The NFL released the 2009 NFL Schedule today, so I’ll do what the 4,000 other websites do and list some of the more juicier matchups of the year. (Although in the sake of being at least a little creative, I’ll list one interesting matchup for each of the 17 weeks on the schedule.)
Before we get to the matchups though, let me state for the record that it’s a complete farce that the Cowboys get six nationally televised games next year despite not making the playoffs last season. I guess “America’s Team” opening a brand new stadium is worth major national exposure…six times a year.
Week 1: Bears at Packers, 8:20PM ET
Jay Cutler’s first game in a Bears uniform will be at Lambeau against the rival Packers on Sunday Night Football. How much will John Madden overplay the, “The Bears finally have a quarterback” angle after every pass Cutler completes?
Week 2: Giants at Cowboys, 8:20PM ET
One of the ‘Boys six nationally televised games, Dallas will open up their new stadium against division rival New York on Sunday Night Football. How much will John Madden overplay the, “Tony Romo and Wade Phillips must win now because Jerry Jones built this brand new stadium and he wants a contender” angle?
Week 3: Falcons at Patriots, 1:00PM ET
The over/under on the number of times Matt Ryan is compared to Tom Brady in this game has officially been set at 800,994,990.
Week 4: Chargers at Steelers, 8:20PM ET
AFC Divisional Round rematch in Pittsburgh – let’s see if the Chargers can hold onto the ball for more than 17 seconds in the third quarter unlike the last time these two teams met.
Week 5: Patriots at Broncos, 4:15PM ET
If Bill Belichick shakes Josh McDaniels’ hand at midfield after this game, I’m calling shenanigans on the behalf of Eric Mangini.
Week 6: Bears at Falcons, 8:20PM ET
Here’s hoping the Bears’ secondary figured out that they have to cover the out pattern when that’s the only route Matt Ryan can look for when there’s 11 seconds on the clock and he needs to get his team into field goal range.
Delhomme, 34, is in the final year of his contract and is scheduled to count more than $11 million against the Panthers’ salary cap next season. The team could significantly reduce his 2009 cap number – perhaps by as much as 50 percent – with a multi-year extension.
Wednesday was the first day either side has confirmed the contract talks. “There are discussions,” coach John Fox said at the NFL owners’ meetings.
“It’s always ongoing. There is no question we’ve got a commitment to Jake. Whether that comes to fruition with a contract (extension), I can’t say.”
Delhomme’s agent, Rick Smith, said the uncertainty of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement factors into the situation. Unless a CBA extension is reached, the 2010 season is scheduled to be played without a salary cap, without a lockout of players by team owners possible before the 2011 season.
This would be a wise move for the Panthers in terms of cap space, but they have to find an eventual replacement for Delhomme at some point. The quarterback class in this year’s draft is weak so they might not find a long-term answer this year. But again at some point, they’ll need to start grooming a youngster.
Delhomme was absolutely filthy-awful in the Panthers’ loss to the Cardinals in last year’s divisional playoff round. And I hate to sound like one of those sports bloggers that makes generalized opinions and pawns them off as facts, but take away Steve Smith and Delhomme is about as effective as a remote without batteries.
Vinnie Iyer of SportingNews.com did an interesting piece on five NFL playoff teams who have big issues heading into the 2009 season.
1) Baltimore Ravens. Joe Flacco has had a great start to his career, but to take the next step as a quarterback, he probably could use a young receiver with No. 1 potential. The more pressing issues, however, are with Baltimore’s backbone, its defense. First, it’ll be a challenge to find a coordinator and play-caller to match Rex Ryan, who left to become head coach of the New York Jets…
2) Philadelphia Eagles. To some extent, the Donovan McNabb question was answered, at least for the ’09 season. His support system may be different, however. Aging offensive tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan will be free agents. Top guard Shawn Andrews will need to come back from back surgery, and also may need to move outside. Backup running back Correll Buckhalter also wants to explore options out of Philadelphia. Defensively, stalwart safety Brian Dawkins could also walk…
3) Carolina Panthers. Will Carolina need to address the quarterback position after Jake Delhomme’s six-turnover fiasco against Arizona in the divisional playoffs? It seems unfair to judge Delhomme on his first truly bad playoff game, when his play and leadership has been huge for the Panthers in the big picture. But still, with his age (34) and the fact he’s just one year removed from major elbow surgery, it might be time to draft a project passer to groom. In addition, Delhomme’s Pro Bowl left tackle, Jordan Gross, can become an unrestricted free agent….
4) Indianapolis Colts. Tony Dungy and general manager Bill Polian were hoping for a smooth coaching transition with Jim Caldwell taking over, but it hasn’t been necessarily easy in the early going. Offensive coordinator Tom Moore, 70, and offensive line coach Howard Mudd, 66, nearly opted to follow Dungy into retirement. Defensive coordinator Ron Meeks flat-out resigned on Tuesday, and Caldwell fired special teams coach Russ Pernell. Caldwell isn’t a Dungy clone — there will be a different feel around the team….
5) New York Giants. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo left to be head coach of the Rams, and there’s a chance offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride gets the same gig with the Raiders. The unit that Gilbride may leave behind has plenty of issues…
Iyer goes into more detail on every team, so check out the entire piece.
I agree on all of Iyer’s takes, although these problems are nothing new for any playoff team. Good teams have their coordinators stripped from them to become head coaches in other cities. Star players in contract years bolt for bigger paydays elsewhere, while other standouts get another year older or slower.
All five of the above teams have the potential to face major change and that’s what makes them a risk not to make a repeat playoff appearance next year. The most interesting team is the Ravens because they have so many questions to answer about their defense, which has been their identity the past eight or nine years.
1. Everyone was wrong about the Cardinals… …especially me. I couldn’t have been more wrong about this team, but I make no apologies. The Cardinals were absolutely hammered on the East Coast during the regular season and played awful down the stretch outside of a Week 17 win over a hapless Seattle team with nothing to play for. But they have been beyond impressive the past two weeks and they not only beat the Panthers on Saturday, they crushed them in every facet of the game. I followed the masses and just chalked up a loss for ‘Zona because they were on the road. I thought a Panther win was a lock and I couldn’t have been more wrong or shortsighted. What a dominant performance by the surging Cards, who are now one win away from playing in the Super Bowl. Amazing.
2. Jake Delhomme is the most overrated quarterback in the NFL.
Jake Delhomme is brutal, terrible, horrible – beyond awful. He’s the most overrated quarterback in the league and I don’t just write that because he threw five interceptions against the Cardinals; I write that because he is. I realize Carolina collapsed when Delhomme got hurt last year, but everyone made it sound like he was the missing link to the Panthers not going to the playoffs. But Steve Smith makes him look better than he is and the team’s outstanding running game masked his weakness this season. The Panthers are overdue in grooming a young quarterback and after Delhomme’s performance tonight, it would be a shock if Carolina doesn’t draft a signal caller come April.
3. If you can’t get off the field on third downs, you’re not going to win.
The Cardinals were 10 of 18 on third downs tonight, which meant the Panthers’ defense couldn’t get off the field when it mattered most. Arizona kept drives alive all night and all Carolina’s offense could do was stand by and watch as the clock continued to tick away. The Cardinals created a perfect storm by capturing the lead, converting on third downs and taking the Panthers’ two backs out of the game. Of course, Carolina’s six turnovers certainly helped, too.
4. Where did this Arizona run defense come from?
Last week the Cardinals held Michael Turner to under 50 rushing yards. Tonight, they held the explosive duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to 75 combined yards on the ground. Granted, they did jump out to a big lead early so the Panthers had to get away from their run game, but still – the Cards’ run defense has been fantastic so far this postseason. Clancy Pendergast has drawn up two excellent game plans the past two weeks and his players have executed those game plans to perfection.
5. Larry Fitzgerald is sick.
It was so easy to call, wasn’t it? Anquan Boldin was ruled out before the game and you just knew Carolina would double Larry Fitzgerald and destroy Kurt Warner’s day. Well…not so much. Fitz was incredible, hauling in eight passes for 166 yards and a 29-yard touchdown before half. The Panthers’ secondary, which hadn’t played that bad all season, clearly had no answer for him. It also helped that Warner delivered the ball in a timely manner all night and continues to play like playoff veteran he is. Warner has played fantastic all season.
6. The NFC South was a playoff dud.
Before the regular season wrapped up, many NFL pundits claimed that the NFC South was the best division in football – even better than the tough, physical NFC East. But after watching the Falcons and Panthers perform the past two weeks, the NFC South certainly wasn’t represented well. Atlanta and Carolina combined for nine turnovers in two games and their standout running games were foiled by an Arizona run defense that allowed over 110 yards per game in the regular season. The NFC South was a tough division all season, but what a brutal showing in the postseason.
