NFL MUSINGS

-David Narushev, NFL Draft Bible

- Thank goodness Wellington Mara isn’t around to witness what the Giants have become. What was once a proud, dignified, and extremely image conscious organization has descended to depths I’d thought it would never reach. Undisciplined behavior on and off the field has made them an NFL laughingstock. Their defense is listless, disorganized, and just plain threw the towel in last week against Green Bay. Jeremy Shockey’s antics are never-ending and almost always detrimental to the team as he racks up stupid penalties and drops key passes. “Captain” Michael Strahan is washed up and likely only playing to recoup the money he lost in his well publicized divorce settlement. This franchise may be on the verge of alienating one of the most loyal fan bases in the NFL. They deserve better than this apathetic collection of prima donnas’.

- Good news keeps trickling in from Buffalo for fallen Bills tight end Kevin Everett, who suffered a serious neck injury while attempting a tackle on a kick return during week one. The initial diagnosis was grim, as doctors felt that Everett had suffered permanent spinal damage and would never walk again. His recovery thus far has been nothing short of miraculous and recent reports state that he could be up on his feet and walking within weeks. Injuries such as this reveal dark sides of the game most people choose to put out of their minds when getting caught up in the emotion of a big hit. Unfortunately, every so often we have frightening incidents such as this that make us realize just how inconsequential the game is when somebody’s life is in jeopardy. It still amazes me that in a collision sport, more players don’t neck protectors similar to those made famous by Bryan Cox.

- Last week, Cleveland and Cincinnati did their best to reenact the famous Jets-Dolphins 51-45 shootout of 1986. Though Browns did pick up a much needed victory, they are still very much in disarray and likely headed for another season of double digit losses. Romeo Crennel is essentially a lame duck who might be back on sidelines as a defensive coordinator next season; though I’d be curious to see if the league decides he’s been exposed as somebody who can’t succeed without Belichick. Still, with so many putrid defenses out there, somebody is bound to take a chance on him. Possible early suitors include the Jets, Giants, Saints, Cowboys, or possibly even the Bengals.

- No truth to the rumor that Bridget Moynihan had little J.E.T. Brady baptized by Mark Gastineau with the sweat of Joe Namath. I have to give credit to Tom Brady though, despite the myriad of distractions that could’ve affected his performance during this young season, he’s shaken it all off and continued to play at an extremely high level. I keep waiting for Brady to get knocked down a peg, yet it never seems to happen. He never gets enough credit for his mental toughness and Derek Jeter-esque calmness in the tensest situations.

-Reggie Bush will have a solid career, compiling gaudy all purpose numbers and filling many highlight reels at NFL Films, but count me among those who are slightly disappointed in his play so far. What we expected was Barry Sanders right out of the gate, what we got was a slightly better Eric Metcalf. Not that it’s a bad thing, but so much more was expected out of Bush. Watching him in college, we were so mesmerized by his incredible moves in the open field that we really didn’t notice he didn’t have the power to run between the tackles effectively, and goes down on first contact far too often. Though the jury is still out on Mario Williams, the Texans are not looking quite as dumb anymore.