Nary a ball was snapped the past week, but the NFL still kicked off its new season Wednesday with more big plays than it showcased on its grandest stage 5½ weeks ago in Atlanta.
Nick Foles is going south. Former disgruntled teammates Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell are happily heading west and east, respectively. And the AFC North has been turned upside down with the decimation of Baltimore's top-ranked defense, Pittsburgh's losses on offense and a full-throttled approach in Cleveland that saw General Manager John Dorsey shock the league by trading for Odell Beckham Jr.
Here's a quick look at the past week …
Battered in Baltimore: Defensively, the Ravens lost their leader (Eric Weddle), their legend (Terrell Suggs), their sacks leader (Za'Darius Smith) and their leading tackler (C.J. Mosley). Signing an injury-prone, soon-to-be 30-year-old Earl Thomas doesn't offset the sting.
Factory of Sadness No More?: Dorsey sprinted to the early lead for executive of the year. Adding Sheldon Richardson and trading expendable guard Kevin Zeitler for pass rusher Olivier Vernon was just a warmup for acquiring the 26-year-old OBJ for this year's 17th and 95th overall picks and safety Jabrill Peppers. Despite popular opinion, that was a lot to pay because OBJ is a risky, albeit worthy, superstar acquisition. People point to his long-term, affordable contract. But, c'mon, we all know that a contract for a player of his stature and volatility ends when he says it ends (see: Brown, Antonio).
Giant mess: Meanwhile, the Giants under General Manager Dave Gettleman look disheveled. For months, he said he didn't extend OBJ to trade him. Then he did. After paying him $21.5 million. To play 12 games.
No pressure, Derek Carr: Brown got a raise to $30 million guaranteed to be Oakland's top receiver. Now all he needs is Carr to play like Ben Roethlisberger. Also heading to Oakland is Trent Brown, the former Patriots left tackle, who scored the richest contract for an offensive lineman in NFL history. Now all he needs is for Carr to play like Tom Brady. No pressure, Derek. No pressure.
Bell going backward: After refusing $14.54 million to play for Pittsburgh last year, Bell accepted $13.125 million a year to play for the Jets.
Welcome aboard, Packers: So strange to see the Packers awake this time of year. Apparently, GM Brian Gutekunst wants to play a little defense after adding safety Adrian Amos and linebackers Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith.