DD's Power rankings, pre-Week 3

[DiamondDave]

Well... we've had a couple of weeks to mull things over now and get a look at how teams are playing... so I guess it is time to start a power-ranking type of thread.... these are my thoughts and opinions on the teams... if you disagree, post your rankings and tell us about it

1) Patriots - Not only 2-0, but I have to rank them at the top considering how they dismantled the Chargers
2) Colts - Addition of a defense is nice to see on this team. Though last week's game was a little closer than it should have been
3) Cowboys - Many are going to say 'WTF'... But Dallas has been impressive. The offense is no joke.
4) Steelers - As much as it pains me to do this, they deserve this slot, at least for now. Yes, I know it has only been against Buffalo and Cleveland, but 10 points against in 2 games forces me to have them up this high.
5) Bears - I know there are other 2-0 teams out there, but I cannot honestly put them above the Bears. Grossman is still no great QB, but defense and ST's are still among the best in the game, and Benson seems to be able to handle the job.
6) Chargers - Yes, they were embarrassed by NE, but most any team can be. LT is still LT and Rivers will improve and show more poise. Look for them to rebound in a big way.
7) Broncos - Granted, if it were not for the aging Elam, this team would be 0-2, BUT this team is finding ways to win while giving their young QB time to mature.
8) Ravens - Won with Boller, that was a plus. Giving the Jets hope late was not encouraging though. The defense HAS to carry this team while McNair heals and the offense finds a groove, but we know they ARE good enough to do this. But it has to happen now before the trio of NE, IND, and SD comes up on the schedule.
9) Texans - Color me impressed. Maybe Carr was a major problem instead of just a guy getting creamed because of a bad OL. The defense has learned to step up and they look to be a team on the rise who could threaten for a playoff spot.
10) Packers - I have to give them their due, they're 2-0. Favre is finding ways with this offense. Can the old man continue that though and not have another 20+ INT season? That is the question
11) 49ers - 2-0, so I have to put them here, but do not consider me convinced. They are put to a test this week in PIT and I look for them to fail this one. Gore is great, but the rest of the team...????
12) Redskins - I had my doubts week 1, but they played exceptionally well against the Eagles. Campbell has a damn pretty deep ball and is maturing nicely. What impresses me most about him though is his patience not to run first when pressure comes.
13) Titans - Played Indy well. They can run the ball and the defense looks solid, Young is showing unexpected maturity, but he has to do more for them to improve.
14) Bengals - You lose to the Browns and you are not going to be a top 10 team on my list, ESPECIALLY when you let them rack you up for a half a century score.
15) Panthers - Tough loss, but to a surprisingly tough team, so I can't be all that down on them. Delhomme to Smith is about as potent a combo as there is.
16) Seahawks - Loss to the Cardinals is tough to take, but this is not the Seahawks of a couple seasons ago. This is a team on the decline in a division with a lot of talent.
17) Lions - The lowest of the 2-0 teams but then again they had to crawl up from the bowels of the rankings last year. They can and will score a lot of points, BUT this defense has got to stop a good offense sooner or later.
18) Jaguars - What happened to this defense that had so much promise? Running game has no signature on it, and I don't think this team was ready for the QB shake-up. A team without an identity that quickly needs to find one.
19) Saints - So talented I cannot drop them any further, but their on-field performance has been as bad as we have seen this season. Is the magic of last season completely gone?
20) Vikings - The defense is good, but something else need to happen on offense besides Peterson. This QB is going to be a trivia question in the future , rather than being the answer now.
21) Cardinals - A little excitement for once. They need to get better defensively, but they are finally showing some signs of improvement.
22) Eagles - We know they are better than this, right? Or will we still be making excuses in a couple of weeks?
23) Rams - Found a way to lose while doubling their opponent's offense. That is an accomplishment, NOT. Stephen Jackson, where are you??? Come back and bring your hands with you.
24) Bucs - They were due to show signs of life against a NO team that has recently had their number. I don't expect it to be the beginning of any kind of win streak though.
25) Jets - Probably the most overrated team in the NFL this season. No great improvements on a team that only ranked in the 20's on offense AND defense last year while making the playoffs. Primed to come back down to earth and we are beginning to see that.
26) Browns - Yes, I know it is the Bengals defense, but scoring 5-+ may have just been the spark this team needs to better itself by a couple wins this season.
27) Raiders - Defense is still there, but this team just does not have the talent to compete week to week. They are quite capable of eeking out a win against a team that is napping, bit that is what it is going to take for them all season.
28) Dolphins - The AARP's team of choice when it comes to people that have to carry this team. Unless Ronnie Brown is a top 3 RB this year, do not expect this team to get out of double digit losses.
29) Bills - Terrible, Terrible, Terrible. OJ is showing more offense (or at least offenses) than the current Bills roster. What happened to the emergence of JP at QB?
30) Giants - Eli showing guts is not enough. Can we see if Brownie Troop 3829 can fly out to play in the Giants secondary? It could not be any worse and at least it would draw some interest.
31) Chiefs - Maybe Johnson should have gotten off the money wagon and into a mindset to actually work on his game. It is him and Tony G. and a bunch of Pop Warner leaguers.
32) Falcons - Even the kicker is bad. What else could be wrong with this team that isn't already?

[bedir than average]

I think your ranking of the Seahawks is really because of one single bad handoff and not their overall performance. They have a deep receiving corp than the SuperBowl year, better overall talent at running back, strong linebackers and stronger defensive backfield.

They have only faded a bit on the O-line and the injury to Marcus Tubbs.

[coffeeman]

The Titans are better than the 3 teams you have listed above them.

[DiamondDave]

Originally Posted by coffeeman

The Titans are better than the 3 teams you have listed above them.

In what way?? Not in record.... #1 in offensive rushing, mainly fed by the week one performance that seems a bit fluky in retrospect.... their passing offense is anemic... 16.5 PPG puts them right in line with the Miami Dolphins.... their receiving corps has to be one of the least talented ones in the NFL.... 130 yards per game passing will not cut it in this league.... they're middle of the pack in defensive yardage average, while 11th in scoring defense

Could I possibly rank them above SF?? yep... though I would not rank them as any sort of top 10 team... but I could also just as easily rank some teams from below, as actually better than the Titans (SEA, DET, CIN, CAR and NO (even with an 0-2 start))... and this week's game against NO will actually be a good test for this team... if they indeed drop to 1-2 after playing NO, the only saving grace would be that they play ATL and TB in the following 2 weeks

I feel pretty good with them in a top 15 ranking, but not being top 10

[coffeeman]

Not many teams can hold Indy to 22 points and there is some question as to whether there should have been that one sec. left on the clock for the one Indy fg - that proved to be the winning difference in the game.

Pre-season doesn't mean all too much - HOWEVER - the Titans did beat GB and would have been 4-0 in the preseason if not for 2 td's in the last minute by the Redskins 3rd/4th string vs. the Titans 3rd/4th string.

Peyton Manning himself said Indy was darn lucky to get the win and I think he is correct.

[bedir than average]

I just think that its way early. I'm a big fan of all rankings starting 25% of the way into any sports season. Sample size can be a big issue at th 12.5% mark. I mean one play dropped Seattle from a top 5 rank to a bottom half.

[DiamondDave]

I really do not believe that Seattle was a top 5 team in the NFL in pre-season ranks..... top 10, maybe, not top 5

As a matter of fact I do not remember seeing them in ANY pre-season top 5 ranking, and I seriously doubt I saw them in any top 10... I think most had 7 of the top 10 from the AFC with the NFC representatives being CHI, NO, and DAL

[bedir than average]

Except that if that handoff had succeeded the Seahawks would have won the game, and would you really have ranked them as the worst of the 2-0 teams?

[DiamondDave]

No.. I still would have had them above DET.. and I would definitely have had them above SF... maybe the Packers and maybe the Redskins... possibly ranked 10th, knocking CIN out of the top 10 to put them in... with SEA losing, CIN losing, the Panthers losing etc.. teams like HOU, the Packers, 49ers etc had to move up a bit as those teams fell... a lot of the ones 13-20 are interchangeable, depending on how you look at things

[bedir than average]

Yeah, on second look with that situation they should likely only be 8th, but my point stands, one play made the difference between #8 and #16

[DiamondDave]

Yahoo has them ranked 17th in one list, 14th in the other
'07 rankings: Cheaters do prosper - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

ESPN has them ranked 9th, which I just do not understand anyone that would have the Seahawks in the top 10
ESPN - NFL Power Rankings - National Football League

CBS has them 16th
National Football League - CBSSports.com

[DiamondDave]

Originally Posted by coffeeman

Not many teams can hold Indy to 22 points and there is some question as to whether there should have been that one sec. left on the clock for the one Indy fg - that proved to be the winning difference in the game.

Pre-season doesn't mean all too much - HOWEVER - the Titans did beat GB and would have been 4-0 in the preseason if not for 2 td's in the last minute by the Redskins 3rd/4th string vs. the Titans 3rd/4th string.

Peyton Manning himself said Indy was darn lucky to get the win and I think he is correct.

Indy was 0-5 in pre-season games last year... and umm... I think they showed to be better than an 0-5 pre-season record

Pre-season means exactly SQUAT

I think TEN is more lucky that they even had a shot in that game.. Indy was not firing on all cylinders

BTW.... In the major power rankings, the highest ANYONE has them ranked is 12th

[LongtimeBravesFan]

Originally Posted by DiamondDave

.. Indy was not firing on all cylinders

If they played so poorly why are they ranked #2 in the league?

[BravesRule22]

Ill be a homer for a second

I think the Bucs are certainly better than the 24th team in the NFL

Garcia is perfect for Grudens system, our OLine with the rookies and 2nd year guys like Joesph, Sears and Trublood have grown leaps and bounds which has resulted in ZERO sacks this year so far. Our OLine was a HUGE problem last year as was our QB play and it appears those 2 things have turned themselves around.

Our Defense has played EXTREMELY well, aside from TWO big plays against the Seahawks we havent given up much of anything.

I dont see any reason we can not win the NFC South


Garcia is the key, as he goes so do we and right now him to Galloway is a BIG TIME combo

[DiamondDave]

Originally Posted by LongtimeBravesFan

If they played so poorly why are they ranked #2 in the league?

You rank someone below them higher? Without playing on all cylinders, they'll still beat 30 other teams out there most of the time