17) New York Giants: I have to be the only one on the planet that would even think of putting the defending Super Bowl champions this low but, I'm convinced it was just a fluke. Strahan is leaning towards retirement, Osi isn't happy, Shockey isn't happy, Eli is gonna go right back to being Eli, and they won't get to play all 16 games on the road.
18) Buffalo Bills: The rookies from last year looked promising. Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch look destined to have great careers, and Marcus Stroud in the middle on defense will help them immensely. What the Bills need to do now is put it all together.
19) Detroit Lions: Doesn't it seem like Detroit needs something to look forward to other than the Red Wings? Kitna made the smart move of not guaranteeing a 10-win season, but said he'd be disappointed if they didn't. I think this team has one of the best offenses, but you need some kind of defense to compete.
20) New Orleans Saints: I love what they did in the draft and free agency. And trading for Vilma without giving up much for him was brilliant. However, I don't know if that defense is still where it needs to be to compete in what will be a much-improved NFC.
21) Arizona Cardinals: In finding a way to keep Fitzgerald happy, they upset Boldin. This is another team with all the offense to make it big time, but the lack of defense is obvious. I love the pick of Calais Campbell in the second round, but one player won't be enough to get them where they need to be. Keep truckin' Cards.
22) St. Louis Rams: First off, I love the Chris Long pick. He was as close to a can't-miss prospect as we were gonna see in 2008. That being said, I still think their defense is suspect. The D-line seems to be solid enough at this point, but the LBs are only decent at best, and they lack playmakers in the secondary. Holt is getting old, Jackson is in a contract year, and Bulger is going backwards.
23) Kansas City Chiefs: This may be a little generous, but I love what they did in the draft. They somehow managed to get a ton of picks for Jared Allen, and they used all of them to perfection. Glenn Dorsey and Branden Albert were both top-10 players that fell into their laps. They should help to solidify where it counts most, the lines.
Today's Must Reads
24) Carolina Panthers: This was another team with a very good draft. Stewart and Otah will really help that offense out right away (even though I think they gave up far too much for Otah). Fox is raving about Jake Delhomme's play after his surgeries, so the quarterback situation should work out. Someone needs to get Julius Peppers' mind on football, and they should be able to exceed all expectations.
25) Denver Broncos: Their biggest playmaker can't even walk across his living room without hurting himself. Not good. And I understand the Broncos can usually plug anyone in at RB and make it work, but I just don't see it working this year. They lack playmakers on both sides of the ball.
26) Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals could very well be without two of their starting three WRs from last year. They will definitely be without Chris Henry, and we'll see what happens with Ocho Cinco, but I don't see him playing. Rudi Johnson is overrated as far as I'm concerned, but still a viable option for them in the backfield. Even if Rudi steps it up and Chad plays, they can't play defense for them.
27) San Francisco 49ers: If Alex Smith can blossom under new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, then this team will see a significant improvement. Unfortunately, we could see Frank Gore taking a few steps backward. Martz has proven he's afraid to run the ball, and leaning that heavily on Smith will not work out. Martz is going to have to run the ball a lot more than he'd like if this team is going to go anywhere.
28) Chicago Bears: No quarterbacks in the draft. Really Chicago? Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton are not the answer. They don't even have a good running game to lean on for whoever they throw to the wolves behind center. The defense is getting old, and that offense, believe it or not, is still going backwards.
29) Oakland Raiders: Yes, I believe there are three teams worse than Oakland. The defense was a bright spot for them two years ago, they need to get back to that. Russell is really a rookie this year because of all the time he missed, and they have a pretty good running attack when they'll need to bail him out. I think they should have gone to further lengths to improve the line, but I like what they did in the offseason, and it should translate well. By the way Al, get a coach or step down.
30) New York Jets: If Kellen Clemens is even in the same breath as "starting quarterback", you have some problems. I don't believe either of them has any business starting. They did nothing but deplete their defense by giving away Vilma, and they overpaid Calvin Pace. On the bright side, they snagged Faneca, and that should give whichever QB they decide on more time to decide where he's going to throw an interception.
31) Miami Dolphins: They hit rock bottom of the NFL world. Busted through the basement, so to speak. There is only one way to go for the Dolphins and that's up. With Bill Parcells doing the grocery shopping (see, "famous Bill Parcells quotes") they should really get something cooking in Miami. The Big Tuna in Big Tuna, only good can come from that.
32) Atlanta Falcons: No team has ever been in more of a rebuilding mode than the Falcons are right now. After the Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino episodes, they need something to look forward to. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if Matt Ryan is it. He threw way too many interceptions at BC, and that's not what you want from your franchise quarterback. The running game should be better, but that's about it.
Let the debating and name-calling begin!
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3 months ago
Um, how about crazy?
you posted the Raiders, in 29th, even though the beat Denver, and outscored them in two head to head matchups, and beat the Chiefs, outscoring them as well. I wouldn't put much faith in the 49er's magicial misery tour, either....But the Rams, at 22?
If anything, pass what you're smoking this way...it must be good.
3 months ago
Head-to-head matchups aren't a complete indicator of superiority. One team can matchup better against one team, but still not be considered an overall better team. I think the Raiders are still a year or two from being dominant.
Great second half Bob, you didn't disappoint. I actually have to agree with your assessment of the Giants.
3 months ago
Yea, pretty much the worst pwer rankings I have ever seen. Who ever puts the defending Super Bowl champs at 17 should be allowed to ever watch football again. Don't quit your day job.
3 months ago
you obviously dont know much about football. the giants are a team on the decline, not the other way around. what team can't win at home?? no one but giants fans thinks they will repeat and you'll be forced to eat your words when the giants show who they really are this year.
from 3 months ago
How the Hell is a team on the decline when it is one of the youngest in the NFL and it just one a SB?
Are you a complete idiot, or do you just not know crap about Football
from 3 months ago
A team on the decline? We were the 3rd youngest team in the NFL and throughout the season started all but one rookie from last years draft. We gained back our rookie WR Steve Smith who proved himself reliable in big spots throughout the playoffs. We won the Super Bowl on Defense by swarming the QB with out one of our best pass, YOUNG, pass rushers in Kiwanuka, and we beat down a Pats team known for it's resiliency without one of our hammers in Shockey.
All of you pundits can make fun of the Giants all you want but until you claim a team while making blind comments then you hold no clout.
Then again, there was no team better than us last year, even a team that went undefeated in the regular season.
I hope you bask in your jealousy even more. It just makes us all happier.
3 months ago
I have no problem with your idiotic claims, as long as you'll have the balls to eat crow in public when your mistaken rankings become obvious. I'm sure this is either an attempt towards attracting attention by being controvercial, or feeding the public's or your own anti Giants sentiments that stem from jealousy.
3 months ago
Once the Giants are listed at 17, you lose all credibility as any form of an analyst. Just because you hate the Giants, is no excuse for that rediculously amateur analysis. And Im a cowboy fan....Just wow
3 months ago
More proof that blogging and electronic publishing is a game for troglodytes, trolls, incompetents, pinheads, and the criminally irrational. People like you need to have your keyboards taken away ... and you need to be whacked over the head with those same keyboards until you figure out that you shouldn't be allowed to defecate through your fingertips.
3 months ago
This is hilarious. Looks like another spurned, bitter San Diego fan still crying about the the trade that brought the Superbowl MVP to the Giants and sticking the Chargers with Rivers, the obnoxious, petulant quarterback with an average arm and an awkward delivery.
Truly, this was the greatest postseason ever. The Giants first overcame the Jeff Garcia curse and in the process, knocked Tiki's brother out of the playoffs. Then they went to Dallas and knocked that smug look off of Romo's face and they did it with a secondary being held together by scotch tape. That was followed by a trip to Green Bay where Eli outdueled the Hall-of-Famer in one of the coldest games ever played. Finally, the Giants topple what was arguably the greatest team in NFL history and prevent an undefeated season, with Eli leading a drive for the ages, becoming the first quarterback to win a championship by throwing a TD in the last two minutes of the game.
And if all that wasn't great enough, the cherry on top is that Eli and the Giants beat the team that the Chargers couldn't beat in the AFC Championship which has got to be a dagger in the hearts of every San Diego fan who has spent the last four years berating Eli and the Giants (which is pretty much all of them). It also leaves Rivers as the only quarterback of the three taken early in that draft to not have a Superbowl ring (and of the two who do have a ring Eli won the MVP, while Roethlisberger had the lowest QB rating of any winning QB in Superbowl history).
So now, a last ditch effort to somehow invalidate what Eli and the Giants accomplished by placing them at number 17 in your power rankings and putting the Chargers in first place. Sorry, buddy. It did happen, the Giants are that good, and there's nothing you can say to change that. SD is a talented team, but that organization is a mess (which is the whole reason Eli didn't want to go there in the first place) and you're not going to win a ring with Norv.
3 months ago
WOW!!!! are you seriously typing this from a nut house??? Eagles at 5 ?? Chargers at 1 ??? How about this , watch some NFL then type in your "power rankings" which happen to be the worst I've Read all off-season. I wonder if someone in San Diego is jeleous Big Ben and Easy Eli have rings and Rivers is cursing at fans and screaming like a 5 year old girl. Im not even a Giants fan but they have one of ther youngest teams in the NFL and beat the Bucs(11-5) then Cowboys(13-3) then Packers(13-3) and then the Pats(18-0). Combine those records and it's far from a fluke. One game, ok a fluke, but 4 in a row on the road is no fluke. Do you know if Strahan retires in steps prob. the best D.E. in the game by the name of Justin Tuck. And Osi is happy. Very Happy. He said he's living up to his contract then re-negotiating at the end of the year. Still the best pass rush in football. And Philly at 5??? McNutts needs a cane to walk around and will play 5 games before sidelinded for the year. Worst set of W.R.'s in the league and an O-Line that had grandkids. Please stick to staring at your Tomlinson jersey all day and attending games with all those Southern Hispanic gang-bamgers that dwell your stadium. PATHETIC
from 3 months ago
you all amuse me. THE GIANTS 2007 SEASON WAS A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FLUKE!!!! Eli had 3 good games and now everyone wants to say he's good?! no! Chris Redman threw 2 touchdowns in 3 out of 5 games last year, does that mean he's good??? NO! he's terrible, Eli manning is TERRIBLE! He still had one of the lowest QB ratings for starting quarterbacks. This was nothing but a team that got hot at the right time. Not one of you can honestly say if they played ANY of those teams again in the playoffs that they could beat them twice. No Way In Hell. Everyone was ready to name the Saints the class of the NFC after last year and we saw how that worked out. They got hot at the right time, that's it. The only difference is that the Giants just got lucky longer. That's it.
3 months ago
OK, Bob. Whatever ya gotta tell yourself so you can get to sleep at night. You sound like a four-year old having a temper tantrum. NO!!!! IT WAS A FLUKE!!! THEY'RE NOT GOOD!!! I HATE ELI!!!! WAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!
Eli is good, and very good when it matters most.
The O-line and running game are even better.
And the DEFENSE is one of the best in the league.
Quick....name the quarterback that won a division title in his first year as a starter, took an injury ravaged team to the playoffs his second year, and won a superbowl MVP his third year? Chris Redman? Nope, sorry buddy, it's Eli.
from 3 months ago
oh you people. when the giants are 8-8, at best, next year.. you won't have any choice but to shut the hell up. everyone wants to ride the bandwagon and anyone who doesnt decide to get on because they're smart enough to see through their fluke of season, is an idiot. Football isn't like basketball, or baseball, or hockey where you have to be consistently good. All you have to do is muster enough to get through that hour. if they played a best of 7.. or hell, a best of 3 even. does anyone think the Giants are winning again? ... Anyone?
3 months ago
Funny, Bob. That's exactly what people said last year, 8-8 at best, most likely a top 5 draft pick, playoffs in the previous two seasons were a 'fluke', can't replace the production of Tiki, the locker room will tear itself apart, Coughlin is a lame duck, Eli can't win a playoff game, etc. Remind me, how'd that work out again?
You don't need to be on the bandwagon to be a realist and admit to yourself that a team doesn't fluke their way to four consecutive playoff victories.
I can almost hear the anguish in your words, it makes me smile.
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