d34ng3l021
10-31-2008, 02:25 AM
I was bored and decided to put my thoughts in some place. I am not sure if this title has been done...
The parity this year is ridiculous
Tom Brady's knee injury, Colts' plethora of injuries/being off track, and Shawne Merriman's surgery all seem to have made this season what it is. All of a sudden it seems as if teams are all on an even playing field and good/consistent performances by some teams could lead to a Superbowl victory. The Titans are quick to take advantage of the suddenly weak AFC and are looking to be Superbowl favorites as of now. Comparisons have already been made with the 00 Ravens and 02 Bucs, and rightfully so. With a defense and run game like the Titans have, its going to be hard for teams to get going and win against them. However, the Titans have been in some close games and it does give hope to the other teams in the NFL. White and Johnson can't get going every game and Collins is bound to make more mistakes if given more opportunities. As for the rest of the NFL though, it seems as if stars are taking the place of old ones and making names for themselves everywhere. Jay Cutler and Phillip Rivers are taking the AFC by storm and showing why Broncos-Chargers games are going to be the next best thing since the Patriots-Colts rivalry. With the way the teams are looking, they are going to be involved in a lot of shootouts with each other. Everywhere else, the same thing is happening. With down years to the top WRs (Moss, Owens) new guys like Andre Johnson and Roddy White are establishing themselves as dominant and pro bowl guys. This year's NFL may not be indicative of how good teams are/have been, but it sure is fun to watch every team have a chance to win Sunday and future stars making names for themselves.
Aaron Rodgers vs Brett Favre vs Chad Pennington
Looks like the team that decided to use the HOF QB got the worst end of the stick here. Favre has put up some good stats, but the way he plays and the risks he takes continue to put the Jets in a position to lose or make games unnecessarily close. The other 2 QB's here are playing very very well. Aaron Rogers has 15 total TDs and a TD-INT ratio of 3-1. He is making some great throws and is really carrying that GB team whose run game and defense have been inconsistent this season. Even Chad Pennington is putting a very good season with a 69% comp percentage and a great 8.5 YPA. I am sure that if he is called on more, his statistics may be near the top of the league.
My Superbowl thoughts
In the AFC, I think that the Titans have to be the favorite right now. Outside the Titans, I like the Steelers a lot. With that great defense and good play by Ben Roethlisberger, they might be able to make some noise in the playoffs again. Two other teams I like in the AFC are the Ravens and Chargers. The Ravens defense is every bit as good as the Titans in my opinion. If they can get a consistent run game going with McGahee, McClain, and Rice and mistake free QB play, they might see themselves go far in the playoffs. Of course, mistake free QB play is going to be very hard, especially if that run game cant get going. For the Chargers, I just feel as if they have too much talent and experience to be sitting around like this and not making an impact on the league. Chargers have a tendency to start off slow and turn it on, and with the possible rejuvenation of LT, they might just start getting hot.
Theres not a single team I like in the NFC more than another one. Maybe the Giants a tiny bit more than the rest, but otherwise its all muddled. The Giants can rely on their D, team chemistry, and experience to power themselves through in January, but any other playoff caliber team is just as capable of getting hot. Dallas will be getting some key players back soon and that should help them alot (even then, they leave things to be desired on the field. The amount of talent that they have is ridiculous and the fact that they cant win games that they should without a couple of injuries is pretty disappointing). Arizona, Tampa Bay, Carolina, and the rest of the NFC East all have potential to get hot play off time and ride their quality asset (Cards-passing game. Bucs-defense. etc) to the Superbowl.
Mid-Season Awards
MVP: Drew Brees
-It is a 2 man race between Clinton Portis and Drew Brees, with the one who loses possibly winning OPOTY. The Redskins have been a pleasant surprise and they are riding on the shoulder of Clinton Portis who is on pace for around 1900 rushing yards. Despite that though, I think if the Saints can finish better than 8-8, Brees should get the award. I feel as if the Saints have no reason being .500 right now with the injuries they have racked up, along with a poor defense and running game. Brees is coming in and is coming out there and making each and every play to near perfection. He realizes when to take shots deep and he realizes when to settle for a 4 yard pass to Bush. His understanding of the offense is tremendous.
OPOTY: Clinton Portis
-One or the other. Portis has been putting up monster numbers on the ground and is considerably better than other RB's in the NFL this season. What I like best out of him is his consistency. With a great 5.0 YPC and 5(?) consecutive games of 120+ yards, the Redskins know what they are getting when giving Portis the rock.
DPOTY: Albert Haynesworth
-Pretty obvious. But for arguments sake, lets say he falls off the face of the earth. Runner ups would have to include James Harrison and DeMarcus Ware who are both having tremendous seasons. If only Nnamdi was on a better team, he would be in consideration too. His shutdown ability is being taken into consideration now.
OROTY: Matt Ryan
-Did't see that one coming. Ryan comes in as a rookie QB and is leading the Falcons to a 4-3 record as of now. The way he handles himself in front of reporters and teammates is just great. His poise and decision making ability in the pocket are that of an 8 year veteran. His throwing ability, which was supposed to be his 'downside' has been amazing as he is throwing bullets and bombs all over the field. The sky is the limit for this kid.
DROTY: Chris Horton
-One of my friends at UCLA actually got to talk to him for a while. Its pretty cool how he ends up getting drafted in the 7th and now is making an impact for the Redskins. I know he missed the last game (don't know the extent of the injury), but he is still 4th in tackles for rookies, and tied for 1st in interceptions. He is playing lights out. Of course, I am still hoping that Lofton makes a case for himself as a DROTY favorite as the year goes on. Horton is going to have to step down his game.
CPOTY: Joey Porter
-And all of a sudden, he is Porter of old. I really thought he lost it and whatever he had was because he was a Steeler. Now all of a sudden, he is leading the league with 10.5 sacks and doesn't seem to be slowing down.
Coach of the Year: Jim Zorn
-I think its a 3 man race between Mike Smith, Jim Zorn, and Dick Jauron. The fact that the Redksins are in the playoff picture while being in the NFC East is impressive. I am not going to lie, but before the season started, I would have guessed that the Redskins would have been 4th in that division and just didnt have talent to match up to the other big hitters in that division. Zorn is really just getting great production out of his players.
GM of the Year: Tom Dmitroff
-1. Hires random guy Mike Smith. 2. Signs Michael Turner. 3. Drafts Ryan over favorite, Dorsey. 4. 'Reaches' for Sam Baker 5. Drafts potential DROTY. I am excited the Falcons franchise is in his hands.
Atlanta Falcons
I am just going to continue talking about the Falcons because I have already touched upon them a bit. I see us fighting for playoff contention until week 13-14, but then dropping out and being completely satisfied with our season. The Ryan-Roddy connection is going to be very dynamic (speaking of which...Cutler-Marshall. Rodgers-Jennings. Schaub-Johnson). With Ryan at helm and Turner and Norwood, I think the Falcons offense is going to be very good and will be involved in many shoot outs with the defense they have. Even then, Jamaal Anderson is showing how necessary he is to this team while young guys all over the field get some great experience this year. If we can have some more drafts like this last one, I think we would ink ourselves as perennial SB contenders. I might be getting a head of myself though.
Refs
This season seems particularly poor in this area. Blown calls leading to not only possible outcome changes, but also definite ones! As angry as I am at the refs though, they are only human and they are going to make mistakes once in a while too. They do get too much heat for the bad calls they make. Despite this though, there should be a way to counteract the epic mistakes that could happen. I dont know what though. The replay system needs to be changed. You can't expect a few blown calls to get away every couple of games or so.
I might add more later.
Funny stat: NFC South teams are 16-1 at home and 3-11 away.
The parity this year is ridiculous
Tom Brady's knee injury, Colts' plethora of injuries/being off track, and Shawne Merriman's surgery all seem to have made this season what it is. All of a sudden it seems as if teams are all on an even playing field and good/consistent performances by some teams could lead to a Superbowl victory. The Titans are quick to take advantage of the suddenly weak AFC and are looking to be Superbowl favorites as of now. Comparisons have already been made with the 00 Ravens and 02 Bucs, and rightfully so. With a defense and run game like the Titans have, its going to be hard for teams to get going and win against them. However, the Titans have been in some close games and it does give hope to the other teams in the NFL. White and Johnson can't get going every game and Collins is bound to make more mistakes if given more opportunities. As for the rest of the NFL though, it seems as if stars are taking the place of old ones and making names for themselves everywhere. Jay Cutler and Phillip Rivers are taking the AFC by storm and showing why Broncos-Chargers games are going to be the next best thing since the Patriots-Colts rivalry. With the way the teams are looking, they are going to be involved in a lot of shootouts with each other. Everywhere else, the same thing is happening. With down years to the top WRs (Moss, Owens) new guys like Andre Johnson and Roddy White are establishing themselves as dominant and pro bowl guys. This year's NFL may not be indicative of how good teams are/have been, but it sure is fun to watch every team have a chance to win Sunday and future stars making names for themselves.
Aaron Rodgers vs Brett Favre vs Chad Pennington
Looks like the team that decided to use the HOF QB got the worst end of the stick here. Favre has put up some good stats, but the way he plays and the risks he takes continue to put the Jets in a position to lose or make games unnecessarily close. The other 2 QB's here are playing very very well. Aaron Rogers has 15 total TDs and a TD-INT ratio of 3-1. He is making some great throws and is really carrying that GB team whose run game and defense have been inconsistent this season. Even Chad Pennington is putting a very good season with a 69% comp percentage and a great 8.5 YPA. I am sure that if he is called on more, his statistics may be near the top of the league.
My Superbowl thoughts
In the AFC, I think that the Titans have to be the favorite right now. Outside the Titans, I like the Steelers a lot. With that great defense and good play by Ben Roethlisberger, they might be able to make some noise in the playoffs again. Two other teams I like in the AFC are the Ravens and Chargers. The Ravens defense is every bit as good as the Titans in my opinion. If they can get a consistent run game going with McGahee, McClain, and Rice and mistake free QB play, they might see themselves go far in the playoffs. Of course, mistake free QB play is going to be very hard, especially if that run game cant get going. For the Chargers, I just feel as if they have too much talent and experience to be sitting around like this and not making an impact on the league. Chargers have a tendency to start off slow and turn it on, and with the possible rejuvenation of LT, they might just start getting hot.
Theres not a single team I like in the NFC more than another one. Maybe the Giants a tiny bit more than the rest, but otherwise its all muddled. The Giants can rely on their D, team chemistry, and experience to power themselves through in January, but any other playoff caliber team is just as capable of getting hot. Dallas will be getting some key players back soon and that should help them alot (even then, they leave things to be desired on the field. The amount of talent that they have is ridiculous and the fact that they cant win games that they should without a couple of injuries is pretty disappointing). Arizona, Tampa Bay, Carolina, and the rest of the NFC East all have potential to get hot play off time and ride their quality asset (Cards-passing game. Bucs-defense. etc) to the Superbowl.
Mid-Season Awards
MVP: Drew Brees
-It is a 2 man race between Clinton Portis and Drew Brees, with the one who loses possibly winning OPOTY. The Redskins have been a pleasant surprise and they are riding on the shoulder of Clinton Portis who is on pace for around 1900 rushing yards. Despite that though, I think if the Saints can finish better than 8-8, Brees should get the award. I feel as if the Saints have no reason being .500 right now with the injuries they have racked up, along with a poor defense and running game. Brees is coming in and is coming out there and making each and every play to near perfection. He realizes when to take shots deep and he realizes when to settle for a 4 yard pass to Bush. His understanding of the offense is tremendous.
OPOTY: Clinton Portis
-One or the other. Portis has been putting up monster numbers on the ground and is considerably better than other RB's in the NFL this season. What I like best out of him is his consistency. With a great 5.0 YPC and 5(?) consecutive games of 120+ yards, the Redskins know what they are getting when giving Portis the rock.
DPOTY: Albert Haynesworth
-Pretty obvious. But for arguments sake, lets say he falls off the face of the earth. Runner ups would have to include James Harrison and DeMarcus Ware who are both having tremendous seasons. If only Nnamdi was on a better team, he would be in consideration too. His shutdown ability is being taken into consideration now.
OROTY: Matt Ryan
-Did't see that one coming. Ryan comes in as a rookie QB and is leading the Falcons to a 4-3 record as of now. The way he handles himself in front of reporters and teammates is just great. His poise and decision making ability in the pocket are that of an 8 year veteran. His throwing ability, which was supposed to be his 'downside' has been amazing as he is throwing bullets and bombs all over the field. The sky is the limit for this kid.
DROTY: Chris Horton
-One of my friends at UCLA actually got to talk to him for a while. Its pretty cool how he ends up getting drafted in the 7th and now is making an impact for the Redskins. I know he missed the last game (don't know the extent of the injury), but he is still 4th in tackles for rookies, and tied for 1st in interceptions. He is playing lights out. Of course, I am still hoping that Lofton makes a case for himself as a DROTY favorite as the year goes on. Horton is going to have to step down his game.
CPOTY: Joey Porter
-And all of a sudden, he is Porter of old. I really thought he lost it and whatever he had was because he was a Steeler. Now all of a sudden, he is leading the league with 10.5 sacks and doesn't seem to be slowing down.
Coach of the Year: Jim Zorn
-I think its a 3 man race between Mike Smith, Jim Zorn, and Dick Jauron. The fact that the Redksins are in the playoff picture while being in the NFC East is impressive. I am not going to lie, but before the season started, I would have guessed that the Redskins would have been 4th in that division and just didnt have talent to match up to the other big hitters in that division. Zorn is really just getting great production out of his players.
GM of the Year: Tom Dmitroff
-1. Hires random guy Mike Smith. 2. Signs Michael Turner. 3. Drafts Ryan over favorite, Dorsey. 4. 'Reaches' for Sam Baker 5. Drafts potential DROTY. I am excited the Falcons franchise is in his hands.
Atlanta Falcons
I am just going to continue talking about the Falcons because I have already touched upon them a bit. I see us fighting for playoff contention until week 13-14, but then dropping out and being completely satisfied with our season. The Ryan-Roddy connection is going to be very dynamic (speaking of which...Cutler-Marshall. Rodgers-Jennings. Schaub-Johnson). With Ryan at helm and Turner and Norwood, I think the Falcons offense is going to be very good and will be involved in many shoot outs with the defense they have. Even then, Jamaal Anderson is showing how necessary he is to this team while young guys all over the field get some great experience this year. If we can have some more drafts like this last one, I think we would ink ourselves as perennial SB contenders. I might be getting a head of myself though.
Refs
This season seems particularly poor in this area. Blown calls leading to not only possible outcome changes, but also definite ones! As angry as I am at the refs though, they are only human and they are going to make mistakes once in a while too. They do get too much heat for the bad calls they make. Despite this though, there should be a way to counteract the epic mistakes that could happen. I dont know what though. The replay system needs to be changed. You can't expect a few blown calls to get away every couple of games or so.
I might add more later.
Funny stat: NFC South teams are 16-1 at home and 3-11 away.