With all the hooplah surrounding the MLB playoffs, Schmidley and I felt it appropriate to reveal five NFL truths from the first quarter of the season. Maybe it's just that talking baseball, as a Yankee fan, is too painful for me right now. Either way, this early NFL season has already produced a lot of surprises, both good and bad, some more unexpected than others. And in no apparent order, here are my five truths.
- The NFC North is acting like it's 1997, not 2007
Back when Brett Favre was winning MVPs and Barry Sanders dazzled Detroit, the Lions and Packers were feared teams. Before this season, few teams feared match-ups against either. But after quick starts by a rejuvenated Favre and a dangerous Detroit, you can hear both teams' fans already talking playoffs. As for the preseason NFC North favorite, Chicago is on pace to match its 4-12 record from '97. At least there's some divisional consistency.
- Norv Turner is a terrible coach
San Diego was supposed to contend for a title this year, but that already seems like a lost cause. Last season, Marty Schottenheimer led the team to a 14-2 record. However, Schottenheimer was fired because of his inability to win playoff games. Okay, I can go along with this idea for now. But when you bring in one Norval Eugene Turner, you've got to question your actions. And with the rest of that 14-2 team returning, the decision to bring in Turner has thus far been disastrous. Then again, have we really learned anything new? After all, we are talking about a coach who was fired by the Raiders for Art Shell.
- Jets fans really are terrible people
And being one myself, this hurts. New Yorkers are usually great sports fans, extremely knowledgeable when it comes to baseball, basketball and hockey. You would think they'd have better sense when it comes to football. But when Giants Stadium roared as Chad Pennington went down in week one, Jets fans reached a new low. I've never been a huge Pennington supporter, but I was proud to have him as our quarterback when he tried to hobble off the field after getting hurt. And for the first time, I was ashamed to be a fan.
- Atlanta regrets letting Matt Schaub leave
While Michael Vick waits to head off to jail, and the Falcons struggle without him, Schaub has made the Texans respectable. After four games, he had already posted over 1,000 yards, throwing five touchdowns to three picks with a 74 percent completion percentage and a quarterback rating over 100. And while the Falcons did beat Schaub and the Texans in week four, you can be sure that the Falcons would love to have their former backup lining up under center for them.
- Tom Brady has all the fun
He already has three rings. Now, he looks like a good bet to win a fourth. The Patriots surrounded their biggest weapon with enough targets to make Rex Grossman a good quarterback. Most importantly, they found a way to make Randy Moss play inspired football again. Moss's performance as a Raider left much to be desired, but who can blame him for his subpar performance by the bay -- he was left to suffer under Norv Turner and Art Shell. Brady is currently leading a Patriots attack that resembles my latest thrashing of Schmidley -- pure dominance. Throw in Gisele, and Brady is living proof that dreams can come true.
