Vets and Rooks of Week 1

#3 Rook - Nate Solder OT (New England Patriots)
I had Phil Taylor of the Browns penciled in at the #3 spot until Solder bumped him right off the list.  Outside of the quarterbacks, he was handed the toughest task of the week: protect Tom Brady from a guy who had 14.5 sacks last season, on Monday Night Football.  Solder showed early that he was up to the task registering two pancake blocks on Cameron Wake in the first half.  I will say that despite the optics, this matchup did favour Solder as he is a tall athletic player.  Wake typically uses his explosive first step and speed to overwhelm larger tackles, but Solder matched him in athleticism.  We will see how Solder fares against a large bullrush type player such as Kyle Williams of the Bills, but his performance on Monday was spectacular. 

#2 Rook - Randall Cobb WR (Green Bay Packers) - 5 touches 175yds 2 TDs
Cobb has the luxury of joining an extremely talented roster in Green Bay, but one thing you want out of any 2nd round pick is efficiency.  Cobb personified that by making the most out of his five touches.  He tied a franchise record with his 108 yard kick return for a touchdown and added a receiving touchdown.  Cobb was drafted to provide insurance for the scenario that James Jones left in free agency, or Donald Driver's play declined.  As proof that all is well in Cheese Head nation, Jones re-signed, Driver is fina dn Cobb has still found a way to make an impact.

#1 Rook - Cam Newton QB (Carolina Panthers) - 422yds 3 total TDs
I mean really, who didn't think Newton would lead the NFC in passing yards after week1?  Scoff all you want at the NFC West but the Cardinals defense has some talented players.  The biggest sign that the Panthers may have hit a homerun with Newton is that the game didn't seem too fast for him.  This has to go down as one of the greatest rookie QB debuts of all time (probably would be THE greatest if they had won).  Newton will definitely have his down games but for now, he's the toast of the league.

Offensive Veteran of the Week - Tom Brady QB (New England Patriots) - 517yds 4 TDs
Brady exploded on Monday night throwing for a career high 517 yards against a secondary that recently proclaimed had the best corner tandem in the league.  Brady used multiple receivers and didn't even need the services of Ochocinco.  After last year's regular season and subsequent playoff blunder, Brady won't earn any additional credit until he gets deep into the playoffs again.  That being said he was the best player in the world this week.

Defensive Veteran of the Week - Ed Reed FS (Baltimore Ravens) - 2 Int, 4 PD, 1 TFL
I had a tough time deciding between Reed and teammate Terrell Suggs (3 Sacks), but ultimately I came to the conclusion that the reason Suggs got pressure was aided by the presence of Reed lurking over the middle.  He also had 4 passes defended and a critical tackle for a loss.  Reed is adding to his legacy as one of the best safeties of all time.

Special Teams Veteran of the Week - Ted Ginn Jr WR (San Francisco 49ers) - 2 return TDs
At a critical juncture, Ginn took over the game against Seattle.  He returned a kickoff for a touchdown and then 59 seconds later returned the ensuing punt for a touchdown - effectively putting the game out of reach.  Ginn has yet to live up to his hype as a first round receiver but he is one of the best returners in the league. For all the crap he's had to deal with for not living up to almost impossibly high expectations, he deserves this moment in the sun.

- Jansen -