NFL Week Five Power Rankings: Mardi Gras In October?

 

Team who gained the most spots: Jacksonville, jumping from 23 to 17th.

Team who fell the most spots: a three way tie between the Chargers, Cowboys, and Bills who all fell five spots.

 

Game I can’t wait to see next week: Bengals Ravens. The Bengals could make a serious statement if they pull this one off, but even if they keep it close it gives them confidence. A very watchable game is the Cards-Texans, just like some Big XII football.

 

1.     (1) New York Giants—Dominated most of the game against the Chiefs. Steve Smith has really turned into a top, consistent receiver in the league. The defense got constant pressure as Cassel completed under 50 percent of his passes.

2.     (7) New Orleans Saints—Defense really took it to the Jets while the offense was missing for most of the game. Defense coming up big though has to be comforting as the Saints are becoming more and more of a force.

3.     (5) Indianapolis Colts—Dominated the Seahawks from start to finish. Peyton Manning and Co. continue to tear defenses to shreds. The defense is also playing up to par. When both are clicking they could be the best team in the NFL.

4.     (6) New England Patriots—The Patriots look like the Pats of old. Wes Welker made Brady’s life much easier, throwing for 258 yards. The running game was enough and the defense did what it had to do to win.

5.     (4) Minnesota Vikings—Played a great game against a good Packers team. Defensive line was outstanding, Favre had his best game in years, and wasn’t asked to do much. This play calling looks like a recipe for success.

6.     (3) Baltimore Ravens—Not to be outdone by Tom Brady, Flacco had himself a game, throwing for 264 yards. Ray Rice also put in over 100 yards. They played a tough game but just didn’t have enough at the end. If the game is in Baltimore the game might be different. The defense though has to help out Flacco and Co.

7.     (2) New York Jets—Mark Sanchez finally looked like a rookie, but the defense also made Drew Brees look human also. Under 200 yards and no offense. If Sanchez doesn’t make those mistakes the game is much closer. The Jets are still a team to be feared.

8.     (9) Philadelphia Eagles—What better schedule could you have over the next three weeks? Bucs, Raiders, Redskins. Someone should pick up the Eagles defense quickly.

9.      (8) Atlanta Falcons—Look to rebound after the bye week from the Patriots defeat. 49ers will be stingy and Ryan needs to find Gonzales.

10.  (10) Chicago Bears—After keeping the Lions in the game for the first half, the defense allowed only three points in the second. Jay Cutler looked good, but Matt Forte stole the show with his 121 yards. The defense needs to play more like the second half though if they are going to compete in the loaded North.

11. (12) Cincinnati Bengals—The Bengals tried to give the Browns the game, but came out with the win in last second overtime fashion. Palmer continued to look good and Cedric Benson has continued to be a nice surprise. The defense can’t fall asleep in the second half of games though. However, a win is a win.

12. (15) Denver Broncos—A big statement game for the Broncos showing everyone they are a legit 4-0 team. I’m  not quite sold but the next two weeks should tell us more (Pats and Chargers).

13. (13) San Francisco 49ers—No Gore, no problem. Blitz the Rams 35-0 and continue to play solid, disciplined football under Mike Singletary. Beating the Falcons will go a long way in gaining respect in the league and beating a team outside of the NFC West.

14. (17) Pittsburgh Steelers—After bolting out of the gate against the Chargers, Pittsburgh fell asleep in the fourth quarter and that has to be concerning. Rashad Mendenhall provides a huge spark and just what the Steelers run game needs.

15. (16) Green Bay Packers—Despite getting beaten they looked good, despite the offensive lines struggles. Aaron Rogers is a warrior. The running game needs to pick it up though.

16. (11) San Diego Chargers—After not realizing they had a game until about two minutes left in the third, in typical Charger fashion, had a great fourth quarter but came up short. With the emergence of the Broncos the Chargers will actually have a race this year so they better wake up soon.

17. (23) Jacksonville Jaguars—After the Cardinals disaster the Jags have come out on fire the last few weeks. Could be a dark horse in the AFC South and David Garrard has played excellent in both games. However the defense and MJD are the key for a successful season.

18. (21) Houston Texans—Another good game for Matt Schaub, and also exercising some demons after the Raiders ruined their possibility for finishing with a winning record for first time in franchise history. Next games against the Cardinals and Bengals should tell us how good the defense is.

19. (14) Dallas Cowboys—What can we say about the Cowboys? The offense can’t score, the running game is non existent and the defense made Kyle Orton look pretty good. Lucky for the Cowboys the Chiefs are up next.

20.  (20) Arizona Cardinals—Can the Cardinals win a home game? Next week against the Texans is a must win and getting pressure on the QB is a must.

21. (24) Miami Dolphins—Housing the Bills 38-10 is just what the Dolphins and Henne needed. Ronnie Brown looked good and so did the defense. After the Colts game the Dolphins deserved this game.

22. (25) Carolina Panthers—Looking to get their season on track, maybe an early bye week will be good for them to get them started.

23. (18) Seattle Seahawks—The Seahawks looked like last years Seahawks as the defense failed to get it done. The Colts got 431 yards of offense. Wallace had an efficient game but the running game really has to get started if the Seahawks want to contend in the West.

24. (19) Buffalo Bills—The Bills looked awful and that Patriots game is still looking more and more like a mirage. Owens ended his games without a catch at one. And the Dolphins ran 24 more plays than the Bills.

25. (26) Detroit Lions—The Lions played like well the Lions. Good in the first half bad in the second. Stafford to Johnson is becoming a routine, but they were both banged up at the end of the game which could be a concern. The running game has to come back if they are wanting to win more games. And the defense has to, well, get in someone’s way, at the very least.

26. (30) Washington Redskins—Get a must win against the Bucs. Zorn is safe for another week. Portis getting more touches has to be a good sign as it will make things easier for Campbell to get the ball to his receivers and Cooley. 

27. (22) Tennessee Titans—In a must win game they come out flat. The Titans could start for 0-6 as the next two opponents (Colts and Patriots) don’t make it any easier. Jeff Fisher has his hands full. 

28. (27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers—They tried so hard to end Zorn’s tenure, but couldn’t quite get it done. Josh Johnson provides some interesting looks for the Bucs offense. I don’t think they will be favored in any game the rest of the year. 

29. (28) Oakland Raiders—The Raiders are, well, the Raiders. They need a new quarterback, a running game, a defense, and some receivers. They battle the Chiefs in the AFC west basement.

30. (30) Kansas City Chiefs—The Chiefs were over-matched, but they continued to fight and play hard. Got some points whenever backup David Carr came up into the game. Larry Johnson getting back into the game is also big for the Chiefs. He can provide life to the offense.

31. (32) Cleveland Browns—The Browns played much better than last week and came up with just a little short of stopping themselves from getting 16 losses. Derek Anderson played decent and Jerome Harrison had a huge day rushing for over 140 yards. Perhaps this will give them a chance for the rest of the season.

32. (31) St. Louis Rams—As soon as they get out of the 32 spot, they want right back. They hardly showed up against the 49ers, but what can you expect with Kyle Boller as QB. The defense allowing a Gore-less Niners 35 points though is inexplicable. 

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Week Three Power Rankings: Purple Reign

Team who gained the most spots: Cincinnati Bengals—jumped from 21 to 12.

Team who lost the most spots: Pittsburgh Steelers—fell from 6 to 17.

Team who I have yet to figure out: The Arizona Cardinals—lost two home games and looked bad; went to the East Coast at a functional 10 o’clock in the morning start and looked great.

Game I can’t wait for next week: Green Bay-Minnesota. Need I say more? I’m always up for a little Brett Favre revenge, as in Green Bay getting revenge.

 

1. (1) New York Giants

Giants take it to the lowly Buccaneers. Defense held the Bucs to five first downs and only 86 total yards. Won’t get another true test for their defense until week six against the Saints. 226 rushing yards will help out Eli Manning as well.

 

2. (2) New York Jets

Jets played a tough game against a feisty, desperate Titans team. Despite a second quarter where they only gained three total yards, defense played well enough to keep them in it. Held Kerry Collins to 15-of-37 passing. Mark Sanchez continues to shine.

 

3. (8) Baltimore Ravens

Beat down a Browns team who has no identity or continuity. It didn’t matter who played QB; they intercepted both of them. Holding the Browns to 186 yards a game, but next week should show people who they really are, traveling to the Patriots, who looked good.

 

4. (3) Minnesota Vikings

A good win for the Vikings and their worries about Brett Favre. Throwing 46 times and only rushing Adrian Peterson 19 times is concerning. Sticking to their game plan would have helped a lot in this game. Defense held the 49ers in check. No Frank Gore did help.

 

5. (7) Indianapolis Colts

Colts took it to the Cardinals, racking up 505 yards of offense and forcing two red zone turnovers. Peyton Manning was near perfect, and both Joseph Addai and Donald Brown looked solid. Look to do more of the same against the Seahawks.

 

6. (9) New England Patriots

Back to the Patriots of old it appears, racking up 445 yards of offense and shutting down a solid Falcon team. Tom Brady looked back on track, and this is the exact momentum they needed going into the Ravens game. Wes Welker needs to come back, and Randy Moss looked excellent.

 

7. (5) New Orleans Saints

Despite the score, didn’t pummel the Bills. Drew Brees had a modest 172 yards, but Pierre Thomas had 126 on the ground. Reggie Bush also chimed in with 60. If the running game gets going, they won’t be stopped.

 

8. (4) Atlanta Falcons

Falcons looked like they could do nothing against the Patriots. There seems to be a theme: Shut down Tony Gonzalez, and you shut down the Falcons offense. Because the game got away from them in the second half, Michael Turner only got 15 carries. Need to give him the ball more in the future, however. 49ers, Bears, and Cowboys should tell us whether this team was a fluke or not.

 

9. (10) Philadelphia Eagles

Good news: Kevin Kolb looked good, but it was, of course, the Chiefs. Donovan McNabb should be back after the bye week, and we will see if they can live up to expectations. Also, we will see how they work Michael Vick into the contest.

 

10. (11) Chicago Bears

It’s all okay in Chicago after Jay Cutler again makes magic with a 38-yard TD pass to Devin Hester to win the game. The defense did what it had to do to win the game. After the Lions next week, the game against the Falcons should be a classic.

 

11. (12) San Diego Chargers

Not a convincing win against Miami, but still better than how they usually start. Philip Rivers made some amazing throws. However, better red zone scoring is needed. Need to average more than 2.5 yards a carry if they want to go to a Super Bowl.

 

12. (21) Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals never cease to amaze me. After what seemed to be a season filled with turmoil and bad luck, they have turned it around in their favor. Carson Palmer looks to be back in form, the defense is doing enough, and Cedric Benson seems to have revitalized his career. Browns and Ravens up next means they could make some nice headway in the AFC North.

 

13. (13) San Francisco 49ers

A tough loss for the Niners, but the biggest lost might have been Frank Gore. Backup Glen Coffee only averaged 2.2 yards per carry, although the Vikings have a good rush defense. Good signs from Vernon Davis, but you have to be worried about Shaun Hill trying to win you games.

 

14. (14) Dallas Cowboys

Struggled mightily against the Panthers until Jake Delhomme realized he was Jake Delhomme. Play calling was horrendous as multiple goal line situations were blown. Felix Jones looked excellent until he got hurt.

 

15. (23) Denver Broncos

The Broncos dominated the Raiders in every aspect of the game. Only 137 total yards, 42 of those passing. Kyle Orton didn’t make any mistakes against a solid defense. Clearly the most surprising 3-0 team, but with the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers next, this could change quickly.

 

16. (19) Green Bay Packers

Packers dominate a lesser opponent, which is exactly what you need after a loss like that to the Bengals. Aaron Rodgers only had to endure two sacks this weekend. Big game next week against Brett Favre and company.

 

17. (6) Pittsburgh Steelers

Could it get worse for the Steelers? Without Troy Polamalu they are struggling. They did find a running game though as Willie Parker had 93 yards. They did, however, have 100 more total yards than the Bengals. Next week against the Chargers won’t be easier.

 

18. (20) Seattle Seahawks

Lost a tough game to the Bears, but I have to question the play calling. Why are they throwing the ball 44 times? Defense has to step up if they want to compete. Colts, Jaguars, and Cards could be a tough stretch for them if Matt Hasselbeck isn’t back.

 

19. (18) Buffalo Bills

Kept it close with the Saints until the fourth quarter. Run defense was atrocious, but they held Drew Brees in check. TO needs to make plays as long as Marshawn “Money” Lynch is out. However, Fred Jackson has done an adequate job.

 

20. (17) Arizona Cardinals

Despite the score being 31-10, the game was much closer than it looked. Two red zone turnovers, one on a missed defensive holding call, and it was actually a game. Allowing 500 yards of offense needs to be fixed as the defensive line got no push. The bye week should serve them well.

 

21. (15) Houston Texans

Matt Schaub had another great game; however, the defense failed to show up. Allowing MJD to finally get going is fair, but allowing 214 yards to David Garrard is terrible. Next week is really a must win for the Texans if they want to live up to expectations.

 

22. (16) Tennessee Titans

The Titans can’t catch a break. A slow start on both sides of the ball had them doomed, losing all three of their games by seven points or less. It doesn’t get any easier with Jacksonville, the Colts, and the Patriots up next. Rough start for a good team.

 

23. (30) Jacksonville Jaguars

After getting rolled by the Cardinals, the Jaguars bounced back with a nice win. The offense finally got off the schnide, but the defense is going to need to play better because the offense can’t do that week in and week out.

 

24. (25) Miami Dolphins

Dolphins lose another close game to a good team. Chad Pennington is out for the season in what was perhaps the biggest loss of the day though. With Chad Henne at the helm, I would like to see the Wildcat brought to a whole new level. Maybe 25 plays a game. That would be fun.

 

25. (26) Carolina Panthers

Hung in there with the Cowboys in Dallas. Jake Delhomme has yet to get back on track. If the Panthers want any chance of winning, Steve Smith has to get the ball in his hands. Running game also needs to help out.

 

26. (31) Detroit Lions

The biggest, and only, win since 2007, the Lions playing hard finally held up for a whole game. The defense did what it had to win the game, and Matt Stafford took a lot of strides forward. Kevin Smith looked excellent and will need more of that to keep the pressure off of Stafford.

 

27. (27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Looked pitiful against the G-Men. Hopefully Josh Johnson can provide a spark at the QB position with his legs. Allowing 226 rushing yards is a problem. Maybe they can get their first win against the Redskins and make it a recurring theme.

 

28. (24) Oakland Raiders

Gave up 372 yards to the Kyle Orton-led Broncos. JaMarcus Russell still is making too many mistakes, and the defense is going to need to play better if the Raiders want any chance to win. Darren McFadden ran the ball well and needs more chances to shine.

 

29. (29) Kansas City Chiefs

Allowed Kevin Kolb 327 yards of passing, but Matt Cassel was good and didn’t make any mistakes despite the Chiefs’ play. Larry Johnson needs to average more than two yards a carry to help him out though.

 

30. (22) Washington Redskins

Prediction: Jim Zorn will get fired this week. What can you say about the Redskins? They are in a downward spiral. It has to go back to play-calling; giving the ball to Clinton Portis only 12 times is unexplainable.

 

31. (32) St. Louis Rams

What else could go wrong for the Rams? Kyle Boller is their new starting quarterback, and they gave up 402 yards to the Packers. Steven Jackson did have 117 yards though, and they move out of our bottom spot. That’s good news.

 

32. (28) Cleveland Browns

What can you say about the Browns? They have outdone themselves once again. Brady Quinn looked bad, and Derek Anderson looked much worse. And only 23 carries for a team that has no consistent quarterback play. Have to question every level of the Browns organization on this one. 

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Seneca Wallace Should Have a Starting Job Somewhere

Matt Hasselbeck gets hurt and again and the Seattle Seahawks will call on Seneca Wallace to save the day.

The team has tried to make him a receiver for years, but he has resisted this idea. Some people might say that’s selfish, but I think he’s right.

Wallace is the best backup quarterback in the league.

Now, there are some other solid back up quarterbacks that have done a good job—Billy Volek, Sage Rosenfels, even Todd Collins. But Seneca is better than any of these guys. Let’s take a look at some stats:

    Comp%/Yds/TD/INT/RTG

Wallace            58.8/2974/23/13/83.0

Volek                59.7/3515/26/14/84.9

Rosenfels         62.5/4156/30/29/81.2

Collins              56.7/4355/22/19/76.2

 

Now, someone might look at Volek and say he is arguably better. But, again, I will beg to differ.

A) Volek hasn’t taken a snap since 2007.

He had one good year in 2004, when he started 10 games for the Titans. Volek posted 2,486 yards, 18 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a QB rating of 87.1 that year.

But that was five years ago, can anyone really expect him to be the same?

B) Wallace has taken snaps in each of the past five years.

Last year, with a terrible offense, he posted 1,532 yards, 11 touchdowns, and three interceptions in 10 games.

When he gets reps, he doesn’t make mistakes.

Also, he has the ability to scramble and improvise—something most teams lack at the quarterback position. Because of this, Wallace is clearly the best backup in the game.

 

Now, on to a more interesting argument.

I believe Wallace could start for more than 50 percent of teams in the NFL.

Obviously there are the untouchables—Brees, Brady, P. Manning, E. Manning, Warner, Rivers, Palmer, Cutler, Roethlisberger, and Rogers.

Let’s look at the rest of the teams, however.

 

Atlanta—Matt Ryan: He wouldn’t start here.

Ryan is a fabulous player and had a QB rating of 87.1 last year. This year, it looks like it’s going to be higher with the addition of Tony Gonzalez.

Baltimore—Joe Flacco: Now, I will get some grief here, but Wallace is BETTER than Flacco.

He has a career rating of 80.3, throws way too many interceptions, and doesn’t play well against good defenses. He is off to a decent start this year, but I would take Wallace over Flacco, despite Flacco’s upside.

Buffalo—Trent Edwards: He has a career 81.2 QB rating, but just 22 touchdowns compared to 19 interceptions.

Wallace makes less mistakes despite a lower completion percentage. His ability to scramble is also huge. I take Wallace over Edwards.

Carolina—Jake Delhomme: This really shouldn’t be an argument, but Delhomme actually does have good numbers.

In big games, he is truly awful though. Delhomme has thrown way too many interceptions of late and is 34 years old. Wallace would run that offense well. I take Wallace over Delhomme.

Cleveland—Brady Quinn: Both Quinn and Derek Anderson lack consistency and have terrible completion percentages. They throw too many interceptions despite some good numbers.

I would need more time for Quinn to make a fair judgment, but as of now, I take Wallace over either Quinn or Anderson.

Dallas—Tony Romo: After Sunday night’s game, I would think Cowboys’ fans would take Wallace over Romo despite his career 94.2 passer rating and 80 touchdowns to 49 interceptions.

Despite his failure in big games, I take Romo over Wallace.

Denver—Kyle Orton: Orton knows how to win, but lacks a big arm and throws too many interceptions.

He has yet to move the Broncos offense effectively and has a career 72.4 passer rating and 32 touchdowns to 27 interceptions. I take Wallace over Orton.

Detroit—Matthew Stafford: Now, I know nobody would fair well with the Lions, but the Seahawks were pretty bad on offense last year and Wallace did just fine.

Stafford needs more time in the NFL, but right now, I would take Wallace over Stafford.

Houston—Matt Schaub: He is a career 86.9 passer rating with 34 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. Despite his good rating, he is far too inconsistent, but does have flashes of brilliance (see the Titans game).

But consistency is the name of the game and so this is a coin flip. I would take Wallace, but I couldn’t blame people for going the other way.

Jacksonville—David Garrard: Garrard has a career 84.8 rating with 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He makes good decisions, but is very inaccurate sometimes with only a 52 percent completion percentage.

In my eyes, Wallace is a better, more mobile version of Garrard. Thus, I take Wallace.

Kansas City—Matt Cassel: Moved from probably the best backup into a very tough situation in Kansas City. Last year, Cassel wowed everyone with his 89.4 passer rating and 21 touchdowns to only 11 interceptions.

This might be the system, but I think Cassel is a legit quarterback, and has a good coordinator to help him develop. I take Cassel over Wallace.

Miami—Chad Pennington: Could you imagine Wallace in the Wildcat Offense, considering he has played some receiver? How deadly!

This alone gives him an edge over Pennington. Wallace is a more athletic version of Pennington and brings much of his good decision-making, poise, and savvy. I take Wallace over Pennington.

Minnesota—Brett Favre: Because of Favre’s bad decision-making, I have to put him here and not as a lock. Despite that, he is a future Hall-of-Famer and brings lots of experience and wisdom to the Vikings.

If he continues managing the game like he has done, then I take Favre over Wallace. But if he ends up like the Favre of the second half of last year, I might have to change my mind.

NY Jets—Mark Sanchez: It looks like Rex Ryan picked the right man for the job—Sanchez has a 91.3 rating in his first two games

However, it is much too early to tell whether or not this can be sustained. Let this be an undecided based on inconclusive evidence.

Oakland—JaMarcus Russell: Now, this makes too much sense. Russell has a career 70.8 passer rating and has started off this year terribly.

He has 16 touchdowns to 14 interceptions, a terrible completion percentage, and is not accurate enough on his deep balls. Wallace would be perfect for this West Coast Offense.

San Francisco—Shaun Hill: Hill is 9-3 as a starter, doesn’t make mistakes, and is crafty.

Wallace is much of the same, but is better and more mobile. They have almost identical stats, but the mobility factor puts Wallace over the top. He is perfect for the West Coast.

Seattle—Matt Hasselbeck: He has all the accolades, experience, and a great stat line: 84.2 rating, 150 touchdowns to 96 interceptions.

But Hasselbeck is going to be 34 soon, he can’t stay healthy, and doesn’t have a strong arm. In my opinion, the Seahawks are better when Wallace plays. Last year, and apparently this year, will help prove my point.

St. Louis—Mark Bulger: Bulger has a career 85.2 rating, but is having a rough year. Who can blame him? The Rams are terrible.

He hasn’t had a passer rating above 71 in his last two years, though, and I think his prime years are done. Wallace has proven his numbers and is still in the prime of his career, not even 30, and hasn’t taken many hits. I would take Wallace over Bulger.

Tampa Bay—Byron Leftwich: I am a big Leftwich fan, and he hasn’t gotten his fair share most of the time. He has a career 80.3 passer rating and has played well this year.

His career stats of 58 touchdowns to 40 interceptions is also pretty good. I think this one is a wash—Leftwich brings more of an arm, Wallace is more accurate. Depending on what they are looking for either could start.

Washington—Jason Campbell: Now this one makes the MOST sense out of any team.

Wallace is literally the version of Campbell that they want him to become.

He doesn’t have as good of an arm, but is more mobile and is just flat-out better than Campbell. Get owner Daniel Snyder to trade for Wallace right now. A 9-7 win over the Rams is embarrassing. I take Wallace.

 

Tallying it up, I have Wallace starting for 14 teams. Pretty close to my prediction.

How does someone so good get stuck as a backup and people like Tarvaris Jackson, Chris Simms, Quincy Carter, Josh McCown, Tim Rattay, Kyle Boller, Brody Croyle, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Drew Hensen, etc., get chances to start?

It has always boggled my mind.

Regardless, someone should take a chance on Wallace. He could turn your season around, as he is a very good starter in my mind.

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NFL Week Two Power Rankings: Its A New York State Of Mind

NFL Power Ranking Week 2

Last week in parenthesis

 

Best 0-2 Team: Tennessee Titans

Worst 2-0 Team: Denver Broncos

Team who gained the most positions: New York Jets, 11. Beating the Patriots will do that for a team.

Team who lost the most positions: Green Bay Packers, 9. Losing to the Bengals at home will do that for a team.

Team I have yet to figure out: The Bengals. When Chad Ochocinco is motivated they seem to win. Perhaps every team should have a scoring ritual that he can mimic.

On to the Rankings:

 

1.     (6) New York Giants – Running defense struggled, pass defense was excellent. Eli conducted another game winning drive and the Giants spoil Jerry Jones’ night. Any road win in the NFC East is tough.

2.     (13) New York Jets – The Jets now look like a serious contender in the AFC after two great performances. Their defense looks unstoppable, Sanchez has played not terrible, but made plays when he has had to, and the running game is excellent. Perhaps they can challenge the Steelers.

3.     (4) Minnesota Vikings – Struggled against the Lions but put it together in the second half and Peterson ran wild. Their offensive line needs to protect Favre better or his games started streak will be snapped.

4.     (8) Atlanta Falcons – Not a great game against Carolina, but everyone in front of them loses so they move up. Their offense looks good, but defense has to step up, especially if they are going to beat the Saints.

5.     (14) New Orleans Saints – A good win against a pretty good Eagles team, but with no McNabb. Regardless, I am starting to believe they can compete, despite their defense being pretty bad. Drew Brees might have a better year than last year, which is scary.

6.     (1) Pittsburgh Steelers – Lost a tough game to the Bears. Defense wasn’t the same without Polamalu but was still pretty decent. Need to find a running game if they want to defend their Super Bowl title.

7.     (11) Indianapolis Colts – Move up by default of not losing their games. Have not looked impressive in first two games, but the offense is coming around. Defense couldn’t bottle up the Wildcat, how will they fair against the Cards next week?

8.     (12) Baltimore Ravens – Defense was lacking against the Chargers but helped them to field goals in the red zone and made enough plays to win. Flacco looked great. If that offense continues and the defense plays like its supposed to  they could be a front runner in the AFC.

9.     (2) New England Patriots – After two lackluster performances, the Pats have to be wondering. Welker not playing hurt Brady tremendously, and Brady does not look to be in rhythm yet, especially with Galloway. Defense did its part today however.

10. (3) Philadelphia Eagles – Defense was atrocious against the Saints, not that any defense might fair to well. Need to get more pressure on Brees, but I believe with McNabb that the Eagles win the game.

11. (15) Chicago Bears – Cutler avenges his last weeks performance by constructing a game wining drive. Still doesn’t look like the Pro Bowler we know but is getting closer to that form. Defense played scrappy with Urlacher missing.

12. (5) San Diego Chargers – Defense looked terrible in an outing against the Ravens. On the flip side, offense did amazing against a solid Ravens D. Need to score in the red zone if they aspire to reach the Super Bowl.

13. (16) San Francisco 49ers – Another solid, balanced performance. Injury to Gore is concerning. Shaun Hill improves to 9-3 as a starter.

14.  (9) Dallas Cowboys – Tony Romo struggled, but the running game was excellent. Defense needs to step it up a notch if they want to win the NFC, especially in the loaded NFC East. No one hit the scoreboard, that’s also a plus.

15.  (20) Houston Texans – As bad as the Texans played against the Jets, they played this good against the Titans. Their defense needs some work allowing Chris Johnson to beat them in every way, but a win against Tennessee for Houston fans is always so sweet.

16. (7) Tennessee Titans – A surprise 0-2 start for the Titans. They have had some tough games, but the defense really needs some work. The lack of pass rush against the Texans was surprising, especially after the Jets gave them a blue print last week.

17. (21) Arizona Cardinals – Got their “Can’t win on the East Coast” off of their back. The offense was crisp, the defense was active, and was the normal Arizona Cardinals we are used to seeing.

18. (18) Buffalo Bills – Beat a less talented Buccaneers team. Should have won by more. Defense stepped up when it needed and Trent Edwards continues to play excellent minus that one interception.

19. (10) Green Bay Packers – Losing to the Bengals? Pretty bad. Their defense looked terrible and their offense was out of sink, and failed to shred the Bengals defense. I’m not sure who the Packers are yet, especially after last weeks outing.

20.  (17) Seattle Seahawks  – Had a reality check after dismantling the Rams. Hassleback is hurt and their defense needs a lot of work. Allowing 207 yards to one player is just frightening.

21. (30) Cincinnati Bengals – As bad as last week was, this week was just as good. They brought their bad karma into Green Bay and turned it around. The offense looked great against an above average defense and the defense did enough to win the game.

22. (19) Washington Redskins – Did not play well against the terrible Rams. Defense bottled up Jackson but the offense has to come around to compete with any of the teams in the NFC East. The running game has to step up.

23. (27) Denver Broncos – The Broncos are 2-0, but much with smoke and mirrors. A miracle the first week and the Browns in week 2. I will wait until they play a good team to reserve judgment. Although they did play well against the Browns.

24. (23) Oakland Raiders – Beat the lowly Chiefs. The defense was great, but the running game has to be better because Russell is just not where he needs to bet yet. They are moving in the right direction I believe.

25.  (22) Miami Dolphins– Did everything they could do to win the game, but their defense failed them. I’m not sure how you lose the game when you have 45 minutes in time of possession. Wildcat looked back to normal form, but need to find a way to make Pat White plays more productive. Defense needs to not let big plays happen.

26. (28) Carolina Panthers – Jake Delhomme redeemed himself after his last two games. Defense needs to step up if the Panthers want to compete. 0-2 start is not a good sign in the loaded NFC South.

27. (23) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Played hard again, but this year is going to be tough. Defense allowed Fred Jackson to run all over them. Offense is going to have to carry them much of the way.

28.  (24) Cleveland Browns – Defense was atrocious against the Broncos and the offense wasn’t much better. Braylon Edwards had a good game though.

29. (29) Kansas City Chiefs – Played hard against the Raiders in a classic defensive struggle. Cassel needs to play better if they are to win any games this year. Defense played well against the Raiders run.

30. (26) Jacksonville Jaguars – Let the Cardinals run all over them and the 31-17 score was a favorable final score. Garrard didn’t make any mistakes, but the defense allowed the highest passing percentage in one game in NFL History.

31. (31) Detroit Lions – Played an excellent first half against the Vikings, but then realized they were the Lions. Fans hope to see more of Stafford to Johnson in the future.

32. (32) St. Louis Rams – Also played well enough to move up, but couldn’t make any plays at the end of the game to win. Offense is atrocious, Bulger needs to step up his game. 

 

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Three People Who Need to Step Up If The Cardinals Are To Contend

After the most successful season in Arizona Cardinals history, the Cardinals look to repeat as not only NFC West champs, but NFC champs in general. However a few departures have left some holes in the Cardinals starting lineups and some key people must fill in to be able to give the Cards a chance to contend with the big boys once again.

We all know about Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Karlos Dansby, Adrian Wilson, DRC, and Antrell Rolle, but who are some other X-Factors who are going to have to play a key role for the Cardinals in 2009.

 

1. Tim  Hightower

The departure of Edgerrin James leaves a whole in the running back department for Arizona. They drafted Chris “Beanie” Wells to help mitigate some of this loss, but because he is injury prone it is looking like Hightower will have to carry the majority of the load. 

Here are the stats from last year:

att/ yds/ td/ avg

James: 133/ 514/ 3/ 3.9

Hightower: 143/ 399/ 10/ 2.8

The stat that REALLY jumps off the page for me is Hightower’s 2.8 yards per carry. He will have to improve this to James’ 3.9 if he is going to be at all effective this upcoming season. One thing that you have to like is 10 touchdowns. He can punch it in when he is near the goal line, which should help the Cards if they struggle near the goal line again. 

If he gets close to Edge’s 3.9 yds per carry, lets say 3.3, keeps his 10 touchdowns, and gets about 250 carries here is what his stats would look like:

250/ 825/ 10/ 3.3

This is a good line that will definitely help the cards win, take pressure off the passing game, open things up for Boldin and Fitzgerald, and give time for Chris Wells to develop. 

 

2. Calais Campbell

Campbell will be in his third year in the league and will have some big shoes to fill, after the departure of Antonio Smith. Smith played a critical role in the Cardinals super bowl run, creating pressure in pass defense and help filling up gaps in the running game. 

Last year Smith had four sacks, 41 tackles, and two forced fumbles. He could have a career year for Houston, being on the other side of Mario Williams (who wouldn’t want to do that). Campbell is a younger, more monstrous (6’7″ 290 lbs) version of Smith who has a lot of potential and talent but needs to utilize it this year in a big way. 

With more playing time Campbell could get around 50 tackles and five or six sacks, compared to his 28 and zero sacks from a year ago. With Darnell Dockett on the other side he will have plenty of one on one’s to do damage. All the experts predict him to have a good year, the Cardinals faithful should he more than fills in for Smith.

 

3. Bryant McFadden

After letting their second and third corners go Bryant McFadden was a solid pickup for the Cards. He will be asked to be the final piece of a strong secondary, already featuring Adrian Wilson, Dominique Rogers Cromartie, and Antrell Rolle. The Cards also lack depth in the corner back position so McFadden will need to play big.

Last year with the Steelers McFadden recorded 41 tackles, two interceptions, and eight pass deflections in 10 games. The Cardinals will be counting on him to play all 16 games. If he can solidify the corner spot then the front seven can focus on stopping the run, where the Cardinals are a little thin, which would help immensely. 

 

If the Cardinals can stop the run and make people throw into the strength of their defense, it can cause turnovers, play loose and cause momentum shifts. This can lead to a very successful year for the Arizona Cardinals. And if they are successful again, these three players will have to play a critical role in this success. 

 

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