Tagged As: football, NFL, Sports, Patriots, Giants

The seventh Sunday of the NFL schedule brought about a bevy of blowouts. Only two games were decided by less than 10 points or less. Four games were decided by a deficit between 10 and 19. An incredible six games were won by more than 20 points. The most lopsided loss was the 38-0 win by the New York Jets over the Oakland Raiders. That game is one of four decided by 30 points or more.

How could this happen to a league that was bathed in a blanket of parity just a couple of years ago? There are plenty of lessons to draw from this lunacy.

Lesson 1:

It is a mistake to fire your offensive coordinator just before the beginning of the season. Apparently in this day and age of complex passing offenses and Wild Cat formation, it takes longer than a week to develop a professional grade offense.

Lesson 2:

Balance is great, but a team must have either a dominant running game or passing game to be anything in this league. The obvious favorite is the pass. It is much easier to complete a 50-yard pass than break for a 50-yard run. Still, of the top ten scoring offenses in the NFL, seven are in the top ten in passing yards a game and only three are in the top ten in rushing yards per game.

Lesson 3:

Greed is good. The New England Patriots drew plenty of ire in Week 6 when they would not stop toying with the Titans defense and scored 59 points. The New York Giants took Eli Manning out of the game in the first half against the Raiders in Week 5’s 44-7 win. Injuries may have been the impetus there, but still the Patriots 5-2 and on their way up in the AFC East while the Giants have just lost their second game in a row and appear to be falling quickly in the NFC East. In a league of disparity, any sign of a conscious is a bad thing.

Lesson 4:

An offensive line is more important than ever. With quarterbacks becoming a bigger part of the offense the offensive lines have to learn to block longer. Without an offensive line a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback can have a miserable game. Perhaps the best example of this is the Bears-Bengals game.

The Cincinnati Bengals destroyed the Chicago Bears 45-10. Palmer and Cutler have proven that they are capable of earning a Pro Bowl nod. Cutler had to throw 37 passes to complete 26 passes to get 251 yards, and most of those passes were under duress. He ended up throwing one touchdown and three interceptions. His quarterback rating was an awful 64.1. Palmer had all the time in the world and played just two quarters before being taken out. Palmer completed 20 of 24 passes for 233 yards and five touchdowns. Palmer’s line handled just about every variation in the defensive front and picked up the blitzes.

The NFL is a new beast in which the best teams need to take heed of Conan the Barbarian and realize what is best in life: “To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.”

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