Earlier this week, I read an article about Tom Brady's thoughts regarding Patriots fans leaving the home opener against the Bengals, a bit too early. Brady admitted that he wasn't too happy about fans rolling out before the clock said 0:00 and even indicated that Jets fans probably don't hit the road before their team is done playing.

With Brady's comments(comments I agree with), I started to think about Fairweather fans. For the record, I'm not saying the Patriots have them, but if you're a Pats fan and was offended by my segue, then maybe the shoe fits more than you thought. Anyway, I wanted to know what teams did folks think were a "Fairweather Fan" team, a team that has support (or maybe not) when they are doing good, but they disappear into thin air when they do bad.

So I took the question to my Twitter and Facebook pages. I wanted to get an idea of what the general public thought about this. I calculated the Top 3 teams that were mentioned the most. Here's what I got based on my social networking survey:


#3

When asked why people mentioned the Bengals, I had one tweeter say the following:



The Bengals are a hard team to follow. They haven't been the most consistent team in terms of winning. And even though they won the AFC North last year, fans still haven't gone out and bought season tickets. One can blame it on the bad economy, but ticket sale problems were long before America faced such issues. As for the tweeter, maybe there is some truth to that. Neither the Bengals nor Browns have won a playoff game since the Browns came back to Cleveland in 1999. No excuses, but I understand.

#2 /

I found it ironic that I had an equal amount of folks say both the Jags and the Panthers. Especially since both teams became expansion teams in the same year, 1995. This is probably the one that's a head scratcher. The Jags have been pretty competitive and have even won playoff games. The Jags beat the Steelers at home, twice in one season in 2007, something that had never been done before they did it. The Panthers have been to the Super Bowl and was very close in beating the Patriots, a team that many consider a dynasty. But when asked about the reasoning behind the vote, one tweeter summed it up for both teams:



I disagreed with this initially, simply because the Ravens aren't 20 yrs old yet they have always had the backing of their fans at home. But I had to remember that Baltimore was and still is a football city, even when the Colts left town. These 2 cities, not so much. Jacksonville is Gator Country and Carolina fans already had teams they rooted for and have yet to fully converted. After further review, maybe she has a point after all.


#1

I received the most votes for the Falcons.... and it wasn't even close. The reasoning was pretty much the same amongst many: Atlanta is a transplant city, full of non-natives. So people already have a team prior to moving there. Even with the Braves and Hawks in town, it's pretty common to know that it's not just the Falcons, but all Atlanta teams struggle with the Fairweather syndrome. One person's response made me giggle a little:

>

Another person thinks it's more about fans liking a player and not the team that they play for:


The public has spoken. Falcon fans are as fairweather as they come. Not a good look when you have other cities that would rob and steal for an NFL team. The thing about it is, the Falcons have a pretty decent squad right now (on paper, at least). Time to get out and support them, people!


Honorable Mentions:

Many folks believes the city of Miami belongs to "The U", the University of Miami. So the loyalty to their NFL isn't strong.

Most people believe that before Brady, no one cared about the Pats. Need I remind folks that Drew Bledsoe was the QB before Brady and led his team to a SB, but I digress. It's also noted that Boston is Red Sox crazy, so there is No Country For Pats Football in Beantown.

Thanks to all that participated in my survey.

Forget March Madness- the NFL has a March Madness of their own that's just as interesting. Free agency started today (March 5th) and it came with surprises, surprises.. and oh, surprises. Who says the NFL is from September to February? Not anymore. Let's take a look at the free agency headlines around the league:

Anquan Boldin to Ravens-

My Baltimore Ravens FINALLY got a proven WR on their roster. The Ravens traded a 2010 3rd and 4th round pick for Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin and a 5th round pick. Boldin also signed a new 4 year deal, worth $28 million. This is probably the best move of the day. Not because the Ravens are my squad, but because this fills a HUGE need on a team that was in dire need of a WR.



Peppers, Taylor, Manumaleuna headed to Chicago-

The Chicago Bears have been the busiest team out of any today, as they signed DE Julius Peppers, RB Chester Taylor and TE Brandon Manumaleuna to bolster their roster. Peppers comes in to help a Bears defense ranked 13th in sacks in 2009.

Chester Taylor will look to challenge Matt Forte for the starting job at RB and Manumaleuna will be used to help block for QB Jay Cutler. While these upgrades are great, the Bears struggled to address their 2 biggest needs- WR and personnel on the offensive line. Remember, the Bears also do not have a 1st round draft pick from the Cutler trade last year. My guess is they willl address these issues in the draft, but I'm shocked they didn't at least make an attempt in free agency.



Vanden Bosch reunites with Schwartz in Detroit-

Titans DT Kyle Vanden Bosch signed a 4-year, $26 million deal to reunite him with his former defensive coordinator in Jim Schwartz. The Lions have also been busy today, acquiring WR Nate Burleson and T Corey Williams to new deals. All 3 signings are great pickups for the Lions. Vanden Bosch played his best years in Schwartz's defense. The additions of Burleson and Williams brings depth to a rebuilding Lions team. I like what Schwartz is doing with this squad.



Robinson To Falcons To Bolster Defensive Backfield-

CB Dunta Robinson agreed in principle to a 6 year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. I was really hoping the Ravens would pursue Robinson, because he would be a great asset to just about any defense. But I realized, the Falcons defense is pretty bad. They could use him a lot more than we could.

Cribbs, Brackett, Wilfork Staying Put- The Browns finally gave return specialist Josh Cribbs a new deal. It is believed the 3 year deal has $7 million guaranteed. Cribbs is the brightest spot on the Browns. Had he left, it would've got ugly in Cleveland. Colts LB Gary Brackett and Patriots DT Vince Wilfork also signed new deals to stay with their respected organizations.

Brandon Marshall A Seahawk??

Looks like BMarsh is just as shocked as I am about the news. We don't know for sure but the disgruntled Broncos receiver is scheduled to meet with Seattle tomorrow. Denver is really looking to finally get rid of this headache in #15, and only added a 1st round tender on Marshall if a team does decide to add him to their roster. The bigger issue with Seattle is, who is going to throw to him? Matt Hasslebeck looks like his career is on a major decline, due to injury and Seneca Wallace doesn't seem to be the clear cut answer at QB either. Watching where Marshall goes will be interesting to see in the coming days or weeks.

Carolina Panthers Has Garage Sale- That's what it seems like,. The Panthers let Peppers go, and released Maake Kemoeatu, Damione Lewis, Na'il Diggs, Landon Johnson and the biggest shocker in QB Jake Delhomme. It's a shock to me, because Delhomme JUST received a new contract this time last year, with $20 million guaranteed. Although Delhomme sucked during the 2008 playoffs and the 2009 season, the fact they the Panthers still owe him $12.6 million after dumping him is a HUGE deal in the NFL.

From the looks of this press conference, Delhomme was just as shocked as I was.




Keep ya head up Jake!

The Biggest Surprise Of The Day Goes To..................................

The Washington Redskins for being QUIET during the first day of free agency! Who would ever think that Mike Shanahan could come in and bring normalcy to a dysfunctional franchise in just a short time. Congrats to you, Redskins, for not overpaying old players who are shells of their former selves.

Outside The Lines did a recent story on Chancellor Adams, the son of Rae Carruth. Adams suffers from Cerebral Palsy, a result of his mother, Cherica Adams, being shot while still pregnant. While Chancellor lived, his mother did not, and Carruth was later charged with conspiracy to murder for the death of Adams.

Today, Chancellor is 10 years old. OTL shows us the struggles his grandmother goes through in forgiving Carruth, as well as the gunman (Van Brett Watkins), all while taking care of her disabled grandson. Stories like this make me cry my eyes out, this was no different. A very good story and must-see TV.

The 2009 NFL season slowly approaching its debut. There are a ton of things to get excited about. Will Tom Brady go back to his old form after a huge injury? Will Miami repeat last year's miracle season?? Will Detroit win ONE game this season??

With all the things we have to look forward to, one of the most important things is the run game. Defenses are bulking up their D-lines to make sure a running back won't get more than 2 yards per carry. But there are a few RB combos that can test defenses and can ultimately succeed. I've listed my 2009 RB tandems to be on the look out for.


Minnesota Vikings- Adrian Peterson/Chester Taylor


We all know that Adrian Peterson is a great talent at the RB position. That being said, knowing the life span of a RB in pro football, I wonder how many years he can be so great without breaking down too soon.

Which brings in Chester Taylor. Before there was AD (short for All Day), there was Taylor. And he was a pretty good back as the Vikings starter,before Peterson was drafted (Taylor rushed for 1,216 yards in 2006). This can be a good year for both players. While I'm sure Peterson would love to take the rushing title for a 2nd consecutive year, the best thing AD can do to stay fresh is let Taylor take a few carries while he catches a breather.

Taylor could very well be a starter on another team. Combined, they could be a huge headache for defenses.



New York Jets- Thomas Jones/ Leon Washington


This tandem is one of my favorites. Jones' rushing yards was ranked 5th overall, with a 4.5 avg in 2008. Quite impressive. Washington didn't run for a lot of yards, but had a 5.9 avg per run.

The problem is, right now both are looking for new contracts. How long both will be able to co exist together is a big question mark. But if they are able to work out their issues with the organization, this is definitely a great tandem to have.

Add draft pick Shonn Greene (Iowa), into the mix, and this could be a pain for coordinators to game plan against.



Miami Dolphins- Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams


The Jets have a great running game but their division rivals down I-95 says they also have a great duo. While Brown's and Williams' numbers from 2008 aren't mind blowing (Brown rushed for 916 yards, Williams for 659 yards). We all know why this is a dangerous group.

The wildcat made it's comeback with these two. When the Dolphins debuted the Ronnie and Ricky show to the New England Patriots, they failed to contain the two in the formation, made popular to many by the Arkansas Razorbacks. Overall they were successful in their formations. I can only imagine what the Pats were thinking when they couldn't do anything to stop them.


I expect more surprises from this group. But I also expect them to run the ball as efficiently as they run the wildcat. Ricky Williams finally looks comfortable and Ronnie Brown has the potential to rush over 1,000+ this season.



Baltimore Ravens- Willis McGahee/Ray Rice


This is a tandem that no one really noticed last year, but I think will be a one to reckon with in 2009. McGahee's 2008 numbers weren't much to write home about (671 yds), but he had an injury plagued year last season. Ray Rice was a rookie RB out of Rutgers and usually came in for 3rd down conversions.

Last season FB LeRon McClain was the Ravens' leading rusher, with 902 yards. But with FB Lorenzo Neal signing with the Oakland Raiders this off season, McClan is expected to go back to his natural position.

This could be McGahee's final year in Baltimore. He's participated in OTAs, something he didn't do last year, and has been seen more around the Ravens facility this off season. He knows what's at stake. I fully expect him to get back into 2007 form. And with a year under Rice's belt, his sophomore season should be very successful.



Carolina Panthers- DeAngelo Williams/Jonathon Stewart


The Panthers had one of the most successful running games in 2008, and I expect to see the same in 2009. Williams was the #3 rusher in 2008, with 1,515 yds. Stewart didn't do so bad himself, rushing over 800 yds and 10 TDs.

With the struggles of QB Jake Delhomme during the 2008 playoffs, I expect to see more off the Williams-Stewart duo. This will allow Delhomme to use play action more and get the ball to one of their best offensive weapons- Steve Smith




Tennessee Titans- Chris Johnson/LenDale White


Team Smash and Dash is back for the 2009 season and with a chip on their shoulder. Chris Johnson felt slighted for not getting '08 Rookie Of The Year honors. Now he has his sights set on MVP status. The rook was 8th on 2008's top rushers list and looks to be even higher in '09.

White's bruiser style of running reminds me of Jerome Bettis in Pittsburgh. He's a TD machine. Put him inside the 20 and you're pretty much going to get 6 points. White had 15 TDs, which tied for 3rd best in 2008. They are a great compliment to one another. One is the speedy, elusive back that can make players miss tackles. The other is the bulldozer, that runs defenders over and forces his way to the end zone.

With QB Kerry Collins being one year older than last year (he will be 37 by the end of the '09 season), he'll allow his RB's to help him with his throwing game.