It’s week 4 and the season is still in the early stages. Teams at this point start to show their true colors, but some are still sheep in wolves clothing or vice versa. I really think you won’t know a team till the sixth week. Right now there’s at least one undefeated team that won’t live up to their early hype. And looking at the list, the obvious choice is Kansas City. They’ve had 2 games at home and another game in Jacksonville which is like a home field advantage to everyone in the NFL except the Jaguars. This isn’t to discount the Chiefs. They have a really good defense, a decent offense, but if any of the remaining undefeated teams were to surprisingly miss the playoffs, I would have to guess it would be the Chiefs. And the biggest obstacle for them is that they won’t win their division because of one man.
Yes I’m talking about Peyton again:
Honestly not enough can be said about what Peyton is doing right now. Forget the bloated TDs stats. They are impressive, and he might come close to 60 TDs for the season, but to be fair the rules have changed to favor throwing. But here’s what the rules haven’t changed to favor. Accuracy. Peyton Manning has thrown the ball more times than anyone else in the league and has the highest completion percentage at an insane 75%. There are only two other QBs in the league within the 70% bracket and both have 200 less yards and combined would only have 3 TDs more than Peyton. Those two other QBs are Phillip Rivers and Tony Romo.
Don’t count your eggs:
It seems every year one or two teams grab the attention of the media and critics alike and they become foregone concluded champions. But in the end they rarely win. So right now the Broncos and Seahawks are the darlings of their respective conferences. So who’s going to play the part of the David, and going to slay the giants. Well from the AFC I picked the Titans way before the season started as dream killers and I’m going to stick with that pick. I know Jake Locker is out for a few weeks, but they don’t need to be perfect to win their division. If they can be 2 and 2 through the 4 weeks Locker is out, they’ll be in good shape. So who’s their NFC counterpart. Honestly, I don’t want to make this call, as I don’t want to jinx them (I’m a fan) but the Dallas Cowboys have the make up of a surprise team. A weak division giving room for plenty of time to work out the kinks, a good defense, a running game, and a good special teams. I might hate myself in 10 weeks when I re-read this but they fit the mold of what I look for in a surprise teams. I’m sticking with it.
We’re lucky to be just watching:
I rave and rave about Peyton Manning, but there’s one player that might be more impressive than him. Adrian Peterson is Barry Sanders, in an era when Barry Sanders can’t exist. What he is doing, and can’t be stopped from doing, is beyond impressive. The Vikings have no chance at going anywhere in the post season, but AP might be the best player ever at his position already and he’s no where near done. At this point in the season he might be on pace to break LTs TD record. Passing numbers will always be eclipsed but rushing records being broken are beyond impressive.
If you’re going to London:
Don’t pack too light. I am vehemently against moving a team to London. But if the NFL insists on doing so, I think they should move a whole division. This will help deal with the arduous travel needed to put a team in London. The best part would be the built in rivalries. But before doing any of this, the league would need to move to an 18 week season with 2 bye weeks. This would kill many birds with one stone. This would help keep teams healthy, help plan Thursday night games and most importantly put the Super Bowl on President’s Day Weekend. You know how much more alcohol would be consumed. It’s not only good for the NFL, but it’s also good for the economy.
Your season just ended:
The Rams and Buccaneers are not going to be playoff contenders. I repeat, they have no chance. I would throw the Redskins in here but they are in the NFC East which even the 0-4 Giants still have a chance. (I don’t think the Giants have any chance in reality). For the Rams, I’m really disappointed with how little they’ve done with how much they received on that RGIII trade. And for the Bucs, I think they’ll be the team to watch for next year. They have all the pieces and sitting Josh Freeman was the right step, but I think it just came too late. They should’ve done it in the offseason and grabbed a free agent QB. Don’t tell me you don’t think Alex Smith couldn’t be doing the exact same thing in Tampa, where he actually would have better receivers and a slightly better defense.
Bettors paradise:
Last week I told you about a bunch of teams that are over achieving. This week I’ll tell what teams are coming in under the radar and are about to break off some 4 game win streaks. The Falcons, the Packers, and the Niners are all coming in under performing in comparison to their lofty expectations. Most of this is due to some tough scheduling and even tougher breaks, especially on the part of the Packers. If I was a betting man I would look to double down on all these teams for the next 3 – 4 weeks as they re-calibrate the scales of expectations.
One last note:
Last week I warned you that the Chiefs, Bears, Dolphins, and Seattle were over achieving. Two of those teams got their first lost, and now I’m telling you the other two will fall this weekend. Mark my word.
Well another week in the bag. All I’m hoping is the Cowboys don’t get blown out by too many points this weekend when they welcome Peyton into Cowboys stadium.
About Matt Cargile
Matt Cargile is the Editor in Chief of rookerville.com. He also works in finance, but refuses to read any news printed on pink paper. He is a child at heart with adult means. His childhood dream was to either become a magician or the leader of the next great empire and somehow both these things make complete sense. He's contradictory in nature, but is always consistent.
- Web |
- More Posts (114)