EVENTS
Sportsman of the Year
Heisman Trophy
Swimsuit 2001
CENTERS
Fantasy Central
Inside Game
Video Plus
Statitudes
Your Turn
Message Boards
Email Newsletters
Golf Guide
Cities
CNNSI.com GROUP
Sports Illustrated
Life of Reilly
SI Women
SI for Kids
Press Room
TBS/TNT Sports
CNN Languages
COMMERCE
SI Customer Service
SI Media Kits
Get into College
Sports Memorabilia
TeamStore
| |
Dr. Z's NFL Power Rankings
Week 4
Posted: Tuesday October 02, 2001 6:34 PM
It's good for the game but bad for my rankings, and I'm talking about the
phenomenon of a team at the very bottom upsetting one of the elite. Not just
upsetting, mind you, but dishing out a relentless thrashing, a
don't-let-your-kids-watch humiliation, something to the tune of 44-13. That
makes it worse, of course, because how could I now have New England, the
thrasher, still ranked 19 spots lower than Indianapolis, the
thrashee?
Well, let's be rational here. You can't get hysterical and raise the Patriots
so many spots that they'd be ahead of better teams. Conversely, you can't move
the Colts lower than teams they could beat. So you try to narrow the gap. Last
week 29 positions separated the two teams. Now the margin has been reduced by
10. If they continue their winning ways, the Patriots will see that gap
ever-narrowing until, ultimately, they'll face Indy in the playoffs and we'll
find out for real. Playoffs? That set of games seems like a year or so away,
doesn't it? On to our weekly platter of
controversy:
| Dr. Z's Power Rankings |
| Rank |
LW |
Team |
| 1 |
4 |
|
St. Louis Rams (3-0)
A sideline shot of Miami coach Dave Wannstedt said it all. After one of Kurt
Warner's many phenomenal pitch-catch plays, the coach's mouth simply formed the
word,
"Wow."
|
| 2 |
6 |
|
Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
Well, it wasn't as bad as it was in the playoffs last year, but at the end of
Sunday's Denver game it was clear that the Ravens simply had the Broncos'
number. It was like a heavyweight fight, with the Broncos hanging in during the
early rounds and the Ravens getting the late
K.O.
|
| 3 |
5 |
|
Green Bay Packers (3-0)
I'm not sure about the Packers. They've run up scores on lesser opponents but
are untested so far. You can't ignore them because they've looked so strong,
but I'm really interested in what happens to them in Tampa this
weekend.
|
| 4 |
1 |
|
Denver Broncos (2-1)
Boy, do they ever miss Ed McCaffrey. Brian Griese threw seven passes to Eddie
Kennison Sunday and what he got out of it was an interference penalty, an
interception and one catch for one yard. It might be time to give a serious
look to rookie Kevin Kasper, but if they do, then his spectacular kick returning
might
suffer.
|
| 5 |
2 |
|
Indianapolis Colts (2-1)
OK, Patriots coach Bill Belichick always has had a good read on Peyton Manning,
but what happened in Foxboro was ridiculous. The game films will be passed
around on the X-rated circuit. Strictly adult
entertainment.
|
| 6 |
3 |
|
Miami Dolphins (2-1)
After watching what the Rams did to the Dolphins on St. Louis' souped-up carpet,
I began working on a theory about how Miami's pass defense is really a lot
different on grass. Unfortunately, the stats from last year showed only a
10-yard difference in the average on grass as opposed to synthetic. Scratch one
theory. Nope, the Rams on a hot day, when they're not dropping the ball, will
do that to any defense in the NFL, with the possible exception of Baltimore's,
and even then, I'm not too
sure.
|
| 7 |
8 |
|
Oakland Raiders (2-1)
Two of my west coast correspondents called to tell me that the national anthem
at the Raiders-Seahawks game, as sung by film and TV star Darius McCrary, ran
2:55, which would positively shatter my all-time record of 2:34.4, set by Leola
Giles in 1979. Unfortunately, for it to count as official, I must time it
myself. I've tried everywhere to get a tape. If someone would help me, I would
reward him or her
handsomely.
|
| 8 |
9 |
|
Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
The Giants game in two weeks will be big. Looking ahead is always a problem.
But Philly is positioned very nicely for this monumental contest -- Cards at
home this week, then a
bye.
|
| 9 |
12 |
|
New York Giants (2-1)
Not so easy is the Giants' path ... Redskins at home, but then a meeting with
the Rams at the St. Louis
speedway.
|
| 10 |
7 |
|
New Orleans Saints (1-1)
They were worried about the Giants passing, so they shut down Kerry Collins, but
Ron Dayne smacked them for 111 yards on the ground. They won't have that
problem against Minnesota this
weekend.
|
| 11 |
16 |
|
San Francisco 49ers (2-1)
Steve Mariucci was rubbing his eyes after the Niners' 233-yard rushing
performance against the Jets Monday night. "We didn't even try to run wide
much because the edges of the field were wet," he said. "We just went
straight at 'em, and they never brought eight into the box to stop us." It
won't be so easy next time out, but it still was
impressive.
|
| 12 |
14 |
|
San Diego Chargers (3-0)
What to do about the Chargers? Do I really feel they're better than Tennessee
or Tampa Bay or Jacksonville, after beating three lesser opponents (well, OK,
two, if you don't count Cincy as lesser)? Lame copout No. 1 -- time will tell.
Lame copout No. 2 -- it's still early in the season. Lame copout No. 3 -- I
guess you've had enough lame
copouts.
|
| 13 |
10 |
|
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)
One of the more vicious cheap shots that I've seen, by Cleveland rookie tackle
Gerard Warren, cost the Jags their QB and the game. They played hard against
the Browns, but it's tough to do it when you're engine's
misfiring.
|
| 14 |
13 |
|
Tennessee Titans (0-2)
I'm not going to fall into the trap of saying "Here's their season"
when they meet Baltimore Sunday. What's of paramount importance, though, is
getting some balance to their offense and getting something going through the
air.
|
| 15 |
24 |
|
Minnesota Vikings (1-2)
I think I know what went through Cris Carter's mind when he sounded off two
weeks ago. He was getting a little tired of babysitting a young receiver and a
young QB, and he reacted as a frustrated parent would when the kids simply
wouldn't behave. Anyway, he responded with a magnificent game against the Bucs,
including a fantastic, one-handed, leaping, spear-catch that ranks in my top 10
all
time.
|
| 16 |
11 |
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)
Just as John Madden was telling us what precise tacklers the Bucs defenders
were, they missed a straight-on tackle, then another one, then another. What's
up? Tiredness? Took the Vikes too lightly? This must stop, I tell
you.
|
| 17 |
17 |
|
Kansas City Chiefs (1-2)
They humiliated pro football's worst team, and on the road yet, and I'd raise
them above last week's position if I could find some team above them to drop
lower. It's always crowded in my chart's
mid-range.
|
| 18 |
18 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)
Same deal, only this time they showed some of their old identity. The Bus runs
over 'em, the defense squashes 'em, and the passing attack? Oh, do they have
one of
those?
|
| 19 |
19 |
|
Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
Very sad about Jamal Anderson. Just as he was rounding into his old form he
goes down for the year. More pressure on the league's top-rated passer, Chris
Chandler, but he's been through this before. Interesting how nice everything
functioned last week (except for the Anderson thing) without the Michael Vick
distraction, wasn't
it?
|
| 20 |
15 |
|
New York Jets (1-2)
We kind of felt they would have trouble against the run. Now we know it for
sure. One of the problems is that their wingmen, John Abraham and Shaun Ellis,
are pass-rushers, not run-stoppers.
|
| 21 |
20 |
|
Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)
I'm giving the Bengals every chance. They lost a game, they fell one position.
I don't know how much longer I can carry them, though. But I do smell
an upset in
Pittsburgh.
|
| 22 |
22 |
|
Chicago Bears (1-1)
Who's their QB gonna be, coming out of the bye week? And whomever it is, will
they give him any pass routes longer than 10
yards?
|
| 23 |
27 |
|
Cleveland Browns (2-1)
That shot that Warren laid on Mark Brunell, well, we used to call it
"crippling the dummy" in my day. In other words, you nail a guy when
he's unprotected. Nice people didn't do such things. I once sent a suggestion
to the NFL on how I would handle these kinds of fouls. Biblical justice, an eye
for an eye penalty. If the injured player is out for the game, throw the
offender out. If he misses one contest, suspend the guilty party for one game.
If it's two games, then it's likewise two games for the cheap-shotter. Out for
the year, then so is the offender. If the guy's career is ended, God forbid,
then the bad guy is banned for life. You know, of course, what the league's
response was to my idea. Right. A noise like an
oyster.
|
| 24 |
31 |
|
New England Patriots (1-2)
If someone would have asked me last week, "Name 10 possible ways in which
the Patriots could upset the Colts," I wouldn't have included running the
ball as one of them. I mean the idea would have been just too farfetched. But
my No. 1 probably would have been "Play with more emotion," and I
guess that was a big part of
it.
|
| 25 |
23 |
|
Carolina Panthers (1-2)
Their upset over Minnesota is fading fast from the old memory bank. I guess
that wasn't a springboard to anything serious, because their collective scores
in the next two games were
23-52.
|
| 26 |
25 |
|
Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
Well, they booed Matt Hasselbeck and called for Trent Dilfer. And they got him,
as Hasselbeck suffered heel and groin injuries against the Raiders. But they
didn't get him for long. Concussion. QB No. 3 was Brock Huard. Clearly, they
were running out of people to boo. How about the offensive line, which has
given up 19 sacks in three games?
|
| 27 |
21 |
|
Buffalo Bills (0-3)
I started reading the injury report after the Pittsburgh game but then I
stopped. Too painful. This team deserves a break. Maybe the Bills will follow
New England's example and hang one on the Jets
Sunday.
|
| 28 |
26 |
|
Arizona Cardinals (0-2)
Can Jake Plummer be rescued from the quicksand in which he's now mired? I think
so. I hope so. There are a lot of coaches who'd like to give him a
chance.
|
| 29 |
28 |
|
Detroit Lions (0-2)
The best thing about their bye week is that maybe, possibly, some of the wounded
got
healthy.
|
| 30 |
30 |
|
Dallas Cowboys (0-3)
On Sunday night I was watching the tape of Tampa Bay-Minnesota, intermittently
catching stuff from Dallas-Philadelphia, live, during timeouts. The score was
7-6, Philly. Next time I looked it was 27-6. That's the thing about bad teams
and philanthropists. They give it away in bunches. Later this week I'll watch
the Cowboys-Eagles tape and maybe they'll do better in that
one.
|
| 31 |
29 |
|
Washington Redskins (0-2)
They held the Chiefs to 546 yards and now Shawn Barber, an active weakside LB,
is out for the year. Never mind all the stuff about Marty Schottenheimer.
That's another story. Dan Snyder's big money deals of last year, Bruce Smith
and Deion, drained the cap fund, and good players had to be shipped out to cover
the loss, and now they're just putting inferior talent on the field. And these
guys don't even play hard. And that's how you get to be No. 31,
folks.
|
To send a question or comment to Dr. Z, click here.
|
Copyright © 2001
CNN/Sports Illustrated
An AOL Time Warner Company.
All Rights Reserved.
|
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.
|
|
