6 Weeks into the NFL and who would have thought the stats would have looked like this

Matt on 10 21, 2009

So there’s some obvious surprises to the 2009 NFL season so far. The Broncos being good, the Bengals being solid, and the Titans being terrible. Here’s some things that most people probably didn’t see coming:

(Statistics from after week 6 of the season.)

Cedric Benson is 3^rd in the league in rushing yards with 531, and 4 touchdowns. Somebody give me the odds on that one. Fred Jackson is 11^th in the league in rushing yards with 415. He’s basically the only bright spot on what they call a football team over in Buffalo. Rashard Mendenhall has 349 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, booting Willie Parker from the starting gig. Fast Willie is fast to the first aid kit these days….Thank you! I’ll be here all week!

Ricky Williams has 316 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. He’s looking fantastic, and apparently sober, too! Correll Buckhalter? 313 yards! Huh? Hines Ward has 599 receiving yards and 41 catches so far. Steve Smith has 525 receving yards, 41 catches, and 4 touchdowns. No, the Giant’s Steve Smith. I’m serious. Chad Johnson (I’m still not calling him 85 in spanish) has 455 receivng yards and 3 touchdowns. Most people seemed to think he was washed up. Not the case, apparently.

Dallas Clark is 7^th in the league in receiving yards with 441, and has clearly stepped up with Marvin Harrison going off the deep end. Sidney Rice apparently loves Brett Favre, with his 409 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Torry Holt is 12^th in the NFL in receiving yards with 407. Torry freaking Holt! When he signed with Jacksonville, it barely made the news because everyone wrote him off faster than Kyle Orton. I can’t say I’m personally shocked about Holt doing well this year, because I took him in two fantasy leagues, and thought he would succeed. Jacksonville’s wide outs stink, and Garrard needed a crafty vet who knows how to run routes and lay off the cocaine (I’m lookin’ at you, Matt Jones).

Nate Burleson and Mike Sims-Walker, tied for 13^th in receiving yards, both with 398 and 3 touchdowns. I bet these guys weren’t up there on your fantasy draft board. Burleson’s knees haven’t been healthy since 1974, and Sims-Walker came out of nowhere. Literally, he appeared out of thin air.

How about Larry Fitzgerald down tied at 24^th in the NFL in receiving yards? Ouch. Andre Johnson’s now got my vote for the best wide out in the league. Calvin Johnson’s tied for 31^st in the league in receiving yards, with…you guessed it! Ray Rice. Wait, isn’t he a running back? Mike Wallace almost has as many receiving yards as Calvin Johnson.

Just a few statistical oddities…that is all I have to say.