Can you believe it? The first week of
NFL action is officially in the books! I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t
be more excited to have football back in my life. The opening weekend of real
game action provided us all with some suspense, some heartbreak, and more than
a few “holy crap these guys can’t be humans” moments. A few high-expectation
teams like the Patriots and Bears were less than impressive while the Falcons
and Dolphins climbed out of the shadows of their division bullies.
Per usual, fans have begun freaking
out and abandoning everything they believed about a week ago (insert Shmoney
Dance here). Browns fans who saw a 15-minute glimmer of hope went back to
accepting that God hates Cleveland right around the time that Antonio Brown turned
into King Leonidas.
But have no fear! The Redding Report
is here to tell you what’s a serious issue, what’s being blown way out of
proportion, and how my fantasy team is doing because I know you’re all
wondering. Also thrown into the mix will be notable individual performances and
probably a bunch of jokes about how much the jets suck. You guys ready? Let’s
kick off our first Week Review of the 2014 season!
Don’t Believe The Hype
Every season there are a few
bottom-feeder teams that manage to win their first three or four games before
remembering who they are and proceeding with their regularly scheduled abysmal
season. Don’t be fooled, people! For example, the Vikings beat the Rams 34-6 on
Sunday. Soon after, there was a buzz about their improved defense and dynamic
offensive attack. I can tell you why Minnesota won that game. BECAUSE THEY WERE
PLAYING AGAINST THE RAMS. Again with the Dolphins, who pulled off a surprising
win (at home) over the Patriots and are suddenly Super Bowl contenders. The Dolphins
are a tough team to beat at home, and New England’s offensive line is adjusting
to life without Logan Mankins, but come January these two teams will be
reprising their usual roles.
I’m sorry to have to tell you this,
but Allen Hurns is not your underachieving fantasy team’s savior. Sure, he
scored two touchdowns in the first quarter of Jacksonville’s game against the
Eagles, but the team only managed three more points the entire game as they got
blown out. Not to mention that he was targeted nine more times in that game and
only caught one pass. And on top of all that, he plays for the Jaguars. All
week I’ve seen people scrambling to snatch this guy off of the waiver wire and
it breaks my heart for them. Heck, my own friend who I co-own an ESPN team with
even asked if we should pick up Hurns and drop T.Y. Hilton. Are you kidding
me?? This is blasphemy! If Hurns proves that he’s a legitimate productive
receiver after a few weeks then by all means, pick him up. But don’t go blowing
up your roster after one week just to get a guy who will probably score five
touchdowns all season.
I would tell you not to believe the
hype surrounding the Bills, but any team that can go toe-to-toe with the Bears
offense has to be doing something right. Even though they may not be a playoffs
team down the stretch, Buffalo is looking like a tough matchup for any team
they face this year. They may have given up 350 yards and 2 touchdowns to Jay
Cutler, but the Bills nabbed two interceptions on the day and the D-line was in
Cutler’s face all day. Their ability to bring pressure on the quarterback will
give their secondary time to improve as they try to fill the rather big shoes
left by Jarius Byrd.
Fantasy Football Triumph and Glory Story of the Week
This season I swore I would only have
two fantasy teams. The stress had gotten to me a little too much in previous
seasons, so I wanted to cut back to prevent myself from developing high blood
pressure at the age of twenty. But of course, on the night before the Seahawks
and Packers kicked off the season, two turned into four. Any of those teams may
be featured in our Triumph and Glory segment every week, so I want to make sure
you’re familiar with all of them. There’s my 12-team Yahoo league with the
friends I worked with over summer (SS League), 8-team NFL power league with my
fellow youth volunteers (Dodgeball League), 10-team ESPN league with guys from
my SDSU bible study (1825 League), and finally the team I co-own with my mentor
every year, which is in a 10-team ESPN PPR league (Mentor League).
Okay, so this week’s story is comin’
at ya from the Mentor League. Going into Sunday afternoon, we were projected to
lose by at least 30 points. They weren’t even giving us a chance! With
disappointing efforts from Zac Stacy and Nick Foles it looked like we really
were going to take a brutal beating, especially when Kaepernick decided to make
sure Vernon Davis, our opponent’s tight end, had the game of his life. We only
picked up 10 more points between T.Y. Hilton and the Bucs defense, so on Monday
night we had every reason to give up and look ahead to week 2. But lo, enter:
Megatron! His 164 yards and 2 touchdowns lifted us to an improbable comeback
and one-point margin of victory, 132-131. Oh, how sweet it is. This week we’re
matched against Team Perrone, featuring Drew Brees throwing against Cleveland’s
defense. Wish us luck.
Heroes of the Week
Every week we’ll highlight a few guys
who put forth the extra effort and carried their teams to victory. Whether it
was with a monster day of receiving or a timely interception, this list is open
to anyone who proves themselves worthy on the gridiron. You should expect this
list to change from week to week; new heroes will arise constantly, but don’t
be surprised if a few guys show up on a normal basis. You know, like, Tom Brady
for instance. Or Julian Edelman. Guys that just really deserve to be honored.
Let’s get into it!
Matt Ryan
“Matty Ice” had a lot to prove coming
into that matchup with the Saints. The Falcons spiraled into an abyss of
failure last season and the fans wanted to know if Ryan had lost his rhythm
with the team. Drew Brees and the Saints came on strong, determined to begin
their own war campaign for reclaimed dominance in the NFC South, but Ryan led
Atlanta’s offense with poise and precision. Breaking the Falcons’ franchise
records for both single-game passing yards and career touchdown passes, Ryan couldn’t
be stopped on Sunday with 448 yards and 3 touchdowns. Matty’s ability to stay
calm in the face of a 13-0 deficit and lead his team to an overtime victory may
just be the first signs of a new era in the South.
William Moore
I didn’t want to pull two heroes from
the same game, but I couldn’t help it. After Matt Bryant (who honestly could
have made this list too) knocked in a 51-yard field goal to send the
Falcons-Saints game into overtime, William Moore made his mark. New Orleans was
given first possession of the ball and Drew Brees threw an early-down pass to
Marques Colston, who stripped by Moore. Atlanta recovered and another Matt
Bryant field goal, this one 52 yards, sealed the win.
Fred Jackson
The Bills’ win over the Bears on
Sunday was one of the most surprising of the weekend. All game long I just kept
thinking, “Okay, this is when Chicago wakes up and takes over, right? Right?”.
When the two teams entered overtime tied at 20, I thought that surely someone
in a Bears uniform would make sure the game ended in their favor, but instead
Fred Jackson broke off a 38 yard run that featured one of the meanest stiff
arms I’ve seen in a while and took Buffalo to Chicago’s one yard line. The vet
was plenty clutch that day.
A.J. Green
It was business as usual in Baltimore
this past Sunday. The Ravens have grown somewhat accustomed to being overcome
by the Bengals due to last-second touchdowns by A.J. Green. He just seems to
have a knack for besting the Ravens in the most ridiculous ways possible. After
Steve Smith scored an 80-yard touchdown that gave Baltimore a one point lead,
Cincy finally broke out of their field-goal kicking ways as Andy Dalton
connected with Green on a 77-yard touchdown to score on a drive that lasted less than a minute. Bang.
Michael Floyd
I would have called Carson Palmer the
hero of Arizona’s win over the Chargers on Monday night, but he missed on too
many throws to really be lifted up as the savior. Instead, let’s focus on
Michael Floyd. The second-year receiver had a 5 catch, 119 yard day against San
Diego and seemed to be everywhere Palmer needed him to be in third-down
situations. Floyd was called upon to carry the workload while Larry Fitzgerald
was only targeted a few times in the entire game. Why? I don’t know. The point
is, Arizona wouldn’t have been able to score the game-winning touchdown without
the Herculean effort of Floyd all night.
Teams That Won This Week and Won’t Win Next Week
I think this is going to become my
favorite segment in these weekly reviews. We’ll point out the impostors every
week that pulled off surprising wins and are on their way to being exposed in
the next matchup. I have a feeling that this is going to be a whole lot of fun.
Shall we?
Miami Dolphins
It sure felt good in Miami when the
Dolphins upset the Patriots, but I have a feeling that a rude awakening is
coming their way in Buffalo. The Bills defense held Chicago’s passing attack in
check last week, so I don’t expect Ryan Tannehill and Brian Hartline to
necessarily have a field day. When you add in the fact that Miami celebrated
their win over New England like the Super Bowl and are probably emotionally
exhausted, a letdown loss is only inevitable.
Atlanta Falcons
Their overtime win against the Saints
was a spectacular team effort that bodes well for the future, but I believe
that Atlanta is gearing up for a loss this Sunday. Cincinnati’s tough defense
will be harder to pick apart than Rob Ryan’s unit in New Orleans, and Geno
Atkins will be happy to contain the Falcons’ already suspect running attack.
Minnesota Vikings
I hope the Vikings had fun beating up
on the Rams, because now they’re going to have to face a pissed-off Patriots
team with a real defense and a quarterback who wasn’t thrown into the game
because Sam Bradford’s ACLs are made of pull-apart cheese sticks.
New Jersey Jets
BECAUSE THEY SUCK
There it is, my friends. Our first
weekly review is on the record. Sadly, we’ve only got 19 more to go, so we’d
better make the most of them. Don’t forget to check your fantasy lineups ahead
of tonight’s contest between the Steelers and the Ravens. Justin Forsett is a
good start, Bernard Pierce is not. Le’Veon Bell over LeGarrette Blount and
start Joe Flacco if you want to, but the Steelers are usually a tough matchup
for him. Be sure to catch the game tonight on CBS Thursday Night Football at
8:25 pm EST. Until next time!
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