Wassup y'all, welcome to November. I have to say that for me, this is a great month. Not only is my birthday in November, but so is Thanksgiving - another football playing holiday. Ahh, the best kind! Besides those perks, the games this month really give direction to the seasons of most teams in the league. I like to think of it as judgement month. The midpoint of the NFL schedule has come to pass, and I would like to make a few observations on the season:
--First of all, I think we all can agree that The Green Bay Packers are the best team in football. They are the league's only undefeated team, the defending Super Bowl Champs, and playing with a swagger that suggests that they know this is their moment. The weird thing is, how on earth could an undefeated reigning Super Bowl Champ be getting so little attention? Advantage, Green Bay. This is their football league (and Lombardi Trophy) to lose.
--Secondly, who will emerge to take the AFC? We know who the best team is in the NFC; but the other conference is up for grabs. It could be Baltimore, New England, Pittsburgh, San Diego, or none of these. Maybe Houston? Tennessee?? Someone we haven't even considered yet? Sure. I have concluded that this year's American Football Conference champ will be determined by the hottest team going into the last weeks of the season and playoffs. I really won't give too much weight to the playoff seedings this year.
--Thirdly, who the hell is the worst team in the NFL? I had thought that it was the St. Louis Rams for a time, even though that was unfair: they have played BY FAR the toughest schedule in the league to this point. Just look at their first 8 opponents. Unbelievable! But with that said, they aren't the worst. So who is? Indianapolis? Miami? Denver? Now is too early to tell, which is funny because usually the worst team has made itself known by now. Strange.
--The Tebow thing defies all reasonable explanation. [Full Disclosure Here: I never liked the guy] How on earth does that sap get more national press than a)The Green Bay Packers b)Cam Newton c)The Denver Broncos! Maybe it just seems that way. But whatever the explanation is, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. He ain't a polished quarterback, should never have been taken in the 1st round (sidebar; anyone that ever gives Josh Mcdaniels a Head Coaching job again should be shot), and does not have the talent to play quarterback in the NFL. John Fox knows this, and I believe he wisely plays him now rather than later, to shut the fans out there up. Once they see for a month how bad that sonbitch is, they'll shut the fuck up and let Fox restore that franchise to it's rightful stature. Maybe.
--The dude who really is worth the hype is Cam Newton. Cam Newton is awesome! I'm a fan!! And I don't say this lightly; I stick with my team and my team only. I've coveted other teams' players before, but this is different. The way he abuses NFL defenses is absolutely amazing...and he's a rookie! The best line I have heard to date on this Phenom QB is that he is a "once in a generation quarterback". No doubt he will be the unanimous rookie of the year. And he's just getting started. 'Nuff said.
--I truly believe that Peyton Manning will never play another down of pro football. I have nothing against him, but the Indy brain trust knows something and they ain't sayin what it is. Last I heard, he was due back by the end of the season. Before that, they kept revising his status downwards towards the worst. Remember, during the summer he was just sitting out meaningless preseason ballgames. Then he might miss the opener. Remember that? Something's up.
--The League has entered it's next transition phase. Every 10-12 years or so, the NFL reaches a stage where the teams all seem to be jumbled together, with no distinct elite teams. The longtime contenders still Win, but to the trained eye, they don't look as good as they used to. Most times, it's because they are in decline. Sometimes, it's that their division(s) have caught up to them. Also, there's a vaccum waiting to get filled by the next group of perrenial contenders. This vaccum can exist for up to three years - long enough to sort out the reorganization. It's clear that there is one great team in football right now. That is the defending Super Bowl Champions. They're a young, talented, veteran team that's well coached and going to seriously contend for quite awhile. The question is, do they have any legitimate threat to their dominance? Not yet.
These are just a few things that I've observed in the league at the halfway point. And it is indeed safe to say that like usual (with a tiny number of exceptions), everybody's still in it. It will be really interesting to see what the climax of this year's football season portends.
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