Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
September 24, 2009, Washington Post

There's More to Football Than the Redskins

Living around Washington, it's easy to think there is only one professional football team in the world: the Redskins. Folks here seem to eat, sleep and drink the Redskins.

But there are stories in this National Football League season other than the Redskins. Let's take a look at some players and teams that might make the season memorable.

Tom Brady: The three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the New England Patriots missed all of last season with a knee injury. Can Brady bounce back and regain the all-pro form that helped him set an NFL record of 50 touchdown passes during the 2007 season?

So far, Brady has been just so-so. In the Patriots' first two games, he has thrown two touchdowns and two interceptions and has a passer rating of 76.8. That won't get Brady or the Pats to the Super Bowl.

New Orleans Saints: One team that is off to a blazing start is the Saints. They have scored a total of 93 points in wins against the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.

Last year, Saints quarterback Drew Brees almost broke Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino's record for most yards passing in a season. Marino threw for 5,084 yards in 1984, while Brees had 5,069 last year. The way the Saints are moving the ball this season, Brees may break Marino's mark this year.

Adrian Peterson: Quarterback Brett Favre got loads of attention this summer when he decided not to retire and signed with the Minnesota Vikings. Now, fans wonder if Favre can coax one more Super Bowl season out of his 39-year-old body.

But when the going gets tough, he can hand the ball to Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who is a threat to score from anyplace on the field. He has already scored four TDs this season, including runs of 64 and 27 yards. Anytime this guy is on TV, drop everything and watch. He's special.

Detroit Lions: Will the hapless Lions lose all their games again this season? Last year Detroit became the first team in the history of the NFL to suffer through a 0-16 season.

The Lions have a new head coach and a rookie quarterback, Matthew Stafford from the University of Georgia. The No. 1 pick has a strong arm and gives the Lions hope for the future. Still, the Lions have lost their first two games. That makes 19 losses in a row. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have ever been worse: They lost 26 in a row during the 1976 and 1977 seasons.

Of course, the Lions are one team that Redskins fans are thinking about this week. Why? The Redskins play them Sunday.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's sports opinion column and is the author of such kids' books as "Touchdown Trouble" and "Soccer Team Upset."

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