Is it parity that makes the NFL so impossible to predict from year-to-year and week-to-week or is it mediocrity?
It is a goal-line stand in semantics, but the way things have gone so far this 2003 season, you can make a solid case for the latter.
In four of the NFL's eight divisions, the second-place team is at or below .500, with two sporting losing records.
Good, competitive games are one thing, but a number of the league's elite teams have looked fine one week and struggled badly the next.
In fact, other than the Tennessee Titans, the conference finalists from last season have looked anything but contenders to get back this year.
The Tampa Bay Bucs, a middling team at 3-3, blew a huge lead in that infamous Monday nighter against Indianapolis and this past Sunday couldn't even compete against a San Francisco 49ers team that has struggled.
The Bucs have yet to put together back to back wins and what about that vaunted defence? It surrendered a frightening 458 yards in the 24-7 loss to the 49ers.
At 3-3, Tampa will have to pick it up soon or the playoffs could be in some doubt.
The AFC finalist Raiders have looked awful through their first six games and the NFC finalist Philadelphia Eagles haven't been much better.
Then there is the AFC North, the poster division for the close competition the league has virtually mandated with its salary cap and free agency system.
The Baltimore Ravens at 3-3 after getting thrashed by the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, still lead the division. Cleveland is half a game a back at 3-4 followed by the Bengals and the mysterious Pittsburgh Steelers at 2-4.
Do they have to give one of these a playoff spot? It can be argued the improving Bengals deserve it as much as any.
Or how about the NFC East, where the Dallas Cowboys have sprinted out to a shocking 5-1 record while the Eagles and New York Giants are battling to stay out of the basement?
If you watched any of Sunday's game between the latter two, you saw how far from pretty it has become.
Beyond the division leaders, there is a herd of average-looking teams, including the above two, the defending champions and even the Buffalo Bills.
The biggest gripe NFL general managers have about the salary cap is with how it destroys a team's depth by making quality replacements unaffordable.
When injuries take away starters, backups have to step up in a hurry and it's far easier said than done.
The system almost seems ingrained to build average-looking champions rather than dynamic ones, the last of which was four Bowls ago when the St. Louis Rams won.
The past three Super Bowl winners have all been workmanlike offensive teams carried by savvy defences. See the Bucs, Patriots and Ravens.
Speaking of the Patriots, it would appear they are using the same formula that won them the title two seasons ago. Despite being hampered by injuries, the savy Patriots are stepping up big and now look like a force in the AFC East again.
In that regard, Pats coach Bill Belichick is the master of working within the system and straddle the fine line between 5-1 and 1-5. Nothing mediocre about that.
http://www.canoe.ca/WinnipegSports/ws.ws-10-21-0043.html
It is a goal-line stand in semantics, but the way things have gone so far this 2003 season, you can make a solid case for the latter.
In four of the NFL's eight divisions, the second-place team is at or below .500, with two sporting losing records.
Good, competitive games are one thing, but a number of the league's elite teams have looked fine one week and struggled badly the next.
In fact, other than the Tennessee Titans, the conference finalists from last season have looked anything but contenders to get back this year.
The Tampa Bay Bucs, a middling team at 3-3, blew a huge lead in that infamous Monday nighter against Indianapolis and this past Sunday couldn't even compete against a San Francisco 49ers team that has struggled.
The Bucs have yet to put together back to back wins and what about that vaunted defence? It surrendered a frightening 458 yards in the 24-7 loss to the 49ers.
At 3-3, Tampa will have to pick it up soon or the playoffs could be in some doubt.
The AFC finalist Raiders have looked awful through their first six games and the NFC finalist Philadelphia Eagles haven't been much better.
Then there is the AFC North, the poster division for the close competition the league has virtually mandated with its salary cap and free agency system.
The Baltimore Ravens at 3-3 after getting thrashed by the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, still lead the division. Cleveland is half a game a back at 3-4 followed by the Bengals and the mysterious Pittsburgh Steelers at 2-4.
Do they have to give one of these a playoff spot? It can be argued the improving Bengals deserve it as much as any.
Or how about the NFC East, where the Dallas Cowboys have sprinted out to a shocking 5-1 record while the Eagles and New York Giants are battling to stay out of the basement?
If you watched any of Sunday's game between the latter two, you saw how far from pretty it has become.
Beyond the division leaders, there is a herd of average-looking teams, including the above two, the defending champions and even the Buffalo Bills.
The biggest gripe NFL general managers have about the salary cap is with how it destroys a team's depth by making quality replacements unaffordable.
When injuries take away starters, backups have to step up in a hurry and it's far easier said than done.
The system almost seems ingrained to build average-looking champions rather than dynamic ones, the last of which was four Bowls ago when the St. Louis Rams won.
The past three Super Bowl winners have all been workmanlike offensive teams carried by savvy defences. See the Bucs, Patriots and Ravens.
Speaking of the Patriots, it would appear they are using the same formula that won them the title two seasons ago. Despite being hampered by injuries, the savy Patriots are stepping up big and now look like a force in the AFC East again.
In that regard, Pats coach Bill Belichick is the master of working within the system and straddle the fine line between 5-1 and 1-5. Nothing mediocre about that.
http://www.canoe.ca/WinnipegSports/ws.ws-10-21-0043.html
