BustedKnuckles
Footballguy
Crunch Time.
That's what the final eight games of the season are inside the NFL. Forget the last two or three, the final half of a season of play is the time when the plots inside the NFL will truly thicken. Now is when we'll see which teams begin to gel and become a juggernaut down the stretch and who sits mired in mediocrity or disappointment. Now is the time when we'll separate the pretenders from the contenders.
The same holds true for players. Those who have been held quiet for much of the season will either break out now or end up scratching their heads on their couch after the year left wondering where it went wrong.
FOXSports.com has compiled a list of players who we believe will bust out following next week's halfway point. Some are long overdue to bust out. Others have had decent seasons but now is the time champions rise up above the rest. The following is the list of names of guys who should own Weeks 9 through 17 and perhaps beyond:
Bengals WR Chad Johnson — OK Chad, we get it, you were upset so you completely shut down your attitude and you claim that affected your play. However, with the huge, clutch catch of the game against the Panthers last week you should have shown yourself you are a playmaker whether you are yapping or if you staple your lips shut. Now that Chad has decided to break out of his Good Samaritan routine and gone back to yapping his gums, he has no excuse not to light it up. The last half of this season should be his for the taking — whether Marvin Lewis tells him to pipe down or not.
Bears WR Muhsin Muhammad — QB Rex Grossman's hot start has seen him utilize his tight ends much more than ever as well as WR Bernard Berrian. But down the stretch is when a guy like Muhammad should shine. The more teams figure Grossman out (like Arizona) the more he's going to need to lean on ol' reliable. If he doesn't, things will likely fall off considerably for Rex. Not that Muhammad is having a bad season but there are 22 guys in the NFC with more receiving yards than him and 16 with more catches. He's primed to move up the stat ladder considerably if Grossman understands to lean on him down the stretch.
Giants DE Michael Strahan — His showing in Dallas is a good sign that Strahan is on the verge of breaking out and returning to the top of his position. Really, there's no reason a guy like the Bears' Mark Anderson should have more sacks than Strahan. But it appears he's starting to find his rhythm against both the pass and the run and unlike his teammate, Tiki Barber, Strahan is still trying to prove he's far from done.
Saints RB Reggie Bush — OK, Sean Payton, enough with the decoy stuff. The LeBron James of the NFL has been used this season predominantly to mess with the minds of defensive coordinators. Bush also labored through a below-the-radar ankle problem for a stretch. Payton has been salivating since April to unleash this guy upon the league. That time is now. The first-place Saints have a bullseye on their chests. While Deuce McAlister has been playing fantastic, reliable football, it needs to go to "Reg-gie Reg-gie, Reg-gie" down the stretch.
Cowboys WR Terrell Owens — Yup, that same guy. Sorry to all his detractors but now that Tony Romo is in, Owens should be pumped. Folks who know Romo say he'll sling the rock Owens' way as much as possible. Plus, when Romo takes off to defend against pressure, Owens will be the guy flailing and screaming the most to bail the youngster out. You watch folks, T.O. lights it up now. Whether he holds onto the ball or not is a different question.
Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez — Had been invisible for weeks until he broke out this past weekend against the Chargers (just showing Antonio Gates who the real sheriff in town still is). Gonzo has been so upset with his lack of passes thrown his way the first half of the season he recently had a private-behind-closed-doors meeting with head coach Herm Edwards to air his gripe (unlike the public outcries of guys like Edgerrin James and Kellen Winslow, Jr.). Edwards promised his star tight end to get him back in the offense. Plus, with Trent Green just a few weeks away from returning, Gonzalez's stats should soon catapult.
Panthers DT Kris Jenkins — It's usually DE Julius Peppers who starts off slow in the sacks department and then completely busts out in the last half of the year. Pep has started off on fire and if the Panthers are going to pull away into the postseason they'll need the Kris Jenkins who used to take over games to burst back on the scene. With seven games under his belt, it's time for the pre-injury Jenkins to bust out.
Ravens WR Derrick Mason — With Brian Billick calling the plays the offense will change a bit and Mason should be the primary beneficiary. Billick is the type of coach who will get a blip on the radar by listening to his players. Mason will be chirping in the Ravens' nest and just watch how much they start throwing the rock his way.
Seattle WR Deion Branch — It took a while to get the terminology of the Seahawks offense down and now that they have it, Branch will get his share. He's getting paid like a No. 1 wideout and with the offense now down pat, Mike Holmgren will use him like a No. 1. Doesn't matter if it's Matt Hasselback or Seneca Wallace throwing him balls, Branch should become a much bigger factor each week like he was two weeks ago against the Rams.
Niners RB Frank Gore — He's been up and down during the first half of the season. He also didn't have Larry Allen the first half of the season. Can a guard make that much of a difference? He can when that guard is the most feared player in the NFL over the last 10 years. With Allen returning to the lineup, the entire attitude of Gore's blocking wall is sure to change, which means Gore's attitude with the ball should change as well.
Detroit's defensive line — This is where Rod Marinelli's teachings should truly begin to sink in. For months Marinelli has pounded and pounded and pounded some more his five-step process for getting sacks. It should all start to sink in as second nature. While offensive lines begin to feel the grind of the season, Marinelli's boys should start to swarm right about now.
That's what the final eight games of the season are inside the NFL. Forget the last two or three, the final half of a season of play is the time when the plots inside the NFL will truly thicken. Now is when we'll see which teams begin to gel and become a juggernaut down the stretch and who sits mired in mediocrity or disappointment. Now is the time when we'll separate the pretenders from the contenders.
The same holds true for players. Those who have been held quiet for much of the season will either break out now or end up scratching their heads on their couch after the year left wondering where it went wrong.
FOXSports.com has compiled a list of players who we believe will bust out following next week's halfway point. Some are long overdue to bust out. Others have had decent seasons but now is the time champions rise up above the rest. The following is the list of names of guys who should own Weeks 9 through 17 and perhaps beyond:
Bengals WR Chad Johnson — OK Chad, we get it, you were upset so you completely shut down your attitude and you claim that affected your play. However, with the huge, clutch catch of the game against the Panthers last week you should have shown yourself you are a playmaker whether you are yapping or if you staple your lips shut. Now that Chad has decided to break out of his Good Samaritan routine and gone back to yapping his gums, he has no excuse not to light it up. The last half of this season should be his for the taking — whether Marvin Lewis tells him to pipe down or not.
Bears WR Muhsin Muhammad — QB Rex Grossman's hot start has seen him utilize his tight ends much more than ever as well as WR Bernard Berrian. But down the stretch is when a guy like Muhammad should shine. The more teams figure Grossman out (like Arizona) the more he's going to need to lean on ol' reliable. If he doesn't, things will likely fall off considerably for Rex. Not that Muhammad is having a bad season but there are 22 guys in the NFC with more receiving yards than him and 16 with more catches. He's primed to move up the stat ladder considerably if Grossman understands to lean on him down the stretch.
Giants DE Michael Strahan — His showing in Dallas is a good sign that Strahan is on the verge of breaking out and returning to the top of his position. Really, there's no reason a guy like the Bears' Mark Anderson should have more sacks than Strahan. But it appears he's starting to find his rhythm against both the pass and the run and unlike his teammate, Tiki Barber, Strahan is still trying to prove he's far from done.
Saints RB Reggie Bush — OK, Sean Payton, enough with the decoy stuff. The LeBron James of the NFL has been used this season predominantly to mess with the minds of defensive coordinators. Bush also labored through a below-the-radar ankle problem for a stretch. Payton has been salivating since April to unleash this guy upon the league. That time is now. The first-place Saints have a bullseye on their chests. While Deuce McAlister has been playing fantastic, reliable football, it needs to go to "Reg-gie Reg-gie, Reg-gie" down the stretch.
Cowboys WR Terrell Owens — Yup, that same guy. Sorry to all his detractors but now that Tony Romo is in, Owens should be pumped. Folks who know Romo say he'll sling the rock Owens' way as much as possible. Plus, when Romo takes off to defend against pressure, Owens will be the guy flailing and screaming the most to bail the youngster out. You watch folks, T.O. lights it up now. Whether he holds onto the ball or not is a different question.
Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez — Had been invisible for weeks until he broke out this past weekend against the Chargers (just showing Antonio Gates who the real sheriff in town still is). Gonzo has been so upset with his lack of passes thrown his way the first half of the season he recently had a private-behind-closed-doors meeting with head coach Herm Edwards to air his gripe (unlike the public outcries of guys like Edgerrin James and Kellen Winslow, Jr.). Edwards promised his star tight end to get him back in the offense. Plus, with Trent Green just a few weeks away from returning, Gonzalez's stats should soon catapult.
Panthers DT Kris Jenkins — It's usually DE Julius Peppers who starts off slow in the sacks department and then completely busts out in the last half of the year. Pep has started off on fire and if the Panthers are going to pull away into the postseason they'll need the Kris Jenkins who used to take over games to burst back on the scene. With seven games under his belt, it's time for the pre-injury Jenkins to bust out.
Ravens WR Derrick Mason — With Brian Billick calling the plays the offense will change a bit and Mason should be the primary beneficiary. Billick is the type of coach who will get a blip on the radar by listening to his players. Mason will be chirping in the Ravens' nest and just watch how much they start throwing the rock his way.
Seattle WR Deion Branch — It took a while to get the terminology of the Seahawks offense down and now that they have it, Branch will get his share. He's getting paid like a No. 1 wideout and with the offense now down pat, Mike Holmgren will use him like a No. 1. Doesn't matter if it's Matt Hasselback or Seneca Wallace throwing him balls, Branch should become a much bigger factor each week like he was two weeks ago against the Rams.
Niners RB Frank Gore — He's been up and down during the first half of the season. He also didn't have Larry Allen the first half of the season. Can a guard make that much of a difference? He can when that guard is the most feared player in the NFL over the last 10 years. With Allen returning to the lineup, the entire attitude of Gore's blocking wall is sure to change, which means Gore's attitude with the ball should change as well.
Detroit's defensive line — This is where Rod Marinelli's teachings should truly begin to sink in. For months Marinelli has pounded and pounded and pounded some more his five-step process for getting sacks. It should all start to sink in as second nature. While offensive lines begin to feel the grind of the season, Marinelli's boys should start to swarm right about now.
