| Power Rankings |
| July 4, 2009 |
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| Each week the Commish scours the stats, looks at the records, and, most importantly, the heart of each team and delivers his Power Rankings! |
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| 1 | Steelers (12-4), Last Week: 1 | As the defending World Champs, the Steelers deserve to be the top dog, until some other team proves otherwise.
Offense: 23
Defense: 1
Overall: 10 |
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| 2 | Eagles (9-7), Last Week: 2 | It is easy to forget that last season the Eagles participated in their 5th NFC Championship Game appearance of the Reid/McNabb era in a game against the Cardinals that went dow to the wire. All the team has done in the off-season is get better by addressing their needs along the offensive line and at WR. Of course, it remains to be seen whether these additions on paper lead to more Ws in 2009.
Offense: 8
Defense: 3
Overall: 1 |
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| 3 | Patriots (11-5), Last Week: 3 | We still can't get over the fact that the 11-5 Pats failed to make th playoffs in 2008! Payback for past indiscretions, perhaps? Brady will be anxious to prove that he is 100% back from the knee injury that ended his season before it really began last year.
Offense: 4
Defense: 10
Overall: 2 |
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| 4 | Titans (13-3), Last Week: 4 | The Titans were one of the real surprise teams in 2008. However, they peaked way too early and entered the playoffs trending in a downward pattern. Jeff Fisher will make sure that the defense is for real, and the running game should be a force to be reckoned with yet again. That bodes well, if the team can get rid of the bad taste in their mouths that must be carrying over from last year's one-and-done playoff appearance.
Offense: 18
Defense: 5
Overall: 6 |
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| 5 | Chargers (8-8), Last Week: 5 | If nothing else, the Chargers are a battle-tested team. Remember, that this team was pretty much in a single-game elimination mode for the good part of last season. This year, they should be happy to see that all of the other teams in their division are busy undergoing massive face-lifts.
Offense: 13
Defense: 25
Overall: 22 |
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| 6 | Panthers (12-4), Last Week: 6 | Panther fans will forever be forced to wonder what may have happened if Jake Delhomme hadn't become such a turnover machine in the playoffs last year. This relatively high ranking supposes that the team and Julius Peppers will reach some sort of agreement before the start of the season.
Offense: 12
Defense: 13
Overall: 13 |
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| 7 | Giants (12-4), Last Week: 7 | The well-publicized Plaxico incident served to doom this team at exactly the wrong time. Now that Plax is gone, perhaps the G-Men will enter the season renewed. Being without standout defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, whos is now coaching the Rams, certainly doesn't help.
Offense: 7
Defense: 7
Overall: 2 |
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| 8 | Ravens (11-5), Last Week: 8 | Last year the Ravens' defense was so good that very little was expected from the offense. Now that DC Rex Ryan is gone (to the Jets) along with a number fo key defensive starters, it will be interesting to see whether or not that axiom remains true for the new season.
Offense: 21
Defense: 2
Overall: 6 |
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| 9 | Cardinals (9-7), Last Week: 9 | We mean no disrespect by having the defending NFC champs (who darn near beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl) ranked so "low". Rather, we just view them as one of the most unlikley Super Bowl representatives ever, given their disdain for running the ball and their relatively weak defense. No, we are not calling them a fluke. We just don't think they'll get back to the Super Bowl unless the defense and running game improve. Still, they can take heart in the fact that all of the other teams in their division had picks in the top 10 in this past April's draft based on their poor records in 2008.
Offense: 5
Defense: 19
Overall: 10 |
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| 10 | Colts (12-4), Last Week: 10 | There are two schools of thought here. The Colts had a nice run, and their window of oppotunity has come to a close, especially given Tony Dungy's retirement. Another school of thought is that maybe it was time for Dungy to go -- and some new blood will help reinvigorate the team. Given that Peyton Manning is still on hand to run the offense (minus Marvin Harrison, mind you), we'll lean toward the latter.
Offense: 15
Defense: 11
Overall: 15 |
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| 11 | Saints (8-8), Last Week: 11 | The Saints were one of the more interesting (and watchable) teams to have fallen short of the playoffs last season. With the upgrades that they have made to the defense, look for them to be back in the playoff hunt this season.
Offense: 1
Defense: 18
Overall: 5 |
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| 12 | Cowboys (9-7), Last Week: 12 | As the drama and soap opera trappings (which rivaled the classic Dallas TV show of the 80s) mounted last year, the Boys' play on the field declined. It's amazing that heads really didn't roll in the coaching ranks. Rather, it was Terrell Owens who was made to be the scapegoat. If this admittedly talented team believes that TO was their primary problem, they have some more self analysis to perform.
Offense: 9
Defense: 8
Overall: 4 |
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| 13 | Bears (9-7), Last Week: 13 | The Bears made a decent playoff run toward the end of the season last year but fell just short. They believe that trading for big-armed Jay Cutler is the recipe for getting them over the hump. Maybe. But how many playoff games did the Broncos participate in with Cutler? If you said fewer than the Bears did with Rex Grossman, you would be exactly right.
Offense: 26
Defense: 14
Overall: 23 |
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| 14 | Vikings (10-6), Last Week: 14 | Well, the on-and-off rumors about the Vikings' interest in Brett Favre proves one thing: even after trading for Sage Rosenfels, they feel that they could improve the QB position. Really, they don't need much help anywhere else.
Offense: 17
Defense: 6
Overall: 6 |
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| 15 | Falcons (11-5), Last Week: 15 | Like the Miami Dolphins, who also made an amazing turn-around from 2007 to 2008, there is an undeniable feeling that getting back to the playoffs will actually be an even more monumental task this year than it was last year. We'll see.
Offense: 6
Defense: 24
Overall: 17 |
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| 16 | Texans (8-8), Last Week: 16 | Although you may not have noticed, the Texans' offense was one of the best in the NFL last year, and the defense looks to have improved on paper. After all, look how far the Cardinals went last year! Here is our prediction: the Texans will be a sexy playoff pick for 2009. You heard it here first!
Offense: 3
Defense: 23
Overall: 15 |
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| 17 | Bills (7-9), Last Week: 17 | The Bills had such an incredible melt-down last year, starting out 5-1 and finishing 7-9 with an 0-6 record in the division. With such a sorry division record last year, how can we seriously suggest that they could finish 2nd in the division this year, you ask? Well, they have done a great job of addressing key needs in the off-season -- and the addition of TO could actually ignite an offense that has been stagnant in recent years. Honestly, the Bills suddenly have a very good (and deep) stable of WRs -- if Trent Edwards can stay on his feet to get them the football. Of course, Jason Peters won't be protecting his blind side anymore. Considering that Peters unofficially gave up double-digit sacks last year, maybe that is't such a bad thing!
Offense: 25
Defense: 20
Overall: 25 |
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| 18 | Packers (6-10), Last Week: 18 | With all of the hype about Favre leaving and Rogers replacing him, the simple fact is that, the play of the QB had very little to do with why the Packers failed to make it into the playoffs last season. In fact, Rogers was one of the real bright spots for the under-achieveing 2008 team. With just a little help from the defense, this team could go 10-6 this year rather than 6-10 as they did last year.
Offense: 11
Defense: 22
Overall: 20 |
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| 19 | Dolphins (11-5), Last Week: 19 | Kudos to the Miami Dolphins for going from an almost winless season in 2007 to actually winning the division in 2008. Of course, this team will not be catching many teams by surprise this year. And there is a reason why college football's Wildcat offense isn't a favored formation in the pros.
Offense: 10
Defense: 15
Overall: 13 |
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| 20 | Redskins (8-8), Last Week: 20 | The Redskins really did run out of steam toward the end of the season. Two of their last three games were losses to the likes of the Bengals and 49ers. Given the success of the defense and relative failure of the offens elast year, it is a bit surprising that they chose to focus on the defensive side of the ball. Since the season ended they have already overhauled the defensive line with DT Albert Haynesworth signing a record-breaking deal and DE Brian Orakpo (who could play OLB) being the team's first round draft pick. Meanwhile, the Redskins claim to be behind QB Jason Campbell 100%, but there is no denying that they tried their best to acquire Jay Cutler and then Mark Sanchez. What an interesting season we have in store.
Offense: 20
Defense: 4
Overall: 10 |
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| 21 | Jaguars (5-11), Last Week: 21 | At this time last year, the Jags were a young team that everyone thought was on the rise. However, injuries on the OL and poor play from the defense doomed them. The team certainly has made some moves (like canning DC Gregg Williams) and investing heavily in offensive line depth. We'll see how far that goes.
Offense: 19
Defense: 12
Overall: 19 |
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| 22 | Broncos (8-8), Last Week: 22 | The big shocker was the firing of Mike Shanahan. Maybe it was time for him to go, but McDaniels' moves since taking over have been just as shocking. Maybe he knows something about Kyle Orton that none of the rest of us do? Or maybe he is just another member of a long line of former Belichick assistants who collapsed when they tried to be a head coach on their own.
Offense: 2
Defense: 28
Overall: 17 |
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| 23 | Seahawks (4-12), Last Week: 23 | If nothing else, now that the Seahawks have worked out a long-term deal with Hill and drafted Curry 4th overall (whom many scouts believe was the best player in the draft), this team should have a VERY formidable linebacking crew. New coach Jim Mora (who takes over for the retired Mike Holmgren) is a defensive coach by trade, so he should be happy. Now, if Matt Hasselbeck and his receivers can just stay healthy...
Offense: 28
Defense: 30
Overall: 31 |
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| 24 | Jets (9-7), Last Week: 24 | We like the Jets' selection of Rex Ryan to be the new head coach. He will add a degree of toughness and accountability that has been missing for quite some time. Last year showed that it doesn't always take a rookie head coach multiple seasons to hit the ground running. The problem for Ryan is that he doesn't have an established QB to lead the offense. Sanchez may be a stud, but it is hard to count on a rookie QB to get your team into the playoffs. Of course, Ryan saw first hand what a rookie head coach and rookie QB could do in Baltimore last year.
Offense: 16
Defense: 17
Overall: 20 |
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| 25 | 49ers (7-9), Last Week: 25 | The Niners played very hard for Mike Singletary down the stretch, so it makes perfect sense that he was asked to stay on as head coach. It also makes perfect sense that Singletary asked Mike Martz to leave. Now, with a more run-oriented offense, which centers around Frank Gore we just have to wait and see who wins the starting QB job between Hill and Smith. But does it really matter? Well, it certainly matters to top rookie WR Michael Crabtree!
Offense: 24
Defense: 16
Overall: 23 |
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| 26 | Buccaneers (9-7), Last Week: 26 | The firing of Jon Gruden begs the question: Was he worth all those draft picks that the Bucs gave up to get him? Considering that the team did win the Super Bowl his first year there and the Raiders did very little with all of those draft picks, the answer to the question is certainly a worthwhile topic for debate. The Bucs are certainly a team with a lot of question marks now, as they have gutted the team in many aspects. Meanwhile, Gruden's pension for moving QBs in and out obviously didn't go out the door with him.
Offense: 14
Defense: 9
Overall: 6 |
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| 27 | Browns (4-12), Last Week: 27 | It didn't take long for the Browns to drop one former Belichick defensive coordinator (Romeo) for another (Mangini). At least the defensive philosophies won't clash much, which is a good thing. The offense is due for a shakeup, and Kellen Winslow II has already been shipped out. Now, with rumors that some more offensive players (including Brady Quinn and Braylon Edwards) are still on the market, the off-season is still going to be worth watching for these Browns.
Offense: 31
Defense: 26
Overall: 30 |
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| 28 | Chiefs (2-14), Last Week: 28 | Well, the Chiefs have made a number of big moves in the off-season, including bringing in a new GM (Scott Pioli), head coach (Todd Haley) and starting QB (Matt Cassell) -- all with ties to the New England Patriots regime. Well, Haley never actually worked for the Pats, but he was an assistant coach with the Jets in the late 90s serving under Parcells, Belichick and Pioli. So, you catch the drift -- and the direction the franchise is headed.
Offense: 22
Defense: 31
Overall: 26 |
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| 29 | Raiders (5-11), Last Week: 29 | Last year, Al Davis dished out tons of loot in hope of improving the talent level. That didn't exactly come to fruition in 2008, but this young team certainly does have some talent. Despite their record, the team did play hard for Tom Cable down the stretch. So Davis actually made a very sound decision in keeping him on. The acquisition of Jeff Garcia should help young JaMarcus Russell continue to improve. The Raiders were ridiculed on draft day, but Heyward-Bey was the fastest WR at the combine -- and we all know how much Al Davis loves speed.
Offense: 29
Defense: 27
Overall: 28 |
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| 30 | Bengals (4-12), Last Week: 30 | The Bengals actually went on a little run toward the end of the year, so we will have to see whether or not they can build on that for 2009. The hopefully healthy return of Carson Palmer should help, although he will be without his top receiver (sorry, Ocho Cinco) in Housh, who is calling Seattle home these days. By most accounts the Bengals had a pretty good draft, although we question the wisdom of drafting a potential head case like Andre Smith, given the team's well documented off-the-field problems with various players during Marvin Lewis' tenure. Alas, Palmer had better hope that Smith works out: he'll be protecting his blind side now that the team has decided to part ways with LT Levi Jones.
Offense: 32
Defense: 21
Overall: 26 |
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| 31 | Rams (2-14), Last Week: 31 | The Rams, whose offense used to be known as "The Greatest Show on Turf", have made a conscience decision to focus more on the defensive side of the ball. Hence, the decision to bring in former Giants DC wiz Steve Spagnuolo as head coach. Spag will have his work cut out for him, given the Rams' 2-14 record last season. Recall, though, that this is the guy who formulated the defense that finally slowed down that 2007 Patriots juggernaut. Suffice to say that the St. Louis front office is very happy to have landed him. Now, let's see if he can make the transition to head coach.
Offense: 27
Defense: 29
Overall: 28 |
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| 32 | Lions (0-16), Last Week: 32 | 0-16. We'll leave it at that, just so that things can sink in. The good news is that Matt Millen is gone, and the team appears to have made some pretty prudent moves in the off-season. Rookie hot shot Matt Stafford won't have to be the savior right away either, as the team still has Daunte Culpepper on hand.
Offense: 30
Defense: 32
Overall: 32 |
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