NFL Football: Don't Panic.

Now that week one of the NFL is in the books it's time to take a look back. 


First, how did we do in our inaugural 3 and Out?

Answer: 2-1 with wins from Baltimore and the Rams and with the Falcons providing our sole loss.

Not too shabby.  We'll look ahead to some stuff on week 2 tomorrow.

Second, which teams are in "Panic Mode" after week 1? Here are some possible contenders:


1. The Raiders.  - I get it. You came in full of hope and Gruden, you thought that bringing in a coach from the television booth was going to revive the mystique of the Black Hole. Then you watched him trade away pretty much your only asset on defense, watched him fill the roster with a grab bag of long-in-the-tooth players and then you had to watch as your star quarterback imploded against the Rams, at home en route to a 33-13 shellacking.

Don't Panic.

A couple of things to remember:

1. Gruden IS a new coach for you, and it always takes time when you're breaking in a new coach and a new system for things to smooth out.  Carr is still thinking, not reacting to the new offense, your defense needs time to gel.  You have some tools on offense to work with, including Marshawn Lynch and Carr.

2. Mack is gone.  Soon your team will be too.  Then you can go find a new team to support, one that is probably better, has more competent ownership and doesn't hire coaches who trade away your best player because, rumor has it, you're having cash-flow issues and putting $90 Million in escrow is a huge ask.


2. The Lions. - It wasn't too long ago that the Lions were 0-16 and everyone was feeling sorry for the little engine that could, Orlovsky was running out of the back of the end-zone and Barry Sanders wouldn't be caught dead even visiting the stadium. But things were going to be different. You hired a Belicheck assistant who was going to make you into Patriots MidWest. Players were running laps after committing penalties, and you still had Matt Stafford.  But last night Stafford imploded (4 INTs) and the defense was porous.

Don't Panic.

A couple of things to remember:

1. There is some talent here.  Karryon Johnson showed flashes of being a quality running back who can turn your rushing woes around and the receiving corps is talented. Stafford is a quality quarterback who had a very bad night, and probably won't play that poorly in games going forward.

2. Patricia IS a new coach, and he's transitioning from being a defensive coordinator whose defense got handled in the Super Bowl to a head coach whose defense.....got handled in your first game against a rookie quarterback and a team that was not good last year. Ansah is hurt, but he's probably not gone for the year. It's highly unlikely that you go 0-16 this year but, if you do, you can stop being distracted by sports and start paying attention to the den of thieves that are running your State into the ground.


3. The Texans. - Hey, so you went to New England and took a loss, your young star QB played a stinker of a game and your vaunted defensive line was pretty much non-existent in the 1st half.  It's pretty clear that the offensive line is a sieve and your linebacker play is questionable at best. You lost 27-20 in a game that wasn't as close as it seemed on paper.

Don't Panic.

A couple of things to remember:

1. You probably won't play a tougher road game than this all year. And you don't have to face Brady and Belicheck again so it's unlikely your head coach is going to look this outclassed going forward. In the 2nd half there were signs of life from the defense, who started getting pressure on Brady and did some good things. Outside of Kevin Johnson you escaped the game pretty much injury free and Watson now knows that he needs to take 2 5-hour energy shots prior to every game.

2. You still have Bill O'Brien standing at the head coaching wheel. Yes, he's often overmatched and his in-game decision making is poor but he gets sufficiently angry at the media in post-game press conferences that you'll at least be distracted from the fact that your team didn't play all that well. Plus, when you're fighting to finish either 8-8 or 9-7 AGAIN, you'll probably have an Astros team making a deep playoff run to keep you entertained.


4. The Bills. - Let's be honest, we all knew you were in trouble when the head coaching staff rolled out Nate Peterman to be your starting QB. You've got a head coach who needs to "watch the film" to determine whether or not he's going to be your starter and your rookie back-up is (How does one put this delicately?) Not good. Your defense is a sieve, and it's unclear that you have any talent waiting in the wings to prop it up. Your player evaluation/development program is lacking and your running back is one lower-body injury away from missing the season. You're under-staffed at almost every level of the offense and defense and you have a coaching staff that is seemingly clueless on how to turn it around.

Do.......OK, never mind, Panic.

The Bills are hopeless.

Still, here a couple of things:

1. IF, and more likely, when you get the first pick in next year's NFL draft you've got the chance to draft Houston's Ed Oliver, a difference maker who will instantly make your defense better which will take pressure off of your offense which will allow Josh Allen to become a "game manager" who just needs to hand the ball off to the new running backs you're going to acquire in the off-season.

2. It's probable that your seemingly incompetent head coach gets fired later this year so you'll be able to move forward with someone who's probably going to be an upgrade.


For everyone else?  It's just week one.  In the words of the great Aaron Rodgers: R-E-L-A-X.