Sorting the Sunday Pile, Week 4: We're All Matt Bryant Fans Today

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

For most of us, football is a once-a-week respite from the tediousness of everyday life. For Tampa Bay kicker Matt Bryant, it's his job. And Sunday, he was the toughest guy in the NFL. A day after burying his three-month-old son, Bryant not only showed up for work, but he kicked three field goals, including a 24-yarder with 2:28 left that proved to be the difference in the Buccaneers victory over the Packers.

When talking about football players, kickers are often derisively excluded from the conversation. It has seemingly been that way forever, although I suspect Garo Yepremian's attempt to throw a pass in Super Bowl VII pretty much cemented the perception. But what Bryant did against the Packers transcends any vague sense we might have of football toughness.

It's corny and clichéd, but my world revolves around my 18-month-old son. I can't begin to fathom what Bryant's going through; I'd be completely lost, unable to muster the strength to get out of bed, much less entertain thoughts of work. I'm sure football served as a distraction for Bryant -- a three-hour break from an emotional burden that, frankly, had to be unbearable. I can only imagine Sunday was a surreal unfolding of events, blurred together as they played out in slow-motion silence. If nothing else, it hopefully provided an escape, if only temporarily.

What Bryant was able to do yesterday defies words. Thoughts and prayers, man. Thoughts and prayers.

Still Waiting on That Broncos Defense

In last week's STSP, I wrote: "I'm not sure the Broncos can outscore everybody on the schedule, which I mention because through three weeks the defense has yet to show up." Well, let's make that four weeks. Denver allowed Kansas City's hapless, quarterback-less offense to score 33 points after managing just 32 total against the Patriots, Raiders and Falcons to start the season.

Following the Week 2 loss to Oakland, running back Larry Johnson complained about not getting enough touches. That led to a 22-carry, 121-yard performance against the Falcons, and a 28-carry, 198-yard effort against the Broncos. Maybe LJ's onto something, particularly since the Chiefs' stable of quarterbacks includes an injured Brodie Croyle, an old Damon Huard and an inexperienced Tyler Thigpen.


Whatever, Denver's defense is a fraud; it's one thing to give up 38 points to the Chargers, or 32 points to the Saints, but it's something entirely different to get housed by the high-powered, Huard-led Chiefs. Jeebus. Unless defensive coordinator Bob Slowik finds a way to make this unit un-awful, the Chargers are winning the division and Jake Plummer gets to enjoy another schadenfreude-tastic Broncos-less postseason.

Kudos to Herm Edwards, who probably should've been fired three or four times already. Instead, Kansas City wins its first game in 12 tries dating back to Oct. 21, 2007. Good times, even if for just one week.

Colt Brennan, Please Take a Seat

You know, maybe Jason Campbell and this new-fangled West Coast Offense will work. There was much consternation among 'Skins fans, the media, and even some players following the season-opening loss to the Giants, but on the way to ushering in the Colt Brennan era, things started clicking for Campbell. He went from looking confused and out of sorts, to confident and poised under pressure. Several times against the Cowboys, Campbell calmly went through his progressions before settling on his third or fourth option. It was an impressive display given the circumstances, and that this is his third offense in four years.

After completing just 56 percent of his throws in Week 1, Campbell is 66 of 97 (68 percent), averaging 7.7 yards per attempt (up from 4.9), and has thrown five touchdowns with nary a pick. Joe Gibbs was often criticized for what appeared to be his arbitrary approach to roster building. Whether it was giving up a third-round pick to acquire Mark Brunell, or trading Champ Bailey AND a second-rounder for Clinton Portis, the guy deserves a ton of credit for moving back into the first round of the 2005 draft to grab Campbell.

And in the time it took you to read this sentence, Terence Newman got burned. Again.

Muffed Punts
Leftovers from Sunday's action...

... You know what I was thinking while watching Drew Brees carve up the 49ers? What kind of shape would the Dolphins be in right now had they signed him instead of Daunte Culpepper in 2006? Remember that? Miami had serious concerns about Brees' surgically repaired shoulder, and decided that Culpepper better fit their scheme. Nick Saban, that tall chap lurking in the corner is Sam Bowie. He'd like to have a word.

Saban would only last one season with the Dolphins before bolting back to the college game, and Cam Cameron got to sift through the wreckage. Trent Green, Cleo Lemon and John Beck later, the team was 1-15, Cameron was out of a job, and the whole operation was blowed up.

Things got off to a slow start in 2008, but last week's shellacking of the Patriots is as good as three wins in the morale-boosting department, which, at this stage of the proceedings, is almost as important as actual victories.

Meanwhile, Brees has been one of the league's best quarterbacks since coming to New Orleans, leading the team to the NFC Championship game in his first season, and averaging more than 4,400 passing yards and 27 touchdowns over that time. He threw for 363 yards and three TDs yesterday, and has only been sacked four times in four games. Or, to put it in terms Ben Roethlisberger can understand: two series against the Eagles.

Tangentially related: remember when Scott Linehan was a hot head-coaching prospect? He was the offensive coordinator in Minnesota from 2002-2004, when Culpepper was still considered one of the best passers on the planet. Linehan then spent a season with the Dolphins before landing the Rams gig in 2006. From there it was straight downhill at breakneck speed. Next thing you know Trent Green's your quarterback and your team hates you.

... In case you missed the news yesterday, Brett Favre set a personal record by throwing six touchdowns against a bunch of mannequins dressed in Cardinals uniforms. Peter King will devote an entire edition of Monday Morning Quarterback to the feat, which means that it'll be like every other column he's written that wasn't about the sheer awesomeness (and handsomeness!) of Tom Brady.

It's hard to say what a 56-35 throttling means for the Jets, and Favre didn't seem too interested reading too much into the victory. During his post-game press conference, he would only offer this: "I think [scoring six touchdowns] shows the potential this team has, I don't think it's any reason to go out and start buying playoff and Super Bowl tickets. I think it's just one game..."

He's right -- it is one game, but it couldn't be better timed; the Jets are coming off an abysmal Monday night showing against the Chargers after dropping a division matchup to the Patriots two weeks ago. In the time it took Kurt Warner to lose another fumble, New York is right back in the thick of things in the AFC East.

By the way, how bad must Matt Leinart be at his job? On Sunday, Warner looked every bit the part of the over-the-hill, 37-year-old, retread quarterback, throwing logic-defying interceptions and losing fumbles like he was Rex Grossman at his best. And yet, there stood Leinart on the sidelines, with no real chance to sniff the field. Man, that's depressing.

... Despite all sorts of weirdness to start their season, the Chargers are 2-2. They're probably the best team in the AFC West, even though the Broncos currently have a better record. San Diego trailed Oakland 15-0 at halftime yesterday before scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter. The Chargers have a ridiculously difficult schedule going forward -- they'll face New England, Buffalo and New Orleans before their bye in Week 9, but I still think they're the favorites to win the division simply because Denver's defense is so absurdly inept.

... Lane Kiffin, you have my utmost respect. It takes a lot of ... well, something, to refuse to quit under such circumstances. You got my Coach of the Year vote and I'm not even kidding.

... The Bills are 4-0 and there's an outside chance they go undefeated. It sounds nuts, I know, but consider this: outside the division, their toughest game on the schedule is San Diego. That's it. They'll also face Arizona, Cleveland, Kansas City, San Francisco and Denver. Even if we're less bullish about their chances at perfection, assume Buffalo splits their AFC East matchups and loses to the Chargers and the Broncos. That's still 11-5, which seems imminently doable. The great irony in all this: head coach Dick Jauron is the same guy Matt Millen let go to hire Rod Marinelli prior the 2006 season.

... A word about the Browns-Bengals game: atrocious.

... Kerry Collins, 2008 = Trent Dilfer, 2000 but much, much better. I was initially skeptical that Collins would be able to lead the Titans; as it turns out, he's exactly what this offense needed. It's as much an indictment of Vince Young's maturation as Collins' veteran savvy-ness. But as long as that defense continues to regularly wreak havoc, Collins won't be asked to win games by himself. It must be a very liberating feeling, and while the "game manager" tag is often a pejorative one, Dilfer has a Super Bowl ring for doing exactly that.

... Remember when there were some concerns about Aaron Rodgers' durability? Well, he reportedly has a separated throwing shoulder, which means that it's Matt Flynn time if Rodgers can't go next week. If there's good news, it's this: Rodgers came back into the Bucs game after suffering the injury and threw a laser-for-six to Greg Jennings, and even if he has to miss Week 5, Green Bay faces the better-but-still-not-good Falcons. It's not much, but when the depth chart at quarterback is rookie-erific, it'll have to do.

... I'll be honest, I was pretty sure Kyle Orton would flop as the Bears' starting quarterback. It wasn't an outrageous notion given how quickly things deteriorated in 2007, but whatever, I was wrong. So, Kyle, my bad, dude. I never shoulda lumped you in with Grossman. One question, though: why the hell did Lovie Smith have you holding a clipboard for 13 games last season?

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

"It was just nice to get a lead ... That's the first time that's happened in a while."
- Quarterback Damon Huard, who helped the Chiefs snap a 12-game losing streak

"I was going to congratulate [Steve Smith] on the touchdown and he said, 'This is for you. He took the high road and that showed a lot about him as a person."
- Panthers cornerback Ken Lucas, who got intimately familiar with Smith's fist during preseason.

"That's not my call ... I don't know what I expect. I'm not going to do anything different than I've been doing, keeping this team together the best I can."
- Raiders head-coach-for-now Lane Kiffin, when asked about his future with the team.

"I'm going to continue to do the best I can, OK, and that's the only thing I can control ... That's what I've done my whole life and that's what I'm going to do the rest of my life."
- Rams head coach Scott Linehan discussing his tenuous future in St. Louis.

"Everybody has to look at the Redskins in a different light now. This is a great team. We can beat anybody. We can play with anybody. We proved that right now."
- Redskins running back Ladell Betts

"It's no secret, when I get involved, we move the chains. When I don't, we're more stagnant in our offense."
- Cowboys wideout Terrell Owens

"It's been a very, very difficult week, especially for Matt. You have to pray for him. He's a man of very few words, always has been, always will be. I think he needed the game today. He needed football today, and did he really perform."
- Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden speaking about kicker Matt Bryant

"I wanted to honor Tryson's name ... I didn't think it was very fair for his life to end so short, so ... this is the best way I could -- I believe I could get out and honor him. And I miss him, I wish he was here, but -- I mean, he was here, you know, with me ... he helped out."
- Matt Bryant talking to the media during his post-game press conference