The NFL "Big 9" Week 6 Edition.

Ahhhh, sweet, sweet wonderful parity. Can you imagine if 2 months ago I had told you the Dolphins would own wins over the Patriots and Chargers? That the Falcons looked like the best team in the NFC South, that the only undefeated team in the AFC through 5 games was led by Kerry Collins? You would have thought I was insane.. Welcome to the 2008 NFL Season! Parity is fantastic, no? Let's get to the rankings.

1 (1). New York Giants - 4-0 - No Plaxico Burress? No problem for the defending champs who humiliated the Seahawks on Sunday. And things don't look any tougher the next couple weeks with games at Cleveland and home to the 49ers on the horizon.

2 (4). Washington Redskin - 4-1 - They just keep chugging along, winning big games. Hard to believe this is the same team that was humiliated in Week 1 by the Giants. They don't win pretty but they just keep on winning. Back to back road wins in Dallas and at Philly earn them the 2 spot.

3 (5). Dallas Cowboys - 4-1 - T.O. claims the media made up his fued with Romo and that everything is dandy in Cowboywille. It certainly looked like it against the Bungles on Sunday. Don't believe the hype though. The big guns on this offense aren't Romo and Owens, but rather the RB tandem of Barber and Jones.

4 (3). Tennessee Titans - 5-0 - The Titans fall to the 4 spot but it's more an indictment of their opposition than it is of the Titans themselves. 5 wins is nice and all but the collective record of their opponents to date is 6-17 including W's against the winless Texans and Bengals. Things remain easy next week with a game against the struggling Chiefs before finally facing their first big test in a Monday Night Match-up with the Colts on Oct. 27th.

5 (6). Pittsburgh Steelers - 4-1 - It seems new names are added to their injured list almost on a daily basis, but for now at least, the Steelers keep plugging along. After failing to practice much of the week with shoulder pain, Ben Roethlisberger had a huge game against the Jaguars, throwing for over 300 yards and 3 TD's. Mewelde Moore provided the rushing attack with Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall both out with injuries. They remain the most talented team in the AFC, IF they can get healthy and overcome injuries.

6 (7). Denver Broncos - 4-1 - Yes, Virginia, the Broncos DO have a defense. In one of the biggest surprises of the week the Denver defense made a cameo just in time to welcome former friend Brian Griese back to town. And welcome him they did to the tune of 3 1st half sacks and a big hit by Champ Bailey that chased Griese from the game. Of concern to the Broncos are injuries to Eddie Royal and Tony Sheffler that may leave Jay Cutler without 2 of his favorite targets for an extended period of time.

7 (8). Carolina Panthers - 4-1 - The defense was impressive again as the Panthers shutout the hapless Chiefs. The running game was also in fine form as the offense rushed for almost 200 yards rushing. Injuries to OT's Jordan Gross and Jeff Otah could prove troublesome long term though.

8 (NR). Chicago Bears - 3-2 - The Bears are back and as staunch as ever on the defensive side of the ball but what's impressive is for the first time in a long time the Bears offense is actually quite potent as well. Led by rookie phenom Matt Forte at RB and Captain Neckbeard himself, Kyle Orton at QB the offense is averaging nearly 26 points per game. With the Packers in a sudden tailspin, the NFC North appears to be Chicago's to lose.

9 (NR). Atlanta Falcons - 3-2 - No, that's not a misprint. The Falcons are for real. Led by breakout star, Michael Turner and rookie sensation Matt Ryan, Atlanta is giving it's fans something to cheer about for the first time in years. A big win at Lambeau Field propels them into the rankings but they'll have a real chance to show they belong in a big matchup with the rising Bears this coming Sunday.

Apologies to the New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Bucs.

Week 1 Surprises

The first week of the NFL season is always filled with unexpected wins, performances and disappointments. The Parity in the league is unlike any other in major sports. That's what makes the start of the NFL season so much fun. Who will be this year's breakout team and who will fall off the map. Here is a quick run down of some of the week one surprises.

Chris Johnson RB, Titans
Thanks to my stupid local CBS channel I got to watch a game between two teams who won a total of 5 games last year instead of the game I really wanted to watch which was Titans/Jaguars. Thanks to NFL Gameday Final however, I got to see quite a few highlights from this rookie. He looked very impressive, rushing for 93 yards on 15 carries and adding 34 yards receiving and a TD as well. If he gets the opportunity he could very well be this year's rookie running back sensation. The Titans have a very strong rushing game, which they are going to need considering how awful Vince Young has looked over the past year.

Atlanta Falcons
Again, thanks to DirecTV monopolizing the NFL sunday ticket market I didnt get to see this game, but the stats pretty much tell it all. The Falcons offense was running on all clynders. Rookie QB Matt Ryan by all account looked very poised and comfortable and RB Michael Turner had a HUGE day, running for over 200 yards. The Falcons defense still needs some work and I think they are a stretch to make the playoffs this year, but they looked far better Sunday than they did at any time in 2007. With their good young core, we may be looking at a team who could make some serious noise in a couple years.

Matt Forte RB, Bears
Thankfully this game was a Sunday night national game so I got to watch every play of Bears/Colts. I think pretty much everyone (well maybe not Brian Urlacher), including myself thought the Bears would open the season with a loss. However their defense showed shades of their 2006 NFC championship season and Peyton Manning looked flat for the Colts. The biggest surprise by far to me however was rookie running back Matt Forte. He looked surprisingly explosive and hard to tackle. The Colts defense was one of the tougher teams in the league to run against last year but Forte racked up 123 yards rushing including a long TD run. I would have never guessed this a few days ago, but the Bears could be real contenders to win the NFC North.

Eddie Royal WR, Broncos
Royal for me was the very biggest surprise of week 1. This guy can do pretty much everything. Catching 9 passes for 146 yards, running the ball out of the back field, returning punts and even attempted a pass. He filled in and then some for suspended WR Brandon Marshall. It will be interesting to see how many touches he gets next week when Marshall is back in the lineup but the Broncos offense looks primed for a huge season. Their run defense still looked shaky to me, but the way the Chargers looked against Carolina they could have a real chance to compete for a division title.




Stumble It!

5 Thoughts from NFL Opening Sunday...

Thanks to the new Thursday game it's not the true start of the season anymore but to me, NFL Opening Sunday is one of the better sports days of the calender year. Lots of games and hopefully some questions answered as we finally get to see the team perform on the field.

Here are some of my thoughts on what turned out to be a pretty wild day.

1. Tom Brady is hurt, maybe out for the season. Nothing official has been announced by the team but there is already talk the Patriots are desperately seeking an alternative at QB. Among the rumors swirling is a report on NBC's Sunday Night Football that they have already contacted Chris Simms about working out for the team. It's an interesting situation to be sure. Backup Matt Cassel wasn't even a starter in college and may not have started a football game that mattered since High School. He looked good after Brady left and he's got an incredibly talented cast around him. But the Patriots without Brady is like M.A.S.H. without Hawkeye Pierce, Cheers without Sam or Seinfeld without Jerry Seinfeld. No matter how great the rest of the cast is, that one big star made it all tick.

2. What happened to the AFC elite? The Patriots hung on without Brady and Pittsburgh looked great but the Chargers, Jags and Colts all lost and in the case of Indianapolis, did so in embarrassing fashion. 4 of the consensus top 5 teams in the AFC are reeling after week 1. Can they pick up the pieces or will a surprise team rise up.

3. Green is green no matter the city. A lot may have changed this offseason for Bret Favre but some things didn't. He still took the field Sunday wearing a green jersey with #4 on the back and he still led his team to victory. His numbers weren't all that impressive and it was pretty clear that he is still learning to adapt to his new teammates and new surroundings but in an AFC East with no Tom Brady, the Jets are as good a pick as any to fill the void.

4. Business as usual in the NFC. The AFC may be a wreck but the favorites cruised for the most part in the NFC. The Cowboys and Eagles were particularly impressive but the Panthers, Bears and Saints looked good as well. Chicago marched into Indianapolis and dismantled the Colts, looking far more like the Superbowl Bears of 2006 than the mess of a team that struggled to win 7 games last season. They also look to have a keeper in rookie RB, Matt Forte, who rushed for 123 yards and a TD in his NFL debut. The AFC may be in a state of flux but things look as rosy as ever in the NFC. Could the balance of power that saw AFC teams win 8 of the past 11 Superbowls finally be shifting?

5. This guy really is pretty good... Michael Turner was long considered the best backup RB in football. But he had never been a starter on an NFL team. That all changed on Sunday as Turner ran around, over and through the Lions defense to the tune of 220 yards and 2 TD's. The bridesmaid no more, Turner looked to have all the skills to be one of the top RB's in the NFL. No one was more excited to see it then the much maligned Falcons. After suffering through the Michael Vick debacle and the failed experiment with former Head Coach Bobby Petrino, who didn't even finish out the season in which he was hired before accepting the job at Arkansas. He left after just 13 games in a dismal season that ended with a record of 4-12. The Falcons rode Turner and rookie QB, Matt Ryan to an impressive 34-21 victory against Detroit. Will it be a sign of things to come in Atlanta?




Stumble It!

NFC Preview

Well its that time of the year again, my favorite time of the year when it comes to sports. Baseball is headed down the stretch run, College Football kicks off this Saturday and the NFL is just around the corner. Here is the Sportfellas NFC preview for 2008. The AFC will be soon to follow.

NFC East- It seems like the Cowboys have been on the brink of being something special for about 5 years now, but one thing or another has prevented them from really doing something big. Last year's 13-3 performance was good enough for the best record in the NFC, but they tripped up against the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants in the wildcard round. The Giants on the other hand looked like a borderline playoff team that somehow ended up doing something special. This year I think things will change. The Cowboys should repeat as division champions and will be the last ones laughing this year. The Giants really weren't all that great to begin with, but now with the losses of pro-bowl DEs Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, they look to be headed towards a postseason full of Tv watching on their couches. The Eagles and Redskins are both talented teams who always have the potential to make some noise, but this year is the Cowboy's year in the East.

NFC North- One of the more interesting divisions in football this year. The big storylines of course are the exit of Brett Favre and the emergence of Adrian Peterson as a premier back. Last year the Packers surprised by racking up 13 wins but will Aaron Rodgers be able to repeat the success of Brett Favre? The Vikings looked poised to become one of the better teams in the NFC. Their rushing game has become the best in the NFL behind a strong line and their defense made huge strides last year. Of course like the Packers and Bears QB play will be a huge question for the Vikings. If Tavaris Jackson can play smart enough to avoid mistakes and let his running game and defense win the game this should be the Vikings division to lose. The Bears lack quality skill players and are battling some injuries as well, they are unlikely to make much noise this season and the Lions.... well they are the Lions.

NFC South- THe Bucs may have been the most surprising division winner last year. They were able to squek by with the division title with only a 9-7 record in a weak division. This year I expect this division to bounce back a bit. The Saints were a big disappointment last year but they have too much talent to let that happen again. Look for Drew Brees and company to win 10 games and take the South this year. The Bucs still have a solid but not great team as well, they will be in the picture in both the division and the wildcard. The Panthers who were among the best teams in the league for a few years have fallen a bit. They got no production out of Steve Smith last year and they have no proven running back. They have a chance to be a solid team but it looks like a 3rd place finish. The Falcons are a non-factor again this year.

NFC West- Quite possibly the weakest division in all of football. The Seahawks have won this division each of the last 4 years. Every year it seems we hear how this will finally be the Cardinals year to break out but so far they have failed every time. The Seahawks have lost some WR depth as well as Shawn Alexander so if the Cardinals can get good QB play from either Warner or Leinart they may be able to come away with this one. I still have to think its more likely the Seahawks win this division for the 5th time in a row. The Rams are a young team that has improved some but they still look to be a year or two away and the 49ers are a mess, going with JT O'Sullivan at QB over struggling former #1 pick Alex Smith.

Picks to break out
Jonathan Stewart RB, Carolina
Stewart will share carries with D'Angelo Williams in the Carolina backfeild to start the season, but there have been great reports out of Panthers camp on Stewart. Every year in the NFL we see a rookie Rb breakout and Stewart is a food possiblity to be that guy this year.

Laurent Robinson WR, Atlanta
Robinson became a starter for the Falcons late in the season and I was very impressed with him. He is expected to be the full-time starter this year in Atlanta opposite Roddy White. Of course Falcons QB Matt Ryan will have to perform for Robinson to put up big numbers, but if so I think he will.

Picks to break down
Marc Bulger QB, St. Louis
Bulger has been the starter for the Rams seemingly forever and has been very consistent. However fir the first time last year we saw signs of him breaking down. One more poor year from Bulger and the otherwise young Rams may choose to draft a QB in the off-season and move on.

Ahman Green RB, Houston
Green has been a consistent performer for a long time and is still listed on depth charts as the Texans starting RB but he is coming off a shaky year and has not looked good this preseason. THe Texans have a couple young RB in Chris Taylor and Steve Slaton that could take over the Texans job if Green struggles again.

NFC's best Offense
New Orleans Saints. Despite their 7-9 record last year the Saints finished 4th in the NFL in total offense. They have a plethora of talent at the skill positions to go along with Drew Brees who had another great year. Expect the Saints to bounce back and put a whole lot of points on the board this season.

NFC's best Defense
Tampa Bay Bucs. The giants lost too much from the defense and pass rush to repeat their defensive performance from last year. The Bucs are solid at all 11 positions and held opponents to under 17 points a game last year. The Cowboys, Packers and Vikings all have talented defensive units as well.

Bold Prediction
The Dallas Cowboys will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1995 season. There is just too much talent in Dallas on both sides of the ball. After blowing playoff opportunities each of the past 2 seasons I expect Romo and company to get it done this year.