Week 2 Smash Mouth
The NFL continues to move in the direction of the passing game with Week1 featuring five more touchdown passes than any other week in NFL history. However, one of the headline stories of the first week was the offense of Chip Kelly in Philadelphia and the affirmation that LeSean McCoy is going to be "that guy" this year. Shady's talent plus Kelly's spread scheme is going to equal big yards and big points. Let's take a look back at what happened last week and what I see happening this week.
Moving the Sticks
o Just in case you thought Andy Reid had cured himself of his RB negligence, he was back at it again last weekend with just 11 touches going to Jamaal Charles. Even with more touches, it wouldn't have mattered much as the Chiefs make-shift line looked poor. Until the Chiefs get RT Donald Stephenson back from his four game suspension, look for that running game to be very uneven. Charles will have to make it happen with his special talent rather than many gaping creases.
o Despite being a marginally talented run-blocking unit, the Dolphins worked well as a unit and Lamar Miller and Knowshon Moreno showed the aggressiveness and quickness needed to make this a potent running game right out of the box.
o Well good luck figuring out the carries in New Orleans and Atlanta. Just about every RB who touched the ball had their moments and it will be touch and go for a few weeks for owners who are trying to get a feel for where the touches are going to go. While Devonta Freeman (ATL) will get limited touches early on, it is obvious he is headed for bigger things this year.
o I felt like the Rams got away from who they were last year and away from trying to be the bully-ball team they are being built to be up front. Zac Stacy was running behind his pads, but he needs to get that rock early and often to get into the type of rhythm the Rams need.
o The Cleveland Brown running game went to school on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second half of their loss. Outside zone teams have had success against the Steelers in recent years and last week was no difference. Of course Ben Tate got hurt - what else is new? However, the big story was that rookie RBs Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell feasted on the Steelers for most of the day behind some dominant blocking which included an excellent performance by rookie LG Joel Bitonio.
o No Huddle offense was used in over 20% of the plays run last weekend. What does this mean to you? Well it means that more plays are going to be run and when teams run hurry-up in the middle of games, that usually means more running plays as they attempt to wear down defenses. The Bills and Dolphins are both up-tempo teams and they play against each other this week so this one could get interesting for fantasy owners.
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The Chow Bowl
Who's hungry? Are you hungry? Well let's go eat!
Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard (Bengals) - The Bengals got away from their running game way quicker than I expected and that will be remedied this week against the Falcons. Look for Bernard to get over 20 total touches in this one with over 125 total yards while Jeremy Hill will get into the end zone at least once. Big opportunity for both RBs.
Adrian Peterson (Vikings) - It seems silly that I should even put him on this list since everyone will start him regardless, but I wanted to point out how average the Patriots run defense looked last weekend. If the Patriots don't jump out quickly on the Vikings and chase them from their game plan, then "All Day" will be running all day.
Alfred Morris (Redskins) - There is no way that Jay Gruden watched the tape from last week's game and didn't come away wondering why he didn't rely more heavily on Alfred Morris and less so on RG3. The Jaguars are on the road for the second weekend in a row and the Redskins will be hyper-focused on grounding and pounding. Good spot here for Morris.
Isaiah Crowell (Browns) - Terrance West has the wiggle and put up big numbers in this offense, but so can Crowell and Crowell is the better 1-cut back which is the key to the outside zone scheme. Factor in that Crowell is the clear-cut goal line RB and you've got yourself a nice FanDuel play here.
DeMarco Murray (Cowboys) - Tony Romo probably had his worst game that I've ever seen against the 49'ers. Unfortunately, it overshadowed the fact that the Cowboys were gashing the San Francisco run defense for much of the first half. While the Titans rush defense looked stout against the Chiefs, they were going against a bad offensive line and a team who lacked run game commitment. The Cowboys are going to pound the rock and Murray will need a napkin to keep from getting that 100 yard sauce all over his jersey.
Three Offensive Lines in Trouble
1. San Diego Chargers - The Seahawks put it on the Chargers for an entire half in the preseason and RT D.J. Fluker said he couldn't wait to get another shot at the Seahawks. Trust me, D.J., you don't want this. While the Chargers are one of the most well-coached offensive lines in the business, the speed of the Seahawks is going to be a major issue unless the Chargers can get an early lead and just play between the tackles all game long.
2. Carolina Panthers - The Lions were all over Eli Manning and the New York Giants on Monday Night and that is no fluke. The Detroit front four is physical and explosive and the Panthers don't have much of a chance to match-up favorably with them. Are you sure you want to come back for this one, Cam?
3. Atlanta Falcons - The Atlanta Falcons gutted through with a make-shift tackle tandem after Jake Matthews got hurt and pulled off the upset of the Saints. Even if Matthews is back in the lineup, it won't matter against a Bengals stop unit. Bengals DT Geno Atkins had one of the most memorable, legal body slams of a player that I've ever seen against Eugene Monroe last weekend and he might get about six this week against the Falcons. Matt Ryan will have to earn his yards this week and there will be very little running room for Atlanta.
Week 1 Awards
O-Line of the Week: Miami Dolphins - I was so impressed with what I was seeing from them up front.... especially from guard to guard. The Dolphins couldn't be more average at guard, center, guard, but the combination of Daryn Colledge, Samson Satele and Shelley Smith played well beyond what I could have possibly expected and the entire unit worked well together as the Dolphins rode the inside zone game to a big day on the ground. I was especially impressed with Satele who looked like he had no business being a starter in the NFL at times last year.
Bad Ass of the Week: Eric Wood (Bills) - The Buffalo center won early and often against anyone the Bears put in front of him and opened holes on a couple of key runs in the Bills upset win in Chicago. Wood was getting push and turning defenders and wasn't just walling defenders off or stalemating them. Wood is talented and has a chance to be a Pro Bowl center this year.
Stop Unit of the Week: Detroit Lions - I could have given this award to the Jets, but they were facing a rookie QB making his first start on the road. That is kind of a cake matchup. Instead, the Lions were all over Eli Manning, Rashad Jennings and the entire offensive line making their collective lives miserable. Detroit's talent up front means they can pressure the passer without having to blitz all the time. This could spell trouble for lesser offenses they face (like this week).
