It’s time to brush up on your football knowledge ladies! According to Forbes, nearly half of all NFL fans are women (45% to be exact). Now that the greatly anticipated NFL Week 1 has come to a close, let’s take a look at what we learned from it. Next time the boys are talking about football, feel free to chime in. Here are the five biggest takeaways based on the games we saw last week.
5. The NFL is getting serious about protecting their players
Everyone knows that football is one of the most dangerous games a guy can play. They get slammed to the ground constantly and I’m sure nearly every player has experienced a concussion, if not multiple. Concussions are more serious than people would like to think. They are linked to memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and even suicide. After Junior Seau, a former NFL player for the San Diego Chargers, committed suicide last year, the NFL was forced to create strict rules regarding hits and blocks, in order to protect their players.
This past weekend, Ndamukong Suh, the grisly defensive tackle on the Detroit Lions, threw a low and dangerous block on John Sullivan, a center for the Minnesota Vikings. Suh is known for dirty play and has dealt with fines and suspensions in the past, but no one could have predicted the unprecedented amount he would get fined this time around: $100,000. Last year, the highest fine issued to an NFL player was $55,000 and went to Ed Reed. By fining Suh this massive amount, the NFL is making it clear to all players that illegal hits and blocks will not be tolerated. Safety is their number one priority this year.
4. Peyton Manning and Wes Welker are going to be hard to stop
After watching Peyton Manning, arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, pass the ball perfectly to Wes Welker on Thursday night, it is easy to see that this duo will be hard to stop. They could easily be one of the best Quarterback-Receiver pairs in the NFL right now. That means you’ll be seeing a lot of the older Manning brother.
I was honestly shocked when I heard the news last March that Welker would be joining the Denver Broncos. I could not believe that Bill Belichick let go of the impressive pro-bowl wide receiver. Looking back, it’s even more amusing to think that Belichick opted to keep Hernandez instead of Welker (Hernandez has since been indicted for murder).
3. RG3 is not 100%
Redskins Quarterback Robert Griffin III’s comeback from ACL surgery was probably one of the most anticipated moments in opening week. Luckily, I had an opportunity to attend the Monday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and let’s just say RG3 is not up to speed quite yet. If you see a frustrated Redskins fan around campus, now you know why.
As a massive crowd of over 80,000 fans chanted his name, RG3 made mistake after mistake. He was not moving the way he used to, he seemed to be having trouble reading the field, and he threw two interceptions. While I still believe he has the potential to be one of, if not the greatest quarterback of our time, he needs to take a little more time to recover and regain his abilities.
2. The Patriots are going to have some problems
Everyone seems to consider the Patriots an elite team, but let’s be real. They have not won a Super Bowl in eight years. They are not the team everyone seems to think they are. After losing nearly an entire receiving corps, Brady is left with no one to throw to. After losing Welker and Hernandez, the Pats rebuilt their offense with new, young players.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski sat out week one with an injury, and likely will not play in week two. Danny Amendola, the team’s only other reliable receiver, will be out next week with a groin injury. Bill Belichick better figure out a way to get his offense together soon, or else he’ll just be an idiot in a sleeveless sweatshirt.
1. The Eagles are having some problems to say the least, but they are the team to watch
I will admit that I am a bit biased. I am not fond of Bill Belichick or the Patriots, and that is mostly because as a Philly sports fan – it is in my blood to despise Boston sports. That being said, I truly think the Eagles are the team to watch out for this season.
After two TERRIBLE seasons for the Eagles, I was left broken hearted, a typical state of being for anyone from Philadelphia. However, when the Eagles managed to make Chip Kelly, the offensive mastermind, our head coach, I knew things were going to turn around for us.
After the game on Monday night, I can officially say this is going to be a good season. The birds looked better than they have in years, running a total of 53 plays in the first half, the most in the NFL since 1998. They were driving down the field at a lightning pace, something that is going to take other teams at least a few weeks to get used to.
After another stellar offensive performance against the chargers last week and dismal effort by the defense, I was convinced we could still be great. However, after Thursday’s embarrassing loss to the Chiefs, due to five turnovers given up by our offense, I’m a little bit confused.
We obviously have the talent. It seems to be a matter of getting everybody to work together and not make stupid mistakes. The exciting part about this season is that Chip Kelly is going to keep the surprises coming. The unpredictability of the Eagles offense will hopefully give them an edge this season if they can pull it together.
So that’s everything you need to know about the NFL so far, collegiettes. Strike up a conversation with that cute boy you meet tonight about your favorite team and you’ll be able to follow along. Now for tomorrow’s games…