NFL: Week 4 Recap

1:30 PM
I: What a great weekend of football, and not just because the Pats and Cowboys won. There were six undefeated teams before Week 4 began. Two games pitting undefeated teams were played, though only one was competetive. A third undefeated team lost on top of those two. That leaves us three undefeated teams remaining, which everyone wants to put as the top three teams in football, but I'm gong to have to disagree. The details can wait.

Saj, I'm looking for your thoughts on the Pats. Did this game erase some or all of your doubts about this Patriots team? Everyone, including myself, was very high on the Cincinatti Bengals. They were consistently at the top of rankings. The game was played IN Cincinatti. The Patriots were supposed to be realing. Instead, New England marched into Cincinatti and treated them like Democrats are going to treat Mark Foley.

The ESPN Power Rankings gave the Pats a HUGE leap up to #4, behind the three undefeated teams. I think they may have gone from too low on them to too high on them. Your thoughts?


1:58 PM
S: I think I think (again, sorry Peter King) that the NFL has ceased to make any sense to me. The Seahawks got waxed by the Bears just a week after building a 40 point lead on the Giants, a popular pick to win the NFC East. The Chiefs throttled the 49ers who beat a Rams team that beat a Broncos team that had ABSOLUTELY EMBARASSED a Patriots team that completely owned a Bengals team that handled the Chiefs in Week 1. Wrap your head around that game of rock-paper-scissors. What does any of this mean? It means that there is more parity than we think in the NFL, and more parity than any one record would imply. Anything can happen on, to use a cliche, any given Sunday.

It's tough to say whether the Patriots, at five behind the Bears, Colts, Ravens and Eagles, are too high. Their only loss came against a Broncos team that played out of their skulls football and their most convincing win came against the as of yet undefeated former NFC North Champs. You can make a good case for any of the one loss teams to sit right behind the undefeateds, it's just so hard to evaluate their performances against different opponents on different days, there's too much variation. What do you think about the 3-1 Saints sitting at 15? Seems like Hurricane Katrina goodwill does not extend itself into the realm of the Power Rankings.


3:05 PM
The Saints at 3-1 seemed low, until I realize they're not going to make the playoffs. Think about it. If someone were to ask "What will the Saints record be at the end of the year?" I would say 9-7, maybe even 8-8. That's about 15 out of 32, isn't it? I think they're good enough to be there for reasons I have stated weeks ago: they acquired a quarterback who is very good and they have a dynamic backfield with capable recievers. Their defense is still a question mark to me, though, as is their head coach. So yeah, 15th seems just about right.

As far as the cream of the crop, I agree with the majority of fans who are saying Bears at the top. Their defense is phenomenal; their offense above average. This is the team to beat right now. Second are the Colts, if only because they just proved they can win a close game...and close games are when you need to be able to run the ball and stop the run. The Jets aren't exactly sporting a Philly offense or Baltimore defense, but they were playing at home in front of a pumped crowd in an outdoor stadium...and the Colts answered the bell. So,

1. Chicago Bears
2. Indianapolis Colts

The Ravens at 3 is where I disagree. I think they're getting the nod at 3 because of their undefeated record only. They got passed the Browns on a last minute deep field goal. Then yesterday they get by the Chargers on a last minute touchdown pass. This team could very easily be 2-2. Their offense really worries me. I bump them down to 5. Ahead of them I have Philadelphia, with an anamolous collapse the only thing standing between them and an undefeated record. They're the Philly we all remember from earlier in the millenium...top 5 quarterback, workhorse running back, smart capable receivers, tough defense, and an elite head coach. So,

3. Philadelphia Eagles

At four is a team you will not agree with, but I am very confident putting them there. The Dallas Cowboys can do it all. There will be questions about their quarterback, and I can understand why. However, it's rare to find a knowledgable fan who will say Drew Bledsoe is a bad quarterback if given time in the pocket. I feel that if given five or more seconds, Bledsoe is a top quarterback in this league. If given three or less seconds, he's one of the worst. In the last two games, his offensive line has kept him upright. Combine this with two talented running backs, an almost unfairly talented receiving combo and tight end, and this is a top offense in the NFL. And their defense was projected to be, and is showing that they are, a top defense in the NFL. And oh yeah, they have Bill Parcells in his fourth year. Anyone can beat the Titans, even if it was in Tennessee...but they tore them apart in every facet of the game.

4. Dallas Cowboys
5. Baltimore Ravens.

Next seven in no order: New England, Denver, Cincinatti, San Diego, Jacksonville, Atlanta, and Denver.

I now await your criticism of my Dallas decision.


Some notes on the power rankings:

I like your top two, they make sense. I wasn’t completely sold on the Bears but then they bent the Seahawks over the kitchen table on primetime television.

And the Colts… does anyone actually like the Colts? Are there Colts fans? Do people live in Indianapolis? I’m sure the city has its charm and there are other generic nice things that I could say about a city I don’t care or know about, but seriously. And the team: they play in an ugly dome, Peyton Manning’s “Arod of football” thing is wearing on me (just win something you 6’5”, 230 quarterback with the laser, rocket arm), and Marvin Harrison is simply too quiet for how good he is. Say something Marvin! Thump your chest and moon Packers fans! Guarantee 40 points against the best defense in football! (Un)intentionally overdose on painkillers! (too soon?) It’s so easy to root against them. At least the Patriots, for all their winning ways, have charming peccadilloes that make them interesting.

So there are one and two. I still think you have to respect the undefeateds in the Power Rankings. It’s not like the Power Rankings mean anything anyway, let the Ravens have their fun.

I’m going to stop there because I don’t feel like sorting out the jumble that is the one loss teams. But the Eagles have consistently impressed and McNabb looks to be playing the best football of his career.

As for Cowboy-hate, I still don’t understand how you could like them. They’re as close to the Yankees as the NFL has; all that “America’s Team” nonsense. And yes, if Drew Bledsoe had three minutes per passing play he could strike and kill an adult moose from 150 yards or something like that, but I’m skeptical of him getting enough of those five second passing plays that you say he needs. Five seconds is a lot of time to create for your quarterback, especially against the better defenses in the NFL. And have you seen him fall? It’s like his midsection doesn’t bend. He’s an aging 6’6” plank of plywood. Not buying the Cowboys, not in that division this year.

Funny stuff on Bledsoe, and for the most part accurate. The reason I cheer for the Cowboys is obvious. It's the same reason I cheered for the Bills for two years. They have my favorite player. I may be unique that I have a favorite player who's not on my favorite team, but that's the way it's turned out. And I want my favorite player's team to do well. For the record, if the Cowboys play the Pats in the Superbowl, I want a shootout with the Pats on top.

The "five second" thing was a round number. At five seconds, he becomes as deadly as anyone in the NFL. Between 3 and 5 seconds, the average time for a quarterback, he's simply very good and very capable, especially with those weapons. Still, if they see the Bears, Jags, Pats, or Ravens, it will be a miserable day for him - just like any quarterback this side of Brady, McNabb, and Manning.

The Cowboys are legit, Saj. This is a top team in the NFL for the reasons I've listed. In fact, whoever wins this Sunday's Game of the Week (Eagles-Cowboys) will win that division and get the NFC 2 seed in the playoffs. I'm calling that right now.

Respek.

So the Eagles are going to win the NFC East? Still a tougher division than people have been saying- I would not be surprised by a last place finish for your beloved Cowboys.

Counterpoint: Saj, you ignorant slut.