4. Instant impact
The headline trade of 2004 was the deal that sent Clinton Portis to Washington and Champ Bailey to Denver. As great as Champ is -- he's still the most talented cover guy in football -- his arrival didn't really change things in Denver. Mike Shanahan still won his 10 games, and the Broncos still were pummeled through the air in the playoffs (by the Colts). In Washington, Portis lived up to his billing as a running back, but the Redskins still finished 6-10. Great trade, but in the end it didn't do much.
I guess that's true, both team's fortunes have been pretty similar before and after the trade. Just wait until this year though!
10. Mixed signals
It's hard to put pressure on one player to carry a team, but that's the NFL. When you saw the Bears in camp, it was easy to see they would go as far as Rex Grossman would lead them. Lovie Smith has assembled a top-10 defense, and the offensive line and overall offensive talent was better than a year ago. But Grossman went down with a broken leg, and there went the Bears season.
Three other teams also are totally dependent on the successes of their quarterbacks -- the Ravens, the Redskins and the Bills. In some ways, they are all the same teams. Each is great -- not just good, but great -- on defense. Each has an excellent ground attack. Each has a great offensive-minded head coach. But QBs J.P. Losman of the Bills, Kyle Boller of the Ravens and Patrick Ramsey of the Redskins look as though they will be inconsistent. If they are too inconsistent, they will hold back playoff-caliber teams. Maybe they will all come on this year. They are all former first-round choices. But decision-making has been difficult at times for all three, with too many bad throws and bad reads during the preseason.
You notice I didn't mention Joey Harrington. That wasn't an oversight. While it's totally up to Harrington to lead the team, the Lions don't have the defensive talent to compare to the Bills, Ravens and Redskins. But Harrington is under a lot of pressure just the same.
It's nice that someone notices what this team can offer. It should be obvious that we have the pieces to make it to the playoffs if we can just get a little bit out of our QB. If that happens, the running game will open up and our D is so good we will be hard to beat. It's a big "if" but with the way our o-line has been playing, and the way Portis has been running, all we need is a little respect for our passing game and we'll be a very good team.
ey looks like the only Redskin that can create his own space in the endzone, and teams are going to start keying on him.
