If you are a football fan like me, this was what we have been waiting for….the first games of a long and interesting season. Football, by far, is my favorite sport, and I have followed it since grade school. I played it in junior high, high school and college, refereed it for 27 years, and can honestly say I enjoyed every minute. So, yeah, this is my time of the year, clear up to February and the last game of the year, The Super Bowl!
The first weeks are always interesting, confusing, frustrating, and encouraging. I watched a lot of the games and would like to give my take on some of our local teams that most of us follow all year. So please, if you disagree, get a hold of me at MY COUNTY LINK, and let me know…..I love to hear what others think of my takes.
Here we go: I think Notre Dame, who I thought was overrated, got a real lesson in humility, and I couldn’t be happier. I have never liked the Golden Domers, I don’t know why, they just seem arrogant to me, but Saturday they were just plain whipped by Northern Illinois. I think this was the perfect example of taking a team too lightly, thinking it was won before it was played. Tough lesson to learn, but that’s football. This hurt their chance for a high seed in the playoffs, I think.
Michigan looked lethargic, the defense looked soft, the offense non-existent, and Coach Moore looked lost. Harder to win when you don’t know what play is coming! (Cheap shot at Michigan fans, especially my buddy Clint Randall!) I honestly don’t know how good they are, and I don’t think they do either. With what is looming over their heads from the NCAA, I wonder how their concentration will be the rest of the year? Rumors out of Kansas are it is not going to be pretty. We will see!
Ohio State has mauled two lesser teams, but I do see improvement in the line play—a little, but better. Ohio State right now is a top-5 team, but there is a long way to go! The talent is there, but thank the Lord that Ryan Day isn’t calling the plays! It was refreshing to see OSU run between the tackles for a change.
In the NFL, the Bengals and the Browns looked….well…….uh……sad?………pitiful?………..unprepared?……or all of the above? I think the Bengals’ problem was they were not prepared well at all for game situations. This is what happens when your starters don’t play in the pre-season. Even Joe Burrow looked like he had no clue what anyone else was doing, and that goes straight on the shoulders of Zac Taylor. That, plus the fact that I think the Bengals made some questionable off season moves, and it made them look out of sync. They have talent, but lack of playing together might cost them the division championship. We’ll see how they look this week.
The Brownies….well, that’s another story! The 240 million Dollar quarterback, DeShaun Watson looks like a bust. Could be the worst deal in NFL history! The defense didn’t do much either against “How ‘Bout Them Cowboys!” and the Browns, long one of the best running teams in the NFL, couldn’t even do that. I hate to say it to you Browns fans, but is it time to dump DeShaun? Is he too much of a distraction? I see where there is another Sexual Assault case against him now, and the NFL is deciding what to do. Is he really worth the trouble? We will see this week when they play Jacksonville, a really good up and coming young team with a real quarterback of the future. Could be a long year for the Browns!
One other team that is not local but has a huge fan base is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They showed no offense against the Atlanta Falcons, but the defense, looking strong as ever, was up to the task. They should be about the same against the Denver Broncos this week, who have Bo Nix, a rookie as their starting quarterback. He will get to meet Mr. T. J. Watts this week……..probably several times, and it will not be pleasant! If the Steelers don’t find some offense, it will be a tough year for them. I do hope they give Justin Fields a good chance to be their quarterback; I think he got a raw deal in Chicago. I’m not a huge Steelers fan, but I am a fan of Justin!
There you have it, my very unexpert view of the first weeks of the football season. I wish all teams to stay as healthy as possible because that makes for better competition. It is a long season, and at this point, everyone has that chance to be champions in their divisions and leagues……………. well, maybe not Michigan; they don’t know the plays anymore! (Sorry, Clint. It’s just so easy!)
Good luck to all!……
That’s the way I see it…..from the sidelines!
