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The second full week of football started this weekend. By that I mean we had high school action on Friday, college games on Saturday and the NFL today.
Despite being so early in the season, we have already had plenty of highs and lows. I figured I would give out a few game balls for the players and teams that have risen to the occasion at the start of the campaign. As for the few that have gone in the other direction, I'll hand out goofballs.
Game Balls
Evans Knights
Head coach Marty Jackson has led a tremendous turnaround at Evans, and the Knights are off to a 3-0 start this season despite losing a ton of key players during the past three seasons.
This season, Evans had to replace running back Jonathan Finch and quarterback Troy Griffith. With running backs Jamerson Turner and Will Scott carrying the load, and undersized quarterback Glen Cassedy playing with as much poise and efficiency as any quarterback in the area, Evans looks to make another run at the playoffs and a possible region title.
Lakeside Panthers
Despite playing without their top players on both sides of the ball, the Panthers had Thomson on the ropes at the Brickyard in week two of the high school schedule. New head coach Jarrett Troxler and his team should be commended for their effort.
With a healthy Mark Weidenaar and Kendal Parker, I can't imagine them losing that game.
Marcus Lattimore
The South Carolina freshman running back was a workhorse for Steve Spurrier in South Carolina's 17-6 win over Georgia. Playing in just his second college game, Marcus Lattimore carried the ball 37 times for 187 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He is already among the top three or four backs in the Southeastern Conference, and may be the best who does not play in Tuscaloosa.
Denard Robinson
Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson could single-handedly save coach Rich Rodriquez's job. Through two games he is putting up numbers like we've never seen from a dual-threat college quarterback. He destroyed Notre Dame last weekend, racking up 502 total yards of offense.
He completed 24 of 40 passes for 244 yards, and carried the ball 28 times for 258 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Arian Foster
Houston Texans running back Arian Foster's 32-carry, 231-yard performance in a Week 1 victory over Indianapolis had fantasy geeks scouring their databases for a possible early season acquisition. On top of that he is an intelligent, well-spoken young man who could be a face-of-the-franchise type guy.
Michael Vick
What Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was able to do in Week 1 was amazing. The guy missed 2 1/2 years after being sentenced to prison for his involvement in a dog-fighting ring. Then he played sparingly last season in his return to the league.
This season it appeared he would ride the bench as the Eagles handed over the reins of the team to young quarterback Kevin Kolb. After Kolb suffered a concussion during a terrible first-half performance, coach Andy Reid called on Vick to rally Philly from a 20-3 deficit against a very good Green Bay team.
The former Falcon star was 16 of 24 passing for 175 yards, and rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries (only three running backs eclipsed 100 yards in week one). The Eagles lost 27-20, but Vick showed he can still play the game at a high level.
Goofballs
Lou Holtz
I still do not understand the love affair everyone seems to have with this guy.
First off, he is praised as one of the great coaches of all-time while people seem to ignore that everywhere he has coached faced NCAA scrutiny for violations under his watch.
His work on TV is laughable. Last Saturday, "Dr. Lou" stated that Notre Dame should be really proud that they shut down "the rest" of the Michigan offense in a 28-24 loss to the Wolverines. Aside from Denard Robinson, Holtz said, the Wolverines had only 57 yards rushing.
Well, as his colleague Mark May pointed out, with Robinson attempting 44 passes and running the ball 28 times racking up 502 yards in the process, there was no need for anyone else to do anything.
T.O. and Ochocinco
I always seem to give these two prima donnas a pass, but they screwed up again last Sunday. With their team getting hammered by New England late in the first half, the Bengals got the ball back with a chance to try and get a much-needed score before halftime.
However, when the first-team offense was called to duty, both Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco were nowhere to be found. They both had gone to the locker room early.
Can you imagine Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Jerry Rice doing this? Of course not, because they play for the team, not themselves.
Georgia Bulldogs
I really like what I have seen from Todd Grantham during his career and I am also a firm believer in the 3-4 scheme. However, it does not matter what defense you run if you have guys who cannot tackle. Georgia's arm tackling and lack of fire against the Gamecocks would have me worried quite a bit if I were a Georgia fan. The coaches can only do so much. At some point, the highly touted recruits have to step up and make plays.
