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Two weeks filled with upsets has the media going crazy.
You gotta love the NFL. There's not another league around where the mighty fall so fast and the poor suddenly feast like kings. It really is a beautiful thing. In an era where sports fans are forced to hold back the vomit as teams like the Lakers and Yankees hold reigns of terror that last for years, the NFL has proven for the most part to be dynasty-free. Sure there are those who argue it's the teams who win three straight titles that produce the players who become icons for the sport. And it's true that nobody in New York or L.A. is complaining about having to build a few more trophy cases to hold all the hardware. But overall, nothing helps build up a sport like parity. Without question, the NFL is the premiere league in the country. Football has never been bigger than it is right now. Yet surprisingly, the league is lacking the star-power that it had ten years ago when Montana, Elway, and Marino were playing. The reason: At the start of the season 80% of the fans believe their team has a shot of winning the Super Bowl. Do you think the NBA is exciting for Hawks fans? Is there any real reason to suffer through 162 games of frustration if you're a Tigers fan? The NFL is so popular because when you say "Anything can happen", anything actually CAN happen. It's not only when the planets align correctly and the better team has a few key injuries that upsets occur. It's the Texans beating the Dolphins by kicking seven field goals one week, and the Panthers stunning the defending champions by blocking three kicks the next. It's the fact that if the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl this year, nobody would be that surprised. That said, here's why I don't think that's gonna happen...
I just ranted about how much I love parity. It's wonderful. But the one thing that drives me absolutely nuts is that nobody seems to remember that parity exists. Everybody acts like it's the same league as ten years ago when the Cowboys plowed through sixteen games and the playoffs without flinching. Back then, things were simple. If you were good, you won. If you were bad, you lost. That's just not the way it works in today's day and age. But because the world lacks the intelligence to realize this, we're all forced to listen to how the Chiefs, Bills, Redskins, and Seahawks are all prime picks to play deep into January. And maybe one of them will actually win it all. But I'm guessing they won't. Winning it all in the NFL is dependent on one thing - getting hot at the right time. Case in point, the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Out of this group, only the Bucs were good the year before their title run. And throughout last season they were incredibly inconsistent until they hit their stride at the right time and won the Super Bowl. The Ravens started off miserably. But come week thirteen, they were running on all cylinders and were poised to become champions. The lesson here: Don't put so much stock in Week 2. Don't even put much stock in Week 9. Until the season's week count is into double digits, don't begin to think you have a clue what's going to happen. Take the Patriots for example. If you went by who was hot in Week 2 in 2001, the Super Bowl Champions finish in last place. If you went by who was hot in Week 2 in 2002, a team that doesn't make the playoffs is the pick to win it all.
The NFL is a crazy place. The Raiders win 4 in a row, then lose four in a row, then win the AFC Championship. The Broncos and Dolphins look great heading into the second half every year and then fall to pieces. It's just the way things are. So why is it that nobody seems to get it? Why are the Redskins with two wins against bad teams suddenly a lock to win the division over the Eagles who have two losses against the past two Super Bowl Champions? How come the Seahawks are unanimously favored over a Rams team that's finally ditched washed-up Warner for Bulger, who brought them back from an 0-5 start last year. And why do the Raiders apparently have no chance to make up ONE game on the 2-0 Chiefs and Broncos? It's Week 3 people! Each of these teams have 14 more games to play. Undefeated teams at best have a two game advantage over their rivals. There's eight 2-0 teams right now. In my opinion, 5 have a good shot to make the playoffs. How many actually will? Probably about three, if they're lucky. Of these eight teams, only the Colts made the post season last year. Now does the "battle of the offenses" Chiefs/Seahawks Super Bowl seem so likely?
Maybe these thoughts aren't so novel. Maybe there's a bunch of you watching NFL Countdown thinking how stupid the guys in the booth are for not thinking farther ahead. But the point of this whole piece was not simply to point out how mistaken the media is about the league. It's about pointing out how mistaken the media is about the Patriots. Seemingly overnight, the Patriots went from Super Bowl favorites to possible wild-card candidates all because we lost our SAFETY. And not just our saftey, but our saftey that had no sacks, forced fumbles, or interceptions last year. Yes, Lawyer Milloy was a great locker room leader, but he was by no means a player that could single-handedly alter the Patriots chances of success. So did the Buffalo Bills upgrade when they signed him? Of course. Did they shut us out 31-0 two weeks ago? They did. And are they currently undefeated and looking like Super Bowl contenders? They certainly are. But is this Week 2? Yes it is. And does Week 2 mean squat when it comes to determining who's going to win it all? No it doesn't.
