Entries Tagged 'Editorial' ↓

Ray Lewis Hit - Courtesy Baltimore Sun

When you considered the best teams in the NFL before the start of the season, a few invariably come to mind. The Dallas Cowboys were no doubt near the top of the list, perhaps surpassed only by teams like the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. Those three teams, which topped most power polls before the season began, are noted primarily for their offenses. Certainly they balance that with a good defense, but it’s the offense everyone buys a ticket or sits down to watch.

Fans of the Green Bay Packers have had their qualms with Ted Thompson for some time now. The general manager has made head-scratching decisions at times and has always trusted NFL draft picks over free agents, rarely signing anyone of significance and letting veterans go.

Apparently, Brett Favre was (and is) frustrated with Thompson because of this. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Brett Favre will go on record tonight in part two of his Fox News interview to detail three incidents involving Ted Thompson that bothered him to the point of mistrust.

The past several seasons it’s been a question whether or not Tony Dungy will continue coaching. Dungy, someone who has never considered himself a football “lifer” and expected himself to be retired at age 50 (he’s currently 53), seriously pondered retirement after coaching the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl win last year. But after meeting with owner Jim Irsay and talking the entire situation through with his wife, Dungy decided to instead coach another season before re-evaluating the situation.

Rumors of his retirement heated up this week when it was learned that Dungy’s children have transferred schools from Indianapolis to the Tampa area.

The Colts, however, are doing whatever is necessary to sway Dungy’s decision towards continuing the legacy he has built in Indianapolis. Recent reports from ESPN indicate that the team has offered him “tremendous options” and “flexibility.”

Believe it or not, there was more to take from Sunday’s game than you may know. At least, we learned a lot more than “New England is the NFL’s best team” — though I should note that tidbit did almost make the list.

8. Penalties can kill a team — The Patriots nearly lost Sunday’s game because of penalties. Several got the attention of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady — Brady really lost his cool after a non-pass-interference call — and New England suffered. It was out of character for the Belichick-coached team to act so undisciplined.

7. Randy Moss can catch anything — His athleticism is simply amazing. Watching him snatch passes out of the air with one hand was alone worth the price of admission to Sunday’s game.

Every season we expect some things. The Colts will be good. So will the Patriots. The AFC West will be a tight race and LaDainian Tomlinson is going to have a great season.

Those predictions are easy to make. But there are other teams who emerge each season, seemingly from nowhere, and force fans — and opponents — to take notice. They might not dominate like the Patriots and they might not get that kind of media attention, but they get victories. And it isn’t until about halfway through the season that we care.

Tom Brady is on pace to shatter the single-season touchdown mark. He’s thrown 30 through the first half of the season, putting him on pace for 60, 11 more than the record set three years ago by Manning.

Here’s the difference: Peyton Manning broke the record mostly out of necessity — the Colts had a bad defense that season — whereas Tom Brady is breaking this record by running the score up on opponents who just don’t have a chance. In other words, he’s breaking the record for the sake of breaking the record.

You may have heard of them. They won the Super Bowl last season. They have some guy named Peyton Manning calling the signals on offense. And by the way, they’re undefeated this season.

So what gives? Why is no one talking about the Colts?

Oh, that’s right; the Patriots are undefeated, too. But they’re a bit more garish. They score 40 points a game (and allow 17). Their quarterback is pacing himself for a 62 touchdown season, and not one pundit will pick against the Patriots this season.

Well, maybe one.

See, the Patriots circa 2007 are a bit reminiscent of the Colts circa 2003-2005. And the Colts remind me a lot of the Patriots during that string of Super Bowls. So much, in fact, it’s eerie.

Just when we thought they were dead, the Broncos rose to the occasion (on Sunday Night Football, no less). And they beat one of the best teams in the AFC — no doubt the Steelers are among the top three with Indianapolis and New England bundled in the group — in the process.

The NFL’s top defense? Burned by Jay Cutler. His 248 yards and 3 touchdowns without a running game lifted the Broncos to victory. Hey, he was a major part of the team’s efforts on the ground when he ripped off a 31 yard run.

Denver’s league-worst run defense? It held Willie Parker to under 100 yards. In fact, it kept the Steelers’ dominant ground game to just under 120 on the day.

I’m a big fan of Matt Leinart, so it’s hard for me to say this. But here goes: the Cardinals are better off since his season-ending injury. It’s true. Arizona lucked out when Leinart broke his collarbone, leaving the offense in the hands of Kurt Warner; a very capable Kurt Warner, I might add.

Need some proof?

Kurt Warner is better than Matt Leinart. At the stage both these players are at, it’s not even a contest. Kurt Warner has more experience, something that Leinart can gain only through time playing in the NFL. The problem is, the Cardinals are a contender this season. They obviously don’t want to wait until Leinart matures in a couple seasons, evidenced by the dual-quarterback scheme. Ken Whisenhunt wants to win now, and Kurt Warner gives the Cardinals the best opportunity to do that.

When you watch the Patriots play, one thing becomes incredibly obvious: Randy Moss is good. Real good. And you get the impression that the guy throwing him the football knows a thing or two about playing in the NFL. In fact, you probably get the impression that the rapport they have is pure chemistry. It’s better than Manning-Harrison of today. It’s better than Palmer-Johnson. It’s the only unstoppable combo in football and the Patriots are taking complete advantage of it.

Now, I’m not saying that Randy Moss is the best wide receiver in football. Nor do I think that Brady is the league’s best quarterback. Those are toss-ups. But put those two in the same lineup and great things happen.