Sports

Face Off: Which surprise NFL teams are for real?

The 2011 NFL season up to this point has become the year of surprises.

Through the first quarter of the season there are five teams that finished with a losing record last year that have come out of nowhere, and are currently
posting a winning record. But are these teams for real?

Let’s start off with the Detroit Lions. The Lions are currently sitting at 4-0 after finishing last season with a 6-10 record.

Although the Lions are looking like they are a real contender in the NFC, there are still a few caution signs that are keeping me from jumping on the bandwagon.

First off, the Lions have had to make a desperate comeback attempt in two out of their four games.

Also, they are in a tough division with the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.

As much as I would like to say the Lion’s are for real, I feel like they still have a way to go.

While everyone was talking about the Eagle’s dream team, Redskin’s quarterback Rex Grossman was predicting an NFC East title for the city of Washington, D.C.

With everyone still trying to figure out what Grossman saw in his team, the Skins have started out with a 3-1 record and are at the top of the NFC East.

The Skins have proven to be a dangerous opponent to many teams with their lethal running game and Rex Grossman having his best season since leading the Bears to
the Super Bowl.

With the Cowboys and Eagles off to a slow start, it appears that the NFC East is up for grabs.

With Peyton Manning sitting in the Press Box up in Indianapolis, the Houston Texans have finally got their opportunity to earn their first division title in
franchise history.

Star runningback Arian Foster’s durability has already been put to the test this season with a nagging hamstring injury that has kept him out of three games.

Also, this past week, wide receiver Andre Johnson went down with a hamstring injury.

On top of the injury-prone offense, the Texan’s defense is once again having trouble closing out teams in the second half.

The Texans have shown that they can jump on teams early, outscoring their opponents heavily in the first half they fade and actually get outscored by their
opponents in the second half.

First-year Head Coach Jim Harbaugh has led the 49ers to a surprising 3-1 start.

The 49ers, who finished 6-10 last year have shown much improvement through the first four games.

Most surprising, quarterback Alex Smith, is finally playing up to his hype of being the first pick in the draft.

The 49ers have had key wins against the Eagles, Seahawks and Bengals and lost a close game to the Cowboys.

The 49ers play in the worst division in football in which its winner last year finished with a losing record.

This alone makes the 49ers a contender. Lastly, the Bills have made a splash in the first four games, but the fact that they are in a division with the
Patriots and the Jets makes their case of being a true contender doubtful.

The Bills are a young team. With young teams there are growing pains.

Come December, the Bills are going to have to figure out a way to beat out Tom Brady and the Pats along with Rex Ryan and the Jets.

I just don’t see that happening this year.

The Detroit Lions are 4-0 on this young NFL season.

Yes, you read that correctly. It’s not often that you hear anything like that about the Lions.

After coming back from 20 points down in consecutive weeks, I now officially believe in the Detroit Lions.

The Lions made NFL history by accomplishing this amazing feat.

They are tied with the defending Super Bowl champions, Green Bay Packers, for the NFC North lead and are one of the two remaining undefeated teams.

The Lions are led by quarterback Matthew Stafford.

His favorite target is six-foot, five-inches, 235-pound Calvin Johnson, aka “Megatron.”

He joined Chris Carter as the only two players in league history to catch two touchdowns in each of the first four games of the season.

Stafford is coming into his own, and if he can stay healthy, the Lions have a legitimate shot at being serious contenders.

The Lions defense is led by defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh.

The former No. 2 overall pick has made quite the impression in the NFL in his short tenure.

He gives every offensive coordinator and quarterback nightmares.

He is crucial in their run-stopping game as well.

Once rookie Nick Fairly becomes healthy, the Lions’ defense will be a lot better.

Another team I’m buying this season is the Houston Texans.

With Peyton Manning out, the Jaguars with a rookie quarterback and a Titans team that has seen little production from star back, Chris Johnson, this has got to
be the Texans’ year.

Coming off a seven-point victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, they improved to 3-1 on the season.

Their defense got revamped in the offseason, and that is a large factor in them being successful this year.

The only thing worrisome about this Houston team is if wide receiver, Andre Johnson, will miss significant time with a hamstring injury.

If he is healthy, this team will be a contender, led by quarterback, Matt Schaub.

There are multiple other teams off to good starts, but I am not buying into the 49ers or Redskins.

The Redskins’ struggle to put points on the board and their running game is confusing.

Which back is their feature back? Can Coach Mike Shanahan get Rex Grossman to play up to his potential? I’m not quite sure.

The San Francisco 49ers are off to a 3-1 start as well.

I don’t see them being able to maintain this hot start throughout the season.

They will rely heavily on their defense which can be good at times, but can also be shaky.

They will also rely on their star running back, Frank Gore.

This leaves quarterback, Alex Smith, to try and lead the team.

He is an average to below average quarterback in the NFL, and I don’t think he will be able to sustain his good start.

I believe he will falter as the season continues.

The coming weeks will either confirm or deny the contenders and pretenders.