Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Fool me once, twice, or all season

Sal DeFilippo

Friday, Nov. 14, 2003 | 10:21 a.m.

Sal DeFilippo's pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at sal@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4076.

One week into the season, I remember how much I thought I knew about how the NFL was going to shape up.

"Yeah, you can't win unless you have players, and Dallas just doesn't have much talent," I remember telling a friend of mine in Big D. "They lost to Atlanta by two touchdowns, and Michael Vick didn't even play. Without Emmitt, they could be worse than last year's 5-11 team. Look out for Atlanta, too. They could have a big year."

Well, I suppose it's OK to be wrong once or twice that early in the season.

I also recall talking to a different chum that night about his beloved Patriots, fresh off a 31-0 thumping at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.

"Your boys are in serious trouble, man," I said. "You can't lose a player like Lawyer Malloy right before the season starts and rebound from it. This team is nothing like the Super Bowl team of two years ago. You shouldn't have beaten Oakland that year, and you sure couldn't beat them now. That, my friend, is a solid, veteran club. They're the team to beat in the AFC."

Well, I suppose it's OK to be wrong three or four times that early in the season.

I remember capping the week by watching the Monday nighter with my neighbor, a devout Eagles fan, and ripping him after Tampa Bay squashed them 17-0.

"This bunch can't even get up for a home Monday night opener against the defending champs in a brand-new stadium," I told him. "Boy, Tampa Bay looked tough, though. With that defense, they're probably already planning for another Super Bowl win."

Well, I suppose it's OK to be wrong about everything that early in the season.

But Philadelphia and New England were the only teams in the league not to score in Week 1, and Dallas couldn't slow down Doug Johnson.

Ten weeks later, I'm Forrest Gump. To wit: the Cowboys and Patriots, who square off Sunday night in New England, each have lost only once since their openers, leading their divisions with 7-2 records.

Since their inauspicious start, the Eagles have lost only twice -- ironically, to Dallas and New England.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is below .500 and hasn't won consecutive games all season, something even the Lions can claim. Oakland is tied for the worst record in the NFL at 2-7. The Texans, right now, would pick after Oakland in next year's draft.

And I wonder why I'm the only guy on the block who owns a parlay card shredder.