NFL Power Rankings: Week 7 Edition

Welcome to the Week Seven edition of the Cubicle GM NFL Power Rankings. Every Tuesday, you can look forward to our composite rankings, as well as a bit of brief insight and analysis about each of the 32 teams.

The rankings are determined by taking the average of each of the contributors here at The Cube . For Week Seven, we have rankings from four members of the Cubicle GM team, including me, Mickey, Walker, and Smokey.  So remember, if you disagree with some portion of our rankings, be sure to check the individual rankings to find the culprit.

The top four spots in the rankings belong to the four remaining undefeated teams in the league. The Saints have rightfully claimed their unanimous place at the top of the rankings after taking care of the Giants on Sunday in decisive fashion.

The Giants dropped three spots to No. 5 after their loss to New Orleans, while Indianapolis, Minnesota, and Denver each moved up one spot as a result. The only Top 10 team from last week to fall out was the Eagles after their disappointing loss to Oakland.

The bottom of the rankings remained unanimous, as all of us voted the St. Louis Rams as the No. 32 team as they remained undefeated. There were two new entries to the bottom five, as both Tennessee and Washington dropped five spots this week after bad losses.

This week’s games featured a few surprise winners, including Oakland’s win over Philly, Buffalo’s OT win over the Jets, and Houston taking down Cincinnati on the road. As a result, there were quite a few jumps in the ranks this week.

Eight teams moved at least three spots up or down the ranks, with the Falcons, Texans, Bills, and Raiders tying for the biggest positive movement after wins this week. There were three teams tied for the biggest downward mover, as the Eagles, Titans, and Redskins each dropped five places after their respective losses.

While many teams were jumping all over the rankings, the disagreements between the contributors in the ranks remained rare.  Just two weeks ago, 14 teams saw a gap of seven or more spots in their ranks, while this week there were just two, with just one in double digits.

San Diego Chargers (11)— Smokey 10, Walker 21

Cleveland Browns (7)— Walker 23, Jacob 30

Dallas Cowboys (6)— Walker 13, Jacob 19

Houston Texans (6)— Smokey 15, Mickey 21

Miami Dolphins (6)— Walker 15, Smokey 21

On the divisional side, the NFC East continues to lead the way despite the drops from the Giants and Eagles, coming in with an average score of 11.69.  Coming in second was the AFC North with a score of 13.25, even though three of its four teams lost. 

At the bottom, the NFC West cannot escape the last place Rams, checking in with a 22.06 average rank, followed by the NFC South with a 19.50 average thanks to Carolina and Tampa near the bottom.

As a reminder, you can check out all the backup data here. As always, last week’s ranks are in parentheses. Without further ado, onto the rankings:

1.  New Orleans Saints (1)— Drew Brees picked apart the Giants secondary as seven different Saints found the end zone in a big win for New Orleans.

2. Indianapolis Colts (3)— This upcoming Colts-Rams showdown could look a lot like Sunday’s Patriots-Titans blowout.

3. Minnesota Vikings (4)— The Vikings absolutely refuse to lose, holding off a three-score comeback by the Ravens to pull out their sixth victory to open the season.

4. Denver Broncos (5)— The Broncos simply cannot be scored upon in the second half, allowing just three points to the Chargers in yet another victory.

5. New York Giants (2)— Among the things the Giants have to worry about after their first loss is Brandon Jacobs, who left the game with an injury and finished with just 33 yards rushing.

6. New England Patriots (7)— The Patriots must wish it could snow every week in Foxboro after a performance like that.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (8)— Ben Roethlisberger threw for 417 yards, but somehow the Steelers only scored 27 points and won by less than two scores.

8. Atlanta Falcons (11)— The Falcons defense really stepped it up in the red zone and held on late in the 4th quarter in their win over the Bears.

9. Baltimore Ravens (10)— One positive to take away from the Ravens’ narrow loss was the performance of RB Ray Rice against the No. 1 ranked run defense in the league.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (9)— After wins over Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the Bengals lose to the Texans by double digits at home?

For the rest of this week’s rankings, click on over to Cubicle GM.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week 4 Edition

Welcome to the Week 4 edition of the Cubicle GM NFL Power Rankings. Every Tuesday, you can look forward to our composite rankings, as well as a bit of brief insight and analysis about each of the 32 teams.

The rankings are determined by simply taking the average of each of the contributors here at The Cube.  For Week Four, we have rankings from the full complement of the Cubicle GM team, including me, Gideon, Mickey, Joey, Walker, and Smokey.

Four of the five remaining undefeated teams make up the top four spots in the rankings, and 4-0 Denver has turned some into believers as they crack the Top 10.  The Ravens and Jets each dropped four spots after their first losses of the year, but held their positions in the Top 10.

The bottom of the rankings finally became unanimous, as all six teams voted the St. Louis Rams as the No. 32 team after their shutout loss to the 49ers. The Cleveland Browns remain in the bottom five, but moved up three spots after showing some life in their OT loss to Cincinnati.

After four weeks of play, it appears teams are still settling into place. There were 25 teams that moved at least one spot in the rankings, but the big jumps have slowed down a bit.  Only Denver, which jumped six spots while staying undefeated, moved by five or more places this week.

The Broncos were the biggest upward mover this week, followed by the Jaguars, who moved up four spots after their destruction of the Titans.  Five teams tied for the biggest drop, as the Ravens, Jets, Chargers, Cowboys, and Seahawks each dropped four spots after their respective losses.

Bye weeks didn’t affect teams much, as the only team that didn’t play which moved in the rankings was the Panthers, who moved up one spot thanks to the Seahawks’ drop.

The disagreements between the contributors in the ranks have increased this week, thanks mostly to Smokey’s return from his Carolina-induced hangover. Fourteen teams saw a gap of seven or more spots in their ranks, with five of them reaching double digits.

Pittsburgh Steelers (12)—Smokey two, Jacob 14

San Francisco 49ers (10)—Walker nine, Joey 19

Cincinnati Bengals (10)—Smokey 11, Gideon 21

Chicago Bears (10)—Jacob 10, Smokey 20

Carolina Panthers (10)—Mickey/Smokey 21, Joey 31

On the divisional side, the NFC East still leads the way with the Giants and Eagles in the Top 10, coming in with an average score of 9.25. Coming in second was the AFC North with a score of 14.17, helped by jumps from Pittsburgh, Cinci and Cleveland. At the bottom sits the NFC West, checking in with a 21.67 average rank, followed by the NFC South with a 20.83 average despite having the No. 1 Saints.

As a reminder, you can check out all the backup data here.  As always, last week’s ranks are in parentheses. Without further ado, onto the rankings.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week 2

Welcome to the Week 2 edition of the Cubicle GM NFL Power Rankings. Every Tuesday you can look forward to our composite rankings, as well as a bit of brief insight and analysis about each of the 32 teams.

The rankings are determined by simply taking the average of each of the contributors here at The Cube.  For Week 2, we have a full complement of rankings from the entire Cubicle GM team, including me, Gideon, Mickey, Joey, Walker and the addition of Smokey to the mix.

Each contributor has their own methodology to the rankings, as you can see in greater detail in the backup data here.  It’s clear that some of us are skeptical of a few of the 2-0 teams, and that a team’s record isn’t necessarily indicative of their rank.

As such, teams like Miami and Carolina moved up despite losses to good teams, while teams like Denver, Buffalo, and Washington dropped in the ranks even though they won.

For those of you who feel strongly about a certain contributor’s ranking, we’ve added a new feature on the site, and you’ll now be able to track the individual standings of each of the contributors.  Using a simple system where the road team is given a three-spot cushion, each week we will see who did the best job of ranking by looking at how many times the higher ranked team won the matchup. We will also keep overall standings for the season.

Last week, we took a bit of heat about the lofty placement of the New Orleans Saints, whose aggregate ranking was third in our Week One rankings.  After a second straight week of dominance, this time on the road in Philadelphia, the Saints have ascended to the top spot in the ranks, receiving four of six first place votes.  It’s hard to argue with an offense that put up the most points in their first two games of any team in over 40 years. Apparently Joey knew what he was doing last week.

The bottom of the ranks have become a bit clearer, as the St. Louis Rams garnered five of six last place votes to finish at the bottom for a second straight week.  The bottom four of Cleveland, Kansas City, Detroit, and St. Louis might move amongst themselves, but they will be hard pressed to crack the Top 28 this season.

As we still are figuring out who is for real in the NFL and who simply played two awful opponents to start the campaign (Denver), so there is going to be plenty of movement in our rankings. Of the top 30 teams in the rankings, 29 of them moved at least one spot, with only the Minnesota Vikings staying put at No. 6.

Eight teams moved at least five spots up or down the ranks. Of those, the Jets were the biggest climber, moving up eight spots to No. 7 after defeating the Patriots. Philadelphia and Seattle moved the most in the opposite direction, each dropping eight spots after losses last week.

As it’s still early in the season, there is bound to be plenty of disagreement between the contributors here.  Seventeen of the teams saw a gap of seven or more in the rankings, with 12 teams again having a gap of double digits. The main detractors this week were newcomer Smokey and last week’s culprit Joey, as at least one of them was involved in every double digit dispute.

San Francisco 49ers (14) – Mickey 9, Smokey 23

Carolina Panthers (14) – Mickey 16, Joey 30

Tennessee Titans (13) – Smokey 9, Joey 22

Arizona Cardinals (12) – Joey 10, Walker 22

Philadelphia Eagles (11) – Smokey 3, Joey 14

Chicago Bears (11) – Gideon 10, Smokey 21

Seattle Seahawks (11) – Joey 16, Smokey 27

Minnesota Vikings (10) – Joey 2, Smokey 12

New York Jets (10) – Joey 4, Smokey 14

Atlanta Falcons (10) – Gideon/Mickey 5, Smokey 15

Miami Dolphins (10) – Gideon 17, Joey 27

Washington Redskins (10) – Mickey 19, Joey 29

On the divisional side, the NFC led the way again, and thanks to Da Bears victory over the defending champs, the North regained its top spot with an 8.50 average.  Coming in second was the NFC East at 9.33, which was hurt by Dallas’ loss and Washington’s close win over the Rams. 

The AFC West remains clearly at the bottom with an even 21.00 average rank, thanks in large part to the stinkfest that was the KC-Oakland game. Second to last was the NFC South, improving to 18.50 thanks to New Orleans’ rise to the top.

As a reminder, you can check out all the backup data here.  Without further ado, onto the rankings.  As always, last week’s ranks are in parentheses.

1.  New Orleans Saints (3) 

Drew Brees and Co. proved that their Week One performance wasn’t due solely to their opponent being the Lions.

2. Baltimore Ravens (9) 

Another big day from the Ravens offense and a solid day from the defense has Baltimore as one of just four undefeated teams in the AFC.

3. New York Giants (5) 

The Giants spoiled the Cowboys’ big home opener thanks to great performances by Eli Manning, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (1) 

The Steelers definitely missed Troy Polamalu in a tough road loss to the Bears, but missed the real Jeff Reed most of all.

5. Indianapolis Colts (10)

The Colts improve to 2-0 despite having the ball for less than one quarter of the game in Miami.

6. Minnesota Vikings (6) 

Brett Favre is eventually going to need to average more than 6.7 yards per completion for the Vikings to keep winning.

7. New York Jets (15) 

Are they for real?  The Jets have climbed 15 spots in the last two weeks after Rex Ryan backed up his pregame talk with a big win over the Patriots.

8. Atlanta Falcons (11)

The Falcons get off to a 2-0 start with a divisional win over Carolina, but will be tested next week when they travel to New England.

9. San Diego Chargers (7) 

The Chargers fought valiantly without LT in their home opener, but ultimately fell short despite solid efforts from Philip Rivers and Darren Sproles.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (2) 

The Eagles’ biggest problem isn’t Kevin Kolb playing QB, it’s figuring out what went wrong with their defense in their home opener.

11. New England Patriots (4) 

The Patriots failed to score an offensive TD for the first time in over two full seasons.

12. Green Bay Packers (8) 

The Packers were the victims of the upset shocker of the week in a home loss to Cincinnati. A big factor was early drops by Packers receivers.

13. Dallas Cowboys (12) 

The Cowboys had injury added to insult in their loss to the Giants when Marion Barber went down with a quad problem.

14. Chicago Bears (18) 

A home victory over the SB Champs was just what Jay Cutler needed to win over the Chicago faithful.

15. Arizona Cardinals (22) 

Another win, another NFL record for Kurt Warner, who completed 92 percent of his passes on Sunday.

16. Tennessee Titans (13) 

The Titans are easily the most surprising 0-2 team, losing to the Texans despite 284 yards and three TDs from Chris Johnson.

17. San Francisco 49ers (16) 

A 2-0 start in the division is mostly thanks to a career day from RB Frank Gore.

18. Houston Texans (21) 

There is not much doubt anymore that Andre Johnson is the best wide receiver in football.

19. Buffalo Bills (17) 

Fred Jackson is tightening his grip on the starting role, even with Marshawn Lynch due back in two weeks.

20. Denver Broncos (19)

Unfortunately for the Broncos, they can’t play teams from Ohio every week.

21. Cincinnati Bengals (25) 

Who knew Cedric Benson still had a pulse?  The Bengals rebounded nicely from last week’s stunning loss to pull out a win in Lambeau.

22. Seattle Seahawks (14) 

The Seahawks drop to 1-1 and will likely have to do without QB Matt Hasselbeck who fractured a rib in the loss.

23. Miami Dolphins (24) 

The Dolphins blew four leads against Indy on Monday night and lost despite having the ball for over 45 minutes.

24. Carolina Panthers (26)

Despite the loss, the Panthers have to be encouraged by the performances of Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith.

25. Washington Redskins (23) 

There wasn’t much positive for the Redskins on Sunday outside of the final score, as they failed to reach the end zone against the lowly Rams.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (20) 

At least the fans in Jacksonville can’t watch this 0-2 team on TV thanks to the blackouts.

27. Oakland Raiders (28) 

It’s not often a team wins when their quarterback’s line is 7-for-24 for 109 yards.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27)

Another week, another 30-plus points allowed from the once vaunted Tampa Bay defense.

29. Cleveland Browns (30) 

Cleveland is not going to win many games when they get nine yards rushing in the second half.

30. Kansas City Chiefs (29) 

Mr. Irrelevant is perfect so far in his short career.  I couldn’t think of anything else positive to say about KC.

31. Detroit Lions (31) 

The Lions have led at halftime of their last two meetings against Minnesota.  Unfortunately that doesn’t stop a losing streak.

32. St. Louis Rams (32) 

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for St. Louis, second overall pick Jason Smith will miss up to two weeks with a knee injury.

 

This article originally posted on Cubicle GM.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Cubicle GM NFL Power Rankings: Week 1

Welcome to the Week 1 edition of the Cubicle GM NFL Power Rankings.  Every Tuesday you can look forward to our composite rankings, as well as a bit of insight and analysis about each of the 32 teams.

The rankings are determined by simply taking the average of each of the contributors here at The Cube.  For Week 1, we have rankings from me, Gideon, Mickey, Walker and we welcome Joey to the mix.

Each contributor has their own methodology to the rankings, as you can see in greater detail in the backup data here.  Some try and take into account factors such as strength of schedule or performance in losses, while others (Joey) appear to have a “what have you done for me lately?” approach.

As a result, the top of the rankings were not quite unanimous, with defending champion Pittsburgh receiving four of five first place votes.  The bottom of the ranks were split in half, Detroit and St. Louis each received two 32^nd place nods.

As we learned last year from Detroit’s 4-0 showing, the preseason doesn’t mean much.  After Week 1, there was a lot of movement in the ranks, as 17 teams moved at least five spots up or down the ranks, with four of those teams moving up or down by double digits.

As it’s still early in the season, there is bound to be plenty of disagreement between the contributors here.  Twenty of the teams saw a gap of seven or more in the rankings, with 12 teams having a gap of double digits.  Amazingly, after being involved in seven of eight major disputes last week, Walker was not involved in any.  The main outlier was our pal Joey, who weighted Week 1 very heavily in his ranks.

Seattle Seahawks (17) – Joey 5, Gideon 22

Carolina Panthers (15) – Mickey 15, Joey 32

San Diego Chargers (13) – Jacob / Gideon 3, Mickey 16

Cincinnati Bengals (12) – Joey 18, Mickey 30

Miami Dolphins (11) – Gideon 17, Joey 28

Tennessee Titans (11) – Gideon 9, Joey 20

New Orleans Saints (11) – Joey 1, Gideon 12

New York Giants (10) – Gideon 2, Joey 12

Indianapolis Colts (10) – Jacob 5, Joey 15

Chicago Bears (11) – Gideon 14, Joey 25

Denver Broncos (10) – Joey 16, Gideon 26

Jacksonville Jaguars (10) – Jacob 17, Mickey 27

On the divisional side, the NFC led the way again, but after Week 1 the East took first place with an average score of 7.95.  The NFC North, thanks to Da Bears, dropped to second with an 8.50 average.  The AFC West remains at the bottom, although improving its average rank to 20.60.  Second to last was the NFC South, dropping to 19.70 thanks to Carolina’s pitiful performance.

As a reminder, you can check out all the backup data here.  Without further ado, onto the rankings.  Last week’s ranks are in parentheses.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (1) – The Steelers got a good win over the Titans to get some revenge from last season, but paid a hefty price losing Troy Polamalu for three to six weeks with a knee injury.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (7) – The Eagles’ huge win on the road in Week 1 was overshadowed by the injury to QB Donovan McNabb.

3. New Orleans Saints (15) – Drew Brees’ 358 yard, six TD performance made fantasy owners everywhere smile. It would be nice to be able to play the Lions all 16 games.

4. New England Patriots (2) – Tom Brady triumphantly returned to Foxboro and led the Pats to an impressive comeback win. The status of LB Jerod Mayo’s knee is a major concern, however.

5. New York Giants (4) – The Giants’ defense looked good in a win over Washington, mostly thanks to the return of Osi Umenyiora.

6. Minnesota Vikings (12) – Adrian Peterson is really, really, really, really, really good at football.

7. San Diego Chargers (5) – The Chargers escape Week 1 with a divisional road win.  It sounds much better when the Raiders aren’t mentioned as the opponent.

8. Green Bay Packers (14) – The Packers defense looked spectacular Sunday night against the Bears, and Aaron Rodgers came through when it counted.

9. Baltimore Ravens (6) – The Ravens defense didn’t look great in beating the Matt Cassel-less Chiefs, but QB Joe Flacco certainly did.

10. Indianapolis Colts (3) – The Colts squeaked out a win, as Reggie Wayne picked up the slack for the injured Anthony Gonzalez.

11. Atlanta Falcons (13) – The Falcons have to be happy with their addition of Tony Gonzalez, but even more pleased with the performance of the defense.

12. Dallas Cowboys (17) – No T.O., no problem.  Tony Romo spread the ball around nicely while throwing for a career-high 353 yards in the Cowboys’ win over the Buccaneers

13. Tennessee Titans (8) – Despite a loss to the defending champs, the Titans have to be happy with their defensive performance.

14. Seattle Seahawks (24) – The Seahawks looked great on both sides of the ball in their win on Sunday.  So would most teams playing against the Rams.

15.  New York Jets (22) – It may only be one game, but the Jets’ decision to trade up for Mark Sanchez looks pretty smart right now.

16. San Francisco 49ers (25) – Mike Singletary’s first full season as a head coach has gotten off to a great start.  The Niners will need more from their offense to keep it up though.

17. Buffalo Bills (23) – The Bills suffer another heartbreaking 25-24 loss on Monday Night Football.

18.  Chicago Bears (10) – It’s hard to overshadow Jay Cutler’s miserable debut, but Brian Urlacher’s season-ending wrist injury did just that.  Ouch.

19. Denver Broncos (26) – I’ll let Gus Johnson take this one.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (21) – A bright spot in the Jaguars’ loss to Indy was their defense, which held the vaunted Colts offense to just 14 points.

21. Houston Texans (18) – A trendy sleeper pick before the season, the Texans were anything but in a disappointing home loss to the Jets.

22. Arizona Cardinals (11) – Starting the season with a divisional loss at home is not the best way to defend your conference crown.

23. Washington Redskins (19) – The Skins looked alright against the Giants, but turnovers and their inability to convert in the red zone cost them.

24. Miami Dolphins (16) – The Dolphins tried all kinds of trickeration against the Falcons.  Not much of it worked, as the offense was stymied.

25. Cincinnati Bengals (27) – The Bengals suffered a tough loss in the waning seconds against the Broncos.  What should be of more concern was their inability to score in the first 59 minutes of the game.

26. Carolina Panthers (9) – Which QBs are available in the free agent pool?

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20) – The decision by head coach Raheem Morris to name Cadillac Williams the starter looks like a good one.  Not many other ones have, as the Bucs allowed 34 points to the Cowboys.

28. Oakland Raiders (30) – A valiant effort by the Raiders comes up just short, but their WR corps showed a great deal of promise.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (29) – The Chiefs put up 24 points on Baltimore with Brodie Croyle under center.  Could this be a positive sign of things to come?

30. Cleveland Browns (28) – It’s going to be another long year in Cleveland.  The Browns only had 188 total yards in the first 57 minutes of their loss to Minnesota.

31. Detroit Lions (32) – It can only get better.  Right?

32. St. Louis Rams (31) – After the Rams’ offense put up a bagel against Seattle, QB Marc Bulger is already on the hot seat.

This article originally posted on Cubicle GM.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Should the Chicago Bears Take a Look at Charles Rogers?

New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler says he is happy with the wide receivers currently on the Bears’ roster. 

“I’m 100 percent comfortable [with the wide receivers], I think we added some depth with some younger guys and then some of the older veterans are stepping up and playing well. So I think we’ve got more than enough to compete.”

That was the diplomatic, team-oriented, appropriate comment to make in that situation. The problem is, it’s not the truth.

As I’ve mentioned previously here, here and here, the Bears do not have the depth at WR necessary to be a championship contender.

Only two wide receivers on the current roster have caught a pass in their NFL careers, and one of those two, Rashied Davis, is not even assured of making the roster. 

What the Bears are missing from the roster is a big wideout, as their tallest receiver is 6’3″ (Brandon Rideau), and their biggest weighs in at 205 pounds (rookie Juaquin Iglesias).

While there has been discussion that the Bears are looking at former Giants WR Plaxico Burress, his pending legal issues are a large problem that the Bears do not want to deal with; and the front office has said they are not interested.

One other option is a 28-year-old, former No. 2 overall pick, who measures up at 6’3″ and 207 pounds. Sounds great until you hear his name: Charles Rogers.

After being drafted second overall by the Lions in 2003, Rogers played five games before missing the remainder of the season with a collarbone injury suffered in practice. Rogers missed the 2004 season after suffering a similar injury on the third play of the year.

In 2005, Rogers was suspended for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and only started three games upon his return. In September, 2006, he was released by Detroit and hasn’t played in another NFL game.

Since being released, Rogers has had his off-field troubles, and was arrested in 2008 and served jail time earlier in 2009. After completing his sentence, Rogers claims he’s had a change of attitude and is in better shape than ever, ready for a tryout with an NFL team:

“If a team gives me a tryout, I know I’m going to be ready. I’m in better shape now than I was before.”

While words don’t put numbers on the field, there’s no denying what Rogers accomplished during his time at Michigan State. 

Rogers set the NCAA record for consecutive regular season games with a touchdown reception and was Michigan State’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions (27) and 100-yard receiving games (12). In his junior and final season, Rogers had 68 receptions for 1,351 yards, 13 TD, and was named both an All-Conference and All-American selection.

Clearly, there is at least one reason that no NFL team has even called him looking for a tryout. He is undoubtedly a step or two slower than the 4.28 40-yard dash he ran back at the NFL Combine, but seeing as how he would have the third-most career receptions on the current Bears’ roster, it might make sense to at least give him a look.

I’m not trying to say that the Bears should offer him a contract, but it couldn’t hurt to at least bring him in for a workout to see what he’s got left in the tank.

Quotes from chicagosuntimes.com and mlive.com

The 10 Worst Pro Sports Teams of the Decade (So Far)

Earlier this week, the Lakers NBA Championship moved me to put together a system to rank the best teams of the 2000s decade. While creating a list of the best, I also came up with a list of the worst.

For reasoning behind my methodology, see my article on the Top 10 Teams of the Decade (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/205182-the-top-10-teams-of-the-decade-so-far).

Here is a quick recap of how the scoring works.

A team loses one point for every year they finished below .500 in the MLB, NFL and NBA, and for each non-playoff team in the NHL since there is not really a .500 mark. I subtracted an additional point for the worst record in the conference, and took away a third point for the worst record in the league.

Even though we’re looking at the worst teams of the decade, positive contributions cannot be ignored.

A championship victory was awarded five points, while a Finals, Super Bowl, or World Series appearance was awarded two points.

I also awarded the teams who showed consistent levels of success. Back-to-back appearances in the finals were awarded one bonus point, while back-to-back titles were given three bonus points. Don’t worry, none of the teams on this list qualified for any of these.

In the NFL and MLB, a much smaller percentage of teams make the playoffs than in their NBA and NHL counterparts. As such, I awarded one point to each NFL and MLB playoff team and ½ point to each postseason participant in the NBA and NHL (who did not make the finals).

Finally, in the NBA, a sub-.500 playoff team was awarded no points. They just don’t deserve any in my book.

The Bottom 10 contains a few usual suspects and a few surprises, read down to find out who made the list.

Chicago Bears’ Defensive Coaching Staff: Lovie Smith Takes the Reins

When it comes to football in Chicago, there is one name that stands above the rest when you think of coaching: Ditka. 

Often referred to as “Da Coach” or “God,” Mike Ditka is nothing short of a legend in the Windy City, since he led a 1985 Bears team to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title.

Every coach who has roamed the sidelines at Soldier Field since Ditka departed has been in his shadow, and current coach Lovie Smith is no exception. 

While it is impossible to fill Da Coach’s shoes, Smith has done a decent job with the Bears. In his first NFL head coaching position, he has posted a 45-35 career record over five seasons reaching the playoffs twice and making one Super Bowl appearance.

However, the 2006 Super Bowl appearance now feels like ages ago for Bears fans. The Bears have missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons, largely as a result of the defense’s decline in performance.

In response to this, Smith has decided to take a more hands-on approach this season, taking over play calling from defensive coordinator Bob Babich.  In all likelihood, it is a last ditch effort to save his job.

Why does Smith feel the need to call the plays himself? Because current defensive coordinator Bob Babich has been at the helm while a Super Bowl caliber defense has turned into a joke in just two years. 

The relationship between these two dates back over twenty years, when both were coaches on the Tulsa staff in the 1980s. They met again when Babich was the linebackers coach for the St. Louis Rams in 2003, working under Smith who was the defensive coordinator at the time. When Smith was named coach of the Bears in 2004, he brought along his buddy Babich, naming him linebackers coach under defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. 

In 2005, the Bears’ first postseason appearance under Smith, the Bears were second in the league in yards allowed (281.8 per game) and first in points allowed (12.6 per game). In 2006, the Super Bowl season, the Bears were fifth in yards allowed (294.1 per game) and third in points allowed (15.9 per game).

Then, despite the defense carrying the offense with them to the Super Bowl, the Bears let go of Rivera and promoted Babich to defensive coordinator—the first time in his career he held the position at any level.

This did not work.

With nearly the same personnel on the field, the Bears defense was 28th in yards allowed in 2007 (354.7 per game) and 21st this past year (334.7 per game) under Babich.  Points allowed were no better, allowing just under 22 per game and finishing 16th in the league in 2007 and 2008. 

Injuries to key players including Nathan Vasher, Tommie Harris, Dusty Dvoracek and Mike Brown contributed to the decline, but even when healthy the defense did not play up to the caliber seen under Rivera.

Most defensive coordinators would have been fired, but since Smith and Babich are buddies, Babich retains the title while in reality he has been demoted back to linebackers coach for the 2009 season.

Over the past two seasons, the Bears have won games in spite of their defensive coaching staff, but improvement must occur for the Bears to succeed in 2009. Smith taking over play calling is a step in the right direction, but if this experiment does not go well it will ultimately lead to the end of the Smith and Babich era in Chicago.

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