My thoughts on the current world of sports from football to basketball and everything in between.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
SportsSpeak73: Well, I Guess I was Wrong.
SportsSpeak73: Well, I Guess I was Wrong.: "Before the start of this NFL season, I had my opinions about how this football season would turn out and apparently...I was mostly wrong. ..."
Well, I Guess I was Wrong.
Before the start of this NFL season, I had my opinions about how this football season would turn out and apparently...I was mostly wrong.
Sam Bradford, I apologize! In my preseason critique of your future I admitted that I thought you would be a colossal flop. However, through seven games you have the Rams one game away from .500. While you don't have stellar numbers, the Rams are CLEARLY a better team with you in the lineup than out of it.
As for the rest of my predictions, prior to this season I forecast that the Packers, Cowboys, 49ers, and Falcons would win their respective NFC divisions, while the Ravens, Jets, Chargers, and Colts would win the AFC ones. Roughly halfway through the season, only five(Packers, Colts, Jets, Ravens, Falcons) of those eight teams have a realistic shot at winning their division, or of making the playoffs at all. The other three (Chargers, 49ers, Cowboys) seem to be spinning wheels.
The San Diego Chargers (2-5) have seemingly had a death grip on the AFC West for the past five years due to an explosive offense and a sometimes stellar but always competent defense. While this years offense is still one the best in the league yardage wise, they struggle to capitalize on the success of their drives in the way of scoring touchdowns. While the Chargers average 25 ppg, they have been held below 21 points in all but one of their losses (Raiders). Defensively the Chargers are the opposite, have the same problem. They are the best team in the league when totaling yards per game, but they are 16th in points allowed (21 ppg). They're only two games out of first, but with their struggles it will take a drastic turnaround to make a playoff push.
The 49ers (1-6) have been a severe disappointment. This was supposed to be the season they emerged from the shadow of the Arizona Cardinals and became a contender in the NFL. Alex Smith seemed to be evolving into an NFL QB, Frank Gore was a stud RB, and the offense had receiving threats in Micheal Crabtree and Vernon Davis. However, seeming ineptitude from former Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye and a lack of resilience in overcoming his dismissal have the 49ers dwelling in the cellar of the dismal NFC West. At 1-6, the 49ers would need to go 7-2 in their last nine games just to finish 8-8 which I doubt would get them into the playoffs.
By far the most disappointing team of this NFL season has been the Dallas Cowboys (1-5). Dallas struggled mightily throughout the preseason and their futility has continued throughout the season thus far. Dallas is ranked in the top five in the NFL in both offensive and defensive yardage but offensively they struggle to score, and defensively they don't initiate takeaways. The Boys' struggles began with an alarmingly questionable call against the Redskins which led to a Pick-6 at the end of the first half. Jason Garrett's play calling abilities don't seem to have improved and the loss of QB Tony Romo isn't likely to improve them. On defense, All-Pro's Demarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff seem to disappear for long stretches as there are games where you forget they are on the field. One such example is the aforementioned Redskins game where Demarcus Ware was largely nullified by a rookie OT with no double teams, chip blocks or other blocking help. The Cowboys seem to be lacking a leader, which was obvious in the embarrassing loss they recently suffered at the hands of the NY Giants. Without that leader, someone who'll hold his teammates accountable, the Cowboys are simply a group of talented players who are failing to become a team.
Sam Bradford, I apologize! In my preseason critique of your future I admitted that I thought you would be a colossal flop. However, through seven games you have the Rams one game away from .500. While you don't have stellar numbers, the Rams are CLEARLY a better team with you in the lineup than out of it.
As for the rest of my predictions, prior to this season I forecast that the Packers, Cowboys, 49ers, and Falcons would win their respective NFC divisions, while the Ravens, Jets, Chargers, and Colts would win the AFC ones. Roughly halfway through the season, only five(Packers, Colts, Jets, Ravens, Falcons) of those eight teams have a realistic shot at winning their division, or of making the playoffs at all. The other three (Chargers, 49ers, Cowboys) seem to be spinning wheels.
The San Diego Chargers (2-5) have seemingly had a death grip on the AFC West for the past five years due to an explosive offense and a sometimes stellar but always competent defense. While this years offense is still one the best in the league yardage wise, they struggle to capitalize on the success of their drives in the way of scoring touchdowns. While the Chargers average 25 ppg, they have been held below 21 points in all but one of their losses (Raiders). Defensively the Chargers are the opposite, have the same problem. They are the best team in the league when totaling yards per game, but they are 16th in points allowed (21 ppg). They're only two games out of first, but with their struggles it will take a drastic turnaround to make a playoff push.
The 49ers (1-6) have been a severe disappointment. This was supposed to be the season they emerged from the shadow of the Arizona Cardinals and became a contender in the NFL. Alex Smith seemed to be evolving into an NFL QB, Frank Gore was a stud RB, and the offense had receiving threats in Micheal Crabtree and Vernon Davis. However, seeming ineptitude from former Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye and a lack of resilience in overcoming his dismissal have the 49ers dwelling in the cellar of the dismal NFC West. At 1-6, the 49ers would need to go 7-2 in their last nine games just to finish 8-8 which I doubt would get them into the playoffs.
By far the most disappointing team of this NFL season has been the Dallas Cowboys (1-5). Dallas struggled mightily throughout the preseason and their futility has continued throughout the season thus far. Dallas is ranked in the top five in the NFL in both offensive and defensive yardage but offensively they struggle to score, and defensively they don't initiate takeaways. The Boys' struggles began with an alarmingly questionable call against the Redskins which led to a Pick-6 at the end of the first half. Jason Garrett's play calling abilities don't seem to have improved and the loss of QB Tony Romo isn't likely to improve them. On defense, All-Pro's Demarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff seem to disappear for long stretches as there are games where you forget they are on the field. One such example is the aforementioned Redskins game where Demarcus Ware was largely nullified by a rookie OT with no double teams, chip blocks or other blocking help. The Cowboys seem to be lacking a leader, which was obvious in the embarrassing loss they recently suffered at the hands of the NY Giants. Without that leader, someone who'll hold his teammates accountable, the Cowboys are simply a group of talented players who are failing to become a team.
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