Danny Ocean and Co. had the audacity to burglarize Terry Benedict's Bellagio in Ocean's Eleven, but while their swift scam was easily executed in the first flick, it makes sense that their strength of schedule bulks up in the convoluted sequel.
And while droves of fans lineup to financially support the flat follow-up, it's hard to find as many admirers who back the New York Jets or the Atlanta Falcons through their cushy calendar of challengers this year.
When evaluating the NFC, the most generic statements voiced nowadays is that the Philadelphia Eagles are the brass, while everyone else, including the 9-3 Falcons, lack the class. It's a fairly primitive concept. The Falcons' strength of schedule has been weaker than the famed-face plot of Twelve. They've had the simplest road schedule in the league while the record of the home opponents they've faced is a flimsy 33-39 (heading into Week 14). They've only played two teams with a record above .500 and have displayed dismal efforts in Kansas City (56-10) and in Tampa Bay (27-0).
As for the Jets from New York, although they too were 9-3 heading into Week 14, they are rarely mentioned in the same sentence as Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, or New England. Maybe that's because they haven't proved their mettle against rugged opponents. While their road opponent record waivers just below .500, the foes that they've faced in their own confines have been as facile a Bruce Willis cameo.
Sound familiar (I'm not referring to another stale star-studded movie)? I'm referring to the connection between these subtle contenders and the Carolina Panthers of last year.
As they marched to 11 wins and only five losses through the regular season last year, pundits still scoffed at the young squad, and described their chances as paper-thin.
Carolina only faced four teams with a winning record in the regular season and furthermore, only triumphed in one of those meetings. Atlanta has faced two teams above .500 but has defeated both, while the Jets are 2-3 against teams of that sort.
What is important is that they are defeating the subpar squads, and are discounted by most observers.
You could wait until the third week of the playoffs to hop on the underdog sleeper bandwagon -- which still wouldn't be as protracted a wait as the anticipation of the storyline ameliorating in Ocean's Twelve -- or you could start believing just a little earlier than everyone else.
Don't hate, participate.
Stodgy cinema and sleeping giants mix like Mondays and me.
"The power to command frequently causes failure to think." - Barbara W. Tuchman
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