Surprise Me
by CJ Sanchez
13/5/2008
I saw a thread on a forum the other day that asked ‘Which teams can you guarantee a playoff place to this year?’ This caught me off guard a bit because I would never say any team in the NFL was 100% certain to make the playoffs. Lots of teams were suggested; The Patriots, The Colts, The Chargers, but there wasn’t a single team I could think of that I would bet the house on.
The nature of the NFL provides for so much movement from season to season that an exceptional team of one year may not even win their division the next. That’s one of the many reasons we all love it so much isn’t it?
Every year there are teams and players that do surprisingly well and teams and players that do surprisingly badly and this season will be no different. In fact, there are a couple of big surprises that (in my infinite wisdom) I’ve already foreseen. You’re in awe of me, I know. It’s ok you’re not alone
Big time ’08 Surprise number 1: The New England Patriots will not win the AFC East.
 Yup, you read it right the first time. Now I don’t know which of the other three teams from this division will take the crown from the Pats, but I’m sure that one of them will. Am I crazy? Yep, certifiable. But that has nothing to do with it.
What football fans often forget when thinking about the Patriots is that, they aren’t the only seemingly unstoppable, all conquering franchise that has ever been. There was a time when it looked like the San Francisco 49’ers would rule the world forever, but look at them now; 5-11 in 2007 and struggling to develop their hot young quarterback. These huge dynasty teams seem unrelenting at the time, but when they falter, the fall comes quickly.
In 1984 the Joe Montana led 49ers had the greatest season on record, finishing 15-1 and beating Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins to win Superbowl XIX 38-16. In 1985 however, the 49ers only managed a 10-6 season and barely scraped into a wildcard spot where they were beaten 17-3 by the New York Giants.
The New England Patriots have been the biggest dynasty of the Noughties and just last year finished an immaculate 16-0 regular season. But that is the high watermark for this juggernaut. And I’ll tell you why.
The effect of losing a Super Bowl is always detrimental to a team, but losing one when you’re 18-0 and in reach of history is even more severe. Remember, many of the Patriots key players of an advanced age now, will they really be able to play to the intensity they did last year? Can they reach that level without the wave of success to ride on?
The Patriots have also lost several key names without doing much to replace them. Asante Samuel, Randall Gay, Eugene Wilson and Donte Stallworth were huge losses to a team that relies on the sum of its components to create success. It doesn’t matter how good you thought those players were, they were part of the 16-0 puzzle and there are holes left behind now that they are gone.
So ok, New England still have Tom Brady and Randy Moss and they are still playing in a fairly weak division, but the signs of demise are there. The beacon of downturn has been switched on and I think we’d be crazy to ignore it.
Big time ’08 Surprise number 2: Reggie Bush will be awesome.
 I don’t understand the vitriol that Reggie has suffered over the last season. It seems to me that people have forgotten just how good he was in his rookie year and what exactly his role is on the team.
In two years Reggie has managed to accumulate just one touchdown less then Ronnie Brown has managed in three and yet, while Brown is widely applauded, Bush is criticised. Reggie is not an every down north and south type of back. He wasn’t at USC and he isn’t in the NFL. He needs the team to work him into space in the same way that running backs need their O-lines to build them holes.
When Deuce McAllister went down injured last season, Reggie was forced to play a role he was not used to and not only that, but he was forced to play it injured on several occasions. If you asked an O-lineman to go and play wide receiver, would you then begrudge them for not doing it well?
A combination of injuries and the common ‘Sophomore Slump’ led to a less then expected performance from Reggie but this year, with his team back together and an extra year of experience under his belt, I firmly expect him to rip thee league apart.
So there you go, The Patriots will fail to win the AFC East and Reggie Bush will have a stellar year; remember, you heard it at the Diner first!
|
