Five Quick Hits
* Joe Theismann is the NFL's best announcer. Pat Summerall and Paul Maguire are the worst.
* For the length of the season, I will refer to horribly-renamed stadiums by their original names. Candlestick, Mile High, and Jack Kent Cooke Memorial, I'm looking in your directions here. E-mail me or leave a comment using the form at the bottom if you have more suggestions.
* Perspective: Brett Favre is six years younger than Vinny Testaverde.
* I think Al Michaels was reprimanded for his cheap shot at John Kerry on Thursday. Monday night, he mentioned something about "not supposed to talk about politics during football broadcasts." Which is just as well. I prefer MNF to Bill O'Reilly, anyway.
* Michaels and John Madden were terrible this week. Their season is off to a slow start, but I think they'll get better, probably do a game or two in the postseason.
The terrific Broncos/Chiefs Sunday night game deserves its own paragraph before we get to this week's rankings. The game was marred by the worst officiating I have seen in more than a year, beginning in the first quarter when Eddie Kennison was inexplicably ruled down on an obvious fumble recovered by the Broncos; Kansas City eventually scored a touchdown on the drive.
On Denver's first possession, an incidental facemask penalty by KC's John Browning was called as a personal foul -- 15 yards instead of five. Later in the same drive, Quentin Griffin was hit out of bounds after his first-down run on 4th-and-1; no penalty was called.
And, of course, right before the end of the first half, the officials simply forgot to assess five yards for an offside penalty. The Chiefs missed a FG attempt and both teams headed to the locker rooms before the mistake was brought to officials' attention. The teams were called back to the field to finish the half, and this time, the ref tried to give the Chiefs 10 yards on the five-yard penalty. Eventually, after three tries and more than 10 minutes, the last play of the first half was finally over. There were more instances of questionable officiating in the second half, but that's more than enough mistakes for a whole game. Disgraceful.
Rankings are based on how good a team is right now. Brackets indicate the team's rank in my preseason power rankings.
1. Denver Broncos [4] -- No one looked better in Week 1. Jake Plummer doesn't look ready to take command of big games the way Tom Brady and Peyton Manning do, but he made some great plays on Sunday night. Mike Shanahan and his staff deserve credit for calling plays that kept Plummer calm and confident after his mistakes, and for recognizing KC's vulnerability to the play-action bootleg they ran so many times and so effectively. Quentin Griffin was sensational, but I would have limited his workload late in the fourth quarter. Micah Knorr earned some recognition for kickoffs that limited Dante Hall's effectiveness. The pass defense was exceptional.
2. New England Patriots [2] -- The good news is that Tom Brady looked terrific for the first three quarters; his placement has never been better. The bad news is that New England's defense looked awful. Bill Belichick's club only forced the Colts to punt twice, and if not for some timely turnovers, probably would have lost by double-digits. Forcing turnovers is part of a team's defensive strategy, but you can't gamble so much that you give up 446 yards. It's especially worrisome that this happened in Foxborough, where the Patriots are supposed to be invincible. Richard Seymour, a defensive MVP candidate last season, was invisible all game. New England had particular trouble stopping the run. James' 142 rushing yards in the game was the fifth-highest total of his career, and more than the Patriots allowed to anyone in 2003. Last season, the Pats allowed only 89.6 rushing yards per game; against the Colts, they gave up more than 200.
3. Seattle Seahawks [6] -- Shaun Alexander's injury apparently is minor, and the defense seems to be much improved. Winning on the road is big for the Seahawks, and especially against a team some (including I) have called a Super Bowl contender. Seattle, obviously, falls into that category, as well. If they can get past the Buccaneers in hurricane-ravaged Tampa Bay next week, the Seahawks have a very winnable home-opener against San Francisco in Week 3, followed by a bye and another home game. They could be undefeated going into New England in Week 6.
4. Tennessee Titans [5] -- The offense wasn't exceptional, but it didn't have to be. It's encouraging, of course, that Chris Brown ran for 100 yards and showed some explosive potential. Defense, though, was the name of the game in Miami on Saturday. After the Colts looked vulnerable and Tennessee nearly shut out the Dolphins, the Titans have to be thinking about the AFC South title. The first test comes at home against Indianapolis this Sunday.
5. Indianapolis Colts [1] -- Brady torched them; Corey Dillon broke three runs -- out of only 15 carries -- for 10 yards or more. The pass defense was miserable, and starting safety Mike Doss is expected to miss three weeks. It wasn't just the defenses that stunk, though. Manning looked rattled and forced the ball too often. Edgerrin James fumbled twice (what is this, 1999?) and Marvin Harrison's longest catch went for 12 yards. Tony Dungy, who hates instant replay, wasted a timeout on a challenge that never had a chance. The Indianapolis offense will play better, but if the defense is as bad as it seemed on Thursday, Dungy's team is going nowhere this season.
6. Philadelphia Eagles [8] -- I'm not going to let one game change all the impressions I formed in the offseason and preseason, but Philadelphia was probably more dominant in Week 1 than any other team. It helps to play at home against one of the league's worst, of course, and I guess run defense is a potential Achilles' Heel. We should have a better idea about that after next week, when Philly hosts the Vikings on MNF. The Eagles should win, but even if they don't, I see this team coasting to their division title.
7. Minnesota Vikings [10] -- Few people are predicting great things for Dallas this year, but that doesn't make Minnesota's convincing victory over a 2003 playoff team less impressive. Daunte Culpepper was awesome. Randy Moss is always awesome. They averaged almost five yards per carry. The defense was good enough, forcing two turnovers and limited the Cowboys to 3.4 yards per rush. What's worrisome is that Testaverde threw 50 passes without an interception and converted more than half of the Cowboys' third downs (8-15).
8. Green Bay Packers [11] -- Mike Sherman and his staff outcoached John Fox and the Panthers. If they continue to work Ahman Green as hard as they did Monday night, though, he won't last the season. The offensive line looks terrific and the defense did its job. Green Bay controlled the pace of the game, and late in the fourth quarter, when Carolina knew the Packers were going to run, the Panthers still couldn't stop Green and Tony Fisher.
9. Kansas City Chiefs [7] -- Other teams are going to play Tony Gonzalez the same way Denver did. Priest Holmes is always going to get his yards, but if opponents can shut down Gonzalez, Kansas City's offense won't be effective consistently. A star RB can't carry a whole team: LaDainian Tomlinson is every bit as good as Holmes in San Diego, and the Chargers had the league's worst record last year. I think Dick Vermeil and his staff expected the (horrible) refs to call illegal contact more closely than they did, but that's no excuse for a passing game that never got off the ground. Trent Green can play better, and he'll have to if KC is going to make the playoffs.
10. New York Jets [9] -- Curtis Martin had a terrific game, and the Jets needed every yard to salvage a victory at home against the upstart Bengals. Last season, though, Cincinnati ranked 25th in run defense and 30th in opponents' average per carry. It will be interesting to see how Martin does against better run defenses, and how well the 31-year-old RB holds up later in the season, when he's had two or three hundred carries and isn't fresh.
11. Carolina Panthers [3] -- Losing Steve Smith for the season is a major blow. Jake Delhomme's emergence may have had one negative impact: Carolina's coaching staff abandoned the run far too early on Monday night. As Ahman Green pointed out to Michele Tafoya (who seems great) after the game, even when the Packers didn't score, they drove and kept Carolina's defense on the field. Delhomme made some big plays, notably two long passes to Ricky Proehl, but after the first quarter, Carolina never really put together a drive. I think Fox and his staff will get things settled down, though. They've got a tough test next week at Kansas City.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers [13] -- There's really no team that deserves this spot. I actually considered the Lions here, but I'm not quite bold enough for that. I wish I'd seen Pittsburgh's game this weekend, because I'm quite curious about both the Steelers and Raiders. The Pitt defense seems to have done its job: shut down the run, picked up three sacks, and two INTs. Pass defense remains a concern, but even more pressing: where was the offense? The Raiders passed 37 times and created a shootout, and the Steelers didn't hold up their end of the bargain. Hines Ward was the only player with any impact in the receiving game -- he caught more passes for more yards than the rest of the team combined -- and his numbers were solid, but not eye-popping. Duce Staley gained 91 yards on the ground and Jerome Bettis averaged 0.2 yards per carry with 3 TDs. Where's Tommy Maddox's 300-yard passing day? He finished with 142. Staley's 150 on the ground? Bettis only had 1 yard. This is not the 12th-best team in the league, but right now I only know of 11 who are better.
13. Baltimore Ravens [12] -- Their loss to the Browns was probably the biggest upset of Week 1. Baltimore doesn't drop too far because I have faith in egomaniac/head coach Brian Billick to right the ship. Against Cleveland, the Raven D didn't force any turnovers, which won't be the case in most games. Kyle Boller had a miserable game. It really hurts the Ravens not to have a No. 1 wide receiver. Todd Heap had a nice game, leading the team with nine catches for 86 yards, but this week saw two teams whose passing games rely on the tight end -- Baltimore and Kansas City -- lose because they had trouble generating offense. There's no substitute for a downfield passing attack. It also bears mentioning that Baltimore got destroyed on special teams. In today's NFL, you can't afford to give anything away, no matter who you're playing. Neither offense did much in Cleveland on Sunday, but the Browns won in a blowout because of special teams and turnovers. Billick and his staff will fix that; turning Kevin Johnson into an elite wideout could be tougher.
14. St. Louis Rams [14] -- It's hard to be impressed by their seven-point win, at home in the dome, against the lowly Cardinals. They committed three turnovers -- two in the red zone -- and allowed the non-existent Arizona running game to average 4.5 yards per rush. Last season, the Cards averaged only 3.8 yards per carry and finished 25th in the NFL in rushing.
15. Washington Redskins [19] -- Last week, I bashed the defense, and this weekend, it dominated the Bucs at JKC. Gregg Williams is being praised from sea to shining sea. Well, we'll see. Clinton Portis is very, very fast. Next week, Washington plays the Giants on the road, and if Steve Spurrier were still coaching, I would predict a Giant upset. With Joe Gibbs running the show, I say Washington wins a close one. I also think, though, that New York will begin to expose Washington's run defense.
16. Dallas Cowboys [15] -- The absence of a running game is clear, and must be immensely frustrating to Bill Parcells. Against Minnesota, the Cowboys' defense gave up three plays of more than 30 yards and forced no turnovers. The Vikings scored 35 points in three quarters. A team can't be judged by one game against a good team, but Dallas relies on its defense. Parcells may retire in frustration if things don't improve quickly. He could probably get a job on Bill Belichick's staff in New England.
17. Cincinnati Bengals [17] -- Clearly, Marvin Lewis has to make improving the run defense his top priority. And after that, pass defense. The offense seems okay, but Lewis -- who made his reputation by building an elite defense in Baltimore -- will have to get much better play from his defensive unit if the Bengals are going to be a factor in the AFC playoff race in 2004.
18. Atlanta Falcons [20] -- Winning on the road is a great way to start the season, but the optimism in Atlanta has to be tempered by the way the Falcons won on Sunday. They were outgained by more than 100 yards. The offense converted only one first down in 11 tries. The 49ers dominated time of possession and gained more yards per play. Mike Vick completed just five passes to wide receivers and had only 10 rushing yards, on six carries. Let's see how Atlanta holds up against St. Louis and Carolina in Weeks 2 and 4.
19. Detroit Lions [23] -- They won on the road. Hey, that's great. But the Lions want to do more this year than win one game on the road. Detroit has legitimate playoff aspirations. With Charles Rogers out for the season and the NFC North looking extremely competitive, that will be tough, but don't sell this group short by making too big a deal out of their Week 1 victory.
20. New Orleans Saints [18] -- Where to begin? With Aaron Brooks' 49% completion percentage against a defense that allowed the most completions in the NFL last year? With Deuce McAllister's 77 yards from scrimmage, the fourth-lowest total of his career as a starter? Or the defense that Seattle's Shaun Alexander had his way with? The Saints lost by 14 at home, and that tells the story right there.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [16] -- You can't win games if you can't run the ball, and on Sunday, Tampa Bay's offense was neutralized by a Washington defense that most analysts -- myself included -- didn't think very highly of. Tampa's defense scored the team's only touchdown, while a long return set up the field goal. The offense did nothing. Even the defense just looked so-so, not like the dominant force they were when departed superstars John Lynch and Warren Sapp were in their primes.
22. Oakland Raiders [22] -- The defense, minus Rod Woodson, but plus Sapp, did pretty well. Rich Gannon was effective, even if his performance fell short of his MVP 2002 season. Norv Turner will stick with the running game, but I bet he misses Charlie Garner right now, Garner's ineffectiveness in Washington this weekend notwithstanding.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars [26] -- A win is a win, even if it's ugly. You can salvage a victory in a game like that against the Bills, but not against tough AFC South opponents like Tennessee and Indianapolis.
24. San Francisco 49ers [27] -- They outplayed the Falcons and lost at home. The "L" is a bummer, but an overall decent game is encouraging for a team that hasn't been getting a lot of respect recently. Backup QB Ken Dorsey is expected to start at New Orleans next week while Tim Rattay recovers from an injury, but Dorsey looked fine in limited action on Sunday.
25. Buffalo Bills [24] -- They were winning with five seconds left in the game. But, as I say every year -- usually about Detroit -- close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. It would help if Drew Bledsoe and his offensive line could collaborate on a plan to have him sacked fewer times. The linemen could promise to give Bledsoe a little more time -- holding penalties are better than sacks, if it comes to that -- and Bledsoe could work on throwing the ball away once in a while.
26. Miami Dolphins [21] -- They were 10-6 last year, so I can't call them the worst team in the league after only one week. Jay Fiedler has totally lost the support of Miami's fans, but he's a better QB than A.J. Feeley. Unfortunately, Dave Wannstedt is in a position where he now has to start Feeley. I don't understand why they traded for him in the first place. The whole banana or no banana at all. This offseason, the bananas were Mark Brunell and Jeff Garcia.
27. Cleveland Browns [30] -- Give the defense the credit in this one. It held Jamal Lewis to 57 yards and less than three yards per carry. Kenard Lang sacked Baltimore QB Kyle Boller three times. Boller was intercepted twice and lost a fumble. The offense was okay and the special teams were great. I'll be a believer if they beat the Cowboys at Texas Stadium next week.
28. San Diego Chargers [31] -- You know what's really sad? This ranking is probably too high. They have an interesting matchup with the Jets next week.
29. Chicago Bears [28] -- It's not the 1977 Saints losing to the 0-26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but breaking a division rival's 24-game road losing streak is one of the worst possible ways to start a season. Rex Grossman will have to play much better for Chicago to be successful this season.
30. Houston Texans [25] -- Domanick Davis had a great game, but pretty much everyone else, it seems, needs to improve. It's too early to give up on them, but losing at home is a nasty way to start the season. Especially against a team that went 4-12 last season and didn't get a win until Week 7.
31. New York Giants [29] -- Probably had the ugliest Week 1 loss of any team. Arizona almost upset the Rams in St. Louis, so I'm not sure why I still have the Cardinals behind New York. It ain't faith in Ron Dayne and whoever starts at quarterback.
32. Arizona Cardinals [32] -- Emmitt Smith had kind of a nice game, and they almost pulled off a big upset. But when you win the turnover battle by three, you have to win the game. They were outgained by almost 200 yards and allowed seven yards per play. Imagine what will happen when they don't finish +3 in turnovers.
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