Point 1: The Miami Dolphins will be keeping
a close eye on Dallas Clark this Monday night.
With
the Colts' No. 2 wide receiver, Anthony Gonzalez, sidelined with a knee
injury, it makes sense that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning will lean
more heavily on his top receiver, Reggie Wayne, and tight end Dallas
Clark when Indianapolis plays in Miami. Behind those two top-notch
targets, the team has a pair of talented, but still young and
developing receivers--second-year player Pierre Garcon and rookie
Austin Collie. Indianapolis also added former Eagle Hank
Baskett
to the mix this week.
But in addition to Clark clearly being the
second-best
receiver on the team right now, all you had to do was take note of
Miami head
coach Tony Sparano's comments during his Friday press conference to
realize that the 30-year-old tight end is clearly on Miami's radar this
week.
“I
spent a lot of time with Dallas when he came out as a player, out of
college. I was coaching the tight ends at the time," Sparano said. "I
thought the guy was a very smart football player, but more importantly,
this guy is just a football player. I mean, really likes it, likes the
game. (He's) curious about it, likes lifting weights. Just a football
junkie,
one of those types of guys.
"I think his strengths are his
hands, number one. His route-running ability detached from
the
formation, I think the guy is outstanding out in space like that. I
think he is a much better blocker than people give him credit for. I
think the way you have to prepare to handle him is similar to the way
you have to handle a Tony Gonzalez type of player.”
Sparano's
Dolphins allowed Gonzalez to roll up 73 receiving yards and score a
touchdown during a disappointing 19-7
loss to the Falcons. They hope to rebound with a win over
the Colts, who
held off
the Jacksonville Jaguars by a count of 14-12 last Sunday.
Point 2: Jets
safety Jim Leonhard says that head coach Rex Ryan doesn't coach effort.
One
of the reasons I enjoy interviewing NFL players so much is that they
come up with some really intriguing quotes during the course of our
conversations. And this week, one of the real gems came from Jets
starting safety Jim Leonhard.
Jim Leonhard has helped get the Jets up to speed on Rex Ryan's defense.
Nick Laham/Getty Images |
An undrafted free agent who made
the 53-man roster in Buffalo back in 2005, Leonhard really began
to hit his stride in Baltimore last year under the tutelage of
defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. While also working as the team's punt
returner, Leonhard posted a career-high 69 tackles. And then
he
showcased his ability as a playmaker during the 2008 playoffs with an
interception, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
When
Ryan left the Ravens to become the new head coach of the Jets,
Leonhard was thrilled that his former defensive coordinator wanted him
to sign-on with the Jets as well--largely because the 5-foot-8,
186-pound safety admired Ryan's approach to coaching.
"Most
coaches distance themselves from players, and they kind of make it seem
like they are above the players, but Rex makes it feel like he's truly
one of the guys." the 26-year-old defender explained. "He's going to
coach the hell out of you, and you’re going to get done everything you
want to do. But he actually cares about his players, he actually enjoys
being around his players, and his entire staff is the same way."
I
asked Leonhard about a phrase that Ryan had mentioned at the NFL Combine earlier this year--"Plays like a Jet"--and asked him
to
tell me what that meant from a player's point of view.
"I think
the main thing he tried to get across is just playing with passion," he
said. "You saw that with Baltimore. You always talked for years about
how hard they play, that they actually look like they care about each
other, they actually look like they want to win for each other.
"I
think that’s where it starts, with a certain level of competitiveness
that you don’t always see players have. He demands that. He won’t coach
effort, it’s not going to happen. If he has to coach effort, you’re not
going to be there. "
The Jets safety was clearly excited about this weekend's huge
divisional matchup against the New England Patriots.
"To
go against Tom Brady--who’s making his comeback and is trying to prove
to the entire league and to a lot of fans and doubters that he is
100-percent back--you have to like that challenge. And we’re going to
give
him everything we have," he said.
Point 3: The
Minnesota Vikings have created another smokescreen.
You
may not have noticed, but there was a very odd development in Minnesota
over the last few weeks. The Vikings have thrown up a smokescreen that
is almost as good as the one that we saw before they signed Brett Favre
back in August.
Is Tarvaris Jackson really on the same level as Sage Rosenfels?
Jeff Gross/Getty Images |
Minnesota have Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels
listed as their No. 2
quarterback on their depth chart, apparently with the hope of
raising Jackson's perceived value before the NFL
trading
deadline.
If you don't believe
that Jackson's current slotting on the depth chart is simply
shrewd posturing, don't forget that prior to Favre's arrival
there
was little doubt that Rosenfels would be the team's starter--with
Jackson anointed as the first-string clipboard holder. But after Favre
arrived, Rosenfels injured his ankle. And when he returned, he
supposedly had fallen into a tie on the depth chart as the regular
season
opened.
If
Rosenfels wasn't clearly the No. 2 quarterback in Minnesota, the
Vikings should have cut the former Texans quarterback loose when they
made their final roster cuts. Rosenfels has already banked a
$1.4
million signing bonus, but the team could have more than
offset
that cap hit by relieving themselves of his $2
million salary. Instead, that salary is now guaranteed. So
does it
seem reasonable to you that Minnesota just committed a total of $3.4
million to a possible third-string talent? Meanwhile, Jackson
is in the
final year of a deal that pays him a $535,000 salary. His salary cap
hit is $205,000 higher due to prorated bonus money.
Add it
all up, and it just doesn't make sense. The team
even squirreled
away John David Booty, their third quarterback from last year's
roster, to the practice squad--for now.
By the Tuesday following Week
Six, the deadline for trades, I fully expect to see Jackson as a member
of one of the clubs
who are already sensing they may have serious problems at the
quarterback position. Carolina, Oakland, and Jacksonville quickly come
to mind as potential destinations for him.
Point 4:
There are four must-watch matchups that I'll be
keeping a close eye on this week.
It's a good thing that the Jets play their home games
outdoors, because the buzz and emotion in that stadium this weekend
would likely bring the roof down on that stadium if they had one.
Mark Sanchez squares off against Tom Brady for the first time,
and if he manages to win that matchup--especially after a very good
opening day performance against the Texans--no one will think of him as
a rookie again. Jets safety Kerry Rhodes has stated that
the defense will hit Brady at least six times, and talked
about his desire to embarrass the Patriots, bringing an end to their
eight-game winning streak at New York.
These teams simply don't like each other. Every play in this
contest is going to count.
Ravens DT Haloti Ngata will have an edge against a banged-up Chargers offensive line.
Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images |
Although the Bears-Steelers contest should be fun to watch,
I'll be surprised if Chicago keep pace with the Steelers, so during the
late-game slate of action, I'll be keeping a closer watch on the Ravens
at the Chargers. Neither team looked as sharp as I expected
during their respective season openers. The Chargers barely slipped by
the Raiders, and the Ravens didn't pull away from the Chiefs until late
in the game--even though Kansas City had Brodie Croyle at quarterback
instead of Matt Cassel. That had to be a wake-up call for both
teams, so it'll be interesting to see how they react with a more
formidable opponent on tap this week.
On Sunday night, the Giants are at Dallas. Prior to
watching last weekend's action, I would have given the Giants a solid
edge in this one, but Dallas showed that they have to potential to put
a more balanced offensive attack on the field than I thought they would
this season. Quarterback Tony Romo looked as sharp as ever as the team
rolled over Tampa Bay, putting a dent in preseason speculaion that
Dallas would have to rely more heavily on their rushing attack this
year. This should be a contest that goes down to the final seconds.
While I already talked a bit about Monday Night's
Colts-Dolphins matchup, this game is huge for both teams. Indianapolis
has sole possession of the AFC South after Week One, but their offense
isn't exactly clicking yet. Although Reggie Wayne turned in a
league-best performance last week with 162 receiving yards, the Colts
need more than just Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark to really open up
this offense. Running backs Joseph Addai (2.5 yards per carry) and
rookie Donald Brown (3.0 yards per carry) need to show that they can be
more productive if Indy's polished play-action passing game is going to
be effective.
The Dolphins are a team that should be competing for the AFC
East title, so they can't afford to go 0-2 out of the gate. While many
thought that the AFC East would be a two-team race between Miami and
New England, the Bills and the Jets showed that they are very capable
of being in the mix. By the end of this week's action, either the
Patriots or the Jets will be 2-0, so Miami can't afford to still be in
search of their first win as they pack their bags for San Diego next
week.
Although all four games are toss-ups, I'm giving a slight edge
to the Jets--who will be playing their game with a Super-Bowl
pitch of emotion, the Ravens because their defense should have a slight
edge over the Chargers offense, the Giants due to their running backs
against a questionable Dallas rush-defense, and the Colts--simply
because the Dolphins offense looks even more out of sync than
Indy's offense so far.
Point 5: Last
week's top targets weren't consistently the top
performers.
Santonio Holmes caught nine of 11 passes thrown his way for 131 yards.
Elsa/Getty Images |
Pittsburgh's Santonio Holmes, Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne,
Green Bay's Greg Jennings, New England's Randy Moss and Cardinals
running back Tim Hightower logged more than 100 receiving yards
as their team's top targets during the first
week of NFL action. But there were some noteworthy receivers
who were the intended target of passes at least ten times last
week who didn't finish with 100 yards or as the team's top
receiver.
Atlanta's Roddy Whilte had ten passes thrown his direction,
but he and quarterback Matt Ryan connected on just half of those
attempts for 42 yards. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco tried to complete
ten passes to Derrick Mason against the Chiefs, but they were
successful just four times for 47 yards.
The worst ratio was shared by two of the league's most
respected wide receivers. The Panthers' Steve Smith tried to pull in 13 balls from a trio of
quarterbacks--Jake Delhomme, Josh McCown, Matt
Moore--but was only able to snare three of them for 21 yards. And the
Lions' Calvin Johnson was only able to grab three of the 13 passes
thrown by rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford during
Detroit's loss to the Saints.
The blame for the miscues don't belong solely to the
quarterback or the receiver in these cases, but it's worth keeping an
eye on all of these pairings this week to see how last week
impacts how frequently they attempt to hook up--and their
success when they do.
Point 6:
During this week's game against the Broncos, we'll get a much
better read on Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn.
During Cleveland's season opener, Quinn wasn't able to have
much of an impact on the game and was sacked five times. His
only touchdown pass, along with nearly half of his 205 passing yards,
came during a shotgun drive with roughly three minutes
remaining and the Browns trailing by 21 points.
But that was against the Vikings, who have one of the
top defensive units in the NFL. And although Denver's defense won't be
a pushover by any means, Quinn should have a bit more time to throw
this week.
Brady Quinn needs to improve on last week's performance.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images |
That said, the third-year player will still have to be
particularly wary of veteran cornerback Champ Bailey before he releases
a pass from his fingertips. And if he wants to keep his receivers
healthy, he'll need to make sure he's aware of Brian Dawkins' proximity
to his targets.
While he addressed reporters on Friday, Browns offensive
coordinator Brian Daboll made note of how dangerous the pair of
defensive backs can be.
"Dawkins, he will knock your head off if you’re not careful,"
he said. "Champ Bailey is a ball-hawk. He has great speed, good
quickness, good eyes on the quarterback."
Another challenge that Daboll has spotted is how
Denver has deployed their 3-4 defense under the leadership of defensive
coordinator Mike Nolan.
"The 3-4 scheme, sometimes they hit the gap. Sometimes they
play two gap. Sometimes they go ahead and mix the fronts up," he
explained.
If Quinn can put together a stronger performance this week
than he did against Minnesota, there'll be reason for optimism in
Cleveland. But if he falters badly and can't move the team effectively
through the air for the second week in a row, Cleveland's fans
may get antsy and start calling for Derek Anderson with
the Ravens on the schedule next weekend.
Point 7: One of
the most overlooked passing statistics is percentage of throws for a
first down.
Talk
about NFL quarterbacks with most people and they rattle off touchdowns,
passing yards, interceptions, and occasionally completion
percentage. They
rarely talk about one of my favorite passing statistics--the percentage
of a quarterback's throws that resulted in a first down.
I think
that's a truly significant measurement when you evaluate quarterbacks.
Since teams pass more often on third down than first down, your
quarterback better be able to connect with a receiver beyond the chains
to keep drives alive. Just ask the Arizona Cardinals, who opted to pass
on all 14 of their third-down opportunities, including three of them in
which they needed two yards or less to move the chains.
Last
week, seven of the league's eight passers whose first-down
percentage
was higher than 40 percent led their team to victory--Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck (47.2%), New Orleans' Drew Brees (47.1%), Baltimore's Joe
Flacco (46.5%), Pittsburgh's Ben Roethilsberger (41.9%), the Jets' Mark
Sanchez (41.9%), Atlanta's Matt Ryan (41.7%), and New England's Tom
Brady. The only exception was Washingon's Jason Campbell (46.2%).
At
the other end of the spectrum, just one quarterback out of the five who
converted less then 25 percent of their passes for a first down ended
up with a win last week. Minnesota's Brett Favre (19.0%) was lifted to
a win by Adrian Peterson's spectacular rushing performance and a stingy
Vikings defense. But the Texans' Matt Schaub (21.2%), the Rams' Marc Bulger (19.4%), the Lions' Matthew Stafford (18.9%) and the Jaguars'
David Garrard (14.3%) weren't as fortunate.
If you missed my
Quarterback Power Rankings for this week--that include first-down
percentage as one of the factors in the rankings--click here to check them out.
Follow Ed Thompson on Twitter
Click here for more coverage of your favorite NFL team.
A member of the Pro Football Writers of America, Ed Thompson's player interviews and NFL features are published across the Scout.com network and at FOXSports.com.