Football frenzy

I know it’s called American Football, but I think the National Football League is starting to catch some buzz in the Philippines — or at least it should. In the last month, I have been wrapping my brain around the ins and outs of the NFL. I’ve spent a couple of hours here and there playing Madden 07 on the PlayStation, dabbled a bit with Fantasy Football, read some articles and listened to some ESPN Podcasts – all this in an effort to understand and appreciate the game that has been atop the sports world (in the US, at least) for years.

I know we live in a basketball country, but I believe there’s a lot of exciting things that the NFL has to offer that the NBA can’t. First, American Football offers a lot more roughing it up. Rarely in a civilized sport, especially outside the ring, do you see men trying to take each other’s heads off with full-speed tackles and big hits. This is the only sport where shoving and hitting are such integral parts of the game. Shaq has nothing on these guys.

Second, the NFL is a lot more team-oriented than the NBA. The NFL has its share of stars, but the game puts a premium on teamwork. A standard team has about 53 guys on their roster, consisting of an offensive team, a defensive team and the special team (for kicking and such). With each member of each unit playing a vital role, it’s going to be tough winning if your team depends on just one or two guys. It’s a beautiful thing in sports to see a team performing cohesively.

American Football is also, believe it or not, a lot more cerebral. Teams usually have an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator and a special teams coach apart from the usual head coach. There are literally thousands of drawn-up plays in each team’s playbook, consisting of a hundred different options and involving dozens of different people. Preparation and discipline become much bigger factors in this sport. The athletes can’t just start recklessly making plays on the fly, à la Kobe Bryant or Steve Nash. They have to play smart and read formations, like chess.

With Solar Sports now featuring live games every week in addition to the ones shown on ESPN, the NFL is more accessible than ever. With two weeks already in the bag, there are a few teams that you might want to watch out for. Here are my picks for the NFL teams to watch this season:

Atlanta Falcons (2-0): With the multi-talented and often criticized quarterback Michael Vick leading the charge, the Falcons are rolling early this season. Vick, whose passing accuracy has been much maligned, has been effective in utilizing his strengths, like his rushing game. Vick has always been considered as one of the most exciting players to watch in football, and this might be the season where he fuses the excitement with team success.

Baltimore Ravens (2-0): They weren’t heavily publicized due to their lack of big names or their mediocre-at-best 2005 campaign, but the Ravens have entered this season with a defense reminiscent of their Super Bowl winning team a couple of years back. With Ray Lewis still patrolling behind the line, this defense is one to fear.

Indianapolis Colts (2-0): The Colts are the closest thing the NFL has to the Phoenix Suns. They posses a high-octane offense led by one of, if not the most, gifted passers in the game and usually ring up a lot of wins to finish at the top of the standings. However, just like the Suns, the Colts have never made the big dance, always collapsing in the playoffs. Peyton Manning is probably the best player in the NFL today, and this may very well be the year he gets his first ring.

New York Giants (1-1): Peyton’s younger brother Eli Manning is starting to come into his own as an NFL quarterback. This past week, Eli rallied the Giants from 17 points down in the fourth quarter to win by a touchdown in overtime. The Giants have nice offense on paper, with feature running back Tiki Barber and 6’5" wide receiver Plaxico Burress complementing the up-and-coming Manning. If they can come together with Eli Manning at the helm, this team will go deep in the playoffs.

* * *

For questions, comments or corrections, please e-mail me at emailcarlramirez@yahoo.com.