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| Tuesday, September 5 By Joe Theismann Special to ESPN.com | |||||
With Week 1 of the 2000 NFL season in the books, ESPN's Joe Theismann reviews five things we learned on opening day:
Philadelphia is for real. During the final preseason game on ESPN, we ran a poll asking which teams could be the Rams of 2000. The three choices in the booth were the Bears, the Broncos and the Eagles. Philadelphia is one of those teams that can turn it around. Coach Andy Reid had the Eagles headed in the right direction at the end of last season. On the other hand, the Cowboys are in trouble. They are struggling, and their secondary is decimated. Now they've lost Joey Galloway for the season with a torn ACL and it's unclear how long Troy Aikman will be sidelined with the concussion he suffered Sunday. There is a lot of uncertainty about Dallas' offense. The Cowboys' defensive front seven is strong, but they still need people who can make plays in the secondary. Are the Cowboys as bad as they looked Sunday? No. Are the Eagles as great as they looked Sunday? No. But the Eagles are closer to being what they were Sunday than they were a year ago. 2. What was most impressive about Daunte Culpepper's debut? Culpepper tried to do what the Minnesota offense required. He proved he could be a difficult force running the ball and showed patience throwing it. He reminds me of a youthful Steve McNair. Culpepper presents the same type of problems right away for a defense. With Cris Carter and Randy Moss as his receivers, other teams must try to cover them. At that point, Culpepper can either dump the ball off or take off and run, which is what he did Sunday. Carter and Moss certainly help, but I was impressed with how Culpepper ran all during the preseason as well as in Sunday's victory over the Bears. 3. Is Curtis Martin headed for a career or MVP type of season? It remains to be seen, but Martin is certainly key to what the Jets want to do offensively. Offensive coordinator Dan Henning was the quarterbacks coach when I played in Washington. I find it ironic that he had two 5-foot-9 receivers in Alvin Garrett and Charlie Brown with the Redskins, and now he has two more diminutive receivers in New York, with Wayne Chrebet and Dedric Ward. Henning is used to working with little guys, and Vinny Testaverde got just enough out of the passing game to lead the Jets to a win at Lambeau Field. But no one might be bigger in the Jets offense than Martin. He did it all Sunday, rushing for 110 yards on a workmanlike 30 carries. He also led the team with six catches, including the game-winning TD catch. In the AFC, teams like the Jets and the Bills have to be considered contenders. 4. Did the Redskins defense erase questions about chemistry? No, because I didn't think there was any question of chemistry on the Redskins -- regardless of the new additions to the defense. But Washington got the kind of game Sunday that it needed. There had been so much hype about how good the 'Skins were coming into the season. They had to prove they could come back against a good Panthers team and make plays, and they did. The Redskins just need work on their special teams. 5. What happened to the Titans offense against Buffalo? Buffalo deserves most of the credit for how ineffective the Titans offense was. The Bills play a two-deep style of defense. Although they were facing Eddie George, the Bills did not have to play their safeties close to the line of scrimmage as run defenders. The cornerbacks and safeties stayed back and protected against the pass, and Steve McNair had nowhere to go with the ball. In a game that featured two great defenses, including a Bills unit that ranked No. 1 in the league last season, new Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger had to play the game as close as he could and not make mistakes. Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann works as a game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football. He will review the NFL week for ESPN.com every Monday in his "Cup of Joe" feature. He will also break down the Sunday Night Football matchup each Friday. | ALSO SEE
Week 1 wrap-upsWeek 1 infirmary report TJ's Take on Week 1 Week 1 stats leaders Prime Time Players Galloway done for season; Aikman feeling much better Eagles rout Cowboys behind Staley's 201 yards rushing | ||||
