NFL Week 4 Review

Week four may have been the wildest week and maybe also the most telling week of what this season has in store for us...but of course, it is still early and even a slow or bad start now doesn't necessarily mean a team is destined to win it all or that a team has been eliminated from the playoffs, saying that...

I'll start out with my team, the Chargers... as some Charger forum poster made light of earlier this week, the San Diego Chargers in 1994 started out 0-4 and went to the Super Bowl that year so to give up hope on the team right now may be a bit premature. I recall the '94 season but I do not recall my thoughts on the 0-4 start... I just remember beating Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game and being on top of the world for one day. What I have seen so far from the Chargers has been a very poor football team that reminds more of the post '94 team. A team that opponents systematically pick apart with their passing game. After the Kansas City game the Chiefs QB, Damon Huard, say that they watched film of the Chargers against Green Bay and New England and noted that short, slant patterns are a very effective way to move the ball against the Chargers because the secondary is a very poor tackling secondary and then went on to say that they ran the same play multiple times during the game against the Chargers and it was successful each time. Head coach Norv Turner and defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell have got to be totally clueless if a teams weakness is exposed, like this, and they are not doing anything to correct it. I don't think the Chargers have much of a chance of making the playoffs because their coaching isn't able to adapt and LaDainian Tomlinson is barely used when situations have called for it.

Can the Patriots be beaten? As things look right now...no. But they do have Indianapolis on the regular season schedule so it won't be a total cake-walk for them.

Tampa Bay has sneaked up a 3-1 record so far this season. With the Saints, imitating the Chargers and Bears, having a less than stellar start after such a successful 2006 season and the Falcons with their issues, Delhomme for the Panthers may have to have surgery on his shoulder that would end his season, the timing might just be right for the Bucs to make their move and win that division.

The Packers may be 4-0 but I don't have faith in them at all. They have no running game and once they face a team with a secondary their pipe dream should end. I like the Lions in the NFC North because they seem more balanced and with a win over the defending NFC North champions has got to only boost their confidence.

The Cowboys and Colts are both 4-0 in divisions with other teams that are already beginning to fade. If both teams hit the half-way point with 6 or more wins, the second half of the season may be just to fine tune things for the playoffs.

Steelers lost to Arizona and their old offensive coordinator ... Arizona also had Kurt Warner in for Matt Leinert, I have yet to see a Cards game this year but what I had seen of Leinert I liked. For him to get the hook this early seemed a little premature...but of course Warner will get hurt here soon and Leinert will be back in ... the question will then be if he will be able to perform.

So who's the best in the NFL right now? Got to be the Patriots, Colts and Cowboys, although I don't think the Cowboys have played anyone to prove their mettle but that doesn't mean they are bad...good teams don't lose to bad teams.