New England is D-O-N-E. A number of people continued to believe, even after Brady went down for the season, that somehow the Pats would win the division hands down. They were all drinking the 'Belichek is the greatest coach ever, and they will find a way to make Matt Cassel effective enough to win 12 games' Kool-Aid. Well, time to get real with it. The Pats can't score enough to beat the better teams now, and their defenses' flaws will now get exposed more because they'll be on the field longer than usual. And on top of that, they're in a more competitive division now than they were last year. Buffalo and the Jets are at the very least good enough to beat the bad teams on their schedule, and won't go 0-4 combined against the Pats like they did last year. 10-6 isn't out of the question, but 8-8 or 9-7 is more likely. Better luck next year!
The Cowboys are still front running sissies
It wasn't just that they got beat; everybody loses sometime. It was the way that they lost. Romo forcing passes to T.O., even when they were ill advised. The surrender of the running game after Marion Barber went for all of 26 yards on 8 carries. The eternally baffled look on Wade Phillips face as he looked clueless to stop what was going on. The mantra remains true that if you bang them around and don't let them preen and showboat to an early rout or an AFL-style shootout, the Cowboys are quite beatable. But the deficiencies aren't just mental; they have a serious problem in their secondary which will manifest itself anytime they're not able to just blow anyone away out of the gate. So the book on how to beat Dallas hasn't changed; rough them up and keep them from blowing you away early.
We're only a quarter of the way through the season, and half the league is out of playoff contention already.
OK, maybe not half, but close. We can count out Detroit, Atlanta, St. Louis, Miami, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Oakland. Minnesota and Houston are on life support. Indy is in serious danger if they don't get right soon. I have no idea if this in unprecedented, but it sure feels like it. There are also a few teams that I think are likely to get exposed and fall back soon, like San Francisco and Arizona.
Remaining Questions
Can Kerry Collins lead the Titans to the playoffs?
Can Kyle Orton do the same with the Bears?
Will Pittsburgh be done in by the injury bug?
Are the Redskins for real?
Who will ultimately prevail between San Diego and Denver in the AFC West?
Gotta love the quick hits. Your take on Wade Phillips is dead on. Same goes for your take on NFL teams already out of contention. Good stuff.