Using the art of distraction I must again turn to the NFL. The return of power rankings as I take a look at the NFC this week. Be on the lookout for a nasty WNBA/Eurobasket Update.
1. Dallas Cowboys (1-0) LW: #4
This should be bring a tear or a smile to Coup’s eyes but after that Week 1 performance I couldn’t justify holding them down much longer. Folks of Dallas and nationwide…Terrell Owens is on a mission. Could you not tell by the two touchdowns? What I found to be even more telling that the man is possessed…no celebration. This is a different T.O. Romo has an enormous amount of things to prove right now and he has shown he can do it. The Boys have dominated…on offense that is. Giving up that many points to a depleted Giants team is obscene as Plaxico and Eli dissected the Boys secondary. Wasn’t this one of the top D’s last year? Isn’t Wade Phillips a defensive-minded coach? They’ve earned the right to wear the crown for one week, it will take some improvements to stay up there. Actually whooping up on the Dolphins won’t hurt.
2. New Orleans Saints (0-1) LW: #2
The Saints did not look good in their first game. But one thing that can be banked on is we won’t see another dismal offensive performance like that from the Saints this year. No touchdowns from that offensive and that coach? Absolutely did not see that coming. They’ve got enough talent and have proven themselves to the point where they get the benefit of the doubt. A trip to Florida to beat up on the Buccaneers is just what the doctor ordered. They are more or less staying pat because of the fact that no one else did anything impressive.
3. Chicago Bears (0-1) LW: #1
I put the Bears at #1 in August because I believed that Rex Grossman would not come out and suck it up again. Last week, Rex Grossman goes out and sucks it up again. Their offense looks absolutely abysmal yet their defense is going to keep them in and win NFC games so I cannot justify dropping them that far. The fact that they held LT to 25 yards rushing is a testament to just how good they truely are. They will bounce back with an easy win over Kansas City but their offense makes me shake uncomfortably.
4. Seattle Seahawks (1-0) LW: #5
The Seahawks move up only one spot…because well they didn’t really do anything. They beat up on a team they were supposed to beat in an unimpressive fashion. There wasn’t one element of their week 1 win that made me go ‘Oh man watch out for those guys’ and nothing that made me go ‘Hold up they aren’t that good.’ The Seahawks are the Seahawks; good but not great.
5. Carolina Panthers (1-0) LW: #7
I guess everyone forgot just how good Steve Smith was. Still a lot of questions surrounding this Panther team, mainly concerning consistency. That is a question with a lot of teams this year; we know they can do it the question is will they? When Steve Smith is torching D’s, Delhomme isn’t throwing picks and the defense is on the Panthers are in the elite. When one of those things is off…lets just say Chris Berman won’t be singing that dang Delhomme song. At home against the Texans isn’t a bad Week 2 though.
6. Detroit Lions (1-0) LW: #9
Yes I am jumping the Lions up here and here is why. They found a way to win a tough game on the road. Very un-Lion like. The Lions of the past few years would have choked that game away completely. Instead they managed to put 19 on the board when it counted. The Lions look good on paper and they looked good on the field. Can they keep it up? Probably not. But we all know they will be fun to watch offensively.
7. St. Louis Rams (0-1) LW: #6
Controversial that they would only drop one spot after the loss to Carolina, but there aren’t too many games where Steven Jackson is getting less than a 100 and fumbling the ball twice. When he gets back on track (which he will) so do the Rams. Besides, no one else did enough to leap ahead of them
8. San Francisco 49ers (1-0) LW: #8
Incredibly ugly win over the Cardinals did not do much to make me think the Niners are that team. They would have lost had they played anyone but the Cardinals. Frank Gore’s pipe dream of a 2,000 yard season is looking like mission impossible.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (0-1) LW: #3
A well-deserved fall from grace. McNabb looked positively mediocre and they lost to the Packers. What else needs to be said? The Packers don’t even have a running back they have Ol Man Brett throwing the ball 40+ times. They have to bounce back ASAP.
10. Minnesota Vikings (1-0) LW: #16
Yes it was only one game over the Falcons, but I apologize to the people of Minnesota for low-balling you in the preseason. I will be making fun of you when Tavaris starts throwing INTs Enjoy it for now.
11. New York Giants (0-1) LW: #10
The Giants put up big digits against the Cowboys but gave up even more. Plus they had injuries to their running back and quarterback which is never a good sign. We’ll see if they can beat the Packers this week but things are not looking too good for the G-Men.
12. Arizona Cardinals (0-1) LW: #11
“This is the Cardinals year! This is it! Great offense, new coach, great defense! Wait..what do you mean the season started? They lost? No way. Their offense did nothing? The defense couldn’t get a stop at the end? Are you sure this isn’t (insert any of the last three years)? Damn. There’s always next year.”
13. Green Bay Packers (1-0) LW: #13
Read below. They won because Philadelphia gave them about 21 chances too and with those odds anyone can pull it out. Still not impressed quite yet to move them up.
14. Washington Redskins (1-0) LW: #14
I refused to be bamboozled by their win over a terrible Miami team. Clinton Portis did his thing but is Campbell always going to be that effective? Can they count on Randl…no they can’t I’m not even going to finish the sentence. They have to earn the benefit of the doubt.
15. Atlanta Falcons (0-1) LW: #12
It isn’t getting much easier for the Falcons…next up a trip to Jacksonville. A hungry, angry, 0-1 Jacksonville. Joey Harrington might get sacked 8 times.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) LW: #15
They are just really, really bad.