Tuesday, October 7, 2008

NFL 2008: First Quarter Report -- Suprises Galore




The top story of the 2008 season came during the first week when New England Patriots’ Quarterback, Tom Brady suffered a season ending injury against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs. So far, the Patriots have only lost one game though that one loss was a total slaughter at the hands of the Miami Dolphins. Beyond that, who would have picked the Tennessee Titans to lead the NFC South undefeated?

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NFC EAST:
The NFC East is the hottest division with the toughest competition in the league this year.
Talk was that Dallas would dominate with Philadelphia and New York providing stiff competition. No one would have put the Redskins in the picture. The Giants are undefeated and lead the division, probably not a huge surprise. Dallas is down one game with one loss, but that one loss was a home game loss against Washington. Washington lost their opener horribly against the Giants, but have visited Dallas and Philadelphia. Philadelphia has looked strong but they lost games they could have won. Now Brian Westbrook, their vicious running back has two broken ribs. The recent history of the Eagles has been seasons ruined by key injuries. Are they on that road again. Hail to the Redskins!!! Who would have thought with all the off-season turmoil, a rookie coach, and such tough competition, they’d go to both Philadelphia and Dallas to post key wins against their division rivals? Jason Campbell has grown up overnight looking like a top Quarterback. Dallas looks strong but remains the best soap opera in the NFL. Every player who has a bad game gets ripped in the media. It seems the ‘Boys get the attention in the NFL the Yankees get in baseball.

NFC NORTH:
The NFC North was supposed to be a battle between Green Bay and Minnesota for supremacy, but Chicago has taken the lead playing the kind of football that took them to the Super Bowl two years ago with adequate offense and defense, defense, and stuff it down your throat defense. Minnesota looks dazed and confused not being able to put four quarters of a good game together. Green Bay has lost three straight, first against a clearly superior Dallas team, but losses against Tampa Bay and Atlanta have to have Cheeseheads worried. The Detroit Lions are living up to their reputation as the worst franchise in major sports. How long will it be before Matt Millen’s departure brings results?

NFC SOUTH:
Carolina leads the division on playing good consistent football, nothing flashy, but good enough to win on both offense and defense. They beat two tough contenders with San Diego and Chicago but also won against Kansas City and Atlanta. Speaking of Atlanta, with the Michael Vick scandal forcing the team into instant rebuild mode and coach, Bobby Petrino bolting after thirteen games last year would seem to suggest an organization in total chaos. Still with rookie QB, Matt Ryan, and a rookie coach, they’re 3-2. Tampa Bay checks in at 3-2, about what would be expected of them. The real disappointment has to be New Orleans chosen by many to win the division and possibly go deeper. They currently have (on paper) the fifth best offense but the 28th worst defense. They’ve scored eight points more than they’ve given up.

NFC WEST:
The NFC West is clearly the worst division in football. That Arizona is in front at 3-2 says more about the mediocrity of the division than the accomplishments of the Cardinals. Aside from the Redskins, Buffalo is their other tough competition. They lost to Washington, but blew out Buffalo. The Jets, in turn, slaughtered them. Their other two games were against Miami and San Francisco. In a weak division, they could make the playoffs, but won’t go beyond the first round. San Francisco is at best mediocre. They beat Seattle and Detroit. Seattle is one of the biggest disappointments in the league so far this year. Widely selected to win the division, they have only one win against St. Louis. Speaking of St. Louis, does it get much worse? They might be the lowest of the low so far this year.

AFC EAST:
The story’s been told, Tom Brady was lost for the season in game one for the Patriots but they’re still likely to be the top team in the division. The question for the AFC East right now is just how good is Buffalo. They haven’t played particularly tough opposition yet and had to fight for their lives to beat Oakland. They were blown-out by Arizona in their last game. How will they play against their division rivals? The New York Jets are a work in progress looking great at times and sloppy and confused as well. That yields them a 50/50 record so far. Brett Favre is planting his roots and should get much stronger leading the offense as the season progresses. They’re still in the picture. Miami is showing some spunk as they all have Bill Parcells big shoe up their butts. They’re a young team just being assembled but they’re at the 50/50 mark too. Further, they beat both New England and San Diego. Not bad!

AFC NORTH:
As expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers lead the North, but they are a pretty weak looking 4-1. They barely beat the Ravens at home taken to overtime in a game the Ravens dominated until a damaging defensive penalty and turnover. They have key injuries, but they need to pull lots of loose ends together to be a team ready to chalk up playoff wins. The Ravens stand at 2-2. Few would have thought they’d be that strong so far, but clearly they could be 4-0. Both losses turned on defensive penalties from the team with the league’s top defense. What a strange irony that is. Rookie QB, Joe Flacco shows tremendous potential and guts; however, is making some typical rookie mistakes. So far, the Cam Cameron has dummied down the offense where a strong running attack has kept the Ravens strong leading deep into the second half in all their games. The Cleveland Browns sure aren’t living up to the billing they got in preseason hype. They showed some real potential last year, but are a cut above the bottom dwellers at this point in the season. Quarterback, Derek Anderson, has fallen way short of expectations with his sloppy play. The Brady Quinn chorus gets louder and louder as the hometown folks see him as the next Bernie Kosar. Braylon Edwards has been a bust. Cleveland is close to the bottom in almost all offensive categories. Then feeding off the bottom is Cincinnati where about the only press of note is whatever recent quotes Chad Ocho Cinco Johnson provides as if someone this charlatan sees himself as the center of the football universe. The Cincinnati clubhouse is in chaos with players trash talking their Quarterback, Carson Palmer, one of the true front line players on the team. What can you say about a team that has had more players in jail than the Pro Bowl the last few years? Marvin Lewis is sure to get fired, but he’s working with the players management gave him. He’s a good man destined for something far better than being jail warden for a bunch of ungrateful, undisciplined punks.

AFC SOUTH:
The football world is learning the Tennessee two step pretty quickly as the Tennessee Titans are the most successful team in the NFL with the toughest defense in the league. Who would have thought that the loss of Vince Young, apparently suffering some kind of mental breakdown, could be countered with 14 year journeyman, Kerry Collins, leading the Titans to glory? Meanwhile, the Colts got off to a dreadful start perhaps due in part to not having Peyton Manning in training camp but also enduring some key injuries. The Colts are starting to come on strong now. Next week, their health will be tested as Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense will hit them with their murderous defense. Great things were expected of Jacksonville, a team that has looked shaky and inconsistent so far. Likewise, few would have expected the Houston Texans to be 0-4 after rising up to 8-8 last year. This is the easiest division to predict could have two teams heading to the playoffs, the Colts and the Titans.

AFC WEST:
San Diego was supposed to dominate the West, but close losses in their first two games put them down two games, and just as they were starting to look like they were ready to roll were upset by the Miami Dolphins. The team benefitting from this is the Denver Broncos at 4-1 partly due to Quarterback Jay Cutler finally coming of age showing himself to be perhaps the first worthy successor to the great John Elway. Below the Broncos and the Chargers are two of the most miserable teams in professional sports. While the Raiders have pockets of talent, the team is in constant turmoil. From the start, the dismissal of coach Lane Kiffin seemed like a done deal, but he was left hanging in the breeze until the ax fell on October 1 with assistant coach Tom Cable appointed as head baby sitter. It could only be worse in Kansas City where nothing is working who have only an upset win against Denver to brighten a dreadful season.

The 2008 season at the quarter mark shows wide open competition where what is more for certain are the teams that are absolutely assured of misery than teams that look to be in the drivers’ seat for post season glory. Cincinnati, Houston, Oakland, Kansas City, Detroit, and St. Louis are in the running for who will be on the clock for the first round number one draft pick in April. Houston’s the only team that looks like it could break lose for better things.

Meanwhile consider the fate of Philadelphia Eagles’ fans. Few would deny the Eagles are a tough team, but at 2-3 at the bottom of their division, it’s a tough road ahead for Donovan McNabb and crew.

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