Week 1 of the NFL season is always interesting, and this year was no different, with eight new head coaches, 26 new coordinators and rookies starting all over the place. The new head coaches struggled as expected. Without spring and much of summer to spend getting to know their teams, it's no shock Cleveland, Tennessee and Carolina didn't get it done, but my hat's off to Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers.
Here are six observations from a wild opening weekend:
1. It was dangerous to be a quarterback. After seeing teams in training camp and watching the preseason games, it was clear that September was going to be a very dangerous month for quarterbacks. Just about every defensive coordinator was working hard to expand pressure calls. As one coach told me, "We are not going to let the quarterback stay on his launch point and be comfortable." If you were watching the Atlanta-Chicago game, you know what I mean. There were 10 sacks and another seven solid hits on both quarterbacks. Sam Bradford, Andy Dalton and Josh Freeman all left their games. Dalton didn't return, and he was sacked three times, knocked down five times and hurried at least three times in just one half. In the first 14 games, there were 78 sacks and another 110 hits on QBs. It will not be long before David Garrard's phone will be ringing and he can have his choice of places to go. Michael Vick looked like the great athlete he is, but he is running too much to last 16 games at this pace.
2. Tackling is not very good. Saturday afternoon, two NFL head coaches told me they thought the lockout and subsequent new practice rules would hurt tackling more than pass protection, and after watching the kick returns, punt returns and running backs, I realized it was true. One of the head coaches added, "And now I only have 13 padded practices left for the whole season and I'm not sure it is going to get any better." With that in mind, did you watch Ted Ginn Jr. of the 49ers have a 102-yard kickoff return and a 55-yard punt return for touchdowns against Seattle? Did you see Ray Rice of the Ravens run for more than 100 yards against the Steelers? Did you watch Matt Forte of the Bears on a 56-yard screen pass? I feel bad for the coaches who must struggle to improve this fundamental issue.
3. Bring the ball out. In 1993 -- the last year the NFL kicked off from the 35-yard line -- there were four kickoff returns for touchdowns in the NFL for the entire season. We just had three in the first weekend and there are still two games to be played on Monday night. Another example of bad tackling? Probably so, but also a statement from special teams coaches that they aren't afraid to give the green light to their returners. I know Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said rookie Randall Cobb should not have brought out his 108-yard return, but he may change his mind when he sees the first week's results around the league. I took a look at the kickoffs into the end zone in the first 14 games and there were some interesting results. There were 57 touchbacks, nine returns that didn't make the 20-yard line and 27 returns that cleared the 20 -- and thus were worth the risk. We'll never know how many of the touchbacks would have come out past the 20-yard line, but I do know there are more opportunities for positive plays than I thought there would be. Just on returns that started more than five yards deep in the end zone there were 13 returns, and they averaged 36.5 yards per return, with only five tackled inside the 20-yard line.
4. Good decisions. Every year there are very tough decisions that have to be made just before the season starts, which are always hotly debated among fans and media. When they don't work out we never stop hearing about them, but when they work out brilliantly we sometimes don't recognize them. The Redskins' decision to start Rex Grossman was brilliant. He threw for 336 yards against the Giants last year in a loss, then came back this year and had 305 yards and 2 touchdown passes in a big Washington win. The Packers' no-huddle offense was very effective early in the win over New Orleans. Resting Maurice Jones-Drew after 21 carries and bringing him back late to close out the Titans was excellent coaching by Jack Del Rio. And for now, it looks like letting David Garrard go in Jacksonville was a step in the right direction, but we'll see.
5. There are no excuses now. Since 2008, football fans have been waiting for the Houston Texans to take the AFC South, or at least to post a winning record and make the playoffs. Well, after watching the Manning-less Colts perform on Sunday, there really isn't an excuse now. The Texans were impressive even with Arian Foster on the sidelines in Week 1, but they beat the Colts last year in the opener, too, and still finished 6-10. I have talked with a number of players on this Houston team and they're the ones who told me, "no more excuses."
6. No reason to panic. In 2010, four teams that lost their opening game went on to make the playoffs: Atlanta, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and the Jets. In fact, three of those teams won their division last year and I really think a few very good teams lost this weekend but are still headed toward a playoff run. The Saints, Falcons, Rams, Bucs and Steelers are teams that shouldn't panic.
