Sorts of Sports

NFL Talk: Week 5 Review

(Editor's Note: Introducing Jeff to the SortsofSports team. In between studying at Roger Williams and lifting weights, he has time to put together his thoughts.)

It was an interesting week in the NFL as I thought the Packers were going to lose their first game this season during the first half of the game. It was a tough loss for the Falcons, considering they were up 14-0 on the defending Superbowl champs late in the second quarter. Aaron Rodgers did not let his team get discouraged as he picked up the slack, throwing for almost 400 yards and 2 TD's. Also chipping in for a big game was Green Bay's receiver, James Jones, hauling in 5 receptions for 140 yards and a TD. Let's see if Rodgers can roll by the Rams at home next week to improve to 6-0.

Denver fans could not have been happier to see Kyle Orton pulled and see the work in progress, Tim Tebow, go to work. Tebow ran for a TD run and threw a pass to Knowshon Moreno for a touchdown in one half, which got many cheers from the fans. Despite the loss, fans must seem pretty eager to see the mechanical, fundamental, robot himself, try to carry the team for the rest of the season and see a couple W's along the road. After the buy for the Broncos next week, will Tebow do his studying over the break, or will the Dolphins keep the Broncos and Tebows dreams discouraged? I see the Broncos winning 24-20 over the Dolphins in two weeks while both teams have new quarterbacks in the starting position.

Solid win for the Patriots against the Jets on Sunday, and a great effort from the defense. Not the strongest game the defense has had by any means, but it's a start. One player who has surprised me throughout the first five games is the running of BenJarvus Green-Ellis. He is no offensive stud like Tom Brady, but after watching the game the other night, this kid always makes a second effort. He is always trying to pick up the extra few yards and I think he's starting to become very effective for the Pats to open up Brady's passing game. The Pats will host the Cowboys next week at Gillette and they will be tested with their pass defense as it looks like Dez Bryant and Miles Austin will be playing. I see New England pulling out with a win although topping the Cowboys 31-24.

Now is my chance to give my late hit to Michael Vick, and just like everyone else in the league, I will not be penalized. Seems fair right? I do want to mention that I did see the refs throw out a couple of late hit and roughing the passer flags and I was quite impressed, actually. But don't think this will occur every week. I'm not going to lie, I have been a Vick fan ever since I opened the box for Madden 04, but what the hell is wrong with his team? First off, you usually will not win when you throw 4 picks in one game, just ask Tom Brady, but the Eagles do have a roster that is a Superbowl contender and easily on paper should be known as a top 3 team in the NFL.

The Eagles lost to the Bills last week mainly in part to their running game. You do have to give props to Fred Jackson of the Bills though who had a decent game himself. He is averaging around 6 yards per carry this season which is very impressive. The Bills are a team determined to win and make a name for themselves this year. The Eagles have now lost 4 straight and things can only seem to get better. I think that the Eagles are a great comparison to the Miami Heat and will make the playoffs and go far. They just have too much talent to not make the playoffs. With Andy Reid as the head coach too, you can only see improvement with the stars he has on his roster. If Vick and the rest of his company can stay healthy I think they will be able to pick things up and start making a midseason run towards the wildcard or maybe division win. Realize as a team that not a single game you play is a given, and I think football fans will see a whole new team for the remainder of the season. The Eagles are at Washington next week and if they can escape with a win, they get a week off to prepare for a tough game against the Cowboys on a Sunday Night Game. My prediction is that the Eagles will start picking up the slack as a whole and stun the Redskins in Washington with a 34-20 victory.

The Monday night game has a team in it that seems to be an absolute, full grown operation with major plans for this season and in the future. That team, of course, is Calvin Johnson. Besides the fact that Megatron himself is a freak athlete, the Detroit Lions are one of the best teams in the NFL. They have had so many number one picks and early first round picks that are finally paying off. Matt Stafford is still maturing and with each game you can see him getting better. With weapons on his side of the ball, including Calvin Johnson, a 6'5 God, Jahvid Best a second year speedster out of Cal, and Titus Young, a rookie wide receiver, out of Boise State, this team has too much potential. I have been a huge Jahvid Best fan in college football and it's no doubt that he's going to be a great running back in the NFL. Then you have the big upfront defense. The young defensive linemen, Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, are living boulders up front, that move, and move fast at the snap of the ball. They too are both athletic freaks, especially for the position they play up front. I am watching the Bears vs. Lions game as I write this, and the only way the Bears seem to be moving the ball, is through the air, thanks to the skills of Jay Cutler and Devin Hester. Another player I like on the Lions defense is Stephen Tulloch. Tulloch is a huge 250 pound Inside Linebacker who is amazing when they put in a blitz package. I believe that the number one area of improvement for the Lions is the pass defense, and in particular the secondary. They are pretty young, averaging around 4 years of experience, in total, at the defensive back position. The Lions are currently on an 8-game winning streak and soon to be 9 game streak, after they beat the Bears. Yes, my prediction is that the Lions will defeat the Bears 24-20. For all of you fun fact people as well, the Lions started their regular season win streak at the end of last season. The first team they defeated to start this streak was the soon-to-be Super Bowl Champions, the Green Bay Packers. Maybe there is something there?

Until week 6 -Megatron