NFL Week 5 Poolside Rant

Poolside Rant 09-29-07

The shock has worn off some. Week 2 was ridiculous with the Bengals and Palmer throwing for 6 TD’s and LOSING…to the BROWNS…with Derek Anderson as QB!! Randy Moss followed up his stellar performance with another solid outing and Drew Brees still couldn’t find his touch. I sat in awe of the happenings and how wrong I was for a week or ten days but feeling has started to return to my body. What a wacky world this NFL is and will be. Last weekend we watched Joey Harrington throw 2 TD but that isn’t amazing in itself but becomes unbelievable when you consider he threw for 300+ yards and NO interceptions. I know, I know you think I made a typo or I am playing with you but it is true. Favre looks like he is ten years younger and the Packers seem to be back on track with a killer defense that stuffed LT last week.

We have bye weeks for New Orleans, Washington, Tennessee and Jacksonville coming up and New Orleans could use the week off to get back on track. The 0-3 Saints have to be considered a surprise start going from the best offense in the NFL with dynamic playmakers all over the place to near the bottom of the league for the first three games. The season ending injury to Deuce McAllister will not help the offense get back on track either and the defense is certainly not helping the Saints. They are in danger of being out of the playoff race and the season is only three weeks old but after this week one divisional rival will be 3-1 when the 2-1 Panthers face the 2-1 Buccaneers. One of those two teams will take a huge step towards winning the division and you have to like Gruden’s Bucs the way they have come back to start the season with some solid wins after a disappointing campaign last year.

Speaking of disappointing how about my QB predictions? Leinhart almost lost his job last week and has not been nearly as good as I predicted. I still have confidence in him but “doesn’t run the no huddle offense as well as Warner” as quoted from Coach Wisenhunt doesn’t give me any reason to have that confidence. Brady Quinn doesn’t look like he’s going to see the field anytime soon either so I guess I struck out there too. Romo has proven me right starting the season looking like a #1 QB on any team without Peyton Manning but it still doesn’t make me feel any better. The only things that make me feel a little better is that Leinhart is not the biggest disappointment in the NFL this year.

There are some very reliable and high-powered superstars that are not performing up to expectations and their teams record shows it. LT has helped San Diego get to a dismal 1-2 this season while Larry Johnson held out long enough to help his Chiefs get to 1-2. Let’s be honest these guys are not the only their teams have suffered some but they have to step it up if their teams are to improve. Brees’ issues we have already talked about but there is Reggie Bush and Marques Colston to talk about in the 0-3 bayou, as well. Rex has been Rex but the Bears are 1-2 and it isn’t all Rex’s fault although he has lost his job to Brian Griese. I have a question for Lovie Smith though, what are you going to do if (when?) Greise proves why he hasn’t started for a team in the past five years? The Rams are 0-3 but who do you blame here when Steven Jackson, Torry Holt and Bulger have all not gotten it done? The Vikings are off the hook in this forum simply because Adrian Peterson has done all he can and the defense has scored almost as many TD’s as the offense. The Dolphins however are not, Trent Green has been less than stellar but after figuring out Ronnie Brown is their best player Cam Cameron may save the season by using Brown more and Green less. Lee Evans and JP Losman have let the Bills fall to 0-3 but who thought the Bills would compete this year anyway? Palmer, Ocho Cinqo and Housh have done their best but the defense has failed them, I guess they will have to do even better if they want a trip to the playoffs for Christmas.

So three weeks in we have a few 3-0 teams and a few 0-3 teams so I am going to put on my broken Nostradamus hat and see if I can’t predict which ones will be the last to lose the 0 and those that will be the first. Starting with the 3-0 teams and with the one that will lose the 0 last is the toughest call because 2 of them will meet in a few weeks. OK I will make the call… Dallas will be the last to lose the 0. I think Indy and Pittsburgh could both lose their 0 this week but if not I think the Steelers may suffer a defeat at the hands of the Hawks who may have revenge for the Superbowl on their minds. NE is good and the week 6 matchup with Dallas and NE will see the last of the undefeated teams meeting up, so I pick Dallas because I am a homer. It is a 50-50 pick and I don’t see how to measure the teams accurately. Bold huh? The toughest call is the 0-3 teams and the first and last ones to lose their 0’s because most of them have looked so bad it is hard to see them ever winning. If Buffalo doesn’t beat the Jets this week I have no idea when they win so I am going with the Bills to be the last 0-fer team in the win column. I am going with the Falcons over the Texans to be the first team to break 0-fer. Miami could win over Oakland this week but I think Daunte may have a great game to show the Fins up…sorry Green fans but Daunte is a better QB and he proves it this week.

I had so much more to say about the NFL and the crazy scenes going on but I will save it for another week when I am not running around solving the mysteries of building a new house and working like a madman to pay for it. So I hope you are sated for the week and will pay attention to my winners and losers. Make sure to email all your opinions on why I am wrong and you are right to me at [email protected] so I can steal ideas and get the credit for them. Or maybe I will post it, give you credit then decimate your silly argument with infallible logic and wisdom in my response. While you write I am getting back in the pool, I am outta here.

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