Observations from the First 2 Weeks..

Daunte Culpepper has shown that much of his success was tied to Randy Moss. He has thrown as 8 interceptions (the combined total of TDs of Donovan McNabb (6) and Peyton Manning (2). The Vikings are 0-2, and if Culpepper doesn't get it together against the Saints this weekend, they're not gonna make it to the playoffs.

Kansas City's and Indianaoplis' defenses have both played extremely well so far. The Colts have given up only 10 points in 2 games. Granted the first game was against Baltimore, who couldn't score against a high school football team. Yhey only allowed 3 points to Jacksonville, who put up 26 points against Seattle in week 1. Kansas City did a good job shutting down the Raiders on Sunday night in 23-17 victory. However, it should be noted that the Raiders had 2 touchdowns called back on penalties, one of them (the offensive pass interference call on Randy Moss) was questionable to say the least. Regardless all the matters in the NFL is the bottom line. Both teams' defenses have gotten the job done the first 2 weeks.

Washington is 2-0! Maybe Joe Gibbs knows what he is doing. Their defense still looks solid, and if Mark Brunell can continue to hit Santana Moss deep ( as he did twice for touchdowns in the final 4 minutes of their Monday night victory over Dallas, 14-13), then the Redksins could be legitimate contenders in the NFC East, and maybe in the NFC.

Stephen Davis has actually played this season, and despite my prediction (that he would never play again), he has looked pretty good. He has 4 tds, rushing for 158 yards on 38 attempts, helping lead the Panthers over the Patriots in a surprising 27-17 victory. The Panthers defense looks very good, which may be enough to get them deep in the playoffs season. The only snag might be Jake Delhomme hasn't looked very good. That interception he threw against the Patriots looked like a Jake Plummer pass. I'm tired of the "Poor Man's Tom Brady" analogies he has been getting.

The Eagles are in last place in the NFC East! Ok, so they are only one game back, and they have a favorable matchup against the Raiders this week. They definitely won't clinch the division in the the fourth week of the season as they did last year. This one could come down to the final week, if Drew Bledsoe and Mark Brunell can continue playing well. That's a big IF, considering both are in the twilight of their careers, but it could happen...

Priest Holmes and Curtis Martin both look like they are done. Holmes went out for a series with a shoulder injury against the Raiders and Larry Johnson scored almost immediately. Johnson looks much better than Holmes, running for 151 yards on 18 carries (8.4 ypc), while Holmes has 41 carries for 160 yards (3.9 ypc). Vermeil continues to use Holmes for two-thirds of the carries, despite the fact that Johnson is doing more with the same blocking. Martin has rushed for 129 yards on 51 carries, a whopping 2.5 yards per carry. Now he has a knee strain. He is 32, and doesn't appear to have much, if any gas left in the tank. He has two tough defenses coming up next (Jacksonville and Baltimore). I don't think he will play more than 8 games this season, and he won't be a legitimate fantasy option. The Jets will wish they had kept Lamont Jordan around to split carries with Martin this season.

Tennesse came out of nowhere and blew out Baltimore in week 2. Maybe this team will go somewhere this year. Now I am not saying they are going to make the playoffs, but 8-8 is a real possibility.

The Saints got screwed by the NFL. Would the Saints have beaten the Giants if they didn't have to travel to New York for a "home" game? Probably not, but they became the 2nd team in NFL history that had to do a silent snap count at a home game (the first being the Cardinals). It just wasn't fair that the Giants got to play at home. Some of the Giants players commented after the game that it was the loudest crowd they had ever heard! Apparently, painting one of the endzones with Saints' colors and having 3 Doors Down perform at halftime were the only signs that this was a home game for the Saints. And since when did having a band from the home team's city give a team an advantage?

The Giants and Buccaneers are both 2-0, and look like legitimate contenders. The Buccaneers blew out the Bills 19-3 after shutting down the Vikings in week 1. Their defense is looking very impressive, and Cadillac Williams drove through a pretty stingy Buffalo defense. He has posted 100 yard rushing in his first two games and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Eli Manning has shown flashes of "getting it" in the first two weeks, and the combination of Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs (the new "Thunder and Lightning") is very effective.

How my fantasy teams have fared:

0-2 - Thanks to a late collapse by Aaron Brooks and a late sack by Roy Williams, I fell to 0-2. Ouch
On the bright side, I traded Eli Manning and Deuce Mcalister for Donovan McNabb, unfortunately the trade did not take effect until Tuesday. McNabb vs. the Raiders this week. I am penciling him in for at least 3 TDs, and that is being conservative.

0-2 - I am trailing my 4 points. Joe Horn catches the ball near the endzone, he stretches for the endzone, and FUMBLES! I lose by 6, thanks to -2 from the fumble.
Maybe I should take out Daunte Culpepper. This season he has given me a grand total of -2 points. My backup. None other than Byron Leftwich, who is hurt...

1-1 - My formidable trio of receivers (Torry Holt, Roy Williams, Chad Johnson) all blow up, giving my first win of any league in a blowout.