The three teams I’m most interested in?
No, not the Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, or even the undefeated Tennessee Titans.
Try the sloppy Cleveland Browns, the surging Houston Texans, and the surprising Miami Dolphins.
All three of these teams are still below .500, are inconsistent as can be, and quite possibly could be out of the playoff picture completely in three weeks.
However, their recent re-emergence into playoff relevance has me giddy with all the possibilities they bring to the table.
1. A quarterback controversy, combined with a coach on the hot seat, heading into a potential divisional opponent playoff match-up. If you haven’t guessed, that would be the Cleveland Browns.
2. How about the Wildcat toting, trick-play dealing, Ted Ginn running Miami Dolphins? Come on, who out there wouldn’t want to see Ricky Williams win a championship and take a drag while holding the Lombardi trophy? Yeah, me neither. But I feel for Chad Pennington.
3. Lastly, the Texans are so hot, I’m getting blisters, and I live in Wisconsin. The Schaub to Johnson connection is better than high-speed internet (sorry, roadrunner), and I simply cannot get enough of it. Oh, and Owen Daniels is becoming an elite tight end.
At the very worst, these three average teams have helped make this season fun to watch. And because of these three teams, I can’t wait to see what else 2008 has in store for us. But there’s 29 more teams to keep track of, whether we like it or not, so take a look: