Walker Takes a Look Back at Week 2 in The NFL
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by BigPPup
Week two of the NFL season has come to an end, and needless to say there are several surprises around the league, that have experts scratching their head. The Houston Texans are 2-0 for the first time ever. The Detroit Lions are 2-0 and look like a real team. The San Diego Chargers are worse than anyone thought, and the Saints are transforming into the A’ints.
The Houston Texans proved their week one victory was not an accident by beating NFC powerhouse Carolina. The Houston Texans have a young and aggressive defense that confused the Carolina offensive line all day and put heavy pressure on Delhomme. Steve Smith was able to rip off one of his amazing catches but the rest of the Panthers were bottled up. More importantly for the Texans their offensive line is giving their quarterback time. Matt Schaub led the nation in passing efficiency his senior year in college. In two starts this season he has completed 72% of his passes, including going 20-28 and 2 touchdowns on Sunday. If the Texans continue to give Schaub time in the pocket he will find the open receiver. The Texans are looking to be a competitor in the AFC South this season, next week’s game against the Colts will be a true measuring stick to find out where this team is at.
Jon Kitna promised that the Lions would win 10 games this season. Currently they have two, and that matches their total from last season. Kitna suffered a concussion in Sunday’s game, but he came back late in the game to lead the Lions comeback in overtime. Granted the Minnesota Vikings are not the most talented team in the league, the Lions showed guts when they typically roll over. However, for a team with the history of the Lions every win is a big step in the right direction. The Lions have gone through a slew of first round receivers, and they finally found a pair that can stick. Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams are a dangerous duo who can stretch any defense down the length of the field. The Detroit Lions are far from being a polished product but with Kevin Jones returning in two weeks the Lions are a team that can make serious noise in a shaky NFC North.
The San Diego Chargers are 1-1 not bad, but hardly convincing. The Chargers won their season opener despite the offense playing poorly. On Sunday night they were terrible against the New England Patriots. LaDainian Tomlinson was held to 43 yards on the ground and no touchdowns. The Chargers offensive line let them down on Sunday. Rivers was sacked three times, and looked unsettled in the pocket throughout the night. If the line does not settle down, the Chargers will continue to struggle. In addition to a shaky offense, the Chargers defense has lost their spark from last season. Wade Phillips coached an aggressive defense that blitzed often and pressured the opposing quarterback. Ted Cottrell runs a more conservative defense centered on containing an offense and not giving up big plays. The change in philosophy has caused the Chargers to lose their bite. They need to find it quickly if they want to get close to the level of success they experienced last season.
The New Orleans Saints were the darling of the NFL last season, while they struggled to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. After experiencing amazing success last year, the Saints have come out flat in 2007. Last year the Saints played on emotion. They had the excitement of Reggie Bush and the energy of Drew Brees who was out to prove he was a legitimate NFL quarterback. This year every team is aware of what the Saints can do and they have game planned to stop it. Currently the Saints are 0-2 and Tampa Bay destroyed them on Sunday. The league has caught up to Reggie Bush and he can no longer rely on his speed to elude defenders. Although New Orleans is off to a rocky start they have to remember the fact that they play in the NFC South and that means two games against the Atlanta Falcons.
