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Can Joe Johnson Lead the Atlanta Hawks to Another Playoff Birth?
The Atlanta Hawks were a good team in the 08'-09' season. The Hawks were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers - this would suggest the Hawks are yet to take the leap into one of the better Eastern Conference teams.
The Hawks finished with a 47-35 record season and defeated the Miami Heat in the first round in 7 games.
The Hawks have a very young team and looking to build even further in the 09'-10' season. The Hawks were lead by Joe Johnson who averaged nearly 22 points per game in 79 games played.
Johnson is a prolific shooter, especially from the perimeter, and Horford is an exceptional, multi-faceted basketball player whose presence has dominated the team greatly during his two seasons in the league. This is the man to build the team around for years to come.
Joe Johnson is - while a very good player - must be put in the same sentence as Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Dwight Howard as one of the best players in the game if the Hawks expect to do anything this season. Joe Johnson averaged 22 points per game - Johnson must be more aggressive and average 24-25 points per game because the Hawks go in scoring droughts.
Rounding out the team are other valuable pieces, which include the ever so talented Josh Smith, point guard Mike Bibby, newly acquired Jamal Crawford, rookie Jeff Teague, and others.
The only concern I see is the lack of scoring for this team. They must improve on putting up bigger points if they want to make some noise.
Look for the Hawks to build on their success from the last two years. This is a talented, young team that can't be slept on looking forward. Hawks fans have many reasons to be excited.
For more Atlanta Hawks chatter, check out the Atlanta Hawks forums at RootZoo Sports, where you can also check out thousands of sports trivia questions.
Can the Miami Dolphins do it Without Chad Pennington?
The Miami Dolphins are coming of one of the greatest one season turn around's in NFL history, 1-15 in 07', 11-5 in 08' with a AFC East Division title. Things seem a bit different so far this year.
At the last minute, the Dolphins decided to sign Chad Pennington, a quarterback who had been released from the Jets just days before. And boy, are they happy they did.
No one expected much out of Pennington, and neither did the Jets. Somehow, Pennington led the Dolphins to an AFC division championship in 2008, bringing the Dolphins into the playoffs to the surprise of many. This was a perfect way for Chad to rub it in the face of the Jets organization.
The QB is the most valuable position and when your starter goes down for the year, it could cripple your team for weeks and maybe the entire year. The Dolphins were already one of the worst passing teams in the NFL with their chosen starter. The Dolphins defense is in the lower half in the league but good against the run.
Unfortunately, things started out on a discouraging note for the Dolphins. Having lost by 12 points to the Falcons in Atlanta was a tough blow to the team, despite the fact that Atlanta was the favorite to win the game. The Dolphins had still hoped for a better result. No team wants to score 7 points in its season opener.
Somehow, the Dolphins have won their last two games, and Henne was brilliant in his week 5 match-up vs. the New York Jets. Chad Henne sure is lucky to have one of the best RB duos in the league with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. This absolutely helps take a ton of pressure off of him and open up some room.
After week 3, the Dolphins looked like a hopeless team with an 0-3 record, having been 3 games behind the first place Jets. Suddenly, the Dolphins are now 2-3 and the Jets are 3-2, with the Dolphins only one game behind the Jets now.
It's a very long football season, and the Dolphins are well within the game. Chad Henne is a skilled quarterback who seems to look better every week. Maybe he'll surprise the NFL world like Pennington did last season.
For more Dolphins chatter, check out the Miami Dolphins forum and create your own NFL polls all at RootZoo Sports.
The Denver Broncos are Looking Special
Few people thought the Denver Broncos would get off to such a fast start, but it happened.
The 2008 season was a disappointment - while the Broncos have started out well, their strength of schedule is one of the most difficult in the league. If the Broncos go 8-8 it will be a miracle. As good as the 09' season started for the Broncos, it can sink just as fast.
The Broncos entered the season with a head coach barely old enough to play the game himself, and somehow they've strung together a nice first two weeks of football.
It's true that the two teams they've played against so far have been pretty weak opponents. The Browns are a cupcake matchup, and the Bengals, even when an away game, would normally be considered a pretty easy opponent too. On the other hand, Cincy just stunned Packers fans with a win at Lambeau in week 2, so maybe the Bengals are better than people thought.
Whatever the case may be, I'd like to shift my emphasis to the Denver Broncos' defensive situation so far. This is a team that has only let up a total of 13 points through the first two weeks of the football season.
The Browns offense is pretty bad, but the Bengals have always been strong as long as Carson Palmer's around. With Palmer back in the line up, it opens up a ton of room for their running game.
The team's 27-6 win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday was highlighted by a franchise-high four sacks in one half by Elvis Dumervil.
Many people thought the Broncos were a 4-12 or 5-11 team at the start of the season. The Broncos have been one of the most surprising teams in the league so far. The Broncos only competition in the AFC West is the San Diego Chargers, understandably. It will be very tough to keep pace with the talented San Diego Chargers over the course of the season.
Enjoy the excitement with other Broncos fans at RootZoo Sports on their denver broncos message board. Be sure to play their free custom fantasy football leagues as well.
