Reflections on Week 1

Out of all the performances to compare and contrast over the NFL's opening week, hands down let's give it up for Redskin's quarterback Robert Griffin III. He was the only starting rookie qb to crack the Top 5 in passing yards and became the first ever rookie qb to throw for over 300 yards, two touchdowns and no picks in his first game. His composure was solid, his arm strength impressive and to knock down the Saints in New Orleans is a feat on its own.

As always every Sunday is any given Sunday (meaning anything can happen), but Week 1 is extra special; it's that one week where you can really take away from your opponent if you're the underdog, and have some fun with the critics for the long haul. Here are some other shining examples of some guys who did good.

Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning
If you thought Michael Vick was going to be a better fantasy choice than Manning and grabbed him early just to ensure you didn't get stuck with the former Colt, I bet you're feeling the lumps of that decision right now. Manning, who's four neck surgeries in the past year put his ability to perform at a high level in question, hushed the naysayers with 253 yards and two scores. In his 15th season but first in Denver the vet shows early against an often feared defense, that he's still got it.

Buffalo Bills, CJ Spiller
You hate to see any athlete go down to injury, so when Bills running back Fred Jackson limped off the field early in the blowout loss to the Jets, I wasn't expecting to see the surge of C.J Spiller take place. Jackson is expected out for at least 3 weeks. Down by as much as 41-7, Spiller grabbed the reigns of the struggling Bills squad and carried off for 169 yards and a touchdown, averaging 12 yards per carry. His hard work puts him atop the rusher leader board this week. While the Bills lost by a score of 48-28, much can be credited to the following player who also caught me off guard.

New York Jets, Mark Sanchez
The Jets had a dismal pre season, struggled mightily on offense and had the spotlights of two star quarterbacks taking to one field shining since the start of the summer. The prediction was that Mark Sanchez would flail (not fail, that's too harsh) miserably and be replaced with Tim Tebow by the start of Week 4. The prediction after that was that Tebow would be next to succumb to New York pressure and the whole Jets season would be in the can. Well, after Sanchez threw that first pick it was all uphill from there, 3 TD's, 266 yards and the Jets were 10-14 on third downs and forcing some costly turnovers.

Tomorrow we glance at the Thursday Night Game between the Packers and Bears - a classic if you're a football fan!

xoxo,