>Coming to you live from a ridiculously over-priced coffee shop in Manhattan:
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>The NY Jets and Dallas Cowboys were a popular pre-season pick to go deep into January. Both look very bad in week 1: poor execution and tons of mistakes. Wade Phillips and Rex Ryan have tons of work to do.
>
>Washington has a decent defense (ranked #10 last year) and now a veteran QB who can still throw and scramble. If they show a good running game, they could be the surprise team of the NFC East.
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>If Baltimore's defense is "aging", they made a statement last night. Ray Lewis was a bloodthirsty animal on the field. The Ravens are a good team that will likely get better as the season goes on.
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>I'm not sure if the NY Giants played decently, or if Carolina is really that bad. Jury is still out on the Giants, but Carolina has terrible team speed in the defensive secondary.
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>News flash: these are not your dad's Philadelphia Eagles. If Saturday's game is any indication, they're worse, especially on defense.
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>News flash: these are not your dad's KC Chiefs. If last night's game is any indication, the KC Chiefs have discovered the concept of defense. They still have issues, but showed a few glimpses of what could be a surprising season. Their new rookie TE reminded me a bit of Tony G's rookie season in 1997.
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>I'm not surprised the Vikings lost on opening night. I also won't be surprised if they struggle to 10 wins. Not enough sparks this season...sorry, Favre fans.
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>Ironically, the most exciting (and controversial) end of a game occured between two teams that are pretty dull to watch (Detroit and Chicago). Still...Detroit might have a defense now....and Jay Cutler continues to lose brain cells.
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>Green Bay needs better pass protection....and I'm still hesitant to guess a win count for them, but Aaron R. is the real deal.
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>If the Atlanta Falcons are going to compete with the Saints, they need to win close games, even when they play AFC teams. This team is good on paper, but overrated and soft when it counts.
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>Tampa Bay tied for first...we'll see how long that lasts. Remember, they beat Cleveland. :)
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>Saints looked pretty good for a week 1 game...they'll likely have bumps, but remain the class of the NFC. Drew Brees is the best QB in the business, even better than Mr. Brady.
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>Not surprised the Seahawks beat the 49'ers...but surprised by the score. The Alex Smith watch is on....
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>And on the topic of Seattle, I do believe Pete C. can inspire a few wins.
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>The St Louis Rams are the absolute worst team to groom a QB like Sam Bradford. There oughta be a law...
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>I had zero rooting interest in New England/Bengals...however, I WAS glad to see the better team beat the snot out of a bunch of jive-talking Bengals. (Though sadly, we had to listen to Randy Moss' post-game jive talking)
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>How good is Miami? They can probably beat the best team in football by 2 points...and can barely beat the worst team in football by 5 points. Those close games are probably what drove Parcells to opt out of his GM job.
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>Know why I hate the Steelers? Because they always find ways to win. :)
>In all seriousness, I hope former Oregon star Dennis Dixon does well and goes 3-1 or better...that way, Tomlin can do the unthinkable...keep Big Ben on the bench.
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>Note to Eric Mangini...want to win? Don't let Jake Delhomme throw the ball...or even handle the ball...or even take snaps. He has more lapses in judging situations than Lindsay Lohan.
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>Is Houston for real? Answer: YES.
>Is Indy in trouble? Answer: NO.
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>Jacksonville's victory over Denver was all for coach Del rio. If Jax doesn't make the playoffs, Del Rio is history.
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>Beware of the Titans: they could go 9-1 in their first 10. They are SCARY when firing on all cylinders.
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>Denver hasn't had too much luck starting off well, so they probably figured they'd take the first week off. With some teams, it's the players. With Denver, I do believe it's as much the coaches.
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>Trivia question: when was the last time San Diego won a game where Phillip Rivers threw tantrums on the field? His act is going to wear thin. Having said that, lapses in concentration by the offensive line, and terrible special teams play killed them against KC.
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>Oakland: what a way to start a season. I still think they can go 7-9, but they looked awful.

Thanks for the post. I have not been paying much attention and don't know much more than how they did last season.

What do you have against Indy and Peyton Manning? Brees and Brady are good but Manning is by far the best QB of his generation. The Colts win their division year after year. I don't know what you want.

Not sure why you are dissing the Vikings, either. Losing Sidney Rice for the season is going to hurt but I bet they still make the playoffs.

Here is how old I am, lol -- I remember Jack Del Rio as a player at USC. I was doing consulting work for Ralph's Grocery in southern California and one of the buyers gave me a pass to USC home games. They were loaded. They had Marcus Allen and Anthony Munoz as well as Del Rio. And after one game I met OJ, Nicole, and another woman in the parking lot. She was even more drop dead gorgeous in person than the pictures show.

Jay Cutler played very well on Sunday, probably his best game as a Bear. I am not convinced about his maturity, either, but he played well. Mike Martz as offensive coordinator, a guy who wants to throw the ball down the field, may be just what the doctor ordered. Their offensive line is still highly suspect so the challenge may be to remain upright.