We're half way home on the 2005 NFL season and what a weird one its been.
The Eagles and Pats aren't as scary as they used to be, the Giants are good, and then there's that whole NFC North mess.
But is there a weirder division than the NFC West? Not standings wise, but story wise? You have the 49ers who will start Cody Pickett, the Cardinals crumbling under the expectations of this season, and now the Rams have their second head coach have heart problems.
As weird as it might sound, the most normal team is Seattle. There seem to be no troubles coming into the season's second half (other than Shaun Alexander still unsigned). The team is playing well, there's no side stories coming out of Kirkland, and all is well.
Time to get to it...
The standings:
Seattle 5-2 (2-0)
St. Louis 4-4 (1-2)
Arizona 2-5 (1-2)
San Fransisco 2-5 (1-1)
Saint Louis Rams
Last week: 24-21 win over Jacksonville
Threat to win the division: Medium
The skinny: The Rams get an upgrade this week because, in this stretch of games they were supposed to lose, they won. No Bulger, Bruce, Holt, or Little was supposed to mean a 2-6 start to the season. Instead, Jamie Martin and co. get the Rams to .500 using a running game (gasp) and even more surprising, actually good defense.
Last week against the Saints, the Rams trailed 14-0 early. The defense kept them in it until the offense figured out a way to score. And that offense will find ways to score.
Now, the Rams have a week off to get healthy and prepare for the Seahawks. The arsenal will be full at Qwest Field in two weeks.
This week: Bye
Arizona Cardinals
Last week: 34-13 loss to Dallas
Threat to win division: Low
Talk about desperation time in the desert. If Arizona loses to the Seahawks on Sunday they can have no better than a .500 record in the division, and will have been swept by Seattle. (The same goes for the Rams in two weeks).
When Drew Bledsoe throws for more yards than your offensive gained all together, what does that speak the loudest about? Your defense, for giving up 220 yards through the air, or your offense that could generate only 213 yards.
On the bright side, if Neil Rackers doesn't make the Pro Bowl something's up. He had a 52 and 47 yarder in the loss to Dallas. He hasn't missed a kick all season, and has made 11 from 40 yards out.
And how bad is it when the only person on the team worth talking about is the kicker?
This week: vs. Seattle
San Fransisco 49ers
Last week: 15-10 win over Tampa Bay
Threat to win the division: Low
The skinny: Here's a stat: 9-6. Thats the combined record of San Fran's two victims, St. louis and Tampa Bay.
The 49ers might be the biggest example of parody in the NFL. This is a terrible team, yet they are tied for third in the division, and have two quality wins (looking record wise)
And now...they are led by Cody Pickett. Pickett was a good college qb, but I wasn't even aware he was in the NFL...ever. He was 4th on the depth chart two weeks ago, a place sometimes filled by punters. I still think they give Rattay the short end of the stick.
Not much to say about the 49ers except...don't overlook them.
This week: vs New York Giant
Enjoy the games,
Alan
As always, well done Alan.
ReplyDeleteFirst, let's talk about the Cards. Marion Barber, the second string RB for Dallas ran up down and sideways on them last week, so I'm sure Shaun is licking his chops. I have a high degree of confidence that we shed our bye-week-curse this year.
Second, the Rams. I was worried that when Mrs. Doubtfire left the team that it could be a bad omen...for us...and it seems to be turning out that way. Joe Vitt has been focusing more on the run, and with good cause, having Bulger, Bruce and Holt dinged up. Steven Jackson seems to be the real deal.
All that being said, having them entering their bye week could work to our favor. Sure, Holt, Bruce and the Scarecrow may be mended by our game, but that means they may focus more on the passing game, which wasn't that good even when all three were healthy at the beginning of the year.
The 49ers, well, let's just hope they keep on sucking! They may have beat at 5-1 team this week, but that team got to be 5-1 behind Brian Greise, NOT Chris Simms! Also, 5 FGs won't cut it against the high powered Seahawks offense, as long as we keep taking care of the ball and limiting our turnovers.
Basically, I cannot wait for the first snap of the game on Sunday, so we can get back on the road to Detroit, and stop getting all misty over our press clippings and NFL rankings.
The bye week has given us all too much unoccupied time to get giddy over how well we're doing, and how soft the upcoming schedule appears, which is the easiest way to build complacency and come out soft in a game we're supposed to dominate.
I still don't believe that will happen, but I can't wait until we're on the field again, so we can stop speculating and start experiencing the power and finesse of this year's team again.
Posted by alba
same question I have...
ReplyDeletejust more defensive stops for us I guess...
its annoying the Rams have learned they have running backs in the NFL...
just a curiousity question...
What would happen if we used Walter Jones at DT?...I wonder...
Posted by adp
Why not use Matt as a nickle-back while you're at it?
ReplyDeleteNo sense chancing getting Big Walt hurt by playing him on the other side of the ball, we need him protecting Matt's backside (pun intended!).
Now, if you really wnt to use him creatively, let's put him in as a blocking back in short yardage situations, ala The Fridge.
Posted by alba
hey hey hey...just a curiousity question! Nothing more!
ReplyDeletePosted by adp
Curiosity killed the LT. :D
ReplyDeletePosted by Vinnyhawkalugi
Hey, when you have a top 10 defense, you don't need to add any more players!
ReplyDeletePosted by check
If the Lambs get back to medium, can the Whiners at least get dropped to impossible? Fat chance? Vitt had a procedure Monday on his heart, what do they eat down there? They should try some fish, or chicken, seriously. St. Louis running is disturbing. Be better off using Chop as a blocking back, keep Walt in position. Speaking of Chop, he won best nickname in the NFL on a NFL films presents thing I saw yesterday on NFL network. No link, and frankly not important, but it is a cool football player nickname, Human Joystick, Big Game, not so much.
ReplyDeletePosted by JoSCh
what about 'Josh Tears Of McCown'...lol
ReplyDeletehate it so much i hard trouble typing it...
Posted by adp
I can't decide if I enjoy Berman, or hate him. Sometimes... then sometimes not so much.
ReplyDeletePosted by JoSCh
Berman and his nicknames are like seasoning, a little can enhance the meal, too much can ruin it.
ReplyDeletePosted by alba