Contenders Losing At Worst Possible Time

Losing brings out the worst in players and coaches in sports. If Kansas went 9-3 this season, nobody would have heard about anything bad Mangino did. But they were losing and people were looking for a way out. Now that the Colt's run at an undefeated season is over, everyone in the ESPN talk machine will question the rookie Head Coach's decision.

The ESPN talk machine is brutal. It makes everything the Yankees or Cowboys or Notre Dame do seem life or death. It made the Dontrelle Willis trade and signing the biggest story in baseball, and now he isn't even a solid Single A player. We know where Brett Favre is at every second. Sometimes its very tough to watch, and you always have to take it with a grain of salt. But casual fans watch it and believe its the gospel, and that is where you run into problems (if your friend ever says "hes a just a competitor" or "he knows how to win" they are victims of this.) I love ESPN but you have to think for yourself. Mel Kiper is a moron. Don't let anyone fool you.

Now that I had my rant, back to the NFL. The Saint have lost two in a row to the red hot (yeah I know!) Dallas Cowboys after seeming unbeatable. The Vikings have lost 3 of 4 (including losses to the Panthers and Bears) and the Colts lost to the Jets. The second best team in the AFC has to be the Chargers (who could be the first, since the have the Colt's number.) The Bengals are battling a lot off the field and may not have the offense to win a game. The wildcards in the AFC seem weak. I wouldn't be afraid to play the Dolphins, Jets, Ravens, Steelers etc. So with all the teams losing at the top, the bottom feeders in the AFC should look forward to having a chance of winning a game.

In the NFC, my preseason Super Bowl Champ (Green Bay) is really turning it on. They have a good young defense with a lock down corner. Their offense is explosive. Sometimes issues like the Steelers game (500+ yards of offense) and o line troubles (50+ Sacks allowed) could be killer in one game scenarios. The Saints and Vikings seem stronger, even with recent struggles. The Cardinals look like contenders again. The Cowboys and Eagles look very good going into the playoffs. If the Cowboys can win Sunday, they will be in amazing shape and on a great roll heading into crunch time. Now if they can win a playoff game. The NFC looks very very deep this year, when NFL parity has been attacked ruthlessly.

I stick by my San Diego vs. Green Bay Super Bowl. Favorites rarely win the Super Bowl and their is too much talent at the bottom for their not to be any upsets. This disappointing season could lead to an excellent round of playoffs.