The Football Fan Spot
Written for football fans, by a football fan
Week 13 NFL Power Rankings
Awful
32. Cleveland Browns 1-10
Jamal Lewis has been placed on IR due to post concussion symptoms. If he keeps his word, that means that it’s the end of his career. I wonder how he’ll celebrate. Lewis announced that he would be retiring after the season during week 8 and complained about practicing and said that he didn’t want to put the effort for a losing cause. Now he has his wish. He doesn’t have to play anymore. The only problem, he’s seeing stars after a nasty concussion.
31. Detroit Lions 2-9
The Lions defense is awful. Oh wait…I said that last week. Well, the Lions haven’t played since my last power rankings so there isn’t much I can say about them accept that their defense is awful. They haven’t stopped an offense at all this season. They’ve held two teams under 25 points this season. Those were the Redskins and Rams.
30. St. Louis Rams 1-10
Marc Bulger is likely done as a Ram after yet another injury. Since 2006, his last good season, Bulger and the injury report have become quite close and that really just ended his career in St. Louis and maybe in the NFL in general. Kyle Boller will take over at quarterback under further notice, but the former 1st round pick turned major bust is likely not the longterm answer. This team will look at quarterbacks this offseason with Bulger’s contract coming to a point where they can easily cut him.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-10
This team tries so hard and has great hope for the future with Josh Freeman, who has surprisingly been the best rookie quarterback in the league this season. And by future, I don’t mean next season. There’s a good chance that they beat a few mediocre teams this season, starting possibly with Carolina this week, because of their quarterback play and hustle. Imagine how good this team could be if they didn’t have a madman whose only solution to any problem is to get rid of people, players and coordinators alike, coaching the team. Raheem Morris does not deserve this job.
Better luck next year
28. Oakland Raiders 3-8
JaMarcus Russell was recently seen on the sideline looking guilty with what appeared to be a bag of Skittles in his waistband. This is what the Raiders’ 60 million investment and first overall pick got them, a man who doesn’t start and just sits on the sideline eating, that and a ton of overthrows of open guys. There was a big deal made about Mark Sanchez eating a hot dog on the sideline, but that was when his team was winning. The only reason there hasn’t been a big deal made about this is because it’s not surprising.
27. Washington Redskins 3-8
This team just finds ways to lose. They have only played one game this season decided by 10 points or less, which means they are keeping it close, yet they are still 3-8 and in dead last in the NFC East. Normally when that happens, the coach blamed, so Jim Zorn is likely not going to be back next season. Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan will be interesting candidates for the job but whoever comes in will want to bring in their own guy at quarterback because that’s a trend, so Jason Campbell won’t be back. In fact, that might have been one of Zorn’s biggest mistakes. He didn’t get his own quarterback. Jason Campbell didn’t fit his system at all yet he stuck with it and look what has happened. What makes it more pathetic is that there was the perfect guy for his system sitting on his bench the whole time, Todd Collins. Campbell may have been athletic skills, but Collins probably would have led them to more wins this season and maybe even more last too.
26. Kansas City Chiefs 3-8
The Chiefs traded a 2nd round pick for Matt Cassel then paid him 63 million dollars. Cassel only has a 77.6 QB rating this season and the Chiefs only have 3 wins. This proves two things, the importance of systems for quarterback and the importance of providing a quarterback with a good supporting cast before you trade for/sign/draft him. Cassel is clearly a system quarterback. His numbers are way down out of New England’s system this season, because he doesn’t fit it as well. Most quarterbacks are actually this way, see Jay Cutler in Chicago vs. Denver. If I were building a team, the last thing I do would be to get a quarterback because, unless that quarterback were an elite quarterback, he isn’t going to play well if he doesn’t have the supporting cast. Why waste all that money on him if you haven’t made the atmosphere around him the best possible and most suitable for winning.
Looking forward to a top ten draft pick
25. Seattle Seahawks 4-7
This team is really, really good…at beating the Rams. This team is 4-0 against the Rams have the last two years and 4-19 against all other opponents. This team was supposed to bounce back from a bad year last year, but injuries and bad coaching have hurt them. And now coach Jim Mora is going to put Julius Jones back into the starting lineup over Justin Forsett who ran amazingly last week in his absence. Their 4 wins are misleading, they’ve been worse than that. Three of those four wins came against the Rams and Lions.
24. Buffalo Bills 4-8
The Bills played down the road, in another country, this week against the Jets in Toronto. They lost and had only 51 thousand fans in the process, way down from how many they normally have even in the relatively small city of Buffalo. I don’t know why they chose to away essentially a 9th road game by going all the way to Toronto, roughly 100 miles. It couldn’t have been for the money because you don’t make a ton of money if you don’t sell tickets.
23. Carolina Panthers 4-7
When I was coming up for the categories for my power rankings years ago, I came up with the category for teams that were looking forward to a top ten draft pick. These teams would not be awful, but would be bad enough to be in the top ten in the draft and bad enough that that would be the only thing they would have to look forward to really. Unfortunately, the Panthers fit that description, except for the fact that they have no pick to look forward to. The traded it to the Niners for Everette Brown who has 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks this season as a rookie. That’s a shame because they need a quarterback badly despite the fact that they just have Jake Delhomme a new contract. Delhomme has sucked this season with 18 interceptions to 8 touchdowns. He has killed drives, momentum, and this whole team with his interceptions and has even gotten creative with his picks, throwing them off of his players feet and bouncing them into the hands of the defenders. Delhomme is now hurt and Panthers fans are cheering saying that this injury, and the forced switch to Matt Moore that comes with it, is a good move. However, I believe that coach John Fox is a smart guy. He wouldn’t have kept Delhomme out there playing as bad as he was, and signed AJ Feeley as insurance, if he had any confidence in Matt Moore’s abilities to throw to football. Moore completed 57% of his passes, threw 3 touchdowns, to 5 picks, and averaging 6.6 yards per attempt while compiling a 67 QB rating in 9 starts for an injured Delhomme in 2007. Maybe that’s why he was on the bench.
Probably not a playoff team
22. Chicago Bears 4-7
Their 3-1 start is long gone now. They have gone 1-6 since and if they keep playing this way, with Jay Cutler constantly under pressure and throwing picks, and Matt Forte not trying and barely getting any blocking, they could end up going 5-11. If that happens, Jay Cutler will get a lot of shit in the offseason. He was supposed to be their first good quarterback in decades, so a failed season would be awful for him. Luckily he has two games against the Rams and the Lions, but the rest of the schedule is tough and even those two “easy” games against the Rams and Lions might not be so easy for this team the way they have been playing.
21. New York Jets 6-6
I could talk about how tough it will be for the Jets to make the playoffs, even if Mark Sanchez doesn’t miss any games, even though the Jets are in 2nd place in the division and at .500 because of their tough schedule. However I will instead talk about the singular greatest that is Darrelle Revis. There are plenty of wide receivers in the NFL, Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Reggie Wayne, and Randy Moss, that can change the game by themselves, but very few cornerbacks who can do the same. Darrelle Revis can. He can take any wide receiver out of the game by himself, including those five elite wide receivers I listed previously and he’s only 24. Imagine if the Jets actually had a good corner next to him, making it so the quarterback couldn’t just pick on the other side of the field. They would be amazing against the pass.
20. Miami Dolphins 5-6
This team can’t make the playoffs without Ronnie Brown. The defense isn’t good enough for Chad Henne to be able to lead this offense to enough points to win without both of his big time running backs, Brown and former pothead Ricky Williams. Unfortunately, Ronnie Brown is physical incapable of lasting an entire season. It’s like clockwork that he will break something or tear something at some point during a season.
Making some noise
19. Houston Texans 5-6
Last week I talked about how this team can’t finish anything because they had lost 4 games by 7 or fewer points. Last week they lost by more than that, but, it still fits into the category of a blown loss because they actually led by 17 in the 2nd half. A lot of that can be blamed on lack of maturity and composure, which a lot of times is the coaches fault. Add that in with the fact that he pretty much draws his starting running back out of a hat, not just game by game but play by play, and coach Gary Kubiak might not be back next season. There were some rumors that Coach Bill Cowher would be interested in coaching the Texans and if those are true and Kubiak doesn’t turn it around, they could fire him and bring in Cowher.
18. San Francisco 49ers 5-6
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who is a Niners fan that was saying the Niners could win the division. I initially laughed a little. The Niners suck. The NFC West is bad, but not that bad. Then I looked at the schedule. The Cards have a tough game with the Vikings this week and the Niners have a game against the reeling Seahawks. Then the Niners and Cardinals play each other on Monday Night Football week 14 and if the Niners win that one, they would be tied for the division at 7-6 and have the tiebreaker and they would be in good position to win the division and make the playoffs. It’s a bit of a long shot, but it’s certainly possible.
Close, but no cigar
17. Atlanta Falcons 6-5
Injuries are piling up at the worst time for the Falcons. Top running back Michael Turner might miss a few more weeks, Matt Ryan could be done for the season with turf toe, and Brian Williams is hurt exposing their lack of depth at the cornerback position and allowing Josh Freeman to post a big game on their secondary. This team was close to a playoff berth before injuries struck, but now they are on the outside looking in and unless Ryan comes back soon, they may be further out. Chris Redman is a good game manager, but with no running game or defense to support him, he won’t do much.
16. Tennessee Titans 5-6
This has been quite a miraculous turnaround for this team and for Vince Young by himself. They were 0-6 and coming off a 59 point loss to the Patriots and a bye week, and they knew they were better than they were playing because this team is an Albert Haynesworth removed from going 13-3 last season, and then they inserted Vince Young, once viewed as mentally fragile into the starting lineup, and he has perform big time for them, knowing his role, doing what’s necessary to win, and performing in the clutch en route to a 5-0 record as starter.
15. Jacksonville Jaguars 6-5
This team is very talented, but poorly coached and occasionally takes entire weeks off. There will be weeks where they team is just not on the field pretty much. They have been killed in 3 of their 4 matchups against the NFC West, got destroyed in both games on the West Coast, and barely beat St. Louis and Kansas City in Jacksonville. If it weren’t for those games they’d be playing fine, but for whatever reason, they don’t show up against the West.
On the playoff bubble
14. New York Giants 6-5
They haven’t played since my last power rankings so I will comment more on how ugly they looked against the Broncos again. Let’s see, they couldn’t run at all. Derrick Ward is gone, Ahmad Bradshaw is hurt, and Brandon Jacobs, for whatever reason sucks, so earth, wind, and fire has pretty much been destroyed putting more pressure on Eli Manning and his injured foot and inexperienced wide receivers. The defense has so many pass rushers that they can’t actually stop the run, especially near the goal line. They have given up 15 touchdowns on the ground this season, 4th most in the NFL behind Buffalo, St. Louis, and Oakland. Their inability to stop the run, makes the unable to blitz as much, rending their pass rushers slightly useless and putting more pressure on an inexperienced and injured secondary. If it weren’t for luck in overtime, this team would be on a 6 game losing streak, but still, if they beat the Cowboys this week, which since it’s December won’t be that hard, they will only be one game back of the Cowboys for the division and they would own the tiebreaker.
13. Denver Broncos 7-4
I have been underrating them this entire season and by underrating them I mean rating them lower than their record because I don’t think this is a very dangerous team. They’ve won two games by luck this season, one on a fluke pass and one in overtime, and they had a 4 game stretch where they looked downright awful. Their secondary is talented but old and their front 7, with the exception of 2 guys is made out of cast offs from bad teams and rookies playing out of position. Their starting quarterback isn’t much better than Matt Cassel and their star wideout Brandon Marshall, who their rookie coach thought he had under control, shoved their star running back for fumbling on the goal line. I don’t think they win more than 9 games this season, even though they play the Raiders once more and the Chiefs twice more. That would put them in a tie with the Ravens, I think, with nine wins for that final playoff spot and Baltimore destroyed them this season to hold the tie breaker.
12. Green Bay Packers 7-4
Another team that hasn’t played since my last Power Rankings. The health of their offensive line and their ability to protect a beaten up Aaron Rodgers will determine whether this team wins enough of their last games, over a tough schedule, to make the playoffs. This team has had an extremely easy schedule to this point, but that’s not the case from this point on.
11. Baltimore Ravens 6-5
Only winning by 3 in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were quarterbacked by Dennis Dixon, a 2008 5th round pick, that a few weeks ago had only thrown one career pass and was a 3rd string quarterback, is a little troubling, but a win is a win, especially at this point in the season and especially against a division opponent like the Steelers. With the win they tied the Steelers in the standings and took a 1-0 lead, over a team that swept the division last year, in the tiebreaker between the two division foes. The also own the tiebreaker with Denver. Cincinnati has pretty much locked up the division with a 2 game lead over both the Steelers and the Ravens and the tiebreaker over both, but the Ravens and Steelers will be fighting with the Broncos for those last two playoff spots and right now the Ravens own the tiebreaker over both. However, when the Steelers and Ravens meet again week 16, assuming Ben Roethlisberger plays, the Ravens might not be so lucky.
Playoffs and maybe more
10. Pittsburgh Steelers 6-5
I put them above the Ravens on the basis that they could have won with Dennis Dixon last week easily and should win with Big Ben week 16. However, for a team that swept the division last season, a 1-3 record in division play is not good, especially when that one win was over the Browns.
9. Dallas Cowboys 8-3
I put them below the Eagles on the basis that the Eagles and Donovan McNabb historically have a much better December than the Cowboys and Tony Romo and the Cowboys still have 3 divisional games remaining, 2 of which are with teams within 2 games of them in the standings. They also have to play a red hot San Diego team and an undefeated New Orleans team. Their only relatively easy game is a divisional game at Washington against a reeling Redskins team that the Cowboys almost lost to last time the two met back in week 11.
8. Arizona Cardinals 7-4
Matt Leinart just can’t beat Vince Young can he. Vince Young and the Texan Longhorns surprised Leinart and his USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl National Championship game back in 2006 when the two were in colleges. The Young got drafted higher than the former consensus #1 overall pick Leinart. Then both struggle in the pros, Leinart gets benched and watches starter Kurt Warner led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl (I’m still shocked by that one). Leinart gets to start for Warner because Warner is seeing stars thanks to a concussion and lose on a clutch last second drive to who of all people, a revitalized Vince Young, who throws the winning touchdown in the last seconds in a way reminiscent of the way he ran for the winning touchdown late in the Rose Bowl.
Dark horses
7. Philadelphia Eagles 7-4
They get this spot based on their past history of being dominant in December. In fact, they have a better record at the end of November this season than they have in a lot of seasons over the past decade and this is a team that’s made 5 NFC Championship games this decade (they’re what we call: 4th place royalty). They didn’t look great against the Redskins last week, but they put together a late run and won it in clutch fashion and this week they get a reeling Falcons team with a secondary thinner than toilet paper. Even with DeSean Jackson suffering side effects from a blow to the head, the Eagles should be able to throw their way to a victory in that game.
6. Cincinnati Bengals 8-3
The Bengals have swept their division. Logic says that’s a bad thing, especially when you consider how monoculturistic (I made up that word) the AFC North is. The AFC North, with the exception of the awful Browns, all play smash mouth football. They have had no problem beating those teams, but they are 2-3 outside of the division, losing to the Raiders, Texans, and Broncos, and beating the Bears and Packers, and they will have to play non-divisional foes in the playoffs. However, history says it’s a good thing. 5 out of the last 6 teams to sweep their division made the Super Bowl.
5. New England Patriots 7-4
People are saying this is not the same Tom Brady this season. It is. He is 2006 esque. Not 2007 esque because when you look at his stats, regular season at least, 2007 is the anomaly. From 2002-2006, Brady threw for anywhere from 3529 yards to 4110 yards, completed anywhere from 60.2 percent to 63.0 percent of his passes, averaged anywhere from 6.3 to 7.8 YPA, threw for anywhere from 23 to 28 touchdowns, threw for anywhere from 12 to 14 picks. and had a QB rating of anywhere from 85.7 to 92.6. This season, his stats threw 11 games, if you project them out to 16 games, in that previous order, read 4780, 65.7, 7.7, 29, 12, and 96.5. If you take 2007 out of the equation, 5 of those are or tie career highs. He is doing what he always does. It’s the defense that’s letting the Patriots down and even if Brady makes his traditional statistical step up in the postseason, it might not be enough to win the Super Bowl because of that defense. You can’t count them out though.
Elite runner ups
4. San Diego Chargers 8-3
Can you imagine how good this team could be if they actually showed up to play before week 6. That early loss to the Broncos was the wakeup call they needed. If history plays out as normal, this team can beat the Colts, but not the Patriots. Pats fans better hope that the Chargers get to the Colts before they do and Chargers fans better hope that the Colts get to the Patriots before they do and Colts fans better hope that the Patriots get to the Chargers before they do. Or completely random stuff could happen as it always does.
3. Minnesota Vikings 10-1
Brett Favre and the Vikings have to be kicking themselves a little. Any other year, this team is Super Bowl favorites and Brett Favre is MVP favorite, but because of the play of Peyton Manning and the Colts and Drew Brees and the Saints, that’s not happening this year. However, assuming Brett Favre’s arm doesn’t hit the wall like it did last year, this team is a well rounded team that can beat the Colts or the Saints and they’ll play with more of a chip on their shoulder in the playoffs, especially against either of those two teams. They haven’t lost to the Colts or Saints this year. The only thing that makes them “worse” than those two is a 10 point loss to a good Steelers team. I would be more afraid of this team if I were the Colts or Saints than any other team.
2. Indianapolis Colts 11-0
It’s tough to put an 11-0 team in 2nd, but when there are two 11-0 teams, you have to. The Colts beat the Patriots by 1 and the Saints beat them by 21 so that’s why the Colts are 2nd and the Saints are in first here. I am a Patriots fan, but I actually want to see a Colts/Saints Super Bowl. It would be exciting and great for the league. The Colts are an interesting team. They look like they can lose, they just don’t. They have won their last 5 games despite trailing in the 4th in each. That has never happened before.
The favorite
1. New Orleans Saints 11-0
The Colts look like they can lose, but don’t, the Saints don’t look like they can lose and don’t. I’m not actually sure which one is scarier to the rest of the league. They face Washington, a beat up Atlanta squad, Tony Romo in December, the Bucs, and the Panthers to finish their regular season. They will all be gunning for them, but there’s a good chance the Saints go undefeated. I think the Colts will lose once before the end of the season just because I don’t believe that a team can win that many close games, but both are scary, scary teams for their respective conferences.
-12/5/09
