By Brad
Oremland
Tuesday, October 15th, 2002
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Five Quick Hits
* It seems like every year, someone raises the possibility that this year's
Bengals are the worst team in NFL history. And you know, it's always
a legitimate question.
* Fans, don't boo your quarterbacks unless they really deserve it. I'm saying
this mostly because I heard Denver fans booing Brian Griese
on a day when he led the league in passing yards, but what about the
Cleveland fans who cheered Tim Couch's concussion (who do they
think they are, Eagles fans?) or the merciless Pittsburgh fans
who helped to shatter Kordell Stewart's confidence? Just be thankful
you don't live in Cincinnati, and be nice to your quarterbacks. Being booed
doesn't make them play any better.
* That was a long hit, so here's a short one: ESPN's Sunday Night announcers
are by far my favorite football crew.
* Memo to the media: please stop referring to Washington OT Chris
Samuels as one of the best linemen in the league. Andre Carter
and Darren Howard tore him to shreds, and he wasn't exactly golden
in the Monday Night blowout against Philadelphia, either. Through five games
this season, he's a below-average left tackle.
* Remarkably, the NFC South has emerged as the strongest division in the
conference. Before the season started, I would've placed them last.
Now on to the Power Rankings. As always, number in parenthesis indicates
previous rank.
1) Miami Dolphins (2) -- I wish we could have a game like Miami/Denver
every week. That was certainly the best game I've seen this year, and one
of the best in recent memory. Both defenses rose to the challenge of stopping
potent offenses, yet each drove down the field in the final two minutes to
set up potentially game-winning field goals. Even the special teams play
was exceptional. The footnote here is that Jay Fiedler is out, but Miami
has earned the No. 1 ranking.
2) Denver Broncos (4) -- The Sunday Night game really could have gone
either way, so Denver ascends to the No. 2 position. Remember the Jason Elam
field goal at the end of the first half that didn't count because of a holding
call? The John Mobley interception chance the announcers pointed out at the
end of the game? Not to mention any number of drops or bad luck. The Broncos
have lost twice in the last three weeks, but Denver fans have to be optimistic
about their team's play. They can't let down now, though; next week the horses
travel to Arrowhead Stadium for a divisional matchup against the Chiefs.
3) Oakland Raiders (1) -- Even in the loss, Charlie Garner led the
team in rushing, averaging over six yards per carry, and caught five passes.
He's got twice as many touchdowns (6) as anyone else on the team. If you
think Rich Gannon is the only superstar in Oakland, think again.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3) -- Mike Alstott was the star on Sunday,
but Brad Johnson is quietly having a very good season. He's a perfect fit
for a team with a great defense and a powerful inside runner like Alstott.
5) Philadelphia Eagles (5) -- Once again, the best team in the NFC
East can let the rest of the division eliminate itself from the playoff race.
The Redskins should be 4-2, the Giants could be 5-1, and the Cowboys would
have a winning record if they'd beaten Houston. Instead, the 3-2 Eagles are
the only ones over .500.
6) Green Bay Packers (11) -- I've complained in the past about naming
MVPs too soon, but through six weeks, mine is Brett Favre.
7) San Diego Chargers (t8) -- Don't look now, but the Chargers have
a better record than the Raiders.
8) New Orleans Saints (6) -- Dropping a team two spots after a 16-point
victory is not standard procedure, but standards are high in the top-10,
and they got a lot of lucky breaks against Washington.
9) San Francisco 49ers (t8) -- I missed a lot of the second half because
my ABC affiliate cut to a press conference. On the bright side, I got to
hear a Northern Virginia police chief say, "no comment" twenty times. Much
better than the game, I'm sure. Thanks, ABC.
10) Kansas City Chiefs (13) -- When the teams above you play like
crap and you lose by one to a top-10 team, you can rise three spots in defeat,
even if your defense is terrible.
11) Indianapolis Colts (12) -- Look better than last year, but the
difference between this year's Colts and the division winners a couple seasons
ago is Edgerrin James. He had 17 carries for 43 yards against a Ravens team
that was missing Ray Lewis, and he only has one TD in five games.
12) Jacksonville Jaguars (7) -- Of course they would lose right after
I put them in the top-10.
13) New England Patriots (t8) -- Reeling after three straight losses.
14) Buffalo Bills (14) -- I know he had another good game, but Travis
Henry has emerged as the biggest fumble liability in the league.
15) Pittsburgh Steelers (16) -- Anyone can have a good game against
the Bengals.
16) Chicago Bears (15) -- The Packers have a big lead in the NFC North,
so the Bears are fighting for a wildcard at 2-3.
17) Arizona Cardinals (17) -- The Cardinals are legitimate playoff
contenders in a weak NFC.
18) Washington Redskins (19) -- Actually outplayed the Saints, but
lost on penalties and turnovers.
19) Dallas Cowboys (22) -- Offense is coming together.
20) Baltimore Ravens (23) -- Valiant effort against the Colts, but
they were simply outmatched.
21) New York Giants (18) -- Injuries becoming a problem.
22) Cleveland Browns (20) -- Wasn't the defense supposed to be really
good this year?
23) Atlanta Falcons (24) -- Michael Who?
24) St. Louis Rams (29) -- What, do they have to change their quarterback
every three years to stay fresh?
25) Carolina Panthers (21) -- The defense is still very good, but
Lamar Smith has slowed down and the quarterback play has been inconsistent.
26) Seattle Seahawks (25) -- It's more that the teams below them deserved
to be moved up than that they needed to be moved down.
27) Tennessee Titans (28) -- Technically still just 2-4, but they
play Cincinnati next week, so they're almost .500.
28) Minnesota Vikings (30) -- Well, now there's only one team without
a win. Who could it be?
29) New York Jets (27) -- Bye week comes at a good time.
30) Detroit Lions (26) -- Bye week killed their momentum.
31) Houston Texans (31) -- Stayed in the game against a good Buffalo
team.
32) Cincinnati Bengals (32) -- I feel really sorry for Dick LeBeau.
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