Who would've thought that out of the six teams heading into a bye this week (keeping in mind that four of those teams combined for three division titles, two conference championships, 49 regular season wins, and a Lombardi trophy), a mere 8-10 record would have been produced three weeks into the season between the lot of them? That's an abomination considering the accomplishments listed above. The Colts are 1-2. Seattle is 1-2. They are both currently tied with Miami, who by the way just humbled the Patriots to make the defending AFC champs look very soft at 2-1. The only one of these four '07 playoff teams that is showing any semblance of where they left off last year is the New York Giants. Let's get started:
New York Giants: Not a whole that I'm going to say here. The Giants are 3-0, off to their best start since their third trip to the Super Bowl coming off of the 2000 season. It's hard to believe that the Giants couldn't manage a 3-0 start in any of the following seven seasons, which included four playoff appearances, one division title, and a league championship. Let's keep in mind that the 2000 roster was headed by Kerry Collins, a Michael Strahan in his 20s, Jason Sehorn, and an emerging Tiki Barber. So, while drawing comparisons between the two teams and Giant teams of the past is nice, they don't provide much in terms of substance.
That being said, the tests still lie ahead for the Giants. They get Philly, Pittsburgh, and Dallas consecutively in the coming weeks. And while they are playing Seattle following the bye week, the Giants are historically bad coming out of the bye. And of course, Plaxico Burress has been benched for that game. Fortunately for the G-men, Seattle's lone win has come against the St. Louis Rams.
New England Patriots: Every single team in the league right now has to be fired up to go and play a game in Gillette Stadium after watching the Pats and more importantly, Bill Belichick, shovel down a huge slice of humble pie courtesy of a team that had lost 17 of its last 18 heading into that game. I can't believe that I almost forgot that karma has a tendency to hit in threes. The Super Bowl loss despite being heralded as the best team in the history of the NFL, 18-0, and double-digit favorites was the first strike, and damn was that one hell of a blow in itself.
But low and behold, Bill Belichick would underestimate just how much the karma gods appreciate class in football, and just how much they dislike teams that go for it on fourth down with a lead greater than two scores late in the fourth quarter, but do not have the gut to do it against teams that play them well. Just minutes into the season opener in New England, Bill Belichick would lose the one player with whom he has seen all of his success as a head coach in Tom Brady. Then came the loss to Miami, but it was not just a loss. It was a 25 point blowout, and now the Patriots are en route to missing the playoffs. It turns out that the karma gods love the NFL, and Bill Belichick is painfully learning the repercussions of attempting to spite the league with poor sportsmanship.
Indianapolis Colts: Well, Peyton Manning has apparently decided to feel what it's like to be a human being in this world, first requiring knee surgery and not looking his old self upon his return. Well, almost human, considering that his claim to the second longest active starts streak in the NFL is still in place. The Colts are beaten and bruised, and they need this bye week in a bad way. It's easy to forget that a key reason the Colts passing attack has been so potent in previous years is due to the solid running game that supplements it. Addai and Rhodes have been virtually non-existent, and the blocking has just been awful with all of the injuries on the line. Bob Sanders is out again, and the Colts can't win games with a good deal of their talent on the sidelines.
Miami Dolphins: If one 1-2 team looks to be heading in the right direction, it's the Miami Dolphins. They show that they can play some serious ball when they establish a running game. They did that against the Patriots in week three, and with underrated quarterback Chad Pennington taking the snaps, the 'Phins looked really good. How good will they be? Well, with a division whose only legitimate threat is the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins could sneak up and grab a wildcard spot. Likely? Probably not. But, despite the fact that a large number of analysts ever so desperately want Favre to succeed in 2008, if there is going to be a story of a veteran quarterback making a comeback in the AFC East, it will be Chad Pennington. Don't sleep on the Dolphins in a conference that has suddenly reversed roles with its NFC counterpart, and will certainly have a 9-7 wilcard team or two.
Seattle Seahawks: Things are looking rough on the preseason NFC West favorite. If I recall correctly, Adam Schein wrote an article something to the tune of how tough Seattle was, as a team that gets overlooked. That was the first sign of troubles to come. This team is in rough shape with injuries, with their only win coming against a hapless St. Louis Rams team that got outscored in the previous two weeks by a whopping 79-16. Great news for Seattle, as they play the defending champion Giants coming off of the bye. The NFC West is looking once again like Kurt Warner's house, and the best part about that is that he is an Arizona Cardinal.
Detroit Lions: Detriot is 0-3, so no, no 10 win guarantees being tossed around by Jon Kitna. Jon Kitna played the karma game last year and lost. The 6-2 Giants met the 6-2 Lions in Detroit. The Lions went on to lose that game 16-10, though Jon Kitna was quick to say that the better team had lost the contest. That's a no-no. Michael Strahan's reaction was priceless though, stating that he felt the Lions were the worst 6-2 team he had ever played. Karma smiled upon the 15 year gap-toothed veteran. The Lions won one game over their next seven. The Giants made history.
Matt Millen's gone, but you can almost hear the Sweet Child O' Mine lyrics ringing in the background. "Where do we go now? Ooh, where do we go?". Millen's gone, but Detroit is still Detroit. Detroit fans deserve a little better. As funny as it may be for Detroit to continue as the perennial laughing stock of the NFL, it's time for them to pass the buck.
