2009 Season

We are roughly at the Halfway Point of the 2009 Season which has been one of the craziest seasons yet, reflecting an NFL League that is experiencing one of its most competitive seasons ever. Literally, any team dedicated to a week of preparation that leads to inspired, hard, daily practices can defeat any other team regardless of their record. One's win loss record can hardly define the identity of a team, regardless of the perennial attempts to do so by fans and media alike who desperately grasp to understand how teams rank. Not long ago, the League evolved to a point that was so competitive that every month was practically a new season and an opportunity for a new beginning for a team's rebirth. This was reflected in recent Super Bowl Champions who evolved week to week to become a contender literally taking one playoff game at a time. A good example is the recent Super Bowl run by the Indianapolis Colts when they harnessed the ability to transform themselves from week to week all the way to the title.


So far in this 2009 Season, we can see that any team can beat any team and changes in how good teams are change from week to week. The Football ERA helps bring some degree of clarity in evaluating such an insane League with such great flux from week to week. Never should the panic button have been pushed so hard as we have seen this year in places like Washington where play-calling duties were stripped rather abruptly from Jim Zorn's duties. The Redskins struggles seem to directly relate to a daunting inseason attempt to replace 3 starters on the offensive line. Generally, such midseason adjustments to injuries and adversity can lead to ultimately strengthening a team by developing depth. The Hogs past runs to the Super Bowl under Joe Gibbs were preceded by such adversity in seasons prior to their ultimate success.

Cincinnati is a prime example of a team that underwent such adversity in the past two seasons following a brief playoff run. Their decision to stick with Marvin Lewis resulted in stability that led to this type of development. This season the same roster is contending in the daunting AFC North this year with added depth and experience after a year or two of similar struggles with injuries and rebuilding on their offensive and defensive fronts. They are being rewarded for the stability of sticking with the same their program under Marvin Lewis with success from their current roster. Teams like the Atlanta Falcons made their quick turnarounds not by fortifying just one position--like QB, but bringing back the same players on the fronts that had been previously considered untalented and hopeless---yet had developed into winners.

Meanwhile as this season progresses, the New Orleans Saints seem to be just toying more and more with the competition so far.

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