Clan-Members » Eagles to a program-best fifth-place finish

Thursday was great, Sunday was a thrill a minute and Monday ... well, Monday also had games. The NFL is back, and all you want to do is dig into this big, steaming buffet of Week 1 goodness and scoop out the stuff you like.But a weeks worth of evidence isnt all that much when it comes to this NFL stuff, it really isnt. Overreactions may be fun, but its important to think about whats real and whats not -- whats likely to stick and whats likely to fade.With that in mind, heres a look at a few things we think we learned in Week 1, and a few things we dont think will turn out to be worth all that much attention.Wait, arent you?Carson Wentz?Is this it, Philly? Is this finally the guy? Is it finally time to make room next to the Rocky statue for one of a real-life sports hero who inspired your city and lifted it to championship greatness? Wentz looks smooth and poised and made some sweet touchdown throws in his debut, and if the goal was to make the fans forget their team just traded its starting quarterback a week before the season, mission accomplished. This was real success in a real game, and its always easier to build on success than failure.But Id hold off on commissioning that statue for at least a week or so. Just three years ago, Eagles fans would have sworn on a stack of wiz-wit bibles that Nick Foles was the long-term answer. You need to see a kid do this a lot more than once before you can really buy in. Hes not scared, and he has the arm and the touch. He holds the ball a little bit too long, as a lot of rookie quarterbacks do, and how he overcomes that will matter. The NFL people to whom I talked Monday said Wentz looked the part and better than many of them thought he was, but most also pointed out that he beat clearly the worst team in the league. Lets press pause here and see how he looks against one of the top 30. Speaking of which ...Oof, the BrownsThis is going to get worse before it gets better. You roll into Week 1 with 18 guys whove never played an NFL game and expect that not to show up. This is a team built on draft picks it hasnt yet made. Think last year felt long in Cleveland? This year could make 2015 feel like a week and half. And no, the loss of Robert Griffin III doesnt have to make anything worse. It was obvious Sunday that nothing had changed with that guy -- the Browns couldnt protect him, he couldnt protect himself and their best hope was that he could take the lumps until they drafted their quarterback of the future. Josh McCown is a better quarterback right now than Griffin is, but dont let that fool you into thinking this team is a real threat. They play in the toughest division in the league and could legitimately lose every single one of their games.Adrian Peterson?will be just fineFantasy players are losing their minds over Petersons 31 yards on 19 carries. I get it. Im a fantasy player. Losing our minds is our default state. But theres nothing to worry about with Peterson. Buy if you can. Minnesota had the ball for less than half of the game and ran fewer offensive plays than did the Tennessee team it beat by nine points. Thats in part because Peterson faced a stacked box all night and in part because the Vikings defense scored two touchdowns. The Vikings expect to have Sam Bradford at quarterback starting in Week 2, and his ability to deliver on downfield play-action throws will open things up for Peterson in the coming weeks.So will Ezekiel ElliottThe years most-touted rookie averaged 2.5 yards per carry in his debut. Alfred Morris averaged 5.0 in the same game. Panic time! Cowboys blew the pick! Right? Of course not. First of all, Morris had seven carries to Elliotts 20, so ... sample size. And second of all, the Giants paid Damon Harrison $9.25 million a year in free agency so that no one could run on them on first or second downs. Harrison doesnt play for Washington. Elliott could get going in Week 2, and certainly will get going sooner rather than later. Dallas bigger problem is that it?wont do anything on offense unless Dak Prescott, the fourth-round rookie at QB, gets something going downfield in the passing game.Are the Giants back?Speaking of that game, it did see the New York Football Giants win a season opener for the first time in six years. This is a team that hasnt finished .500 since 2012, so all of the preseason excitement about New York as a bounce-back team seemed to ignore just how far it?had to bounce. But the NFC East once again looks as if it can be won?by basically showing up. The Giants lost five games last season?in the final two minutes because they couldnt rush the passer in the fourth quarter or pick up first downs in the run game when they had the lead. They did both of those things, on the road against a division rival, Sunday. If they want to feel good about their chances, they should go ahead. The last time the Giants were 1-0, you had Hey, Soul Sister stuck in your head. Thats right. Youre welcome.Is Russell Wilson in trouble?Look, its always possible that Dange-Russ has a line on some kind of bizarre new energy drink that can heal an ankle sprain. But that sure did look ugly -- whether youre talking about Wilson post-injury or the Seattle offense pre-injury. The Seahawks pass protection is an annual issue that Wilson always seems to overcome, and theres no reason to think he cant do it again this year. But man, it sure would be nice if, one of these years, he didnt have to.Arizonas defense has a big holeTheres no bigger Cardinals backer than me. I have them to beat the Bengals in the Super Bowl. I think theyre loaded -- deep in the defensive front, at wide receiver and at many other positions. Brilliantly coached. But their second cornerback is the weak spot on Smaugs underbelly. Right now theyre going with third-round pick Brandon Williams, who was a running back at Texas A&M a year and a half ago. Williams is learning the position, and until he does, more seasoned quarterbacks than Jimmy Garoppolo will be super-excited to avoid Patrick Peterson and take aim at Williams?side.Tone down the Jameis Winston MVP talkUntil we see how he does against a real pass rush. Winston is for real, theres no doubt, and Tampa has every reason to think its got its quarterback of the future. But not every team the Bucs?play is going to make him quite as comfortable as the Falcons did.Sometimes, the obvious is obvious for a reasonThe Patriots won in Arizona without Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Nate Solder, Sebastian Vollmer and Dion Lewis. The Steelers won in Washington without LeVeon Bell, Martavis Bryant, Heath Miller, Markus Wheaton and Ladarius Green. Theres a reason so many people overlooked the absences and picked these teams to represent the AFC in this years Super Bowl. Coaching and depth make you scary even when your best guys are gone. Much respect to both of these perennial powers, even if yours truly did pick the Bengals to win the AFC. Hey, nothing ventured and all that. John Riggins Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Dexter Manley Jersey . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. http://www.cheapredskinsjerseysauthentic.com/ . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Sammy Baugh Jersey . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. Sean Taylor Jersey . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. NORMAN, Okla. -- Mark Cody resigned as Oklahomas head wrestling coach Thursday, saying he believed it was time for new leadership.Cody led the Sooners to a 55-34 record over five seasons that included a 10th-place NCAA Tournament finish in 2014.I am extremely grateful to have had the privilege to coach at the University of Oklahoma, Cody said.Cody came to Oklahoma after nine years as head coach at American University. He led the Eagles to a program-best fifth-place finish at the 2011 NCAA championship. Cody was also an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Missouri and Bloomsburg.Athletic director Joe Castiglione said Michael Lightner, who has served as an assistant coach for the last seven years, has been named interim head coach.dddddddddddd Lightner was a four-time Big 12 champion and four-time All-American at Oklahoma, and won a national title in 2001.I want to express our sincere appreciation for the leadership Mark has provided the last five years, Castiglione said. In addition to producing some highly accomplished wrestlers, he developed high-character student-athletes who also performed well in the classroom.Cody coached five Sooners wrestlers to a total of 10 All-America honors. Two of those All-Americans, Kendric Maple in 2013 and Cody Brewer in 2015, won national championships. ' ' '