This year, as any true NFL fan will tell you has been a roller coaster ride for a lot of teams as well as their fans. This has been a year of ups and downs. In the season, we are seeing the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs suddenly remember how to play football while the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings seem to have forgotten completely.
They are not the only teams that have been a huge disappointment. Well, I guess as an Eagles fan it isn't that disappointing, but for some, the thought of the Detroit Lions having a better record than the Dallas Cowboys is something that is worse than death. What happened to these teams? Playoff contenders and guys who have made great strides in the last few years and now they are among the worst in the league?
For the Cowboys, a lot of people might tell you that it is because Romo is injured and out for the season. Really? That is the reason you can't win? Your quarterback goes down in week 7 and he is the reason you are 1-7. It is a reasonable argument as many Cowboys fans don't actually know anything about football, but for people who actually know what they are talking about, that doesn't make sense. So they get rid of Wade Phillips next. We will see if this has any impact at all, but it seems that every time I see Dallas play, they look deflated. They know they won't make the playoffs this year. They are under a scary looking Giants team, an Eagles squad that looked to have no future until Kevin Kolb got hurt and Mike Vick saved the day and out of nowhere they are a threat, and a rebuilding Redskins team with a new coach and a fantastic quarterback in Donovan McNabb (excuse the bias from an Eagles fan praising McNabb). The chances of them climbing back into the race against any of the teams in that division are slim to none. It might just be time to do some house cleaning on the team and start over Jerry!
What about the Cardinals and Vikings? What's their story? The Cards don't seem to have the same excitement behind them after losing Kurt Warner. The players know it, the fans know it and the people like me who don't even live near Arizona know it. They have 3 no name quarterbacks that they can rely on with Derek Anderson leading the charge. Wow, if that doesn't spell excitement, nothing does. They have a lot of the same guys that made them a dangerous team other than Warner and Anquan Bolden but those are some big names to lose. As for the Vikings, there is a much simpler answer. During the off season, they should have spent more time practicing instead of chasing down an over the hill quarterback who should have retired 6 times by now. Come on, those cell phone photos? You are too old for that stuff Favre. Get your head in the game. You can barely grip yourself much less a football. Get it together and just retire already. The world is sick of you and you have ruined your legacy. Congratulations!
As mentioned earlier, the Eagles have come out of nowhere this year. I just wouldn't feel right doing a football article without talking about my birds. All signs during the preseason left a lot of people in Philly scratching their heads and wondering if they should even get their gear out of the closet. They released half of the team including our hero out of Villanova; Brian Westbrook, and the man who had the city on his back for his entire career; Donovan McNabb. We all felt betrayed by the coaching staff and the ownership after letting these 2 as well as many of our other big names leave us.
Let's focus on the QB spot for a second. You send our franchise QB to another team...and not just ANY other team, but a division rival? Are you kidding me? If you are going to be cheap and stupid about keeping him at least send him to the AFC where he won't hurt you! So in comes Kevin Kolb. The prophecy speaks of a young quarterback with 2 good games since being drafted in 2007. Wait, that wasn't a prophecy at all, it was a fat coach who doesn't use his head in any situation. I swear if a zombie went for his brains he would starve. Anyway, something amazing happened for the team when the "bright new future of the Eagles" went down with a concussion. Mike Vick actually got a chance to play...and not just for one or two drives, but an entire half. Guess who lights it up and gets to stay in even after Kolb is healthy. Finally, Andy makes a decision that benefits the team. Vick gets hurt against the 'Skins and Kolb comes back in. He doesn't play too bad for the time being, but a real fan wants an established player under center regardless. Vick comes back and dismantles Manning and the Colts after the bye.
So as you can see, the league is not the only thing with crazy roller coaster type ups and downs. Teams are going through the same thing. What worries me, and most NFL fans, is the fact that we might not get to see our game next season. They are going to make such a wild ride year this year and then possibly pull the rug out from under us? That doesn't seem fair. I think I speak for all of us when I say "Please work something out because it is going to be a long bunch of months if we don't have our football".
As always, thanks for reading...and remember
Those who can't play must judge like a pro.
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