COWBOY CONUNDRUM
Weeden replaces Romo at QB
If you think Dallas Cowboys fans gave Tony Romo a hard time, oh my word, Heaven help Brandon Weeden.
Looks like the Cleveland Browns castoff will have the reins of the Dallas offence for some time, after Romo fractured his left clavicle against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Romo’s prognosis, as announced by head coach Jason Garrett Monday: no surgery required, but he’ll be out for about eight weeks.
You remember Weeden. Firstround draft pick by Cleveland Browns in April 2012, benched in September 2013, cut in March 2014. That’s about as fast a plummet as there’s been for a firstround passer. Now all Texas eyes are on the man with a 5-16 career record as NFL starter.
“I’ve got to be ready,” he said after Dallas smoked Philly 20-10. “You’ve got to be ready at all times.”
He was Sunday. Weeden completed all seven of his throws against the Eagles, including one for a clinching fourth-quarter touchdown.
With no Romo, no Dez Bryant until maybe December, and Mr. Dependable — tight end Jason Witten — battling two bum ankles and a knee sprain, Weeden has his work cut out for him. At least Dallas is 2-0, Philly and the New York Giants are 0-2 and Washington doesn’t seem like much of a season-long threat, even at 1-1.
TEAM TURMOIL
What’s happened to Chip Kelly’s dynasty-in-the-making? Given unquestioned command of the Philadelphia Eagles football operations by owner Jeff Lurie in January, Kelly ran off, traded away or let go productive, occasionally dynamic — if in some cases aging and over-priced — veterans, such as QB Nick Foles, RB LeSean McCoy, WR Jeremy Maclin and G Evan Mathis. Then Chip pushed his largest stack of chips onto new quarterback Sam Bradford, the St. Louis Rams’ former first overall draft pick who never came close to realizing his potential on the Mississippi.
Yet here are the Eagles at 0-2, with all of Philadelphia in uproar.
It’s still early in the season. There’s a long way to go. And all those other qualifying clichés do apply. But it sure looks like the Eagles are a loss or two away from an utter meltdown. Kelly’s supposed high-octane offensive attack has been a complete dud for seven of eight quarters in 2015. You need to see no other stat than new RB DeMarco Murray’s season rushing total to date: 21 carries, 11 yards. You read that right: 11.
Last year’s leading ground gainer in the NFL (with 1,845 yards, in his fourth and final season as a Dallas Cowboy) has almost six times more yards receiving, for Philadelphia freedom’s sake.
Murray’s on-field facial expressions shown on TV during his first two games as an Eagle would compel you to conclude:
a) he was passing kidney stones;
b) those mind-controlling mutants in Beneath the Planet of the Apes were telepathically sound-obliterating his brain matter; or
c) he is decidedly unhappy with his current role on his current team. And who could blame him? Kelly on Monday blamed his offence’s woes on passing, catching and blocking, but his defence is foundering, too.
Blame is being heaped on bigmoney free-agent cornerback signee Byron Maxwell, who’s looking like a bust. ProFootballFocus.com’s John Breitenbach calculates that Maxwell has surrendered 240 yards and two TDs already, after having allowed only 680 yards and one TD all of last year in Seattle’s Legion of Boom secondary, opposite Richard Sherman.
Perhaps the only good news, if you’re an Eagles fan, is that the team’s schedule before the return date in Dallas on Nov. 8 could not be much lighter: at New York Jets this Sunday, at Washington, New Orleans, New York Giants (on a Monday night), at Carolina, then a bye week.
TAKING A KNEE
All is not lost, no matter your favourite team.
Two-thirds of the league’s 32 teams are either 1-1 or 0-2. Even if your team has looked terrible in starting the season winless — hello, Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New Orleans — there’s still hope, and plenty of it.
According to the NFL, 60 per cent of playoff teams since realignment in 2002 began the season either 1-1 or 0-2. That includes six of last year’s eight division winners.
Twenty-four teams since 1990 have begun 0-2 but still reached the playoffs.
But start 0-3? Forget about it. Only three such teams in the past 13 years have played in the post-season: the 1992 San Diego Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills
HERO
Give Derek Carr big props this week. After leaving the Raiders’ opener a week ago with a badly swollen thumb on his right throwing hand, the second-year QB surprisingly recovered and played against favoured Baltimore. Carr completed 30-of-46 for 351 yards and three touchdowns, including a 12-yard rope to WR Seth Roberts for the winner with 26 seconds left, in a 37-33 upset win for Oakland.
ZERO
Bills head coach Rex Ryan. He thought his front-four on defence could provide ample pressure on Pats QB Tom Brady. Didn’t happen. So Ryan kept on not blitzing, and Brady kept on picking apart the Bills’ carcass in an embarrassing, spirit-crusher of a loss for the home side.
STOCK UP
Andy Dalton looked even worse in the preseason than playoff-form Andy Dalton. Which means pretty bad. But the Cincinnati QB has been nothing short of excellent in two regular-season starts. He’s 41-of-60 for 483 yards, five TDs and no interceptions in two impressive wins.
STOCK DOWN
The Seattle Seahawks defence has allowed 61 points in two games. Only Oakland and Chicago have given up more. In contrast, over their last six games of 2014, the Seahawks allowed 39 points COMBINED. Let that marble roll around for a while.