ajsdx
09-15-2003, 05:07 PM
From MMQB:
1. Tampa Bay (1-1): A brief refresher: The way I rank my top teams is by asking myself: If two teams met on a neutral field in Wichita tomorrow, who would win? And even though the Bucs lost yesterday, and probably deserved to, I still think they're the best team in football. Hence the top designation.
2. Kansas City (2-0): Paul Zimmerman, you were right, and I was wrong about these guys. The Chiefs' defense made some vicious hits, it harassed Tommy Maddox all day and in the first 31 minutes of the game, it held the Steelers to just seven rushing yards.
3. Buffalo (2-0): Owner Ralph Wilson on his new toy at safety: "Best Lawyer we ever had in this organization."
4. Carolina (2-0): There are very few times when one of my picks looks good after a couple of weeks, but this is one of them. The Panthers will be playing games in January.
5. Oakland (1-1): Never thought I'd see Rich Gannon in a commercial, and certainly never with that star of the Great White Way, the ponytailed Chris Hovan. But there they were yesterday, noshing on pizza with Michael Strahan, in a spot for Pizza Hut.
6. Indianapolis (2-0): Talk about a great statement win. Beating the Titans like that, with Edgerrin James returning to form as one of the great backs, is about as good a day as Tony Dungy could ever hope for.
7. New York Giants (1-0): Snoop Dog's latest video, debuting after tonight's game: "Tiki Gone Wild."
8. Tennessee (1-1): That there's your mulligan, Jeff Fisher.
9. Denver (2-0): Concussed after a Sunday bell-ringing in San Diego, Jake Plummer heads home for his first game at Invesco, and though I understand the natives have been a bit restless with their new mistake-prone QB, it's mind-boggling to think that he'll probably get booed the first time he throws three incompletions in a row. Help the guy, fans. Don't tear him down.
10. Miami (1-1): I admire the Dolphins' offensive game plan: Give it to Ricky until he pukes.
11. Minnesota (2-0): But how do you judge Minnesota after it beat the Bears?
12. Seattle (2-0): You had to be here to see how bad the Cardinals were. You really did. Having said that, wins of 27-10 and 31-0 are not to be sneezed at in this league.
13. San Francisco (1-1): For all the times I've criticized Terrell Owens, I owe him this: If not for his 50-yard sprint across the field and subsequent tackle late in the first half at St. Louis after a Jeff Garcia pass was picked off, the 49ers would have been behind at the half 14-10 instead of ahead 10-7.
14. Washington (2-0): Don't look now, Jets, but Laveranues Coles is on pace for a 128-catch, 2,288-yard season.
15. (tie) St. Louis (1-1): I have no idea at all what this team is.
New England (1-1). Tom Brady rebounds. Good thing he does, or he'd be wastin' away in McNabbville.
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I tend to agree with the rankings, but I would put the Bills ahead of the Chiefs. Our D and passing O is better, which outweighs their advantages in special teams and running O.
1. Tampa Bay (1-1): A brief refresher: The way I rank my top teams is by asking myself: If two teams met on a neutral field in Wichita tomorrow, who would win? And even though the Bucs lost yesterday, and probably deserved to, I still think they're the best team in football. Hence the top designation.
2. Kansas City (2-0): Paul Zimmerman, you were right, and I was wrong about these guys. The Chiefs' defense made some vicious hits, it harassed Tommy Maddox all day and in the first 31 minutes of the game, it held the Steelers to just seven rushing yards.
3. Buffalo (2-0): Owner Ralph Wilson on his new toy at safety: "Best Lawyer we ever had in this organization."
4. Carolina (2-0): There are very few times when one of my picks looks good after a couple of weeks, but this is one of them. The Panthers will be playing games in January.
5. Oakland (1-1): Never thought I'd see Rich Gannon in a commercial, and certainly never with that star of the Great White Way, the ponytailed Chris Hovan. But there they were yesterday, noshing on pizza with Michael Strahan, in a spot for Pizza Hut.
6. Indianapolis (2-0): Talk about a great statement win. Beating the Titans like that, with Edgerrin James returning to form as one of the great backs, is about as good a day as Tony Dungy could ever hope for.
7. New York Giants (1-0): Snoop Dog's latest video, debuting after tonight's game: "Tiki Gone Wild."
8. Tennessee (1-1): That there's your mulligan, Jeff Fisher.
9. Denver (2-0): Concussed after a Sunday bell-ringing in San Diego, Jake Plummer heads home for his first game at Invesco, and though I understand the natives have been a bit restless with their new mistake-prone QB, it's mind-boggling to think that he'll probably get booed the first time he throws three incompletions in a row. Help the guy, fans. Don't tear him down.
10. Miami (1-1): I admire the Dolphins' offensive game plan: Give it to Ricky until he pukes.
11. Minnesota (2-0): But how do you judge Minnesota after it beat the Bears?
12. Seattle (2-0): You had to be here to see how bad the Cardinals were. You really did. Having said that, wins of 27-10 and 31-0 are not to be sneezed at in this league.
13. San Francisco (1-1): For all the times I've criticized Terrell Owens, I owe him this: If not for his 50-yard sprint across the field and subsequent tackle late in the first half at St. Louis after a Jeff Garcia pass was picked off, the 49ers would have been behind at the half 14-10 instead of ahead 10-7.
14. Washington (2-0): Don't look now, Jets, but Laveranues Coles is on pace for a 128-catch, 2,288-yard season.
15. (tie) St. Louis (1-1): I have no idea at all what this team is.
New England (1-1). Tom Brady rebounds. Good thing he does, or he'd be wastin' away in McNabbville.
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I tend to agree with the rankings, but I would put the Bills ahead of the Chiefs. Our D and passing O is better, which outweighs their advantages in special teams and running O.