Well, as always, here are the Top Ten random thoughts that popped into my head while watching this week’s NFL games:

Number 10

If there is a better rivalry in the NFL right now than the Ravens / Titans, someone please show it to me. These divisional opponents literally despise one another, and every time they play, the games are heated, physical, nasty, low scoring and vicious. Baltimore’s defense continues to show everyone why those comparisons to the ’85 Bears are necessary, and their offense, while still largely anaemic, is starting to come together. I, for one, thought that Tennessee would actually show up for this game and give the Ravens some stiff competition, with the dominant running of Eddie George, and their tough defensive unit. Well, I was wrong. Dead wrong. It seems that every time Tennessee plays Baltimore, Ray Lewis smacks Eddie George in the mouth enough times to cause him to go out of the game, and without Eddie G, the Titans are finished. I’ll say this right now, I don’t think the Titans can win a SuperBowl with Steve McNair at the helm, he is becoming too injury prone, and is reluctant to throw the ball downfield. The Titans braintrust must be starting to see this by now, because the rest of the NFL sure is.

Number 9

This brings me to another thought, one I made mention of in last week’s Top Ten. All the central division teams in the NFL are boring to watch. With the exception of maybe Green Bay and Minnesota (who actually throw the ball downfield), all the rest of them provide as many highlights as a computerized chess match. I could break each team down, to tell you why I think this, but I think I will leave that for another column… stay tuned.

Number 8

Speaking of rivalries, I have become a huge fan of the Brett Favre (ffavv-ruh?) / Warren Sapp rivalry. Every these teams play, this is always the most interesting storyline, because neither of these guys will ever back down, or stop coming after each other. What a great sight it was to see Favre and Sapp embrace each other after the game had ended, showing true sportsmanship even in defeat (in Favre’s case).

I am also becoming a fan of Bill Schroeder. He reminds me of Eddy Mcaffery, and each time I see him play, he impresses me more and more. Always a good possession guy, Schroeder has now become Favre’s main target, and he has not disappointed. I was really surprised by his speed, and that play where Favre rifled one to him down the sidelines, was a perfect example.

8A

If I were a receiver in the NFL, I would hate to be labelled with the tag of “possession receiver”. I think that is one of the worst labels a receiver could have. It basically means that you’re not good enough to be a key player in the offense, and not talented enough to get the deep ball thrown you’re way, but you are good enough to go across the middle on 7-10yd crossing patterns, and when we need a key reception, we’ll come your way.

Number 7

Where have you gone Robert Smith? And I am sure the Vikings are saying, will you please come back? Wow. That Vikings team is lost without Robert Smith’s running. Culpepper threw for over 330yds on Sunday, and his team still lost. Why? Because they only rushed for a grand total of 34yds on 11 carries. 11 carries! I don’t know if Dennis Green has completely abandoned the running attack, but it is obvious that what he is doing right now, is not working. Now I cant lay blame on the Vikings without giving props to the Saints, because the Saints are finally looking like the team that won the NFC West last year, their defense is coming around, and their offense looks stronger by the week. With Ricky Williams’ success thus far, I wonder how long it will be until he starts doing commercial spots for “Paxil”, the anti-depressant drug that has made him a much more likeable person, and with that, a much better football player.

As a side note, I wonder if anyone is as happy as I am that the Vikings are stinking up the joint this year? Just a random thought here people.

Number 6

Earth to Jerry Jones! Your team is better with Anthony Wright playing QB! The Cowboys finally showed some life against the Raiders, losing only by a touchdown. It looked like they rallied around Anthony Wright, so I don’t know if they don’t believe in Quincy Carter just yet, or if Wright has a better feel for the guys on offense, either way, the Cowboys looked much, much better with Wright under center. And what do ya know? Joey Galloway does still play football! Finally a touchdown out of Galloway, who used to be considered one of the best in the game, but after last year’s injury, he seemed to fall to the level of mediocrity.

On the other hand, the Raiders looked like they played just well enough to win, Gannon was efficient, and they ran the ball well too. They looked sort of, uninspired out there, and the Cowboys almost caught them sleeping. I am sure Coach Gruden will have his men whipped back into form when the go into Indianapolis next week.

Number 5

The Washington Deadskins, oops, I mean, Redskins, also showed some life on Sunday, when they played with the Giants for the majority of the game. The team looked inspired, they looked energized, but with Tony Banks at the helm, they still looked bad. Banks threw two picks to Jason Seahorn, and the one Seahorn took to the house for a TD, took the wind out of the Redskins’ sails, virtually ending the game. If the Redskins could get some stability at the QB position (oh yeah, some production too) they could actually compete in some games, but with the signing of Kent Graham, it doesn’t look like they will anytime soon. One thing I will say about the Giants, I really like their defense. Keith Hamilton, Michael Strahan and Mike Barrow all are ProBowl selections, in my mind.

Number 4

How about those Cleveland Browns? Looking like the smashmouth, beat em up, intimidating Browns of old, the Browns beat the charging Chargers in one of the best games of the weekend. The Browns are at 3-1, and now are tied with Baltimore for 1st place in the AFC Central. What an amazing job Butch Davis has done with that defense, turning it into a mean looking squad, this early in the season. The Chargers fell from the ranks of undefeated, but they still looked strong in this game. Their offensive line, which was supposed to be the weakest part of their team, has blocked really well for Flutie, and even better for LaDanian Tomlinson, who leads the NFL in rushing. I thought San Diego would win this game, but this Browns team caught me, the Chargers, and the rest of the NFL by surprise. But now that everyone has had a look at this Browns team, they will no longer be able to sneak up on teams, should prove interesting for the rest of the season.

Number 3

Jake Plummer’s critics can now shut up, for at least a week. Jake the Snake brought the Cardinals back late in the 4th quarter to beat the inconsistent Eagles, and I’ll tell you, I am genuinely happy for Jake. I have liked this kid from day 1, and now that he finally has some talent around him, I hope he can regain the form that got him that big contract a while back. I don’t know about those Eagles anymore, their crazy blitzing scheme cost them the game Sunday, because the hung their corners out to dry too often. Money McNabb looks to be struggling a little bit, but I think that once they get Duce Staley back healthy and producing again, they will be just fine. They have a bye next week, and then they go into Gotham to play the Giants, who have had their number of late. That will be a real test for Philly, and after that game, we will be able to tell who is for real in that NFC East.

Number 2

Wow. Those Rams just destroyed the Lions on Monday night, didnt they? The Rams completely dictated the pace of play, on both sides of the ball, and looked extremely confident in every facet of the game. I dont know if I agree with the Lions deciding to bench Detmer after an efficient 1st half, because in the 2nd, Batch was worse. I actually thought the Lions would show up for this game, but this game was over after the coin toss. I loved the quote that coach Mike Martz gave the lovely Melissa Stark after the game, when she asked him about throwing so often in the 1st half, "it was fun, we like to have fun." I know the Rams had fun, but I seriously doubt the Lions did.

Number 1

San Francisco gets a huge monkey off their backs by beating former coach George Seifert on Sunday night. The Niners, with their win, now sit at 3-1, a mark that is more than impressive for a team as young as they are. The Niners led this game 10-7 at half time, and even fell behind 10-14 early in the 3rd quarter, when Garcia was picked off by Doug Evans, who took it to the house for a score, but after that, the Niners never looked back, dominating Carolina through the air, en route to a 24-14 win. Garcia threw two TD’s to Terrel Owens, and Garrison Heast controlled the ball in the 4th quarter to keep Carolina off the field. Speaking of Terrel Owens, it seemed that after that miscommunication between Garcia and him, sort of lit a fire in him and raised his level of play. My question is, why does it seem to take a mistake on Owens part to get him going? He should be “going” all the time, shouldn’t he? It seems that only after something like that happens, Owens starts to play inspired football, doing what he does best, and I don’t think that is how Mooch wants it to be.

. A couple of side notes though, how great is it that the Niners are at 3-1 this early? We are well on our way back to respectability, and I couldn’t be happier. Also, I think that my new favorite term in the NFL is “running angry”, a term which Joe Theismann used to describe Terrel Owens’ sytle. How great a term is that? It just sounds mean and aggressive, which usually aren’t terms used to describe the running style of wide receivers. Owens is a special player all right, and now if we could only get him to play inspired all the time, he could be the best.

Until next time…