Mr Cowboy
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Misfortune .500
By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports
September 20, 2005
The NFL's schedule makers must be breaking their arms congratulating themselves.
Two games into the season, 56 percent of the league – a whopping 18 teams – are playing .500 football. Last year's Super Bowl teams have already suffered their first loss, and the 2004 league doormats – San Francisco, Miami, Cleveland and Chicago – have already notched their first wins. The Commanders and Giants are 2-0, but the Chargers and Vikings are 0-2.
Such realities have made the early-season rankings as difficult as ever; nearly all teams outside of this week's Top 12 seem to be separated by mere molecules. You might as well throw out the bottom five this week, since the league has settled into three tiers consisting of 10 to 11 teams each.
The only truly significant movement over the weekend occurred in the Top 12, where Kansas City jumps up from sixth to No. 2 with an impressive road win over Oakland. The Steelers are poised to make a similar jump if they can beat the Patriots this Sunday. I've also bumped up a few teams on the fringe of the Top 12 for posting strong starts. But as always, the rankings won't really solidify until mid-October, when injuries begin to set in and teams will have been exposed over a longer period.
THE TOP 12
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1. Indianapolis Colts (2-0) – Peyton Manning and company are off to a slow start, but the next five games should be an orgy of offense: Cleveland, Tennessee, San Francisco, St. Louis and Houston. Can you say 7-0 by the bye week?
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) – Holding Oakland's offense to 17 points on the road goes a long way toward proving K.C.'s defense is legit. The next two games against Denver and Philadelphia could cement the Chiefs among the league's elite.
3. New England Patriots (1-1) – The turnovers by Tom Brady aren't indicative of anything but one bad game. The larger concern is reestablishing Corey Dillon (2.7 yards per carry) and getting the defensive mistakes under control.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) – Donovan McNabb stopped locking on Terrell Owens and spread the ball around Sunday. And say what you want about Owens, but when he's on his game, he's as fun to watch as anyone in the NFL.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) – Teams aren't getting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger, and he's making them pay with a ridiculous 14.8 yards per pass attempt. He already has four pass plays over 40 yards, compared to seven last season.
6. Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) – Going back to last season, Carson Palmer has five straight games with a passer rating over 100. Odell Thurman looks like he's going to be everything the Bengals hoped the rookie linebacker would be.
7. Carolina Panthers (1-1) – Jake Delhomme has looked bad, but Stephen Davis and the defense are winning games again. And the Panthers' schedule seems to be softening by the minute: Their next five opponents have started the season a combined 2-8.
8. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) – The coaches still can't get Michael Vick's passing mechanics in order. He's still not setting his feet, and he missed Michael Jenkins twice on potential touchdowns Sunday. The defense looked atrocious at times against Seattle while giving up 428 yards.
9. New York Jets (1-1) – For all the whining, Chad Pennington's passing numbers aren't awful. But they should be better, considering how teams have stacked the line to stop Curtis Martin (2.5 yards per carry) the first two games.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) – All the talk is about the defense and Carnell Williams, but the offensive line held a stellar Buffalo defense to only one sack this weekend. With games against Green Bay and Detroit coming up, the Bucs could breeze to 4-0.
11. New York Giants (2-0) – The defense has allowed an average of just 51.5 rushing yards in the first two wins. Tom Coughlin may end up being the best thing that ever happened to Tiki Barber.
12. Washington Commanders (2-0) – The win over Dallas was stunning, and it's the kind of thing that could give this team some juice. Now the Commanders have the bye week to feel good about themselves and get Mark Brunell plenty of work with the first-team offense.
RISING
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) – Even in a loss, the Jags showed they have closed the gap on the AFC elite. But they can't let Byron Leftwich get beat up like he did against Indianapolis. The offense doesn't work without him.
THE MUDDLED MIDDLE (in alphabetical order)
Arizona Cardinals (0-2) – J.J. Arrington's tenure as the starting tailback may be over after one game. The vertical passing game hasn't produced explosive plays: Kurt Warner hasn't completed a pass for more than 30 yards, and he has one touchdown pass.
Buffalo Bills (1-1) – The defense simply wore out while spending 38:50 on the field in the Tampa heat. Nothing against J.P. Losman, who is going to be a fine quarterback, but the Bills probably let Drew Bledsoe go a year too early.
Chicago Bears (1-1) – As we expected, there's no denying this is a playoff-quality defense. But rookie Kyle Orton's quiet, mistake-free football has been surprising. Cedric Benson may not be able to wrestle the running back job away from Thomas Jones.
Dallas Cowboys (1-1) – The defense choked and the offense scored its only touchdown on a gimmick play. On the bright side, the Cowboys have three rookie defenders (DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears and Chris Canty) that should be anchors for years to come.
Detroit Lions (1-1) – The offense, defense and special teams failed in a humiliating loss against the Bears. Joey Harrington still has issues, but beyond Roy Williams, the big-money receivers aren't producing. The bye week couldn't come at a better time.
Denver Broncos (1-1) – If there was any doubt about Champ Bailey's importance to this defense, he answered it with his 25-yard interception return against the Chargers. Ron Dayne looks better in Denver's offensive scheme than he has at any time in his career.
Miami Dolphins (1-1) – The loss to the Jets is deflating, but give Miami credit for hanging tough on the road deep into the fourth quarter. With the way that offensive line is playing, the Dolphins could use the tough running of Ricky Williams right about now.
Minnesota Vikings (0-2) – Blame it on Randy Moss and Scott Linehan being gone, or the offensive line's awful play. But the bottom line is Daunte Culpepper threw a lot of dumb passes into double and triple coverage against Cincinnati.
New Orleans Saints (1-1) – All that raving about Aaron Brooks early in Monday night's game sure fizzled with his three interceptions. The Saints bandwagon is about to clear out so fast, you could be riding shotgun with Jim Haslett by Wednesday.
Oakland Raiders (0-2) – Too bad Ronald Curry has been lost for the season, but it's not like Kerry Collins was looking at him anyway. It's still early, but Randy Moss' presence hasn't done much for Collins' accuracy (52.7 completion percentage).
San Diego Chargers (0-2) – General manager A.J. Smith says he doesn't regret suspending Antonio Gates for the season opener, but he should now that the Chargers are 0-2. Drew Brees has thrown killer interceptions in back-to-back games.
Seattle Seahawks (1-1) – They barely held on after jumping to a 21-0 lead, but you have to wonder if the ending would have been different against a healthy Michael Vick. The offense deserves a nod for hanging 428 yards on a good Atlanta defense.
St. Louis Rams (1-1) – The defense locked Arizona up when it needed, forcing four field goals and coming up with a crucial sack of Kurt Warner in the final seconds. The offensive line is still struggling, giving up 11 sacks in the first two games.
FALLING
Baltimore Ravens (0-2) – Now we know why Brian Billick refused to sit Kyle Boller down in favor of Anthony Wright. Jamal Lewis (57 yards on 26 carries) is getting destroyed by the most befuddled quarterback situation in the NFL.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
28. Tennessee Titans (1-1) – The defense did a complete turnaround against Baltimore, but it's easy to stack the line and stop a run game against the league's worst quarterback. We'll see how far the unit has come against St. Louis and Indianapolis the next two weeks.
29. Cleveland Browns (1-1) – The win is nice, but Romeo Crennel has to be frustrated with the limp defense. Even if they did force key mistakes, the Browns aren't going to win much by giving up an average of 436 yards per game.
30. San Francisco 49ers (1-1) – In the time it takes you to read this, the Eagles and Terrell Owens had already scored their first touchdown Sunday. About the only plus from the 42-3 rout was Mike Rumph's hellacious hit on Owens.
31. Green Bay Packers (0-2) – Just when you think it can't get any worse, Bubba Franks tweaks a knee and the Browns roll up 391 yards on the defense. With Tampa Bay and Carolina on the horizon, Green Bay could be looking at a 0-4 start.
32. Houston Texans (0-2) – Chris Palmer gets the axe for the offensive problems, but this team hasn't improved enough under Dom Capers. Andre Johnson's seven catches for 38 yards this season are an absolute joke.
By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports
September 20, 2005
The NFL's schedule makers must be breaking their arms congratulating themselves.
Two games into the season, 56 percent of the league – a whopping 18 teams – are playing .500 football. Last year's Super Bowl teams have already suffered their first loss, and the 2004 league doormats – San Francisco, Miami, Cleveland and Chicago – have already notched their first wins. The Commanders and Giants are 2-0, but the Chargers and Vikings are 0-2.
Such realities have made the early-season rankings as difficult as ever; nearly all teams outside of this week's Top 12 seem to be separated by mere molecules. You might as well throw out the bottom five this week, since the league has settled into three tiers consisting of 10 to 11 teams each.
The only truly significant movement over the weekend occurred in the Top 12, where Kansas City jumps up from sixth to No. 2 with an impressive road win over Oakland. The Steelers are poised to make a similar jump if they can beat the Patriots this Sunday. I've also bumped up a few teams on the fringe of the Top 12 for posting strong starts. But as always, the rankings won't really solidify until mid-October, when injuries begin to set in and teams will have been exposed over a longer period.
THE TOP 12
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1. Indianapolis Colts (2-0) – Peyton Manning and company are off to a slow start, but the next five games should be an orgy of offense: Cleveland, Tennessee, San Francisco, St. Louis and Houston. Can you say 7-0 by the bye week?
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) – Holding Oakland's offense to 17 points on the road goes a long way toward proving K.C.'s defense is legit. The next two games against Denver and Philadelphia could cement the Chiefs among the league's elite.
3. New England Patriots (1-1) – The turnovers by Tom Brady aren't indicative of anything but one bad game. The larger concern is reestablishing Corey Dillon (2.7 yards per carry) and getting the defensive mistakes under control.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) – Donovan McNabb stopped locking on Terrell Owens and spread the ball around Sunday. And say what you want about Owens, but when he's on his game, he's as fun to watch as anyone in the NFL.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) – Teams aren't getting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger, and he's making them pay with a ridiculous 14.8 yards per pass attempt. He already has four pass plays over 40 yards, compared to seven last season.
6. Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) – Going back to last season, Carson Palmer has five straight games with a passer rating over 100. Odell Thurman looks like he's going to be everything the Bengals hoped the rookie linebacker would be.
7. Carolina Panthers (1-1) – Jake Delhomme has looked bad, but Stephen Davis and the defense are winning games again. And the Panthers' schedule seems to be softening by the minute: Their next five opponents have started the season a combined 2-8.
8. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) – The coaches still can't get Michael Vick's passing mechanics in order. He's still not setting his feet, and he missed Michael Jenkins twice on potential touchdowns Sunday. The defense looked atrocious at times against Seattle while giving up 428 yards.
9. New York Jets (1-1) – For all the whining, Chad Pennington's passing numbers aren't awful. But they should be better, considering how teams have stacked the line to stop Curtis Martin (2.5 yards per carry) the first two games.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) – All the talk is about the defense and Carnell Williams, but the offensive line held a stellar Buffalo defense to only one sack this weekend. With games against Green Bay and Detroit coming up, the Bucs could breeze to 4-0.
11. New York Giants (2-0) – The defense has allowed an average of just 51.5 rushing yards in the first two wins. Tom Coughlin may end up being the best thing that ever happened to Tiki Barber.
12. Washington Commanders (2-0) – The win over Dallas was stunning, and it's the kind of thing that could give this team some juice. Now the Commanders have the bye week to feel good about themselves and get Mark Brunell plenty of work with the first-team offense.
RISING
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) – Even in a loss, the Jags showed they have closed the gap on the AFC elite. But they can't let Byron Leftwich get beat up like he did against Indianapolis. The offense doesn't work without him.
THE MUDDLED MIDDLE (in alphabetical order)
Arizona Cardinals (0-2) – J.J. Arrington's tenure as the starting tailback may be over after one game. The vertical passing game hasn't produced explosive plays: Kurt Warner hasn't completed a pass for more than 30 yards, and he has one touchdown pass.
Buffalo Bills (1-1) – The defense simply wore out while spending 38:50 on the field in the Tampa heat. Nothing against J.P. Losman, who is going to be a fine quarterback, but the Bills probably let Drew Bledsoe go a year too early.
Chicago Bears (1-1) – As we expected, there's no denying this is a playoff-quality defense. But rookie Kyle Orton's quiet, mistake-free football has been surprising. Cedric Benson may not be able to wrestle the running back job away from Thomas Jones.
Dallas Cowboys (1-1) – The defense choked and the offense scored its only touchdown on a gimmick play. On the bright side, the Cowboys have three rookie defenders (DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears and Chris Canty) that should be anchors for years to come.
Detroit Lions (1-1) – The offense, defense and special teams failed in a humiliating loss against the Bears. Joey Harrington still has issues, but beyond Roy Williams, the big-money receivers aren't producing. The bye week couldn't come at a better time.
Denver Broncos (1-1) – If there was any doubt about Champ Bailey's importance to this defense, he answered it with his 25-yard interception return against the Chargers. Ron Dayne looks better in Denver's offensive scheme than he has at any time in his career.
Miami Dolphins (1-1) – The loss to the Jets is deflating, but give Miami credit for hanging tough on the road deep into the fourth quarter. With the way that offensive line is playing, the Dolphins could use the tough running of Ricky Williams right about now.
Minnesota Vikings (0-2) – Blame it on Randy Moss and Scott Linehan being gone, or the offensive line's awful play. But the bottom line is Daunte Culpepper threw a lot of dumb passes into double and triple coverage against Cincinnati.
New Orleans Saints (1-1) – All that raving about Aaron Brooks early in Monday night's game sure fizzled with his three interceptions. The Saints bandwagon is about to clear out so fast, you could be riding shotgun with Jim Haslett by Wednesday.
Oakland Raiders (0-2) – Too bad Ronald Curry has been lost for the season, but it's not like Kerry Collins was looking at him anyway. It's still early, but Randy Moss' presence hasn't done much for Collins' accuracy (52.7 completion percentage).
San Diego Chargers (0-2) – General manager A.J. Smith says he doesn't regret suspending Antonio Gates for the season opener, but he should now that the Chargers are 0-2. Drew Brees has thrown killer interceptions in back-to-back games.
Seattle Seahawks (1-1) – They barely held on after jumping to a 21-0 lead, but you have to wonder if the ending would have been different against a healthy Michael Vick. The offense deserves a nod for hanging 428 yards on a good Atlanta defense.
St. Louis Rams (1-1) – The defense locked Arizona up when it needed, forcing four field goals and coming up with a crucial sack of Kurt Warner in the final seconds. The offensive line is still struggling, giving up 11 sacks in the first two games.
FALLING
Baltimore Ravens (0-2) – Now we know why Brian Billick refused to sit Kyle Boller down in favor of Anthony Wright. Jamal Lewis (57 yards on 26 carries) is getting destroyed by the most befuddled quarterback situation in the NFL.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
28. Tennessee Titans (1-1) – The defense did a complete turnaround against Baltimore, but it's easy to stack the line and stop a run game against the league's worst quarterback. We'll see how far the unit has come against St. Louis and Indianapolis the next two weeks.
29. Cleveland Browns (1-1) – The win is nice, but Romeo Crennel has to be frustrated with the limp defense. Even if they did force key mistakes, the Browns aren't going to win much by giving up an average of 436 yards per game.
30. San Francisco 49ers (1-1) – In the time it takes you to read this, the Eagles and Terrell Owens had already scored their first touchdown Sunday. About the only plus from the 42-3 rout was Mike Rumph's hellacious hit on Owens.
31. Green Bay Packers (0-2) – Just when you think it can't get any worse, Bubba Franks tweaks a knee and the Browns roll up 391 yards on the defense. With Tampa Bay and Carolina on the horizon, Green Bay could be looking at a 0-4 start.
32. Houston Texans (0-2) – Chris Palmer gets the axe for the offensive problems, but this team hasn't improved enough under Dom Capers. Andre Johnson's seven catches for 38 yards this season are an absolute joke.
