Pyle of List

Every Monday, our very own DLamp will be taking a look at what just happened the day before in the NFL, and looking ahead to the Monday night game(s).

This week did not look good on paper. A friend who doesn’t really follow the NFL asked me at lunch this week what the big games were this week. My response was a deafening ‘uhhhhhhh…’

‘Pats/Broncos?’

‘Cincy/Baltimore?’

But NFL, like the consistent mistress that she is, always comes through. We were treated to exciting finishes (Dallas, Denver, Cincy, Arizona) and fantasy wet dream blowouts (Falcons, Seahawks, Giants, Vikings).

That brings us to this week’s lesson: Never doubt the NFL. It’s like the ocean. The second you stop respecting it’s power, you’re done for. Yes, the NFL will drown you if you’re not careful. Now on to the games!

Are we seriously going to do another Pey-Pey MVP?

Last year I was furious when Manning won the NFL MVP. I felt like he didn’t do anything to seperate himself from the pack. This year, however, I have no argument against Manning. He has been the only QB to put up numbers every week, he has led a young team with a new coach to a 5-0 start, and he’s done it all while looking like a pterodactyl. Guy is the leader in the clubhouse already, and someone (*cough* Drew Brees who I drafted in the first round of my fantasy league *cough*) is going to have to work overtime in order to catch him.

How do you not score a touchdown?!

Four teams failed to score a TD this week. Jacksonville, Tennessee, Cleveland, and Buffalo. And Cleveland and Buffalo were playing each other! To put this in perspective, even the Raiders managed to score one TD against a good Giants defense. The Raiders. The Raiders are so bad they remind me of a bit from Married with Children when Al claims that “if you lose to the Rams, you’re out of the league.”. I’m starting to think that should actually be a two part rule. 1) if you lose to the Raiders, you take a week off and we bring a UFL team in to play in your stead or 2) if you fail to score even 1 TD, same deal.

What’s with all the two faces?

Remember last couple years or so when the Jags were a chic Super Bowl pick? They got beat 41-0 by Seattle yesterday. Remember when the Cowboys were finally going to turn it around after getting TO out of the locker room? They needed overtime to beat a terrible, terrible Chiefs team. The Niners, who everyone thought had finally proven themselves? Embarrassed by the Falcons 45-10. I think this just proves that there are the elite teams in the league, and the terrible teams, but the majority lie in a cluttered middle of the pack. The NFL prides itself on it’s parity, and they should. There aren’t the same teams dominating like in the NBA, NHL, and MLB.

Who’s complaining about the early byes now?

Last week, many writers much more well known than me complained about teams having bye weeks as early as week 4. Yesterday, every single one of those teams won their game. And in this league where so many teams are tightly bundled together, why not take a break early on to make some corrections and get the momentum going for the rest of the season. Sure, it’s nice to rest those nagging sore body bodies in the later weeks, but if your season’s already shot what’s the point? The Falcons and Eagles both got on track and got to 3-1, and set themselves up to be contenders (not that they already weren’t). Carolina came back from bye and won it’s first game of the season. Arizona got a much needed win to keep pace in a division that looks like it may come down to the wire. So quit complaining, everyone, and be glad if it was your team that used the early bye to their advantage.

Can we start taking the Bengals seriously now?

Because of their long standing sucktitude, my Bengals have been given a bit of the ‘fluke’ treatment this year. Well how do you like us now?! Many “experts” had the Ravens in the top 10 in terms of overall team rankings in the NFL. Well, just add them to the list of ‘legit victories’ right after the Packers and the Steelers. We need to all acknowledge that this Bengals defense is very good (257 net yards allowed, 2 sacks, 2 INTs) and that Carson Palmer’s returned health gives this team a chance to win every week. In fact, they’re a fluke tipped pass in week 1 away from being 5-0 and being the talk of the town (ironically enough, the team that benefited from that tipped pass - The Broncos - are the team that’s 5-0 and the talk of the town).

Fantasy Question of the Week

So you started 1-4 in your league. Is it panic time?

Not panic time, but definitely time to make some changes. I know that in one of my leagues, I’m staring at 1-4. I came out of the draft lauding my teams depth, and all the steals I got. I was so stoked that I would have 3 decent to good RBs to choose from each week, and at least one stud WR to rely on. Well, that stud WR (Calvin Johnson) has been pretty pedestrian, and having three RBs to choose from means I don’t have any one that is truly reliable. So what am I doing? Starting to look at 2-for-1 trades that can net me someone to plug into my lineup each week without thinking. At this point, I’ll take consistency over upside.

Un-Perfect Season Watch ‘09!

Each week we will hilight the lowliest of the NFL landscape. Why? Because it’s fun to laugh and point at other people’s misfortune.

Un-unbeaten teams: Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Bucs, Tennessee Titans

Monday Night Sneak (Preview) Attack

NYJ @ Mia - The Jets are coming off Sanchez’ first shakey start, while the Dolphins are coming off their first big win. The Jets have been stingy against the run all year, which is basically all the Dolphins have to offer in terms of offense. I think Rex Ryan has his boys fired up and they win this one on the road.

2009 Sneak attack record: 5-0