Upon Further Review...

I think something that is going to start coming out more and more over the next few weeks is the level of parity this league has reached. We've been talking about it for quite a few years at this point, the possibility that almost any team has an opportunity to turn it around from one year to the next. With the stuttering start from the Patriots and Colts, the league has a wide-open feel to it. Even the current favorites, aren't favorites by much. The Cowboys and Giants are good, but you would be hard pressed to find a fan of either team that is completely confident in their abilities. Both have shown cracks and faults, and there are enough scrappy teams in this league, that anybody can beat anybody else on any given day. Except for the Rams, I don't think they're going to have too many wins. Still, even the Raiders, Dolphins, Browns, Bengals, and Chiefs can beat most of the teams in the league on any given Sunday. As good as this is for the game, I guess, I think the league is always better when there's a juggernaut around. What I'm basically saying is, I think I miss Peyton and Tom. On a final note, I found out that Matt Mosely of ESPN calls his weekly NFC East blog, Upon Further Review. Since I saw it after I first started to write mine, and since it's Matt Mosely, and I don't think THAT many people read his blog. I'm choosing to stick with the name. Also, I'm a little too lazy to come up with another name.

The 'Skins Circle the Wagons
No question this was the biggest outcome of a pretty lackluster Sunday of football. This Redskins team has been consistently solid over the last few years, and most people were only talking about the new coach and the change in offensive game plan. When they came out looking as poor as they did against the Giants, I think most people immediately wrote them off for the season. Even I did a little, after I had just picked them to win the wildcard before the season started. Now it looks like Jason Campbell not only knows the offense, he is dominating it. It also doesn't hurt that Clinton Portis has been punishing defenses this season. Portis can boast 369 yards and 3 touchdowns over 4 games, not so shabby. The defense was stingy last season, and has done nothing but upgrade itself with the addition of Jason Taylor. Even with all those positives about the Redskins, the real story is the Cowboys. At first glance, one would probably be quick to blame the Cowboys defense for surrendering 26 points to the 'Skins, but how about the Cowboys' inability to control the clock. I've made comments about the way to beat this team is to slow down the game and keep their offense off of the field. It's impossible to beat them in a shootout, they have too many weapons. But if you can slow the game down, and force them to keep the ball out of Marion Barber's hands, they are beatable. Tony Romo is good, but he's starting to show a knack for throwing some bad picks. Final note on this game, Terrell Owens did a little bit of complaining after the game about not getting the ball enough. He caught 7 balls for 71 yards and a touchdown. Cris Collinsworth commented during Football Night in America that there were 20 balls thrown in the direction of T.O. to go with his 7 catches. That accounted for a third of the Cowboys offense on the night. 33%. Remember my comments that this team is a few bad losses away from breaking down. There is nobody to captain this ship when it might be necessary, and that could be a real problem down the road in this tough NFC East.


J! E! T! S! 6! 6! 6! 6!
Brett Favre finally gives fans all over New York what they've been looking for all month. Favre threw up a career high 6 touchdowns in a 56-35 shootout in the Meadowlands. Very impressive performance by the Jets against a foolish Cardinals team. Everyone knows by know about the Cardinals' decision to stay on the East Coast following their game against the Redskins last week. I know travel can be annoying, but really its a few hours on a private jet. How can anybody think it to be a good idea to spend 9 days on the road in the middle of a season? In baseball or basketball, those east/west coast swings can be devastating to any sort of momentum a team has. Why would a team give themselves a self-imposed road trip? Funny sidenote to Favre's 6 touchdowns. People across America picked up Chanci Stuckey this week in their fantasy leagues. On a day when even Eric Mangini had a TD reception, Stuckey finished with 2 catches for 12 yards. Very disappointed in the Jets defense for the second week in a row. 56 Points is nice and all, but the game was 34-0 at the half. The defense allowed 36 points in the second half, not a good sign.

Those Tennessee Titans are Good
Another excellent performance by the Titans this week this time against a good Minnesota Vikings team. They do everything necessary to be a winning team, and they do them very well. They can rush the ball as well as anybody in the league, with the power and speed combination of LenDale White and Chris Johnson. It's going to be very tough for defenses around the league to come up with answers to those backs. They have a dependable quarterback who doesn't make stupid mistakes in Kerry Collins. I definitely have a soft spot for this team on that fact alone. But the real story with the Titans is their defense. They are in the top 5 in every defensive category. That includes first in takeaways, second in points per game allowed, and second in sacks. That means they are keeping teams behind in games and forcing quarterbacks to throw the ball. The takeaways and sacks are indicators of the enormous pressure that defensive line is putting on quarterbacks. This team has all the tools to go deep into the playoffs. One question they are going to be forced to answer at some point however, is what to do with Vince Young.


The Broncos Are a Little Soft
How do you surrender 198 rushing yards to the Kansas City Chiefs? How do you let that team score 17 in the fourth quarter? I just don't understand how you let a team so inept as the Chiefs do that. I believe in Larry Johnson, and I know he's good, but did this Broncos team even watch a video going into this game? You beat the Chiefs by keeping the ball out of LJ's hands, and Herman Edwards is always quick to yank the ball out from his running back and give it to whatever terrible quarterback he has playing. The Broncos outscored two of the better offenses in football the past two weeks, and they struggle against the Chiefs? They clearly thought they had this game won before they even got to Arrowhead. Makes me wonder about the coaching out there, and I have serious reservations about that defense. Key stat of this game, Damon Huard 21/28 for 160 yards and one touchdown. DAMON HUARD?!?! The Broncos have allowed 34.3 points per game at this point and allowed opponents to complete nearly 75% of their passes. As dynamic as Denver's passing attack is, they can't run the ball, and they can't stop anybody. That's a problem.

The Chargers Escape from Oakland
They got out of Oakland with the W by the skin of their teeth. Oakland gets a week to think about back to back weeks where they had the win, and they let it go in the fourth quarter. I think that comes with a young team, both on the sidelines and on the field. They'll learn how to close out games as they mature a little bit more, and these are the pains that come with rebuilding. I think the team is actually heading in the right direction personnel wise. It would be a real shame to see Al Davis fire Lane Kiffin, because he seems to be one of the better young coaches in the league. Since the week one blowout against Denver, he's had this team playing competitively. As the season wears on I think JaMarcus Russell will show that he can play at this level, and Run-DMC will begin to settle into the starting lineup. As for the Chargers, they get the win on the road and do so by coming back to score 25 in the fourth quarter. Shows a lot of confidence and poise on the part of that team, no small thanks to LaDanian Tomlinson. There are a few interesting games coming up for this Chargers team, going to Miami next week, hosting New England in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game (sorta), and going out to Buffalo. I think we learn everything we need to know about this team over those three games. If they are really the best team in the AFC, they need to come out of that with 3 wins, and be at 5-2 on the season.

The Upper Class

1. Tennessee Titans (4-0)- They do everything they need to, effectively. Circle your calendar for October 27, that's when they play the Colts

2. New York Giants (3-0)- Sole possession of first in the vaunted NFC East, and they didn't even have to play.

3. Buffalo Bills (3-0) The way they struggled in the first half left me a little leery over the prospects of the Bills. Second half blowout reconfirmed my belief that this team is a top-5 club.

4. Washington Redskins (3-1) They've won three straight, and beat the Cowboys in Dallas. Massive game for them next week against the Eagles.

5. Dallas Cowboys (3-1) With everything I said about this team, I still don't see another potential loss for them for some time. October 26 they host the Bucs, and November 2 they go to Meadowlands to battle the G-Men.

6. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) They had a chance to win the game against a very good Chicago defense, in the last throws of their game. Without their best player, and with their quarterback injured. That loss actually made me think they're better.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) This team has quietly rattled off three straight W's since losing the opener on the road in New Orleans. They get Denver and division rivals Carolina in the next two weeks.

8. San Diego Chargers (2-2) They should be 3-1, if not for the madness that is Ed Hochuli. This offense is scary good, still questions about Ted Cotrell's defense.

9. Carolina Panthers (3-1) Banner day for Delhomme, Steve Smith, and Mushin Muhammed. I don't see the NFC wildcards coming from anywhere besides the East, so that division showdown against the Bucs is that much more important.

10. Denver Broncos (3-1) When you have an offense that is that good, you have to be in the top 10. When you have a defense that is that bad, you have to be number 10.

A Long Night In Pittsburgh?
It has the potential to be that way for Big Ben. There is no doubt that Baltimore defense spent the week studying tapes of the Steelers' loss to the Eagles. The Baltimore defense boasts a better group than the Philadelphia crew, as well as a more effective running game (remember the Eagles played that game without Brian Westbrook). The Steelers come to the game with a banged up defense, a banged up quarterback, and a rookie running back. This has the looks of what could be a loss for the Steelers. It is going to be a huge test for Mike Tomlin, and I think he passes it in front of the hometown crowd. I hope so at least, I had big expectations for them after the first two games.