Climbing Out of the Gutter
Posted by eneffell on June 10, 2008
Two once-proud NFL franchises, one always-mediocre team, and one expansion team that until the ‘07 Season, has never had a record 8-8 or better are the subject of this article about miserable bottom-feeders. But, which of these franchise(s) are going to pull out of the gutter this year?
Oakland Raiders
The motto ‘Commitment to Excellence’ is no longer abided by in Oakland. But, after a 3-13 season, you can’t get worse can you? (Oops, sorry Miami) But, with D-Mac in Oakland this year, and arguably the best job in the free agent market in recent years by Al Davis; the Raiders should greatly improve this year.
The Verdict: On charges of going to be a terrible team in 2008, I find the defendant, NOT GUILTY.
Oakland reaches respectability and pulls very close to going to the playoffs in 2009. They miss the playoffs, but greatly improve with an 8-8 record.
Detroit Lions
They’ve never, ever won a championship, and probably never will. Even though Jon Kitna says, Quote “A disappointment if the Lions don’t win ten games this year.” Either Kitna’s smoking pot, or he’s trying to get his own stand-up on Comedy Central (if it’s the latter, it’s working)
The Verdict: On charges of going to be a terrible team in 2008, I find the defendant, GUILTY.
The Lions have never won an NFL Championship, and aren’t going to anytime soon. Especially with Matt Millen running the show in Motor City.
Houston Texans
Houston was 8-8 this year, the first time they haven’t had a losing record since they became an expansion team in the ’90s. Mario Williams – who was the #1 pick in the 2006 Draft – will probably make his first Pro Bowl in ‘08. And in addition to that, the G.M in Houston did the right things in the offseason. And, keep in mind, they play in a tough, tough, TOUGH AFC South division (Peyton Manning, Jaguars, Vince Young, OH MY!)
The Verdict: On charges of going to be a terrible team in 2008, I find the defendant NOT GUILTY.
A plus 500 record in this upcoming NFL season for the first time in the Texans’ history! They got plagued by injuries last year and they improved the RB situation. Congrats to the Houston Texans climbing out of the gutter.
San Francisco 49ers
Linebacker Patrick Willis was the NFL Rookie of the Year in ‘07 with 172 tackles as a rookie. And, the ‘niners upgraded the offense significantly as well as parts of the defense. If Alex Smith proves that he was worth the top pick in oh-five (2005) the 49ers will be alright
The Verdict: On charges of being a terrible team in 2008, I find the defendant, NOT GUILTY.
After going 5-11 in ‘07, San Fran’ will reach .500 in 2008 led by second-year LB Patrick Willis on D’ and fourth-year QB Alex Smith on the offensive side of the ball. If they continue up the right path they are on now, the 49ers will re-live the glory days of the ’80s soon after 2013.
- eneffell, Senior Contributer on 3rd & Short and his main blog is iform.wordpress.com
Contact eneffell at georgiabulldog4life@yahoo.com
