NFL Week #3

The NFL was interesting again this past week, for numerous reasons. One being the COLTS and the PATRIOTS lost in the same week. But lets go through it division by division again and see if we can get a handle on what is going on.

The NFC NORTH was more of what I expected going into the season. The BEARS are who we thought they were. They almost snuck in and beat the BUCS but in the end they still have Kyle Orton "The legend Killer" at QB. The packers thank god came back down to earth a little bit. And now with the news that Al Harris is most likely out for the year, the division looks like it might be competitive again. It's nice to see that Ryan Grant was potentially the most overrated player in the league last year. The LIONS are the most embarrassing team in the league. Matt Millen must have pictures of the owner driving a chevy or something. Because there is no rhyme or reason why he still has his job. Now let's talk about the VIKES. The have a defense full of rock stars. E.J. Henderson is a top 5 middle linebacker in the NFL. It's fun to watch them work, I just hope they continue to get better and better as the season goes on. They'll get Madieu Williams back in a couple of weeks too. They also played last game without their #2 receiver Sid Rice. It was nice to see them win a game without AP having to rush for 150 yards. I think once this team gets clicking on all cylinders they'll be tough to beat.

The NFC EAST has some beasts in it. All four teams are playoff caliber, and a couple of them might be Super Bowl caliber. Again DALLAS looked every bit the NFC playoffs by teaching us all that Aaron Rogers is not Brett Favre. The EAGLES went in and shut down my eventual super bowl champions. The GIANTS continue to beat the teams they should be beating. They have a bye week this week and then they should be 6-0 when they have to play at Pittsburgh, home against Dallas, and at Philadelphia. So let's judge them after 9 games. The REDSKINS have figured something out because they're playing much better too. That Jason Campbell might be a decent quarterback in this league for a while.

The NFC SOUTH has 3 teams with winning records and none of them are NEW ORLEANS. The saints which I still think are the class of the division are the only ones who aren't above .500. So this could be an interesting season for this division. I think the FALCONS will eventually stop being the fantasy equivalent of the 98 Vikings and cool off. I still think Michael Turner is overrated. But the other 3 teams could all finish 9-7, 8-8, 7-9 and I have no idea who finishes on top. I think this division is like the AL Central. Some body's got to make the playoffs, but nobody cares. The Bucs barely beat Chicago, the Panthers lost to the Vikes, and the Saints couldn't handle Denver so I'd say this is one of the bottom 2 or 3 divisions in football.

Speaking of the worst division in football let's talk about the NFC WEST. There isn't one team in this division I would ever be afraid to see in the playoffs. You have the RAMS who are in fact the worst team in football. You have the SEAHAWKS who I think are at the end of their run of dominance in this division. The 49eERS are plucky but I don't think it's their time yet, although I think I'm prepared to pick them to win this division. Then you have the CARDINALS who have some absolute fire power on offense. But when you've only won 1 post season game in 50 years you don't become relevant until you do win something.

NFC PLAYOFFS
#1 Dallas
#2 Minnesota
#3 San Francisco
#4 New Orleans
#5 Philadelphia
#6 New York

The AFC EAST is still the PATRIOTS division. I think the Pats will win 10 games still. They need to find a way to get Randy Moss involved before he completely shuts down. We learned last night that the JETS are still just a bad team with an old quarterback. The DOLPHINS are better than last year, but it's hard not to be when you only win 1 game. What's with Ronnie Brown anyway. The BILLS I think are the only team that gives the Patriots any real trouble. They've got good young players at QB, RB, and WR. I think teams that have those positions covered by guys similar in age gel better. I think they'll be a playoff team too.

The AFC NORTH is another bad division. I still have the STEELERS a entire level above the rest of these teams, so I think they'll get fat on wins by beating the teams within the division. The Steeler also have to play the NFC EAST so they're will be some good games this season involving Pitt. The RAVENS are avg. of avg. the will win some, they'll lose some. In the long run it won't be enough to matter. The BROWNS I think are about 1 bad Anderson halve away from the Brady Quinn ERA starting. They came to close last year to lose it all in 4 games. The BENGALS need to completely gut their team and start over.

THE AFC SOUTH is surprising, who would have thought the TITANS would be on top at this point, especially with Vince Young going down. But I think that team is legit. I also think this is not going to be the COLTS year. I said it before the season and I'll say it again, it's tough to do what the Colts have done for as long as they've done it. I also do not think that Joseph Adieu is a premier running back in the NFL. I don't know what to think about the JAGUERS. I do know that I'm glad the Vikings never got Matt Shaub because he's terrible for the TEXANS.

THE AFC WEST has 2 really good teams and 2 really bad teams. The RAIDERS and CHIEFS are terrible, and I'm not wasting anymore of my life thinking or writing about them. On the other hand I think you have 2 teams that could potentially win the AFC with the CHARGERS and the BRONCOS. I think the Chargers need to start playing some of their guys in the preseason so they don't start every year digging their way out of a hole. Brandon Marshall is really good, he'll be a top 3 receiver taken in fantasy leagues next year.

AFC PLAYOFFS
#1 Pittsburgh
#2 San Diego
#3 Tennessee
#4 New England
#5 Denver
#6 Buffalo

Super Bowl
Pittsburgh 24, Dallas 21