New England Patriots QB Tom Brady flips over on his head. Charles Krupa/AP/Press Association Images
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The Redzone: Patriot Missile continues to blow the league away
Two weeks into the regular season and most pundits are already tipping Tom Brady to be this year’s MVP. Steven O’Rourke tells us that it’s not the QB’s statistics that should impress, it’s his ability to win the game.
ON SUNDAY NIGHT, after Cam Newton had passed for over 400 yards for the second consecutive week, a friend asked me if I regretted what I wrote about him last week.
No, I said, I feel completely vindicated.
The simple fact is that passing yardage is overrated. It’s statistically possible to throw for 98 yards on every single drive and not score. The key to being a quarterback is getting the ball into the endzone more times than your opponents.
Tom Brady gets the ball into the endzone and he does it in a system that’s almost unique to the NFL as the Patriots run most of their offensive plays with two tight ends on the field.
Done correctly, this gives you a huge advantage over your opponents. Tight ends, by their nature, are bulkier than your average receiver meaning they provide great blocking on running plays and, indeed, on passing plays where the QB looks to go deep.
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In Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, Tom Brady has two of the safest pairs of hands in the league. With news of a knee injury for Hernandez though, perhaps it’s time for Chad Ochocinco, rapturously received by the New England fans on Sunday, to step up and help out fantasy owners who took a risk on him.
Performance of the week
After the Oakland Raiders went in to half-time 21-3 up against the Buffalo Bills I tweeted that I may have been wrong about the Raiders this year and that my team might actually post a winning record.
Little did I know that Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills would score on all five of their second-half possessions and convert two fourth down situations. The Raiders played their part too, including confusing the officials so much with their final play that the result wasn’t official until 10 minutes after the game had ended.
You can watch highlights on NFL.com Player of the week
It’s very easy to dislike Tony Romo and that’s why I’m ignoring his gutsy performance against the San Francisco 49ers where he returned from a broken rib to lead the Cowboys to a comeback win.
Instead, I’m returning to Tom Brady once again. Seven touchdowns, almost 1,000 yards and only one interception in 88 attempts. Brady is quite possibly the greatest we’ll ever see.
It’s a bit of a Patriots love-in this week but how could I not have 325 pound Vince Wilfork’s interception against the San Diego Chargers as my play of the week.
Nose Tackles are not built to run, but watch Wilfork’s Usain Bolt impression here.
Oakland Raiders 35 @ Buffalo Bills 38
Green Bay Packers 30 @ Carolina Panthers 23
Cleveland Browns 27 @ Indianapolis Colts 19
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 @ Minnesota Vikings 20
Jacksonville Jaguars 3 @ New York Jets 32
Kansas City Chiefs 3 @ Detroit Lions 48
Seattle Seahawks 0 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 24
Baltimore Ravens 13 @ Tennessee Titans 26
Arizona Cardinals 21 @ Washington Redskins 22
Chicago Bears 13 @ New Orleans Saints 30
Dallas Cowboys 27 @ San Francisco 49ers 24
Cincinnati Bengals 22 @ Denver Broncos 24
Houston Texans 23 @ Miami Dolphins 13
San Diego Chargers 21 @ New England Patriots 35
Philadelphia Eagles 31 @ Atlanta Falcons 35
St. Louis Rams 16 @ New York Giants 28
Steven O’Rourke is the Offensive Co-ordinator of Tullamore Phoenix American Football Club, winners of the IAFL DV8s national title in 2010 and 2011. Tullamore are always recruiting new players so, if you’d like to play football and not just read about it, Steven would love to hear from you.
The Redzone: Patriot Missile continues to blow the league away
ON SUNDAY NIGHT, after Cam Newton had passed for over 400 yards for the second consecutive week, a friend asked me if I regretted what I wrote about him last week.
No, I said, I feel completely vindicated.
The simple fact is that passing yardage is overrated. It’s statistically possible to throw for 98 yards on every single drive and not score. The key to being a quarterback is getting the ball into the endzone more times than your opponents.
Tom Brady gets the ball into the endzone and he does it in a system that’s almost unique to the NFL as the Patriots run most of their offensive plays with two tight ends on the field.
Done correctly, this gives you a huge advantage over your opponents. Tight ends, by their nature, are bulkier than your average receiver meaning they provide great blocking on running plays and, indeed, on passing plays where the QB looks to go deep.
In Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, Tom Brady has two of the safest pairs of hands in the league. With news of a knee injury for Hernandez though, perhaps it’s time for Chad Ochocinco, rapturously received by the New England fans on Sunday, to step up and help out fantasy owners who took a risk on him.
Performance of the week
After the Oakland Raiders went in to half-time 21-3 up against the Buffalo Bills I tweeted that I may have been wrong about the Raiders this year and that my team might actually post a winning record.
Little did I know that Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills would score on all five of their second-half possessions and convert two fourth down situations. The Raiders played their part too, including confusing the officials so much with their final play that the result wasn’t official until 10 minutes after the game had ended.
You can watch highlights on NFL.com
Player of the week
It’s very easy to dislike Tony Romo and that’s why I’m ignoring his gutsy performance against the San Francisco 49ers where he returned from a broken rib to lead the Cowboys to a comeback win.
Instead, I’m returning to Tom Brady once again. Seven touchdowns, almost 1,000 yards and only one interception in 88 attempts. Brady is quite possibly the greatest we’ll ever see.
See his week two highlights here.
Play of the week
It’s a bit of a Patriots love-in this week but how could I not have 325 pound Vince Wilfork’s interception against the San Diego Chargers as my play of the week.
Nose Tackles are not built to run, but watch Wilfork’s Usain Bolt impression here.
Oakland Raiders 35 @ Buffalo Bills 38
Green Bay Packers 30 @ Carolina Panthers 23
Cleveland Browns 27 @ Indianapolis Colts 19
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 @ Minnesota Vikings 20
Jacksonville Jaguars 3 @ New York Jets 32
Kansas City Chiefs 3 @ Detroit Lions 48
Seattle Seahawks 0 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 24
Baltimore Ravens 13 @ Tennessee Titans 26
Arizona Cardinals 21 @ Washington Redskins 22
Chicago Bears 13 @ New Orleans Saints 30
Dallas Cowboys 27 @ San Francisco 49ers 24
Cincinnati Bengals 22 @ Denver Broncos 24
Houston Texans 23 @ Miami Dolphins 13
San Diego Chargers 21 @ New England Patriots 35
Philadelphia Eagles 31 @ Atlanta Falcons 35
St. Louis Rams 16 @ New York Giants 28
Steven O’Rourke is the Offensive Co-ordinator of Tullamore Phoenix American Football Club, winners of the IAFL DV8s national title in 2010 and 2011. Tullamore are always recruiting new players so, if you’d like to play football and not just read about it, Steven would love to hear from you.
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