The Good: Eight weeks in to the NFL season and we are starting to see the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders. We’re down to one undefeated team, the Atlanta Falcons at 7-0. Interestingly though, they are rarely the team mentioned as the best in the NFL. The one loss Houston Texans tend to get more credit, along with the one loss Chicago Bears, and the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. After a slow start, it looks like New England Patriots are getting their act together. They have three losses on the season, but appear poised to dominate their division.

The Bad: First up on this list is the Detroit Lions. A young, brash team coming off a playoff berth is in last place in the NFC North. The Lions are 3-4 and have been outscored by their opponents so far. Three games out of first and facing a tough schedule makes me think that this Lions team won’t see the postseason this year. We can’t get through the bad without mentioning Philadelphia either. The Eagles are a mess, with controversy around the QB, head coach, and the defense. With Michael Vick and Andy Reid fighting for their jobs, most of the country has already given up on them. Finally, I have to mention the New York Jets. Mark Sanchez isn’t getting it done, but the team is wary of putting in the backup, Tim Tebow, to try and lead a turnaround. Under .500 and in danger of not making the playoffs, this team needs a face lift.

The Ugly: Let’s start with the New Orleans Saints. Sure, there was plenty of controversy surrounding the team this year, and they don’t really have a head coach. However, they still have Drew Brees, and the Super Bowl is in New Orleans this year. I thought that would be motivation enough to contend for the division title and try to become the first team to make the Super Bowl a true home game. Unfortunately, they are 2-5, and their defense looks anything but super. Next on the list is the Carolina Panthers. Cam Newton is having a rough season, and the team is only 1-6. They won 6 games last year, and in the offseason, Ryan Kalil took out a full page ad in the newspaper guaranteeing a super bowl for this team. Nice try Ryan, but you tricked yourself and your fans into thinking your team could get it done this year. Instead, they are among the lowest scoring and most disappointing teams in the NFL.

Good thing there are still 9 weeks left before the regular season ends. Every team still has a chance to change their fortune.

So much for a QB controversy in Philadelphia. All Kevin Kolb (and the Redskins) could do was watch in amazement as Michael Vick put on a Monday Night Football performance for the ages this week, throwing for 4 touchdowns and running for 2 more in a 59-28 blowout of the Washington Redskins. As a result of that game, and the season overall, the Philadelphia Eagles are now talking about offering Michael Vick a new contract to ensure he stays in Philly for years to come. If he keeps it up, former franchise QB Kevin Kolb will soon be traded or off to free agency to find a new team.

Every sports blog, tweet, and casual conversation since the game has centered around the historical perspective of that performance. The next best QB performance I can think of on Monday Night Football would be the “Brett Favre Game” after his father passed away. This, however, was something altogether different. Michael Vick was brilliant as a passer, runner, and field general, as the Eagles did whatever they wanted to the poor Redskins. Even more impressive, was that the Redskins had two weeks to prepare for Vick and the Eagles. Coming off a bye week, they were able to hold the Eagles to “only” 59 points.

With only 4 complete games this season, Michael Vick has entered the league MVP discussion. He’s already won as many games as Philip Rivers, who is a top MVP candidate. His QB rating of 115.1 is far and away the best in the NFL this season. If the season ended today, that number would be good enough for 3rd all time! Peyton Manning’s single season passer rating record of 121.1 is now within sight.

The questions out there are (1) Can he keep up this torrid pace? (2) How far will the Eagles go this year with Vick as their QB? and (3) Is Michael Vick a legitimate MVP candidate? Sound off and let me know your thoughts.

Hiding in Plain Sight

Last week Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers played 34 minutes and recorded 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists. He managed two steals and two personal fouls and without those you may not have even know he was there.

Michael Wilbon made a brief argument on PTI that Fisher is a guy who does the “other things” to help his team win. I’m sure he was moving the ball, screening, playing some defense, and being a leader and a nice guy, but in 34 minutes you think he would pass it to a guy who would make a shot or he would accidentally run into a rebound. Fisher was just hiding in plain sight, not contributing anything noticeable.

Flashback to 2006:

*Comedy Central airs the last new Chapelle’s Show on July 23rd. Borat opens the first weekend of November at the top of the box office. The confluence of these two events that happened just 3+ months apart created a venn diagram overlap in pop culture relevance where it became virtually impossible to escape people quoting Chapelle/Borat, especially if you were in college at the time. Chapelle was on safari and done with the show, but new episodes aired with many re-runs of the old ones and three and a half months was not long enough for some people to beat those jokes to death. And then Borat happens. So the quote wheel keeps spinning for the frequent repeaters out there.

*The Chicago Bears are going 13-3 on their way to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman at QB.

*Terrell Owens leads the NFL in touchdown receptions and has 1,180 yards receiving.
*Michael Vick throws for 2,474 yards and runs for 1,039 yards and combines for 22 TD’s.
*Larry Johnson is second in the league in rushing and rushing TD’s, with 1,789 yards and 17 TD’s. He also added 410 receiving yards and 2 receiving TD’s.

Now those three fantasy football studs are hiding in plain sight. Vick is out of jail and on the bench. TO is in Buffalo not doing a whole lot and Larry Johnson has been cut by the Chiefs for vomiting his thoughts on Twitter.

Many professional athletes and celebrities and people not famous have not yet evolved the filter between the brain and the fingertips. And it is not their fault. Evolution takes time and social networking is relatively new. The brain to mouth filter was not even fully evolved in many and now they are under stress to develop a second filter on the fly to protect themselves from their thoughts escaping through their fingertips to Twitter and the world. Maybe we should cut all these athletes who type stupid stuff a break because evolving that kind of ability will take generations.

Ups, Downs, and Laterals

Of course sports are cyclical and players begin to decline once they’ve reached a certain age, but TO, Vick, and Johnson seem to still have enough ability to offer a team something productive. Instead they are just being hidden in plain sight by their own specific circumstances.

While individual players find a way to hide in plain sight, it is very difficult for teams to hide team weaknesses. And at the half-way point of the NFL season, with the playoff picture forming, those weaknesses are apparent to everyone.

Three – maybe four – of the divisions are all but mathematically clinched. It would take a melt down of New York Mets proportion for the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, or Minnesota Vikings not to win their division.

The Colts and Saints both remain undefeated after getting challenged hard by the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers. A missed FG by Kris Brown of the Texans prevented Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and DeMeco Ryans from taking a shot at Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and company in overtime. The Colts have played two tight games in a row.

The Panthers were marching, nearing FG range, down three with less than three minutes to go in the 4th quarter when Jake Delhomme fumbled and New Orleans recovered. Three and out for the Saints, followed by a DeAngelo Williams fumble returned for a TD by New Orleans on Carolina’s ensuing possession put the Saints up 10 with 2:00 to go and there’s your ball game.

The Vikings sat the week out on a bye and still gained ground in the division with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers losing. No word yet on any team boating excursions during the week off. Had there been some sort of team building exercise, I’m sure Twitter would have been a flutter. Maybe Brad Childress would have been in a drag. You never know.

The Saints have played three close games in a row which they won by one-possession scores. The Colts have played two close games in a row, winning the two by a combined seven points. The Vikings are a missed FG and a Brett Favre to Greg Lewis 32-yard TD with 0:00 on the clock away from being 5-3. There is no NFL team this season that is going to march over every opponent they play. Even the teams with the best records have won fugly a time or two and escaped with a win.

The New England Patriots not winning the AFC East would not be a Mets-type collapse, but probably more of a Minnesota Twins sneaking up on the Detroit Tigers sort of let down. It might be possible for them to get caught all season long, but nobody will believe it can happen. Tom Brady is connecting with Randy Moss like it is 2007 and they have a linebacker who is in his forties in Junior Seau.

The Show

Remember in Bull Durham when Crash Davis tells Ebby “Nuke” LaLoosh that he needs to get new shower shoes?

“You’ll never make it to the bigs with fungus on your shower shoes. Think classy, you’ll be classy. If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press’ll think you’re colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob.”

I think the same goes for bad mustaches and facial hair that looks more neglected than grown. At 6-0, it is something to joke about, but now with two Bronco losses in a row, it may be time for Kyle Orton to think classy. He’s had it off and on throughout his career, but it might be time go now.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting on top of the AFC North in a tie with the Cincinnati Bengals after beating the Denver Broncos on Monday night. The Bengals are coming off a win over the Baltimore Ravens. Cedric Benson rushed for over 100 yards for the second time this season against the Ravens. Maybe that vaulted Ravens-Ray Lewis-D that earned Trent Dilfer a ring is finally showing its age. Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward hooked up for two TD’s last night in their win over the Broncos.

The Dallas Cowboys went to the Philadelphia Eagles and took away a big win that, coupled with the San Diego Chargers victory over the New York Giants, puts the Cowboys in first place in the NFC East.

Tony Romo has 9 TD’s and only 1 interception during his team’s four game winning streak. Miles Austin continues to be a big play guy, catching only one pass but for a 49 yard TD.

Philip Rivers took the Chargers down the field and threw a TD pass to Vincent Jackson with 0:21 on the clock to give San Diego a one point win. Eli Manning was 25-33 for 215 yards and 2 TD’s, but the Giants were flagged for over 100 yards in penalties which will stop any team from gaining momentum in any direction.

The bye week for the Giants this week is sorely needed. DeMarcus Ware is salivating at the opportunity to play the Green Bay Packers and their O-Line this week. And the Eagles have to fly all way across the country to San Diego, which, for the sake of the entire city of Philly, I hope goes better than their trip to Oakland did.

The New York Jets come off their bye for a Week 10 match up with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who beat the Kansas City Chiefs last week. The Jets and Jags are both 4-4 with neither team having a realistic shot at winning their division, so this game is huge for both teams in the scope of Wild Card spots. Maurice Jones-Drew leads the NFL with 11 rushing TD’s.

Matt Cassel stuck it to all Dwayne Bowe fantasy owners by throwing 2 TD passes to Chris Chambers, who had been on the Chiefs for about eight seconds.

Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals went to Soldier Field and inspired the crowd to boo loudly the home team Chicago Bears. Tommie Harris went ahead with a punch to the face of a Cardinal O-lineman to get ejected four plays into the game. We like your enthusiasm there Tommy, we just need you to direct it in a more positive way. Warner and Jay Cutler both had big statistical games, but the Bears could not overcome 89 yards of penalties and or their inability to convert on third down.

The Packers were probably hurt most by their Week 9 performance, losing to first time starter rookie Josh Freeman and the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Aaron Rodgers was bludgeoned again and the defense did not do much in the way of stopping a bad offense. Two weeks ago Minnesota, at 6-1, was coming into Lambeau Field to play a 4-2 Packers team. A Packer win gives both teams two losses and sets up the Pack up to tie the division at Tampa Bay with Minnesota on a bye. Instead, the cheese falls to 4-4 in an ugly way. Three of their four wins are against one-win teams: Lions, Browns, Rams.

Speaking of the Lions, Browns, and Rams… the Browns and Rams were spared by being on a bye, but the Lions suffered another loss. So did the Washington Redskins.

Calvin Johnson returned to the line up for the Lions and they played the Seattle Seahawks tough, but could not find a way to win it, in part because rookie Matthew Stafford had five learning opportunities in which the ball went the other way on him. Matt Hasselbeck spread the ball around. Six Seahawks had five or more catches. T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught his only TD pass.

The Atlanta Falcons beat the Redskins to move to 5-3 and put themselves in a nice position for a Wild Card birth. Michael Turner had a huge game, 166 yards and 2 TD’s and Matt Ryan hooked up with Tony Gonzalez for a TD. Clinton Portis left the game and with him took Washington’s only hope.

The Tennessee Titans won their second game in a row and handed the San Francisco 49ers their fourth loss in a row. Vince Young is 2-0 as a starter and Chris Johnson leads the NFL in rushing yards.
The Niners have lost their last three games by one possession scores. Next week Mike Singletary squares off against his old team, the Chicago Bears, in what will be a critical game for each team’s drive for the post-season.

To Week 10:

Thursday night games begin with the Bears and 49ers.
The Bengals and Steelers play to break the tie for the AFC North lead.
The Patriots go to Indy for an always fun game to watch.
And either the Chiefs or the Raiders will win because they play each other.

The New York Yankees 2009 World Series Championship is still only less than a week old and there is plenty of World Series gear here for you to commemorate #27.

The item of the week this week is some real NFL sideline apparel to help you get ready for cold weather.

Here’s a post from a new writer we have here at the blog. Check it out below.

Hi, I’m Dan Bressler and I’ll be writing from time to time here on the blog. I’m a senior at Bradley University and I interned at FansEdge this summer. Let’s get right to it.

The NFL offseason moves always intrigued me. Franchise players revitalize the fanbases of some teams and long time favorites have to transition to new roles with other teams. Millions of dollars are tossed around from coast to coast trying to attract big names. Most importantly, the offseason is the time where losing teams become playoff contenders. Remember when the New Orleans Saints were one of the worst teams in the NFL, only to sign stars like Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and Marques Colston and became a force to be reckoned with?

Here are 5 offseason moves I find will significantly impact teams in the NFL for the 2009-2010 season and beyond. These players could even be a boost to your fantasy team, with improved individual stats over last season.

1) Atlanta Falcons sign TE Tony Gonzalez: Gonzalez is one of the most talented tight ends – no, one of the most talented football players on the field today. Spending all of his 11 NFL seasons in Kansas City, he became well known as an above-average blocker and a reliable receiver. Tony Gonzalez is a leader on the field, and will be a great mentor to second year QB Matt Ryan. He will be another offensive weapon defenses have to worry about, in addition to the WR pair of Roddy White & Michael Jenkins, and RB breakout Michael Turner. Gonzalez is an improvement to an already stellar offensive line and will serve as a forceful blocker.

2) Chicago Bears sign QB Jay Cutler: From the ashes of the highly public conflict between Jay Cutler and new head coach Josh McDaniels, the Chicago Bears come out of nowhere to trade their ho-hum QB Kyle Orton to Denver for the promising Jay Cutler. Cutler has only been in the league for 3 years, but on skills alone, he is considered among the best at his position. He passed for over 4,500 yards last season and threw for 25TDs, stats that were among the elite NFL QBs. He led the team to an improved 8-8 record and created superstar status for Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall. His popularity exploded, and he earned a roster spot on the Pro-Bowl. By moving from one team famous for cold weather and famous running backs to another team famous for cold weather and famous running backs, Cutler should have no difficulty adjusting to Chicago. Don’t expect another 4,500 passing yard season just yet, but the Bears will gain a confident, talented leader in Cutler – attributes missing from their previous quarterbacks within the last decade or two.

3) Philadelphia Eagles sign QB Michael Vick: One NFL team had to gamble on Vick, and the Philadelphia Eagles decided to roll the dice. Fans may have been confused as to why the Eagles signed Vick, but to me, this is a smart move by the team. Their franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb, has only been able to play for a full 16 regular-season games in only four out of his ten NFL seasons. As immensely talented and as a great individual McNabb is, he is severely injury-prone, which creates a possible risk for his team to miss the playoffs in 2009. If McNabb goes down, Vick will lead the team with comparable skills. The Eagles missed out on Matt Cassel, Jay Cutler, Jeff Garcia, and others to backup McNabb. And while Vick may not have the speed he once had in 2006, he may have the arm and the field awareness to lead his new Eagles team to the playoffs if necessary. Furthermore, McNabb has publically supported and vouched for Michael Vick to join the team, which reduces potential conflict and preserves team chemistry.

4) Washington Redskins sign DL Albert Haynesworth and re-sign CB DeAngelo Hall: Remember how I mentioned that offseason moves can cause a losing team to become playoff contenders? In 2009, the Washington Redskins may very well be an example of exactly that, and it could be defense that leads this team. Haynesworth may present an off-field problem, but his on-field performance shines: 8.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles last season. DeAngelo Hall only played 7 games with the Redskins, but had 25 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 8 pass deflections. Hall became a viable defensive back for the team, and made for an easy re-sign. Haynesworth and Hall join current a Redskins defense with fierce players including London Fletcher, Fred Smoot, and Carlos Rodgers.

5) Cincinnati Bengals sign WR Laveranues Coles: When opposing defenses would play the Bengals, CBs and LBs would hone in on the speedy Chad Ochocinco, providing the No. 2 WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh with single coverage that lead to a big year in 2008 and a free agency move to Seattle this season. Ochocinco’s mouth is still enormous, but there was a void in the Bengals offense that needed to complement #85. Enter Laveranues Coles. He’s not a superstar WR, but he is a veteran playmaker, healthy enough to consistently start games for the team and be an above-average receiver. Team defenses may struggle to contain both Ochocinco and Coles, and a healthy Carson Palmer will have improved numbers with this new WR addition. Expect Coles to catch around 7-9TDs, catch 85 passes, and have over 800 receiving yards this upcoming season.

Other players not mentioned include new Chiefs QB Matt Cassel and Bills WR Terrell Owens. Torry Holt has moved on from his greatest show on turf days to help the Jaguars get back to the playoffs and Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez has a chance to be a difference maker.

Do you agree or disagree with my picks? Care to give your top 5 great NFL offseason moves of 2009? Send a comment below! Let’s enjoy another great NFL season…