NFL Random Thoughts

The Patriots are not looking dominant after three games but in defeating a very good Falcons team today, they showed the NFL that they will be a factor in the Super Bowl race. Tom Brady still looks shaky while stepping up in the pocket and his accuracy is not what Patriots fans are used to seeing, but after missing all but a handful of plays in 2008 due to a knee injury, a little bit of rust on #12 had to be expected. Brady has played the last two games without Wes Welker and has failed to develop a consistent rhythm with veteran Joey Galloway or rookie Julian Edelman while relying heavily on Randy Moss. Expect Brady to return to All-Pro status as he becomes more comfortable with himself and his receiving corps. The defense has proven that they have the potential to be a lot better than many believed they would be after losing Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, and Richard Seymour. Bill Belichick has rebuilt the defense by stressing youth and speed. In spite of Jerod Mayo's absence with a knee injury, the young defense has played very well. Gary Guyton, a favorite of this space, has stepped in and played some good football in Mayo's place while Vince Wilfork (who left today's game with an undisclosed injury) and Ty Warren have played their usual great football on the line. It is a unit that will improve with experience. There is a long way to go until the playoffs but expect to see the Patriots in contention for the Super Bowl come January... For all the crying and moaning about his indecisiveness about whether or not to retire, you have to love Bret Favre's last-second touchdown pass to beat the 49ers today in his home debut with the Vikings... Thanks to Willie Parker, Stephen Gostkowski, and the Ravens defense, my fantasy football team is in great shape to start off the 2009 season 2-1... Matthew Stafford will always remember today's win as the Lions finally ended their 19-game losing streak as the start of what should be a great NFL career. Lions fans are celebrating the win over the Redskins but they should prepare themselves for more because Stafford looks like he is going to be a star... JaMarcus Russell, the top pick of the Raiders in 2007, looks like he will go down as one of the biggest busts in NFL Draft history. He has a depressing 39.8 quarterback rating with just one touchdown and four interceptions in 2009. For his career, the LSU product has a 68.8 rating with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Numbers like that will not keep him employed for long... The Saints offense could possibly threaten some of the offensive records posted by the 2007 Patriots... If I was forced to pick the outcome of the Super Bowl right now, I would take the Ravens over the Vikings...