Week 2 Reflections

I don't put a lot of stock or give much attention to Week Two results like a lot of naive sports fans and media "experts" do, but I do enjoy seeing who is getting a strong start and who is struggling out of the gate.

This season hasn't been too kind so far to the likes of New Orleans and St. Louis, but it's too early to write them off. Strong starts by Detroit, Houston, Green Bay, and San Francisco could be the beginning of this year's Cinderella stories or a false mirage.

Here are some observations from Week 2:

• The state of New York is 0-6.
• Cleveland gave birth to a running attack, protected their QB (who threw 5 TD's), AND beat Cincy! And you thought Appalachian State's win in Michigan was a shock.
• Ex-Texans and current Carolina back-up QB David Carr told a reporter during the week that he was so glad to get out of Houston. If Matt Schaub's first two weeks are any indication of what the city of Houston can expect from him, I'm guessing that in ten years, Texans fans will be saying, "David Carr....David Carr....damn, that name rings a bell."
• My thoughts on Signalgate don't belong here, but I will say that videotaping signals is not the sole reason that Tom Brady is an unrivalled quarterback.
• Lions QB Jon Kitna suffered the worse concussion of his life in the second quarter, but was able to come back in the fourth to lead Detroit past Minnesota 20-17 in OT due to a miracle. "I just definitely feel the hand of God. That's all it was. You can't explain it." And, that includes a Matt Millen team starting the season 2-0.
• Tennessee just announced that coach Jeff Fisher signed a four-year extension through the 2011 season. Brilliant move by the Titans!
• How confident is Atlanta feeling about Joey Harrington ability to filling Vick's shoes (whatever that means)? After Joey's performance vs. Jacksonville, team officials are saying that Atlanta is seriously talking about signing former Jaguars QB Byron Leftwich to bring serious depth at the quarterback position and ultimately compete for the #1 spot. Boy, can't you just feel the enthusiasm from the city of Atlanta pulsating?
• The greatest play of the week comes from Mike Shanahan. You hear a lot about the real battle being between coaches, and Denver's head coach displayed a perfect example of that. The legendary coach called a timeout a millisecond before Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski nailed a 52-yard field goal in OT to win the game, probably talked about who would win an Emmy for Best Actor in a comedy, and then sent his special teams back out there. Janikowski's kick hit the left post and bounced away. On the next possession, Broncos K Jason Elam won it from 23 yards away. Raiders rookie head coach Lane Kiffin got schooled by a master.
• Before last week, I would have tabbed Bucs coach Jon Gruden or the Browns' Romeo Crennel as being on the hottest seat among employed head coaches. Now, I think that distinction goes to Tom Coughlin.
• Brett Favre is the most distinguished and humble athlete in the league. The NFL will not be the same without him whenever he walks away.
• Roger Goodell's penalty imposed on Bill Belichick (I can't stand even typing his name) and the team was fair and just.

GAMES TO KEEP AN EYE ON IN WEEK 3
San Diego at Green Bay, Indianapolis at Houston, St. Louis at Tampa Bay, Dallas at Chicago