FRO's FAVORITE FIVE Top Five NFL Performers From Week 1 by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE
Top Five NFL Performers From Week 1
by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online

It was tough to pick the top five for Week 1 as the opening week in the 2009 NFL regular season was a very eventful one with lots of good action. So, before we get to top five, here are a few well-deserved honorable mentions (okay, some of those are not "performers" as the above heading suggests but they were some fun Week 1 moments, and worth noting (in reverse order, saving the best for last):

Seattle Seahawks' Defense:
Okay, so they were at home, where the Seahawks are always more Jekyll than the Hyde they turn into on the road seemingly every year. And, the Rams figure to be one of the NFL's worst teams this season. Still, Seattle won 28-0, and any shutout in the NFL is worth some attention, especially when a team records 3 sacks and holds its opponent to just 247 yards of total offense, as the Seahawks did against the Rams.

Atlanta Falcons' Defense:
The Falcons were impressive, forcing and recovering 3 fumbles, while intercepting QB Chad Pennington once, and holding the Dolphins scoreless until 3:22 remained in an easy 19-7 win.
Denver Broncos' Upset Helped By A Solid Defense And An Alert Brandon Stokley:
Although the Bengals were able to amass respectable totals of 86 yards rushing and 221 yards passing, the Broncos defense bent but didn't break for most of Denver's game in Cincinnati. The general consensus says Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco will have a big year, but the Broncos were able to keep them off of the scoreboard until a Cedric Benson 1-yard plunge gave the Bengals a 7-6 lead with just 38 seconds left In the game. Two plays later though, Denver pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Week 1 when WR Brandon Stokley caught a deflected ball intended for Brandon Marshall, and raced up the left sideline for an 87-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game, his only catch of the game, and an incredible finish to a Broncos' 12-7 upset win in Cincinnati.

Philadelphia Eagles' Defense:
In a 38-10 rout (after trailing 7-0), the Eagles made Jake Delhomme look like he was playing last year's NFC Divisional playoff game against Arizona, over again. The Eagles had 5 sacks, forced 6 turnovers (2 fumbles and 4 INT's of Delhomme, who was limited to just 7 completions in 17 attempts, for 73 yards,
Throwback Uniforms:
Although the "Silver & White" doesn't look right in front of Raider Nation in Oakland, the throwback versions of the white jerseys with the old Raider helmets against the classic Charger powder blues look awesome, as did the old Bills uniforms (consider this a public plea to make those permanent in place of those ugly semi-pro-looking modern Bills uniforms), and most of all (although, I do like the new Pats uniforms), the old school white helmets with the Patriot snapping the football, and the Steve Groaganesque red jerseys and white pants were a great site!

Adrian Peterson:
The Vikings had an easy time with the hapless Browns, winning 34-20, paced by the NFL's best rusher, who finished the day with 180 yards on 25 carries, and 3 touchdowns, including a spectacular 64-yard scamper up the left sideline, on which he broke five tackles. If not for all of the great performances listed below, which barely edged Peterson out, his big game against the Browns would have made our top five this week. We're sure he'll have plenty more chances to make the top five as the season wears on.

Nationally Televised Night Games:
After what we saw in Week 1, maybe the rest of the NFL schedule should be moved to a nationally televised night slot. There wasn't a single non-thrilling game among the four night games, so much so, that two of the four night games played featured players who made this week's Top 5 list… Thursday night, the Steelers rallied to tie the Titans and win in overtime; Sunday night, the Packers rally to win on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings with just 1:24 left; as if those two weren't exciting enough, Monday Night Football had an outstanding doubleheader with the Patriots simply stealing what should have been a big Buffalo upset in the final minutes, and a seesaw battle that had three lead changes in the final 7:22, with the Chargers scoring the game-winning touchdown with just 18 seconds left.

#5 Tom Brady

It was supposed to be a triumphant return for Brady after missing just about all of the 2008 season with a bad knee injury. For over 55 minutes, it didn't look that way. The Buffalo Bills, which hadn't beat New England in 11 straight meetings, not since ironically, the 2003 regular season opener, came in as 11-point underdogs. However, instead of trailing by 11 points, the Bills led by that same amount, 24-13, after a Trent Edwards 22-yard touchdown pass with just 5:38 left in the game. That's when lightning struck twice, just 76 seconds apart. Brady completed 9 of 11 passes, leading the Patriots 81 yards in 3:26, hitting TE Ben Watson with a perfect strike on an 18-yard touchdown pass, to pull New England to within 24-19, with 2:06 remaining. After Brady and the Pats missed a two-point conversion, they needed help, and they got it, just 10 seconds later, when Pats' kicker Steven Gotkowski recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. two-point conversion, they needed help, and they got it, just 10 seconds later, when Pats' kicker Steven Gotkowski recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. You can't give a veteran quarterback the caliber of Brady a break like that. After two short completions, like Sherlock Holmes, the heady Brady went right back to Watson, who made a very grab after being turned around by a Brady pass, for the game-winning touchdown. The Patriots grab after being turned around by a Brady pass, for the game-winning touchdown. The Patriots were up 25-24 with 50 seconds left. That completed Brady's night with 39 completions (the second most, by just one, in the 40-year history of Monday Night Football) in 53 attempts, with 2 TD's, and a pick (returned for a TD), and it effectively finished the game for the Buffalo, whose losing streak against New England reached 12 consecutive games.


#4 Ben Roethlisberger

As he did in Super Bowl XLII, Big Ben came up big in the clutch and simply refused to lose down the stretch. Roethlisberger was an impressive 33 of 43 for 363 yards, but what gets him the number 4 spot on this list was his 16 of 18 in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Trailing 10-7, Roethlisberger engineered a 56-yard drive to the Tennessee 14-yard line, to set up a game-tying field goal with 2:57 left in regulation. After the Steelers got the ball back quickly, Roethlisberger then completed four straight passes, and would have put Pittsburgh in position to win, if not for a Hines Ward fumble at the Tennessee 4-yard line. But, on Pittsburgh's first possession of overtime, Roethlisberger went 5-for-7, taking the Steelers, from their own 22 to the Titans' 15 yard-line, to set up a game-winning 33-yard FG.



#3 The Philadelphia Eagles’ Defense

In a 38-10 rout (after trailing 7-0), the Eagles made Carolina QB Jake Delhomme look like he was playing last year's NFC Divisional playoff game against Arizona, over again. The Philadelphia defense had 5 sacks, forced 7 turnovers (2 fumbles and 5 INT's, 4 of those picks against Delhomme, who was limited to just 7 completions in 17 attempts, for 73 yards), and allowed less total yards (169 total; 86 rushing, 83 passing) than Peterson alone rushed for in Cleveland. The Eagles turned all of those Panther mistakes into 24 points in a dominating performance under new defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, taking over for the late legend, Jim Johnson.


#2 Drew Brees

Dan Marino, be worried that your all-time single-season passing record may fall this year, one season after Drew Brees came within a completion or two of shattering that mark last December. Brees picked up in his 2009 season opener where he left off in 2008. Granted, it was against the Lions at home, but the Saints’ signal caller was unstoppable in New Orleans’ 45-27 rout of Detroit. Brees was nearly flawless in New Orleans’ spread offense, connecting with eight different receivers, completing 26 of 34 passes for 358 yards, and six (yes, SIX!) touchdowns, tying a Saints’ club record, while finishing the game with a 137.0 quarterback rating. But, But, don’t worry Dan, it’s not like all of the Saints games this year are against teams like the Lions. Brees still needs 4,727 yards for the record, and he can’t possibly average the 315.133 yards per game he would need for the rest the regular season. Or, can he? We think he can (look out our Brees Watch, profiling Brees' repeat chase of Marino's record, right here at FRO).



#1 The New York Jets’ Defense

The Rex Ryan era debuted in Houston with an auspicious beginning, with the New York Jets’ defense dominating one of the more dangerous offenses (at least on paper) in the NFL, in an easy 24-7 road win. All of the Texans’ big offensive weapons were taken out of their usual games by Ryan’s relentless and punishing Gang Green defense, which kept attacking. Matt Schaub? He was constantly blitzed by the Jets’ 3-4 scheme with five-man pressures, into just 18 completions in 33 attempts, for 166 yards, no touchdowns, while being picked once. His favorite target, Andre Johnson, harassed often by corner back Darrelle Revis, was found just 4 times for 35 yards, none longer than 17 yards, which happened to be the exact grand total that Steve Slaton rushed for on 9 carries, for a Houston ground game that was limited to only 38 yards on 13 rushes all day. The Texans ran just 48 plays (to the Jets' 73), managed only 11 first downs, and held the ball for just 21:14 (to New York’s 38:46). The most important statistic, however: no points offensively for the Texans. The only Houston score came on a harmless fourth-quarter interception and fumble return for a touchdown. For at least one week, Ryan’s new team delivered on new its head coach’s promise to bring what Ryan learned and taught in Baltimore, to change the culture in Jetville. The result was a stifling defensive performances that earned the Jets' defense the first-ever number one spot on FRO's Favorite Five.

AFC South Week 1 Recap-By Rafael Garcia Football Reporters Online

                                                                                                  AFC South Week 1
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer
Southeast Region
 
Pittsburgh 13 Tennessee 10
 
The last time these two teams met was December 08 when the Titans beat up on the Steelers. There was the incident with the terrible towel that was stomped on by Keith Bullock and LenDale White. There has been bad blood brewing between these two opponents since last year. So they found themselves playing again last night and picked up right where they left off. This was a battle between two defensive heavyweights. The Titans had every chance to have a good lead going into the locker room at the half. Instead they missed a field goal and had another try blocked. They also blew a few scoring opportunities as drives stalled in Steeler territory.  Still it was tied 7-7 at the half on the arms of the quarterbacks. Ben Rothlisberger hit Santonio Holmes for a 34 yard score and then Justin Gage roped in a Kerry Collins 14 yarder to tie it. The teams matched scores again in the fourth quarter when each made a field goal and the stage was set for a fantastic finish. Late in the game Michael Griffin stripped the ball from Hines Ward deep in Tennessee territory. It gave the titans new life and forced overtime. Up to this point in the game it was a defensive battle as expected with neither team being able to force the issue. Still there were too many mistakes that had Titan fans saying their team gave it away again. Just like late last year they found them turning the ball over and trying not to make mistakes. They managed just 14 yards on four punt returns. They added 59 yards on three kickoff returns. That will not win you many games in the NFL. Now they have to see if they can find someone to fill a hole they need to fill badly. The passing defense was nothing to scream about as well. Rothlisberger torched them for 363 yards on 33 of 43 passing. They could not stop him when it mattered most in the overtime. You just felt it was over when the Steelers won the toss. The run defense was another story. They held Pittsburgh to 36 yards on 25 carries with Willie Parker accounting for 19 on 13 carries. On offense Kerry Collins had a good day. He was 22-35 for 244 yards and the touchdown pass to Gage. He does not have his full complement of receivers yet as injuries still nag some. Nate Washington was not at full speed so rookie Kenny Britt started. Britt impressed his coaches as he caught four passes for 87 yards including a nice 57 yarder. This year will be different for Collins, as he will be looked at more to make a play. The Titans running game did not make the splash they hoped it would. Chris Johnson had 57 yards on 15 carries and LenDale White went 8 for 28. The Steeler defense never allowed them to set any kind of tone with the run. Of course you could look at this game another way. The fact that they were able to move the ball on the Steelers and missed scoring chances can be looked at positively. At least they feel they can play with anyone but know they cannot make mistakes like the ones that beat them Thursday night. 
 
Indianapolis 14 Jacksonville 12
 
When you start the season off playing a game in your division it is important to get the win early. This helps set the tone for the rest of your season because you basically have a two game edge on that team. With that in mind the Jags and Colts got it on Sunday to see who could get that edge. Well it would appear at first glance that the Indy defense has been improved. They allowed the Jags just 228 total yards and held Maurice Jones-Drew to less than five yards a carry when he has been getting more than six as of late. They came up with two huge defensive stands in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. Rookie corner Derek Cox picked off a Peyton Manning pass, recovered Joseph Addai’s fumble but gave up a touchdown to Reggie Wayne. Not too bad for your first NFL game. Wayne had himself a game as well catching 10 passes for 162 yards and the touchdown. Manning was his usual great self going 28-31 for 301 yards with the strike to Wayne and the pick to Cox. Jags quarterback David Garrard was 14-28 for just 122 yards and had a shot to lead his team to a win. He got the ball back with two minutes left and then imploded when he went four and out. Again the Indianapolis defense just put too much pressure on him. So on this day the Colts saw what their defense could look like in 2009. If they can keep it up and get players like Bob Sanders back healthy things look promising for the Colts. As for the Jags, well they have to muster more on offense and not let mistakes beat them. The Colts also lost receiver Anthony Gonzalez when he started a cross route and fell to the ground untouched. The status of his injury is yet unknown at this time. That would be a big blow to Indy.
 
New York Jets 24 Houston 7
 
We can call this game a tale of two seasons. For the Jets it was the coming out party for quarterback Mark Sanchez. On the other side of the ball the Texans were looking for a breakout season after going 8-8 last year. Well it had to go wrong for one of these teams and that was Houston. They played flat and nothing like the team wanted to start the year. Running back Steve Slayton was held to 17 yards on nine carries and was never a factor. Houston was held to 38 yards rushing total and quarterback Matt Shaub could not make up for that. He went 18-33 but managed just 166 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. The Texans had only 183 yards of offense against a strong Jets defense. Three turnovers and two sacks added to their woes, as they could not mount a threat all day. The defensive unit that is supposed to be the backbone of the team was shattered on opening day. Joe Namath was there and gave Sanchez a pregame pep talk that obviously worked. The rookie finished 18-1 for 272 yards and a 30-yard touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey. Houston’s defense allowed Sanchez to roll out, complete passes when hit or on third down. They were out gained 462-183 and wide receiver Andre Johnson was held to 35 yards on four catches. With the offense stalled and the defense soft the Texans find themselves playing from behind yet again. They must get back on track quickly, not only because they are expected to, but also because another bad year may be the last for head coach Gary Kubiak.

NFC South Week 1 Rec By Rafael Garcia Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online S.E. Region

                                             NFC South Week 1 Recap
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
This is a division that finds itself with a few good teams. The New Orleans Saints look to get that swagger back and take it to a division title. The Atlanta Falcons want to repeat and the Carolina Panther and Tampa Bay Bucs want to have a say too. So 2009 starts off and the race is on to the finish line.
 
New Orleans 45 Detroit 27
 
Well so much for easing your offense into the start of the season. Saints quarterback Drew Brees had another plan when he threw and threw the ball into the end zone. When it was all said and done he was 26-34 for 358 yards and six touchdowns. It was an air assault like none we have seen in some time. Still at the end of the game all Brees could talk about were the passes that could have been caught. Thinking about the mistakes that his team made like giving up 27 points to the Lions with a rookie quarterback. As for Brees he completed passes to eight different receivers, five of them caught a touchdown. Jeremy Shockey finally got his first two scores as a Saint so now that burden is off of him. Running back Mike Bell had his best day as a pro rushing for 143 on 28 carries. He even got a standing ovation when he left the game in the fourth from the appreciative crowd. The defense was not the only issue they will take up this week, Reggie Bush fumbled twice losing one and Bell also lost one too. All in all it was a fantastic offensive game for New Orleans and they cannot miss a step as they face the Eagles in Philly next week. Detroit rookie quarterback Matt Stafford made his NFL debut going 16 of 37 for 205 yards and three interceptions. Safety Darren Sharper got two of those for the Saints and linebacker Scott Shanie the other. He was forced into many throws to avoid getting sacked or because he had no one to throw to. The lions made there share of mistakes that coming from a losing environment. It will take time but Stafford has the tools to succeed in this league.
 
Atlanta 19 Miami 7
 
This was a meeting between two teams that had a surprising season last year. The Falcons were coming off the Michael Vick drama and selected Matt Ryan as their franchise quarterback. The Dolphins were a year removed from a 1-15 season and went 11-5 and won the AFC East. The Falcons defense was a bit in question as they lost five starters from a year ago. Their preseason showing did not do much in the way of confidence. With that in mind they came in and got four turnovers and flat out put the stop on the Dolphins offense. They allowed only 176 yards passing to Chad Pennington even though he was 21 for 29 passing. Miami running back Ronnie Brown was held to 43 yards and Ricky Williams managed just 39. They tried a new form of the Wildcat with rookie Pat White and he failed twice. Once was no gain on a run attempt and the other was an overthrown ball to Ted Guinn Jr. after he had beaten coverage. The Falcons got the most of several players, TE Tony Gonzalez caught 20-yard touchdown pass that made him the 21st player in history to 11,000 yards receiving. Linebacker Mike Peterson picked off a Pennington pass and set up the touchdown by Gonzalez. Another star was first year Falcon Brian Williams who was just signed. He picked up a loose ball and ran it 53 yards to set up a filed goal. So much help for the Falcons, but they will need that kind of play from their defense if they have a hope to challenge for the division.
 
Dallas 34 Tampa Bay 21
 
The Raheem Morris era began in Tampa and things did not go as planned. They had Cadillac Williams in the backfield again after undergoing two knee surgeries. He had a good game with 97 yards on just 13 carries and his back mate Derrick Ward added 62 on 12 carries. Unfortunately the Bucs had to turn to the passing game as the Cowboy QB Tony Romo and his number on receiver Roy Williams put on a show. Romo went 16 of 27 for 353 yards and three touchdowns. Williams had three catches for 86 yards and Patrick Crayton caught four for 135 yards. Tampa stayed in it for a while on the strength of quarterback Byron Leftwich who was awarded the starting job this year. He shined going 25-41 for 276 yards and one touchdown. He was very impressive in the fourth quarter as he led his team on an 11 play 84-yard drive that ended with Ward’s one yard score. The Bucs defense allowed nearly 500 yards of offense to the Cowboys and will have to go to Buffalo next week to face Lee Evans and Terrell Owens. They will have to make adjustments quick to avoid going 0-2 to start the year. 
 
Philadelphia 38 Carolina 10
 
When we last saw Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme he was busy throwing five picks and committed a fumble in last year’s embarrassment against the Arizona Cardinals. He put that nightmare behind him and proceeded with a fresh 2009. Well he picked up right where he left off by throwing four more picks while going 7-17 for a mere 73 yards. This is not what the Panthers were looking for in their quarterback. He is the big question mark on this team and if he does not get back to performing on a high level the Panthers will have to make a decision. For now he is the starter but for how long remains to be seen. His two game total for turnovers is at 11 dating back to that playoff game. The Carolina offense was miserable all day and continued when Josh McCown came in to replace Delhomme. He later left with injuries to his foot and knee. Third stringer Matt Moore came in and threw an interception of his own and the Panthers tied a team record with seven turnovers. It was no day at the office for the defense either as the Eagles blew the game open with a 28 point second quarter. They scored on a fumble return, an 85-yard punt return, two touchdown passes and a field goal. Talk about scoring in many ways. For the Eagles Donovan McNabb got injured on a 15-yard touchdown run when he broke a rib. His status is up in the air for next week and if he can’t go backup Kevin Kolb is ready for now. The Panthers now find themselves in troubled early. Running back DeAngelo Williams could not get off either getting just 37 yards on the ground and 11 of those came on a run for the first score of the game.  So now its back to the drawing board for the Panthers and the must get on the same page quick or this season will be lost quickly. For Delhomme keeps the job and coach John Fox will make the decision based on the next few performances. Lets hope for the team Delhomme gets is right soon