for the clubs while Friday's are usually nothing more than walkthoughs.
The fact that he missed an important practice because of "soreness
and stiffness" just doesn't jive. Don't be shocked if you see
Jamel White get a little more playing time than you might expect.
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