Sunday’s Studs and Duds

Hard to believe how the first Sunday played out.  So many different stories to talk about.  One thing I like to look at though are this week’s studs and duds.  Sitting and watching 6 hours of football, you start to notice some things.  I watched parts of every single game today, so out of those games, some players really shined and some, well, just didn’t.

Sunday Studs:

Michael Turner (ATL) – 220 yards rushing, 2 TD’s.  Yep, the same Michael Turner who played behind  Tomlinson.  Now, I expected Turner to act like a kid finally let out for recess, however I couldn’t have envisioned this, not even against the Lions.  He’s not going to get 220 yards every week, however time should tell real soon whether this was a one-time performance, or if he is for real.

Donovan McNabb (PHIL) – 361 yards passing, 3 TD’s.  McNabb is back from the fantasy dead.  At least this week.  This is another player that had a great week against a poor defense.  Remember, this St. Louis team is the same team that gave up 48 points in the last regular season game last season against Arizona.

Willie Parker (PITT) – 138 yards rushing, 3 TD’s.  Willie is da man in the Steel City.  Quietly he had one of the best days of any player today.

Five backs had 100 yards or more rushing on Sunday:  Turner, Parker, Matt Forte (CHI), Thomas Jones (NYJ), and Edgerrin James (AZ).  Brandon Jacobs (NYG) did as well this past Thursday.

Three quarterbacks had 300 yards or more passing on Sunday:  McNabb, Drew Brees (NO), and Tony Romo (DAL).

Sunday Duds:

Steven Jackson (STL) – 14 carries, 40 yards.  Sure, there were backs who had fewer yards, however this has to be a big disappointment.  I guess there is something to holding out during training camp, huh?

Chris Perry (CIN) – 18 carries, 37 yards.  you kind of have to give Perry a break.  He hasn’t been the man in Cincy for more than a week yet since the release of Rudi Johnson.  This isn’t what the Bengals management was counting on I’m sure.  I’ll bet they are asking themselves now, do we get any do-overs?  By the way, Rudi only got three carries in Detroit.

Carson Palmer (CIN) – 10-25-1-99 yards.  You could call the entire Cincinnati offense a dud, however it starts and ends with Palmer.  These are numbers I’d never expect to see from him.

Scott Allen

AZScott