Thoughts on College Football's Week 2 and NFL Week 1

A full weekend of football. We had big matchups, some teams stumbling, and that witching hour in the NFL where every game flips late. Here's my thoughts on the week.

1. Best of the Week

Best Game: Texas at Alabama

A game of college football royalty. There were some awesome games on Sunday, but the emotions this game brought out of people were the best. This game was full of big plays, both positive and negative, and the true definition of the slugfest. Texas showed they have the line play to hang with the big boys and Quinn Ewers has polished up his game nicely. Let's see if there is a letdown coming or if Texas really is back.

Best Player: Quinn Ewers

Fun fact: of the previous 5 quarterbacks that have beat Saban in Tuscaloosa, 3 have won the Heisman. Let's see if Ewers can join them. The man lost 30 lbs, cut off his mullet, and learned the footwork to match his golden arm. There was a lot of talk that he struggles with the deep ball and he quieted that down early and often. What a game.

Best Uniform: Minnesota Vikings

They're back 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/48ggOZLUnV

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 18, 2023

I know the Vikings lost, they had no run game, and Kirk was just trying to make magic happen. But this jersey was beautiful. The yellow around the numbers just pops on the magnificent shade of purple. Their dome also lets in so much sunlight that really made it all work too, unlike the dull lights of a stadium. Skol. 

2. Every NFL Team Pays Their Players

Every preseason analysis talks about slam dunk division picks and how terrible some teams are. But the beauty of the NFL is that most of the games are close and most teams are near .500 at the end of the season. Every fanbase feels like they are in it, that's how they built such a great product. Shoutout to the teams everyone shot down, the Buccaneers and Cardinals of the world. It is hard watching all the cupcake games in college and then trying to predict the NFL on Sunday.

3. The Trenches are Democratizing College Football

We have been in a period of unprecedented domination by top programs in college football the past decade. Are we seeing that era end for a more democratized top? We will naturally, thanks to a 12-team playoff, but we are also seeing those top teams have less of an advantage in the trenches, which is what actually has led to this period of domination. Texas held there own on the line of scrimmage on Saturday night against Alabama. Ohio State has had trouble replacing their tackles and Michigan hasn't had the same run game, but I wouldn't want to play against that defense. The top will always be the top in college football, Saban and Bama are not done, but they may not have the iron grip they have had recently.

4. The Kids are Alright

Peyton. Brady. Brees. Eli. Rivers. Big Ben. We have lost some quarterbacks in recent years that carried the League to great heights. But I have to say, the kids are alright. I do lament that sometimes the rules are so built towards quarterbacks that it hurts teams who want to build in different ways. We don't see the Trent Dilfers of the world winning Super Bowls anymore. But there are plenty of young studs around to make the league so compelling. The class next year looks so good too, teams will continue to load up, and we are all better for it.

5. Play of the Week

The Big Ten East is a great division, but it is also top heavy. The team that is looking the best right now in the triumphant of Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State is the Nittany Lions in my opinion. That offense is humming along nicely and making the chunk plays they need. They also are physical at the point of attack, and use that to their advantage in this flea flicker. A flea flicker is when a running back takes a handoff and then turns around and flips it back to the quarterback. It usually results in a deep pass, as you have fully committed to drawing the defense up. The lateral is icing on the cake to make this a fan favorite.

So how do they draw up such a nice play? They set the tone with the run and then are able to build a route combination while also having maximum protection for Drew Allar.

• We talked last week about all the unbalanced formations this year and here Penn State has all five skill players to the right side of the quarterback.
• In years past we may have seen the running back on the other side, as teams were more likely to run towards the tight ends. But this year I have noticed the running back being on the same side as the tight end, I think to create another cutback lane on inside zone. Either way, this is a formation built to run the football.

• We see Penn State's two wide receivers (1 & 2) run downfield to sell the run blocks. Both set up their defenders well to make there breaks on the routes.
• The running back (3) is turning around to flip the ball back, but his little run action has sold the run as every defender is coming downhill.

• The inside receiver (1) deceived his defender into coming downhill and now has a lot of room to the outside. This space was further created by the other receiver taking the corner with him on a deep route. Often when a team only has two route runners they don't have a route combination like this, which makes it easier to defend. By having both receivers on the same side and working together, the quarterback only has to read one side of the field and has a wider throwing window.
• The benefits of max protection is the... protection! Look at the eight blockers holding down the fort, Allar almost has 10 yards to step up if he wants to.

• A frozen rope negates throwing behind the receiver. Allar has a rocket launcher for a right arm. 15 yards, and now the defense is hesitant to come downhill on run plays for fear of more play action.

Let me know what you think about breaking up the blog into two chunks! Looking forward to making more picks, hopefully I bounce back.