Week 2: Don't Overreact

Robert Griffin III gives Redskins fans a lot to cheer about. (Getty)

Ok, so we've seen one week of games.  It's pretty easy overreact to the outcomes, but keep in mind that some teams probably came out fired up (the New York Jets) and some teams came out flat (the New York Giants).

It's not a long season.  There's no time to slump in the NFL, but there are 16 games and every team is still capable of going 15-1, so it's way too early to overreact to one poor outcome.


Stally (Eight-Point Pick) – @New England over Arizona

Stally:  Tom Brady at home or Kevin Kolb on the road?  This was a pretty easy choice to make.

Austen: Kolb is terrible and Brady is a champ. I'm having a hard time seeing a Cards win.

Week 1: Let's Kickoff the Season!

Neither of us have any idea why Ryan Tannehill is starting. (Getty)

We're back!  The Stubborn OXen had a big get together in New York City this weekend to watch USC outlast Syracuse in football.  We also had the chance to fire back up the blog.

We have drafted our teams for the season and will share them in the next few days, but in preparation for Sunday kickoff, let's take a look at this week's picks.

Austen (Eight-Point Pick) – @Houston over Miami

Austen: Has anyone watched Hard Knocks? The Fins are awful. Texans are my sleeper team in the AFC. All points to a Houston win.

Austen's Goal Line Stand of the Summer

GOAL LINE STAND:

Has Everyone Forgotten About Reggie Wayne?

Reggie Wayne may be getting older, but he still
has some of the best hands in the NFL.

This has become an epidemic in the NFL. Has everyone forgotten how good Reggie Wayne is and how he could very likely end up in the Hall of Fame?

This phenomenon seemingly started in 2010. When Peyton Manning was struggling, everyone blamed the fact that all his weapons were injured. That season, Wayne played all 16 games, caught 111 passes for 1,355 yards, and was an All Pro selection. Those numbers are off the chart, yet he got little praise for his production despite being double covered all season long.

Why does he get written off just because he was fortunate enough to play with one of the all time greats at the quarterback position? Does Jerry Rice get flack for being teamed up with Joe Montana? Would Wayne put up the same numbers had he been playing with Rex Grossman? Obviously not, but that does not mean his production should go unnoticed. 

TOP 32 QBS FOR 2012

I love to do this every year because there is so much turnover from year to year. Players fall off the map (Donovan McNabb) and new faces jump into the mix (two players who have yet to even play a snap in the NFL). There are a lot of differing opinions when talking about quarterbacks but here is my list of guys who I would want leading my franchise in 2012 if I had to take them just for one season.

1. Aaron Rodgers (Last year: 3): If you could design the perfect quarterback, it would be Aaron Rodgers. He has a huge arm, he can accurately throw the ball anywhere on the field, and he is a threat to run the ball at any time. Rodgers is so good that despite going 15-1 and having the most impressive regular season of any quarterback ever, he is extremely disappointed with himself because he came up short in the playoffs. Look for him to be even more focused in 2012 on winning a championship. He could be the best quarterback the league has ever seen if he can continue to play anywhere near the same level as he has been the last two years.
2. Tom Brady (Last year: 1): Brady might be the best quarterback the NFL has ever seen, but Rodgers edges him out barely because of his superior athleticism. No one makes mediocre players look like Hall of Famers like Brady does. And most importantly, he still wins a ton of games in both the regular season and the playoffs.
3. Drew Brees (Last year: 4): Brees shattered Dan Marino’s passing record last season and people barely noticed thanks to Rodgers’ season. Brees always finds a way to improvise when a play breaks down and makes something out of nothing. He is helped by a great system and a lot of role players who fill specific needs, but do not underestimate how good this guy is. The Saints need to pay him whatever number he is asking and be happy they have a quarterback who will single handedly win them 10 games a year. 
4. Eli Manning (Last year: 9): People thought I was giving Eli favoritism when I ranked him at 9^th last year. Little did we know that 9^th was way too low for this guy. Eli carried his team to yet another Super Bowl in which they were an underdog in almost every playoff game. There is not a quarterback in the league who was more clutch when his team needed him most, but he needs to be more consistent before he jumps into the top three.
5. Ben Roethlisberger (Last year: 6): Big Ben continues to develop as a quarterback and is getting better every year. His size and his arm strength make him almost impossible to game plan around. He can break three tackles in the pocket and then throw up a perfect deep pass to one of his many speed receivers. He gives the Steelers the chance to score on every play. Again, more importantly, he wins a ton of games every year.

BEST MOVES OF THE 2012 NFL DRAFT

There were an incredible amount of trades in this year’s NFL Draft, some of them good, some of them not so good. I will stay positive for now and go over my favorite moves of last weekend’s draft.

The Redskins mortgage their future to get Robert Griffin III:

Robert Griffin III has been compared to Hall
of Fame quarterback Steve Young, but he
has a long road to get to that elite level.

The expression goes, “You can never give up too much to get a franchise quarterback.” Griffin has a lot of work to do in order to become a franchise quarterback, but he has all the skills, and more, to become one of the top quarterbacks in this league. He also has the benefit of a solid defense and an owner who spent a ton of money in free agency to get some offensive weapons to surround him with.

It may take longer than most people think for Griffin to get up to speed in the NFL, since people are already talking about a Cam Newton-esque rookie campaign. Let’s not forget how rare it is to see that type of a performance from a rookie signal caller. Expectations need to be tempered a bit for 2012, but I have very little doubt that Griffin will have a long and successful career.

With Morris Claiborne falling to the sixth pick, the Cowboys make a bold move to land the corner they coveted all along:

People are questioning this move simply because it is the Cowboys making this move. If Bill Belichick traded up with both of his first rounds pick, people would be saying it was the move of the draft to land possibly the best defensive player of this rookie class. Let’s not forget how incredibly talented Claiborne is and how badly the Cowboys needed to improve their defensive backfield after another disappointing season.

No one is happier than Rob Ryan about the Cowboys' move to
land Morris Claiborne. Maybe he will have less to be angry
about in 2012 thanks to a much improved defensive backfield.

Rob Ryan’s defense needs cover corners just to be able to function. We saw that last season when his defense gave up huge play after huge play, causing them to miss the playoffs yet again. The Cowboys gave a large contract to Brandon Carr in free agency, but even Jerry Jones admitted that they over paid him because corner was such a glaring need for his team. That is not much of a ringing endorsement from your owner, so they were clearly looking to add more talent at the position.

While giving up a valuable second round pick to get Claiborne is a heavy price, Claiborne has the potential to be a shutdown corner in this league for a long time. I am pretty sure the Jets do not regret trading up to grab Darrelle Revis in the first round. I do not think the Cowboys will be disappointed either.