NFL Week 5: McNabb's Queasy Stomach Thread

Speaking as a fanboi looser this time:

I can't believe how BAD the Cowboys looked. Do I give the Skins credit for winning yeah. But do I blame Dallas for having an insanely shitty gameplan on offense, you bet I do.

 

Emmitt Smith on ESPN radio ranked the NFL East as follows:
1. Giants
2. Redskins
3. Dallas - "because Westbrook is hurt."

Not saying I agree with him, but I thought it was funny.

 

Emmitt did that because when he was in Dallas he owned Washington and hated losing to them the rare chance they did.

 

Given the lack of quality in the other NFC divisions, I'd be surprised if both wild cards don't come out of the East.

 

For the second year in a row ...

 

I don't think the Skins are up-and-down at all, Sam. They looked bad the first week, but since then they've looked as good as anyone in the league, beating a decent Saints and a good Coboys team on the road in the process. I think they're for real. They seem to have bought into Zorn and his system.

 

I think the NFC may be better this year. With Brady going down killing the Pats, Indy struggling, the Steelers banged up, the Jags struggling, the Bengals and Browns absolutely sucking. And Denver and San Diego have terrible defenses.

Denver, Tennessee, San Diego, Indy, Baltimore and Pittsburgh are the best teams in my mind. And I can think of NFC counterparts that are just as good.

DENVER- DALLAS
TENNESSEE- WASHINGTON
SAN DEIGO- PHILLY
INDY-NEW YORK GIANTS
BALTIMORE- TAMPA BAY
PITTSBURGH-GREEN BAY

 

Given the recent developments in the AFC, the NFC is looking better and better.


Now, can we get this thread on track please...



Steelers anyone?
I'd comapre them to Jeff Gordon at Talladega. I ain't counting on a win, just survival.

 

This week, NFC seems to be the stronger league.

But that's the thing about the NFL; it changes every week.

Every week there are waves that bounce teams around, push them up and bring them down. All you can hope for is calm waters so your team can finish with a decent record and favorable seeding in the post season.

If you can win 11-12 games in this league, you are doing great.

All the Dallas game was just one win.

You move on and hope to tally one next week, and there is no way to predict who will be healthy or how the season will progress. You cannot start looking at the playoffs until week 12 or 13. Up until that point, all you can do is win two games every three weeks.

 

Interesting comparisons. I'm not sure if the AFC is the better conference any more. Outside of the Titans, the top AFC teams have all shown some cracks thus far, at least in part due to injuries.

The Patriots and Chargers took the biggest hits with Tom Brady and Shawne Merriman out for the season, but injuries have hit most of the other top teams as well. The Colts will be without Bob Sanders until November. The Jaguars are down two starters on the offensive line. The Steelers are missing two starters on the defensive line, they just lost their starting right guard on offense for the season and if they have one more game like the Monday nighter against the Ravens, they will be pulling people out of the stands to play running back.

Baltimore's defense looks outstanding, as does Denver's offense, but neither is a complete team. The Ravens look like they will struggle to score enough points and the Broncos can't stop anybody.

 

I think Dallas just had a brain fart on the offense. They'll be OK for the most part. Definitely a playoff team. I do think they need to be more worried about the defense. Lots of talent but it's more of a big play defense. They're not really stopping anyone.

I tend to think each of the NFC East teams will have at least three losses - splits with each of the division rivals. Getting swept could result in being the odd team out in the playoffs. That could very well be Philly if they don't get healthy on offense. The defense needs to be more consistent.

The Giants will likely be 5-0 by the time they play SF, and will probably win that one, though who knows. Pittsburgh a week later will be their first real test. I think we'll know how good they are when they play Baltimore, Philly and Dallas in consecutive weeks.

I don't know what to think about anyone else. I personally don't think Denver is very good, but that won't stop them from reaching the playoffs. I think they'll stumble here in the next couple of weeks but then they get to play Miami, Cleveland, Atlanta and Oakland in consecutive weeks.

Minnesota might be 1-4 at the end of this week. Amazing. Yet they're schedule doesn't get much easier. What a waste of a good defense. They'll be lucky to finish 8-8, which isn't getting them into the playoffs in the NFC.

 

Until Brady went down, the AFC had been far better for years.