The 2004 NFL season is now just a memory and the Super Bowl will bring another long six-month wait until kickoff 2005.
Some of the surprises this year include Peyton Manning's record year with 49 TD passes and the remarkable turnaround of the San Diego Chargers. Could anyone have foreseen these events?
There are indications of what the next season will bring if one examines trends closely enough. Before their Super Bowl season of 2000, the Baltimore Ravens finished the season previous with five straight wins and foreshadowed the dominating defense that led to its first championship. Last year, Peyton Manning played two unbelievable playoff games against Denver and Kansas City before bowing out to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. This year, he set the record for TD passes.
The Chargers? Well, sometimes one needs to look really deep. Many had written off QB Drew Brees when he was benched for ageless and heightless Doug Flutie. But how did Brees finish last year? He could have thrown in the towel seeing that the Chargers were due the number one pick in the draft and that a young QB was going to be chosen.
Brees took the starting job back over the last three games in 2003. The Chargers finished with a win over Oakland and a loss to Green Bay and Pittsburgh. But look a little closer at Brees' stats.
In the Green Bay loss, Brees threw for 363 yards, 2 TD, and 1 INT. In the Pittsburgh game, 198 yards, 1TD, 2 INT. The win over Oakland, Brees threw for another TD, 0 INT, and only 98 yards in a game when LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 243 yards.
Do these stats give any indication that Brees would throw for 27 TD and only 7 INT with a QB rating of 104.8? Maybe not, but Brees did get the starting job back and answered with a huge game against Green Bay and a win over Oakland.
The point is to look a little closer to how things finish in order to see what may be coming next season.
So, with these ideas in mind, let's take a closer look at 2004 and see what may have started in late 2004 and may carry over into 2005.
Perhaps the New Orleans Saints will finally get it all together in 2005. The Saints finished with four straight wins over Dallas, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and Carolina. The Panthers were one of the hottest teams in the NFL after their 1-7 start and were a threat to make the playoffs until a fade at the end of the season.
Regardless, the Saints beat the Panthers and assured that they would miss the postseason. Atlanta did rest QB Mike Vick so perhaps the game doesn't count as much, but the Bucs were getting on track once RB Michael Pittman returned and the Saints beat them in Tampa Bay. The Cowboys faded at the end of the year and part of their fade was a loss to the Saints.
Head coach Jim Haslett is returning and knows that another inconsistent season would have to lead to a one-way ticket to the French Quarter. Aaron Brooks still showed some inconsistency but did throw 21 TD and rush for another 4 TD.
RB Deuce McAllister missed two starts and still rushed for over 1,000 yards. If Brooks eliminates some bad decisions and McAllister plays the entire year, the Saints could find themselves at the top of the NFC South. You heard it here first.
If the Saints are on their way up, count on the Minnesota Vikings to find a way to completely self-destruct next year. The Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs in 2003 on the last play of the game when the Arizona Cardinals stole the last game of the season from them.
This season, the Vikings made the playoffs with a record of 8-8 and lost their last two games of the year. Their last win of the regular season was a one-point win over the Detroit Lions. The previous game was a loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Vikings have nowhere to go but down. Their defense is ineffectual, they have no consistent running game and their coach is disinterested.
WR Randy Moss is one of the true NFL game-breakers, but he only plays when he wants to play. The talents of QB Dante Culpepper are completely wasted. Lost in the mess that was Minnesota's season was Culpepper's 4,717 yards, 38 TD, 11 INT, and 2 rushing TD. If a team can't turn a QB performance like that into a winning season, it's hard to believe that a winning season is coming next year.
The only saving grace for the Minnesota Vikings may be the Green Bay Packers. While the Pack did finish 10-6 this season, they were exposed in the playoff game against Minnesota as a pretender. QB Brett Favre is a star and can still take over a game, but his decisions under pressure are getting worse. Two postseasons out of three, Favre has finished playoff games with poor games and losses at Lambeau Field. With all the personal tragedy he has experienced, it would be hard to blame Favre if he packed it up.
The Packer defense is horrible. Teams know that they cannot cover the pass and the only threat to rush the passer is Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. KGB has been stopped cold as frozen tundra in his pass rush because he has no support. The Packers should have kept CB Mike McKenzie as he was the only guy they had who could cover. RB Ahman Green had a solid year, but if the Packers are going to play from behind because their defense can't stop anyone, the running game will not become a factor.
The NFC North is the weak sister of the NFL (with its twin being the NFC West) and someone has to win the division, but both of these teams will only be successful by default and any game south of Chicago will be very difficult to win.
While football is the ultimate team sport, many individuals can also show indications of what the future holds for them. (Funny how some things never change.)
Out in the desert, devoid of any media attention, Emmitt Smith will continue to pad his stats as the NFL all-time leading rusher.
And playing in an embarrassingly diminished role, Jerry Rice will continue to pad his stats as the NFL all-time receiver.
In an attempt to completely erase the memories of the "Team of the '80s," John York will continue in his relentless pursuit of being the worst owner in the NFL as the San Francisco 49ers repeat another disastrous year.
Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger will lose a football game.
Ricky Williams will not play football, no wait, he will, no wait, he won't. The big story here is that no one will care.
Philadelphia Eagle WR Terrell Owens will gain national media overexposure.
New York Jet John Abraham will play football again ... once he signs a big-money contract.
Minnesota Viking WR Randy Moss will show disrespect to his coach, teammates, and fans — with no consequences.
Cincinnati Bengal WR Chad Johnson will not buy another bottle of Pepto-Bismol.
St. Louis Ram RT Kyle Turley will not send head coach Mike Martz a Christmas card ... unless it self-destructs upon reading.
Philadelphia Eagle WR Freddie Mitchell will become the Eagles number one receiver — just ask him.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will tone down his sideline wardrobe.
And take this one to the bank ... the New England Patriots will enter next year as the defending Super Bowl champions.
Leave a Comment