Power rankings 11/29

[brncs_fan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2005&week=13

2 (2) Broncos 9-2-0 Mike Shanahan apparently has succeeded in reviving another RB's career (Ron Dayne).

6 (5) Chargers 7-4-0 Certain teams and players are often said to have an 'on' switch. Clearly, L.T. flicked his on after halftime against the Skins.

12 (15) Chiefs 7-4-0 Pretty impressive performance by the Chiefs' defense (4 INTs and three sacks vs. Pats) in a game KC had to win.

20 (17) Raiders 4-7-0 Some players were actually thinking playoffs after the Washington win. Top 10 draft pick is much more realistic.

[brncs_fan]

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9068392

2 Denver Broncos
Going into Dallas and winning on a short week is impressive. The Broncos have a huge test this week against the Chiefs.

8 San Diego Chargers
It's too bad they aren't in the NFC. They'd be the favorite there. In the AFC, they might not make the playoffs.

13 Kansas City Chiefs
Their schedule down the stretch is brutal, starting Sunday with the Broncos, and they likely can't afford another loss. The defense is playing well.

22 Oakland Raiders
Norv Turner could be Mariucci-ed in the near future. This team is a mess.

[easymobee]

http://nfl.com/news/story/9068407


IN THE HUNT

(Teams that look good enough to be among the 12 playoff qualifiers but not based on conference -- listed with record and previous week's ranking)
1. Indianapolis (11-0; unchanged): The Colts are good enough to go 16-0, but will likely shut it down after wrapping up home-field advantage for the playoffs, which looks to be not too far down the road.
2. Denver (9-2; unchanged): Do the Broncos ever run out of running backs?
3. Seattle (9-2; unchanged): The Seahawks are good and lucky.
4. Dallas (7-4; unchanged): The Cowboys go for the season sweep at Giants Stadium.
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<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" width="40%"> <tbody><tr class="bg0" align="center"> <td class="bg0font">Ask Vic!</td></tr> <tr class="bg2" valign="top"><td>
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5. Pittsburgh (7-4; unchanged): The Steelers were no match for the Colts, although there is far more at stake in their rematch with Cincinnati.
6. Cincinnati (8-3; unchanged): Impressive as the Bengals might have been in overwhelming Baltimore, avenging their loss to Pittsburgh would make a far greater statement.
7. Chicago (8-3; unchanged): With the league's most dominant defense, the Bears can get away with having a popgun offense.
8. Carolina (8-3; unchanged): The Panthers did just enough to beat Buffalo, but they'll need much more vs. Atlanta.
9. San Diego (7-4; 10): There might be other worthy candidates, but LaDainian Tomlinson (http://nfl.com/players/playerpage/235249) keeps finding ways to separate himself from the MVP pack.
10. N.Y. Giants (7-4; 9): As crushing as their loss at Seattle might have been, the Giants can right themselves in a hurry by beating the Cowboys.
11. Jacksonville (8-3; 12): Losing Byron Leftwich (http://nfl.com/players/playerpage/396167) is a blow that could damage the Jaguars' postseason hopes.
12. Tampa Bay (7-4; 11): The Buccaneers don't have time to bemoan their heartbreaking loss to Chicago; they have a winnable game vs. the Saints to play.

<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td> MIDDLE OF THE PACK

(Listed alphabetically)
Atlanta Falcons (7-4)
Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
Minnesota Vikings (6-5)
New England Patriots (6-5)
St. Louis Rams (5-6)
</td> <td> NEED WORK

(Listed alphabetically)
Arizona Cardinals (3-8)
Baltimore Ravens (3-8)
Buffalo Bills (4-7)
Cleveland Browns (4-7)
Detroit Lions (4-7)
Green Bay Packers (2-9)
Houston Texans (1-10)
Miami Dolphins (4-7)
New Orleans Saints (3-8)
New York Jets (2-9)
Oakland Raiders (4-7)
Philadelphia Eagles (5-6)
San Francisco 49ers (2-9)
Tennessee Titans (3-8)
Washington Redskins (5-6)</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Dagmar]

Mike Shanahan apparently has succeeded in reviving another RB's career (Ron Dayne).

No. 2 team in football and that's all they can say. :dummy:

[brncs_fan]

Mike Shanahan apparently has succeeded in reviving another RB's career (Ron Dayne).

No. 2 team in football and that's all they can say. :dummy:
You expect too much. Getting any mention at all is a blessing.

[easymobee]

Thought it was interesting that Dallas dropped 7 spots in 1 powerpoll (ESPN, from 4 to 11) and remained unchanged in the other.

[Dukes]

Mike Shanahan apparently has succeeded in reviving another RB's career (Ron Dayne).

No. 2 team in football and that's all they can say. :dummy:

Seems like they have to grit their teeth whenever they MUST write something good about Denver

[brncs_fan]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/nfl05.htm

2 Denver Broncos

3 San Diego Chargers

9 Kansas City Chiefs

18 Oakland Raiders

[PatsWin2002]

Fox Sports has theirs up now:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5120522

Denver #2

From FO reader Doug English: "Had Mr. Shanahan been born 500 years ago, I believe he would have listed his profession as alchemist." Who else could turn Ron Dayne from lead into gold?

[scorpio]

SI's are in now too.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/dr_z/11/30/ranks.week13/index.html

Dr. Z is still a jackass.

[/URL]
[URL="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/teams/broncos/"]Denver Broncos (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/teams/broncos/) (9-2)
There's just one thing I don't like. With the score tied and 1:45 left in regulation against the Cowboys, they had the ball on their own 20. First play was a go route that was incomplete. Then they completed an 8-yarder and let the clock run down from 1:39 to 54 seconds before calling time out. They ended up punting, Dallas didn't do anything, the game went into OT, Denver got the ball and Ron Dayne, who gained 98 yards on the day without making a cut, got lucky on a long run, and so did the Broncos and they won it. But letting the clock run down instead of trying to go for the win at the time bothered me. It bothered me so much that I called Mike Shanahan, and he said it was a two-way shot. They'd still have enough time to get into field-goal range, but they weren't leaving the Cowboys much time, either. Call me square, but this is just a little too slick for me -- and for a team that some folks have soaring with the eagles. Go hard, go for the win ... ah, all I'm doing is sounding like an old fogy, as usual.

[manchambo]

SI's are in now too.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/dr_z/11/30/ranks.week13/index.html

Dr. Z is still a jackass.



How is he a jackass? He has the donks number 2, and he's probably right about going for the win.

[scorpio]

How is he a jackass? He has the donks number 2, and he's probably right about going for the win.


Are you kidding? Do you ever read his stuff? Every week he admits he doesn't watch the games, then rants about his kids and his wife, then talks about Vince Lombardi or Bart Starr or some ****, and then says he knows his rankings aren't accurate but they will 'get better as the season goes on'. I don't think he's a jackass for making the broncos #2 or questioning the call, i think he's a jackass because it's in his nature.

[Dagmar]

How is he a jackass? He has the donks number 2, and he's probably right about going for the win.
Nope, he's a jackass.

http://www.ticktalk.net/images/jackass.gif

[Old Dude]

I'm not sure I undersand Z's point. Sounds like good clock management to me.

[scorpio]

And it also takes him three days to write the one(!) article he contributes every week

[enjolras]

No to mention when Shanny makes a really good point and he shrugs and goes 'uhm..I still think its wrong' with no other justification than that.

Screw him

[cowboy]

I wish we would have tried to end in regulation also.

[manchambo]

No to mention when Shanny makes a really good point and he shrugs and goes 'uhm..I still think its wrong' with no other justification than that.

Screw him

I don't necessarily disagree with Shanny, but I have to think everyone would be singng a different tune if we had lost the coin flip and never got a chance to win in ot.

[Hotrod]

How is he a jackass? He has the donks number 2, and he's probably right about going for the win.

So if they had stopped the clock sooner and then failed to get a 1st down on 3rd would you have bitched about it if the cowboys got the ball back and won???

[Sprout]

How does letting the clock run equate to "not going for the win"? Taking his Shanahan statements as accurate, it tells me he was confident that we would convert the 3rd and 2 or whatever it was, and be able to get the field goal. If you ask me, he was going for the win while minimizing Dallas' chance to do the same. Or does it only count if the score is made on a 58 yard pass to Ash?

And what's with the "lucky" comments? Lame.

[manchambo]

Why do these rankings threads bring out the :homer: in everyone?

Everyone in the world is saying that the Broncos are better than everyone in the league except the undefeated Colts. That is not disrespect. Must every ranking be accompanied by an ode to the Broncos' greatness?

You would think based on some of these comments that we were ranked somehwere in the 20s.

[sirhcyennek81]

rankings dont matter until you have the lombardi trophy. then number 1 is certain.

[zdoor]

rankings dont matter until you have the lombardi trophy. then number 1 is certain.


I agree. What does it matter where we're ranked? If we don't win in January will anybody really give a **** ?

[Atlas]

Are you kidding? Do you ever read his stuff? Every week he admits he doesn't watch the games, then rants about his kids and his wife, then talks about Vince Lombardi or Bart Starr or some ****, and then says he knows his rankings aren't accurate but they will 'get better as the season goes on'. I don't think he's a jackass for making the broncos #2 or questioning the call, i think he's a jackass because it's in his nature.


He says he doesn't watch all the games.. Do you?? Do you think any of these guys watch all the games?

I have read that he had some games on tape that he hasn't watched yet.

A lot of people don't like Z. I think he is pretty good. Read all his comments for every team. 1-30 He offers some insight that you just don't see in other rankings.

[Atlas]

Here are Z's breakdowns of teams on his list.
He gives some good stuff on it. I like how he called Shanny and asked him WTF were you thinking? That's great stuff.

Indianapolis Colts (11-0)
I had never taken seriously their chance to go undefeated, until now, until they handled the Steelers so easily. But there are two asterisks involved, 1) Would Tony Dungy rest people at the end of the road? And 2) the Dolphins did it in the postseason, too, and if the Colts go 16-0 and then lose in the playoffs, their record would be tainted in some folks' eyes. Gets complicated, huh?

2 2 Denver Broncos (9-2)
There's just one thing I don't like. With the score tied and 1:45 left in regulation against the Cowboys, they had the ball on their own 20. First play was a go route that was incomplete. Then they completed an 8-yarder and let the clock run down from 1:39 to 54 seconds before calling time out. They ended up punting, Dallas didn't do anything, the game went into OT, Denver got the ball and Ron Dayne, who gained 98 yards on the day without making a cut, got lucky on a long run, and so did the Broncos and they won it. But letting the clock run down instead of trying to go for the win at the time bothered me. It bothered me so much that I called Mike Shanahan, and he said it was a two-way shot. They'd still have enough time to get into field-goal range, but they weren't leaving the Cowboys much time, either. Call me square, but this is just a little too slick for me -- and for a team that some folks have soaring with the eagles. Go hard, go for the win ... ah, all I'm doing is sounding like an old fogy, as usual.

3 3 Seattle Seahawks (9-2)
The Giants were the tougher team. The Giants should have beaten them. But this was a huge win for the 'Hawks because it keeps the home fires burning, and it's not easy for the visiting team to mount an offense in that House of Sound called Qwest Stadium.

4 6 Chicago Bears (8-3)
I feel that the way the game is now, it's hard to mount a running game until you first establish a passing attack. No, don't look at me funny. I haven't got it backwards ... think it through, OK? After they beat Carolina, I thought their offense was just fine. After the Tampa Bay game I thought it looked shaky. Their QB plays a decent game of safety first, don't screw it up. But I really thought the Bucs were going to get them at the end because they had no respect for their offense, plus the Bears defense was tiring. Yet they're up here among the elite because their achievements until now cannot be denied.

5 5 New York Giants (7-4)
Some people felt that their post-Seattle quotes were too arrogant, you know, stuff to the effect of, "If that's the best the NFC has to offer ... " etc. Not me. The Giants whipped the 'Hawks on both sides of the ball, and if I were them, I'd be feeling pretty good about that game. The problem is that unless they stay hot, they might be out of the playoffs. And even if they're in, they could be a permanent roadie. But if somehow they manage to get their share of the action at home, they'll be tough, real tough.

6 7 Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3)
Gosh, I don't know. They're sound and all that. They've lost their QB, but the backup can play. And the rest of their schedule is Indy and The Four Stooges. But can you really see them as a Super Bowl contender? Quick, name five Jaguar players for me, not counting Taylor and Leftwich.

7 4 Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4)
Do you punish a season's worth of effort because of one Monday night shtoonker? Not me. Not with my daughter a Steelers fan. I think I've got them fairly placed. But when you think about the game, what a difference there was in the speed of the two teams.

8 9 Cincinnati Bengals (8-3)
Otto from the stats department just handed me this bit of information (thanks, Otto, and say hello to your mother for me): Last year the defense was scored on nine times within the last two minutes of the first half. This year? Only once. This is intended for those bettors among you who like to go the exotic route in Vegas ... you know, how many points within each five-minute segment, etc.

9 8 Carolina Panthers (8-3)
They rank 11th in the NFL in amount of runs called. Their 3.0 average is dead last. If there were a statistic called: "Most two-yard runs in the course of a season," they'd win it easily. The answer to my argument, if you can actually detect one here, is called 8-3.

10 11 San Diego Chargers (7-4)
If they score 37 against the Raiders on Sunday, do you know what they'll have? A 30-point per game average, almost as much as Allen Iverson has. And which Sid Gillman or Don Coryell Charger team of the past averaged 30? None of them. Not a one. Look it up.

[Dagmar]

Everyone in the world is saying that the Broncos are better than everyone in the league except the undefeated Colts. That is not disrespect. Must every ranking be accompanied by an ode to the Broncos' greatness?

Yes. _i_O_i_

[Hotrod]

Why do these rankings threads bring out the :homer: in everyone?

Everyone in the world is saying that the Broncos are better than everyone in the league except the undefeated Colts. That is not disrespect. Must every ranking be accompanied by an ode to the Broncos' greatness?

You would think based on some of these comments that we were ranked somehwere in the 20s.

You got all that from a couple of people who said Dr Zwhateverhisnameis is an ass??? Ok Im going to go out on a limb and say you've prolly been accused of "over reacting" atleast once in your life.

[manchambo]

You got all that from a couple of people who said Dr Zwhateverhisnameis is an ass??? Ok Im going to go out on a limb and say you've prolly been accused of "over reacting" atleast once in your life.
How about this:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dagmar
Mike Shanahan apparently has succeeded in reviving another RB's career (Ron Dayne).

No. 2 team in football and that's all they can say.

You expect too much. Getting any mention at all is a blessing.

You prolly should read the entire thread.

[Hotrod]

How about this:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dagmar
Mike Shanahan apparently has succeeded in reviving another RB's career (Ron Dayne).

No. 2 team in football and that's all they can say.

You expect too much. Getting any mention at all is a blessing.

You prolly should read the entire thread.

Fine be correct I dont care ;D

[Dagmar]

I've said before, I demand we are lauded as the Kings of the NFL every single week, win or loss. If we lose, comment on our nice uniforms! Damn media.

Ok, I'm an idiot. I get it.::)

[Hotrod]

I've said before, I demand we are lauded as the Kings of the NFL every single week, win or loss. If we lose, comment on our nice uniforms! Damn media.

Ok, I'm an idiot. I get it.::)

Nope Im going back on your side now ;D

When we lose the media jumps all over the browncos and jake never was a leader and Ian is to small (although I still agree with that one) yet when we win they say "they played pretty good" or "ya but Shanny did not win good enough" The media is evil and hates us ;D

[Dagmar]

Nope Im going back on your side now ;D

When we lose the media jumps all over the browncos and jake never was a leader and Ian is to small (although I still agree with that one) yet when we win they say "they played pretty good" or "ya but Shanny did not win good enough" The media is evil and hates us ;D

See, the media are inconceivable douch-bags!

I'm glad I saved your avatar before you changed it, the family back home will find it awesome.

[azbroncfan]

SI's are in now too.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/dr_z/11/30/ranks.week13/index.html

Dr. Z is still a jackass.


Shannahan's strategy was perfect. 52 seconds left if you pick up 1st down you only need a few plays to get in FG range and I think DEN had TO's too. If you don't get the 1st it works out like it did.