NFL Slants for Week 4

Checking Down:

-STL is impressive. I saw them with the longest odds to win their division. Really? They are 2-2, ARI has no QB, SF has no heart or brain, and SEA just got embarrassed by STL.

-Speaking of Seattle, are they trying to turn over their entire roster by December? Pete Carroll, I know you are excited to be able to cut and trade for people, but calm down.

-Peyton is a machine. The Colts will be fine. That defense is terrible though, especially the run defense. However, if they get a lead, they are still the best team in football.

 -Orton continues his great play. Why did they select Tim Tebow again? A great lineman or pass rusher wouldn’t have helped this team? (copied from last week, but it needs to be said again)

-Derek Anderson, meet bench. The pick he threw to Shaun Phillips was so terrible it wouldn’t even happen in Madden. Is Larry Fitzgerald spending more time in therapy, or calling in to vote for the other players in Dancing with the Stars so Warner will get voted off?

-The Bears without Cutler are not good. They need to fix the O-Line, but without Cutler it doesn’t matter.  

-The Saints make me nervous. They are struggling, and it is not due to the running back injuries. They need a bye to get Pierre, Reggie, and most importantly Darren Sharper back. He gives them an edge.

-The Ravens aren’t scintillating, but I still think they are one of the most balanced teams in the league. Ed Reed is coming back, and like Sharper, he’ll advance them a level. I like my Super Bowl pick with them.

 -SF, that was better. Good effort. You are not out of it yet. Hell, when you are 2-9 you may STILL not be out of it.  

-Washington caught the Eagles in a weird moment, and hurt their two most important players. I still don’t buy them. Actually, all this win did was open things up for the Cowboys to retake command of the division.

-Officiating has been terrible this season. The end of half issue with Philly was horrendous. There should be an official upstairs watching everything that happens on the field with the best technology available, and they can call down to the field and make obvious changes.  

Going Long:

New England impresses me for a number of reasons. They have a very young team. They are teaching people to play in key positions (O-Line, DBs). The overall talent is not incredibly high compared to some other teams, and some of the offensive key players are getting older or recovering from injury. However, they are still 3-1. 

What really strikes me about NE is how well coached they are. The game turned on special teams, and that is where you can see good coaching at work. Bill Belichick is still the best coach in the NFL (who else is even close? Mike Tomlin? Norv Turner? Mike Shanahan? Mike McCarthy? I think this is the top 5, but are any of them really on Belichick’s level?)
 

NE will be fine come December. I am still not sure they advance far in the playoffs, but they will get there with 11 wins. Belichick also seems significantly more invested than in 2008 or 2009. He has his mojo back, and he knows he has like 2-3 more years of Brady-Moss-Welker prime. When Bill is on (and vindictive), it gets ugly for his opponents. 

In tight games, coaching does matter. Too many times we have seen above average coaches get killed because of timeouts blown and penalties for stupid things (Hello, Brad Childress). Clock management is also something that consistently rears its ugly head (I am looking at you Andy Reid). The Patriots, despite anything else they do, will not struggle with this issue. 


BLISS