Fantastic fall football

Posted by admin on Sep 19, 2006 in Sports | 0 comments

The NFL season has begun and there are indications that it’s going to be an unpredictable year. So before you start putting big wagers on Philadelphia and Atlanta, remember that the season is long and it’s not the start that matters, but the finish. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the teams that should impress fans this season.

Many experts are picking the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens as sleepers this season. (The question I have is if everyone is picking them can we still call them sleepers?) These should be three of the most improved teams this year. The addition of Running Back (RB) Edgerrin James should equal a few more wins in Arizona. Miami lost its opener, but the addition of Quarterback (QB) Daunte Culpepper and the emergence of RB Ronnie Brown gave the fish a balanced offence. The Baltimore Ravens opened their seasaon by absolutely lambasting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Look for some improvement from them.

In Carolina, the Panthers should once again reach the postseason because of playmaking Wide Receiver (WR) Steve Smith. Smith plays best in big games and carries a big chip on his shoulder, which makes him one of the league’s top players.

Two perennial powers, the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, should be playoff teams again this season but they are missing some key pieces. The Colts will have to figure out a way to run the ball or their season will finish the same way it has the last few years: a playoff exit and a red-faced Peyton Manning. New England always seems to find a way to get the job done. However, this year will be Coach Bill Belichick’s toughest yet. The Patriots have nothing that even closely resembles a number one receiver, and RB Corey Dillon is slowing down.

Defending champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, will again march through the competition behind a strong defense and a powerful running game. Their biggest concern is whether or not QB Ben Roethlisberger will bounce back after his horrific motorcycle accident. I anticipate Ben will be fine and Pittsburgh should advance deep into the postseason.

The Cincinnati Bengals made news for all the wrong reasons this summer when five of their players were arrested. This may not be good for public relations, but it won’t stop this band of bad boys from competing in the Super Bowl. If QB Carson Palmer’s surgically repaired knee holds up, the Bengals will be a force to reckon with.

I must admit that I am not a Seattle Seahawks fan, not even close. But I have to tell you that the Seahawks are my pick to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this year. Their only significant loss was Offensive Lineman Steve Hutchinson. If the Seahawks can find an adequate replacement, they will be the team to beat. Their defense, which features young up and comers like Line Backer (LB) Lofa Tatupu, added another key piece with LB Julian Peterson. Seattle looked bad in its opening win over Detroit, but don’t read too much into that.