MERRIMAN OUT IN S.D., MORE BAD NEWS FOR THE PACK & WHO'S REALLY IN TROUBLE RIGHT NOW IN THE NFL?
The Chargers announced this morning they were placing OLB Shawne Merriman on the "reserve injured list with a minor injury designation." What does that mean? This description was new to me too. Merriman will be released after a 6-week waiting period to make certain he is back to perfect health. The former NFL defensive player of the year had fallen out of favor with San Diego two years ago when he held out for a contract extension which the Chargers finally gave him. Since then, he's been injured over & over & when Merriman has played, he hasn't resembled the player that won all the defensive accolades. Someone will grab him for the stretch run hoping he can put a charge into the defense & play his ass off for a new contract.
Green Bay received more bad news about their budding star at tight end, Jermichael Finley. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus & the surgeons made a decision to fix everything wrong with his knee. This is great news for Finley, but it will keep him off the field for 8-10 weeks instead of the 3-4 week timetable forecast before the operation. Good for Finley, I've had this work done in 2001 & I'm damn glad my surgeon did the complete job, 5 different procedures in all. My knee hasn't bothered me in the slightest since.But the fact remains, Finley had become QB Aaron Rodgers' go-to receiver & he will be missed.
If you read my posts in the last couple of days, you know I have a serious problem with the college football polls & the BCS. I made my case for why Ohio State was ranked #1 & how wrong I thought it was. Today, in his SI.com column, lead college football writer, Stewart Mandel was asked why Ohio State was now #1 & not Oregon. His response was:
"First of all there's a very simple reason why Ohio State is #1, the Buckeyes had been #2 in the preseason polls. They've won all of their games & the team in front of them lost."
So whether or not the Buckeyes are really the best team in the nation, they're #1, almost by default. Jeff Sagarin, whose computer poll is one of those used by the BCS, ranked Ohio State's strength of schedule 117th in the nation. This why you may see Ohio State somewhere other than #1 in Sunday's first BCS Poll. By the way Sagarin mentioned Oklahoma was 15th in strength of schedule(SOS), much higher than any team ranked ahead of them. Ohio State travels to Madison to play Wisconsin, the slowest ranked team I've ever seen. This could very well be one of the lamer games to view this Saturday evening, especially with all the hype it will receive.
The first quarter of the NFL season is complete for every team including those with a bye. So who is truly in trouble, the teams with very high expectations & less than expected results.
1. Dallas
The very highest of expectations, an owner who constantly meddles where he shouldn't. A coach who is too laid back for a team full of "individuals." A quarterback so inconsistent & seemingly O.K. with it. A QB who forces the ball too much. A portion of the roster that really isn't performing at an NFL level that was O.K.'d by the owner/GM. Stupid penalty after stupid penalty & very poor offensive line play. The Super Bowl would have been a home game for the Cowboys, it will be played on their home field, but they won't be a part of it. They won't even make the playoffs.
2. Minnesota
Way too much of this team has been thrown together long after the roster should have been solidified. Flying to Hattiesburg to convince Favre to play, Sidney Rice waiting until the season started to have hip surgery, Jared Allen has been almost invisible this year, questionable communications between the coach & head coach & now this voicemail/texting mess with Favre & a former Jets' sideline hostess. Sunday could very well be the "Elimination Bowl" between #1 Dallas & #2 Minnesota, in Minnesota. I think the Vikes will prevail, they are playing with more passion right now.
3. San Francisco
Any argument with this? Mike Singletary's team finds new ways to lose. They were defeated by New Orleans by 3, Atlanta by 2 & Philadelphia by 3. Yes, they were clubbed by Seattle & Kansas City, but this team has just found new ways to lose. Plenty of turnovers, penalties & sloppy tackling. It's difficult to watch a Singletary team miss tackles. There's plenty of blame to go around starting with the head coach & going all the way down to the kicker. The NFC West is the worst in the league, if Frisco can right the ship, a 7-9 record just might win this division. How pathetic would that be?
4. Cincinnati
In third place in a brutal division, the Bengals are in serious trouble & you can start with QB Carson Palmer. He is a shell of the QB he was before his knee injury in the 2006 playoffs. He is awful right now. Other than T.O. & RB Cedric Benson, he isn't getting a lot of help. Chad "85" isn't producing at all, the offensive line has been on-again-off-again & their special teams are terrible. I don't see anyway this Cincinnati team, that swept thru this division last season, will make the playoffs.
5. San Diego
The worst special teams in the National Football League, not even close. They've given up 30 points, 4 touchdowns & a safety. They lost all three games, against teams(Seattle,Kansas City & Oakland) they were expected to beat. Ridiculous penalties & a surprisingly sub-par running game has made QB Phillip Rivers' task much more difficult. Norv Turner is starting to bristle at the considerable criticism leveled at him & his team. The Chargers have owned this division for 6 of the past 8 seasons but the emergence of Kansas City just might stop that dominance. The Chiefs have a far easier schedule & they aren't throwing games away like their counterparts from San Diego.
6. Green Bay
My NFC Super Bowl pick made this list simply because they have been racked by injuries. RB Ryan Grant, SS Morgan Burnett, ILB Nick Barnett, NT Kris Jenkins & now TE Jermichael Finley, all starters, will miss substantial playing time or all of the season. Cornerback Al Harris was placed on the PUP list to start the season, so he won't be eligible to play for a few more weeks. The league's leading sacker, OLB Clay Mathews, pulled his hamstring last Sunday & how long he will be sidelined is yet to be determined. QB Aaron Rodgers sustained a concussion on the last Packer snap in overtime & his status in also unknown for this week. My guess is he will not play. If most of these guys were healthy, the Pack would still be a solid Super Bowl pick, but now it's really up in the air.
7. New Orleans
Super Bowl hangover, injuries at the running back position resulting in a much less productive ground game, fewer takeaways from an opportunistic defense that led the league in 2009 & having everyone on their schedule gearing up to beat them. Whipping the champs is always a big deal, especially to the middle of the pack teams. Drew Brees looks mortal, he's throwing interceptions with some of the blame going to an ineffective running game. Poor return game with Reggie Bush sidelined has resulted in poorer field position. The Saints have had to drive further to even get to the redzone. Because of disappointing seasons in Dallas, Minnesota & the injury mess in Green Bay, the Saints will probably squeeze into the playoffs, but it's not going to be an easy task.
Green Bay received more bad news about their budding star at tight end, Jermichael Finley. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus & the surgeons made a decision to fix everything wrong with his knee. This is great news for Finley, but it will keep him off the field for 8-10 weeks instead of the 3-4 week timetable forecast before the operation. Good for Finley, I've had this work done in 2001 & I'm damn glad my surgeon did the complete job, 5 different procedures in all. My knee hasn't bothered me in the slightest since.But the fact remains, Finley had become QB Aaron Rodgers' go-to receiver & he will be missed.
If you read my posts in the last couple of days, you know I have a serious problem with the college football polls & the BCS. I made my case for why Ohio State was ranked #1 & how wrong I thought it was. Today, in his SI.com column, lead college football writer, Stewart Mandel was asked why Ohio State was now #1 & not Oregon. His response was:
"First of all there's a very simple reason why Ohio State is #1, the Buckeyes had been #2 in the preseason polls. They've won all of their games & the team in front of them lost."
So whether or not the Buckeyes are really the best team in the nation, they're #1, almost by default. Jeff Sagarin, whose computer poll is one of those used by the BCS, ranked Ohio State's strength of schedule 117th in the nation. This why you may see Ohio State somewhere other than #1 in Sunday's first BCS Poll. By the way Sagarin mentioned Oklahoma was 15th in strength of schedule(SOS), much higher than any team ranked ahead of them. Ohio State travels to Madison to play Wisconsin, the slowest ranked team I've ever seen. This could very well be one of the lamer games to view this Saturday evening, especially with all the hype it will receive.
The first quarter of the NFL season is complete for every team including those with a bye. So who is truly in trouble, the teams with very high expectations & less than expected results.
1. Dallas
The very highest of expectations, an owner who constantly meddles where he shouldn't. A coach who is too laid back for a team full of "individuals." A quarterback so inconsistent & seemingly O.K. with it. A QB who forces the ball too much. A portion of the roster that really isn't performing at an NFL level that was O.K.'d by the owner/GM. Stupid penalty after stupid penalty & very poor offensive line play. The Super Bowl would have been a home game for the Cowboys, it will be played on their home field, but they won't be a part of it. They won't even make the playoffs.
2. Minnesota
Way too much of this team has been thrown together long after the roster should have been solidified. Flying to Hattiesburg to convince Favre to play, Sidney Rice waiting until the season started to have hip surgery, Jared Allen has been almost invisible this year, questionable communications between the coach & head coach & now this voicemail/texting mess with Favre & a former Jets' sideline hostess. Sunday could very well be the "Elimination Bowl" between #1 Dallas & #2 Minnesota, in Minnesota. I think the Vikes will prevail, they are playing with more passion right now.
3. San Francisco
Any argument with this? Mike Singletary's team finds new ways to lose. They were defeated by New Orleans by 3, Atlanta by 2 & Philadelphia by 3. Yes, they were clubbed by Seattle & Kansas City, but this team has just found new ways to lose. Plenty of turnovers, penalties & sloppy tackling. It's difficult to watch a Singletary team miss tackles. There's plenty of blame to go around starting with the head coach & going all the way down to the kicker. The NFC West is the worst in the league, if Frisco can right the ship, a 7-9 record just might win this division. How pathetic would that be?
4. Cincinnati
In third place in a brutal division, the Bengals are in serious trouble & you can start with QB Carson Palmer. He is a shell of the QB he was before his knee injury in the 2006 playoffs. He is awful right now. Other than T.O. & RB Cedric Benson, he isn't getting a lot of help. Chad "85" isn't producing at all, the offensive line has been on-again-off-again & their special teams are terrible. I don't see anyway this Cincinnati team, that swept thru this division last season, will make the playoffs.
5. San Diego
The worst special teams in the National Football League, not even close. They've given up 30 points, 4 touchdowns & a safety. They lost all three games, against teams(Seattle,Kansas City & Oakland) they were expected to beat. Ridiculous penalties & a surprisingly sub-par running game has made QB Phillip Rivers' task much more difficult. Norv Turner is starting to bristle at the considerable criticism leveled at him & his team. The Chargers have owned this division for 6 of the past 8 seasons but the emergence of Kansas City just might stop that dominance. The Chiefs have a far easier schedule & they aren't throwing games away like their counterparts from San Diego.
6. Green Bay
My NFC Super Bowl pick made this list simply because they have been racked by injuries. RB Ryan Grant, SS Morgan Burnett, ILB Nick Barnett, NT Kris Jenkins & now TE Jermichael Finley, all starters, will miss substantial playing time or all of the season. Cornerback Al Harris was placed on the PUP list to start the season, so he won't be eligible to play for a few more weeks. The league's leading sacker, OLB Clay Mathews, pulled his hamstring last Sunday & how long he will be sidelined is yet to be determined. QB Aaron Rodgers sustained a concussion on the last Packer snap in overtime & his status in also unknown for this week. My guess is he will not play. If most of these guys were healthy, the Pack would still be a solid Super Bowl pick, but now it's really up in the air.
7. New Orleans
Super Bowl hangover, injuries at the running back position resulting in a much less productive ground game, fewer takeaways from an opportunistic defense that led the league in 2009 & having everyone on their schedule gearing up to beat them. Whipping the champs is always a big deal, especially to the middle of the pack teams. Drew Brees looks mortal, he's throwing interceptions with some of the blame going to an ineffective running game. Poor return game with Reggie Bush sidelined has resulted in poorer field position. The Saints have had to drive further to even get to the redzone. Because of disappointing seasons in Dallas, Minnesota & the injury mess in Green Bay, the Saints will probably squeeze into the playoffs, but it's not going to be an easy task.
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