If we've learned anything the past 9 weeks it's that football is still completely unpredictable. You can try all you want to predict the outcome of a game, but more often than not you will be wrong.
I'm pretty sure this is why teams like the Saints and the Patriots lose to teams like the Browns. The Saints and Patriots went into their games against the Cleveland Browns thinking that they had it in the bag. They predicted that their teams would come out on top and as a result they did not work hard enough preparing to beat this so-called "easy" team. Cleveland may be THE most underrated team in the NFL. Colt McCoy shined in his third NFL start against New England. Cleveland's running back, Hillis, showed that there is more than one Peyton people should be scared of. He ran all over the Pats' D, for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bill Belichick lost to his former friend, now ultimate foe, Eric Mangini. The evil genius (Belichick) was pissed. Another interesting story to come out of this game was that the Patriots lost their trusted kicker Stephen Gostkowski for the rest of the season to a thigh injury. We learned that Wes Welker can kick extra points and really is a clutch player. It's unfortunate that this game wasn't closer, because had the Pats been down by just a field goal, we could have seen Wes try his foot at that.
Heading to Dallas... I guess the safest bet at this point would be to bet against the Cowboys, because no matter what, it seems that they will lose. Jerry Jones did what he said he would not do on Monday, firing Wade Phillips and announcing that Jason Garrett would take over on an interim basis. Jason Garrett will use the remaining 8 games to prove that he is the best for the job. Can he turn the BIG D-saster around? We will find out. His first test is a tough one, playing the Giants in the meadowlands this Sunday.
This morning on SportsCenter Adam Schefter was asked who he thinks the mid-season MVP would be. He threw out all the usual names, Peyton, Tom, Philip... But the winner was, drumroll please... Michael Vick. The Eagles have won every game in which Vick was the starter. He has looked almost flawless this season. He has thrown for 1,017 yards, 7 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He's got the highest rating of any other quarterback and the Eagles are currently holding the number 2 spot in the NFC East. Is it to early to call this the best season of Michael Vick's career? Let's keep watching.
There's been a lot of talk about hitting in the NFL recently. Players will now face suspensions, not just fines for "illegal hits on defenseless players." Roger Goodell and other league officials claim that their main goal is to protect the players, yet they want to add two more games to the already grueling 16 game season. Isn't that a bit contradictory? I think so. James Harrison of the Steelers, Brandon Meriweather of the Patriots and Nick Collins of the Packers are just a few of the more recent players to be fined. There has been a lot of criticism on both sides of this issue and I will continue to research this in the coming weeks.
We just passed the halfway point of this season and the current division leaders are: the Giants in the NFC East at 6-2, the Packers lead the NFC North at 6-3, the Atlanta Falcons lead the South at 6-2, and the Rams lead the NFC West at 4-4. The Jets and Patriots top the AFC East, both at 6-2. The Chiefs lead the West at 5-3. Indy and Tennessee are tied at 5-3 for the AFC South and Baltimore and Pittsburgh share the lead for the North at 6-2.
Some recent news in the NFL is Randy Moss has arrived in Tennessee and has still not spoken to the media. When asked about the risk involved with signing Moss, head coach, Jeff Fisher said there was none, and he and Moss are both extremely happy about the move. Chad Pennington will replace Chad Henne as the starting QB in Miami and New England signed veteran kicker, Shayne Graham to replace the injured Stephen Gostkowski. It seems every team in the NFC is claiming that they are the best in the conference, but at this point I think the New York Football Giants have the rights the that title. As for the AFC, the title could go in any which way. The usual leaders (Steelers, Patriots, Colts and Ravens) all have a shot at the Championship. This Sunday Night on NBC, the Patriots will face off against the Steelers. May the better team win.
That's it for now, more to come soon.
Sports Truly,
Chelsea
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