Here are six observations from Week 2:
1. Chan Gailey can coach. The Oakland-Buffalo game really demonstrated Gailey's ability. He took over the Bills when they were going nowhere and built a team around a backup quarterback from Harvard. The receiving group is even more impressive and obscure. Steve Johnson was a seventh-round pick; Donald Jones and David Nelson were undrafted free agents; tight end Scott Chandler was waived by the Cowboys. Those four guys, all on minimum salaries, combined for 24 catches and three touchdowns in Sunday's win over the Raiders and are a big reason the Bills are 2-0.
More bad news for Chiefs
Not only did the Chiefs suffer a blowout loss to the Lions on Sunday, star RB Jamaal Charles hurt his left knee and it appears he could be done for the season. **More ...**
2. An 0-2 hole is a bad place to be. In 2010, all eight teams that started 0-2 went on to have a losing record, and four fired their coach by the end of the year. In 2009, there were nine teams that went 0-2 and none of them finished with a winning record. You have to go back to 2008 to find two teams that pulled themselves out of the 0-2 hole to make the playoffs -- Miami and Minnesota. Well, both the Dolphins and Vikings are back at 0-2 and trying to find a way to right the ship. It's a tough road for both teams. Miami is already two games behind the three other AFC East teams. Minnesota is chasing the 2-0 Lions and 2-0 Packers and the Bears are also formidable.
Three more 0-2 teams -- the Seahawks, Chiefs, and Colts -- were all division winners last year but look like they're in real trouble. The Panthers are 0-2, but there is genuine optimism surrounding the team with Cam Newton throwing for more than 400 yards in each of his first two games. For the other teams, they are at a crossroads and the character of the players will be tested.
3. The longer teams wait, the more it will cost them. A few players have put together back-to-back great weeks and have clearly increased their value. Teams would be smart to lock up these players now. Wait another week and it could cost them even more.
» Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has won two in a row, thrown seven touchdown passes and been sacked just once in 72 pass attempts. Buffalo wants to lock him up long-term, but what's the price? Fitzpatrick can't make a case for the Tom Brady/Peyton Manning range, of course, but something around $8 million a year seems realistic.
» Bears RB Matt Forte is such a big part of that offense. He touched the ball 20 times for 166 yards against the Saints, and 21 times for 158 yards against the Falcons last week. It's time for Chicago do a deal with Forte like DeAngelo Williams got to return to Carolina.
» Browns RB Peyton Hillis touched the ball 31 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns vs. the Colts. He's worth more today than he was last week.
4. Halftime adjustments speak volumes. Buffalo, Tampa Bay and Green Bay all went to the locker room trailing and each rallied to win. The Packers scored 16 points in the third quarter in what amounted to a wakeup call against the Panthers. The Bills couldn't stop Oakland's run game in the first half, allowing 80 yards and three touchdowns, but tightened up in the second half, allowing just 51 yards and no touchdowns. The Bucs were asleep early against Minnesota and trailed 17-0 before Josh Freeman led them to 24 second-half points. Teams become dangerous when they learn how to make a few adjustments. These three teams got it done.
5. The NFL has to do something about West-to-East games at 1 p.m. ET. Three teams flew across three time zones and lost Sunday. The Raiders faded against the Bills, the Cardinals faded vs. the Redskins and the Seahawks were never really in the game against the Steelers. West coast teams hate that start time because it feels like a 10 a.m. game. A coach for one of the teams that had to make the dreaded trip Sunday told me, "It is a factor, but I can't let my players use it as an excuse. We don't discuss it, but I know it's on their mind." I wonder why the Texans were playing a late game in Miami when they could have been part of the early slate. That would have allowed the Raiders, who had an away game last Monday night, to play later.
6. So much for the special teams coverage issues. Remember Week 1, when we saw an NFL record eight returns for touchdowns (three kickoffs, five punts)? Heading into the Monday night game, no one had a return score in Week 2. Coverage units were much better, with most teams dedicating practice time to what one special teams coach called, "a lesson in leverage." With the kickoff now at the 35-yard line, returners have showed a willingness to return balls nine yards deep in the end zone. To counter that, coverage units refocused on getting down the field faster and forcing the returner to navigate through traffic. A second special teams coach said, "Once we let (the players) know that heads would roll if it happened again, they got it right."
A few bonus thoughts...
» New England should play in a no-huddle offense the whole game. Tom Brady is great at it and because defenses can't adjust, they wind up reducing their calls to the point where he can't be stopped.
» Mario Williams will have at least 15 sacks this season. The Texans' new scheme is perfect for Williams, who has been flipping which side he attacks from based on where the tight end is. When the Dolphins moved the tight end to his side, Williams simply would swap sides and play the open area.
» I guess Titans RB Chris Johnson now realizes there's some merit to being in training camp. In two games, the holdout has 33 rushes for 77 yards. His longest run is nine yards.
