Impact Faces: First Quarter Grades
Prior to the season we commented on players and their new teams heading into the season. Now that we are through the first quarter of the season, we would like to look at how those players have performed to date as well as a few others worthy of mention. The grade is based on stats and overall impact on the team. Here we go:
Terrell Owens, Buffalo Bills: Through 4 games, T.O. has 8 catches for 158 yards and 1 TD. While the average yards per catch is nice, the number of catches just isn’t there. The Bills are 1-3 and it seems like an implosion is on the horizon. Grade: D
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears: Following the opening game debacle at Green Bay, Cutler has settled into his new team. He is earning his teammates respect, a perfect example was his rushing TD Sunday against the Lions as he launched himself into the endzone. Not putting up great numbers, but is sacrificing numbers to win games. Has completed 64.3% of his passes for 901 yards, 8 TD’s and 5 INT’s. Grade: B
Bart Scott, NY Jets: He was brought over from the Ravens to basically be a coach on the field. He has helped make the Jets one of the top 10 defenses in the league. He is second on the team in tackles, but first in tackles for loss. The defense has helped the Jets get off to a 3-1 start. Grade: B+
TJ Houshmandzadeh, Seattle Seahawks: We said before the season it would be critical for TJ to have a healthy Matt Hasselbeck, and he hasn’t had that since week 1. Despite not having Matt and being banged up himself, Housh has put up decent numbers. He has 22 catches for 248 yards but has yet to get his first TD. Grade: C
Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons: TG just gets it done no matter what. He has given the Falcons another option in the red zone, and well, all over the field. Through 3 games he has 13 catches for 160 yards and 2 TD’s. Not a bad start to his first season not in KC. Grade: A-
Darren Sharper, New Orleans Saints: The veteran stabilizing winning voice the Saints needed on defense has arrived with a bang. He has 5 INT’s in 4 games and returned 2 for TD’s. He has more TD’s than T.O. and Housh combined. Grade: A
Albert Haynesworth, Washington Redskins: The $100 million man has not lived up to the hype. He was supposed to help the Redskins have a pass rush by drawing double teams, but so far he has looked like an average DT. He doesn’t even have 10 tackles through 4 games. Questions have already come up about his attitude and conditioning. Grade: F
Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings: Favre has led the Vikings to a 4-0 start. He has given the offense great balance. He didn’t have to do much in the first two games, but the last two games he has stepped up his game. Favre: B+
