Following a prelude that ranged from the tragic – the death of Thomas Herrion and Hurricane Katrina – to the absurd, see Owens, Terrell, the NFL finally managed to do what it does best, playing 16 games over the past five days.
“It’s nice to get back on the field and focus on what you’re supposed to be doing,” New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said after the 2005 season’s initial game, a 30-20 victory over Oakland. “The Thomas Herrion thing was so disappointing to everyone, and the Katrina thing has been unbelievable. Every time you go into a locker room, everyone’s watching CNN.
“It’s been tough. It was almost a relief to play the game because it’s a way to take your mind off everything.”
After arguably the most tumultuous offseason in league history, the NFL was certainly relieved that Randy Moss, Owens, Jamal Lewis, et al., were back to making headlines with their play, rather than their assorted criminal cases, money grabs and general inanities.
Of course, if you’re an AFC West team residing on the far side of Kansas City, you’re probably wishing about now that you had a little more time to get it together. Although much-ballyhooed during the preseason, three of the four teams laid a collective egg, with the biggest omelet being tossed by the Broncos in sizzling Miami.
In a division that likely will afford little wiggle room in the fight for a home-field playoff game, Denver, San Diego and Oakland face something akin to must-win contests Sunday, where Rivalry Week features the Chiefs at Raiders and Chargers at Broncos.
“To get to where we’re trying to go, we have to win our games at home,” San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer told reporters Monday. “But it’s a long season. The things we have to address are readily correctable.”
Although it won’t be any consolation to them, the Chargers and Broncos weren’t the only upset victims from Sunday. If Denver’s loss to Miami wasn’t the day’s most humiliating result, then that dubious honor might go to Minnesota, which lost at home to Tampa Bay.
A trendy pick to win the NFC North, if not the entire conference, the Vikings’ allegedly improved defense gave up 148 yards to rookie running back Cadillac Williams, while Daunte Culpepper threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles in an offensive display that surely had Moss giggling uncontrollably as he reached for the munchies.
“I don’t think it’s time to say, ‘These are our guys. I love the right guard,’ and then all of the sudden he has a bad game and you say, ‘He’s not our guy right now.’ That really shows a lot of support. We just got to get better,” Vikings coach Mike Tice said during his Monday news conference.
After his team was physically overpowered across the board by the Bucs, Tice was asked if he felt other opponents, beginning with Cincinnati this weekend, will try to exploit the same formula. The coach said he felt oftentimes teams wouldn’t try to duplicate the game plan from a previous week because, “you give credit to the (losing) coach that they are going to get it tightened up.”
If all the preseason hype surrounding the Vikings, the Carolina Panthers, the New York Jets, Broncos and Chargers is to be believed, fans are hoping that that’s exactly what happens with each of those teams.
But after a surprising opening weekend, they first have to get back to level ground.
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
