Pete Carroll's Raiders make a statement
Don't fall for the Giants clickbait. Yes, Aaron Rodgers did say that.
Good morning, all! I hope your Monday is off to a great start!
The NFL season is underway and count me among those not surprised that the Las Vegas Raiders stormed into New England and upset the Patriots in Week 1, 20-13. Pete Carroll, who once coached the Pats, and Mike Vrabel, who once played for the Patriots, were locking horns again. The veteran head coaches were debuting with new teams, and I just felt Carroll would have the upper hand. In fact, I picked the Raiders with the points but thought they would outright win the game.
You need the talent to win, but Carroll can bring an enthusiasm to the head coaching position that transitions to a team that might be a few players short. That was the case Sunday, as players awarded Carroll with the game ball in the boisterous locker room, following the victory. The Raiders should be a fun team to watch in 2025.
Here are some other thoughts with one game left in Week 1:
Don’t buy the clickbait nonsense that Giant coach Brian Daboll is going to bench QB Russell Wilson after Sunday’s opening loss at Washington. Not going to happen. And the media going berserk because the Giants refused to have rookie, backup QB Jaxson Dart talk to reports after the game is laughable. Since when is it a must that a rookie backup at any position has to talk to the media?
That said, the Giants are 4-12 over their last 16 NFL openers and that’s unacceptable. It’s the same old story with this team, a porous offensive line.
Boy, that Daniel Jones is washed up as a QB isn’t he? All he did was lead the Colts to a 33-8 victory over the Dolphins, scoring on every one of the team’s possessions. Jones threw a TD pass and rushed for two. Indy had lost 11 straight Week 1 games.
Now you know why many people - me included - think the Packers will be formidable, after that dominating, 27-13 victory over Detroit.
The Jets will be a better team but Aaron Rodgers (4 TD passes) and Pittsburgh had the last laugh with that 34-32 win Sunday at MetLife.
Yes Aaron Rodgers did say: “I was happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets.”
Make that 53 home runs for Seattle’s Cal Raleigh.
Syracuse had to rally late to tie and then win in OT, 27-20, to avoid being upset by UConn in the dome on Saturday. So what did coach Fran Brown do? Made his team run sprints after the game.
Here’s was Brown’s postgame comment:
Guys not running to get lined up, guys not running to the ball. I just want to celebrate the win with the people, but I’m so pissed. I’m mad as heck right now.
Hopefully he has cooled off.
That is it for today’s newsletter. As always, thank you for subscribing and have a great work week!
DAN