A quarter through the season and we are beginning to see which clubs out there are for real and which will be at the Super Bowl - up in the box seats. A suprise came in a bolt of black and orange last year when a resurgent Cincinnatti squad took the AFC North by storm. Out for revenge after the rival Steelers ended their breakthrough season, this year the Bengals have looked more poised to take a swipe at the throne in an AFC that sees no ruling king at the moment. A New England team who we thought may be in the sunset days of its dynasty clearly exposed the Bengals on Sunday and slapped their hand away from the AFC crown. 10 sacks and 5 fumbles by your quarterback in two games is a red flag, it was enough to hamper the Bengals last week, and it killed them yesterday. On the other side, the numbers done by Brady and his backs raise several questions about a shaky Cincinnatti defense. In fact, this game may be the one that brought about more inquiries than answers, clearly this was not the Cincinnatti that looks to take over in the AFC. A big question mark is waiting in this conference.
Baltimore has staked its ground at 4-0 after defeating San Diego on Sunday. Following a near slip to the Browns last week, I was waiting for this team to convince me. Holding back the Charger's running game is no small task, nor taking the game from them in the final drive. While I don't look to take from their win (or from a 4-0 start), I am still interested in seeing more of this Baltimore team before making any calls; last minute wins from behind can only get you so far in a division where the Bengals and Steelers play.
If anyone picked the NY Jets as a sleeper this year they probably would have ended up groining my knee. A 4-12 team that in 2005 had a disasterous year with injuries and started five quarterbacks, now under a new coach? But this team kept up with the Colts yesterday, outwitted Indianapolis and caught them off guard several times during the game, including an onside kick during the second quarter. Make no mistake, there is a such thing as an impressive loss.
The game I had my eyes all over was the Sunday night match between Seattle and Chicago. The Bears had risen to 3-0 through kicking over the divisional rivals and looked to test their mettle against the NFC Champion Seahawks, who just last week delivered a colossal blow to the Giants that sent NY spinning into their bye week. But Sunday night, it was Seattle who would go home wearing a black eye. The Bears defense was as unrelenting as it ever has been, assaulting and sacking Hasselbeck all night to the point Holmgren would have gotten him killed had he stayed in, intercepting twice and forcing the Seahawks to stay conservative, giving up only two field goals; Chicago was all over Seattle's offense, who were clearly frustrated and off their mark. Yes, unquestionably Alexander's injury was the factor of the week, the reason the Bears wouldn't "truely" win in a close game, but hey, this wasn't a close game, and he couldn't help the defense out an inch. The Chicago offense that we thought we saw clicking was a machine at full speed Sunday night. Grossman was in great form, and really on target with some dead-on throws, and at the same time the Bears were able to hit the ground game and chew up stretches of yards there. There's no question, this team that has struggled for years to raise an offense pulled it together last night and proved they are more than a mediocre team in the NFC.P.S. Packers suck.
10 comments:
Another great article brother. Did you see how long that asshole from the Titans was suspended for stomping on Gurode's head?
5 Games - longest suspension in NFL history for an on field act.
I hate watching that video, I've seen it plenty of times and its just repulsive. 5 games MY ASS. What if the victim lost his eye?
And I gotta say, that apology was weak. Think about this: when you apologize, is it because you feel guilt for your action, or because you feel guilt for the people you've hurt? This guy has had a history of on-and-off the field problems, and says he's not a dirty player.
I say you should be kicked out of the league on a three strike basis for this kind of behavior. You can't control yourself, you don't deserve to be here. And you don't deserve much else.
That kinda sums up my feelings on the matter as well. This dude is an asshole, and it's just a matter of time before he seriously fucks someone up. Coach Fisher said "I believe that what the league has done right now is adequate." The Tennessee front office needs to do something about this if the coaching staff won't.
There is now talk of criminal charges being filed agaoinst him for this incident. Read more here.
i do not believe that the nfl did nearly enough in the form of punishment for haynesworth. this is the same league that fines you $10,000 for wearing "inappropriate shoes" (eg. Peyton wearing a replica pair of Johnny Unitas' shoes as a tribute to the late qb) There is no place in the game of football for an act like haynesworth committed, and he should be sent to anger management and suspended the whole year without pay.
The Raiders have no one to blame but themselves. I remember watching after the Super Bowl when teams were moving quickly to interview and fill coaching spots, and Oakland did next to nothing. Waiting for something to happen with Ken Whisenhunt from Pittsburgh cost them big, they reach no deal and the Raiders are left standing there with their dicks in their hands. I just don't know about this team.
I agree Eddie, if I remember correctly Randy Moss was fined $10,000 two years ago for that fake mooning on Green Bay fans. For all this guy has done in his history (I believe there was another infraction where he punched a teammate in the back of the head during practice that wasnt listed in that link BND) this punishment wasnt enough. And calling the guy up to say you're sorry won't cut it, anger management should be mandatory.
If I were him, thats where I'd be headed. And I'd take my time on my way back, because if you think people are taking shots at you now, wait until you step on that field again. If there's anything worse, you are now truely among the least respected in the NFL.
Alright BND, its Wednesday and I'm interested in your early thoughts on this weekends matchup. You know which one I'm talking about.
Oh, The big game this weekend. It is going to a close one, but in the end, I expect the Raiders to narrowly win against the Niners.
In other news, expect the Cowboys to march into Philly and kick some Eagle ass! I'm not a big fan of T.O.D., but expect him to have a HUGE game against his former team. This game is going to get bloody.
hahaha that was good man, very nice. All eyes will be in San Fran for the Desperation Bowl.
I can see the Dallas-Phialdelphia game being well-matched and intense. This honestly is one of the more difficult games to consider this week.
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