5 Questions About Week 6 Of The NFL

1. Which Winless Team Will Get On The Board?
Tampa Bay almost pulled off the upset at New Orleans last week, but they made the mistake of kicking to Reggie Bush, and that did them in. This week, they host the Cincinnati Bengals, coming off a bye. The Bengals are looking to get back on track after getting manhandled by New England two weeks ago, and I think they’re going to beat up on Tampa Bay.

Detroit hung in the game against Minnesota last week before a Jon Kitna interception ended their hopes of a comeback. They host Buffalo this week, and could pull off the upset.

Vince Young and Tennessee visit the Washington Redskins, and I don’t think it will go well. Clinton Portis is going to rush for over 150 yards.

Oakland visits Denver, and I suspect a methodical dismantling is in the works.

If I have to pick one, I’d go with Detroit, but I don’t see this week going well for any of the four winless teams.

2. Does Greg from Sportsblah Still Read This Site?
We’ll see if he responds to this:

Chicago might have the best defense in the league, and they certainly have some good offensive weapons in players like Thomas Jones, Bernard Berrian, and Muhsin Muhammed, but they’re not winning shit with Rex Grossman at quarterback.

They might go 14-2, and they might win the NFC, but they’re not winning the big prize. Maybe they could with a game manager like Brian Griese, but not with Rex Grossman. I like the kid, and he’s sure looked great against the Detroit Lions of the world, but I’m waiting to see him man up against a good defense before I give him any credit whatsoever.

Like every other product of Steve Spurrier’s fun and gun offense, he’s a system quarterback. You wonder why Shane Matthews and Danny Wuerrfel never made it as starters in the NFL? Because they didn’t have Spurrier’s pass-happy offense and a world of talent on the field that would make them look good. What about Terry Dean? He was an underrated college quarterback, but he couldn’t even stick with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Jesse Palmer? No roses for him from the NFL head coaches? Anyone remember how much Grossman sucked the year after Spurrier left and Ron Zook took over? Exactly.

There, I said it. Let’s move on.

(Note: I actually hope I'm wrong about Grossman, but 12 years of Gator quarterback failures in the pros has taught me better).

3. Can The Seahawks Win Without Shaun Alexander?
Yes. Does that mean they will win tomorrow? No. They’re also missing Bobby Engram, which means the 4-receiver set mismatch that they could have rolled out also takes a hit. The Seahawks need to create mismatches in the passing game to make up for the absence of Alexander and their shaky offensive line, otherwise they’re not going to be able to keep up with good teams.

4. How Excited Am I For the Joey Harrington Era in Miami?
Short answer: very. Aside from a couple of interceptions, he looked like the Joey Heisman of old – old being defined as college. He should perform better against the inconsistent Jets defense. Biggest reason to cheer for him: my dad’s a Dolphins fan, and tomorrow is his birthday. He’d like a Miami win, and I’d like one too, especially because I have no idea what else to get him.

5. Is There a More Exciting Game This Week Than Philadelphia at New Orleans?
Absolutely not, especially since the fate of both of my fantasy teams rest on this game. On one team, I have McNabb, Akers, and the Philly D. On the other, I have both Deuce and Reggie in my starting lineup since Jacksonville (and Fred Taylor) has a bye. I’m hoping for a shootout, with lots of Drew Brees sacks and interceptions thrown in.

Bonus Question: Has NBC dumped Pink already?
I certainly hope so, since they are adding a John Mellencamp song to the opening.

Have I mentioned how excited I am about the addition of Mellencamp? The song is generic heartland rock at its best, and you can hear it right now in Chevrolet commercials. Alternately, you can listen to it here.

Enjoy the games, and I hope you have that Mellencamp song in your head all day.