I don't know if I'd put Atlanta or the Texans ahead of the Ravens. I'm basing this on over a decade of the Ravens being a contender, though only one title. And Flacco is looking more and more lie the real deal, while the defense continues strong.

But, tough to rank anyone after first week. Glad the NFL is back!

AP ranking just came out

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....ings.0404/index.html

Patriots #2 is certainly fair. I'm just not sold on the new and improved defense.

People forget the foundation of the pats dynasty was their defense...

And it will need to be again for them to get #5

If last year proved anything it was that an elite QB is only as good as his defense in the playoffs...

Last year's playoffs did support the case for defense. Though the previous 2 years we had New Orleans and Green Bay, teams whose defense ranked below the Pats last year. So who knows. San Fran and New England or SF and Baltimore would be a great SB. Gonna be a ride and a half!

Except for Dolphins and Rams fans. Are they mathematically eliminated yet?!

You guys are killing me.  Glad football is back, as well, although for the first time in like 15 years, no fantasy football team for me this season.  Kind of changes the way I watch and the interest I have.  Sucks, actually.

1 week down and some obvious surprises, dissapointments, and the same old same old.

The Rams actually looked very good in week 1 and should have won.  Their D is odd because it's actually quite good 85% of the game, the they always give away yards and points in the latter half of the 4th quarter.  It's thye O that sucks, but it did look a little better.

You just can't make predictions after 1 week.  Next week at this time, alot of week 1's winners will be 1-1, and peeps will be saying different things.

That being said, Stevie's 49'ers impresssed me big time.  The Jets actually impressesd me as well, as Buffalo was supposedly much improved and they dominated them everywhere.  Denver alos impressed and it's great to see Peyton back and looking like the old Peyton. Ravens cruised and looked tough.  Jury's out on everyone else.

Rams will continue to impress and hopefully actually win a few.

Cards D fired up when they had to and Kolb now has his chance to show he was worth the money shelled out on him.

And, I have to say, let's ont overlook the Lions.  They came back and won a tough game. They clicked exactly when they had to, and Stafford overcame 3 INT's, which could have been 5, actually, to throw the game winner.  Lions will be a Playoff team, IMO.

Now...let's get the real refs back...

I like the replacement refs. Not as many bullshit pass interference calls. Those calls ruin games.

There were numerous bad calls in week 1.  The replacement refs did a Hell of a job, but let's face it, they're not the caliber of the reals.

I'm actually also going to send a shout out to the Eagles, who overcame a surprisngly tough game with Cleveland and won.  Vick doesn't seem to have that same step he used to, and he continues to force passes into bad situations.  But, McCoy looked great when he had a chance, and as bad as the passing game looked overall, it actually was impressive at times, against an under-rated Brownies' D.

Skins looked great and big props to Mr. Griffen the 3rd...very impressive.

Fuck the Saints, but they'll definitely be back.

Yes, the Texans do look pretty good as well.  Remember, Schaub missed much of the 2nd half of the season, and they still were a force last season.  Tate is a beast of a backup, adn the D is solid.

Falcons?  Yeah...they looked great against the Chiefs, but is that a big surprise?  The O looked quick and a big win is a big win.

GO RAMIES!!!!

Hmm. It seems your analysis is forgetting one of the top teams. Now who might that be? It'll come to me.

Kevin...funny.  I was actually thinking the same thing...seriously.

But...the Pats are just 1 of those teams...now...OK...for teh last 10 years or so...that are expected to be good...or great.

Yeah, they won big, but they didn't lookgreat to me early on.  I don't have alot of faith in the Titans.

Should they be in the top 5 of any Power Rankings?  Yeah, I'm sure they should.  But, I am ont in the camp that they are gong to be a total force this season.  We'll see, obvioulsy.

You're sitting right where you should be at 1-0.  You'll win 12 games probably.  You got a good team again, motherfucker, but...damn...sorry.  I hate the Pats, as you know.   You beat my Warner Rams.  I hate the Celts as well.

All right, sorry I haven't been around too much, I skimmed over this thread, so I'm sorry if what I have to say was more relevant a week or two ago.

Wow, Kev.  I can't believe how much strength you (and A LOT of other people) are giving the Giants and Saints.

The Giants made too many poor decisions in the offseason (releasing Manningham and not to mention a couple key defense pieces) to have ANY relevancy this year.  Don't forget, the Giants, though Superbowl Champions last year, were still only 8-8.  Now, with EVERYBODY in their division making upgrades, they have no chance at all this year.

And yes, the Saints have Drew Brees, so anything's possible.  But Sean Payton was responsible for all their decision-making.  Without him, they'll flail.  Drew Brees isn't a head coach yet.  They'll have their moments, but they'll flail in the long run.

And, I think you also underrated the Ravens.  In a very poor AFC this year, they will be tops, between them and the Texans and the (I'm not just saying this to piss you off) mediocre Patriots, who will only look great this year because not only of how poor their division is, but because of, once again, just a weak AFC in general this year.

I think most of your other predictions, you hit the nail on the head, though.

The Cowboys may eek out a playoff spot over Philly and Washington this year, (notice I left the Giants out of it?  :-)   but they will most likely crumble in the Wild Card game.

Tops in the NFC will be San Fran and Chicago, and I'm going to stick to it and say that New Orleans won't be relevant.

As for the replacement refs ... they were okay in the games I watched ... but I've heard the stories in the other games, so I'm not going to make a decision yet.  At least it's still early enough that you know none of them are getting paid off yet.  :-)

And, my predictions aren't based on anything special that happened in week 1.  (Except I have a lot of respect for Robert Griffin III, not that I didn't have any before.)


And Jeff, you're right...  Fantasy ruined the game for me last year.  It was the first year I actually played and I found that I actually had to root against my team, Dallas, late in the year last year.  That's just not right and I will never play Fantasy again.

Although, I will say, it was the first year that Dallas actually came through for me since the mid 90's.  Just not in the way I wanted.

So who wins the NFC East??  The Cowboys looked really good but their schedule sets up for another epic december meltdown.

The Giants looked fat and happy vs the Cowboys. they had a letdown season in 08 when the won the superbowl... and i expect more the same... 9-7 but 3rd in the division

The Eagles looked terrible, Andy Reid's play calling is doing Mike Vick no favors.

the redskins defense can be really good. RG3 obviouslly impressed a ton..... the best thing i heard about RG3 actually is that he was Jim Harbaugh's first QB recruit when he got to stanford..

I also underestimated Arizona's defense, if they can get any help at all from their QB situation.. i think they could win 9 games, i predicted the Rams would see meteoric improvement under Jeff Fisher. i have them finishing 6-10 and 3rd in the division. i think Seattle doormats it, largely because of their schedule. they could be 1-7 or 2-6 by mid season

I think the NFC East once again comes down to the cowboys and giants.  Redskins have made huge strides but I don't really see them at the top of the heap down the stretch.  I'd give the edge to the Giants because even though they lost some key offensive players, they've retained most of that defense.  Last season, giants were a team that looked hopelessly lost at times, then managed to put it all together by the end of the season.  I see them doing the same thing and the cowboys performing their usual December swoon.

Giants and Cowboys are always tough to call. Obviously the Giants get a boost in rank based on last year's playoffs, but time will tell if they deserve it. Mark is right, they barely made the playoffs and they struggle making the playoffs every year.

The Cowboys are Jeckle and Hyde because you never know which Romo is gonna show up.

Jef, the Pats are better than they were last year, possibly much better. But that doesn't mean they'll be in the SB. You need some luck for that to happen. Why are they better?

The one thing the lacked on offense was an a deep/outside threat. They signed one of the best in Lloyd. So the offense, if healthy, will be harder to stop than last year when teams like the Giants took away the middle and dared them to go outside.

On defense is where they made their biggest upgrade, adding youth and athleticism. Two first round picks are already in the starting line up and looking good. Nobody will run on them. The pass defense will be still shaky, but better than  last year.

Quoted from leitskev I like the replacement refs. Not as many bullshit pass interference calls. Those calls ruin games.

Yeah, especially when they non-call against the Pats in the first quarter!

E.D.

I think the NFC East will come down to between Philly and Dallas.  Philly does have a strong team, they just have to get it together.  I think it'll all come down to how well Andy Reid handles the horrible off the field issue he's dealing with.  If Andy's not into the mindset, I don't think his team will be.  But I do have them finishing first in the division.

Dallas I think, IF IF IF everyone stays healthy, will get the wildcard.  If all these hamstrings add up to Miles, Bryant or Murray missing some time, not only will they miss the wild card, but Washington might pass them up and be 2nd in the division.

Of course, I'm going to have to see how Washington does against a couple valid teams, first.

The Giants I think will be bringing up the rear.

Whew, I just went and made my next week's early picks.  There's quite a few games I'm not sure which way to go.  Buffalo and Kansas City I have no idea.  I don't think I'll go the 14-2 that I did last week.

Well, well, well.  What did I tell you peeps?

Watch out for those pesky Cardinals.

Don't sleep on the Rams.

The Pats are not nearly as good as people think.

The Eagles are going to be a force.

The Cowboys?  Ha...yeah...same old, same old.