NFL Weekend Reveals Teams Are Who We Thought They Were

Good news? I was sitting at fifth heading into this week. Bad news? If anything, my standing should fall a bit, as I’m 7-8 heading into tonight’s Monday night affair. Gotta make a move. Gotta make a move. Regardless of my mediocrity this week, hindsight is remarkably clear. And, the more we look at it, nothing should really be that surprising.

A rapid-fire whirl around the League complete with recent performances and how they simply prove those squads are what we thought they were (or should’ve known they were):

My beloved New York Jets are who we thought they were…a much improved team that is not ready to be mentioned in the same sentence with “elite” anything. Their defense looked reminiscent of last year’s porous crew, and the offense just wasn’t in sync. Crappy performance, plain and simple.

The Denver Broncos are who we thought they were…a young-as-heck up-and-down team that can score with anyone provided their line gives Cutler a chance to sit back there and fire away, which is exactly what they did yesterday. Continuing the tradition of stick-anyone-back-there-and-zone-block, former fullback Peyton Hillis galloped for 129 yards through freeway-sized holes. Gag me with a spoon, but I do sorta get the Favre-Cutler comparisons. Just sayin…

The Tennesse Titans are who we thought they were…the best team in the AFC based on great coaching, strong running game and terrific defense. At the same time, it is still Kerry Collins behind center and an average crop of pass-catchers. Still, if Trent Dilfer…

The Detroit Lions are who we’ve always thought they were…an embarrassment. I would say Marinelli needs to go, and he probably does, but I’m not really sure a HOF coach could do much. Just putting on that uniform seems to be a recipe for disaster.

The Dallas Cowboys are who we thought they were…dangerous. Explosive with Romo. Frightening when he and T.O. are clicking, Barber is running and Witten is catching. I think the talent is there to be a factor in the postseason. Question is whether they can get there. Status of D. Ware will be big.

The Seattle Seahawks are…OK, you know what, they’re not. I don’t get this one that much. I really don’t. This week I picked Dallas to cover a big spread, but almost every other week I’ve found myself questioning whether Seattle really is that bad. I guess they are, doesn’t mean I get it.

The Philadelphia Eagles are who we thought they were…I think. Their Thursday thrashing of Arizona completed my 3-0 Thursday. To me, this was the no-brainer of the week. Donovan with something to prove…Arizona with a long trip East…national television (sort of). I just didn’t see the Cardinals coming into the Linc and leaving division champs. Is this a one-week mirage, though? My gut is that the Philly is going to come out and give the G-Men a much better run than the ‘Skins just did. We shall see.

The Dolphins AWWTTW…playing smart football, solid defense, all with Chad “The Ultimate Game Manager” at the helm. This team could go 9-7. If that happens, they’ll likely miss the playoffs but that doesn’t change the fact that Tony Sparano is the indisputable NFL Coach of the Year. Or is Mike Smith? Damn it, why is nothing straightforward anymore?

The Rams…stink. Better with Steven Jackson but still very stinky.

The Bucs AWWTTW…well-coached with a still-stingy defense and a painfully adequate offense. A recipe for another 10-win season and early round playoff exit.

The Saints…actually surprised me their performance in Tampa. We thought they would get thoroughly handled on the road. When you’re leading rusher is Pierre Thomas with 34 yards, you live with Brees and die with Brees. He’s carried that team all year but three picks against the Bucs down there isn’t going to get it done.

The Ravens…are better than we thought they were. Yes, it was the Bengals. But, if Flacco doesn’t throw the ball to the other team, this Baltimore team reminds me a lot of the Titans. I’d want no part of the Ravens in December.

The Bengals…have officially mailed in the season. Adios, Marvin.

Carolina…we’re still just not sure. Call us cynical.

Pack…painfully average, although we really like Rodgers despite his mistakes.

Indy…we’re not sure what this team is all about.

Cleveland…ditto.

Buffalo…WTF!? Home against the Niners and fighting for your playoff lives and that’s who you come out and play? Apparently, these are the same old Bills. Maybe a little premature on the contract extension for Jauron?

The Redskins AWWTTW…above average, but not by a whole lot. Portis plays his ass off every week. Until Campbell proves himself to be anything more than a mediocre NFL QB, Washington isn’t making much noise.

The Giants AWWTTW.

The Chargers…have Norv as their head coach.

The Atlanta Falcons are not who we thought they were…they’re the real deal. And when we say real deal, we don’t mean Super Bowl contenders. We do mean a legit playoff team and one that can go on the road and win. Something we didn’t expect from them.

KC and Oakland AWWTTW…but we admit to not giving Tyler Thigpen his fair shakes.

The Stillers AWWTTW…that doesn’t mean that I like how Big Ben is playing. Don’t see this team making another run like they did a few years back.

The Pats AWWTTW…we were waiting to claim that they were their old selves again if Cassell could perform adequately against a tough defense, even at home. He did not. They are not.

Da Bears AWWTTW…why I chose them to cover last night is an excellent question for which I have no answer. They never seem to play well in domes, and I made the misstep of thinking Kyle Orton is something he isn’t.

The Vikings AWWTTW…sub in Favre for Frerotte and Super Bowl talk wouldn’t be out of the question, right? Regardless, I think Gus has done a pretty admirable job. Another scary team. AD is a freak, and we love him.

That’s all I’ve got, team. Until later…