Wishy Washy and Fair Weather Fans and Sports Writers

I wonder what percentage of sports writers and fans could be labeled as wishy washy and/or fair weather. I see and hear examples of this every day.

Just a few days ago, many were saying that Matt Leinart was going to get crushed by the Bears defense and the coaching staff shouldn't have started him until after the Monday Nighter. Leinart's Arizona Cardinals took a 23-3 lead in the second half on Monday and on ESPN.com, the main headlines read, "Yeah, Leinart has led the Cardinals to a 23-3 lead, but should we be all that surprised? After all, Leinart won the Heisman Trophy in college and played in National Championship games." Then, low and behold, the Cards found a way to blow the lead and ended up losing to the Bears 24-23. Now it's all about how we shouldn't be surprised that the Cardinals blew the lead and choked down the stretch. What? It wasn't surprising that 1-4 Arizona, led by a rookie quarterback starting his second game of his young career was up 23-3 over the 5-0 Chicago Bears, whom many were claiming had a chance to go undefeated just a few days prior? Riiight. Oh, EVERYONE picked that to happen. How much more frequently can these guys change their minds on a given topic? I shouldn't tempt them, because I'm sure they could outdo what they did on Monday.

I just read some comments on the Atlanta-Journal Constitution regarding the Atlanta Falcons. If I were to take all the negative comments regarding the players and coaches, the Falcons would be comprised of all their backups starting and not having a coaching staff. After a win, there might be some small complaints about the play of a particular player(s) or playcalling, but they usually aren't too harsh, considering the fact the team got the win. But, after a loss? Shots come firing! In all directions! Fire head coach Jim Mora! Fire offensive coordinator Greg Knapp! Fire defensive coordinator Ed Donatell! Trade Michael Vick! Trade Roddy White! Start Jerious Norwood over Warrick Dunn! Trade Michael Jenkins! Trade Jason Webster! Let go of all the offensive linemen! Start Matt Schaub over Michael Vick! Start Ashley Lelie over Roddy White! Give Kevin Youngblood some playing time! Start D.J. Shockley over Michael Vick! Stop playing Jerious Norwood on special teams! Play Ed Hartwell when he's hurt! The season is over! The Falcons will be lucky to go 8-8! They have no shot at making the playoffs! They'll never win a Super Bowl! They can't block! They can't pass! They can't catch! There's no way they can beat either the Steelers or Bengals (their next two opponents)! Vick can't read a defense! The line can't pass protect! The two first-round receivers are busts! I could go on and on and on.

Are most "fans" this wishy washy and fair weather? The Falcons are 3-2 and 2-1 in their division, with wins over Carolina and Tampa Bay. After a loss to the Giants, the season is over? Is that what Eagles' fans were saying after their 4th quarter collapse against the Giants? Is it what Ravens' fans said this past weekend after their loss to Carolina? It's one game! Teams are 5 or 6 games into a 16-game regular season! We're not even at the halfway point yet! Give me a break!

Are there things the Falcons can improve? Of course. There are things that the unbeaten Colts and Bears can improve. But Atlanta is 1.5 games out of a first place tie with the Saints in their division with a home game against New Orleans yet to be played. There is a lot of football to be played. There's no reason to jump the gun, panic, and exclaim that the season is over for a team who is 3-2, 2-1 in the division, with 11 regular season games left to play. Some of the statements I read are simply ridiculous. Even though I have not been a big time fan of offensive and defensive coordinators Greg Knapp and Ed Donatell, it'd make absolutely no sense to fire them in the middle of the season. It took long enough for the offense to learn the West Coast offense. It'd be a disaster for a 3-2 team to panic and bring in a new offensive coordinator to teach a new system for the players to learn. The same goes for defense. If the Falcons want to can these guys, do it when the season is over or at the very earliest, when they've been officially eliminated from playoff contention. While I've been disappointed with receivers Michael Jenkins and Roddy White in their brief time in Atlanta, they're still young and it'd a bit premature to call them "busts" just yet. Matt Schaub has not won an NFL start in his career and D.J. Shockley is a rookie.

Sports writers and fans need to take some prozac. If you're an Oakland Raiders fan or columnist, then I completely understand. But, for just about anyone else, give it a rest. The Steelers are 2-3. The Bengals are 3-2. The Eagles are 4-2. The Saints are 5-1. The Panthers are 4-2. There are 10-11 games left for these teams. Plenty of time for teams to get hot, get cold, get tense, get banged up, get healthy, get confident, and get down. What's going to be written and spoken after next week's games? Who knows. Vince Young is purportedly heading the Titans in the right direction after leading the team to a 1-1 record as the club's starter. Considering Tennessee was 0-4 before he started, it wouldn't take much to improve them, would it? Oh boy, what's next? Wait, don't tell me. I don't want to know yet.