By Scott Dennis

Don’t believe the hype. The 2006 season is under way, and we are quickly finding out why professional NFL analysts are clueless like the rest of us. It is only one week, so we should all reserve judgment. However, this season is already showing signs of being exactly what the “experts” did NOT predict.

Carolina was picked by many to win the NFC and go to the super bowl. They had the luxury of opening at home against Atlanta which they dominated a year ago. The same Atlanta team was picked by some to finish last in the NFC South. Just like the experts did NOT pick, Atlanta dominated Carolina. Atlanta’s suspect rush defense held Carolina to only 65 yards rushing while rushing for over 250 themselves.

The only team expected to push Carolina in the NFC South was Tampa Bay. They just simply laid an egg against Baltimore. Tampa Bay rushed for only 26 yards as they failed to really challenge Baltimore all day.

Much of the talk entering the 2006 season was about how great the NFC East is going to be. So far Philadelphia won a game they should have and Dallas was beat down by Jacksonville. Oh by the way, Jacksonville was supposed to be overrated since they aren’t expected to come close to their 12-4 record last year. I am writing this just as New York and Indianapolis are kicking off, so we will have to wait to see how the other half of the NFC East does. Don’t expect New York to looking stunning tonight, and don’t expect much of anything for Washington this season.

I am quick to pass judgment. I will probably be passing a totally different judgment next week. My point still stands. This season is a question mark at this point, and we are likely to see a few unexpected teams to jump out of the pack to win a division. Watch the Falcons.