Trip Observations
I went to NYC over the weekend for a wedding. It was a good time. We were staying at the Millennium Hilton, which is literally right next to Ground Zero, which was a weird and kind of sad location for a wedding 5 years to the week after 9/11. We could see the whole area from our room, and it brought back some sad memories. The protestors were organizing this morning as Bush was about to come in as I was leaving. The wedding itself was really nice. I love New York, and haven't spent much time in the city since college, which is a shame. I was able to hang out with some friends in the city, which was fun. We headed down to Times Square and I walked around Manhattan a while. On the flight back today as I was going through security who should I see but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This is not someone you miss in an airport, and I actually had him identified just based on his frame and complexion before I even saw his face. He didn't look in the greatest mood so I didn't bother him. I also read Superstar Billy Graham's book on the plane, and I highly recommend it. Very interesting stuff and he has a fascinating story. I caught the Bengals-Chiefs game in the airport, and man I can understand why Chiefs fans are down on Herm Edwards right now. Chiefs looked awful. I text messaged a friend "Trent Green's going to die" right before he got knocked out of the game in a violent fashion, because he had scrambled out of the pocket under extreme pressure on like three straight plays. Sounds like a fun opening weekend of football, but I haven't seen the highlights yet. Nice to see the Rams get an impressive first victory. Not looking like such a bad pick, eh?
posted by Todd Martin at 10:37 PM
9 Comments:
By impressive you mean winning on 6 Jeff Wilkins' field goals and unable to punch it into the end zone OR ???
Yeah, I've been on the Rams bandwagon, think they'll be this year's Bears, (who else can win in that division besides the Seahawks? Cardinals are overrated again and the Niners...well, yeah), but it wasn't an "impressive" win. More encouraging, because it means they should be able to win with their D if the offense struggles.
Granted, I didn't see the game, but they controlled the clock and controlled the yardage game against one of the most balanced teams in the league. I don't view kicking field goals over scoring touchdowns as a huge problem. Touchdowns will come if you're able to move the ball passing and rushing, which they did.
Denver got crushed last year in week one against Miami, losing a tight one to the dreadful Rams is just as bad. Maybe it takes Mike Shanahan until week two to find the latest anonymity to run for 1,200 yards in his system. Also, the Chiefs looked terrible at home thus punching all kinds of holes into the convention that the AFC West is football's best division. I'm not abandoning that idea based on two games of action, but those two results were really surprising, not that anyone in San Diego is complaining.
All in all, a strange week with the Rams, Cardinals (granted vs. the 49ers), Jets and Saints all winning while the Lions and Bills came close to big upsets.
I hadn't heard anyone claiming the AFC West as football's best division, especially with the terrible Raiders led by arguably the league's worst coach in Art Shell, who makes Herm Edwards look like a shrewd clock manager. The consensus seemed to be the NFC East (and that's with most pundits inexplicably expecting the Eagles to be doormats), with the NFC South being second, and some rumbles here and there for the AFC North.
It cannot be an NFC division; I'd need to see some evidence countering the AFC supremacy that has been present over the past few years. For instance, The AFC West went 9-7 vs. the NFC East last year; the AFC won the overall head-to-head as well. Both the NFC East and AFC West had 36 wins last year, most in football. Finally, Football Outsiders' projection system has all four AFC West teams to win 8 games or more so all that was my basis for that claim.
The Redskins, Eagles, Cowboys and Giants are all glamour teams. It's understandable that they would get a lot of hype. But yeah, I have heard the most about the NFC East and South being the best divisions in football. Doesn't make it right, just makes it the common perception.
But yeah, I have heard the most about the NFC East and South being the best divisions in football. Doesn't make it right, just makes it the common perception.
Exactly. It's hard to break convention when few people support the convention. The consensus is that the NFC East is the best division, even if we don't agree with it. And last year's W/L is irrelevant for determining this year's best. AFC West may have gone 9-7 against the NFC East, but that was with Drew Brees not Phillip Rivers, Collins and Turner not Brooks/Walter and Shell, Vermeil not Edwards, no Javon Walker all in the AFC West, plus respective changes in the NFC East.
I've never heard of Football Outsider, but it must go on statistical history for players, because the Raiders are going nowhere with Shell at the helm and a penalty prone offensive line.
Herm Edwards and Art Shell will battle twice a year to determine who wears the crown as the NFL's worst coach.
Does it get any better?
Denis Gorman
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