Sorting the Sunday Pile, Week 1: We Have Seen the Future and It Is Matt Cassel

Sorting the Sunday Pile looks back at the NFL weekend that was. It's also an unofficial Mittens blog.

Sunday was supposed to be a coronation of sorts; Tom Brady would take his first snap in seven months, the Patriots would resume their quest for perfection, and the rest of the football-watching world would have front-row seats for the awesomeness that was sure to ensue. And then, in the time it took New England running back Sammy Morris to block Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard to the turf -- and into Brady's knee -- the Patriots' season was over.

Obviously, they'll still play the remaining 15 games on their schedule, but as Peter King so somberly explained during "Football Night in America," "Tom Brady is football." That's a bit much, I think, but I take the point; the Patriots go as Brady goes, and without him, they're just a team and Bill Belichick is just a coach.

There's still much to sort through, especially in terms of tailoring the offense to highlight backup Matt Cassel's strong suits (more broken plays that result in awkward quarterback scrambles?), but one thing is certain: in no way was the hit on Brady dirty. Following the game, Randy Moss disagreed, but I suspect that had more to do with being in shock at the situation he currently finds himself. Brady saved Moss' career a year ago and the prospect of having to catch passes from a guy who spent his college career handing out water to Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart whenever they came to the sidelines has to be disconcerting.


To Cassel's credit, he fared much better than I expected against the Chiefs. Sure, he was only 13 of 18 for 152 passing yards -- numbers Brady might've put up in two series of work a season ago -- but I was fully expecting his head to explode in the huddle before he took his first snap. Oddly, it didn't happen.

Until Sunday, Cassel had the best job in the NFL. Brady, in addition to being arguably the best quarterback in the NFL, is also mind-bogglingly durable. Just ask the Giants defense, who spent more time smacking him in the mouth during the Super Bowl than the previous 18 teams on New England's schedule combined. But every time Brady got drilled, he popped back up. Pollard changed all that, Cassel's now the guy in New England, and we could be witnessing the beginning of the end of a dynasty.

It's probably a tad reactionary to suggest that the Patriots, three-time Super Bowl champions this decade, are suddenly irrelevant, and who knows, maybe this is the break Cassel needs to prove he's an NFL quarterback. I'm skeptical, just like everybody else on the planet, particularly since he's affectionately nicknamed Rusher McFumbles. It was much cuter when he was a backup. Now that he's a starter, not so much.

By the way, part of me thinks this is just a ploy by a completely healthy Brady to overshadow Peyton Manning's return. I could totally see him doing something like that.

Seriously, the media falling over themselves to verbally fondle Brady can be a bit much at times. Still, every sport needs a villain, even if he's strikingly handsome, and Brady's that guy. Here's to hoping he has a speedy recovery and returns as the same smug, infuriatingly talented metrosexual quarterback he was before yesterday.

Apparently, QBs Matter

If Brady's knee hadn't exploded, the big Week 1 story would've been Brett Favre. (Peter King would've wanted it that way, no doubt.) CBS thought so much of Favre's re-un-re-retirement that they sent Phil Simms and Jim Nantz to Miami to cover the game. A game, by the way, played between two teams that combined for five wins last season.

Although Favre is still learning the playbook, he had the "chuck and duck" section down cold. He also gave the Jets something they haven't had since Vinny Testaverde plodded his way around the Meadowlands: a quarterback who can throw an out pattern. No knock on Chad Pennington (or his popcorn arm), who obviously upgrades the position in Miami, but the play-action bomb from Favre to Jerricho Cotchery that traveled some 56 yards down the field never would've happened with No. 10. Not without a cut-off man, anyway.

But Favre, true to his gun-slingin' ways, later threw a punt in the direction of the end zone only to have Chansi Stuckey haul it in while a group of Dolphin defenders watched.



Like most people outside Cleveland, I can't say that I was shocked by the outcome of the Cowboys-Browns game. Cleveland is this year's Arizona: a dark-horse team that could make a deep postseason run if things fall into place. (One notable difference: the Browns actually won 10 games last season, something the Cardinals haven't done since 1976. That nugget might merit a mention.) Well, so far, so bad on that front. The Browns came out like it was Week 5 of the preseason; they looked out of sorts on offense, the defense was just as lousy against the run as it was before they acquired Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams, and for all the fans who were glad to see cornerback Leigh Bodden shipped to Detroit, the secondary sure could've used him. And by "secondary," I obviously mean "Brandon McDonald."

A suspect Browns defense is hardly news; an offense featuring Derek Anderson reprising the role of Charlie Frye is a bit troubling, though. I know Cleveland had some injury issues coming into the game -- Anderson was coming off a concussion, Jamal Lewis had a tender hammy, Joshua Cribbs was sidelined with a high-ankle sprain, and Braylon Edwards, who wore shoes for the game, was returning from a foot injury. Fine, the Browns weren't completely healthy, it's called tackle football. Just ask the instantly mediocre Patriots. And honestly, if the Cowboys weren't being penalized twice every series, the game wouldn't have been as close as it was.

Cleveland has one of the league's toughest schedules, and if things unravel quickly, we should have a Brady Quinn sighting by Week 9 or so, which should enthrall, well, Brady Quinn.

Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco became the first rookie quarterbacks to win in Week 1 since 1971. More impressive, Ryan did it with the Falcons and Flacco with the Ravens, two outfits that didn't come close to sniffing the playoffs last season.

Ryan had the good fortune of playing the Lions, a team with a clear aversion to run defense. Michael Turner ended his day with 220 yards on 22 attempts and two touchdowns. I'll admit it: I didn't watch much of this game, so after seeing a 21-0 first half score, I asked MDS, resident Lions fan, how Ryan looked in his first game. His response: "Like a quarterback playing against the Lions." Touché, sir.

Too bad the Falcons don't play the Lions every week.


Flacco was also fortunate; the Bengals defense is notoriously bad, especially against the run, which helps explain why the Ravens rushed for 229 yards, including a fourth-quarter 38-yard Flacco touchdown galumph that put the game out of reach. I've seen super-slow-motion replays take less time to unfold, which should give you some indication as to how bad things are for Cincinnati.. On the upside, Chad Javon Ocho Cinco has a new official handle, even if the NFL discriminates against players with grammatically incorrect Spanish surnames.

I wonder if Cincy is having second thoughts about sending Rudi Johnson on his way.

Buffalo Bills? Really?

On Saturday, the favorites in the AFC looked something like this: the Patriots, Colts, Jaguars, Chargers, Browns and Steelers. Let's see: win (but ginormous loss), loss, loss, loss, loss, and win. That Pittsburgh won at home against Houston isn't surprising, but they've gone from possible division champ/wild-card team, to AFC front runner. Pittsburgh imposed their will on an up-and-coming Texans team, but more importantly, perhaps, they came out of the game relatively injury-free.

But despite the 21-point Pittsburgh victory, the most impressive win by an AFC team this weekend had to be the Buffalo Bills. They beat a lethargic Seahawks team 34-10. Although Trent Edwards' numbers were very un-Losman-like (19 of 30, 215, 1TD), the defense and special teams were the difference (nice arm, Brian Moorman). Which should come in handy now that the AFC East is wide open.

When the Jets traded for Favre, I wasn't convinced he'd be enough to help beat the Patriots, but I was working from the assumption that Brady would live forever. Now, Eric Mangini looks pretty smart -- like a genius, even -- and New York has a very real chance to beat New England next week.

It bears mentioning that even though Brady is done for '08, the Patriots are still a pretty good squad. That said, I don't think they're now favorites to win the East, and, truthfully, if they make it to the postseason, it'll be Belichick's greatest coaching accomplishment after the 2000 Super Bowl season.

Muffed Punts
Leftovers from Sunday's action...

...Typically, the West Coast Offense features timing-based short- to mid-range passes. The Eagles went with a "bombs only" game plan against the Rams because, well, the Rams aren't very good. The results: Donovan McNabb was 21 of 33 for 361 yards and three touchdowns. But it gets worse: St. Louis didn't score until 51 minutes into the game, and then, down by 38 points, they opted for a field goal. Silver lining: Josh Brown converted. Because losing by 35 is so much better.

... Seriously, if the officials are going to throw a flag here (around 2:10 mark), it should be on Brandon McDonald for watching Terrell Owens run right past him.

... Mario Williams and Reggie Bush were the first two picks of the 2006 draft. Williams was crucified his rookie season, but put together a Pro Bowl effort in 2007 when he registered 14 sacks. Bush has been mostly inconsistent, but some of that is due to the way the Saints use him (or, more specifically don't use him). After watching his 42-yard touchdown catch against the Bucs you wonder if that might be changing.

... Note to Vince Young: Don't tempt fate.

... One question: If Mittens (David Carr) was still in Carolina, would he have made the game-winning touchdown toss to beat the Chargers as time expired?

... Kyle Orton is the missing piece to the Bears' Super Bowl puzzle. That was a punchline two days ago; now there might be some truth to it. Scary. We'll know more after watching the Packers and Vikings tonight.

Post-Game Debaclings
Quotes that Emmitt Smith might like...

"I always wondered what it would feel like to break a record"
- Michael Turner after setting a Falcons team record with 220 rushing yards, eclipsing Gerald Riggs' mark of 202 set in 1984.

In addition to Baby Jesus, Matt Millen also deserves some of the credit.

"I know I made the right decision ... I'm a New York Jet. I don't know about a native New Yorkian, or however you say it. Hey, I'm happy to be a Jet."
- Brett Favre, after the New Yorkian Jets defeated the Miami Dolphins

"He was in a lot of pain. When you hear a scream, you know that."
- Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard, after hitting Brady on the left leg

"The play before he was talking trash and the next play he was on my highlight tape."
- Reggie Bush, talking about Buccaneers cornerback Phillip Buchanon.

To be fair, Buchanon is on a lot of highlight tapes. It's sorta like saying, "Yeah, I dated Kim Kardashian."

"... As I've talked to people around the league, everybody ... it's cast a pall over this league. ... I think everybody is going to be sad if this is indeed the season for Tom Brady."
- Peter King, who will now be in a monogamous relationship with Brett Favre now that Brady's season is over.