by Vince Verhei

Hello and welcome to the first Quick Reads of 2013. This feature will not be running on any other websites this year, which frees us to change up the format a little bit. Gone are the somewhat random looks at whether Player X has turned the corner, or if Team Z can win in the playoffs. Instead we're going to use this space for what Quick Reads is supposed to be: A look at the best and worst statistical players of the week, as well as others who put up notable conventional stats but still rank surprisingly high, low, or off the tables entirely. It's no surprise that the best player of Week 1 was Peyton Manning, but it is surprising that his seven-touchdown performance, which tied an all-time record, wasn't close to the best game for a quarterback in our database.

Manning's raw statline (27-of-42, 462 yards, seven TDs, no INTs, three sacks) is pretty amazing, but it comes out as "only" 240 DYAR. (NOTE: This article was written Monday afternoon. The results of the Monday night games changed the league average passing baselines slightly, and as a result Manning's DYAR for Week 1 dropped to 235.) The regular-season record, going back to 1991, is Trent Green's 347-DYAR game in Week 4 of 2002, a five-touchdown performance against a Miami team that only gave up 15 other passing touchdowns all season. If we include the postseason, then the best game is Kurt Warner's shredding of Green Bay in the Wild Card round of 2009, a 385-DYAR outing. This wasn't the best season opener on record; that honor goes to Troy Aikman's 257 DYAR against Pittsburgh in 1997. In fact, it wasn't close to Manning's best game. Counting the postseason, he has gone over 240 DYAR 10 times, led by his 329 DYAR against Denver in the 2004 playoffs. (This is the second-best playoff game in our database. Manning also has the third-best playoff game, the fifth-best game, and two other games in the top 20.)

So what, exactly, was wrong with Manning's 7-TD game that makes it worse than these other contests? What more could Manning have done? The issue is not opponent adjustments; Since this is Week 1, there are no opponent adjustments to the numbers of Manning or anyone else. (This means that Manning's score can and will change by the end of the year, depending on how the Baltimore defense performs the rest of the way.) The three sacks don't help, but even removing those still leaves Manning around the 280 DYAR level. Manning's completion percentage was a relatively low 64 percent; the average for games of 240 DYAR or more is nearly 75 percent. In particular, Manning struggled (in the loosest possible definition of the term) on third downs, going 6-of-11 with a sack. Granted, those six completions picked up two touchdowns and four other first downs, totaling 146 yards. But that's still six third downs Manning failed to convert, four of them with 6 yards or fewer needed for a first down. Denver punted on each of their first three drives, and seven times overall, and Manning played a part in that. So there's reason to believe this wasn't the best game of all time. Of course, it could have been a lot worse.

Which brings us to Blaine Gabbert. If you were to ask most fans who was the worst quarterback since 2010, the most popular answers would probably be Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, or whoever happened to be taking snaps for Arizona or Kansas City at the time. On a per-play basis, though, the Jacksonville quarterback has been significantly worse than any of them:

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Really Bad Quarterbacks, 2011-12 Name Plays DYAR DVOA Blaine Gabbert 758 -1277 -38.1% ARI QB 1270 -1511 -30.2% KC QB 1042 -1028 -27.1% Tim Tebow 311 -230 -22.7% Mark Sanchez 1068 -646 -20.2%

So the bar for Gabbert has been set very, very low. And then he played on Sunday despite a broken bone in the thumb on his throwing hand. It probably shouldn't be surprising, then, that Sunday's game against Kansas City was the worst game of Blaine Gabbert's career. His previous low: a two-pick, three, sack, 142-yard game in Week 5 against Chicago last season that scored at -148 DYAR (even including the mammoth opponent adjustment for playing the mighty Bears defense). Gabbert's 16-of-35, 121-yard, no TD, two INT, six-sack game against Kansas City stands at -236 DYAR (for now). That makes it the 18th-worst game in our records, and the third-worst game in the last seven years. (David Klingler's -302 DYAR against the Oilers in 1994 remains at the bottom of the heap. By the way, Houston's Cody Carlson threw for -177 DYAR that day. Fans in the Astrodome got a hell of a show.) There is no shortage of splits to show Gabbert's ineptitude, but for now let's show his numbers throwing to his right, where he went 6-of-16 for 43 yards with two interceptions, including a pick-six. That yardage total is skewed by gains of 10 and 18 yards that failed to convert third-and-long situations. In fact, Gabbert didn't pick up a first down throwing to his right until he hit Justin Forsett for 6 yards on third-and-5. That pass was caught 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage with 10 YAC, and it came with Jacksonville down by 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Finally, let's talk Adrian Peterson. The reigning MVP was often surprisingly absent from Quick Reads last year, as his boom-and-bust results led to great highlights but disappointing DYAR totals. Peterson's game against Detroit on Sunday was very Peterson-y. His first carry went for 78 yards and a touchdown, and he added a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Otherwise, though, he failed to pick up a single first down, and in fact he only had two other successful carries. Meanwhile, he was stuffed for no gain or a loss six times. His final numbers: 18 carries for 93 yards, 7 DYAR, plus four receptions in four targets for 18 yards and another touchdown, and 12 DYAR.

Quarterbacks Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR 1. Peyton Manning DEN 27/42 462 7 0 235 235 0 DYAR by quarter: -2, 62, 81, 99. He went 5-of-9 in the first for 44 yards, but twice failed to convert third downs with 4 yards or less to go. 2. Colin Kaepernick SF 27/39 412 3 0 205 226 -21 A dominant day in the red zone: 5-of-6 for 49 yards, with three touchdowns, one first down, and an 8-yard gain on first-and-10. He also had two red-zone rushes, a 7-yard loss and a 2-yard gain on third-and-6. 3. Aaron Rodgers GB 21/36 333 3 1 110 103 7 Mind you, Rodgers was no slouch in the red zone himself, going 3-of-6 for 25 yards and three touchdowns. 4. Andrew Luck IND 18/23 178 2 0 91 64 28 First two drives: 8-of-8 for 113 yards with two touchdowns, four other first downs, and one sack. Rest of the day: 10-of-15 for 65 yards, with three sacks, one DPI, and four total first downs. Also ran four times for 39 yards, including a conversion on third-and-9 and a 19-yard go-ahead touchdown on third-and-4 in the fourth quarter. 5. Drew Brees NO 26/35 357 2 1 87 86 1 On second down, Brees went 11-of-13 for 187 yards with nine first downs and one sack. 6. E.J. Manuel BUF 18/27 156 2 0 87 80 7 Well this game was streaky. Manuel started out 8-of-13, but for only 43 yards and one first down. He then went 6-of-6 for 82 yards with two touchdowns and three other first downs. And then he finished 4-of-8 for 31 yards and no first downs. That hot streak started in the second quarter and ended in the third, so it may not have been obvious watching it live. 7. Matt Schaub HOU 35/45 346 3 1 81 81 0 How much credit should Schaub get for the Monday night comeback? Yes, he threw touchdowns to make it 28-14, and then 28-21. From that point on, though, he went 10-of-12, but for only 61 yards and three first downs, with one sack. He failed to convert three third downs in that stretch, before hitting Andre Johnson for 8 yards on third-and-4 to set up the winning field goal. 8. Andy Dalton CIN 26/33 284 2 2 80 76 3 Dalton's first third-down pass was incomplete, and his last two third-down dropbacks were an incompletion and a 5-yard gain on third-and-6. In between, he converted all of his third-down opportunities, going 6-of-6 for 54 yards and a touchdown, plus a 54-yard DPI. Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR 9. Russell Wilson SEA 26/33 320 1 0 77 77 0 This was a weird game to watch, and a weird game to quantify. Wilson completed just one of his first five passes, and that completion was a 1-yard gain on third-and-10. He had three red zone plays: a 9-yard gain on third-and-17, sack-fumble that killed a possible scoring drive, and a 21-yard intentional grounding penalty. On third downs, he went 10-of-11 for 115 yards, but four of those completions and 34 of those yards came on plays that failed to pick up a first down. Part of the problem was a feeble running game and penalty-prone offense that often left him in impossible situations. His average pass came with 10.5 yards to go for a first down, third-highest among starters this week, including six plays with 15 or more yards to go. Only Brandon Weeden, Tony Romo, and Blaine Gabbert had more, and they had 59, 53, and 41 dropbacks, respectively. Wilson only had 35. 10. Sam Bradford STL 27/38 299 2 1 76 101 -24 With 1:47 to go in the third quarter, the Rams got the ball at their own 20, down 24-13. They then went touchdown, field goal, punt, game-winning field goal. Bradford's numbers in those last four drives: 11-of-13 for 121 yards, one touchdown, four other first downs. 11. Ryan Tannehill MIA 24/38 272 1 1 75 80 -5 Mike Wallace's contributions were practically invisible in the stat sheet (one catch for 15 yards in five targets), and after the game he complained about his role in the offense, while assorted Miami media types knocked his performance and attitude. But is it possible that Wallace's presence, even as a decoy, helped open things up for the rest of the Dolphins offense? On short passes within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage, Tannehill went 22-of-33 for 218 yards, plus a 4-yard DPI, for 14 total first downs. That's 137 DYAR on short passes, second behind Peyton Manning this week. 12. Jay Cutler CHI 21/32 242 2 1 73 68 6 How to finish off drives: Inside the Cincinnati 40, Cutler went 6-of-8 for 73 yards with two touchdowns and four other first downs. 13. Matt Ryan ATL 26/38 304 2 1 73 64 8 A rough day on third and fourth downs. In 11 dropbacks, Ryan managed four completions (for 36 yards and two first downs, including a touchdown), six incompletions, and one intentional grounding call. 14. Eli Manning NYG 27/42 450 4 3 65 63 2 All right, let's get the slapstick out of the way first. Manning's reaction after throwing a game-clinching interception were funny enough, but those GIFs don't do the event justice. You needed to see the cable-cam replay of of the pick, which showed Eli starting his tantrum while the ball was in midair, then his half-hearted attempt to slap Brandon Carr in the head during the runback. (Click here, then click the link on the right side reading "Carr drives it in for a touchdown.") It was all classic. Now, analysis. Manning exploited the soft underbelly of Dallas' new Cover-2 scheme, gaining 114 DYAR on 18 passes to the "short middle" area of the field, both league-high numbers in Week 1. His numbers to that region: 13-of-18 for 201 yards and nine first downs, including a touchdown. 15. Michael Vick PHI 15/25 203 2 0 55 23 32 In some ways, the Chip Kelly offense is the opposite of the Andy Reid offense. For example, when Philadelphia is ahead in the second half, you can expect a heavy dose of rushing plays. The Eagles had 17 runs in the second half, but only five pass plays. On those five plays, Vick went 2-of-4 for 13 yards with one first down and a sack. Two of those runs were Vick scrambles, but even if we count those as passing plays, that's still a 2-to-1 run-pass ratio. 16. Terrelle Pryor OAK 19/29 217 2 2 55 19 36 For one week, at least, Pryor was in fact an average starter. As you may have heard, Pryor entered Monday night leading the league in rushing yards, though he was second in DYAR. (The bar for rushing quarterbacks is pretty high.) He had no luck throwing deep passes to the right, going 1-of-5 for 18 yards and both of his interceptions in that direction. Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR 17. Matthew Stafford DET 28/43 357 2 1 52 45 7 Speaking of guys who had no luck on deep balls: Stafford went 1-of-6 for 27 yards on passes 16 yards or more past the line of scrimmage. 18. Robert Griffin WAS 31/49 329 2 2 47 36 11 Griffin rallied after a slow first half, but he had third-down problems all night, going 2-of-8 for 11 yards with one first down and two interceptions. He also went 1-of-2 for 4 yards on fourth down, converting a fourth-and-3. 19. Philip Rivers SD 14/29 195 4 1 37 28 9 Rivers was fantastic in the red zone, going 6-of-8 for 43 yards with all four touchdowns and another first down. Of course, that means he was brutal in the rest of the field, going 8-of-21 for 152 yards with a 21-yard DPI, seven total first downs, two sacks, and an interception. After his last (offensive) touchdown, he went 1-of-9 for 8 yards with no first downs and a pick-six. Surprisingly, this is not close to the record for fewest completions in a game with at least four touchdown passes. Doug Flutie with the 1988 Patriots and John Roach of the 1960 Cardinals each somehow managed to get four TDs in a game on only six completions. 20. Jake Locker TEN 11/20 125 0 0 29 32 -3 To his left: 5-of-6 for 55 yards, plus a 24-yard DPI for four total first downs. To his right: 3-of-10 for 29 yards, only one first down. 21. Cam Newton CAR 16/23 128 1 0 28 7 21 Newton has one of the strongest arms in the league, but he threw only two deep passes against Seattle. Both were to Greg Olsen. One was incomplete, one was caught for 27 yards. 22. Carson Palmer ARI 26/40 327 2 1 25 25 0 First-half second-downs: 6-of-6 for six first downs (including a touchdown) and 107 yards. Second-half second downs: 3-of-7 for zero first downs, 30 yards. 23. Alex Smith KC 21/34 173 2 0 23 29 -6 Smith threw nine passes to receivers behind the line of scrimmage. Only Blaine Gabbert and Joe Flacco threw more, and they each threw at least five more passes than Smith did. Smith only completed six of those passes for 24 yards and one first down, so he and the Chiefs apparently need the practice. 24. Tony Romo DAL 36/49 263 2 1 -10 -10 0 Romo threw 21 times on first down (not counting a fumbled snap). He completed 16 of them, but for only 100 yards and four first downs (although that did include both of his touchdowns). Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR 25. Geno Smith NYJ 24/37 256 1 1 -21 -36 14 Smith struggled on the Tampa Bay side of the field, going 9-of-13 for 73 yards, but only four first downs (including a touchdown). He also threw an interception and was sacked twice on that side of the 50. 26. Josh Freeman TB 15/31 210 1 1 -31 -31 0 Freeman to Vincent Jackson and Michael Williams: 11-of-21 for 206 yards with one touchdown, eight other first downs, and one interception. Freeman to everyone else: 4-of-10 for 4 yards, no first downs and no successful plays. Seriously. In fact, let's break down those four completions: 2-yard gain on third-and-35; 4-yard gain on first-and-20; 3-yard loss on third-and-16; 1-yard gain on second-and-8. He was also sacked three times, and was "credited" with a fumble on a blown shotgun snap that resulted in a safety. 27. Christian Ponder MIN 18/28 236 1 3 -40 -34 -6 Shouldn't the presence of Adrian Peterson give Ponder an advantage in short-yardage situations? Ponder had four plays with 1 yard to go for a first down: one interception, one incompletion, one sack, and a 6-yard gain on third-and-1 down 10 points late in the fourth quarter. 28. Ben Roethlisberger PIT 21/33 191 1 1 -50 -50 0 First five third-down plays: four completions for 51 yards and four first downs, plus a sack. All third downs after that: 2-of-5 with two sacks, no first downs, no successful plays, no plays that even gained positive yardage. (He did close out the game with a 4-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal.) 29. Tom Brady NE 29/52 288 2 1 -65 -53 -12 When was the last time Tom Brady was below replacement level? Actually, it wasn't long at all--Week 16 last year against Jacksonville. He did throw a pair of red-zone touchdowns against Buffalo, but he struggled in goal-to-go opportunities, going 1-of-5 for 4 yards with a sack, all with New England trailing by 4 points. 30. Joe Flacco BAL 34/62 362 2 2 -94 -94 0 When Flacco took his first snap of the second half, Baltimore trailed 21-17. On the next six drives, he went 5-of-16 for 50 yards and only two first downs. He was also sacked twice in that stretch and threw an interception that should have been a pick-six, except Danny Trevathan decided to drop the ball a full yard short of the end zone. 31. Brandon Weeden CLE 26/53 289 1 3 -194 -194 0 Third-down passing: 4-of-13 for 34 yards, one first down, one sack, two interceptions. That's not including four fourth-down plays: one sack, one incompletion, and two successful completions for a total of 28 yards. 32. Blaine Gabbert JAC 16/35 121 0 2 -241 -240 0 I'd like to give you Gabbert's red zone stats, but he never got that far. In fact, he never even reached the front zone. He only had three plays on the Kansas City side of the field, all down by 26 points in the fourth quarter. He went 2-of-3 for 4 yards with one first down.

Five most valuable running backs Rk Player Team Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR 1. LeSean McCoy PHI 184 1 5 0 83 82 0 McCoy's 31 carries and 184 yards almost exactly matched his prior career highs (30 carries for 185 yards in October of 2011 against Dallas), so this was not entirely unprecedented, but it was close. McCoy was stuffed for no gain or a loss only three times, with one touchdown and 10 other first downs, and six runs of 10 yards or more. 2. Fred Jackson BUF 67 0 44 0 61 37 24 In a week when most players who ran a lot played badly (well, until Monday night), Jackson shined in somewhat limited action. His longest run was just 13 yards, but each of his 13 carries gained positive yardage, nine were successful, and six gained 6 yards or more. He was also thrown five passes, catching four of them for 44 yards and two of the Bills' six passing first downs. 3. Joique Bell DET 25 2 67 0 57 30 27 Each of Bell's six carries gained positive yardage, including two goal-to-go touchdowns and a 10-yard gain on first down. He caught five of six passes thrown his way for 67 yards and three first downs. On two of those catches, he was tackled a yard or two short of the sticks on third down. 4. Shane Vereen NE 101 0 58 0 46 33 14 The NFL's leading rusher among running backs as of Sunday night went over the century mark on just 14 carries. Four of his runs gained 10 yards or more. The Patriots also threw him 10 passes, and he caught seven of them for 58 yards and three more first downs. 4. Darren Sproles NO 22 0 88 0 43 -5 48 Sproles averaged 2.8 yards on eight carries, with a standard deviation of 1.8 yards. He always gained at least 1 yard, but never more than 5. He caught each of the four six passes thrown his way for 88 yards and four first downs, including gains of 13, 22, and 32 yards.

Least valuable running back Rk Player Team Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR 1. Isaac Redman PIT 10 0 7 0 -58 -44 -14 Redman's only successful run was an 8-yard gain on first-and-10. Otherwise, he was hit for no gain or a loss three times in eight carries, and also fumbled twice. The Steelers threw him three passes. Two fell incomplete, the other was caught for a 7-yard gain on second-and-4.

Five most valuable wide receivers and tight ends Rk Player Team Rec Att Yds Avg TD Total

DYAR 1. Anquan Boldin SF 13 17 208 16.0 1 78 Only once has Boldin ever caught more than 13 passes (in 2007) or gained more than 208 yards (in the first game of his career back in 2003). He had one touchdown, eight other first downs, and had five gains of 20 yards or more. 2. A.J. Green CIN 9 13 162 18.0 2 63 Green ranks this high despite some turnover troubles. He fumbled one catch, and two of the passes thrown his way were intercepted (though that has no effect on his DYAR). 3. Victor Cruz NYG 5 8 118 23.6 3 62 Cruz's touchdowns went for 70, 18, and 10 yards, and two of them came on third down. He also had 5- and 15-yard gains, both on first-and-10. 4. Jerome Simpson MIN 7 8 140 20.0 0 58 The first pass thrown to Simpson was intercepted. The rest were all caught. Six resulted in first downs, including two 40-yard plays. The seventh was a 9-yard gain on third-and-14. Keep in mind, he was catching passes from Christian Ponder. 5. Jordy Nelson GB 7 10 130 18.6 1 55 Six of Nelson's receptions gained a first down or touchdown; the seventh was a 9-yard gain on first-and-10. He had four catches of 15 yards or more, including a conversion on third-and-15.