# NFL: Week 1 - "We're back baby!" **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 9, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679 "2011-09-09T01:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/121 "2011-09-11T23:55:25Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > As usual, Tom Brady is having a great game, throwing four touchdowns with no picks and the Patriots are leading the Chiefs 34-7. > > Wait…that’s Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills??? Is this madness??? Yeah, I wish I’d seen that one coming. Wow. For a day at least, hope springs eternal. > [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Panthers lost a close one to the Cards. They were more competitive than I thought they’d be, but the defense sucks pretty bad. Damn they can’t tackle for crap. Newton threw for over 400 yards with 2 TDs and a QB rating of 110.4, so not too bad for his first start. The offense is a lot more dynamic under Chudzinski than it’s been in a long time. It’ll be a long season, but I’m optimistic with Newton. Uh… wow. Glad you stuck around, Steve Smith! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/122 "2011-09-12T00:01:38Z")
> [@Mince](#): > > If by “not too bad” you mean “ridiculously fantastic,” then, yeah, Cam Newton’s performance was not too bad. 65% completions, 422 yards, 2 touchdowns, 110 QB rating…in his first game! It was only the Cardinals, but he destroyed them. He did throw one pick and another was called back due to a dubious penalty. Obviously he has a bit to learn, but he looks pretty damn good. I would have gone with “ridiculously fantastic” if he somehow completed the last drive with a winning TD. He had 4 shots in the red zone. Not all his fault certainly, but _that_ would have been awesome. Still, he was more accurate than I expected, which was his biggest question mark. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/123 "2011-09-12T00:02:07Z")
Skins knock off the Giants. Sexy Rexy is back baby! ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/124 "2011-09-12T00:05:38Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Sexy Rexy is back baby! Hey, Rex Grossman is a Super Bowl winning Quarterback. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/125 "2011-09-12T00:08:42Z")
> [@Mince](#): > > Hey, Rex Grossman is a Super Bowl winning Quarterback. You mean Super Bowl _losing_ quarterback. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/126 "2011-09-12T00:10:53Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > You mean Super Bowl _losing_ quarterback. Nope. Grossman won that Super Bowl for Indianapolis. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/127 "2011-09-12T00:16:36Z")
> [@Mince](#): > > Nope. Grossman won that Super Bowl for Indianapolis. Fair enough. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/128 "2011-09-12T00:23:19Z")
> [@Mince](#): > > If by “not too bad” you mean “ridiculously fantastic,” then, yeah, Cam Newton’s performance was not too bad. 65% completions, 422 yards, 2 touchdowns, 110 QB rating…in his first game! It was only the Cardinals, but he destroyed them. He did throw one pick and another was called back due to a dubious penalty. Obviously he has a bit to learn, but he looks pretty damn good. It is QUITE an odd feeling to have watched my beloved Panthers lose yet again, and at the same time be pretty happy about the game. I was skeptical at Carolina’s decision to start a rookie, in spite of Newton’s college record. I can only hope that this performance was not a fluke and that he can continue something near this level of play. **SouthernYankee** has a point about Newton’s play on the last drive, but hey, every quarterback screws up drives. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/129 "2011-09-12T00:23:46Z")
As long as we’re on the subject of Super Bowl “winning” quarterbacks, many thanks to Minnesota for taking McNabb off of our hands. How’s that working out? ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/130 "2011-09-12T00:30:04Z")
Yay. Eagles win. And they sucked. Lucky the STL rookies dropped three first down passes, not to mention the star STL RB getting injured. I expect 6-8 wins for the Eagles. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/131 "2011-09-12T02:10:26Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > . McNabb was solid and moved the ball and scored points on drives. > . Yeah, that was a great 39 yards. Really moved it. 39 yards. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/132 "2011-09-12T02:32:29Z")
I’m glad the Bills won. But I’d feel better if I could really believe that they had won the game rather than the Chiefs losing it. It’s got to be a demoralizing loss for Kansas City. Everybody’s been talking about how tough a season they’re facing. But the first couple of weeks were supposed to be gimmes for them before they got to the hard part. They’ve got to be saying “We just lost 41-7 and this is the good part of our season?” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/133 "2011-09-12T03:16:01Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Encouraging first half from the Vikings against the Bolts. Percy take the opening kickoff to the house which is always a good way to start a season. McNabb was solid and moved the ball and scored points on drives. Uh… McNabb led the team to 10 points on drives in the first half (and the rest of the game, as it turned out). I mean, it’s better than nothing, but it’s not what I’d call encouraging. 28 net passing yards, even against the league’s #1 defense, should be pretty fucking worrying. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/134 "2011-09-12T03:26:13Z")
> [@borschevsky](#): > > In a shocking turn of events, the Chargers give up a kickoff return TD on the first play. And went on to win the game. They certainly looked better as the game went on. ---
**Author:** ![Library\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cab0a1/32.png) [@Library\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Library_Boy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/135 "2011-09-12T03:54:44Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Encouraging first half from the Vikings against the Bolts. Percy take the opening kickoff to the house which is always a good way to start a season. McNabb was solid and moved the ball and scored points on drives. > > The Purple defense has been good too. Good pass rush (nice to see they can put heat on the QB without the Williams Wall), and some good plays in the secondary. Hopefully they can keep it going in the second half against a good team. And your second half analysis? ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/136 "2011-09-12T04:02:29Z")
> [@Library\_Boy](#): > > And your second half analysis? [DIOGENES]We want Tarvaris! We want Tarvaris! We want Tarvaris![/DIOGENES] ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/137 "2011-09-12T04:34:22Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > Yay. Eagles win. And they sucked. Lucky the STL rookies dropped three first down passes, not to mention the star STL RB getting injured. > > I expect 6-8 wins for the Eagles. They started out really badly. They finished really convincingly. I didn’t see anything today that changed my mind about the outcome of this team. They got a lot of pressure on the QB and forced bad throws into terrific coverage, for the most part. They got run over. They had trouble sustaining drives. Their offensive line started badly and finished really, really good. The defense worked to perfection once they got the lead and got to play the pass every down. The drops hurt the Rams, badly. But they also got the benefit of three seriously bogus penalties on three third downs and each resulted in automatic first downs and two of those then resulted in points. So that seems to wash to me. I think that was a tougher game than the Eagles will get credit for, even if it seemed like most people (“experts”)were picking the Rams. All in all a satisfying win to start a new season. I’m scared to see this run defense try to handle Michael Turner and Bradshaw/Jacobs in consecutive weeks… so hopefully they figure something out there. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/138 "2011-09-12T04:58:14Z")
Bears fan here. Things I hate: Michael Vick doing well. Need I explain? Things that shock me: Cam Newton doing well - I was sure his game would not translate to the NFL. Seriously, Buffalo? Are you badass? Indy wants the first pick? Embarrassing loss. Washington can win with Sexxy Rexxy? Not a bad QB, but never really sparkled in Chi-town. Things that please me: Other than pass blocking, the Bears rawked. Urlacher hit the cycle despite being old. Team forced multiple turnovers. McNabb’s tank appears to be empty: QB rating = 47.9. Every time Dallas loses - but that’s just me and about 99% of the NFL-viewing public. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/139 "2011-09-12T05:21:38Z")
The Bears giving up over 400 gross yards is a bit unnerving. With an 18-point win, it might be easy to dismiss, but Atlanta ran for almost 8 yards a carry and the Bears can’t count on 5 sacks and 3 turnovers every game. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679/140 "2011-09-12T14:13:47Z")
One thing I noticed watching the games, and highlights, that I did was that the tackling was really, really bad. The Vikings missed a ton of tackles, as did the Rams, Falcons, Steelers, Titans, and even the Packers. It may be the result of the shortened off season, but the defenses that tackled well (Ravens, Bears) looked to be in mid-season form. There’s gotta be a lot of defensive coordinators going hard on their guys this week. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-1-were-back-baby/595679.md?page=8)