NFL update week 3

Just some random thoughts after week 3 of the NFL season.

Is the balance of power finally shifting back from the AFC to the NFC?

It's early in the season, yes. But it looks like the stronger teams early in this season are in the NFC. It's a long season, and injuries always play a part in a team's direction, (ask the Patriots) so all I'll say at this point and time is that it appears that the NFC is becoming more competitive with the AFC than it had been over the past decade.

Brett Favre, savior.

Not so much. I watched Favre and the Jets play against the 0-2 Chargers last night. As the Jets offense came off the field, Favre was being force fed the playbook by coaches. I know many Bucs fans were hoping and praying that Favre would come to Tampa Bay but comments by Jaws last night on MNF should seal the deal that Favre would not have made an impact for the Bucs this season. The Jets are now running a static offense, with no one going in motion so Favre can grasp the offense. Gruden throws 4 people in motion one play, 5 people the next. There is no way in hell Gruden would have changed his offense that much to accommodate Favre. And I for one am glad he didn't bring in Brett. It's going to be a long year for the Jets, Favre will throw 25 ints, and the Jets will finish 8-8. By week 12, he'll regret coming back

Bucs- Air Gruden 67 attempts.

While watching the Bucs on Sunday, I thought I had fallen into a 1980 time warp and somehow Dan Fouts was quarterbacking and Don Coryell was coaching. 67 attempts passing?! That was the 4th largest number of attempts in league history. Bucs chatrooms across the internet were filled with the "what if" questions following the game asking whether Garcia, or even Favre, if he had been signed to the Bucs, could have orchestrated such a comeback. As readers of my blog know, I am not a Greise fan, however I supported trading for him. He's not mobile, he make stupid decisions which result in interceptions usually returned for touchdowns, but for some reason this guy works really well in a hurry up offense. Last season, when he was the quarterback of the Chicago Bears, he led a 90 yard touchdown drive to win the game.
At this point, I'm not going to argue, we turned the ball over 4 times on the road and were down 10 with 6 minutes to go and came out with a win. Bonus.

Bennett, Williams, what the hell is going on?

For the third week in a row, Michael Bennett was listed as inactive for the game. The Bucs traded for the former 1st round pick last year when they suffered injuries to both Carnell Williams and Michael Pittman in consecutive weeks. Bennett looked fantastic in preseason, after finally getting a grasp on the complex playbook Gruden's offense presents. Yet, he not been active in any of the first three games this season. This year the Bucs have activated 2 FB and 2 RB each week, and with BJ Askew looking like he might not play with a hamstring issue this week, and the poor play of the next player I'm going to rip, Dexter Jackson, if Bennett isn't activated this week, I don't expect him to play for the Bucs this season.

Why does this Front office do these sorts of things with players? The Bucs traded for Bennett last year, but yet in the off season, signed him to another contract. He ran all over folks in the preseason, but now he can't even get on the field. Why? Gruden wants playmakers in his offense, but refuses to even activate a running back which runs a 4.24 40 and was on the olympic relay trial team. Graham's great, Dunn's older, but neither of them are coming close to running a 4.3.


Now here comes the next surprise. After watching Grudens post game presser on Sunday, he made mention that Cadillac Williams is knocking at the door. Now, Carnell suffered a near career ending injury last season, and has been on the PUP list for the year, meaning he can return to the squad on week 6. Carnell burst on the scene in his rookie season of 2005, rushing for more yards in 3 games than any other rookie, but since then, has been injury prone and has shown he can't catch a ball out of the backfield. Thats a pretty big thing for a back working out of the West Coast Offense that Gruden runs. Carnell was a college teammate of Ronnie Brown at Auburn who torched the Patriots for 5 touchdowns this past weekend. Ronnie and Carnell split time in Auburns backfield, Ronnie suffered a serious knee injury last season as well, but he has come back and shown he can be a bigtime player in the NFL, prior to both players injuries, I believed Brown would be a better back and I stand by that prediction. If I were the coach , activate Williams off the PUP list and put him right on the IR list, then active Bennett weekly.

Dexter "Skids" Jackson-scared of a hit?

The Bucs with their second round draft selection this year, selected 5'9" 170 pound wide receiver from Division II-A Appalachian State. Football fans would recognize him from the cover of last years' Sport Illustrated after Appalachian State upset Michigan early in the season. Dexter has blazing speed and can be a major play maker for the Bucs according to Coach Gruden, he runs a 4.2 40. In case you maybe skipped over a few paragraphs above, we have a running back named Michael Bennett which is just as fast and has 4 years history in the NFL with Minnesota and Kansas City.

Skids Jackson had a punt return for a touchdown in game four of the preseason with 8 minutes to go against a team of people who will never play in the NFL. D-Jax, as he wants to be known as, will be referred to by me as DJ-Skids. I have watched every minute of every Bucs game this year and this kid is scared of contact. He falls down, each and every time he gets a punt or kickoff return. He should be benched this week, made inactive and allow Bennett to return kickoffs.