Week 8 brings us a new head coach, three divisional matchups, two teams in London that are both coming off terrible losses in the States, new expectations for some teams and a number of ways to look at your favorite team. Enjoy the storylines for Week 8:
1. The Singletary era begins
The NFL has become a very dangerous place for coaches. Three already have been fired, and the season isn't even half over. Mike Singeltary is the latest assistant coach to take over a franchise, as he replaces Mike Nolan in San Francisco. I wonder if the wins this past weekend by Tom Cable of the Raiders and Jim Haslett of the Rams as replacement coaches pushed the York family to make the change with its team.
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| Paul Sakuma / Associated Press |
| Mike Singletary takes over in San Francisco. The 49ers are the third team to fire its head coach through seven weeks. |
Or maybe, as one GM said, it was a winnable home game against the Seahawks that was the driving force. I spoke to someone very close to the situation this week who said the handwriting was on the wall before the season even started. Seattle comes to town averaging 8.6 points per game on the road with an 0-3 road record. Singletary should get his first win, which is great for the new coach. But Nolan built this team, and he joins Lane Kiffin and Scott Linehan on the sidelines as spectators. I have a problem with that issue. I reminded two of the dismissed coaches that last year's Super Bowl featured two coaches, Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin, who were fired from their first head coaching jobs.
2. Finally, a division game for Buffalo
There are teams in the NFL that already have played three of their six division games. The Redskins already are done with all of their NFC East road games. The Bills, meanwhile, are preparing for their first divisional game -- they are the only team in the league yet to play such a game this season. As it turns out, the Bills have put together a very solid team, and their young QB, Trent Edwards, has completed 106 of his 152 throws and is walking around with a 98.8 passer rating. Edwards is ready for the divisional challenge, and it will be interesting to see if he can lead his team to a win at Miami this weekend. The Bills face three division opponents in the next three weeks. We will soon find out exactly what the 5-1 Bills have really built in 2008.
3. Must-win for Colts
Tony Dungy, the head coach of the Colts, called this game in Tennessee a must-win situation. His team is already three games behind the Titans, and a Tennessee win would give Jeff Fisher's squad a 3-0 division record and a four-game lead. The Titans are an "old-school" team that wins the game in the trenches with its linemen and a very physical style. Combined, the Colts and Titans have given up only 13 red-zone touchdowns in 36 trips. This should be a low-scoring, physical game, to say the least.
4. Who's hot, who's not
Once we get past the opening week or two, I start to look at NFL teams in terms of what they have done over the last month or four games. Anything beyond that one-month window is a waste of time. The Titans are the only 4-0 team over the past month and thus the hottest team in the NFL coming into the weekend. Eight teams playing this weekend -- Atlanta, Buffalo, Carolina, Jacksonville, N.Y. Giants, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington -- are 3-1 over the past month, and they are considered dangerous. On the other side of the spectrum, there are three 0-4 teams over the past month (Detroit, K.C., Cincinnati) and that's as cold as it gets.
5. A game across the pond
Last year, the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10 in London. Despite the fact that both teams had a bye upon their return to the States, most football experts expected some kind of hangover. Sure enough, both teams lost their next game. The good news for the Giants was that they went on to win the Super Bowl -- so there's no crying allowed from the teams in this week's London game, San Diego and New Orleans. I expect a low-scoring game on a slow surface, with the players somewhat sluggish from the whole experience. But eventually, the Chargers and Saints will put on a good show.
6. The perfect storm
Each week, I like to select four players who are hoping for the "perfect storm." This week, I go to the running back well once again. I expect these four ballcarriers to finish with close to 550 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns as a group:
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| Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images |
| Thomas Jones, fresh off a big game in Oakland, faces a shaky Chiefs run defense. |
Thomas Jones, N.Y. Jets: After carrying 24 times for 159 yards last week, Jones faces the 32nd-ranked run defense in Kansas City. The game is being played in the Meadowlands.
Clinton Portis, Washington: The Redskins play in Detroit against the No. 31 run defense. Portis leads the NFL in rushing with 818 yards, which is 134 more than the next back. Portis should collect close to 150 yards on the ground this week.
Willis McGahee, Baltimore: McGahee was limited in practice this week but should churn out the yards against the 26th-ranked Raiders defense that has to travel across the country.
LenDale White, Tennessee: The Titans are facing the 28th-ranked run defense, and White is coming off a big game in which he had a now-famous 80-yard touchdown run. One more big play for White and the comparisons to Jerome Bettis will start.
7. West-to-east still firing a blank
It continues to be rough on the teams in the Pacific time zone when they get to the Eastern time zone. Some want to brush it under the rug, but it really needs to be studied. Last week, another three teams went down for the count. After seven weeks, not one team that traveled three time zones from west to east has won a game. This week, Oakland visits Baltimore and the Cardinals fly to Carolina. I get the feeling the evidence will continue to mount that there is something out of balance about extended travel when the clock is working against you.
8. Can Haslett keep rolling?
Jim Haslett is a fine NFL coach, and what he went through with Hurricane Katrina to keep his Saints level-headed has gone a long way to helping him understand how to put the Rams on the map after a terrible start. Haslett already is one third of the way to gaining the six wins he needs to remove the interim tag from his title as head coach. The players love the guy, and they are constantly telling me how much they believe in the "new Rams." St. Louis already has beaten the Redskins and Cowboys under Haslett, and now they look for more of the same against New England. Good luck.
9. Beware the 20-yard plays
Explosive plays are the demise of most defenses. Defensive coordinators warn their players constantly about athletes and teams that find a way to generate plays of 20-plus yards. Teams that have allowed the most 20-yard runs this season: Kansas City (14), Denver (9), St. Louis (9).
When it comes to allowing 20-yard pass completions, the teams that lead the league in this dubious category are: New Orleans (24), Miami (23), Denver (20), Seattle (20) and Detroit (19).
It is almost amazing that the Broncos have a 4-3 record while they have already given up 29 plays of 20 or more yards. Any team that gives up at least four such plays a game should not win more than they lose.
10. Time to drop a bad habit
It's not even midseason just yet and it is time to clean up a bad habit. The two most-penalized teams in the NFL are the Packers (67) and Cowboys (65). Green Bay has let the officials walk off 534 yards against them, while Dallas watched the refs walk off 460 yards. That is more than the total yardage either team produces on offense for a game. Imagine giving back a game-and-a-half of field to the officials and still having a winning record. I say clean up the penalty habit and really start winning.
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