Five Things We Learned from the 2015 NFL Kickoff

By Ha Kung Wong

Twitter: @FBGarbageTime

Ah, football.  Yes, it’s back.  And what better way to start the season than with the polarizing New England Patriots, the defending champs and subject of significant off field persecution by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and the revitalized Pittsburgh Steelers.

Of course, both starting running backs and centers were out of the game (due to suspension and injury respectively), but the big news was the return of Tom Brady.  It’s been quite a saga, but ultimately, Brady ended up on the field in week 1 and talk of the Patriots potentially making Super Bowl 50 restarted in full.

So now that the 2015 NFL Kickoff Game is in the rearview mirror, what have we learned about both the Steelers and the Patriots?  Let’s take a look:

1) Rob Gronkowski is still Rob Gronkowski

Of course, the number one rule of competitive sports is “don’t give your opponent bulletin board material”.  Although many of the younger generation may have no idea what a “bulletin board” is, the concept is quite simple.  Don’t say stuff that can be used to motivate your opponent.  As an example, the Steelers defense saying they can contain Gronk:

For the first quarter, where Gronk was targeted only once and had no receptions, it looked like whatever the Steelers had planned might be be working.  But then 3 minutes and 20 seconds into the second quarter, if there was a plan, it went totally off the rails.

From that point forward, Gronk dominated the Steelers, tearing apart their cover defense and finding himself all alone in more than once.  The end result?  5 of 8 targets for 94 yards and 3 TDs.  And that third TD could have come in the form of a recovered fumble, but instead came in the form of a pseudo fade to the back corner, as Gronk caught the ball and added a shimmy before spiking it.  Julian Edelman might have been the blue collar worker of the group, putting in 11 receptions, but let’s not get crazy.  The Patriots offense clearly runs through Gronk, and that’s going to be tough for opponents to stop this season.  The three TDs gave Gronk the most career TDs of ANY player since he entered the league in 2010.  Wow.

2) It will Continue to Be Impossible to tell which Patriots RB will Lead the Way Each Week

Dion Lewis had zero carries in the last two seasons.  In fact, he only had 190 total yards in the last four seasons combined.  With Lagarrette Blount out on suspension and Jonas Gray released, there was some question as to who would lead the Patriots backfield.  Turns out, unsurprisingly, Bill Belichick likes misdirection and used the guy no one had any tape on.

Lewis received 46 of the 61 running back snaps and wowed the nationwide audience with 69 yards on 15 carries and 51 yards on 4 receptions.

How this will sort out once Blount returns in week 2 is anyone’s guess, but it sure looks like Lewis will at least be, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the new Shane Vereen.  As much animosity that non-New England fans have for the Pats, it’s hard not to be happy for Lewis and his newfound revival.  Torrey Smith and LeSean McCoy feel the same way…

3) Le’Veon Bell May Not Need to be the “Bell Cow”

News flash! DeAngelo Williams is NOT done.  In fact, he looked downright shifty on his 21 carries for 127 yards for the Steelers.  I’m sure the Carolina Panthers were thinking they were doing the right thing by ditching Williams and featuring “The Daily Show” aka Jonathan Stewart at RB for 2015.  But perhaps it was Stewart getting in the way of D-Will, or maybe it’s just that the Panthers’ offensive line is terrible.

Williams’ 6 yards per carry average for the Steelers in week 1 is higher than any yards per carry average he had in any year of his entire career.  In fact, he averaged less than 4.5 yards per carry over the last three years.

Now, let’s not get crazy.  He’s on the wrong side of 30 in his 10th season and has imploded in the past.  So I’m not saying that Williams will supplant Bell when he returns.  But I certainly can see a 70/30 split in order to give Bell more breathers.  Stephen A. Smith of ESPN also thinks they’ll work well together.

All in all, a pretty darn good pick up for the Steelers.

4) Martavis Bryant has Serious Job Security

And now for the player that DID NOT impress me at all.  Markus Wheaton has a clear path to playing time with Martavis Bryant suspended for four games.  But we saw what he did with his opportunity last year, and he looks to do the same this year.  Nothing.

He ended up with 3 receptions for 55 yards and a 2-point conversion, but the stats look better than his actual performance.  In fact, Wheaton was a complete nonfactor most of the game, allowing some of his 7 targets to literally fly through his arms.  But for the 2-point conversion and one nice catch in the 3rd quarter, Wheaton looked less than impressive.

The Steelers are going to have problems with their passing game until Bryant returns, though it was good to see a cameo from current draft bust Darrius Heyward-Bey who made a great 43 yard grab in the second quarter (that ultimately led to no points because of K Josh Scobee’s opening night jitters).

5) Gambling Can be a Real B!#$%

Be honest.  With time essentially expiring, did you care whether Antonio Brown caught that 11 yard pass for a TD?  No?  Then congratulations, you’re a normal person (or at least you don’t play fantasy football).

But it certainly DID mean something to those in Las Vegas who bet on the game.

You see, the line on the game was New England by 7.  And the total on the game was 51.5 points.  What happened when Big Ben connected with Brown in the waning seconds of the game?  Well, the line was met AND the total was covered.  So those people betting on the Patriots with the spread essentially lost, and those who bet the under on total points also lost, on what was pretty much the last play of the game.

And that, folks, is why they call it gambling.

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