Heroes Villains Mariota shines Chip narrative fails
After an offseason of waiting around, Week 1 is in the books.Before we move on to the next chapter of madne s, it's time to make our list of the good and not-so-good from the first 16 games of the season.It's Heroes and Villains time:Heroes1. This year Andre Baccellia Jersey 's No. 2 overall pick: Prior to the draft, had scouts buzzing hard: one personnel man told Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, with another saying: "I would much rather have this guy than (Jameis) Winston."It's too early to to s the book at Winston, but Sunday's bloodbath in Tampa has two long-whipped fan bases feeling very differently about the 2015 season. Tenne see's 42-14 bombing of the Bucs is the most points scored by a team in three years -- and it didn't look like a fluke. Mariota's 13-of-16 pa sing day for 209 yards and four touchdowns was a thing of beauty that triggered a 158.3 pa ser rating -- tops in the league after one week.NFL Media's Lance Zierlein noted that Mariota is "already throwing with , release and ball placement," skills that go nicely with his pro-friendly footwork.But here's the best part of it: The are interesting again. Watchable. Engaging. It's another reminder to every team still struggling for relevance in the NFL: Find that spicy young quarterback and everything shifts in a hurry.2. 's descendants forever and ever: Forget the fantasy owners who pulled in a wild 32.40 points in standard leagues. Gronkowki is set up in this offense to shatter Larry Centers Jersey his career-high 17 touchdowns and 1,327 receiving yards from 2011. His chemistry with is peaking, leading wideout to gush: "It's like watching ... play with 2nd graders."We are viewing one of the great talents of our age destroy defenses and scatter cover men with rare ease. He dug Pittsburgh's grave in the opener, but the won't be the last squad to take a dirt-nap. Don't look now, but Gronk has a legit shot to shatter Randy Mo s' 23-touchdown record from 2007. Nearly a decade later -- would anything be more ?3. : The hype was real. Detroit's rookie running back is already flashing the qualities as a long-term find for the . His reminds me of , while his quickne s has to Barry Sanders. We're getting to the point where -- surrounded by weapons -- has run out of excuses:4. Rex Ryan: For one week, Ryan has backed up all the bluster and mighty words. We've seen this act Anquan Boldin Jersey before with Gang Green, but give Rex credit: Most of America sees the as a contender. Ryan made look like in a mask. We also saw shapeshift from a player who once coach John Harbaugh into a viable, game-ready quarterback -- long overdue for a city that hasn't enjoyed such a luxury since Jim Kelly was rolling teams a quarter-century ago.Beat up the and you have our long-term attention.Villains1. Rob Ryan: New Orleans gave up 427 yards to the on Sunday. Sadly, this comes as no surprise for fans. Why? Because 's defense gave up 500-plus yards in a pair of games last season and more than 400 yards in six additional tilts. Since 2004, Robby-coordinated defenses -- 11 in total -- have finished in the Top 10 just twice -- and 19th or worse a ghastly eight times.At this stage, it's unclear if Ryan is even attending games:There is a man dre sed as Rob Ryan in the stands at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Long white hair, Koda Martin Jersey headset, Saints polo, pillow under his shirt. Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) 2. Father Time: Today's fans grew up with . He's been a fixture in NFL circles spanning three decades. The clock is ticking, though, leaving us to wonder what's happening to a legend. It's premature to dismi s Peyton's fit in Gary Kubiak's offense, but his limited arm strength and were not a mesh with that scheme against Baltimore. Whether he'll turn it around is to be seen, but we aren't a fan of slowly losing our favorite players to greedy Father Time.3. -Centric Hot-Take Machine With Seven Minutes Left in the First Half: There are moments when Twitter as a collective body deserves to be dumped from a seafaring ve sel into the deep. Take Monday night, when social-media toughies walked the virtual streets in hordes to bury Chip Kelly's offense. With the trailing 20-3 at half, social media was aflutter with takes-so-hot. But Philly wasn't done, taking the game to its final minutes. After leading the NFL in po se sions last year, it's simple: Kelly's fast-flowing offensecannot be counted out with 30minutes Chris Banjo Jersey to go. Keyboards down.4. Mangenious doubters: Tucked away in the shadows, Eric Mangini has been an easy target for jabs dating back to his ill-fated tenure. On Monday, though, he flipped the script, guiding a defense that detonated and the Vikes. Mangini unleashed creative blitzes, putting the onus on a depleted Minnesota to counter. His players have bought in, with saying: I've been saying since Day 1, we have a lot of variety in this defense."If you remember anything, let it be this:Eric Mangini will live forever. Dan Hanzus (@DanHanzus)
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