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Though the Super Bowl picture appears wide open, I’ve never seen so many bad teams at the bottom of the NFL barrel. The Bills, Jets, Saints, Titans, 49ers, Raiders and Browns are all disasters. That means the ‘wise’ guys are going to play those teams. Let them. They might think they’re getting value, but its perceived value.
LAS VEGAS – The worst of this bad bunch may be the Jets. They don’t have much on defense, yet defense is their strength. In addition, it’s almost a certainty that Curtis Martin’s career is finished.
The Jets were so desperate for running back help they actually traded for Kevan Barlow. He immediately endeared himself to Jets coach and control-freak Eric Mangini by comparing San Francisco head man Mike Nolan, his former coach, to Adolph Hitler.
I’m not a fan of Nolan, who appears overmatched. But the Hitler comparison is a bit over the top. If the Jets can’t run, they’re in huge trouble. Their aerial attack consists of sore-armed Chad Pennington shot-putting the ball to Laveranues Coles and a host of non-descript wide receivers.
About the only team the Jets can put up points against is the Bills, who could be the one team with a poorer defense than New York.
At least the Bills have weapons at running back and wide receiver with Willis McGahee and Lee Evans. But that’s it for them. Hiring Marv Levy to be the general manager might have been a good move, if it occurred 10 years ago.
Levy is now 80, has been out of the NFL since ’97 and has no GM experience. Of course, Levy is a mere pup compared to Bills owner Ralph Wilson, who is 88.
The Saints have Reggie Bush, who seems like the real thing. Unfortunately, the New Orleans offensive line is a work in progress. Moreover, Drew Brees has looked horrible recovering from off-season shoulder surgery on his throwing arm.
Defensively, the Saints need help in the secondary and once again are extremely weak at linebacker. Oh, yeah, their run defense isn’t very good either.
There seems to be plenty of problems with Tennessee, starting with a struggling offensive line that can’t protect Billy Volek. There is no way Volek survives behind a bad offensive line. The Titans also have been hit hard by injuries. It’s all going to be too much for a young team facing a tough schedule.
The Browns are going through centers the way policemen go through donuts. The team has been cursed with injuries and poor draft choices ever since returning to the NFL in ’99.
If Braylon Edwards isn’t at full-strength by opening week, which is extremely doubtful, the Browns don’t have an impact player to stretch the field. This is something second-year quarterback Charlie Frye must have.
The 49ers’ offense may surprise a little bit. Their offensive line and ground game is better than many might think. Alex Smith can’t help but improve. San Francisco’s defense, however, remains dreadful. There’s no pass rush and no depth. Injuries could prove overwhelming.
Don’t be deceived by Oakland’s winning preseason record. Aaron Brooks and Randy Moss have no chemistry, the offensive line has injuries and the coaching staff is behind the times. Do you have any confidence in an Art Shell/Tom Walsh offensive brain trust?
There used to be a strong middle ground in the NFL. However, the league is now nearly divided into potential double-digit win teams and teams that will struggle to reach five victories.
The Jets, Bills, Saints, Titans, 49ers, Raiders and Browns will struggle to win a combined 28 games. Maybe it won’t be such a fluke if favorites cover 57 percent of the time again this season.
LAS VEGAS – The worst of this bad bunch may be the Jets. They don’t have much on defense, yet defense is their strength. In addition, it’s almost a certainty that Curtis Martin’s career is finished.
The Jets were so desperate for running back help they actually traded for Kevan Barlow. He immediately endeared himself to Jets coach and control-freak Eric Mangini by comparing San Francisco head man Mike Nolan, his former coach, to Adolph Hitler.
I’m not a fan of Nolan, who appears overmatched. But the Hitler comparison is a bit over the top. If the Jets can’t run, they’re in huge trouble. Their aerial attack consists of sore-armed Chad Pennington shot-putting the ball to Laveranues Coles and a host of non-descript wide receivers.
About the only team the Jets can put up points against is the Bills, who could be the one team with a poorer defense than New York.
At least the Bills have weapons at running back and wide receiver with Willis McGahee and Lee Evans. But that’s it for them. Hiring Marv Levy to be the general manager might have been a good move, if it occurred 10 years ago.
Levy is now 80, has been out of the NFL since ’97 and has no GM experience. Of course, Levy is a mere pup compared to Bills owner Ralph Wilson, who is 88.
The Saints have Reggie Bush, who seems like the real thing. Unfortunately, the New Orleans offensive line is a work in progress. Moreover, Drew Brees has looked horrible recovering from off-season shoulder surgery on his throwing arm.
Defensively, the Saints need help in the secondary and once again are extremely weak at linebacker. Oh, yeah, their run defense isn’t very good either.
There seems to be plenty of problems with Tennessee, starting with a struggling offensive line that can’t protect Billy Volek. There is no way Volek survives behind a bad offensive line. The Titans also have been hit hard by injuries. It’s all going to be too much for a young team facing a tough schedule.
The Browns are going through centers the way policemen go through donuts. The team has been cursed with injuries and poor draft choices ever since returning to the NFL in ’99.
If Braylon Edwards isn’t at full-strength by opening week, which is extremely doubtful, the Browns don’t have an impact player to stretch the field. This is something second-year quarterback Charlie Frye must have.
The 49ers’ offense may surprise a little bit. Their offensive line and ground game is better than many might think. Alex Smith can’t help but improve. San Francisco’s defense, however, remains dreadful. There’s no pass rush and no depth. Injuries could prove overwhelming.
Don’t be deceived by Oakland’s winning preseason record. Aaron Brooks and Randy Moss have no chemistry, the offensive line has injuries and the coaching staff is behind the times. Do you have any confidence in an Art Shell/Tom Walsh offensive brain trust?
There used to be a strong middle ground in the NFL. However, the league is now nearly divided into potential double-digit win teams and teams that will struggle to reach five victories.
The Jets, Bills, Saints, Titans, 49ers, Raiders and Browns will struggle to win a combined 28 games. Maybe it won’t be such a fluke if favorites cover 57 percent of the time again this season.