National TV on Thanksgiving... maybe we can change their perspective...
Inside Today's Bulletin
Tuesday Morning Debate: What Is The Worst Division In The NFL?
By Brendan F. Quinn & Drew Silverman, The Bulletin
11/04/2008
Brendan F. Quinn:
The NFC West, a calamity of epic proportions, is easily the worst division in football.
Going team-by-team, it's painful to dissect the league's most woeful division.
The 49ers are on a five-game losing streak and interim coach Mike Singletary has behaved like a raving lunatic since replacing Mike Nolan on Oct. 20. During the current losing streak, San Francisco has lost by an average of 14 points and its early-season wins came over the Lions and Seahawks, who have a combined record of 2-14.
As Eagles fans saw on Sunday, the Seahawks are simply abysmal. The team's lone wins have come against fellow division cellar dwellers St. Louis and San Francisco.
Holmgren's team has been decimated by injuries and ranks 26th in the league in points scored, 31st in total yards and 32nd in passing yards. In short, Seattle's offense is as flawed as our economy.
Then there are those mighty St. Louis Rams. Arguably the worst team in football, the Rams rank 31st in points allowed per game, 30th in points scored, 30th in yards allowed and 30th in yards gained. That's not a winning recipe. Jim Haslett was elevated to interim head coach after the Rams fired Scott Linehan in late September.
As for the first-place Cardinals - sounds odd, doesn't it? - the record is slightly deceiving. Their five wins have come against Dallas, Buffalo, Miami, San Francisco and St. Louis. Not exactly Murderers' Row. Those five teams hold a combined record of 18-23 and the win over the spiraling Cowboys is no longer seen as a feather in the team's cap.
At the same time, though, none of Arizona's losses can be called a bad loss. The only teams to knock off the Cardinals are the Redskins (6-2), Jets (5-3) and Panthers (6-2).
Despite Arizona's success, the NFC West's torchbearer is miles away from being a legit contender. Kurt Warner, 37, has performed admirably, but we're talking about the Cardinals here, folks. The team hasn't made the playoffs since 1998.
At this point, let's just start over. The NFC West should poach Alabama from the SEC, Texas Tech from the Big 12 and Penn State from the Big Ten. The Cards can stay. After all, everyone likes a feel-good story.
Inside Today's Bulletin
Tuesday Morning Debate: What Is The Worst Division In The NFL?
By Brendan F. Quinn & Drew Silverman, The Bulletin
11/04/2008
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Printer-friendlyBrendan F. Quinn:
The NFC West, a calamity of epic proportions, is easily the worst division in football.
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Between Arizona (5-3), Seattle (2-6), San Francisco (2-6) and St. Louis (2-6), NFC West teams have notched six wins outside of the division. Eliminate the Cardinals, and the rest of the division is a combined 6-18 and has been outscored by 228 points. That is futility at a staggering level. Not surprisingly, two of the division's four head coaches have already been fired and Mike Holmgren is leaving at season's end.Going team-by-team, it's painful to dissect the league's most woeful division.
The 49ers are on a five-game losing streak and interim coach Mike Singletary has behaved like a raving lunatic since replacing Mike Nolan on Oct. 20. During the current losing streak, San Francisco has lost by an average of 14 points and its early-season wins came over the Lions and Seahawks, who have a combined record of 2-14.
As Eagles fans saw on Sunday, the Seahawks are simply abysmal. The team's lone wins have come against fellow division cellar dwellers St. Louis and San Francisco.
Holmgren's team has been decimated by injuries and ranks 26th in the league in points scored, 31st in total yards and 32nd in passing yards. In short, Seattle's offense is as flawed as our economy.
Then there are those mighty St. Louis Rams. Arguably the worst team in football, the Rams rank 31st in points allowed per game, 30th in points scored, 30th in yards allowed and 30th in yards gained. That's not a winning recipe. Jim Haslett was elevated to interim head coach after the Rams fired Scott Linehan in late September.
As for the first-place Cardinals - sounds odd, doesn't it? - the record is slightly deceiving. Their five wins have come against Dallas, Buffalo, Miami, San Francisco and St. Louis. Not exactly Murderers' Row. Those five teams hold a combined record of 18-23 and the win over the spiraling Cowboys is no longer seen as a feather in the team's cap.
At the same time, though, none of Arizona's losses can be called a bad loss. The only teams to knock off the Cardinals are the Redskins (6-2), Jets (5-3) and Panthers (6-2).
Despite Arizona's success, the NFC West's torchbearer is miles away from being a legit contender. Kurt Warner, 37, has performed admirably, but we're talking about the Cardinals here, folks. The team hasn't made the playoffs since 1998.
At this point, let's just start over. The NFC West should poach Alabama from the SEC, Texas Tech from the Big 12 and Penn State from the Big Ten. The Cards can stay. After all, everyone likes a feel-good story.