@TheFUSTexan on Twitter
This past Sunday, I used Twitter to ask you, our readers, for ideas on what or who you think is overhyped this week. Dylan graciously reposted this to spread the word that I wanted input from our awesome readers. He then destroyed all sense of grace by responding himself by simply saying "kansas city chiefs." I, in turn, graciously ignored him so as to, for once, be the bigger man. (Dylan is fat is what I'm saying.) Then I read his alleged "Power Rankings." I would invite you to check them out, but that would give his ludicrous article more views. Therefore, trust me, he's horribly wrong.
I have to say that the most overhyped thing this week is Dylan's football knowledge. Fear not, however, for I have evidently gained all that knowledge by simply being awesome. Here are MY Higher Power Rankings! For the sake of clarity, (and to prevent you from giving him a page view) I will be numbering them correctly on the far left. The (#-#) is the record, and in the brackets, [Dylan-#] I will show how Dylan wrongly ranked the team.
1) Kansas City Chiefs (8-0) [Dylan-9] – I'm sorry, is this team not playing teams made of professionals like every other team? Have they been playing college teams behind my back? No? So they have, in fact, beaten 8 straight professional teams? Has some other team done that? No? Ok, then.
2) New Orleans Saints (6-1) [Dylan-4] – The Saints' sole loss is more impressive than some teams' wins (Seahawks, I'm looking at you Monday night).
3) Indianapolis Colts (5-2) [Dylan-2] – The Colts beat the Seahawks and the Broncos. They have 2 questionable losses, but they have beaten flat out amazing teams. I give them the edge against the next 2 teams.
4) Denver Broncos (7-1) [Dylan-5] – It is nearly a toss-up for me between Denver and Seattle, but Seattle's inability to score at times makes the decision for me.
5) Seattle Seahawks (6-1) [Dylan-1] – So, Dylan, you say every team deserves a bad win? But you aren't going to give the Chiefs that benefit of the doubt. Just the Seahawks get that, huh? Yeah, good consistency there. The "Legion of Boom" is good, but that offense is non-existent at times. Pick off every third pass, fine, but if the offense just goes 3 & out everytime, you still won't win.
6) San Francisco 49ers (6-2) [Dylan-6] – Dylan is so dumb having the 9ers so high/low, I mean... Oh wait, we agree... Carry on!
7) Green Bay Packers (5-2) [Dylan-3] – I will grant that Dylan has a point: the Packers have done well despite injuries. However, so many injuries really brings to question whether they can sustain the success they’ve been enjoying.
8) Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) [Dylan-7] – The Bengals beat the Pats and dominated the Jets, with whom the Pats had problems. I think that’s enough to edge ahead of the Pats, even if Gronk’s return turns that around soon.
9) New England Patriots (6-2) [Dylan-8] – There is just such a drop off in talent following the Top 9 teams that there is no way they aren’t the same across all experts’ opinions, just in different orders.
10) Chicago Bears (4-3) [Dylan-12] – I am not ready to give up on Da Bears. Now, this may drop a lot after next week, but keep in mind that they managed to score 40+ points with a backup. I don’t care HOW bad the defense on the other team is, 40 points is 40 points.
11) Carolina Panthers (4-3) [Dylan-11] – I almost put the Lions in this slot, but I believe the Panthers have much more upside. The Lions will start to falter seeing as they’ve had 8 games. They always falter in the 2nd half of the season.
12) Detroit Lions (5-3) [Dylan-10] – I don’t like the Lions. End of analysis.
13) Arizona Cardinals (4-4) [Dylan-15] – The Arizona Cardinals deserve SO much respect this year. I did think they were going to be decent. They have the most underrated home-field advantage in the league. Now, do they deserve to go up 9 slots because they beat the Falcons? No way, not if the Chiefs don’t deserve a couple more slots for beating the far superior Browns.
14) San Diego Chargers (4-3) [Dylan-16] – So, let me get this straight. The Chargers do NOTHING and move up 7 slots in the rankings because Dylan “felt he ranked them too low,” but the UNDEFEATED 8-0 Chiefs move no where with a win. Seriously, are you using some sort of Kindergarten-style equalizer? “No one can be above another because we’re all equal.”
15) Baltimore Ravens (3-4) [Dylan-14] – I will agree with Dylan on one thing: The Ravens aren’t going to rise very much farther in the rankings this year.
16) The Dallas Cowboys (4-4) [Dylan-13] – Dylan, let me explain something to you: The Cowboys are mediocre. They are 8-8 material. Since they very likely will sweep the division, they might, and I stress might, get 9-7 out of sheer luck. They belong right smack dap in the middle of the pack. No higher, no lower.
17) Miami Dolphins (3-4) [Dylan-22] – The Dolphins are not that different of a team than when they started out surprisingly well. I don’t think their season is lost yet. They just need to get a little more consistency.
18) Tennessee Titans (3-4) [Dylan-18] – The Titans’ upside with Locker in play is ridiculously high. I think they’ll end up with a solid season if he can stay healthy. Next year, they could be a contender for a wild card.
19) Oakland Raiders (3-4) [Dylan-24] – Dude, Dylan, you gave the Chargers a +7 and the Cardinals a +9 for wins against inferior opponents, but you give the Raiders a mere +4 boost against a decent-quality, albeit aging, opponent in the Steelers? For shame, disrespecting those ex-cons that make up the Raiders’ fan base.
20) New York Jets (4-4) [Dylan-17] – The New York Jets will get no respect from me until they can actually do something. Squeaking out wins against a banged-up Pats team, the Bucs, the Bills, and the Falcons will get you no props in my book.
21) Buffalo Bills (3-4) [Dylan-25] – The Bills continue to show some grit, despite major injury problems. Considering everything they’re going through, I’m surprised they’ve pulled as many wins out as they have.
22) Cleveland Browns (3-5) [Dylan-19] – I know what Dylan is going to say: “Tex, how can you rank the Browns so low and give the Chiefs so much credit for beating them?” Let me ask you this, how can you rank them so high and give the Chiefs no credit for winning when your #1 team barely beat your #27 team who was playing with a backup QB reject from the Jets? But more on that later…
23) St. Louis Rams (3-5) [Dylan-27] – NO! More on that NOW! The Rams showed an insane amount of resilience. I didn’t realize this until Monday night, but half of their team consists of rookies and 2nd year players. If they can play like they did against the Seahawks all the time, they have an exceedingly bright future.
24) Washington Redskins (2-5) [Dylan-21] – The Skins showed some life this week, but RG3 regressed more than I’ve ever seen someone regress in one game. I hope they can stay afloat seeing as I really like to see the Giants and Eagles in the cellar.
25) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4) [Dylan-26] – That New Steel Curtain is looking pretty rusty right now. Big Ben looks like he’s missing a gear or 2. Even Troy Polamalu’s hair is looking a little less awesome right now. It will be interesting to see what kind of moves the Steelers are going to make as their season slowly becomes more and more lost.
26) New York Giants (2-6) [Dylan-23] – I’ll chalk up the height of the Giants to your personal bias, Dylan, but this team looks horrible. 2 wins does not save a season. I don’t care what technicalities you want to bring up, the Giants are going nowhere fast.
27) Philadelphia Eagles (3-5) [Dylan-28] – This Eagles offense is revolutionizing SOMETHING alright. It’s revolutionizing how fast the city of Philly can apologize to one of its greatest REAL sports heroes in Andy Reid.
28) Houston Texans (2-5) [Dylan-29] – The Texans got some hope in Case Keenum’s emergence as someone who knows how to throw the ball to his own team. I give the Texans one extra spot in my rankings for some good upside, certainly moreso than the next team on the list…
29) Atlanta Falcons (2-5) [Dylan-20] – Really Dylan? You ranked them 20? Why? What have they done? They have no upside seeing as they’ve lost every piece of offense outside of Tony Gonzalez, and Matt Ryan’s gamble isn’t exactly turning out as well as he’d hoped.
30) Minnesota Vikings (1-6) [Dylan-30] – Yeah, the last couple of teams are unquestionably the worst in the NFL. Remember when I thought the Vikings could squeak out 3rd place in their division? Yeah…
31) Tampa Bay Bucs (0-7) [Dylan-31] – Another not-disagreement due to obviousness.
32) University of Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0 - SEC) [Dylan-unranked] – To put a twist simply because I can’t agree with Dylan 3 teams in a row, and because the Jags are pathetic and in need of a savior (#TebowtoJax), I put the most dominant college football team of my lifetime on the board as the new #32.
33) Jacksonville Jaguars (0-8) [Dylan-32] – The Jags are so bad. Like, so bad. Like, I can’t even find words. Just… so bad. Now that I have righted some wrongs, there is only one thing to do: Follow me on Twitter, give me suggestions, and DON’T READ DYLAN’S HORRIFICALLY BAD OPINIONS!!!!
Psh, these "alternative power rankings" spend more time agreeing with the rankings I put out then ripping them to shreds. I think we can both agree that after the top 9 teams, the arrangement of the next twelve or so is matter of taste as they're all so mediocre. So, your biggest issue is my high ranking of the Seahawks and my low ranking of the Chiefs. I have the Seahawks at #1 because I really think they will win the Super Bowl, and a narrow victory over the Rams does nothing to change that.
ReplyDeleteDo you honestly think the CHIEFS are going to win the Super Bowl with ALEX SMITH AT QB??? The Chiefs defense is good, but they're not the '85 Bears or 2000 Ravens. They're not even the best defense in the league THIS year. I'll grant (as you GRANTED so many things in this article) that the Chiefs have won the games that they were supposed to win, but they are gumming an easy schedule, and squeaking by with narrow wins over the Browns and Texans. That does not inspire any confidence in this team for me.
I debated ranking the Chiefs higher than the Patriots this week as the Pats are struggling, but I once again decided against it as I think they'd still beat the Chiefs. Keep in mind that all of the Chiefs' wins have come against teams that are .500 or below. I think that even the Chargers will present a challenge to them.
Week 11's showdown with the Broncos will tell us a lot. Ironcially, even though I ranked the Chiefs so low, I could see them winning. Their pass rush is outstanding, and those are the teams that Peyton has struggled with. Additionally, the Broncos have failed to impress me the last month, and I think they will have a rough second half of the season.
Your article is Beyond the Hype....I think no division in the NFL is overhyped more than the AFC West this season.
Conversely, the NFC West DESERVES all the hype that they are getting. The Seahawks and 49ers are the class of the NFC, and even the Cardinals are being extremely competitive and exceeding expectations at 4-4. They should have no problem wrapping up the #1 seed and #1 wildcard spots, respectively. In a very competitive NFC, they are a cut above the rest, with only the Packers and Saints approaching their level. The reason I like the Seahawks/9ers a bit more is that they have such balanced teams and don't have to rely on their all-pro QB to win every game for them. As Rodgers and Brees go, so do their teams; however, the Seahawks and 49ers can certainly overcome bad games from their QBs, RBs, or anyone else on their team to achieve victory.
ReplyDeleteWow, just wow. The Seahawks started strong, I GRANT you, but they have sputtered as of late needing overtime to beat the Texans and needing a last-second goal-line stand to beat the Rams led by Kellen freakin Clemens. I won't call them overhyped simply because you're the only one I know ranking them #1. In fact, the whole reason I haven't featured them is that you're the only one calling them the best. In answer to your question do I think the Chiefs can win the Super Bowl/beat the Seahawks with Alex Smith, absolutely. What have the Seahawks done offensively to change my mind about that? Besides, what is the Seahawks weakness in defense? The run? Oh yeah, that happens to be the Chiefs' strength. Jamaal Charles would run all day long over the Seahawks. Running=time of possession. Even IF Percy Harvin's return boosts that passing offense, the pass rush and pass defense of the Chiefs, in general, will negate that.
ReplyDeleteThe 49ers are a different story. After a shaky start, they have gotten better every week. I think they have what it takes to steal the division back from the Seahawks, and what's more, I think it's more likely the 9ers go to the Super Bowl than the Seahawks. Beyond that, I will say that the 2 West divisions are the best divisions, overall, in the league. When the 2 cellar teams are at .500 (Arizona) and/or nearly beat the division leader with a back up (St. Louis) I'd say it's either the worst division (NFC East) or the best division.
That being said, there is nothing that the Seahawks have done to make me believe in them. They are run-game reliant, which all but the Chiefs are stopping as far as teams I've listed above them. They are also weak against the run, which all 4 teams I've listed ahead of them have explosive backs somewhere (Charles, Sproles/Thomas, Richardson, Moreno) that could break out big runs.
Oh yeah, the Seahawks just lost Sidney Rice for the season who, up until last Monday, had the most TDs of WRs. He's now tied with Tate due to the fact he was injured so early (and screwed me out of a win in Fantasy Football), but he has been knowing how to score. Tate might be able to take up some slack, but now defenses will be looking to shut him down, especially after that taunt he felt was merited against the powerhouse that is the Rams. If Tate gets double-teamed because he's the only passing weapon, look for that passing defense to suffer even more.
ReplyDeleteYeah, so I just realized I wrote the 2 cellar teams as Arizona and St. Louis, but I should have mentioned the Raiders instead of the Cards, and I should have pointed out how good their wins have looked. Sorry, late night and long day...
ReplyDelete