ICYMI: The Best Stories You Missed From NFL Week 2

Immediate Impact

When the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Jake Fisher in the second round this year, it seemed likely he'd have to wait years to make an impact on the field. But in the second game of his NFL career, he did something no offensive lineman has done since 1993: a reception of at least 31 yards.

Fisher, a 6'6", 306-pound tackle out of Oregon, was well-regarded as an athletic tackle prospect. Not overpowering, but athletic and tenacious—a perfect fit for Chip Kelly's schemes and a great developmental pick for the Bengals.

Emphasis on "developmental": Not only do the Bengals have one of the best tackle pairs in the NFL in Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith, they drafted tackle Cedric Ogbuehi in the first found. That's right: With no pressing need at tackle, they drafted tackles with their first two picks.

To get Fisher on the field, the Bengals had been calling unbalanced lines where he reports as an eligible third tackle. Against the Chargers, they finally took advantage of that by inserting a wheel route for him in the weekly game plan. When they called his number, Fisher was wide open; quarterback Andy Dalton hit him with ease, and he rumbled up the sideline for a 31-yard gain.

Per Geoff Hobson of the team's official site, it's the longest reception by an NFL offensive lineman in 27 years. Safety Eric Weddle—who is seven inches shorter and 106 pounds lighter—managed to stop Fisher this time, but whoever next faces the young go-getter might not be so lucky.

Last-Second Savior

When training camp ended, the Detroit Lions came to a realization: They had two NFL-caliber kickers on the roster.

Normally, talented rookies from Notre Dame don't go undrafted, but Kyle Brindza had struggled through his final collegiate season. Rather than be the anointed savior of some team's flagging kicking game, he was brought in to be the guy who keeps Matt Prater company for a few weeks.

Brindza's performances turned the heads of Detroit coaches, fans and media, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were unimpressed with their own two-horse kicker race. Just before the Bucs' final game, they sent Detroit tight end Tim Wright in exchange for Brindza. In that fourth preseason game, Brindza hit 55- and 57-yard field goals, and earned the starting job.

After a Week 1 blowout where he wasn't called to action, Brindza was finally brought on in Week 2 to try NFL field goals that counted. He hit from 22, 30, 35 and 55 yards against the New Orleans Saints (not to mention two of the new long extra points), accounting for 14 of the Bucs' 26 points. He missed one kick, a 52-yarder, but it's possible the Bucs would be staring at 0-2 if they hadn't picked up the phone a few weeks ago.

How many more games will the Buccaneers win this year because they found a quality kicker—and how many more diamonds are in the NFL's undrafted rough, just waiting for an opportunity?

Sometimes, It Takes Time

The hype cycle for NFL rookies is laughably short: Fans usually think rookies, regardless of their draft status, are the answer for their team's ills, and fans are just as quick to write off a rookie, regardless of his draft status, after one bad performance.

Football fans think of "rookies" as a homogenous set of tabulas rasa, fresh faces entering the NFL at Year Zero—when in reality, every draft class contains players as young as 21 and as old as 25, or older. NFL players come in all shapes and sizes, and are all human beings with wildly diverse aptitudes and attitudes.

When 2014 offensive tackle prospect Jake Matthews fell to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 6 overall, NFL analysts everywhere (but especially me) hailed it as a massive steal: Matthews has a body prototypical of the modern left tackle, plus excellent athleticism and impeccable technique. His family tree sags under the weight of generations of All-Pros, Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers.

If anyone could walk into the NFL and play left tackle like a ten-year veteran, it seemed, Matthews could.

He didn't.

Famously, Matthews' rookie season was a massive flop: He was beaten like a drum, saw more yellow hankies than Dick Tracy's dresser drawer and finished dead last—84th out of 84—in Pro Football Focus' offensive lineman ratings. He was, by as objective a measure as we have for offensive lineman, the worst.

After a solid debut, and very strong Week 2 outing against the New York Giants, PFF currently ranks Matthews 7th out of 70 qualifying offensive tackles. His footwork and positioning have taken a quantum leap forward, and he's learning to apply his athleticism. Though the team recently signed veteran Jake Long as an insurance policy, it looks as if Matthews has the position locked down.

"He was a real factor," head coach Dan Quinn told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "For the limited reps, I thought he had a terrific start."

Though some wrote him off when he didn't excel out of the gate, and few still expected him to reach the Pro Bowl potential it once seemed he had, Matthews proved coaching, experience and maturation are still vital factors in a player's ability—no matter how talented he is.

Sometimes, the only thing missing from a player's game is time.