Week One Review

Ah, the curse of Week One has stricken even the most level-headed columnists. SI.com's Peter King announced in his quality Monday Morning QB column that, after an odd Week One, the whole NFL world has been turned upside down.

If only he and others read my blog, they'd know better.

Week One will always be partly an aberration. It's the nature of the game. Many of the real, quality veteran teams are still shaking off the rust from playing half-quarters in the preseason. They're also feeling their way back into the game. Usually, by the end of September, order is restored in some respect.

Want examples? Last year, Carolina, Seattle and Denver looked horrible in Week One and they were three of the NFL's final four.

That's not to say we didn't learn anything about the state of the NFL through Week One. Some things I'd say came out of the mix:

• The Lions will play physical football this year. They may still suck, but they will fight. And that may run out by the time December rolls around if they aren't in the playoff hunt. The point, though, is that Rod Marinelli, their new Head Coach, has instilled some strength and fight in the woeful franchise.
• The Broncos will fall out of contention this year as Jay Cutler cuts his teeth. Unless...
• Kansas City, which was ready for a big-time run this year, could be dead. Without Trent Green or unbelievably, a competent back-up quarterback (did Herm Edwards learn nothing in New York?), the Chiefs' season may be over before it begins. This opens the door for San Diego or Denver to make the playoffs with ordinary seasons.
• Teams who, contrary to popular belief, can't win a title this year with their current QB's: Miami, Dallas, Washington, Denver and Indianapolis.
• The Eagles, despite their weak foe, will contend for the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
• As we expected, there'll be a lot of points and little defense for Arizona and Indianapolis.
• Alex Smith is not done as an NFL QB.
• Pittsburgh isn't going away.
• Tennessee needs to set aside the kid gloves and start Vince Young.
• The Rams will be in the hunt for the NFC West crown until the end of the season. So will Arizona. Seattle's going to face some major difficulties just getting back to the playoffs.
• That hit on Trent Green is going to bring a huge fine. And Cincinnati's perceived "thug" personality gets more fodder.
• The NFC East is not as good as everyone seems to think.

The real question is about what we shouldn't learn from Week One. What are the aberrations? What did we see that wasn't an indication of things to come?

• Tampa will rebound. They will compete for a playoff spot, but fall short. Their offense does need help, though. A playmaker at WR, for instance.
• On the other side of that game, Baltimore won't have it so easy with more competent offenses (say, like Pittsburgh and Cincinnati).
• Jacksonville will not make the playoffs despite their toughness.
• The Jets' winning record will last exactly one week.
• The Panthers always start slow. They'll rebound, but they really need Steve Smith healthy.
• Learn nothing from the performances of these teams, good or bad: San Diego, Baltimore, Tennessee, Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Tampa Bay.

More later when I explain my preseason picks.