Week 3 in the NFL
Some thoughts as I contemplate whether it's even possible for a team to announce "we're desperate!" more loudly than the Miami Dolphins did today by trading for QB Tyler Thigpen...
- Look out for the Bengals and the Broncos. When Denver defeated Cincinnati in Week 1 on a miracle touchdown reception by Brandon Stokley, I thought it was just one bad team beating another. Neither has lost since. I've been hard on Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, and Broncos coach Josh McDaniels has been destroyed by the media since he feuded with, and his team subsequently traded away, QB Jay Cutler. Both have done outstanding jobs - McDaniels by getting what was supposed to be a bad team to defeat three beatable opponents, Lewis by getting his team to bounce back from that devastating loss to take down two heavily favored teams in Green Bay and Pittsburgh.
- T.G. Smith asked me yesterday afternoon in the newsroom if there's a worse quarterback in football than JaMarcus Russell, the Oakland third-year man whose drawing justifiable comparisons to all-time bust Ryan Leaf. My immediate answer was a resounding no, but I think Carolina's Jake Delhomme should at least be in the discussion. Carolina is 0-3 after it had a dominant running game, a rock-solid defense and one of the best receivers in the game (Steve Smith) from 2008 all coming back. Delhomme is without question the primary reason for the Panthers' regression. He had three more turnovers in Monrday night's 21-7 loss at Dallas.
- On the flip side, there are some quarterbacks playing outstanding football right now. Indianapolis great Petyon Manning is probably at the top of the list, or at least sharing the top spot with New Orleans' Drew Brees, who was finally slowed down Sunday by Buffalo. Matt Schaub has gotten it going in Houston, though he shone in a losing effort against Jacksonville Sunday. And how about Kevin Kolb, who became the first QB in NFL history to throw for 300 yards or more in his first two starts while filling in for Donovan McNabb in Philadephia? Cutler has played well for the Bears his last two times out, but he's just 10th in the pass-happy NFL in passing yards.
- If I had to pick one team that looks like the best in football three weeks in, it would be Baltimore, which blew an awful Cleveland team out Sunday. The New York Giants, who remain dominant defensively after losing coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the Saints, the New York Jets and the Colts all at least merit a mention. But I still feel pretty good about my Super Bowl champion pick, New England, which will be a different team once Tom Brady hits his stride, and his favorite target, Wes Welker, gets back on the field.
