lordy, which of the early games are the networks going with? regional coverage aside, four of the early games feature teams that haven't won a game yet. only baltimore at cleveland has the slightest chance of having any real playoff implications, & that's only if you give the cleveland browns a snowball's chance in hell of being around come playoff time. & why anyone would do that given the history of the last forty years is beyond me.
now, i've been busy moving & re-settling & such, so i haven't been able to catch the first few weeks. i rarely do anyway, so it's not like i'm missing out. but someone needs to explain to me how my saints are off to the worst start in the nfl. this is a team that was a catch away from the superbowl last year. at least they still sit above the atlanta falcons, whose fans are cheering for the braves to stretch the season out long enough for them to start cheering for the thrashers & hawks & pretend that they don't have any idea what people are talking about when the subject of their nfl team comes up. vick? that's an odd name for a football player...
the early game that might be the most fun to watch is the cowboys hosting the rams. for reasons beyond my ability to understand football, tony romo has the cowboys out of the gate faster than any other team... & it's usually great starts like these that are derailed by a team busting its ass to avoid going 0-4 & being out of the playoff picture before october.
as for the mid-day games, the 3-0 colts having shaken the choker label for a few months must now set out to stake their claim on another title hosting the broncos in a potential afc playoff matchup. the new choker-kids, my beloved san diego chargers, meanwhile, must try to get their new coach back on track hosting the hated kansas city chiefs in another potential afc playoff matchup. the future of the division could hinge on this weekend. for the hell of it, i'll take indy & san diego.
likewise the sunday night game features another in the ongoing eagles-giants battle. with the cowboys running away, games like these make the difference between making the playoffs & not. the result of the game will be a subject of some discussion in three months, one way or the other. for the hell of it, i'll take the giants.
& having taken three home teams, i can now take my road win... & i'll take the patriots in cincinnati on monday night. my bengals, like my chargers (& my saints, who've picked a good time to get a bye week. teams always come strong out of the bye week), have slumped out of the gate & will be looking to avoid letting another season slip through the bars of their holding cells. but the patriots are the patriots, only now they've got randy moss.
i know it's early in the year yet, as a closing point, but i must say i don't much like the looks of my san diego - new orleans superbowl...