Written by Robby Carriger
So, I just watched the opening Sunday of the 2009 NFL season, and there are a handful of things I can tell you for sure.
1. Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson are ridiculous. 2. Mark Sanchez looked good; Matthew Stafford, not so much. 3. 38-year-old Kurt Warner finally looked his age. 4. My fantasy team is awful. 5. The Lions and Rams are worse.
Beyond those five thoughts, there is not much else I can say for sure about this season. The Giants, Cowboys, Patriots, Colts and Steelers will all once again be good, so we don’t really need to address that. With that said, here are some teams that may surprise you this year and the ones that will leave you disappointed.
Jump on the Bandwagon Now
New York Jets – Does anyone else feel like Mark Sanchez is the reincarnation of A.C. Slater? The rookie looked like a seasoned veteran against the Texans in his NFL regular season debut. If he is able to play that solidly all season long, the Jets may be poised to make a playoff run. That is, if they can win the big homecoming game against Valley.
Seattle Seahawks – People forget that this was a really good football team just a couple years ago. A very forgettable 2008 soured people on Seattle, but with Matt Hasselbeck finally healthy, the Seahawks actually may surprise people. The acquisitions of Julius Jones and T.J. Houshmandzadeh created a potentially explosive offense, and now Edgerrin James adds his name to the list of more than 30 superstars in Seattle. But seriously, with the NFC West looking more like the NFC Weak, it may be an easy road to the playoffs for the Seahawks.
Chicago Bears – Yes, I know Jay Cutler looked absolutely awful against Green Bay. I am chalking that up to jitters, seeing as it was his Bears debut against the hated Packers, a nerve-racking game for anyone. And I have no issue with pushing my favorite team. I am wearing a Jay Cutler shirt as I write this.
But seriously, if Cutler settles in, the combination of him and Matt Forte should be dangerous. Devin Hester looks like he may actually turn out to be a decent receiver, and the defense looked really good. OK, so maybe I am trying to convince myself more than I am those of you reading this … more on the Bears later.
Don’t get our hopes up
Arizona Cardinals – They came within a minute of winning the Super Bowl last season, and with their receiving corps they should still be taken seriously. However, the odds of Warner actually coming remotely close to repeating his 2008 form are slim to none, and a handful of unproven running backs means Warner will have to be the deciding factor for Arizona this season. I just really cannot see it happening again for the Cards this year, especially after their showing against San Francisco.
Carolina Panthers – A headline in the Charlotte Observer after their season opening loss read “Delhomme, Panthers back in playoff form.” This of course is in reference to Carolina’s 20-point loss to Arizona in the playoffs last year, in which quarterback Jake Delhomme threw five interceptions and the Panthers gave up 33 consecutive points. Delhomme opened 2009 the same way, throwing for just 73 yards and four interceptions en route to being awarded player of the game by the Philadelphia Eagles. Even the rushing abilities of Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams will not be enough to save Carolina this year.
Houston Texans – A lot of people have the Texans as the sexy sleeper pick of this season, but they looked horrendous in their opener, and Steve Slaton not only killed my fantasy team but struggled mightily to get things going. In a division with the Colts and Jags, I do not think Houston is going to be able to keep up this year.
Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams – I couldn’t resist….
