John Lynch says he has no idea what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ record was at the midway point of the 2002 season, a season that ended with the Bucs winning the Super Bowl. Similarly, chances are no one remembers that, after eight weeks of the NFL season a year ago, the Philadelphia Eagles were undefeated – or that the Kansas City Chiefs were 8-0 at this point in 2003.
The difference between the Bucs and those other squads that fell short of what seemed so attainable halfway through the season was Tampa Bay “got better as the season went on,” Lynch said of that team – which, by the way, was 6-2 at the midpoint.
“A lot of teams start fast and then their technique goes, but we continued to get better,” said Lynch, a former Bucs star. If you’re looking for signs, look for that in a team.”
Or, the telltale indication may be something simple – like beating a previously unconquerable foe. That’s the task facing the league’s last undefeated team, the Indianapolis Colts, who take their 7-0 mark into the Monday night game at New England. Peyton Manning and Co. have lost in Foxborough, Mass., three times in the past two seasons and seven consecutive times overall.
According to coach Tony Dungy, should the Colts finally break through, “We certainly don’t want to feel like all of a sudden we’ve arrived, or we beat the New England Patriots so our season’s over; we can just wait for the playoffs. That will get us in trouble.”
But it would be a sign, one that would reverberate throughout the NFL.
“They say you should only worry about the things you can control, and a lot of it you can’t, but I’m a fan of this league, too,” said Lynch, a Pro Bowl safety now prowling the secondary for the Broncos. “I sit back and watch the teams, and you start looking at people’s records and all that. At some point this year, I’d like to play the Colts.
“I’m sure if we’re going to where we want to go, we’ll have to play them at some point.”
That’s the beauty of midseason. For some, it’s a chance to try to sneak a peek at what lies ahead, as well as an opportunity to look back on some of the bizarre events from the first eight weeks of play. To wit:
CREDIT TO BRADY
Pocket of protection: Perhaps it’s the security emanating from those Visa commercials that has kept Patriots quarterback Tom Brady safe from the series of injuries that has ravaged the reigning Super Bowl champions this season. Although the Patriots are only 4-3, one shudders to think what their record would be without Tom Terrific, who has thrown for 2,020 yards (288.6 per game).
