2008 NFL's Early Contenders & Pretenders

By Derek Lofland.

The beginning of the season is always an interesting time for NFL fans. If a team gets out to a 3-0 start, fans are elated that the Super Bowl trophy is headed for their city. If the team gets out to a 0-3 start, the September games are suddenly not important.

The playoffs are decided by December football.  
I have watched NFL football for almost 20 years and seen it go both ways.

I remember the 1993 Dolphins. They started their season 9-2 and looked like the contender in the AFC. They came crashing back to Earth, finished 9-7, and missed the playoffs.  

Conversely, the 1988 San Francisco 49ers started their season 6-5 and looked to be in danger of missing the playoffs. They made the playoffs with a 10-6 record and won the Super Bowl.  

One thing that no one can dispute is that each game accounts for 1/16th of the schedule.

It is always better to be hot at the end of the year heading into the playoffs than it is to be hot at the beginning of the season and out of gas at the end.  

However, no matter how you slice or dice it, a NFL team needs to get to 9-7 or 10-6 to have a reasonable shot of making the playoffs.  

A strong start takes pressure off as the season progresses. A slow start means teams have dug themselves into a hole that gets deeper with every loss.

The other thing that no one can dispute is that the NFL will surprise you each week.

Just when you think you have things figured out it turns in another crazy direction. That is why we, as fans, love this league.  Any team can beat any other team on any given Sunday.  

I am going to look at three teams today:

The first is a team that has surprised me early in the season that I think is going to continue to contend: Tennessee Titans.

The second is a team that is off to a relatively slow start that I think will rebound: N.Y. Jets.

The third is a team that has disappointed and I think will continue to disappoint for the remainder of the season: Cleveland Browns.

2008 NFL's Early Contenders & Pretenders...