Surprises and Rookie Spotlight

Three Surprises:

1. The Packers lost against the Bears- The Packers literally did everything they could to hand the game to the Bears. The Bears did do a great job stopping the run, but the Packers had 17 penalties, and played very sloppily. They could have easily had 3 or 4 interceptions against Jay Cutler, and Aaron Rodgers completed 76% of his passes for 316 yards and yet they only put up 17 points. I think this was just a bad game for the Packers, I still see them as super bowl contenders, and Aaron Rodgers looked pretty good.

2. Pittsburgh is 3-0- The Steelers have been able to win three games without starting QB Ben Roethlisberger, and they have beaten some pretty good teams already: Falcons, Titans and Buccaneers. They have been able to do it because their defense has been nasty. The Steelers are one team I would not want to play at all especially with Roethlisberger coming back in 2 weeks. Look out for WR Mike Wallace, he is ridiculously fast, he averaged 19+ yards per catch last year, and is averaging 26+ per catch this season.

3. Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez playing well – Two guys that I had given up on are looking pretty good. Cutler looks better, but I think much of Cutler’s success can be contributed to the offense under Mike Martz and RB Matt Forte. Mike Martz offense’s seem to always put up good numbers, and Forte, who is the leading receiver, has helped Cutler by averaging 12.9 yards after the catch. He still seems to throw the ball off his back foot and force balls so I’m not completely sold on him. Sanchez has looked very good he is making good decisions and getting the ball out quick. Will see if he can keep it up.

Rookie Spotlight

3 Stars

Earl Thomas – Had his first 2 interceptions of his career in the Seahawks win against San Diego, looks like the next Bob Sanders (hopefully he can stay healthy though).

2 Stars

C.J. Spiller – Had a 95 yard kickoff return and a receiving touchdown, he showed that he can run by people in the chances he has been given.

1 Star

Dexter McCluster – McCluster had a big touchdown, and has helped the Chiefs start off 3-0. I was shocked when McCluster ran a 4.5+ in the 40 at the combine, he is really fast, he is one of those guys that gets faster when he puts on the pads.

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: