Week 2 Thoughts

With Adam away, I’ll be covering everything I think he should be thinking. Like why exactly does New Orleans look so bad? Is San Francisco for real in the NFC West? And who is the better comeback story so far: Houston, Green Bay or Detroit? And who will last the longest? Let’s dive in.

New Orleans

For the second straight week the Saints and the big Brees-y didn’t look like the came with any soul. Reggie Bush still couldn’t run the ball effectively and Devery Henderson was nowhere to be found. If this wasn’t bad enough, they made Jeff Garcia and Joey Galloway look like they were young again. Not to take anything away from those two, but when Garcia only completes ten passes and still nets 243 yards, you have a problem.

Thinking about this a little deeper, maybe it wasn’t the fact that New Orleans was so good last year, but that they were playing on a little bit of a high. They had the rebuilding city behind them and all of America’s support. Now that most of that has been calmed in terms of emotion, the team looks like most of the remaining city: run down, broken and confused. Maybe they pull it together and turn this season around. They’ll have to start with a Monday Night game against Tennessee though in week 3 before it gets too far out of hand.

San Francisco

After a stunning drive led by Alex Smith to beat the Cardinals, the Niners looked ahead to their next intra-division foe, St. Louis. And once again, the red and gold pulled it off, all thanks to a Dante Hall fumble and a Jeff Wilkins miss. Nolan’s boys are now 2-0 and leading the NFC West. The division isn’t a cake walk though, with none of the teams being head and shoulders above the rest. But for the time being, it looks like San Fran will be the team to beat.

Looking at their schedule, the 49’ers facing Pittsburgh, Seattle, Baltimore and the Giants with a bye week squeezed in there. That’s not an easy four games by any stretch. The course of their season truly rests on if the defense can be as good as it has been for the season’s first two weeks and if Frank can keep goring his way into the end zone. With the help of a few hookups between Alex Smith and his receiving trio of Darrell Jackson, Arnaz Battle and Vernon Davis, this team could go a long way in a bad division.

Comeback Kids

Exactly where did Houston, Green Bay and Detroit come from? Well, if you believe what those children books tell you, it’s when a mommy and a daddy… oh wait, their football teams? Well, with the addition of Matt Schaub, Ahman Green and a coach that realizes the point of defense is to not allow touchdowns, the Texans are 2-0. The defense has been above average and the offense has been more than anyone could ask for from a Houston team.

In Green Bay, Brett Favre keeps winning games at a record pace and the rest of the team is finally helping out. The old gunslinger has finally found some pieces around him that can help move the rock while the defense has been making sure the other teams can’t. All this has led to is a 2-0 record and a tie with…

Detroit’s Jon Kitna stated at the start of the season that his team would win over 10 games. Well, I guess with a mug like Kitna’s he’s been used to making big predictions on a lot of things. But 10 wins for team that lost 13 games last year? Was that too much? Well, with Tatum Bell running like a man on a mission and Kitna finding Roy Williams, Mike Furrey, Shaun McDonald and rookie sensation Calvin Johnson in his sights, maybe the man knew something. 2-0 doesn’t look too bad in that NFC North.

Out of all these teams, which one looks the most legitimate to make a splash? Unfortunately for Houston, it’s not them. It never looks good for you when you have to not only face Indianapolis twice a year, but also fight for a playoff spot with them. In Green Bay, I’m still skeptical that the defense will do this kind of work game in and game out. And Brett Favre is now aiming for his next big record: All time interceptions leader.

In the end, my choice for a playoff spot and real deal contender is Detroit. The line is finally giving Jon Kitna enough time to see the receivers and Bell has run effectively, while not eye-popping in the stats. But with four solid receivers, Mike Martz at the helm for the offense and a solid defensive core, the Lions will be roaring their way into the NFC playoffs.