Trav's Thoughts

There's something I dislike. I dislike it when a talking head decides to generalize and speak for everyone. I don't like it in any situation, whether it's sports or politics or shopping for tomatoes.

This morning on The NFL Today on CBS, Shannon Sharpe suggested that if the Patriots end up making the playoffs then "everyone" will forget about the spying controversy and proclaim the genius of Coach Bill Belichick. Uhm...no. I don't accept that the fact of the cheating is erased just because the coach does his job and wins games. Some may choose to ignore it or forget about it, but "everyone" won't.

Indy was off to a pretty good rhythm with play calling and execution to start the game, but QB Peyton Manning made a bad decision on a pass to WR Marvin Harrison and had the ball picked off. That can't be good for Colts fans as the Vikings get 3 points off the turnover.

My Raiders are off to a pretty good start. The defense held the Chiefs and forced a punt on the first possession. Then the offense got a short drive capped off by a 56 yard field goal from Sebastian Janikowski.

Then Oakland rookie CB Tyvon Branch intercepted a pass and ran it back 36 yards. Unfortunately the Raiders settled for another field goal, but I'm encouraged that Oakland is competing in this game against a bitter division rival on the road.

Now the Colts are completely out of sync. They aren't able to run the ball, and Manning still doesn't really look comfortable in the pocket. Minnesota's secondary is covering well downfield. And Indy isn't able to stop Viking RB Adrian Peterson when he runs straight up the middle between the tackles.

That's not a good recipe to avoid 0-2, although the Vikings so far have only been able to get a couple field goals. Generally speaking, you don't beat the Colts with field goals.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is the real deal. In the first game of the season, his QB rating was 115.5. He only threw for 178 yards, but he didn't make a major mistake and he managed the game very well.

Today, he is already an efficient 11 of 14 for 143 yards and 2 TDs.

The Colts started to get something going, but then an incomplete pass and a sack stalls the drive and forces a punt. I guess it's just going to take some time for Indy to put it together.

And to Dan Dierdorf, doing the play-by-play in the game, please don't try to create controversy after a good football play. Peterson fired off a long run against the Colts defense. At the end of the play, Colts DB Keiwan Ratliff came in with a solid hit from behind, with his shoulder between Peterson's knee and his hip. That's called the back of the thigh and there's nothing wrong with that. Dierdorf suggested that had Peterson been injured, then the league would have to look closely at a possible fine for Ratliff. Why? It was a perfectly legal tackle, going for the center of gravity on a RB to get him to the ground. The hit wasn't on the knee, it was just a hard hit on the largest muscle in the body.

Idiot.

GAH! Colts WR Reggie Wayne just dropped a deep ball that could have turned into a 91 yard TD.

Just a quick update on Aaron Rodgers. The Packer QB is now 14 of 17 for 205 yards and 3 TDs as Green Bay is beating Detroit 21-0.

I don't know how Brett Favre would have played if the Packers had accepted him back as the starter, but I'd say the choice to go with Rodgers is paying off so far.

Minnesota could regret not putting the Colts away in the first half. Indy was one big play from leading this game until Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell hit a 53 yard field goal at the end of the half to make the score 9-0. The Colts are expert at making halftime adjustments, but Manning has been thoroughly flummoxed by Minnesota's defense so far.

Here's a quick turn around the league at halftime:

Chicago is beating Carolina 10-0 behind a blocked punt that was run in for a TD. The Bears are dominating the Panthers defensively giving up only 45 net yards, 36 on the ground and a paltry 9 through the air. Chicago's offense isn't much better, but it doesn't have to be when the defense is playing so well.

Tennessee is counting on veteran QB Kerry Collins to hold the fort until Vince Young recovers from a knee injury and whatever other issues he seems to have. Collins has thrown for one TD and managed another drive that ended in a rushing TD from RB LenDale White. Bengals RB Chris Perry has rushed for 54 yards on 15 carriers, with a TD. The Titans lead 14-7.

I've already gushed over Packer QB Aaron Rodgers, and it's a good thing he is playing well because GB has not been able to run the ball today. But Detroit is once again proving that success in the preseason is no guarantee of success in the regular season. The Packers are up 21-3.

Buffalo leads Jacksonville 10-3 at the half behind a TD from RB Marshawn Lynch, who has rushed for 45 yards on 11 carries. QB Trent Edwards has played very well, hitting 10 of 12 passes for 114 yards and no interceptions. The Bills have intercepted Jags QB David Garrard and held Jacksonville to just 27 yards on the ground.

The defending Super Bowl champs are playing well, leading the Rams 13-6. QB Eli Manning is 11 of 18 for 136 yards and a TD to WR Plexico Burris. NY is getting good production in the running game. The defense has 4 sacks and SL is having trouble moving the ball.

In other games, the Raiders continue to lead KC 6-0 and New Orleans leads Washington 10-9.