If you watched Sunday night's game between Tampa Bay and Seattle, you might agree it was the most lopsided ten point game in the history of ten point games. At any point did you have the feeling Seattle was going to find a way to get itself back into the game? I mean, sure, they were close here and there, and just needed a break or two to make it an entirely different game, but the Seahawks couldn't get out of their own way offensively.
In the end, the Buccaneers won it 20-10, though it felt like so much more.
First, it's important to point out the Seahawks registered only seven first downs, and had only one in the first half -- which came on the games opening possession. Seneca Wallace, getting the start for Seattle, was bad. Very bad. He finished 12 of 23 for 73 yards and an interception, while struggling to complete four and five yard passes. Of course, it didn't help that Gaines Adams spent much of the evening running around the Seattle backfield causing all sorts of chaos.
Before some garbage-time yards at the end of the game, Wallace was in danger of having a higher passer rating than his total passing yards. As a team, the Seahawks were out-gained 402-176. Seriously, 176 yards of total offense. They had 170 on kickoff returns, including 140 from Josh Wilson.
Entering Sunday's game at Raymond James Stadium, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers had not thrown an interception in 158 pass attempts. He ended up throwing three on just 27 passes in the Packers' 30-21 loss to Tampa Bay.
Though, to be fair, the first pick wasn't his fault, as it was a perfect pass to running back Brandon Jackson, who just happened to allow the ball to bounce off the numbers on his jersey into the waiting hands of Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks.
Rodgers did throw a pair of touchdowns to Greg Jennings, but left the game briefly following the second touchdown due to a shoulder injury. The pass was a perfect strike, splitting the Buccaneers secondary and hitting Jennings in stride as he walked into the end zone untouched. After the pass, however, Rodgers walked off the field with his right arm hanging off his body.
Mario Manningham was a lightning rod of criticism leading up to the NFL draft, boasting a what's what of recent draft infamy. Sprinkle a little bit of Vince Young (Manningham was reported to have scored a six out of 50 on the Wonderlic), add a dash of Luis Castillo, Calvin Johnson, Gaines Adams, and Amobi Okoye (being outed as a nasty, evil marijuana smoker -- the evil! -- and then admitting so in a letter to teams), and top it off with some flair and originality (sending the letter only after originally lying with no success, and then admitting to two other failed tests).
To be honest, squeezing all of that into three months is impressive. Add in a reputation for attitude problems and it's easy to see why a guy with such a college resume, an arguable first-round talent, fell all the way into the third.
The Giants didn't have to draft Manningham. They've got cemented starters and talented depth. But they saw Manningham's play in college and took a chance. And it looks to be working so far.
The former Wolverine missed time in training camp because of a quad injury, but made his preseason debut late in the Giants' third game and played again in last night's 19-14 victory over New England, and he's shown glimpses of the on-field ability that he showed in college. Better yet, he's integrated into the locker room seamlessly.
Manningham won't be much more than a fourth or fifth option in the Giants' offense, but he's going to make some plays, and establish himself as a player to watch.
Apparently, Jared Allen and his mullet are not long for Kansas City. The Chiefs franchised Allen, the NFL's sack leader last season, presumably with the intentions of signing the fifth-year pro to a long-term deal. Well, I would be presuming wrong, at least according to FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer.
Evidently, re-upping with the Chiefs "would be a problem as the team is looking to stockpile draft picks." Not sure how one precludes the other, but head coach Herm Edwards has made it clear that the team is rebuilding. Getting rid of one your best players to save a few bucks certainly highlights that strategy, I think.
It's a situation that works out best for both sides," Allen told FOXSports.com. "I can go to a team that is competing for a championship right now. The Chiefs can get valuable draft picks to rebuild with."
The early frontrunners are the Vikings and the Bucs. Minnesota is looking for a defensive end because former first-round pick Kenechi Udeze was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this off-season. And Tampa Bay would love to bookend last year's first-round pick, Gaines Adams, with Allen.
However this plays out in the coming days, Arrowhead Pride has it right: "If they was any doubt about the Chiefs going into full re-building mode, this should put that to rest." Double true.
As we get ready for Super Bowl XLII, FanHouse is looking back at each team's 2007 first-round pick. Here's a look at the 2nd pick in the draft, wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
Who Else They Were Rumored To Consider:Joe Thomas, LT, Wisconsin; Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson.
What We Said At The Time: "Well, I do know quite a bit about Calvin Johnson, having watched him several times at Georgia Tech. And I think he's great. But I can't shake the feeling that if Matt Millen is taking him, he has to be a bust. Millen has made so many mistakes, so often, that it's hard to believe he could have done the smart thing here."
What Johnson Did: Lions fans might seem all too willing to admit that the words above have proven prophetic. The Detroit media might not be far behind. But that's because anything that is overhyped is bound to disappoint. Johnson's incredible, but nobody could match those expectations. Considering the circumstances -- battling a nagging back injury all year long and getting limited reps as a third receiver -- Johnson did remarkably well. His 756 receiving yards and five total touchdowns are impressive, and other than a messy game against the Packers, did what he was supposed to do when called upon.
Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.
This week I sat down with Jamie Kiefer of Atop the Crow's Nest, a Most Valuable Network column that covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Dan Benton: "Although he was a little shaky last week, Jeff Garcia has played very good football this year. Has he been everything Bucs fans had hoped for, or do they still miss Chris Simms?"
Jamie Kiefer: "Jeff Garcia has been basically everything the Bucs fans had hoped for. You can't go wrong with a guy who had zero interceptions in the first seven weeks of the season. Chris Simms appeared to be the franchise quarterback, but due to a shaky beginning of the season last year, and his injury, he hasn't really had the chance to prove himself. I feel bad for him with all that he's been through, but I can't ignore what Garcia has done for the Bucs. The first seven weeks he had a passer rating over 100. If Garcia sticks around for the next few years, Chris Simms will be a distant memory."
The first two defensive linemen off the board in this year's NFL draft were Clemson's Gaines Adams, chosen fourth overall by Tampa Bay, and Arkansas' Jamaal Anderson, chosen eighth overall by Atlanta.
Through four weeks of the season, neither of these two defensive ends has a sack. That might make them the early candidates to be labeled the two biggest disappointments of the 2006 NFL draft (it's far too early to judge Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell), especially considering that the third defensive lineman off the board, Amobi Okoye of the Texans, looks like an absolute stud.
These are young guys with lots of time left to prove themselves. But for how much money Top 10 picks make, it's hard to have too much patience with them. If Adams and Anderson go much longer without a sack, the dreaded b-word may come into play.
Is anyone surprised that rookie Gaines Adams will start at defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their opener in Seattle? Seriously, who else is there? Simeon Rice was cut before the ink was dry on Adams' contract. Patrick Chukwurah busted up his MCL and will miss at least a month. Kevin Carter and Greg Spires were born during the Nixon Administration -- wait, check that, Nixon resigned three days before Spires was born.
The point is that there is no one else, really. Adams played well in the preseason and looks ready to go now, which is exactly what the Bucs had hoped when they drafted him fourth overall. Now he has to go out there and produce in games that count for something.
Of course, his first assignment isn't going to be an easy one. He has to line up against Walter Jones, arguably the best left tackle in the business. He could be in for a long day at the office on Sunday. If he manages even one sack against Jones, though, it'll be a major victory for him and this team.
Having Adams signed and in camp is exactly what the Bucs defense needs. Most of their other key defensive ends are over 30, so adding some youth to that position will help tremendously. It should also help other NFL teams get their top picks signed a bit more quickly. Adams is the highest draft pick signed thus far.
Adams, you see, was a basketball player back then, and that's just how his mother, Linda, liked it. All that noise Gaines kept making about wanting to play football, she just didn't want to hear it.
"Being [her] only son and all it was like, 'I don't want you to get hurt,'" Gaines said Monday during his introductory news conference. "But that one year I just told her, 'I'm going to play football.' I put my foot down."
As a result, Adams became a defensive star at Clemson and the #4 overall pick in the NFL Draft. His first NFL contract could be worth up to $40 million. If Linda Adams had responded to Gaines' putting his foot down by beating his butt, this might not have happened. He might be making much less money playing basketball in Moscow with Trajan Langdon right about now, and wouldn't it suck for Mom's only boy to be so far away on May 13 this year?
Gaines Adams probably won't hold this against his mother, but if I were in his shoes, I'd probably have the street where Mom's new house is renamed to "Toldyaso Boulevard."
If you watched Sunday night's game between Tampa Bay and Seattle, you might agree it was the most lopsided ten point game in the history of ten point games. At any point did you have the feeling Seattle was going to find a way to get itself back into the game? I mean, sure, they were close here and there, and just needed a break or two to make it an entirely different game, but the Seahawks couldn't get out of their own way offensively.
Apparently, 
As we get ready for Super Bowl XLII, FanHouse is looking back 
Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.
The first two defensive linemen off the board in this year's NFL draft were Clemson's 
Is anyone surprised that 
In a move that's certain to set the salary table for other top rookies, Gaines Adams, the 4th pick overall in the NFL Draft, 
Mother's Day might be more awkward than usual at Gaines Adams' house this year. You see, Adams' mother 
