faba Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 l to NFL.com (Aug. 25, 2005) -- The kickoff of each new NFL season brings its own set of riddles and mysteries as endless as the NFL preseason. Here are my top dozen things to ponder while you are waiting for the NFL games to finally count. (The first four this week) 1. Can the New England Patriots make it three in a row? Everything about me says no way the Patriots can win after losing coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel. They also lose key players including Tedy Bruschi, who was the emotional heart and soul of their front seven, and a superstar like Ty Law. Add it all up and you assume that there is no way for them to do it again. Then you watch them play and they look so good. Quarterback Tom Brady is only getting better, and Bill Belichick has achieved so much surpassing Vince Lombardi with the best playoff record of any NFL head coach and winning three out of the four last Super Bowls. Plus, Belichick was so instrumental as an assistant in winning two Super Bowls with the Giants and leading the Patriots to another. What is so impressive is what Belichick has been able to do with the Patriots in the free-agency era. If he wins again this year, Belichick will set himself in a class that is so far apart from everybody else, anyone else would consider retiring, but I know that he would not. He is a grinder and his team exemplifies his personality. They have the ability to put the championships behind them, work forward and do it again. That is why they have been so successful over the past four years. Bottom line is that I do not believe they will repeat as champions because of overall strength of the AFC and the significant losses of coaches and key players. The Patriots have been able to present an entirely different look each week on offense to every team that they play. It has been nearly impossible for teams to game plan against them for that reason. They may still be able to do it, but losing Weis is the blow that I don't think they can overcome in the playoffs. But I have to admit, I no longer would be surprised by anything Belichick, Brady and owner Robert Kraft accomplish. 2. What do the Colts have to do to get over the hump? The Colts have to play at home in the playoffs. That means they have to treat every regular-season game like a playoff game. The Colts cannot go back to New England as they have proven that they cannot win there. The Colts offense has been so dominant the last few years, but just looks horrible in the cold at New England. The Colts drafted two talented corners which should improve their defense, but it seems like we are saying something about the Colts defense improving every preseason and it never does. What is strange is that the Colts were one of the top sack and turnover defenses in the NFL last year and still ranked in the bottom half of the league in points allowed. This wouldn't happen so much if Peyton Manning and the Colts were to host the Patriots. Even if the Colts can finally beat the Patriots, the rest of the AFC is absolutely loaded. There are so many talented teams such as the Steelers, Chargers and New York Jets, all poised for a Super Bowl run. You could even see a team like the Bengals (a very talented young offense), the Ravens (maybe the best defense I have seen assembled in several years), the Bills (a great defense and a talented running back make it easier on a young quarterback), the Jaguars (if their offense rises to the level of this outstanding defense), or any team from the AFC West make a run at the title. It is just an incredible group of teams all in the same conference. The NFC was not close to being on the same level as the AFC a season ago (20-44 against the AFC), and it will not change much this year. Bottom line is the Colts have a terrific team, but just beating the Patriots will not assure a spot in the Super Bowl this year. 3. How much of a distraction will Terrell Owens be this season? I'm just not sure. The Eagles may be the best team in football. It is remarkable what Owens has done to that franchise. Andy Reid, Brad Childress and Donovan McNabb, all recent targets of Owens, are three of the finest individuals in the NFL. They would never do or say anything that wasn't in the team's best interest. A concept Owens knows very little about. The Eagles took Owens assuming they could turn him into a player that could see the bigger picture, but Owens has never been able to see beyond his favorite picture, the one in the mirror. There is no question that the Eagles would have been the team to beat if Owens had remained quiet. Now I don't know. The Eagles were not good enough to beat the Patriots last year, but I felt that their Super Bowl experience and returning talent would push them over the top this year. Owens has put that in jeopardy. Owens has a tendency to cause a distraction and not back off. If he had just apologized to McNabb at the beginning of training camp, it would have been over. Owens never understood how insulting it was to say, "I wasn't the one that got tired in the Super Bowl." If Owens would have pulled McNabb aside and apologized, McNabb would have laughed it off and moved on in the same way he has brushed off his draft-day booing, the Rush Limbaugh comments, and other things that go along with playing in Philadelphia. Owens will never admit that he was wrong or back off from his insulting statements. Bottom line is the Philadelphia Eagles are still my Super Bowl favorite, but Owens has me shopping for other options. 4. Can the Cowboys win with the reincarnate of the "Over-the-Hill Gang?" It is hard to imagine Bill Parcells losing again like he did last year. The key is that quarterback Drew Bledsoe needs to prove that he can still do it. I can remember Parcells telling me during Bledsoe's rookie year that he could do things throwing the football that he has never seen any other quarterback do. He was so impressed with Bledsoe's arm strength and physical skills. In addition, Bledsoe will be helped tremendously by one of the best young players in the league, running back Julius Jones. So there is talent in Dallas. However, when stacked up against Philadelphia, there is such a gap between the Eagles and Cowboys that I just cannot see them challenging for the division. I do not even see the Cowboys as a playoff team as of today -- more of a .500 team. There are other teams that I like better in the NFC, and new teams will emerge this year, such as the Cardinals or Lions, along with the playoff teams from last season. That is who the Cowboys will compete with for a wild-card slot, along with the teams from what I consider the best division in the NFC, the South. The Falcons, Panthers and Saints were all playing so well at the end of last season. Carolina is my favorite pick for a big bounce back year with Kris Jenkins and Steve Smith -- its two best players -- returning from season-ending injuries. The Panthers, despite all of the injuries, made a great run in the second half of last season. Bottom line is the Cowboys defense has to be much better than what it was a season ago. Defensive tackle Jason Ferguson from the Jets will help. A bigger Bradie James replaces Dexter Coakly at "Will" linebacker. And I cannot imagine the talented Terence Newman getting toasted the way he did a year ago. If the Eagles win the East, then Dallas will need at least nine wins to have a chance to make the playoffs as a wild card. The Cowboys have to play the tough AFC West and will be fortunate to win one of those games. Outside their division in the NFC, they play the Seahawks, Panthers and Rams, and two of those games are on the road. Their season will be decided in the last two weeks at Carolina and against St. Louis at home. Every time I add it up, it comes up 7-9 or 8-8 and just missing the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormshadow19 Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Yeah, that's all fine and dandy, but Collinsworth is an idiot. He has about as much credibility as Sean Salisbury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GimmeShelter Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Would like nothing more than for his assesment to ring through but as long as Brady continues playing at the level he has the past two seasons you cannot write the Pats off. We can only hope rather than assume Brady's play suffers somewhat without Weiss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Troll Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Yeah, that's all fine and dandy, but Collinsworth is an idiot. He has about as much credibility as Sean Salisbury. I strongly disagree. I like Collinsworth. He tells like it is. He doesn't kiss ass to the players like Salisbury does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormshadow19 Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 I strongly disagree. I like Collinsworth. He tells like it is. He doesn't kiss a$$ to the players like Salisbury does. He rambles like an idiot. That's why Fox took him out of the studio and put him in a broadcast team. Then, he was a goof there, and was just let go. I just never liked him. I also don't like Salisbury. They're both freakin boobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smizzy Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Yeah, that's all fine and dandy, but Collinsworth is an idiot. He has about as much credibility as Sean Salisbury. I agree 100%. The man is talking clown shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l_j_r Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 He rambles like an idiot. That's why Fox took him out of the studio and put him in a broadcast team. Then, he was a goof there, and was just let go. I just never liked him. I also don't like Salisbury. They're both freakin boobs. ... salisbury is horrible ... & the unbelievable thing is that collinsworth is worse ... boob ... good word for him, i like that ... l_j_r Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.