Department of Hyperbole
Following the Redskins’ win over New Orleans Sunday, NFL Network’s Steve Mariucci gushed about quarterback Robert Griffin III: “This is the most athletic quarterback this league has ever seen.”
Really? Based on one game? As former coach Bill Parcells would quickly say, “Let’s not put the guy in the Hall of Fame yet.”
Is Griffin gifted? Of course, he is. Will the Redskins score 40 points every week? Of course not.
In fact, Washington was facing a New Orleans defense that wasn’t very good last year, has a new coordinator (Steve Spagnuolo), and there was no book on the Redskins’ offense because they showed nothing in the preseason.
Now that the tape is out there and defensive coordinators have a true opportunity to prepare, we’ll see what happens the rest of the way.
Let’s just cancel the order for the Canton bust and give it a tad more time.
A Bust for Ray
There will be a bust in Canton one day for Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who simply keeps defying anything anyone believes about age in the NFL. Lewis is in his 17th season and turned 37 in May.
But there he was Monday night against Cincinnati looking like a spry rookie in the Ravens’ win. It was his 223rd NFL game, and in it he had 14 tackles (11 solo) to go with a sack and forced fumble. The truth is, Lewis reinvented himself this offseason, losing about 15 pounds from his listed weight of 250 by eating healthier. It was all done with a purpose in mind making him as “light” as he has been since his rookie year (1996).
“It just naturally came off through the rigors of training and cautiously eating and things like that,” Lewis said. “You kind of just feel better, you feel totally better. For me, the game is kind of changing, so why not change with the game? There’s no more 45 times running the ball.
“Everyone wants to throw the ball, so now you adjust with the game and everything is sideline to sideline running. So, I just kind of adapted to it a little bit. I didn’t change much because what I really do, I do it for a lifestyle. I just eat a certain way because I want to be healthy, but it helps because my job is this.”
Those Rookie Quarterbacks
Much has been written and said about the five rookie quarterbacks that started on Opening Day, the most the NFL could find since at least 1950. The most since then was three in both 1968 and 1969.
We know what Griffin did, but his team was the only one that won. We also know what Cleveland’s Brandon Weeden did, which was compile a passer rating of 5.1, the worst for a rookie on Opening Day say since 1960 with at least 15 pass attempts. It was also the sixth-worst rating for any quarterback on opening day in the past 52 years.
Said Browns coach Pat Shurmur, “Brandon Weeden’s played on a big stage for a very long time. I did not see a guy that was starry-eyed; not at all. I see a guy that can play better.”
While many points have been made about the increased number of rookies starting, not only this year but in recent seasons, one often mentioned is how the colleges are preparing quarterbacks better for the NFL.
Michael Lombardi said it even goes farther back than that. He said, “It started in high school. High school football now plays passing games; they are passing leagues, there are 7-on-7 (camps). When you throw the football in high school, the clock doesn’t stop so you get more time playing football. There used to be no quarterbacks playing from college to the pros; now that’s changed.
“Right now in the NFL, there are eight quarterbacks from the state of Texas that start in the NFL. Texas used to be an option state, now it’s a passing state. This all starts with high school, builds into college and now we see it in the pros. There was a time when there were less than five quarterbacks over a 15-year span that started as rookie quarterbacks in the NFL. Not anymore. High school football is dictating a huge change in what we’re doing now.”
Thanks, Jordy
With the Packers and Bears beginning the almost-weekly Thursday night games this week, Green Bay wide receiver Jordy Nelson sounded off on the series, which is designed for television and takes little into account about the players.
Always remember, this is a league that trumpets its concern for player safety, then continually pushes for an 18-game regular season.
Said Nelson, “I hate Thursday night games. That’s dead-on honest right there. I honestly don’t think they’re good for the league. You talk about (looking out for players’) health and safety, and here we are playing two games in (five) days. It’s not my favorite thing.”
The reality is that players start feeling decent and recovering from Sunday’s games each week on Wednesday. And there they go playing the next night, with, of course, the road team traveling on Wednesday.
Tie One On
Vikings rookie kicker Blair Walsh had a heckuva debut Sunday. He nailed a 55-yard field goal to tie his team’s game against Jacksonville as time expired, then hit the winning 38-yard field goal in overtime.
Did Walsh get the ball from either kick? Nah. “I’m not a big memento guy,” he said.
However, Walsh did receive an odd gift from owner Zygi Wilf after the game, who gave him his purple tie afterward.
Said a surprised Walsh, “I guess that’s his thing to do. That was kind of funny. He literally took it off his neck and threw it at me.”
Asked what he planned to do with it, Walsh seemed perplexed. He said, “I’m definitely not going to wear it. I don’t know what to do with it, but it’s definitely a nice thing to have.
“I couldn’t even read what brand it was, so that means it’s a pretty good tie. I didn’t want to touch it or smell it or anything like that. I just put it in the locker until it was time to go home. It was pretty cool.”
Big Ben’s Legacy
Prior to the Steelers’ game Sunday against Denver, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was asked where he believes he ranks among other quarterbacks. He said, “When it’s all said and done, when I’m retired, I hope they look back and say, ‘Wow, we kind of underestimated this guy. He’s got a lot of wins and did some great things.’ To me, that’s all that matters is wins and losses, and I feel that my record should speak for itself.”
When it was noted that his career winning percentage is behind only Tom Brady, Roger Staubach and Joe Montana, Roethlisberger said, “That’s all that matters to me are wins and championships. I don’t think I’ll ever be taken first in the fantasy draft, but, that’s what it is, it’s a fantasy draft. I would hope if you ask that same guy picking the fantasy that if you had to have a game right now and you had to have a win, who would you take? I would hope I’d be at the top of that list. And, if not, prove him wrong.”
Manning Makes it Look Easy
The consummate worker, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has had to adapt to a new team for the first time in his career while also continuing rehab on his neck and getting his arm back in shape.
Despite Manning playing for only one team in his career, the offensive system never changed. With Denver it’s a little different, but he made it look easy Sunday night against Pittsburgh. But he said it wasn’t that easy.
“That’s been one of the hardest things, learning new terminology, new formations,” Manning said. “As you know, in Indianapolis we had a unique language, and it just didn’t carry over to any other team. So that’s been humbling for me. A lot of times these coaches do a double take and say, ‘I thought you were supposed to be this smart quarterback. How come you keep having to run it again?’ There has been no carryover. That’s presented a challenge, but that’s a challenge I’ve embraced.”
As for the adjustment of simply changing teams, he was asked when it hit him that he would be going somewhere new. He said, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I was in denial or whatever it was. I didn’t really know for sure until the very end. The hardest part for me was those two weeks of not being a part of a team. I’ve always gravitated to team sports. I’d only known one team for 14 years, but it’s been exciting, meeting new coaches, understanding a little different philosophy here and there, and being around new teammates, young guys that love to play. And it helps to throw in some veteran guys, Brandon Stokely. I’m so excited to have Keith Brooking here because he’s older than me.”
The Quote
Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez on comments by wide receiver Santonio Holmes that he was “rattled” when the team acquired quarterback Tim Tebow in the offseason: “I think (he) made it a little more dramatic. When you read it in the paper, it sounds like a Lifetime movie script or something, (like) he’s talking me off the ledge or something like that. Anybody in that situation would have a couple of questions about a trade like that. But as soon as I talked to the team, I really started to understand that (Tebow)is an addition, he’s not changing anything. He’s here to help us. I’m the starting quarterback. It’s nice to know that for your confidence, but at the same time, nothing was going to change how I came into the season, mentally and physically. I’ve said it before: Whether it was Peyton Manning or Tim Tebow, it didn’t really matter. I was going to play and I plan on playing well.”