Modern communication makes every NFL Sunday into a season of its own. This particular Sunday proved that fans should reserve judgment until after their teams have demonstrated some sort of form. In most cases, it's inconsistency more than the opposite.Thus did this Sunday give us:
• The New York Giants, rated as the NFL's best team in numerous "power rankings'' just two weeks ago, lost their third straight game, 40-17 in Philadelphia. They've been outscored 112-61 in those three losses. They also seem to have been surpassed in the NFC East (at least this week) by Philadelphia and Dallas, two teams written off two weeks ago after dismal losses in Oakland and Denver respectively.
• Three of the four teams that played with zeros in the won or loss column changed that figure to "1'' -- previously unbeaten Denver lost in Baltimore; Tennessee won its first game in seven tries by beating Jacksonville at home; and St. Louis won in Detroit, which started zeromania by actually going winless last year. The Lions have one victory this season. Two other zeros, unbeaten New Orleans and winless Tampa Bay, didn't play -- the Saints meet Atlanta Monday night and the Bucs were on their bye week.
• Players who had been written off suddenly resurfaced. Vince Young, who lost his quarterback job to Kerry Collins last season as Tennessee finished 13-3, was given it back via the lobbying of Titans owner Bud Adams and led the Titans to their 30-13 win over Jacksonville. And Ted Ginn Jr., who lost his starting wide receiver position in Miami because of congenital dropsies, almost single-handedly got the Dolphins by the Jets by returning kickoffs 100 and 101 yards for touchdowns. That makes him the first player ever to have two triple-digit returns in the same game.
The NFL had seemed predictable this season. That was really because there were more really bad teams than usual that made some ordinary sides look like powerhouses.
One of the ordinaries might be the Giants, who played only one good team -- Dallas -- in starting 5-0. Their other victims were the Bucs, Chiefs, Redskins and Raiders covering up some obvious weaknesses in the defense, especially in the secondary, that were exacerbated by injury.
To be specific ...
In the offseason, general manager Jerry Reese signed defensive linemen Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard and linebacker Michael Boley to provide depth on a defense that wore down last year in the final month and the playoffs.
Good idea, except that Canty and Boley have missed most of the season with injuries; starting cornerback Aaron Ross has missed all of it; and safety Kenny Phillips went on injured reserve with a knee injury after two interceptions in the second-week win at Dallas that spoiled the opening of Jerry Jones' pleasure palace. In the NFL, injuries kill and they've killed the Giants now that they're past the junior varsity portion of their schedule.
As for the "zero'' teams ...
Maybe it's the last two seasons -- New England went 16-0 in the 2007 regular season and Detroit was 0-16 in 2008 -- so we no longer believe it's impossible to go unbeaten or winless. We forget that the schedule is set up so that the strong play the strong and the weak play the weak -- less so now than a decade ago but still weighted in that direction.
Thus we get St. Louis at Detroit, which lived down to its billing.
For example, with the Rams leading 3-0 and the Lions driving, St. Louis' James Butler intercepted a Matthew Stafford pass in the end zone. Then he ran out of the end zone, ran back in and was tackled for a safety, making it 3-2. It was tied 10-10 late after the Lions, down 10-2 early in the fourth quarter, scored and tied the game with a 2-point conversion.
The Rams eventually won 17-10 on Steven Jackson's 25-yard touchdown run with 1:38 left. So Butler was saved from goathood.
But in this wacky league, maybe he could have been a hero anyway.
His interception came on a third-and-10 from the Rams' 12. If the pass had been incomplete, the Lions would have had a chip-shot field goal: 3 points. Butler saved them one, forcing the Lions to go for a 2-pointer when they finally scored.
If they'd missed ...
Butler might have been the hero. Making Jackson's heroics unnecessary.
Yes, the NFL is nuts.
