RANDALL’s RANT
What’s bothering the Sun’s NFL handicapper this week?
If nothing else, the National Football League is popular for its unpredictability and element of surprise. Each week normally produces some new and interesting storyline based on game performances and results.
This is particularly true at the beginning of each season as teams reveal what they have been working on in secret for nine months leading up to September kickoff.
When we started the year with a shocking upset after Kansas City (a nine-point underdog) upended the New England Patriots in Foxboro, the table was set for another wild and wacky season. And then two weeks of dullsville followed.
What we’ve learned so far is that the more things change, the more they’ve stayed the same.
The Saints have had an abysmal defence for the past two or three years, finishing last or close to last in a slew of defensive categories. But they claimed that major steps were taken to correct this liability. OK, great. New Orleans held its pre-season opponents to 41 points in four games, good for third-best in the NFL. A couple weeks into the real season and Sean Payton’s club is dead last in yards allowed and next to last in points surrendered with 65, only one more point given up than the lowly Jets.
The Chargers, losers of eight one-score games a year ago including some heartbreaking last-second outcomes, have started the season with a pair of heartbreaking losses that were result of final-play missed field goal attempts.
What has changed? The Browns are trying out their 1000th quarterback this century. The Packers can’t beat the Falcons. The feeble AFC South has three of four teams at .500. Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees are one, two and three in yards passing. There is no surprise team, good or bad. Rob Gronkowski is hurt again. The Bills, Texans, Jaguars, 49ers, Jets and Bears desperately need a pro-calibre quarterback while Colin Kaepernick remains unemployed. This isn’t drama. This is reruns. Heck, there hasn’t even been a noticeable bad beat for bettors to languish over.
The NFL is the macho man’s soap opera of our time. If the plots don’t change, there’s very little to talk about.
If there’s very little to talk about, Sundays can be better spent.