NFL Week 3 Recap

Patriots Loss
Matt: That was pretty ugly, but you got to hand it to the Dolphins, their creativeness on offense and ability to ‘throw the kitchen sink’ at Cassel was a great gameplan. Luckily, they have a bye this weekend and two weeks to get ready for their next game. Prepare for some roster churning and the possibility of a QB signing.
Ahad: I expected more out of the Patriots defense. No way this team should have been killed on the run like that. Look for them to clean things up for the next game.
Mike: Can Cassel be written off already? The team did beat the Jets last week. This is not a 16-0 team this year and even with Brady, maybe they were a 13 win team. Is there a QB out there that will make this team significantly better? I don’t think so.
Evan: One of the most fabulous things I’ve ever witnessed. Does anyone think the Patriots win this game if they have Brady? With the way Miami was running the ball, I still think they win, although maybe the score would have been 38-35. I’m sticking with my Bills pick to win the division.

Eagles D
Matt: Was it their D or a horrendous effort by the Steelers offensive line? Their D was overmatched against the Cowboys last week, but I assume they blitzed much much more against Roethlisberger.
Ahad: The blitz was key. Big Ben held the ball too long and the o-line was swiss cheese. I was surprised to see the Steelers abandon the running game and not use more 3 step drops.
Mike: That was fun to watch. I have no idea what to make of this D after the Dallas game. I think there was just something special about that Cowboys game and nothing can me made too much out of the poor defensive effort. My highlight was Dawkins looking strong on his flying forced fumble.
Evan: D was awesome, very excited about this. I watched the game with a Steelers fan, which made it even better.

Kiffin Saga
Matt: I hate it. Does Al Davis even know what year it is anymore? He looks like he is dying whenever they show him. Look, if you have been wanting to fire him, then just fire him already. If not, wait and see how the season goes, and make a decision at the end. I have had enough of the rumors every Monday that Kiffin is going to be fired only to hear the next day that he is safe another week.
Ahad: Al Davis is just trying to make some headlines. I think if he is going to fire Kiffin, just go ahead and do it. There is no reason to wait around. It only hurts the players.
Mike: How about saving the news stories for a week when he isn’t about to get fired? He hasn’t had a lot to work with on the Radiers. They lost this week on a last second field goal to the AFC East leading Bills. Was Al Davis pulling for a big loss so that fewer people questioned his decision?

Griese/Orton
Matt: I like Kyle Orton, and I always have since his college days. I think he is the right fit for the Bears. They just need to open the playbook a little more. That was a nice little redemption for Griese on Sunday, but he is going to need at least two weeks rest for all the passes he threw.
Ahad: Kyle Orton will not win the Bears many games. He is more of a game manager than game changer. The team will continue to rely on the running game, defense and special teams. I have never been a Griese fan. Eventually the Bucs will have to stop rotating one veteran QB in for another.
Evan: I don’t like Orton because he played for Purdue when I was in high school playing baseball under a coach who went to Purdue. By the transitive property of being run through killer conditioning workouts, I hate Orton. Also, I’m the only Grossman fan left, including his mother. But that’s just cause he’s a Gator.

Any of the surprise undefeated/winless teams
Matt: Tennessee, Buffalo, and Baltimore are winning with the same ingredients. Tough defense, good running game, and minimizing mistakes at the quarterback position. Denver is just outgunning their opponents at this point. Buffalo would seem to be the biggest surprise of the undefeated teams. Baltimore has played both Cincy and Cleveland, two of the current bottom feeders of the league, so don’t expect their winning to continue. Tennessee has always been a tough team to play. Cleveland to me is the biggest surprise as a winless team. They just look awful at this point. It’s time for a QB change.
Ahad: The Titans are a big surprise, especially with the QB situation. It looks like Vince might have a seat on the bench for the foreseeable future. I now have to root for them as long as Collins is the QB. Cleveland looks really bad, not Rams bad, but still really bad. Quinn will have to get into a game at some point, if Romeo wants to avoid the hot seat.
Mike: The Titans are the biggest surprised undefeated team based on what has gone on. I’m with Ahad on rooting for the Titans this year. Kerry Collins is my all-time favorite college player. As for the winless teams, not too much of a shock. Cincy sounds like they should be a good team, but all they have are a couple of names. Poor Trent Green. The Rams are trotting him out as starting QB this week. He better wear two helmets.