Patriots Dominate Jets, 45-3

Well, that was interesting.  The Jets dominated in all facets.  They dominated themselves.  They were simply terrible tonight.  And yes, Brady, Welker, Woodhead and the gang were great, but the Jets made this one a lot worse than it had to be.

Hernandez with a TD against the Jets.  Photo: Getty Images

At the half I said out loud, "Sanchez is going to start forcing passes."  Keith said to me after INT #1, "he is going to throw three more" (only ended up with two more).  The Jets' Punter Weatherford kicked terribly, consistently giving the Patriots a short field to work with.  And you can't give number 12 a short field.

The Patriots have been a very opportunistic team this year.  When you make a mistake against them, they make you pay.

My only question is, where has Aaron Hernandez been the past three weeks?  I've been all over this kid since the draft.  He is a NIGHTMARE to match up against.  He runs routes like a receiver, yet he is nearly as big as a tight end.  And his quickness is better than most at either position.  I think he needs to be highly involved in the Pats' offense come playoff time.

Offense: Overrated and Underrated

QB

Underrated – Kyle Orton, I don’t know how Orton, who is 31-22 as a starter, is still under the radar. This year he is tearing it up; he is second in passing yards and has 8 TDs and 3 INT’s. He has put up these stats without any big name receivers around him. He has helped put Brandon Lloyd (leads the NFL in receiving yards), Eddie Royal, and Jabar Gaffney all in the top 20 in receiving yards.

Overrated – Carson Palmer, the Bengals loaded up with new receiving talent this year but

Palmer has underwhelmed. Palmer has thrown some costly interceptions this season and led the Bengals to a disappointing 2-3 start.

Best Rookie – Sam Bradford, he came onto the worst team in the NFL and has already led them to 2 wins and they are sitting 2^nd in their division right now. I think even the biggest football fan would have a very hard time naming 2 or 3 players on the Rams roster let alone a receiver.

RB

Underrated – LeSean McCoy, in his second year as a pro, and a first year as a starter, McCoy has proved he can be a carry the load and can catch the ball out of the back field. He has done a great job filling the void left by Brian Westbrook.

Overrated – Clinton Portis, has had some injury problems the last 2 years, and has not had a 100+ yard rushing game in almost a year. He is a big name, but ever since he left Denver he has not averaged over 4.3 yards a carry.

Best Rookie – Jahvid Best, has stepped in right away and has become the Lions starter. Even with a sub-par offensive line Best has found success. He has done a really good job catching the ball out of the backfield, he is second out of all RBs in receptions and yards.

WR

Underrated – Malcom Floyd, with Vincent Jackson holding out, Floyd has gotten a chance to be the primary target. The big 6’5” receiver is a deep threat and is averaging 22.6 yards per catch. He is probably going to end up putting up Randy Moss like stats this year, but has not garnered much attention.

Overrated – Dwayne Bowe, his first two years as a pro Bowe dominated and he looked like he was going to be a star. You would think with Todd Haley, who is a pass heavy coach, Bowe would continue to shine, but he has digressed. The Chiefs offense really needs Bowe to step up and be the player he was two years ago.

Best Rookie – Mike Williams, the late third rounder has been a stud leading all rookie receivers in yards, catches and touchdowns. The Josh Freeman –Williams connection could be a dominate combination for a long time to come.

TE

Underrated – Zach Miller, not too many people know how good Miller is other than Raiders fans. Miller had 805 yards receiving last year and is second for all tight ends in receiving yards.

Overrated – Jeremy Shockey, he is a big name player but has not been a playmaker for the Saints like he was in New York. He is probably not even a top 10 tight end anymore.

Best Rookies – Aaron Hernandez, Jermaine Gresham, and Tony Moeaki, All three of these tight ends have made a big impact on their team. Hernandez has shown the ability to run after the catch. Gresham is a big athletic tight end who is a great weapon in the red zone. Moeaki has been a surprise this year, he has quickly become Matt Cassel’s favorite target leading the Chiefs in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.

MNF: New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins

Patriot’s players to watch:

WR Randy Moss – Has had some big games against the Dolphins, he will probably targeted early on a few deep passes to open up the defense.

S Pat Chung – The second year player leads the Patriots in tackles, and has been all over the field.

TE Aaron Hernandez – Has looked really good so far, he is really impressive after the catch.

Dolphin’s players to watch:

WR Brandon Marshall – Has been well worth the trade, a great combination of size, speed and route running ability.

RB Ronnie Brown and RB Ricky Williams – They surprised the Patriots with the Wildcat a few years ago, and seem to add a new wrinkle every time the face the Patriots defense.

The Secondary – Their young secondary has looked good so far, but how will they do against all the weapons on the Patriots offense?

Overview: This is a huge game in the AFC East. The Patriots, Dolphins and Jets all seem like playoff contenders but one is probably going to be left out of the playoffs. I can see this game being a shoot out, the Patriots defense has been struggling, but their offense is very good. I can see this game coming down to a field goal.

The pick: Patriots +1 – The Patriots may have trouble stopping WR Brandon Marshall and the different running attacks, but I think this will end up being a high scoring game, and I would bet on QB Tom Brady over QB Chad Henne.

Week 2: Rookie Spotlight (Rolando McClain Video)

3 Stars: RB Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions

Best took the offense on his back, running the ball 17 times for 78 yards, 2 touchdowns, and also had 9 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown. The Lions went on to lose 35-32 to the Eagles, but Best single handedly kept them in the game. Although the Lions are 0-2 they have shown a lot of promise in their first two games. As long as Best can stay healthy, (he dropped into the late round because of durability issues); I think he has a good chance of winning offensive rookie of the year honors.

2 Stars: TE Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots

On a team with WR Randy Moss and WR Wes Welker and other weapons, the last person you would think would be leading the team in receiving yards is rookie fourth round draft pick Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez’s has shown the ability to make people miss in the open field, taking short passes and creating big gains. He went for 100+ yards receiving last game and is averaging 20 yards per reception. Hernandez reminds me a lot of Kellen Winslow Jr., but he may be even quicker. With RB Kevin Faulk done for the year, I think Hernandez’s will become a go to receiver on third downs.

1 Star: QB Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams

Bradford has been asked to do a lot so far as rookie QB. He was drafted by the worst team in the NFL without a lot of weapons on offense other than RB Steven Jackson who has not played great to this point. Bradford has kept the Rams in both the games he has played and has attempted 80 passes already. I think many young quarterbacks in his shoes would have already been benched. He has done a great job giving his team a chance to win.

Honorable Mention: LB Rolando McClain, Oakland Raiders

McClain has not been lighting up the stat sheet but this worth talking about after this vicious hit: