What I've Learned Through Five Weeks of the NFL Season
by Bezekira on Oct 13, 2009 1:27 PM MDT
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PrintConsider these more random thoughts on the league in general as opposed to thoughts concerning the Arizona Cardinals.
- The gap between the 'elite' teams and the bottom feeders is amazingly wide: The term "any given Sunday" simply doesn't apply to teams like the Rams, Raiders, Buccanneers or Browns. They are pathetically bad and the only games that they'll have a shot at winning are games against similarly pathetic opponents. There's a fairly decent chance that we'll see back to back seasons of 0-16.
- The race for worst starting QB in the NFL is over: Congratulations JaMarcus Russell, you are the worst starting QB in the league (and it's not really close). Derek Anderson, coming off a 2 for 17 performance, might make a case and receive a few votes but Russell has established such an insurmountable lead that he could coast for the rest of the season and still win the award comfortably. He's gotten so bad that even with the Raiders trailing 31-7 at halftime, he attempted just five passes in the second half. On the season he's turned the ball over eight times and thrown just one TD while compiling a QB ratings of 47.1.
- The battle for most surprising team will be a great one: I probably had the Broncos and Bengals the season with about 10 combined wins but so far they are sitting atop their divisions (at 5-0 and 4-1 respectively) and coming off huge quality wins. The Broncos weren't getting much credit for their undefeated start but a win in Foxboro should have everyone believing that this is a playoff team. They've got games left with Oakland, KC (twice) and Washington so double digits wins is in their future. The Bengals have been a joke in this league for quite a while but wins over the Steelers and Ravens have put the AFC North on notice. With games remaining against Houston, Cleveland, Oakland, Detroit and Kansas City, nine wins or many more is looking like a realistic possibility.
- It's Vince Young time in Tennessee: This isn't to say that Kerry Collins has been terrible but he clearly not as reliable as he was last season and in reality their season is over already. At 0-5 with their next game in Foxboro, they are going to be 0-6 meaning that even if they run the table they might miss the playoffs. Just as if the Cardinals season gets out of hand and their shot at the playoffs is dead, it's time to bring in the "future" and send the old "game manager" to the bench. The Titans have a bye week after this week and Vince Young should be the starting QB for the remaining ten games.
- The league's leading rusher (Cedric Benson) and receiver (Steve Smith of NYG): Ok so this is more of an observation than something I've learned but if anyone predicted that combo, they need to fly to Vegas immediately. Both players are on pace for over 1,500 yards and they are a big reason why their teams are a collective 9-1.
One more random thought/prediction:
- The 49ers will fade as the season progresses: Mike Singletary has had the gas pedal to the floor on this team since the first day of camp and they are going to wear out before the season ends. There is a reason that most training camps are referred to as "camp cupcake" and he will learn that this year. They still have Tennessee, Jacksonville, Detroit and St. Louis on their schedule but they will not finish with a winning record.
Thoughts?
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Revenge of the Birds' (ROTB) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of ROTB's editors.
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I thought Benson would be good.
Not necessarily this good but a lot better than most people thought he would be. I always thought Steve Smith was underused but I never thought he would be better than a number 2 receiver, someone that could put up about 600-700 yards a season. He has definitely stepped it up for the Giants and shored up what most thought was the weakest part of that team.
I think I heard someone say about the Niners that the last time they started 3-0, they ended the year at 5-11. I think they will have one more maybe two more wins than that.
I also thought the Broncos would be better than most people gave them credit for but geez who would of thunk they would be 5-0 at this point. I was thinking they would finish around the same record they had last year, but they’re making it look like they will never lose. I thought the Bengals would be better also but somewhere along the lines of a 9-7 team, this team is looking like they could take the division.
Just goes to show you the Football is the only sport where you never know who will be good or bad.
And JaMarcus is easily the worst Quarterback in the NFL right now, counting the backups.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
No band-wagoner fans allowed, pick a team and stick with em, throughout the good and the bad.
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The quality of NFL football appears to be on a downward trend not just from year to year but from week to week. I know that some things are cyclical but even teams that have cultivated an identity over a 15 to 20 year period are unrecogonizable now (Pittsburgh comes to mind).
There is one thing all the bottom feeders have in common——— poor management. It’s hard to overcome even if you have talent on the field which the Rams and Browns do not. The Raiders and Bucs have some talent but are not particularly well coached. The Bucs and the Rams have cap space to field better teams. A winning commitment is not there IMO.
Speaking of the Raiders, I agree that J. Russell sets the QB postion back 100 years with his poor play. Tom Cable and Paul Hackett (QB Coach) can’t seem to get through to this kid. I suggest Jedi mind control -—nothing else has worked.
Between the Bengals and Broncos if I had to put money on which team will go further in the playoffs my money is the Bengals. Marvin Lewis is an experienced coach. Palmer is a quality QB capable of making great plays in crunch time. Palmer has a consistent ground game led by Benson (second best back in football right now) and three quality WR’s . Oh, by the way Zimmer is coaching the hell out of that defense. Making chicken salad out of chicken soup.
The Broncos have be doing it with smoke and mirrors. McDaniels has done a masterful job of getting that team to by what he is selling given the disastrous state of the franchise in the off-season. But, Kyle Orton is his QB. In a tight spot with the game on the line especially late into the season Kyle Orton’s lack of talent as as NFL passer (can’t throw the deep ball among other things) will show up and cost them some games. He is what he is and that is a caretaker not a playmaker. He can’t carry a team and will make some bone headed decisions with the football in crunch time. It is said——- great players elevate those around them. Orton is not a great player.
In Tennessee, Fisher has hitched his wagon to Kerry Collins another guy with average talent as an NFL passer. Very similar to Orton but with a better deep ball and less mobility. Like Haynesworth, V. Young has to go. The Titans do not want to make the financial commitment to Young after this season. The owner likes him, the coaching staff not so much. Thus, the reluctance to play him.
On our division rivals the 49ers, I agree that they will come back to the pack. Shaun Hill is not the kind of QB that can make stick throws into tight windows on third down with the game on the line. The 20 yard out , the deep comeback, the curl route, Shuan Hill can’t make these throws consistently enough with accuracy to beat teams in crunch time. It’s Frank Gore’s team and not Hill’s.
Simply put the QB position in the NFL is a passing position. Those with great passer win, those without don’t win in December and January.
Good piece Bezekira.
Agreed with most of this with the exception of Kyle Orton.
He may not be able to throw the ball deep but he can manage a game. In the game against the Pats, in crunch time, he took his team towards a 90 yard and 98 yard touchdown drives. With the exception of the game against the Bengals, which was pure luck, he has been a good QB. I think he is a perfect fit for that team.
The trade actually helped out both teams.
Since I’m also a Bears fan I was happy about Cutler going there, and so far it has paid off since the receivers have looked better and Cutler has rebounded from that horrible game in Green Bay.
I never expected Orton to play as well as he has in Denver, I thought that he was decent in Chicago but he was never great. I still don’t think he is THAT good, but being around the playmakers in Denver helps you out a lot.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
No band-wagoner fans allowed, pick a team and stick with em, throughout the good and the bad.
I think you can add buffalo to the list of bottom feeders
How many do the wild cards teams need to make the playoffs with 5-6 teams at the 2-14 level?
Usually 10 wins gives a team a pretty good shot at the playoffs.
Due to all the bad teams in the league this year could we see an 11-5 team miss the playoffs?
by Drullin'OverDaCards on Oct 13, 2009 10:12 PM MDT reply actions
Buffalo actually looked really good against the Patriots in their opener.
I don’t know what happened to them, until the fumble on the kickoff near the end of the game it looked like they were going to win.
Comparing how they played against the Patriots to that Punt Fest that they were in with the Browns [who only made 2 out of 17 ******* passes!] it is inexplicable how they are playing that badly.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
No band-wagoner fans allowed, pick a team and stick with em, throughout the good and the bad.
Buffalo is a shit team that put everything they had into beating their much-hated division rivals on national TV. A win there likely would have salvaged their season somewhat; I’m a huge believer in momentum and confidence being the missing X factor in a lot of these games. That being said, we all saw how they lost, and that has simply trickled down and the players have been flat, emotionally, and only playing to their talent.
The Broncos weren’t getting much credit for their undefeated start but a win in Foxboro should have everyone believing that this is a playoff team.
Well damn, too bad they haven’t played in Foxboro in years, then. =P
I don’t get why people are so surprised at the Bengals’ success. Their defense ranked 12th overall last year, they were infused with an abundance of great, youth, athletic talent on that side of the ball (including, technically, LB Rivers), and they finished the season strong, going something like 4-1-1 in their last few games despite having Fitzpatrick under center. Palmer is one of the better QBs when able, and all reports were that he was 100% healthy, so combined with that potent D.. yeah, I don’t get why people are so surprised. I had them as an 8-10 win squad, and likely a wildcard.
And they had a really strong draft
I liked what they did in the off season and so far this year.
Hey, hey, hey hey hey, watch the language, ok? I have a family.
Revenge of the Birds
Buffalo is a shit team that put everything they had into beating their much-hated division rivals on national TV. A win there likely would have salvaged their season somewhat; I’m a huge believer in momentum and confidence being the missing X factor in a lot of these games. That being said, we all saw how they lost, and that has simply trickled down and the players have been flat, emotionally, and only playing to their talent.
So, its kinda like how our season fell apart in 2006 after the Bears game?
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
No band-wagoner fans allowed, pick a team and stick with em, throughout the good and the bad.
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