theogt
Surrealist
- Messages
- 45,846
- Reaction score
- 5,912
Mike
Tomlin 95%
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Record: 3-0
Votes: 1,349
Rossum's return TD, Parker's ground game lift Steelers
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- There's been no spitting, no screaming at his players or jaw-to-jaw arguments with officials. No, Mike Tomlin is doing it much differently as the Pittsburgh Steelers coach than Bill Cowher did.Except for their records: Just like Cowher during his first season in 1992, Tomlin is 3-0 to start his career. Pittsburgh played nearly error-free for the third week in a row, with Allen Rossum returning a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and Willie Parker running for 133 yards in a defense-driven 37-16 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Now, Tomlin can only hope the rest of his career goes as well as his predecessor's. Vote
Wade
Phillips 93%
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Record: 3-0
Votes: 920
Cowboys smother Bears as Romo, offense roll
CHICAGO -- Tony Romo looked desperate early on, scrambling, rushing throws and doing all he could to avoid the Chicago defense. The only thing he didn't do was go away. It looks like the Cowboys won't, either. Romo passed for 329 yards after a rough start, Anthony Henry had two interceptions for the second straight week and Dallas made a big statement, beating the Bears 34-10 on Sunday night. The Cowboys showed just how serious a contender they are in the NFC during the second half, outscoring the Bears 31-7. Dallas is 3-0 for the first time since 1999. "I think this journey that we're going on has been pretty fun, and I think it's going to be really exciting for the rest of the year,'' Romo said. Vote
Mike
McCarthy 92%
Team: Green Bay Packers
Record: 3-0
Votes: 859
Favre's 420th TD pass puts Packers ahead for good
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Brett Favre goes out of his way to say he cares about winning, not going after records. He managed to do both at the same time on Sunday. Favre found Greg Jennings on a slant pattern for the record-tying 420th touchdown pass of his career. The 57-yard completion, erased a four-point deficit to the San Diego Chargers with just over two minutes left and rallied the undefeated Packers to a 31-24 win. Favre is now tied with Dan Marino for the most touchdown passes in NFL history. "I could care less about the record," Favre said, who was 28-of-35 for 369 yards and three touchdowns. "Everybody's congratulating me, but I told them it doesn't mean anything if we don't win the game." Vote
Lane
Kiffin 90%
Team: Oakland Raiders
Record: 1-2
Votes: 464
Raiders call timeout to thwart Browns' game-winning FG
Scouts Buzz The Oakland Raiders special teams got their revenge this week against the Cleveland Browns. Although the Raiders gave up a long touchdown return to Cleveland's Josh Cribbs, they redeemed themselves at the end of the game when they blocked a Phil Dawson field goal. Dawson is not to blame in this case. The left guard and left tackle on the Cleveland field goal team were split and that's what caused the field goal block. Oakland special teams coach Brian Schneider called a triple middle block, which has three Oakland defenders pushing three down lineman on the right of the long snapper. It caused leakage against the Browns and allowed the Raiders to block the field goal and earn their first win of the season. -- Marwan Maalouf, Scouts Inc. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Lane Kiffin showed he's a quick learner at NFL coaching strategy. A week after a late timeout wiped out Sebastian Janikowski's game-winning kick for Oakland, Kiffin successfully used the same strategy to help the Raiders beat the Cleveland Browns 27-26 Sunday when Tommy Kelly blocked Phil Dawson's last-second field goal attempt. Derek Anderson had driven the Browns from their own 9 to the Oakland 23 in the final 1:04 without a timeout to set up ... Vote
Gary
Kubiak 89%
Team: Houston Texans
Record: 2-1
Votes: 196
Indianapolis holds off a second late-charge as Texans fall
The Colts held off a fourteen-point fourth quarter from Matt Schaub and the Texans as Indianapolis lost 30-24. Peyton Manning had a quiet and efficient game, throwing for 273 yards and a touchdown on 20/29 passing. Joseph Addai ground out yardage, running for 72 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Matt Schaub led the Texans to two late touchdowns, but could not overcome his two interceptions. Vote
Jon
Gruden 86%
Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record: 2-1
Votes: 257
Rebuilt Buccaneers defense stifles winless Rams
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Week by week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are building a new identity on defense. Hard-hitting safety Jermaine Phillips and reserve cornerback Phillip Buchanon intercepted passes as the revamped Bucs routed the struggling St. Louis Rams 24-3 on Sunday. Scouts Buzz While St. Louis RB Steven Jackson managed to break out of his slump with 115 yards and was the game's leading rusher, don't be fooled thinking the Rams offensive line had a great day. It was the Bucs' offensive line and the perimeter players that excelled in the win over St. Louis. The Buccaneers offensive line sustained its blocks for a second longer and did a better job of finishing off its blocks than the Rams did. This enabled the Bucs to break some longer runs, including a 28-yard TD by Earnest Graham. The longest run by Jackson was 14 yards. Not only did the offensive line sustain their blocks longer, but the tight ends and wide receivers did a better job of blocking downfield. Vote
Tony
Dungy 85%
Team: Indianapolis Colts
Record: 3-0
Votes: 327
Addai runs for two scores as Colts edge Texans
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Indianapolis Colts lost all three AFC South road games last season. So winning two straight this year is encouraging, even if they didn't play as well as they'd like on Sunday. Joseph Addai ran for two touchdowns and Adam Vinatieri added three field goals to lead the Colts (3-0) to a 30-24 win over the injury-ravaged and mistake-prone Texans to remain undefeated after beating Tennessee last week. "As long as we're getting the wins, we can still correct that kind of stuff," receiver Dallas Clark said. "We'll take advantage of it down the road. That shows you what kind of team we have here. We haven't played great -- it's always been something here and there -- but we're still finding ways to win." Vote
Jeff
Fisher 84%
Team: Tennessee Titans
Record: 1-1
Votes: 124
Recap available Tuesday morning! Vote
Mike
Holmgren 83%
Team: Seattle Seahawks
Record: 2-1
Votes: 211
Hasselbeck, Burleson elude Bengals with last-minute score
Scouts Buzz For Cincinnati, it was a different week but the same old issues. This is not a disciplined football team. It had 10 penalties, four turnovers and once again were sub-par on special teams. The biggest issue right now is on the defensive side of the ball. This team can't generate pressure and is scared to blitz because it will leave corners Deltha O'Neal and Jonathan Joseph on an island. Both O'Neal and Joseph consistently struggle to plant and get out of their breaks and they cannot defend the out route. QB Matt Hasselbeck hit that route all day, especially on Seattle's game-winning TD drive. The Seattle receivers, like the Browns last week, did a great job of adjusting their routes in this game. When the Cincinnati Bengals played off, the Seattle receivers ran short to intermediate out routes. When the Bengals tried to play bump-and-run, the Seattle receivers took them over the top. Basically it was the same old story -- Cincinnati does not have anyone in the back end that can cover anyone. -- Jeremy Green, Scouts Inc. ... Vote
Mike
Nolan 79%
Team: San Francisco 49ers
Record: 2-1
Votes: 211
Pittsburgh dominates San Francisco as Giants are left with questions
Special teams and defense were the words of the day for Pittsburgh, as the Steelers scored two of their three touchdowns on returns, beating the 49ers 37-16. Allen Rossum took a 98-yard kickoff return in for a touchdown in the first quarter, and Bryant McFadden returned an Alex Smith pass for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Vote
Ken
Whisenhunt 77%
Team: Arizona Cardinals
Record: 1-2
Votes: 150
Stover makes last-second field goal as Cardinals lose hard-fought match to Ravens
Kurt Warner had 258 yards passing and two touchdowns on 15/20 passing in relief of an ineffective Matt Leinart, but was unable to lead the Cardinals to victory as Matt Stover hit a 48-yard field goal with time expiring. The 26-23 victory was highlighted by a Yamon Figurs punt return for a TD late in the first half. Warner led Arizona to tie it late with a Neil Rackers field goal, but were unable to hold off the lat Baltimore charge. Vote
Bill
Belichick 77%
Team: New England Patriots
Record: 3-0
Votes: 1,473
Brady hits Moss for two scores en route to win vs. Bills
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Tom Brady and Randy Moss team up for touchdowns as if they've played together all their lives. Blazing Brady Tom Brady's hot start to the 2007 season continued Sunday with another stellar showing against the Bills. Passing Yards TD-INT Week 1 297 3-0 Week 2 279 3-1 Week 3 311 4-0 Totals 887 10-1 In a game that was a big mismatch on paper -- and on the field -- Brady threw two of his four scoring passes to his new deep threat. The New England Patriots rolled to their third straight rout, 38-7 over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. They've combined for five touchdowns and 403 yards as Moss became the first receiver in NFL history to gain at least 100 yards receiving in each of his first three games with a new team. Moss, obtained from Oakland in a draft-day trade, finished the day with five catches for 115 yards. Picking apart a defense missing three starting defensive backs, Brady also threw touchdown passes of 8 yards to Benjamin Watson and 4 yards to Jabar Gaffney -- giving him 10 scoring passes with just one interception -- as the Patriots outgained the Bills 485-193 yards. All four touchdown passes came after the Bills (0-3) lost another key player. Rookie linebacker Paul ... Vote
Rod
Marinelli 77%
Team: Detroit Lions
Record: 2-1
Votes: 219
McNabb answers critics, connects with Curtis as Philadelphia exposes Detroit
Donovan McNabb barely missed a pass all day, particularly to Kevin Curtis, as the Eagles rolled over the Lions, 56-21. Curtis had 221 yards and three touchdowns, coming out of nowhere to stun the Lions' defense, who were confused enough to actually leave him open on several plays. Jon Kitna had an excellent game passing, throwing for 446 yards, but Detroit's rushing attack was anemic at best, gaining only 39 yards on the day. Vote
Jack
Del Rio 72%
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Record: 2-1
Votes: 130
Jags' ball control leaves Broncos' ground game in lurch
DENVER (AP) -- The Jacksonville Jaguars slowed Travis Henry and the league's best offense by turning them into sideline spectators in a 23-14 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Fred Taylor rushed for 84 yards as the Jaguars (2-1) controlled the clock for nearly 39 minutes in shutting down the league's top tailback and its most prolific offense. Henry ran just 11 times for 35 yards. The Broncos (2-1), who piled up 911 yards in their first two games, managed just 265. Denver had no choice but to go to the air in the fourth quarter, and Sammy Knight sealed the win with his first interception for Jacksonville in the closing minutes. The Jaguars led 20-14 with six minutes left and were heading in for the game-clinching touchdown on first-and-goal from the 1 when safety Nick Ferguson stripped the ball from Maurice Jones-Drew. Curome Cox, playing for the injured John Lynch, recovered. But the Broncos went nowhere and coach Mike Shanahan, out of timeouts, decided to go for it on fourth-and-5 from his own 9 with 4:20 remaining. Tight end Daniel Graham dropped a potential first down pass and then spiked it in frustration, giving the Jaguars the ball at the 4. The Jaguars were turned away inside the 1 for the second time. John ... Vote
John
Fox 66%
Team: Carolina Panthers
Record: 2-1
Votes: 180
Falcons fall to Panthers despite Harrington's 361-yard day
ATLANTA (AP) -- The Carolina Panthers lost their starting quarterback and had trouble slowing Joey Harrington. Still, they managed to get out of Atlanta with a victory, largely because DeAngelo Hall lost his cool. The Falcons' Pro Bowl cornerback picked up three penalties for 67 yards on Carolina's tying drive, and David Carr came on in relief of Jake Delhomme to lead the Panthers to their final 10 points in a 27-20 victory Sunday. Harrington had his best day since taking over for Michael Vick, throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns. Still, it wasn't enough to keep Atlanta (0-3) from its worst start since 1999, when the Falcons lost their first four after reaching the Super Bowl the previous season. Scouts Buzz Carolina offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson relied on the Panthers power zone rushing attack and used DeShaun Foster to attack the edges of the Falcons defense. They also mixed it up with change-of-pace RB DeAngelo Williams while using a lot of shifts and motioning to create mismatches based on their alignments. Foster was very effective in making the first defender miss in the Panthers Power "O" rushing attack, which placed the Panthers in more manageable second- and third-down situations. Even with explosive ... Vote http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/sportsnation/coach?coachId=44
