The Cubs losing in the playoffs? Normal. Joe Torre winning in the playoffs? Normal. The Red Sox beating the Angels? Normal. All seems sane in Major League Baseball.
But in the National Football League, things are not normal. The Colts offense floundering early in the season? Not normal. The Buffalo Bills undefeated after four weeks (but now 4-1 after losing to Arizona)? The Patriots losing to the hapless Dolphins? Definitely not normal. The league seems to be in turmoil, despite Justin Slick's '09 prediction that the world would right itself after O.J. Simpson's recent conviction on all 12 counts. People are even going around to bathrooms everywhere and performing AC Slaters. Pure anarchy.
One week after trying to make sense of the mess in college football, Schmidley and I now attempt to sift through the abnormality in the professional ranks and pick our favorite to win the Super Bowl. The way the NFL is shaping up, it could be anyone's championship to win, so this may end up being not much more than a shot in the dark from yours truly. But here it goes.
The Dallas Cowboys looked near untouchable to start the season, with many preordaining the team NFC champions. But one game against the Redskins was enough to shatter both the Cowboy sense of invincibility and my confidence in their chances. The NFC East is stacked with three contenders in the Eagles, Giants, and Cowboys, and I'm not sure the Cowboys are the best of the three. Making the playoffs is still almost a sure bet, but Dallas is not my pick to win it all, especially considering their recent postseason collapses.
Staying in the NFC East, the Eagles have looked both very good and very bad. Nobody knows whether or not McNabb can remain both healthy and productive, and Westbrook has already fallen to injury. The team's blitz package still drives opposing offenses crazy, but the defense has its pores, as evidenced by the touchdown-fest during Monday Night Football against the 'Boys. Again, the playoffs are in the cards, but I don't know about a Super Bowl championship.
Switching over to the AFC, the picture becomes even murkier. Buffalo and Tennessee are undefeated, but I am not convinced either is a true championship contender. Most people who don't play fantasy football can't name Buffalo's quarterback. And do people really think Kerry Collins can carry Tennessee to the Super Bowl? I, for one, am skeptical.
Pittsburgh and Denver both look solid, but neither team looks complete. My gauge for judging NFL greatness is whether or not I see a team's matchup for the week and immediately think they are going to win. In contrast, it seems that every time I see Pittsburgh's matchup, I think toss-up. I've never had complete confidence in either team's ability to not blow it.
This is a very scientific analysis, I know. But for all you doubters, remember, it's a shot in the dark.
Back in the NFC, the Panthers and Bears are on top of the South and North division, respectively, but I don't see either team sustaining their lead. Tampa Bay and New Orleans might catch the Panthers, while Green Bay has the talent to pass the Bears.
The Colts have struggled mightily, but you have to love their big comeback at Houston yesterday. Down 17 points with four minutes to go without the ball, and the Colts come back to win in regulation, thanks in part to Reggie Wayne's awe-inspiring one-handed touchdown grab. Unbelievable. Perhaps this is the game that turns things around for the Colts offense, a turnaround that would mean trouble for the rest of the NFL. And if this is indeed the turnaround, the lasting image of the Colts season could and should be Sage Rosenfels flying six feet in the air after a vicious hit by the Colts, resulting in a 68-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the final minutes of the come from behind victory.
But now, at this point of the season, going into every week, I think the New York Giants are going to win. It almost pains me to say it, because Giants fans have become almost more annoying than Patriots fans after last year's Super Bowl, but the Giants are my pick to win it all. Again.
They look even better than they were last year, minus the downgraded defensive line, and Eli Manning has come into his own. I don't know if it's just the fact that I love Peyton Manning's old-school commercials that has created a bias towards the Manning brothers, but I do know that ever since Tyree's catch in the final drive of Super Bowl XLII, the Giants franchise has transformed. I highly doubt New York will get through the stacked NFC East unscathed, but barring injuries they should be ready for another Super Bowl run once the playoffs roll around.
