Best of the Worst: The 0-2 Power Rankings

Going into week three, there are nine teams that have yet to taste victory this season.
While being 0-2 hardly spells complete disaster, it does, however, make a serious playoff run a bit harder. On the flip side, being 2-0 doesn’t necessarily guarantee success come January; collapses are just as much a part of the game as comebacks
For some of these winless squads, the slow start will merely be a speed bump on the way to the playoffs. For others, it will be indicative of how the remainder of the season will play out.
The following list aims to separate the mildly disappointed from the hopelessly downtrodden.

Begin Slideshow

Eric Mangini Overseeing an Abysmal Mess in Cleveland

Okay, I’m finally done with my so-called day job deadline so I can now truly reflect on the abysmal mess that head coach Eric Mangini has created with the once-proud Cleveland Browns.

Ironically, the imposters, the mismatched retreads, and rookies we call the New Browns are going to Baltimore to play The Real Browns, now called the Ravens.

But being from Cleveland, I’ll watch the game with my eyes partially closed, amidst the usual f-bombs, moans, screeches, and objects thrown.

To Jrod: Yeah, the first two weeks have flown by fast. Unfortunately, the season, after two games, seems on a runaway elevator catapulting down to the basement.

First and foremost: Mangini is a madman, a paranoid schizophrenic who talked Randy Lerner into this gig.

It is like having your hometown ruled by a crazed dictator who charges players $1,700 for a failing to pay for a bottle of water. He talks a lot and says nothing, still refuses to discuss injuries, and totally f-ed up Brady Quinn by never naming him as starting QB (spies are out there, listening, ready to steal our playbooks).

Moreover, he forced Quinn to change his stance and methodically check off, resulting in a QB who is caught holding the ball too long and getting sacked nine times so far.

Not only does Mangini demand the team march in lockstep, he has the players memorizing impossible schemes that won’t work because he allowed choice draft picks to be drafted so he could get twice as many has-beens, especially from his old team the New York Jets, who are all in hog heaven under the affable Rex Ryan.

I would name the ex-Jets has-beens who now wear Browns uniforms, but I just can’t remember their names.

Here is the reverse logic of Mangini’s Day at the Draft last April: I will let Mark Sanchez go, and pass on Ray Maualuga and let him haunt us from Cincy. I believe we also had a shot at getting Clay Mathews Jr. (his old man probably told the kid he was lucky not to be in Cleveland).

First draft pick: Alex Mack, who sometimes has a hard time at center getting the football into Quinn’s hands instead of over his head or rolling on the turf. In the second round, rookie receivers Masaaquoi and Robiskie were chosen. But now Mangini doesn’t want to play them for some reason. Maybe they talked back to Coach, or worse, forgot to pay for a Pepsi—who knows?

About the only thing Brady Quinn has going for him is that Braylon Edwards is catching the ball again. (Although he will not fight for the ball, wrench it out of a defender’s arms, etc.)

Brian Dabold, the brand spanking new offensive coordinator has Brady Quinn posing like Tom Brady, calling signals as he lifts his foot, jerking his head right and left—which looks good until the snap goes awry.

As Quinn’s credence as a quarterback falls lower each day (at least on Cleveland sports radio), Quinn himself has to do something about it: audiblize, do play action, run, something. Forget the meetingspeak crap and just try to win the game. (You’re gonna get yelled at on the sidelines anyway, why not make it count?)

Bill Curry, former center for Johnny Unitas said that if a teammate ran the wrong route, he would order him out of the huddle and call for a replacement.

Football is different these days. It is rare for a QB to call his own plays. Quinn has got to step up and show he does have the cojones to risk an interception, to run out of the pocket, to dive for a first down, to change a play in the huddle.

Maybe the Browns won’t win the game Sunday (gee, you think?), but Quinn could orchestrate a few more first downs to give the defense time to catch its collective breath before facing Flacco and Co.

With so many things going against them—along with a continuous heap of bad luck—it is doubtful the Browns will contend any time soon. A 21-point underdog this Sunday? That seems about right.

After two games and one offensive touchdown so far this season, the year 2007—dubbed by local radio personalities as “The Season of Dreams”—is fading into obscurity. It seems now, that the fabled 10-6 season was not a turn in the right direction. It was just a blip on 10 years of bad teams.

**********

* – Eric Mangini photo credit: The Cleveland Leader

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Ranking the NFL’s Defensive Leaders

Week one of the NFL season was pretty bad for the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh won its opener against Tennessee, but defensive leader Troy Polamalu injured his knee, and is out for at least another two weeks.
Polamalu will at least return to the field this season.
The news was worse for the Bears. Not only did they lose a heartbreaker to Green Bay, but perennial Pro Bowler Brian Urlacher was lost for the season with a dislocated wrist.
These are two of the most important defensive leaders in the NFL, and their respective defenses will suffer in their absence.
It begs the question, which other teams would suffer if their defensive leader went down? I was asked by Bleacher Report to rank the top defensive leaders on the remaining 30 NFL teams.
It’s arduous process, and I sought advice from others who know their respective teams better than I do.
I realize there will be some disagreement, so please comment. Feedback, good or bad, is always welcome.

Begin Slideshow

NFL Predictions: Week Three

Week Two in the NFL was wild and crazy.

It was filled with a ton of upsets, and a lot of people’s rankings changed with key losses.

For instance, the top two teams in the NFL after Week One were the Steelers and the Patriots. They both took hard losses to the Bears and Jets and were knocked off their top spots.

Because of the weird week, I had quite a few losses but still managed to finish above .500; I finished at 9-7 thanks to the Giants’ Sunday Night Football win over the Cowboys and the Colts Monday Night Football win over the Dolphins.

So after going 9-7, I am currently 21-11 through the first two weeks.

Week Three has a lot of interesting games and contests that could move some teams toward the top, or send them back a couple steps.

Let’s look at the matchups:

 

New York Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Giants were able to pull off a dramatic victory against the Cowboys in Jerry Jones’s brand new billion dollar stadium Sunday night, making them currently 2-0. Eli Manning has found another go-to target in Mario Manningham to go along with Steve Smith. Each receiver caught 10 passes on Sunday.

The running game for the Giants has gotten off to a slow start, so Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw must get established early against Tampa Bay. The Giants will be seeing Derrick Ward, who was a Giant last year and rushed for over 1,000 yards before leaving for more money.

Tampa Bay is 0-2 and still looks like they are a major work-in-progress under Raheem Morris.

Final Score: Giants 31, Buccaneers 14

 

Tennessee Titans @ New York Jets

Because of the Jewish holiday, the Giants and Jets will both be playing at 1 p.m., which is almost unheard of until this year.

The Titans are 0-2 and desperate for a win, so expect them to come out fired up and playing for their lives. Starting a year 0-3 is not easy to rebound from.

The Jets pulled off a tremendous upset over the Patriots and showed the world their defense is a force to be dealt with. Mark Sanchez is getting better each game, and people are buying into the Rex Ryan system. They’ve blitzed Matt Schaub and Tom Brady, and I don’t expect things to change against Kerry Collins.

Final Score: Jets 24, Titans 13

 

Washington Redskins @ Detroit Lions

The Redskins barely won against a pitiful Rams team off three field goals and no touchdowns scored. That type of performance will not get it done every week, especially since the Redskins are not that good of a team. Jim Zorn, every week, looks like he is coaching his way out of his job with terrible play calls.

The Lions are 0-2, but are playing inspiring football. Washington is for the taking, and the Lions are at home. If Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson can play pitch and catch down field, Washington might not be able to stop the tall receiver. I’m going with an upset this week at Ford Field.

Final Score: Lions 24, Redskins 17

 

Atlanta Falcons @ New England Patriots

The Patriots are going to come out in this game fuming after getting embarrassed against the Jets. Bill Belichick hates losing to begin with, but losing to the Jets and Rex Ryan was taking salt and rubbing it into an open wound for him, so the Patriots may be instructed to run the score up. Tom Brady was a little more humble than Belichick, but I expect him to have a rebound game.

Atlanta has played well going 2-0 early, but this will be a huge test for the Falcons’ offense and Matt Ryan. Belichick will be having the defense come after him, so Ryan needs to be prepared. The Patriots’ defense is prone to give up big plays, but they are at home, and I don’t expect New England to lose two in a row.

Final Score: Patriots 27, Falcons 17

 

Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles

In their last game, the Eagles racked up almost 400 yards of offense. The bad news was they allowed almost 400 yards of offense to the Saints and Drew Brees, who put up 48 points on the Eagles’ defense. Kevin Kolb threw three costly interceptions but showed signs of promise. He cannot make the same mistakes he did last week.

The Chiefs are already 0-2 and took a tough loss at home to the Raiders. Matt Cassel played in his first game as a Chief, but it was in a losing effort. The Eagles’ defense will be a lot more complicated than Oakland’s, and may seem to be too overpowering for Cassel to figure out.

This will also be the first week of eligibility for Michael Vick to play, but Kolb is still the expected starter, so Vick’s role is unknown for Sunday.

Final Score: Eagles 28, Chiefs 10

 

Green Bay Packers @ St. Louis Rams

The Packers suffered a tough loss to the Bengals last week. Aaron Rodgers is not getting enough protection from his offensive line, who seem over-matched by defenses. They must work on protecting Rodgers if they want any success in 2009.

The Rams are a mess. Steve Spagnuolo went from a championship-caliber defensive unit with the Giants to the mess of St. Louis. The Rams almost won their game against the Redskins scoring one touchdown, but it didn’t happen. That one touchdown is the only one the Rams have scored so far in 2009, that’s how bad it’s been for St. Louis.

Final Score: Packers 31, Rams 7

 

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are already looking like an early powerhouse in the AFC at 2-0. Joe Flacco is showing no signs of a sophomore slump and played a great game against the Chargers on the road. Baltimore’s defense cannot give up almost 500 yards of offense though, if they want to win every week. The Chargers, however, are a tough team to play.

The Browns are already doomed, and Eric Mangini is eventually going to lose control. During the week, he fined an unknown player $1,700 for taking a $3 dollar water bottle out of a mini-bar. Little things like that will make your team hate your guts, and if Mangini’s team doesn’t start winning games, they will be muting out Mangini real soon.

Final Score: Ravens 37, Browns 10

 

San Francisco 49ers @ Minnesota Vikings

This is a battle of 2-0 teams.

The 49ers won an impressive game over the Seahawks with Frank Gore running for over 200 yards. So far, Shaun Hill has gotten the job done for the 49ers and into an early first place lead.

This will be a big test for the 49ers as they are in the Metrodome against Brett Favre, who has yet to make any mistakes. The 49ers’ defense will have to figure out a way to stop Adrian Peterson, who already leads the league in rushing.

This will be a close game with lots of running plays with Gore and Peterson, but in the end, home field will play a factor, and I expect the Vikings to just knock off the 49ers.

Final Score: Vikings 24, 49ers 21

 

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans

After getting demolished in Week One, the Texans’ offense exploded all over the Titans for 34 points. The Jaguars are going to have a tough time trying to stop the combination of Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson downfield; Johnson is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Houston has barely been able to establish the running game with Steve Slaton, so look for that in this game.

The Jaguars need to get Maurice Jones-Drew a lot of carries and big plays if they want to have any chance in this game, but Houston’s offense might be too much for Jacksonville to deal with on the road.

Final Score: Texans 30, Jaguars 14

 

Chicago Bears @ Seattle Seahawks

Jay Cutler had a much better game against the Steelers in his first win for the Bears, and if he can get into a rhythm, he could start airing the ball out to different receivers for the offense. Matt Forte has almost been a forgotten person on the Bears’ offense, and he shouldn’t be because he’s such a dangerous force. Look for the Bears to mix Forte into the offense more this week.

Matt Hasselbeck left Sunday’s game with a rib injury and is questionable for the game. If Hasselbeck doesn’t play, the Seahawks are in trouble without him. If he does play, Seattle must protect him and not allow the Bears to re-injure him. Expect Julius Jones to get a lot of action in the ground game. This will be a close contest in the end.

Final Score: Bears 20, Seahawks 16

 

New Orleans Saints @ Buffalo Bills

Drew Brees for NFL MVP?

It’s happening very quickly as he has thrown for nine touchdowns and 670 yards of offense, which is incredible through two weeks. Brees is running the offense like it is his own army and some have said it resembles the old Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” that won a Super Bowl in 1999.

New Orleans’s defense needs to continue to play better and not give up points, and they will be put to the test with Buffalo’s offense.

Fred Jackson has played very well for the suspended Marshawn Lynch and leads the team in rushing and receiving. Terrell Owens must be mixed into the offense more if the Bills want to win games. This could turn into an offensive minded game, but the Saints’ offense may be too much for the Buffalo defense to handle.

Final Score: Saints 35, Bills 23

 

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders

Somehow, Denver is 2-0 with Kyle Orton and Josh McDaniels.

They seemed doomed for disaster before the season started but are actually playing well through the first two weeks, and it’s mostly because of their defense. They’ve only allowed 13 points through the first two games and could be a tough matchup for the Raiders to deal with. The Broncos need to get Knowshown Moreno into the offense more, who has gotten off to a slow start in 2009.

JaMarcus Russell has shown signs of great arm strength but hasn’t shown signs of being great. Mostly, Russell has the look of being an NFL bust. The Raiders will give the Broncos a fight, but in the end, the Broncos’ defense should stop Russell. They should have never of released Jeff Garcia to begin with.

Final Score: Broncos 24, Raiders 14

 

Miami Dolphins @ San Diego Chargers

The Dolphins had the ball for 45 minutes against the Colts on Monday night, yet they still lost the game 27-23. How a team can hold the ball for 45 minutes and still lose is beyond me. It’s not going to get any better for the 0-2 Miami team against the Chargers who lost a tough one to Baltimore.

Phillip Rivers threw for over 400 yards last week in a loss and is looking for a bounce back game. Miami’s secondary can’t cover anybody nor can they tackle well, so the Chargers’ wide receivers should have a field day in their own stadium.

For the second straight week, LaDainian Tomlinson is on the injury report with an ankle injury and is questionable. LT’s career seems like it is fading with the Chargers.

If Miami goes to 0-3 under Chad Pennington, the fans will start to wonder when Chad Henne will take over the job.

Final Score: Chargers 37, Dolphins 20

 

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals

The Steelers took a rough loss to the Bears last week and their defense, without Troy Polamalu, is prone to giving up big plays. Ben Roethlisberger, however, did all he could to try and win the game for the Steelers. The Steelers have yet to establish the running game with Willie Parker, and if they want to get back to playoff success in 2009, especially with the Ravens playing well, the Steelers need to use their running attack more effectively.

The Bengals pulled off an upset over the Packers last week and are looking for two in a row. Chad Ochocinco delivered on his promise to do the “Lambeau Leap” in Green Bay after scoring a touchdown and is playing much better in 2009.

The Bengals always play the Steelers tough at home, but unless the Steelers want to start out 1-2, I expect a rebound victory for the defending champions, but it will be a smash-mouth type game.

Final Score: Steelers 28, Bengals 24

 

Sunday Night Football: Indianapolis Colts @ Arizona Cardinals

For the second straight week, the Sunday Night Football game on NBC will be the best game on the schedule with two potential Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner. This will be an offensive explosion on Sunday night, so if you like offense, this is a game to watch and enjoy.

The Cardinals rebounded from a tough first week and dominated the Jaguars as Warner completed over 90 percent of his passes. Expect Cardinal receivers, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston to be in the mix.

The Colts had the ball for only 15 minutes, but that was all they needed to score 27 points and improve to 2-0. Anthony Gonzalez isn’t expected to play, so the roles of Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, and Joseph Addai are amplified. It’s hard to pick against the Cardinals’ offense at home, but it’s even harder to pick against Manning in a big game on national TV.

But this will be a great game to watch.

Final Score: Colts 38, Cardinals 34

 

Monday Night Football: Carolina Panthers @ Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones had his unveiling of the billion-dollar Cowboys Stadium party spoiled by the Giants, so he has probably instructed Wade Phillips to kick the ever-loving tar out of the Panthers.

The Cowboys’ running game was very good last week in racking up over 250 yards, but Marion Barber pulled a quadriceps muscle in the fourth quarter and is questionable for the game. This makes Felix Jones and Tashard Choice the featured backs if Barber can’t go.

Carolina looks like a lost mess in 2009, and Jake Delhomme is very close to losing his job, along with John Fox, if they don’t win. I really don’t think Jerry Jones wants to be embarrassed twice in his new stadium on national TV, otherwise Wade Phillips would probably be fired on Monday morning.

Final Score: Cowboys 27, Panthers 17

 

Well, there you have the picks for Week Three. I’ve picked only one major upset game with the Lions game, maybe two if you consider the Colts an upset on the road against the Cardinals. 

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable week, and then, get ready for a fun weekend of football games on Sunday and Monday.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Detroit Lions: A Culture Of Excuses

Watching the new Lions coach Jim Schwartz dodge and weave at his weekly press conference tells me a lot about the culture of incompetence and perpetual “wimp-hood” of those types who have been employed by Bill Ford Sr. over his 45-plus years of ownership of the Detroit Lions.

Schwartz unleashed a barrage of excuses, rationalizations, and what ifs, while kicking the can down the road of some imagined future.

When asked about the obvious disparity between Mark Sanchez and Matt Stafford, instead of sucking it up and acknowledging Sanchez’s stellar performance, all Schwartz would acknowledge is that Matt Stafford is the future of the Lions.

The question, of course, had nothing whatsoever to do with the future of Stafford—whose 40 percent QB rating places him dead last in the NFL in that category—but was intended to point out that the Lions screwed the pooch again, like they always do.

Whether it was Matt Millen, Russ Thomas, or Chuck Schmidt, one can count the ways to failure taken from a long history of burnt offerings. Mighty Mayhew, of course, was nowhere to be seen, let alone to fess up; instead, he was taking refuge in the shadows, while Schwartz had to face the music alone for his part in the characteristic “yes man” syndrome.

Of course, we cannot really blame Schwartz or Mayhew for their domesticated male-hood, tied to the corporate culture of kissing someone’s arse. Both have been in the corporate system their entire lives, leading to a man-hood never claimed.  

Conversely, the type of character I am talking about can only be found on a battlefield, in the middle of the desert without water, on top of a mountain, or in the wilderness on a solitary rite of passage.

Sadly—and this is especially true of corporate America or professional sports—Westerners grow up without rites of passage leading to manhood.

And this has nothing whatsoever to do with guild hazing found in different professions or the typical frat boy ritual on nonsense.

An authentic right-of-passage is taken by the individual alone and in the harshest of conditions. Its aim was to initiate one to another status within the tribe; it led to a leadership role.

In undertaking a rite of passage, the initiate sought closeness with the Great Spirit, the Mystery, or higher self. The time alone in wilderness with no food and little water, exposure to the elements without shelter, and being in an unfamiliar place often triggered a radical shift in self and world.

The trail of the passage led to a gift for the initiate at great risk to his of her own life, along with a ritual death and rebirth into authentic adulthood.  

Sadly, modern cultures seem to have forgotten most of what our ancestors knew about the importance of initiatory rites for sustaining individuals and their communities.

Instead, we find ourselves strangers in our own lives, unsure of our status and value and hungry for a connection with the abiding rhythms of the earth and an enduring spirit.

This is the case we find ourselves today with the emasculated males like Mayhew, Schwartz, Lewand, and Ford.

But it certainly reaches out into social praxis for anyone tied interminably to the corporate, fascist, state nexus power dynamic.

The endless fascination with fantasy scenarios is the abrupt severance with the deepest part of any male whose growth potential  has been truncated by the forces of emasculation.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Come To Think Of It: Bears Need to Get Off The Bus Running Versus Seahawks

Lost in the euphoria of the Bears impressive victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers is this stark fact: the Bears averaged just 2.4 yards per carry in 18 rushing attempts.

 

Sure, QB Jay Cutler looked a whole lot better, completing 27/38 for 236 yards, two TDs and, most importantly NO INTERCEPTIONS.

 

Still, for a team that claims to come off the bus running the ball, the rushing attack so far this season has been unimpressive to say the least.

 

Matt Forte, who had an outstanding rookie season last year, rushed the ball 13 times for a total of 29 yards last Sunday. In the week one loss to the Packers, Forte wasn’t any better, carrying the ball 25 times for a net gain of only 55 yards.

 

For the season, Forte is averaging just 2.2 yards per carry.

 

He has also caught just five balls this season, after leading the team in receptions last year. In short, we need to get the ball in his hands more often and the line has to do a better job of run blocking for the Bears to be successful.

 

Yes, we have a real QB now, but you still have to run to be successful in the NFL. Plus, the Bears receiving corps is not the best, so depending solely on the passing game is risky business.

 

The Bears have three new additions to the line this year in Frank Omiyale, Orlando Pace and Chris Williams. Omiyale, in particular, has played poorly, and Pace has been unimpressive so far.

 

Fortunately for Chicago, their next opponent is a team that you can run effectively against. In week one, despite a 28-0 thrashing of the Rams, St. Louis did manage to average 4.3 yards per carry.

 

Last week, Frank Gore and the 49ers ran at will against the Seahawks, totaling 256 yards rushing for an 8.8 average and two TDs.

 

Another lucky “break” for the Bears is the fractured rib that Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck suffered against San Francisco last week. While he hopes to play, Seattle coach Jim Mora is preparing to play without him.

 

According to the Associated Press, when asked if he had to plan to face the Bears without Hasselbeck, Mora said, “Right now, we’ll probably do that—unless we get word otherwise.”

Mora did say Hasselbeck “seems to be doing a lot better today.”

 

Meanwhile, the real story may be the woeful Bears running attack versus the woeful Seahawks run defense on Sunday. Something has to give.

 

Here’s hoping its Seattle that gives to the Bears, come to think of it.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Sunday’s Slaughter By the Saints Wasn’t All Bad For the Birds

Despite injuries, inconsistency and a final score that looked more like an Arena League contest than an NFL tilt, there are actually a few positives that can be plucked out of the Eagles’ performance on Sunday.

I know, that might sound ludicrous given the 48-22 pounding New Orleans put on the Birds.

But in that morass of problems, there were a few bright spots. And, of course, with their bye week looming, the Eagles will have a chance to at least move further along on their biggest issue (injuries).

So instead of three strikes, here are “four balls” that the Eagles collected on Sunday.

Begin Slideshow

Semi-Weekly NFL Super Recap (with Power Rankings)

What we learned from Week 1 and Week 2 (in Power Rank order)

TIER 1

1. Baltimore Ravens (2-0)

1. Joe Flacco is making the second-year leap. He has been great in the first two games, showing smarts and utilizing his great arm.

2. Willis McGahee is still the guy. McGahee is currently tied for the league lead in touchdowns. How many people likely thought that he wouldn’t even be leading his own team in touchdowns after two weeks?

3. The defense is shaky without Rex Ryan and Bart Scott. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed can only do so much. The good news: Lewis looked incredible in the game against San Diego. They still make the plays when they need to.

2. New Orleans Saints (2-0)

1. This could be the best offense, ever. They have so many weapons on the ground and through the air. It’s ridiculous.

2. The defense is going to force turnovers. They had four against Philly and three against Detroit.

3. Brees will make a run at Brady’s 50 touchdowns. It’s hard to imagine that he’s going to throw for less than two touchdowns in any game. He could easily average three per game the rest of the season, which would put him 51. Brady should be sweating.

 

TIER 2

3. New York Giants (2-0)

1. Plaxico Burress wasn’t that important to them. Eli has had great chemistry with Mario Manningham and Steve Smith and has one of the deepest receiving corps in the league.

2. They are going to miss Derrick Ward. Brandon Jacobs has struggled this season and it could be because Ward isn’t there to give them a different look. Ahmad Bradshaw just isn’t the same caliber player that Ward was.

3. Their pass protection is great. Manning has been sacked one time against defenses that have featured DeMarcus Ware and Albert Haynesworth. One sack in two games with a non-mobile QB like Manning is phenomenal.

 

4. New York Jets (2-0)

1. Their defense might be the best in the league. They have yet to allow an offensive touchdown and limited Brady and the Texans’ Matt Schaub to a combined 382 yards passing, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Brady and Schaub combined stats in their other games? A whopping 735 yards, six touchdowns and one interception.

2. Mark Sanchez will be rookie of the year. He’ll put up stats like Joe Flacco did in his rookie year, but he will be very efficient and most importantly, win games.

3. Rex Ryan is built to coach. He motivates his team and obviously has one of the best, if not the best, defensive minds in the game. He is the start of a new era in the Meadowlands.

 

5. Atlanta (2-0)

1. Tony Gonzalez has been the biggest acquisition of the offseason. He has a touchdown in each game and is Matt Ryan’s favorite target.

2. Michael Turner isn’t quite what he was last season. He’s not bad or anything; he just isn’t the same elite back that he was last year.

3. Mike Peterson is a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker. He’s been all over the place for Atlanta so far.

 

TIER 3

6. San Francisco (2-0)

1. Shaun Hill is a decent NFL starter. He put up good numbers last year and even without very good receivers he can move the ball. He will not make mistakes, either.

2. The defense is one of the league’s best. Holding Arizona to 16 points is quite a feat.

3. Michael Crabtree will not ever wear a Niners uniform. What is he thinking? Has holding out for an entire year EVER been a good move for any athlete EVER? There is no way he will make more money next year or be as good after being away from football. It’s a shame that such a talented player will probably never realize what he could have been.

 

7. Indianapolis Colts (2-0)

1. Peyton Manning is still the king of the two-minute drill. And he’s going to have a better year than Brady.

2. Their defense is not good. They haven’t allowed many points, but they’ve played bad offensive teams. The Dolphins offense ran and threw all over them.

3. Dallas Clark will act as the No. 2 receiver since the Anthony Gonzalez injury. He is the league leader in receiving yards after two weeks. While that won’t continue, he will probably lead all tight ends in yards.

 

8. Minnesota (2-0)

1. Adrian Peterson is still the best back in football. Big surprise.

2. Brett Favre will not throw downfield. His longest completion has been 21 yards. It’s very possible that he could still have arm issues.

3. They can beat the cupcakes. They’ve blown out Cleveland and Detroit, who happen to be two of the three worst teams in the NFL. We’ll see how they handle San Francisco in their next game.

 

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)

1. Their defense is still great. They’ve allowed an average of 13.5 points in the first two weeks. It wouldn’t be surprising if they didn’t let a single team above 20 this year.

2. The offensive line is still abysmal. Roethlisberger is running for his life on every pass.

3. Santonio Homes is making the leap to being a top-flight wide receiver. Holmes stats from the first two games do not lie: 14 catches, 214 yards and a touchdown. He is a burner and Roethlisberger’s favorite target.

 

10. San Diego Chargers (1-1)

1. LaDainian Tomlinson is done. There were talks of a big comeback year for LT this season. He was horrible running the ball in against Oakland and now is injured. Anyone still on that bandwagon?

2. Philip Rivers is a top-five quarterback. He is very good in the fourth quarter of games and would probably put up Drew Brees-like numbers if given the opportunity to pass that often, as evidenced in the Baltimore game.

3. The defense is the glaring weakness. Shawn Merriman hasn’t been himself and Jamal Williams is out for the season. Not good.

 

11. Chicago Bears (1-1)

1. Matt Forte will suffer a sophomore slump. His bad game against the Steelers is excusable, but a bad game against a Packers team that surrendered 140 yards to Cedric Benson is not.

2. Jay Cutler will win some games for them—and lose some. He is very inconsistent. He threw four picks and played awful against a Packers defense that Carson Palmer destroyed before playing great against a great Pittsburgh defense. Who can guess with this guy?

3. They have a lot of receiving depth. Earl Bennett, Johnny Knox and Devin Hester are all good at wide receiver. Not great, but all good. Greg Olsen and Matt Forte are big matchup problems for teams.

 

12. New England Patriots (1-1)

1. This is not the 2007 Patriots. The offense has been pretty bad. It seems like teams have figured them out.

2. The defense is a big liability. It looks like getting rid of Seymour was a mistake, at least for this season. Losing Mayo hurts them even more. The offense had better start playing better.

3. Something is wrong with Tom Brady. Besides the last two drives against Buffalo, Brady has looked like a below-average quarterback. He will bounce back, but will be lucky to throw 30 touchdowns this year.

 

TIER 4

13. Denver (2-0)

1. The defense is revamped. They have allowed a league-low 6.5 points per game in the first two weeks. The two teams they played scored 20 and 31 points in their other games. Is this really the same team that gave up the third-most points in the NFL last year?

2. Kyle Orton will not be able to replace Jay Cutler. He doesn’t make a ton of mistakes, but Orton will never take over a game like Cutler could.

3. Elvis Dumervil is one of the most underrated defensive ends in the league. Last year was an off year, but he’s already bounced back. He is a pass rusher in the mold of Dwight Freeney.

 

14. Dallas (1-1)

1. The scoreboard won’t be a big deal. Nobody is going to hit the thing. People made a way to big of a deal about it.

2. When Tony Romo is on, he is great; when he is off, he is bad.

3. Felix Jones is one of the best game-breakers in the league. He’s in the mold of Darren Sproles and Leon Washington, but with size.

 

15. Houston (1-1)

1. Andre Johnson very arguably a better wide receiver than Larry Fitzgerald.  He was matched up with one of the best corners in the league in Week 1. He went crazy in Week 2. That is the real Andre Johnson.

2. If Matt Schaub stays healthy, he will be a top-five quarterback in terms of yards and touchdowns. They are going to throw a lot.

3. Steve Slaton has disappeared. He has 51 yards in two games. However, Slaton has faced two of the best run defenses in the league, New York and Tennessee.

 

16. Philadelphia (1-1)

1. Michael Vick will not get a lot of playing time. He is, most likely, the fourth quarterback on the team right now. They will use him, but not as much as many people would have thought.

2. If the defense doesn’t get a good pass rush, they are in trouble. The Eagles were all over Jake Delhomme in Week 1 and they destroyed Carolina. Drew Brees had all day in Week 2 and the Saints destroyed Philly.

3. Brian Westbrook will not be healthy all season. He probably won’t get more than 15 to 20 touches in any game this year. He is banged up. Luckily for Philadelphia, LeSean McCoy has looked great.

 

17. Arizona (1-1)

1. Kurt Warner is healthy and he is still a great quarterback. Twenty-four of twenty-six? Seriously? He’s still got it.

2. They can’t run. Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower have both been pretty bad. This is a pass-first team in a big way.

3. The defense is better than last year. Especially against the pass. Rodgers-Cromartie keeps maturing into a star.

 

18. Cincinnati (1-1)

1. Chad Ochocinco is back in every way. He is back to being flashy without being super obnoxious and actually walking the walk with his play on the field. He’s on his way to a vintage Chad (Johnson or Ochocinco?) year.

2. Cedric Benson can run. Cedric Benson? He has 217 yards, a 4.3 yards-per-carry average and a touchdown. Very un-Benson-like, but this could be the new Cedric.

3. This is the best defense Marvin Lewis has had. Rey Maualuga is going to be a star at linebacker. If Lewis is still around he could be his new Ray Lewis.

 

19. Green Bay (1-1)

1. Aaron Rodgers still has a ways to go to be considered an elite quarterback. He’s been very average so far. But at least he isn’t throwing interceptions.

2. The defense is basically the same as it was last year. They will get a lot of turnovers and make big plays, but they’ll give up a lot as well. They gamble too much.

3. Donald Driver is one of the most consistent wide outs in the league. He’s going to end the year with 1,000 yards for the sixth straight season. Are there any other guys in the league that have been that consistent without being considered superstars?

 

20. Tennessee (1-1)

1. Chris Johnson is the fastest running back in the league. The game he had against Houston was pure amazing. He might challenge Adrian Peterson for the rushing title this year.

2. Kerry Collins is still a solid quarterback. He has a respectable 85.6 rating and will lead them just like he did last year.

3. Losing Haynesworth hurt. With Albert, teams had to focus on him not only stuffing the run, but also rushing the pass. They still have good run stuffers, but not a big guy in the middle to rush the passer. This will lead to teams passing all over a very average secondary.

 

TIER 5

21. Buffalo Bills (1-1)

1. Trent Edwards is a legitimate starting NFL quarterback. He has made some very good throws in the first couple of games.

2. Fred Jackson will keep the starting running back job when Marshawn Lynch comes back. Jackson has been a phenomenal playmaker, through the air and on the ground. Lynch won’t take the job until Jackson falters.

3. Terrell Owens is not going to be a huge difference maker in the fortunes of the team. He has not been a huge factor so far and will continue not to be.

 

22. Carolina Panthers (0-2)

1. The defense really misses Maake Kemoeatu. They can’t stop teams if they really want to score. They cannot put faith in their defense this year.

2. Jake Delhomme will have his good weeks and his bad weeks. He’ll probably have 2-3 good weeks, 8-9 average weeks and 3-4 bad weeks. The Panthers had better win in the weeks where he plays good or average because the games where he blows up are impossible to win.

3. DeAngelo Williams is still a game-breaking talent. He is going to score 20 touchdowns again. He is getting the ball in the red zone and making great plays to get in. Once he starts getting more carries, better numbers and long runs will come.

 

23. Seattle Seahawks (1-1)

1. Their season depends on the health of Matt Hasselbeck. Seneca Wallace won’t make mistakes, but he doesn’t have a good arm. He’s a poor man’s Jason Campbell.

2. Justin Forsett is their best back. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if Forsett is the starter by season’s end. He’s looked explosive in the few touches he’s gotten.

3. Their run defense is horrible. Frank Gore embarrassed them.

 

24. Oakland Raiders (1-1)

1. Jamarcus Russell has a good arm, but not a good brain. He has no accuracy. His completion percentage against the Chiefs (yes, those Chiefs) was an abysmal 29 percent. That won’t be winning any more football games for them.

2. Michael Bush needs to get more carries. He is powerful and fast. He could be a better version of Brandon Jacobs if given the chance.

3. The Richard Seymour trade might actually work out. He had two sacks in the opener. When was the last time Oakland cranked out a good first round pick anyway?

 

25. Washington Redskins (1-1)

1. Jason Campbell needs to be replaced. He doesn’t take any chances and is holding them back. They need a quarterback who can throw down the field with receivers like Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El.

2. They are very bad inside the 20. Shaun Suisham has kicked four field goals this year, the longest being 28 yards. They need to score when they are that close.

3. Clinton Portis has lost a step. Really Clinton? Julius Jones can rush for almost 120 yards against St. Louis and you can only manage 79? He needs to step it up.

 

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)

1. They still have no receiver. Matt Jones and Reggie Williams might have been better than Torry Holt and umm…nobody.

2. The secondary is going to get exploited by everybody. Kurt Warner absolutely killed them.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew is good, but needs the ball. He averaged over five yards per carry against the Cards, but only rushed the ball 13 times.

 

27. Miami Dolphins (0-2)

1. Ronnie Brown is one of the most inconsistent backs in the league. He’s either going to have a really big game or a dud.

2. Joey Porter has fallen back to earth. He has just four tackles and one sack through two games.

3. Ted Ginn is an all or nothing player. He’ll have 120 yards one week and no catches the next. Expect more of nothing from him this year. He’s not that good.

 

TIER 6

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2)

1. Cadillac Williams has bounced back nicely. Most people would have had him as the third stringer a month ago. Now he is the featured back.

2. Kellen Winslow has really benefited from his change of scenery. He has two touchdowns in the first two weeks and Byron Leftwich looks for the tight ends a lot. He’s going to score eight or nine touchdowns.

3. This is a horrible defense. It looks like anything they had, Monte Kiffin took with him.

 

29. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)

1. Matt Cassel was a horrible waste of $50 million. He is a purely average quarterback. It would shock me if he ever makes a Pro Bowl.

2. Dwayne Bowe is developing into one of the best receivers in the league. He’s big, fast and has good hands. That’s a great combo on a team that is going to pass a lot.

3. Todd Haley doesn’t look like a big upgrade over Herm Edwards. He’s made some questionable decisions in the first couple of weeks.

TIER 7

30. Detroit Lions (0-2)

1. They are going to win a game this year. If they can actually show up for a second half, they might get four or five. They hung with two very good teams in the first two games.

2. Matthew Stafford looks decent. He won’t put up great numbers this year, but all he has is Calvin Johnson. That’s it. His offensive line doesn’t do him any favors, either.

3. The defense desperately needs to force turnovers. They aren’t stopping anybody.

 

31. Cleveland Browns (0-2)

1. Brady Quinn has played very poorly. He is not an upgrade over Derek Anderson. At least Anderson throws a good deep-ball.

2. Jamal Lewis is done. Overweight power backs typically don’t age too well.

3. Braylon Edwards needs a change of scenery. He can be a star in the NFL if he gets out of Cleveland.

 

32. St. Louis Rams (0-2)

1. Steven Jackson would be a top-three back on any other team. He is the complete package of a power, speed and receiving back. Too bad they’ll be playing from behind all year. They’d be better off handing to Jackson 30 times per game, even if they’re losing.

2. They have no receivers. Has there ever been a team that had worse receivers? Not even a knowledgeable NFL fan could name a single Rams receiver.

3. The defense is going to get killed. Bad news, Rams fans—the offense isn’t going to score, either.

 

If I had to pick how the season will end today…

*runner up in (_)

MVP: Drew Brees (Adrian Peterson)

Offensive Player of the Year: Adrian Peterson (Drew Brees)

Defensive Player of the Year: Ray Lewis (John Abraham)

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Mark Sanchez (Percy Harvin)

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Rey Maualuga (James Laurinaitis)

Comeback Player of the Year: Shawne Merriman (Torry Holt)

Coach of the Year: Rex Ryan (John Harbaugh)

NFC division winners: Bears, Saints, Giants, 49ers

NFC wild cards: Vikings, Cowboys

AFC division winners: Ravens, Colts, Patriots, Chargers

AFC wild cards: Steelers, Jets

NFC Champion: Saints

AFC Champion: Chargers

Super Bowl Champion (MVP): Chargers (Rivers)

 

Bold Prediction of the Week: Chris Johnson will lead the NFL in rushing at year’s end, not Adrian Peterson.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Packers’ Loss To Bengals Is No Need To Panic.

“The Green Bay Packers never lost a football game. They just ran out of time.”— Vince Lombardi.

A testament to Sunday’s match-up against the Bengals.

There are weekends where the normal, expected circumstances grace our television screens, such as Peyton Manning throwing for over 300 yards in a win; and then there are days that provide us with more confusion than hearing about Mike Singletary giving a three minute speech in his underwear.

In today’s game, there is simply no guarantee week after week. You can be the number one team in the NFL; top dog, and still fall to the lowly underdog in the blink of an eye, and it is this type of reality that every team faces in any given season, in any given game—that’s football.

In Sunday’s contest between the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals, we found this to hold true.

Coming into this game, the Packers were heavily favored and to be honest, the better team on paper. Now, this is not to say the Bengals are without talent, but again, on paper.

The Packers’ passing game became near one dimensional, the running game usage was inept at best, and the overall play on the O-Line was once again futile.

But even with all that said, the Packers are still a top team in the NFC believe it or not, and Sunday’s performance is very much wrapped in wool so to speak.

Yes, the Packers’ passing game became a bit one dimensional, but in defense of the Packers, the Bengals did a fantastic job rotating safety help towards Jennings. The idea was to shut down one of Rodgers’ primary weapons, and it worked like a charm.

Against the Bengals, the Pack only ran 14 times. There is no way to win a game with those amount of carriers. But there was little blocking help on the ends, and the power game up the middle as their only option was not something Green Bay was going to have too much success with anyway.

With a shootout seemingly building, the running game is always cast aside like that one toy that never gets played with—sorry Woody—so, again, although I don’t agree with the play calling, one has to envision what was going on in McCarthy’s head.

In the Chicago match-up, Allen Barbre had his hands full with Ogdenleye, but redeemed himself against the Bengals. The problem was the other side of the field in Colledge dealing with Antwan Odom, but losing Chad Clifton certainly didn’t help either. The Packers gave up 6 sacks total.

Then, there was the departure of Nick Collins, and if you were Carson Palmer wouldn’t you do everything you could to exploit that part of the field with Ocho Cinco?

I am not offering excuses, but I sure as hell won’t come out after two games and condemn the Pack either; there’s still 14 games left for crying out loud. What I will condemn them for is the lack of control, which inevitably robbed the Pack of an opportunity to tie the game in the closing moments.

In the game, the Packers were tagged with 11 penalties for 76 yards.

This week, the Pack will travel in to the most depressing stadium in the NFL—Edward Jones Dome—to face to lowly Rams. The Rams can still run, so as to not repeat what Benson did, the Packers will have to do a better job of containing the runner and holding the line. Steven Jackson is a much better, faster runner than Benson.

There shouldn’t be any threat from the passing game as Bulger looks as if he has simply lost his will, and as Lombardi always said: “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”

The Packers will also be devoid of any true pass rush which makes this game a perfect chance to get the ship settled again and back on track. It should also serve as a great way to give Rodgers some confidence, and work on the blocking scheme a bit to get ready for Minnesota the week after.

But it all comes down to what the Packers actually do!

The Packers have another game that suggests an easy win, but as Lombardi also said: “The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”

Look for the Packers to bounce back vs. the Rams 27-7.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Dallas Cowboys Open New Stadium the Same Way They Closed the Old One

On Saturday, December 20, the Dallas Cowboys took to the field for the last time at their home of Texas Stadium to play the Baltimore Ravens.  At the beginning of the season, it seemed the football gods smiled down on the Cowboys by scheduling the Baltimore Ravens, a team with a first year head coach and quarterback as the last opponent they would play in the stadium.

Coming in with a record of 9-5, America’s team was still in prime position to earn a wildcard spot.  There were several Cowboy hall of famers in attendance to close it out.  Jerry Jones might have wanted to dust off their old jerseys and put them.  They could not stop the running game and Tony Romo was unable to lead his team back from behind.

Well, the Cowboys opened up their brand new multi-BILLION dollar stadium this past Sunday with a record crowd of over 105,000 people.

Jones looked very happy with himself, shaking hands with several people in his private box during various stages of the game basically just because he could.  He also invited John Madden and even former president George W. Bush to commemorate the opening.

A lot had been made about the stadium’s huge jumbo screen that had to make you wonder why anyone in attendance would watch the action on the field.  Well, no kicks hit the tron, but with Jeff Feagles directional kicking, you have to wonder if perhaps Jones had that in mind constructing the stadium to combat him.  It didn’t work.

Their opponent was the New York Giants, a team that Romo probably still has bruises from (physically and psychologically) their playoff meeting in Dallas in 2007.  A bit of irony, it was the Dallas Cowboys that played the New York Giants in THEIR brand new stadium for the first time back in 1976.  Once again, it would be the road team that spoiled the homecoming. 

But as opposed to the way they closed out their old stadium, it definitely wasn’t the opponents’  running game that did the Cowboys in.  It was their own quarterback and captain, Tony Romo.  His only bright spot was RUNNING in a touchdown.  Through the air, he threw three picks that all led to Giants touchdowns.

As the game went on, Jones’s box demeanor changed from exuberant to seemingly scared.  A few points the camera even caught him picking his nose.  Romo himself put on the pouting sad face with the backwards cap that we’ve all seen many times before.

Now everyone is going to get on Romo’s case about this, including me as you’ve already noticed.  Obviously, that means nothing, but when former Cowboy players are critical, specifically Troy Aikman, himself a former quarterback of the Cowboys, Romo definitely earns my Least Valuable Player of the Week award, otherwise known as the Nappy-Headed-Ho of the Week award. 

A poll conducted on ESPN asked if the Cowboys would ever win a Super Bowl with Romo under center.  EVEN THE STATE OF TEXAS voted no.  It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a map America shaded all one color.  Jones got rid of Terrell Owens and kept Jason Garrett to help out Romo.  If only he could now acquire of leadership demeanor to give to his quarterback.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

« Previous Page — Next Page »

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010