DMN: Gosselin: Super heroes? Teams with top QBs have best shot at title...rank 3rd

[WoodysGirl]

07:21 PM CDT on Saturday, May 31, 2008



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There's an urge every NFL off-season to be different. Go against the flow.

I did in 1996. The Cowboys were coming off their third Super Bowl championship in four seasons. I put the Green Bay Packers No. 1 in my annual off-season rankings that June. I hit – the Packers won it all that year. That was my best call.

My worst call? I put Pittsburgh No. 1 in 1998 and Philadelphia No. 1 in 2005. The Steelers and Eagles missed the playoffs those seasons, both with 6-10 records. I learned my lesson – stay away from the Keystone State.

Parity has taught me another lesson. The meek can inherit the earth. I placed St. Louis 23rd in my annual off-season rankings in 1999, New England 22nd in 2001 and the New York Giants 21st in 2007. All went on to win Super Bowls.

I picked New England No. 1 last June, and the Patriots came within 36 seconds of being labeled the greatest team in NFL history. But when Plaxico Burress caught that 13-yard touchdown pass on a fade rout with 35 seconds left in the Super Bowl, the Patriots lost the game and their bid for a perfect season.

The Giants won the Lombardi Trophy, but I'm still of the belief the Patriots are the best team in football. That's why I'm putting New England atop my off-season rankings once again in 2008. It's the first time I've gone with a team in back-to-back off-seasons since the Packers in 1996-97. Green Bay went to the Super Bowl both years.

The NFL always has been and always will be a game of quarterbacks – and the Patriots have the best in Tom Brady. He presides over the highest-scoring offense in NFL history. His prolific right arm produced 4,806 passing yards, a record 50 touchdown passes and 598 points in 2007.

Brady always seems to have the Patriots playing in front. He put them up 14-0 in the first quarter of a game against Buffalo last season. By halftime in other games, he had the Patriots up 20-0 against Cleveland, 24-0 against San Diego and Washington and 28-0 against Miami.

New England played 1,140 minutes of football in 19 games last season and trailed on the scoreboard only 160 of those minutes.

The 2006 NFL champion Indianapolis Colts also are allowed to have Super Bowl aspirations in 2008. They have Peyton Manning. That's why I put them No. 2. The Cowboys are allowed to have Super Bowl aspirations. They have Tony Romo. That's why they are No. 3. The San Diego Chargers are allowed to have Super Bowl aspirations. They have an emerging Philip Rivers at quarterback. That's why they are No. 4.

Find the quarterbacks and you'll find the legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Truthfully, who could have envisioned the Rams in 1999, the Patriots in 2001 and the Giants in 2007 winning Super Bowls? Except that St. Louis quarterback Kurt Warner was the NFL MVP in 1999, Brady the Super Bowl MVP in 2001, and New York's Eli Manning outplayed Romo, Brett Favre and Brady in consecutive games in winning Super Bowl MVP honors in February.

Manning is the reason the Giants didn't stray far from the top in the rankings this off-season. New York sits sixth. He's one of only four quarterbacks to take his team to the playoffs each of the last three seasons, joining his brother Peyton, Brady and Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck.

I also included Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Seattle in my top 10. All three teams sent quarterbacks to the Pro Bowl last season. I slotted Jacksonville at No. 5 and Philadelphia No. 9.

David Garrard finished third in the NFL in passing for the Jaguars last season with a league-low three interceptions, and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb gets the John Elway pass because of his five Pro Bowl appearances.

Quarterbacking also is the reason Green Bay slides from NFC runner-up in 2007 to No. 18 this month. With the retirement of Favre, the Packers are no longer automatic contenders.

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[WoodysGirl]

Rick Gosselin's NFL Off-Season Rankings


[SIZE=-1]07:22 PM CDT on Saturday, May 31, 2008[/SIZE]



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New England's '07 rank: No. 2 Tom Brady. Enough said. He's the triggerman of the most prolific offense in NFL history. Want more? Randy Moss. Laurence Maroney. Wes Welker. All that firepower produced an NFL-record 589 points in 2007. The defense let New England down on the final drive of the season, and that group will be without its Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel in 2008. But the Patriots survived the loss of a better corner in Ty Law and continued to win championships. The Patriots needed to get younger at linebacker and have done so with first-round draft pick Jerod Mayo. They also needed to get deeper at cornerback and did so with veteran starters Fernando Bryant and Jason Webster in free agency.
2
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Indianapolis' '07 rank: No. 4 The Colts finished as the No. 2 seed in the AFC last season despite losing an NFL-runnerup 81 games by starters due to injury. Indianapolis lost Peyton Manning's go-to guy Marvin Harrison for 11 games, Pro Bowl pass rusher Dwight Freeney for seven games and starting tackles Ryan Diem and Tony Ugoh for a combined 11 games. Yet the Colts still posted a 13-3 record with Manning and a makeshift cast. If the Colts stay reasonably healthy in 2008, they are back in the mix for a second Super Bowl championship in three seasons. Running back Joseph Addai is an emerging star.
3
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Dallas' '07 rank: No. 6 Let's face it – the Cowboys should have been in the Super Bowl last year. For 17 weeks they were the best team in the NFC. They owned a record 13 Pro Bowlers and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But the Cowboys haven't won a post-season game in 11 years. You must win in January before you can win in February. December also has been a mystery for this team with a 4-5 record in the Tony Romo era. Talent-wise, the Cowboys rank with the Patriots and Colts. But the two AFC teams have proven they can win in the pressure situations. The Cowboys haven't.
4
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San Diego's '07 rank: No. 3 Norv Turner as a coach and the Chargers as a team took huge steps toward credibility in 2007 with a trip to the AFC title game. Now the Chargers have had a year in Turner's offense. Quarterback Philip Rivers has two playoff victories under his belt, one at home and one on the road, and he'll have speedy wide receiver Chris Chambers at his disposal for a full season. LaDainian Tomlinson remains the best runner, Antonio Gates the best tight end and Shawne Merriman the best pass rusher in the NFL.
5
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Jacksonville's '07 rank: No. 7 The name of the game on defense is the pass rush. When defensive coordinator Mike Smith left to become the head coach at Atlanta, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio used the opportunity to hire a pass-rush specialist in Gregg Williams. He put together top 10 defenses this decade for Tennessee, Buffalo and Washington. Then Del Rio gave Williams the tools to implement his scheme. There were four elite pass rushers in this draft and the Jaguars selected two of them, Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves.
6
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New York Giants' '07 rank: No. 1 The Giants became the sixth wild card to win a Super Bowl. Of the first five, three didn't qualify for the playoffs the next season. The only wild card to repeat was Denver in 1998 – and the Broncos had John Elway. Have you bought into Eli Manning yet? The Giants played shutdown defense in the postseason, taking out the high-powered offenses Dallas, Green Bay and New England in consecutive games. But three starters have left that New York defense in free agency.
7
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Pittsburgh's '07 rank: No. 10 The Steelers changed their head coach in 2007 but not the team's personality. Pittsburgh continues to run the ball and play suffocating defense, finishing third in the NFL in rushing and first in defense in Mike Tomlin's debut season as coach. But a first-round home playoff loss was shocking. The running game fell off at the end of the year when Willie Parker suffered a broken leg, so the Steelers drafted some insurance in Big Ten MVP Rashard Mendenhall.
8
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Cleveland's '07 rank: No. 11 The Browns won 10 games but failed to qualify for the playoffs. Offense wasn't the problem. QB Derek Anderson, WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow were Pro Bowlers and RB Jamal Lewis a 1,300-yard rusher. But Cleveland ranked 30th in defense and 27th against the run. So the Browns traded for almost 700 pounds of quality bulk at defensive tackle, acquiring Shaun Rogers from the Detroit Lions and Corey Williams from the Green Bay Packers.
9
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Philadelphia's '07 rank: No. 15 A slow start – 0-2, then 1-3 – doomed the Eagles in the NFL's most competitive division in 2007. But victories at Washington and Dallas in the second half of the season reminded the East that Philadelphia continues to lurk. The Eagles intercepted an NFL-low 11 passes last season and forced a league-low 19 turnovers. So the Eagles signed Pro Bowl CB Asante Samuel away from the Patriots in free agency. He had 10 interceptions himself in 2006.
10
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Seattle's '07 rank: No. 8 Age and eight seasons of NFL wear-and-tear caught up with Shaun Alexander last season and the Seahawks finished 20th in the NFL in rushing. So Seattle cut the league's 2005 rushing champion and MVP. The Seahawks signed free agent Julius Jones to replace him and gave him a big new blocker in free-agent Mike Wahle. Seattle continues to benefit from its residency in the NFC West, where Arizona, San Francisco and St. Louis self-destruct on an annual basis.
11
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Minnesota's '07 rank: No. 17 With the quarterback concerns in Green Bay and Chicago, the Vikings see an opening in the NFC North and took a win-now approach this offseason. They traded for NFL sack leader Jared Allen and signing Chicago go-to guy Bernard Berrian away from the Bears. But contention will hinge on the development of their own young QB Tarvaris Jackson.
12
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New Orleans' '07 rank: No. 22 With Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and a healthy Deuce McAllister, the Saints have an offense that's Super Bowl-ready. But after finishing 26th in defense, New Orleans needed to overhaul that side of the ball. So they drafted DT Sedrick Ellis, signed pass rusher Bobby McCray in free agency and traded for LB Jonathan Vilma.
13
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Tennessee's '07 rank: No. 9 It's still on-the-job training for Vince Young, who threw almost twice as many interceptions (17) as touchdowns (9) in his second season. But the Titans are winning along the way, finishing 10-6 last season for a wild-card playoff berth. In dire need of some big plays on offense, Tennessee drafted RB Chris Johnson with his 4.24 speed.
14
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Tampa Bay's '07 rank: No. 12 The Bucs won the NFC South in 2008 despite the absence of star running back Carnell Williams for 12 games with a knee injury. He's back, and fan favorite Warrick Dunn returns to Tampa as an insurance policy. Monte Kiffin is restocking the defense with youth, adding pass rusher Gaines Adams in 2007 and cover corner Aqib Talib in 2008.
15
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Cincinnati's '07 rank: No. 20 The arm of Dan Marino made the Dolphins a playoff contender throughout the 1990s even when Miami's running game and defense weren't up to par. That's the fate of Carson Palmer now in Cincinnati. He's a franchise quarterback with an inadequate cast. He gives the Bengals the hope of beating any team on any Sunday. But he must go it alone.
16
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Buffalo's '07 rank: No. 21 The Bills lost a league-high 89 games by starters due to injury and finished 30th in the NFL in offense and 31st in defense. Yet Buffalo chased a playoff berth into December, finishing 7-9 with two losses coming on last-second field goals. Good health should make the Bills a contender in 2008. So should the addition of Pro Bowl DT Marcus Stroud.
17
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Houston's '07 rank: No. 15 The Oilers had the misfortune of playing in the same division with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s. Now the Texans have the misfortune of playing in the same division with the Indianapolis Colts in the 2000s. The Texans have a talented young cast in QB Matt Schaub, WR Andre Johnson and DE Mario Williams – but an inability to beat the Colts.
18
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Green Bay's '07 rank: No. 5 The retirement of Brett Favre takes the winningest and most prolific passer in NFL history out of a Green Bay uniform this season. Inexperienced and untested Aaron Rodgers replaces him. This is a talented team. The Packers reached the NFC title game last January. But how much of that was Favre? Suddenly, the defense must carry the Pack.
19
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Carolina's '07 rank: No. 23 The offense cratered with the loss of QB Jake Delhomme last September. The Panthers wound up 29th in the NFL in offense and fell from the ranks of playoff contenders. Coach John Fox overhauled his roster, deleting seven starters. Fox wants to become a running team again and rookie RB Jonathan Stewart will provide him that opportunity.
20
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Washington's '07 rank: No. 13 The highest-paid coaching staff in the NFL delivered a 9-7 record and wild-card finish in 2007. Now head coach Joe Gibbs, offensive coordinator Al Saunders and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams are all gone. Novice Jim Zorn is calling the shots at head coach. The lineup returns virtually intact with some new young pass catchers.
21
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Arizona's '07 rank: No. 16 The NFL's 28th ranked pass defense kept the Cardinals from contending for a playoff spot in 2007. So Arizona signed a pass rusher (Clark Haggans) in free agency and drafted a cornerback (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie). But their future remains in the hands of QB Matt Leinart.
22
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Chicago's '07 rank: No. 19 The Bears must have a ton of confidence in young tight end Greg Olsen because they let starting wideouts Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian walk out the door. They cut Muhammad and let Berrian sign in free agency with the Vikings. The quarterback position remains unsettled.
23
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St. Louis' '07 rank: No. 31 Three starting offensive lineman finished the 2007 season on injured reserve, which explains why the Rams rushed for a league-low five touchdowns, allowed 48 sacks and threw an NFL-high 28 interceptions. St. Louis must keep QB Marc Bulger and HB Steven Jackson upright and on the field.
24
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Oakland's '07 rank: No. 29 Plenty of young pieces are in place, especially with the addition of dynamic rookie RB Darren McFadden. But two huge question marks remain at head coach (Lane Kiffin) and quarterback (JaMarcus Russell). The Raiders allowed an NFL-high 24 rushing TDs, and now DT Warren Sapp has retired.
25
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Detroit's '07 rank: No. 24 The experiment with Mike Martz and his Greatest-Show-on-Turf offense fizzled. Too many turnovers cost him his job as offensive coordinator after one season. So defense and the running game are back in. Third-round RB Kevin Smith is a sleeper candidate for NFL Rookie of the Year.
26
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Kansas City's '07 rank: No. 28 The Chiefs are following the route taken by Jimmy Johnson's Cowboys – trade away your best player (DE Jared Allen) and use the draft picks to accelerate the rebuilding. Pencil in these rookies as starters: DT Glenn Dorsey, OT Brandon Albert and CB Brandon Flowers.
27
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Baltimore's '07 rank: No. 25 When the Ravens committed a league-high 40 turnovers in 2007, it cost offensive guru Brian Billick his job as head coach. John Harbaugh inherits a talented but aging defense and a huge question mark at the quarterback position. How quickly do the Ravens go to rookie QB Joe Flacco?
28
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Denver's '07 rank: No. 18 As head coach and executive vice president of football operations, Mike Shanahan has fired coordinators and quarterbacks and even run off a GM. When is he going to hold himself accountable for this mess? He has won one playoff game since John Elway retired in 1999.
29
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New York Jets' '07 rank: No. 27 The Jets couldn't protect their quarterbacks (53 sacks) and couldn't stop the run (29th in the NFL) in 2007. So they signed free agent blockers Alan Faneca and Damien Woody and traded for former Pro Bowl DT Kris Jenkins.
30
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San Francisco's '07 rank: No. 26 Five starters are gone from a team that finished 32nd in offense, 25th in defense and 5-11 in the West. Is that addition by subtraction? The 49ers signed WR Isaac Bruce in free agency but at 35 how much gas is left in his tank?
31
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Miami's '07 rank: No. 32 Tony Sparano is the new coach and Jeff Ireland the new GM but make no mistake about it – this is a Bill Parcells team. The Dolphins will be bigger and stronger with new linemen Jason Ferguson, Justin Smiley and Jake Long.
32
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Atlanta's '07 rank: No. 30 Owner Arthur Blank is trying to distance himself from the Mike Vick era, drafting QB Matt Ryan to be the new face of the franchise. Blank also has a new GM (Thomas Dimitroff), a new coach (Mike Smith) and little optimism.

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[Cbz40]

[SIZE=+2]Super heroes? Teams with top QBs have best shot at title

[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]07:21 PM CDT on Saturday, May 31, 2008

[/SIZE]
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&#8226; E-mail


There's an urge every NFL off-season to be different. Go against the flow.

I did in 1996. The Cowboys were coming off their third Super Bowl championship in four seasons. I put the Green Bay Packers No. 1 in my annual off-season rankings that June. I hit &#8211; the Packers won it all that year. That was my best call.

My worst call? I put Pittsburgh No. 1 in 1998 and Philadelphia No. 1 in 2005. The Steelers and Eagles missed the playoffs those seasons, both with 6-10 records. I learned my lesson &#8211; stay away from the Keystone State.

Cowboys / NFL Rick Gosselin's off-season rankings


Parity has taught me another lesson. The meek can inherit the earth. I placed St. Louis 23rd in my annual off-season rankings in 1999, New England 22nd in 2001 and the New York Giants 21st in 2007. All went on to win Super Bowls.

I picked New England No. 1 last June, and the Patriots came within 36 seconds of being labeled the greatest team in NFL history. But when Plaxico Burress caught that 13-yard touchdown pass on a fade rout with 35 seconds left in the Super Bowl, the Patriots lost the game and their bid for a perfect season.

The Giants won the Lombardi Trophy, but I'm still of the belief the Patriots are the best team in football. That's why I'm putting New England atop my off-season rankings once again in 2008. It's the first time I've gone with a team in back-to-back off-seasons since the Packers in 1996-97. Green Bay went to the Super Bowl both years.

The NFL always has been and always will be a game of quarterbacks &#8211; and the Patriots have the best in Tom Brady. He presides over the highest-scoring offense in NFL history. His prolific right arm produced 4,806 passing yards, a record 50 touchdown passes and 598 points in 2007.
Brady always seems to have the Patriots playing in front. He put them up 14-0 in the first quarter of a game against Buffalo last season. By halftime in other games, he had the Patriots up 20-0 against Cleveland, 24-0 against San Diego and Washington and 28-0 against Miami.

New England played 1,140 minutes of football in 19 games last season and trailed on the scoreboard only 160 of those minutes.

The 2006 NFL champion Indianapolis Colts also are allowed to have Super Bowl aspirations in 2008. They have Peyton Manning. That's why I put them No. 2. The Cowboys are allowed to have Super Bowl aspirations. They have Tony Romo. That's why they are No. 3. The San Diego Chargers are allowed to have Super Bowl aspirations. They have an emerging Philip Rivers at quarterback. That's why they are No. 4.

Find the quarterbacks and you'll find the legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Truthfully, who could have envisioned the Rams in 1999, the Patriots in 2001 and the Giants in 2007 winning Super Bowls? Except that St. Louis quarterback Kurt Warner was the NFL MVP in 1999, Brady the Super Bowl MVP in 2001, and New York's Eli Manning outplayed Romo, Brett Favre and Brady in consecutive games in winning Super Bowl MVP honors in February.

Manning is the reason the Giants didn't stray far from the top in the rankings this off-season. New York sits sixth. He's one of only four quarterbacks to take his team to the playoffs each of the last three seasons, joining his brother Peyton, Brady and Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck.

I also included Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Seattle in my top 10. All three teams sent quarterbacks to the Pro Bowl last season. I slotted Jacksonville at No. 5 and Philadelphia No. 9.
David Garrard finished third in the NFL in passing for the Jaguars last season with a league-low three interceptions, and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb gets the John Elway pass because of his five Pro Bowl appearances.

Quarterbacking also is the reason Green Bay slides from NFC runner-up in 2007 to No. 18 this month. With the retirement of Favre, the Packers are no longer automatic contenders.

 

[big dog cowboy]

The NFL always has been and always will be a game of quarterbacks

That is so true.

Just look at our team history and how we have struggled when we didn't have a franchise QB.

 

[Sarge]

This is all well and good, but the Giants just won a Super Bowl with a pretty average QB. A QB who was under A LOT of scrutiny at the beginning of the season last year.

I tend to agree however, generally speaking with the article. My point is, it has been done (winning the SB) with less than stellar QB's in the past.

 

[JakeCamp12]

Hey Sarge,

Did you change your sig picture and avatar to black and white or are my eyes going?

 

[THUMPER]

This is all well and good, but the Giants just won a Super Bowl with a pretty average QB. A QB who was under A LOT of scrutiny at the beginning of the season last year.

I tend to agree however, generally speaking with the article. My point is, it has been done (winning the SB) with less than stellar QB's in the past.

That has been proven over and over. Guys like Trent Dilfer, Mark Rypien, Doug Williams, etc. were all journeymen and a little above average for the most part. Sometimes you get a guy who just has a great season.

Having a top QB certainly helps but it is no guarantee nor is it the only thing you need to win a championship in the NFL You need a solid team that plays well together.

 

[Sarge]

Hey Sarge,

Did you change your sig picture and avatar to black and white or are my eyes going?

Yes - I changed it. I'm stylish like that.

 

[sago1]

I believe in most of those cases when the QB was NOT top notch that the winning teams also had an outstanding defense & were probably also good on STs. Giants very much fit that pattern. Eli essentially was a bus driver who was only required to score around 3 TDs but make no mistakes; his defense & STs did the rest. Now if his defense can't stop the opposing team or their STs makes mistake, I just don't believe he can compete. Fortunately the Giants defense seemed to play their best in last game or 2 of the season & in the playoffs.

If the Cowboys are to win the SB this year, our defense must really step up (addition of 2-3 potentially very good CBs & an ILB who can cover & play the run) should help as well entering 2nd season in Wade's defense. The addition of Felix & Choice should really help our running game (if Hudson Houck can get better run blocking from our OL) & should also help our ST (along with Pacman). We've also added a few more players who good on STs so we should see an improvement there. If the few additions we've added work out this year, we should certainly expect to at least go deep into the plays but hopefully win our 6th SB.

 

[Hostile]

That is so true.

Just look at our team history and how we have struggled when we didn't have a franchise QB.

I used to argue this point with Jimz31 all the time. That was back when he was defending our QB while I was panning him. To be a perenial contender you have to have a top QB. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Once in a while a Brad Johnson or Trent Dilfer will slip through the cracks and win one. Yeah, and even a blind chicken gets a piece of corn now and then. I will always take a great QB over a "Bus Driver." Every year, every game of the year, always.

 

[Hostile]

Hey Sarge,

Did you change your sig picture and avatar to black and white or are my eyes going?

Your Mom probably warned you about that.

:wink2:

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Been that way pretty much throughout the history of the game.

 

[Sarge]

Your Mom probably warned you about that.

:wink2:

:laugh2: you ain't right.

 

[ZeroClub]

Goose is forgetting this old saying: "Quarterbacks get too much credit for wins and too much blame for losses."

"Top QB" is a misleading label, because it really isn't just about who is playing the QB position. Obviously, to play at a level of excellence, the QB needs to have high quality teammates. The better the QB's teammates, the better the QBs chances are of being labeled "top QB."

Again, having "a top QB" doesn't merely depend on who is playing the QB position. To have "a top QB," almost always, you have to have an above average to excellent supporting cast for your QB.

And if you have a truly excellent supporting cast on your team, you can win even if your QB isn't "top."

So "You must have a top QB to win" really means this: "you must have above average offensive line play and some top skill position players to win."

... because, if your QB has never had the opportunity to play with an above average offensive line and some top skill position players, it is highly unlikely that your QB will ever be labeled "top."

 

[DallasEast]

I was kinda curious how Gooselin's rankings would relate as to best-to-worst divisions. So, I took the liberty (my apologies, Mr. Gooselin) of adding together his rank for each team according to their respective divisions and sorted each division's total from smallest to largest:

Ranking Sum..Divisions [ Gooselin's rank for each team is in () ]
37.. AFC South: Indianapolis Colts (2) Jacksonville Jaguars (5) Tennessee Titans (13) Houston Texans (17)
38.. NFC East: Dallas Cowboys (3) New York Giants (6) Philadelphia Eagles (9) Washington Commanders (20)
57.. AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers (7) Cleveland Browns (8) Cincinnati Bengals (15) Baltimore Ravens (27)
76.. NFC North: Minnesota Vikings (11) Green Bay Packers (18) Chicago Bears (22) Detroit Lions (25)
77.. AFC East: New England Patriots (1) Buffalo Bills (16) New York Jets (29) Miami Dolphins (31)
77.. NFC South: New Orleans Saints (12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14) Carolina Panthers (19) Atlanta Falcons (32)
82.. AFC West: San Diego Chargers (4) Oakland Raiders (24) Kansas City Chiefs (26) Denver Broncos (28)
84.. NFC West: Seattle Seahawks (10) Arizona Cardinals (21) St. Louis Rams (23) San Francisco 49ers (30)

If Goose's ranking per team are a good barometer for how strong each division will be, the NFC East will be edged out by the AFC South as the toughest this season. That's after factoring in the Giants, Eagles and us as top ten Gooselin picks. Leave it to the Commanders to pull down the division. Again.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I was kinda curious how Gooselin's rankings would relate as to best-to-worst divisions. So, I took the liberty (my apologies, Mr. Gooselin) of adding together his rank for each team according to their respective divisions and sorted each division's total from smallest to largest:

Ranking Sum..Divisions [ Gooselin's rank for each team is in () ]
37.. AFC South: Indianapolis Colts (2) Jacksonville Jaguars (5) Tennessee Titans (13) Houston Texans (17)
38.. NFC East: Dallas Cowboys (3) New York Giants (6) Philadelphia Eagles (9) Washington Commanders (20)
57.. AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers (7) Cleveland Browns (8) Cincinnati Bengals (15) Baltimore Ravens (27)
76.. NFC North: Minnesota Vikings (11) Green Bay Packers (18) Chicago Bears (22) Detroit Lions (25)
77.. AFC East: New England Patriots (1) Buffalo Bills (16) New York Jets (29) Miami Dolphins (31)
77.. NFC South: New Orleans Saints (12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14) Carolina Panthers (19) Atlanta Falcons (32)
82.. AFC West: San Diego Chargers (4) Oakland Raiders (24) Kansas City Chiefs (26) Denver Broncos (28)
84.. NFC West: Seattle Seahawks (10) Arizona Cardinals (21) St. Louis Rams (23) San Francisco 49ers (30)

If Goose's ranking per team are a good barometer for how strong each division will be, the NFC East will be edged out by the AFC South as the toughest this season. That's after factoring in the Giants, Eagles and us as top ten Gooselin picks. Leave it to the Commanders to pull down the division. Again.

Interesting how DMN sums up the divisional rankings exactly how you did..
----------------

Goose puts Cowboys third
2:01 PM Sun, Jun 01, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Albert Breer E-mail News tips
Our own Hall of Famer, Rick "Goose" Gosselin, has released his annual offseason power rankings. And he puts the Cowboys third, behind only the two dominant teams of this decade, the Patriots and Colts, and atop the NFC.

Let's face it - the Cowboys should have been in the Super Bowl last year. For 17 weeks they were the best team in the NFC. They owned a record 13 Pro Bowlers and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But the Cowboys haven't won a post-season game in 11 years. You must win in January before you can win in February. December also has been a mystery for this team, with a 4-5 record in the Tony Romo era. Talent-wise, the Cowboys rank with the Patriots and Colts. But the two AFC teams have proven they can win in the pressure situations. The Cowboys haven't.
Goose's column accompanying the rankings focuses on the stability at the quarterback position among the Top 10.

I thought it'd be interesting too to take these rankings and see which division is toughest. Goose agrees with my assertion that the AFC South is football's most difficult circuit, with the NFC East a close second. Here's how the numbers come out aftering power ranking the divisions (adding the teams' rankings) ...

1) AFC South -- 37
2) NFC East -- 38
3) AFC North -- 57
4) NFC North -- 66
t-5) AFC East -- 77
t-5) NFC South -- 77
7) AFC West -- 82
8) NFC West -- 84


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[jobberone]

We are in the best with 3 top ten teams. That should either make or break us. I don't think Philly will be a top ten team this year but I understand why they are and why I could easily be very wrong. I won't even discount the possibility of the Skins being a top 10-15 team.

 

[bbgun]

About as earthshattering as "Supermodels have best shot at procreating."

 

[jobberone]

About as earthshattering as "Supermodels have best shot at procreating."

Actually most have so little body fat they can't ovulate therefore not procreate. This fact from your Friendly Neighborhood Mr. Wizard.

 

[bbgun]

Actually most have so little body fat they can't ovulate therefore not procreate.

Even better. I was just looking for a good time.