Beasts from the East
If watching the first two weeks of the football season are any indication, then it difficult not to notice that there is a sizable talent disparity between the NFC East and the rest of the conference.
With the exception of the Redskins, the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles have served notice to the rest of the NFC and to each other that the road to the Super Bowl in Tampa is going to have to run through one or two of these cities, if not all three.
The World Champion Giants are still on a roll at 2-0. On defense, they have played as dominant as they did when went on their hot streak in January. Justin Tuck is developing into a top tier defensive end. Aaron Ross and Corey Webster are showing themselves to be shut down corners and as whole appear to be the consummate “team”.
Offensively, they appear to have no shortage of weapons to throw at you. From their three-headed running attack, to their evolving superstar quarterback, steady and powerful offensive line and hoard of wide receivers, the Giants are poised to build upon last season in a big way.
In Dallas, the Cowboys are still the same powerhouse as last season. The quarter of Romo, Barber, T.O and Witten is still torching defenses behind an offensive line that is allowing Romo time to take a nap, make a sandwich, watch television, and still be able to find open receivers downfield.
Now, seeing their defense on Monday night was not a pretty sight. While their front seven is still strong, their additions in the secondary are still adjusting with the additions of rookie Mike Jenkins and former Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones. Their safety play is still suspect, and as the Eagles showed on Monday night, spreading them out has been an effective method of breaking down their defense.
For the Cowboys, the regular season is simply their opening act. Their final exam will come when their first playoff game begins.
While in Philadelphia, the Eagles are looking to join in on the fun and put their names back into the mix.
After finishing the season on a good note, they upgraded their defense with cornerback Asante Samuel and drafted wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
Both of those additions have added new dimensions to the Eagles team and in the first two weeks have shown that they will be formidable contenders.
After demolishing the Rams, the Eagles displayed a gallant effort against the Cowboys, scoring 30 points in the first half.
In the fourth quarter, holding a three-point lead, the Donovan McNabb fumbled a handoff to Brian Westbrook and the Cowboys recovered. This lead to the eventual game winning touchdown and a 41-37 defeat for the Eagles.
Though moral victories in football do not exist, the Eagles gained more respect in defeat from the rest of the league. Playing without their top two receivers, it did not matter. McNabb played incredible and looked the player during the early part of the decade.
Each team appeared to be a mirror image of the other. Add in the Giants to that mix and you have three of most powerful teams in football playing in the same division.
It is going to make these divisional games so much fun and dramatic. Here is the schedule of the remaining tilts this trio has against each other:
Nov 2: Dallas vs. NY Giants
Nov 9: NY Giants vs. Philadelphia
Dec 7: Philadelphia vs. NY Giants
Dec 14: NY Giants vs. Dallas
Dec 28: Dallas vs. Philadelphia
This puts an incredible importance on winning the division this year as ever. Being able to get the week off and having either of these teams forced to come on the road to get a playoff win gives the team that gains the bye a great advantage.
Let the battle commence.
No Brady? No problem for now.
The New England Patriots were never a high-octane football team until the start of the 2007 season.
Methodical would best describe the Patriots offense during the championship days, and when Tom Brady was knocked out for the season against Kansas City, no longer would the Patriots be the same football team that scored the most points in the history of the League.
Instead, they have decided for the moment to go back into their past to reclaim old glory.
When thy beat the Jets 19-10 on Sunday in the Meadowlands, they scrapped their “track meet” offense in exchange for one that focused on running and manageable first down situations. It was not pretty, but it was effective.
They have put their faith again in their defense, their original calling card. Against the Jets, they eliminated quarterback Brett Favre’s options and made their offense look like Chad Pennington was still there.
The final score may have only read 19-10, but the score was not an accurate reflection of how the game was played. New England’s defense was dominant and pushed the Jets around for most of the game. Brady’s injury did not suddenly make the Patriots defense worse. Their front seven is still there and the great play likely will continue.
The schedule for them this year broke in special way that gives them statistically the easiest schedule in football. Sunday, they face Miami followed up with a game against San Francisco. A very good chance exists they will go 4-0 to start the year before games against San Diego and Denver.
Will they go the Super Bowl? Unlikely.
However, a 10 or 11 win season in what appears to be a weaker AFC this year will amount to a successful season.
The Bad, The Ugly and The Awful
Having the NFL Sunday Ticket package from DirecTV that I have enjoyed for years is the best thing to ever happen to TV.
Getting every NFL game makes it a weekly holiday in my house. The early games provide a chance to jump in and out and watch a key play or sequence when the Giants game is not totally dominating my eyes.
While the good thing is seeing all the games, the downside comes from the fact you also get to plenty of terrible football teams play every week.
In the last two years, the amount of terrible football teams has increased to insanely bad levels. There are some games now that you look at the schedule, you just choose not to watch unless you are crazy enough to lay the points (BTW, Sunday Ticket has increased my gambling by 300%).
This year, the amount of terrible teams seems to have gone up. Some are worst than bad, they are just plain awful.
Four teams in the league represent the epitome of awfulness:
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Mark them down for the top three pick in next years NFL draft. On Sunday, after quarterbacks Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard were able to find the field the Chiefs entered a guy named Thigpen to play behind center. Even the Raiders were not bad enough to lose to them.
If they win four games, that will be an upset.
2. Oakland Raiders
Just because they beat the Chiefs does not make them any less bad. Incompetence fills this team like a bottle of whiskey.
While Darren McFadden has the look of a franchise back in the making of Marcus Allen, the same cannot be said for the rest of the Raiders team. While their defense has some talented players, they are a terribly constructed and will be in contention as well for a top five pick.
Who can wait for the Chiefs-Raiders rematch later in the season?
3. St. Louis Rams
Perhaps they just had a bad day in their first game against the Eagles, but watching them in person against the Giants told me everything I needed to know about them.
They are bad.
Seriously bad.
That team has zero defense despite have nice looking rookie Chris Long. On offense, they have talent with Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson and Torry Holt. However, their offensive line is so terrible that it negates their talent base.
It is possible that they can sneak out five wins.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have rediscovered their old past and that is being bad again. After making the playoffs in 2005, they have disintegrated in every season since.
They have no offensive line and that has made Carson Palmer not the player he was several years ago. Add in the adventures of Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco, or whatever he chooses to call himself and this team is a walking train wreck.
Marvin Lewis should accept some of the fall for this. He be fired at the end of the year and it is well deserved. A 6-10 record is on the horizon. They have reached the level of unwatchable. Just change the channel.
One can only hope that these teams will improve but they will not. Any reasonably good team facing one of these four opponents should be embarrassed if they come out on the losing end.
Random NFL thoughts
If you took Tom Brady (me) in your fantasy draft with you first round pick, you are angry and kicking yourself.
However, if you drafted Jay Cutler or Aaron Rodgers in the later rounds, you feel as if you got a steal.
Both Cutler and Rodgers are enjoying tremendous starts to their seasons and their performance will dictate how both the Broncos and the Packers fare this season.
With the AFC open after the Chargers 0-2 start, the 2-0 Broncos have a chance to get off to large enough lead in the AFC West to win it outright and make the playoffs.
As the Vikings flounder, the Packers are showing they were more than just a group of players lead by Brett Favre. They should win their division again and host a playoff game in Lambeau Field in January.
If watching the first two weeks of the football season are any indication, then it difficult not to notice that there is a sizable talent disparity between the NFC East and the rest of the conference.
With the exception of the Redskins, the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles have served notice to the rest of the NFC and to each other that the road to the Super Bowl in Tampa is going to have to run through one or two of these cities, if not all three.
The World Champion Giants are still on a roll at 2-0. On defense, they have played as dominant as they did when went on their hot streak in January. Justin Tuck is developing into a top tier defensive end. Aaron Ross and Corey Webster are showing themselves to be shut down corners and as whole appear to be the consummate “team”.
Offensively, they appear to have no shortage of weapons to throw at you. From their three-headed running attack, to their evolving superstar quarterback, steady and powerful offensive line and hoard of wide receivers, the Giants are poised to build upon last season in a big way.
In Dallas, the Cowboys are still the same powerhouse as last season. The quarter of Romo, Barber, T.O and Witten is still torching defenses behind an offensive line that is allowing Romo time to take a nap, make a sandwich, watch television, and still be able to find open receivers downfield.
Now, seeing their defense on Monday night was not a pretty sight. While their front seven is still strong, their additions in the secondary are still adjusting with the additions of rookie Mike Jenkins and former Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones. Their safety play is still suspect, and as the Eagles showed on Monday night, spreading them out has been an effective method of breaking down their defense.
For the Cowboys, the regular season is simply their opening act. Their final exam will come when their first playoff game begins.
While in Philadelphia, the Eagles are looking to join in on the fun and put their names back into the mix.
After finishing the season on a good note, they upgraded their defense with cornerback Asante Samuel and drafted wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
Both of those additions have added new dimensions to the Eagles team and in the first two weeks have shown that they will be formidable contenders.
After demolishing the Rams, the Eagles displayed a gallant effort against the Cowboys, scoring 30 points in the first half.
In the fourth quarter, holding a three-point lead, the Donovan McNabb fumbled a handoff to Brian Westbrook and the Cowboys recovered. This lead to the eventual game winning touchdown and a 41-37 defeat for the Eagles.
Though moral victories in football do not exist, the Eagles gained more respect in defeat from the rest of the league. Playing without their top two receivers, it did not matter. McNabb played incredible and looked the player during the early part of the decade.
Each team appeared to be a mirror image of the other. Add in the Giants to that mix and you have three of most powerful teams in football playing in the same division.
It is going to make these divisional games so much fun and dramatic. Here is the schedule of the remaining tilts this trio has against each other:
Nov 2: Dallas vs. NY Giants
Nov 9: NY Giants vs. Philadelphia
Dec 7: Philadelphia vs. NY Giants
Dec 14: NY Giants vs. Dallas
Dec 28: Dallas vs. Philadelphia
This puts an incredible importance on winning the division this year as ever. Being able to get the week off and having either of these teams forced to come on the road to get a playoff win gives the team that gains the bye a great advantage.
Let the battle commence.
No Brady? No problem for now.
The New England Patriots were never a high-octane football team until the start of the 2007 season.
Methodical would best describe the Patriots offense during the championship days, and when Tom Brady was knocked out for the season against Kansas City, no longer would the Patriots be the same football team that scored the most points in the history of the League.
Instead, they have decided for the moment to go back into their past to reclaim old glory.
When thy beat the Jets 19-10 on Sunday in the Meadowlands, they scrapped their “track meet” offense in exchange for one that focused on running and manageable first down situations. It was not pretty, but it was effective.
They have put their faith again in their defense, their original calling card. Against the Jets, they eliminated quarterback Brett Favre’s options and made their offense look like Chad Pennington was still there.
The final score may have only read 19-10, but the score was not an accurate reflection of how the game was played. New England’s defense was dominant and pushed the Jets around for most of the game. Brady’s injury did not suddenly make the Patriots defense worse. Their front seven is still there and the great play likely will continue.
The schedule for them this year broke in special way that gives them statistically the easiest schedule in football. Sunday, they face Miami followed up with a game against San Francisco. A very good chance exists they will go 4-0 to start the year before games against San Diego and Denver.
Will they go the Super Bowl? Unlikely.
However, a 10 or 11 win season in what appears to be a weaker AFC this year will amount to a successful season.
The Bad, The Ugly and The Awful
Having the NFL Sunday Ticket package from DirecTV that I have enjoyed for years is the best thing to ever happen to TV.
Getting every NFL game makes it a weekly holiday in my house. The early games provide a chance to jump in and out and watch a key play or sequence when the Giants game is not totally dominating my eyes.
While the good thing is seeing all the games, the downside comes from the fact you also get to plenty of terrible football teams play every week.
In the last two years, the amount of terrible football teams has increased to insanely bad levels. There are some games now that you look at the schedule, you just choose not to watch unless you are crazy enough to lay the points (BTW, Sunday Ticket has increased my gambling by 300%).
This year, the amount of terrible teams seems to have gone up. Some are worst than bad, they are just plain awful.
Four teams in the league represent the epitome of awfulness:
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Mark them down for the top three pick in next years NFL draft. On Sunday, after quarterbacks Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard were able to find the field the Chiefs entered a guy named Thigpen to play behind center. Even the Raiders were not bad enough to lose to them.
If they win four games, that will be an upset.
2. Oakland Raiders
Just because they beat the Chiefs does not make them any less bad. Incompetence fills this team like a bottle of whiskey.
While Darren McFadden has the look of a franchise back in the making of Marcus Allen, the same cannot be said for the rest of the Raiders team. While their defense has some talented players, they are a terribly constructed and will be in contention as well for a top five pick.
Who can wait for the Chiefs-Raiders rematch later in the season?
3. St. Louis Rams
Perhaps they just had a bad day in their first game against the Eagles, but watching them in person against the Giants told me everything I needed to know about them.
They are bad.
Seriously bad.
That team has zero defense despite have nice looking rookie Chris Long. On offense, they have talent with Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson and Torry Holt. However, their offensive line is so terrible that it negates their talent base.
It is possible that they can sneak out five wins.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have rediscovered their old past and that is being bad again. After making the playoffs in 2005, they have disintegrated in every season since.
They have no offensive line and that has made Carson Palmer not the player he was several years ago. Add in the adventures of Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco, or whatever he chooses to call himself and this team is a walking train wreck.
Marvin Lewis should accept some of the fall for this. He be fired at the end of the year and it is well deserved. A 6-10 record is on the horizon. They have reached the level of unwatchable. Just change the channel.
One can only hope that these teams will improve but they will not. Any reasonably good team facing one of these four opponents should be embarrassed if they come out on the losing end.
Random NFL thoughts
If you took Tom Brady (me) in your fantasy draft with you first round pick, you are angry and kicking yourself.
However, if you drafted Jay Cutler or Aaron Rodgers in the later rounds, you feel as if you got a steal.
Both Cutler and Rodgers are enjoying tremendous starts to their seasons and their performance will dictate how both the Broncos and the Packers fare this season.
With the AFC open after the Chargers 0-2 start, the 2-0 Broncos have a chance to get off to large enough lead in the AFC West to win it outright and make the playoffs.
As the Vikings flounder, the Packers are showing they were more than just a group of players lead by Brett Favre. They should win their division again and host a playoff game in Lambeau Field in January.
Don’t tell me the winner of the NFC West will finish with an 8-8 record and get a gift home playoff game out of it.
This goes for the NFC South as well.
You will have the NFC East runner-ups likely with better records than two division winners will and they will have to travel on the road in the first round.
Ridiculous.
I am still puzzled by those who thought the Vikings were going to make the Super Bowl with Tavaris Jackson at quarterback.
Were these people smoking something?
Now he has been replaced by Gus Frerotte. At 0-2, the Vikings are in trouble and have the following three games upcoming:
Week 3 – vs. Carolina
Week 4 – at Tennessee
Week 5 – at New Orleans
A 0-5 start to the season is very possible if they are not careful. It has made this Sunday’s game their biggest of the year.
The Buffalo Bills may win 10 games this year, but their offense is not good enough to expect them to win on any given week (except for when they play the Raiders) and is susceptible to being tripped more than any other fringe playoff team in the league.
Are the Pittsburgh Steelers really the best team in the AFC now that New England is without Tom Brady?
Give me until Week 12 for an answer.
Peyton Manning looks and is playing old. I know he still recovering from the knee injury, but his inability to step up in the pocket or move his feet with the rush coming was not a good sign.
How do you have a game where the Instant Replay in the NFL booth goes out?
When Champ Bailey of the Broncos stripped receiver Chris Chambers of the Chargers of the ball, the replay clearly showed that his elbow was on the ground before the ball came out. San Diego challenged the call, but when the referees went under the hood, found that the equipment had “malfunctioned”, and thus could not get a replay to change the call.
What?
Did someone flip the switch?
Jacksonville may be 0-2 with offensive line problem, but they will still end up being a playoff team.
Same for San Diego.
Speaking of the Chargers again, it is slowly becoming my belief that LaDainian Tomlinson is the biggest talking, “soft” player in football.
But I will give him credit for breaking out the “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying” line.
DeSean Jackson was very close to claiming the “Stupidest Football Player” of the year award on Monday night.
It sure looked as if he had gotten tips from the Leon Lett School of celebrating.
No comments:
Post a Comment