NFL Midseason Report: 10 Ways To Explain The Parity in 2010
With parity at an all-time high, NFL Week 9 action promises to be as unpredictable as the previous eight.
In fact, I don't remember a season in recent memory that has provided as many consistent surprises as 2010.
Whether it's a highly-talented team failing to meet its expectations, or an unheralded team proving its doubters wrong, there's plenty of parity to go around in this year's edition of the NFL.
There are lots of reasons that "good" teams do "bad," and vice versa. Here are 10 of the best ways I could find to explain the parity this year.
Young Head Coach-Quarterback Combos
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One common thread between the Buccaneers, Rams, Jets and Chiefs is that they've all hired a new head coach within the past two seasons.
Falcons head coach Mike Smith and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh are both going into their third years. They feature impressive 19-13 and 20-12 records respectively, after pulling their teams from the rubble of a losing record.
Players often respond to a young, fresh voice in the locker room.
All the teams mentioned above also feature young passers. A new quarterback and a new head coach breed a new philosophy and new tendencies. These can lead to uncertainty on behalf of the defense in terms of how to defend against these young, athletic quarterbacks.
But It Doesn't Always Work Out...
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The Denver Broncos were once a consistently-competitive team when head coached by Mike Shanahan. Since bringing in Josh McDaniels, the former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, the Broncos have been on the wrong side of the horse.
He and Kyle Orton seem to be working well together, as Orton continues to pile on the yards and currently ranks as the league's best in that category. But they haven't been able to find the end zone and that has translated into Orton's second ranking in yards, with a paltry No. 24-ranking in touchdown efficiency overall.
Coaching
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So much emphasis is put on the players, with the belief that a group of talented athletes can get the job done in the NFL.
That's not been the case though, as three of the league's most talented teams—the Cowboys, Chargers and Vikings—have all suffered from incompetent coaching.
It's a combination of play-calling, not utilizing the players to their strengths and motivation.
The Saints have been called "vanilla" in their offensive scheme, when they were once considered one of the most exotic offenses in the league.
Why is it hard for me to envision a bunch of 22-to-35-year-old men responding enthusiastically to guys like Wade Phillips, Norv Turner and Brad Childress?
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Injuries
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The Green Bay Packers, a preseason favorite for the Super Bowl, have been plagued by several key injuries all year. Ryan Grant was placed on IR in Week 1, with Jermichael Finley, Mark Tauscher, Ryan Pickett and others to follow. A 4-3 record isn't embarrassing at this point, and in the anemic NFC, it could still be enough for a playoff spot.
Meanwhile, the Patriots season was already being given a post-mortem after Ty Warren, Leigh Bodden and Kevin Faulk were all on IR by Week 2. But here they sit, atop the NFL with the league's best record.
Teams Built To Win Their Division
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The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans jump off the map as two of the teams that have been built around finally beating the big brother of their division, the Indianapolis Colts.
Each has taken a different approach offensively, with the Texans looking to match the Colts' punch-for-punch behind Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, while the Titans look to play keep-away-from-Peyton Manning behind Chris Johnson.
Both teams feature fearsome front sevens as well.
Building to beat your division opponents is wise to an extent, but it's not worth it to lose sight of beating other teams, too. Still, these recipes for winning have worked well for the Texans and Titans in staying close in the division race.
Playoff Teams Frequently Miss The Playoffs The Following Season
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Football analysts are afraid of change. When change occurs, it makes them look bad.
It's easy to predict last year's division champion to win the crown again the next season, but isn't that just a little too easy?
Crazy things happen every week in the NFL and it doesn't take more than a few head-scratching plays for a few sure wins to turn into big-time losses.
Just ask teams like the San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings. Their combined win-loss record is a sickening 11-19. All were projected to field playoff teams this season, and all but New Orleans has a losing record.
The past isn't an accurate indicator of future success. Only two of last year's top four seeds—the Saints and Colts—sport winning records, with the Chargers (3-5) and the Vikings (2-5) way in the distance.
This is far from the first time that's happened. Just last year, three of the top four seeds from the previous year finished 8-8. And all four—including the Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh Steelers—missed the playoffs.
Rising Stars at Quarterback
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Plenty of coaches and GMs would give up an extremity for a good quarterback.
There have been several young quarterbacks performing very well this season. My short list would include Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, Sam Bradford and Matt Cassel. All have been big investments for each franchise, and all have delivered with winning seasons thus far. All have helped rebuild a franchise from the ground up in their time.
One thing is clear: if you want to get wins, get a good quarterback. Some of the bad teams have done that, while some of the good teams haven't. See the former NFC-champion Arizona Cardinals, who fell off the face of the Earth without Kurt Warner.
But It's Not All About The Quarterback...
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The Cowboys and Chargers have proven that they can find a way to lose even when they light up the fantasy scoreboards with impressive stats. Allowing key special-teams plays to slip through their fingers, and turning the ball over consistently at inopportune times, have been the plague for these two teams.
The team has to do all the little things well, too. That is often overlooked when building a team. Without a 100-percent effort from everyone on the team, wins become a thing of the past.
Rome Wasn't Built in a Day
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Some teams, like the Patriots, rebuild at a 10-or-11-win per season rate. Others, like the Chiefs, spend a few years at the bottom, gradually putting the pieces together both on and off the field and then suddenly bursting onto the scene.
It may seem as though a team will stay in the cellar forever. But sports often go in cycles, with bad teams eventually putting it together at some point. Sometimes it takes a bit longer than others—just as the Arizona Cardinals, who waited until just two seasons ago for their first Super Bowl appearance, and now seem as far away from contention as they were in the pre-Matt Leinart days.
Something To Prove
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Players have huge chips on their shouldesr when the media doesn't even give them a chance coming into the season.
But we tend to forget that these players are in the NFL for a reason, and usually not by mistake. Someone deemed these players a fit for the league. Sometimes, all it takes is a little nudge in the right direction to get motivated and get wins.
Show of hands: who honestly believed the Kansas City Chiefs would be in first place in the division in Week 8? If no one is raising their hands, I'll assume no one is lying.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
