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The Ultimate Source for your Ph.D. in Pigskin |
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2007 Week Twelve Power
Rankings After the radio show on Sunday, we stuck around and watched the conclusion of the Pats - Eagles game, and I was grilled about how I could still believe New England will go undefeated. Of course, they argued that Philadelphia gave the rest of the league a blueprint for winning, that Tom Brady was human, that the defense was old, and that the Patriots' receivers weren't keen on physicality. First of all, Jim Johnson and the Eagles have been blitzing for years and have built their defense around that philosophy. So, that doesn't mean that other teams will be able to adopt their philosophy and make it work. Obviously, they threw a wrinkle at Brady and Co. that confused them, but in the end, New England figured out a way to beat the system. Second, while Tom Brady is one of the three or four greatest quarterbacks of all time, he is still entitled to a bad game here and there. It's funny how we forget that when things go wrong for he and Peyton Manning. Next, maybe it's because they've been good for the last seven years (something that's rare in the days of free agency and the salary cap), but this team is not old. Everyone talk about the Cowboys being a young, up-and-coming team. Believe it or not, the starting 22 for the Patriots are younger than their Dallas counterparts, with the defense averaging under 30 years of age per player. Lastly, there are very, very few physical wide receivers now. Some of the only ones I can think of are Hines Ward, Terrell Owens, and Andre Johnson. Thus, I don't think they're any different than most other teams. I realize they're not a "warm and fuzzy" team for most people. Maybe it's Belichick's ego and brash nature, or an envy of Tom Brady (for any number of reasons), or not wanting Randy Moss to experience success after quitting on the Vikings and Raiders: either way, you better get used to one inevitable conclusion. As I've said since week two, the 2007 New England Patriots will finish the season undefeated.
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1. New England
Patriots (11-0) - even blind squirrels find nuts
sometimes, folks.
2. Dallas Cowboys
(10-1) - we'll know much more about the NFC hierarchy
after Thursday's game against the Pack.
3. Indianapolis Colts
(9-2) - the rumors are swirling more rapidly that Marvin
Harrison won't be back this year.
4. Green Bay Packers
(10-1) - missing Woodson and Gbaja-Biamila could really
hurt against the Dallas attack.
5. Pittsburgh
Steelers (8-3) - someone at the NFL offices needs to
force the Steelers to install FieldTurf.
6. Jacksonville
Jaguars (8-3) - David Garrard and the Jags are the best
quarterback and team nobody knows about.
7. San Diego Chargers
(6-5) - it will be a big deal for this group if it can
follow up one impressive win with another.
8. Cleveland Browns
(7-4) - The Browns are eighth. Let me say that again,
the Browns are eighth!!!
9. Seattle Seahawks (7-4) - I don't put much stock in
this team, but they're finding ways to win.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4) - rallying after the
injury to Jeff Garcia was a sign of this team's
character.
11. New York Giants (7-4) - I think it's time for
the Giants to start evaluating options at the
quarterback position.
12. Tennessee Titans (6-5) - before I blast this team,
I'm going to wait until Albert Haynesworth returns.
13. Denver Broncos (5-6) - Mike Shanahan takes the blame
for that one - never, ever kick the ball to Devin
Hester.
14. Houston Texans
(5-6) - the only thing keeping this team from the
playoffs is its propensity for turnovers.
15. New Orleans
Saints (5-6) - one word for this team - schizophrenic.
16. Detroit Lions (6-5) - the remaining teams on their
schedule combine for a .665 winning percentage. Yikes!
17. Buffalo Bills (5-6) - with all of the injuries, Dick
Jauron has done one of the top five coaching jobs in the
league.
18. Washington Redskins (5-6) - God bless Sean Taylor's
family.
19. Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) - how do you lose and gain
two spots? Make the Patriots look beatable.
20. Minnesota Vikings (5-6) - where has that pass
defense been all season?
21. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) - now that's the Bengals'
team we've been waiting for all season.
22. Chicago Bears (5-6) - after 27 games, Devin Hester
is already the best special teams' player of all time.
23. Kansas City Chiefs (4-7) - when you lose to the
Raiders at home, you don't deserve to be in the division
race.
24. Baltimore Ravens (4-7) - this team plays the ugliest
brand of football that I've ever seen.
25. Arizona Cardinals (5-6) - last week's loss proves
that this team still has a lot to learn about winning in
the NFL.
26. Carolina Panthers (4-7) - over the past five weeks,
John Fox has lost his team and his job.
28. San Francisco 49ers (3-8) - every once in a while,
Trent Dilfer reminds you he was a Super Bowl winning QB.
31. St. Louis Rams (2-9) - Gus Frerotte's handling of
the football is indicative of the Rams' season.
32. Miami Dolphins
(0-11) - yes, they will get their first win of the
season this week against the Jets.