By George
Gouvas
Saturday, October 6th, 2001
Has anyone taken a really good look at the NFL standings recently? What in
God's name has happened to the National Football League? Some things are
still in order. The Rams are 3-0, the Giants and Eagles in a two-team race
for the NFC East, Brett Favre has the Packers off and running, and the best
site of them all, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are 0-3, on their way to a
1-15 mark. But look a little closer, dig a little deeper. The Bengals and
Browns are tied with the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens for the division
lead. The Chargers are undefeated and playing the best ball in the AFC and
the Titans and Vikings can't get the ball past mid-field. As far as our early
season surprises are concerned, remember that old saying, "What goes up,
must come down."
Let's first look at the team with the most losses in the '90s, the Cincinnati
Bengals. With millions of dollars wasting away on the sidelines in Akili
Smith, Jon Kitna has taken the QB reigns with a solid 61.8 completion percentage
and four touchdowns. Corey Dillion remains their number threat on offense,
and finally getting first-round pick Justin Smith signed, they may just be
on their way to respectability. Looking at their upcoming schedule, it may
take until Thanksgiving before they realize that there not that good. Over
the next four weeks, the Bengals will meet the Steelers, Browns, Bears, and
Lions. Could we possibly see the Cincinnati Bengals 6-1 before their bye
week on Nov. 4?
New head coach Butch Davis has the Browns finally pealing off the expansion
label. Quarterback Tim Couch is a year maturer and the running tandem of
James Jackson and Jamel White, along with a much-improved defense, has Cleveland
at 2-1. Coming off a huge division win over Jacksonville, the Browns have
the unbeaten Chargers and their usual cellar dweller tag team partner, the
Cincinnati Bengals, before the champs come to town on Oct. 21. Let's not
get ahead of ourselves, though, they are improved, but Butch Davis isn't
a miracle worker. Cleveland has a real shot at five wins, and with the Cowboys,
Cardinals, and Lions, they will have to prepare for a much later pick in
2002 draft.
What maybe a surprise to most, the start the San Diego Chargers have had
does not shock me even a little bit. Doug Flutie has been a winner everywhere
he has been. From Boston College, to Canada, to Buffalo, the miniature size
QB with a giant size heart won't be mentioned in the same breath as Peyton
Mannning, Kurt Warner, or Donovan McNabb, but Flutie is a first-class guy
that can only be a positive influence to any NFL roster.
With a last place schedule, a dynamic rookie running back, LaDainian Tomlinson,
and the great Junior Seau leading the defense, the Chargers have a legitimate
shot at the playoffs. Their next three contests are the lowly Patriots and
the evenly lowlier Bills, with the Broncos in between, should have San Diego
at 5-1 after their first six games. The loss of defensive tackle Jamal Williams
will be a big loss for the Chargers and with no bye week the rest of the
way, health is the biggest key for this team. If Flutie, Tomlinson, and Seau
stay healthy, San Diego will be the sixth seed in the AFC postseason.
Those are some of the positives in the early going, but how about the negatives?
The Tennessee Titans are off to a 0-2 start with Baltimore waiting in the
wings. Steve McNair hurt once again and his status is still uncertain. Tampa
Bay signed quarterback Brad Johnson to be the offensive savior, but he has
struggled and now RB Warrick Dunn is out at least a month and here comes
Brett Favre and the 3-0 Packers. The Minnesota Vikings are completely
one-dimensional without the retired Robert Smith and Mike Holmgren just maybe
wearing out his welcome in the Pacific Northwest. The Titans and Bucs will
turn their season around and make the playoffs, but Minnesota and Seattle
are looking at very long seasons ahead.
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