Prognosticating vs Reality

[rcsodak]

Ok, this is just my viewpoint, so fire away if you think I'm full of beans.


It would seem to me, that the Defense that nearly EVERYBODY was saying "couldn't be any worse than last year's", is actually doing BETTER THAN EXPECTED!

Take the Cinci game.

Most people looked at them coming into the game as possibly 'being back' to where they were before Carson got injured. They've got weapons at the QB spot, RB spot, Wr spot and TE spot. Their Oline was said to be above average at the least, in both run blocking and pass protecting.

But after the game, of course EVERYBODY that is slamming McD & co., could only come up with 'since they only scored 7 pts, they couldn't be THAT good!

Until, of course, we all see what they did today....versus Green Bay's Defense, which has taken everybody by storm, starting in the preseason. Led by one of the better D-minded heads, they were stopping the run, and getting turnovers at a breakneck pace. Until, that is, they played "the lowly bungels".

My viewpoint, is that the Defense is "rollin' with Nolan"! The Dline has went from one of the lightest in the league, to one of the heaviest....the LB's are just heady/quick enough to keep the plays in front of them...and the secondary is forcing the QB's to hold onto the ball longer than they want to, which means more chances for the Dline to get a TFL/Sack/Fumble.

Palmer looked almost pedestrian vs Denver.....but lit up Green Bay....IN Green Bay. That tells me something.

Wk1
Palmer 21-33 237 No TD's 2INT's
Benson 21-76
Running game 3.2avg

Vs GB.
Palmer 15-23 185 3TD's 2INT's
Benson 29-141
Running game 4.4avg

I'd say that even with the '1st game jitters', Denver's D is doing BETTER THAN EXPECTED, and can continue to get better.

[gobroncsnv]

No question, our defense couldn't have been worse than last year. And is FAR better than expected. I heard the commentators today say that our Dline is among the heaviest in the league now. Kind of amazing turnaround in one offseason. And they are effective as well. I was among the skeptics about Doom being a backer... I'm wrong, and happy to be so.
Good stats on the comparison between Cincy this week vs last. Week in, week out, this may change, but we only have one other week to compare with right now, and GB DOES have a good D. Good line, good backers... For NOW, I'll take this comparison to our D against how GB did as a positive.

[Northman]

I think you have some merit with your arguement but i also think there is a lot of parity in the league where teams are up and down with their consistency. I think GB really took Cincy for granted most likely based off of what happened with us. Time will tell i guess as the season progresses.

[Shazam!]

Oh please. This defense is like the Super Broncos. Nobody could ask for more.

A new scheme alone can do wonders even without a change of personnel, and we all know the last scheme was a trainwreck.

Like playing Doom to his strengths, a more versatile LB than a straight up DE?

Even if the D was mediocre I'd have been happy, but after two games the Squad has exceeded all possible expectations.

If they can keep this up all year and play good if not great defense, Denver will beat teams that we all never would've dreamed they'd win this year, and that can take them into January.

Defense baby. Defense.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Vic Lombardi just said that the Broncos D is ranked THIRD in the NFL after all of today's games :defense:

[aberdien]

Hopefully they're for real and it's not just because we've played one inconsistent but good offense and one consistently bad one.

Either way, 2-0 is good.

[shank]

Vic Lombardi just said that the Broncos D is ranked THIRD in the NFL after all of today's games :defense:

that's by yards... we are 1st in scoring defense ;)

[dogfish]

i'm eager to see how long they can keep this pace up, and how they perform against talented offenses like dallas and san diego in the next month. . . .



:defense:

[Day1BroncoFan]

Only 13 points allowed so far. Who'd a thought that a month ago? Not me?

[Lonestar]

I suspect after a few games folks will game plan against them.. the first few games no body has any game tape on them.. now they do the good OC will start to game plan around the weaknesses..

I find it hard to believe that we would be one of the heaviest DL and some as some teams NT weigh more that our DL does..

IIRC they are all about 305-315..

Now that is a HUGE upgrade from years past but.. I find it hard to believe we are one of the biggest..

I suspect they will end the year in the top 20 maybe 15, because there is not alot of depth and IF the O does not start winning the TOP issue big time they will still wear down.. Even IF technique is on the moon they have a long schedule and not much Quality depth.. But then again more than last year..


Doomerville I am pleasantly surprised about I said years ago he was not going to be a great DE to small to play more than passing downs.. I think they have found a good home for him @OLB..

[Lonestar]

Only 13 points allowed so far. Who'd a thought that a month ago? Not me?


I was concerned it would be 13 per quarter that would have made me happy.. especially agansit a healthy Plamer..

[Shazam!]

I think Mangini had at least an idea knowing of what they would do JR. He's played Baltimore and Nolan's defenses before.

[NameUsedBefore]

A lot of people had us going 3-0 to start out. The Bengals were strangely piss-poor and we totally lucked out on that game; and beating up on the Browns is just more tough love hailing back to the Elway-years. Hell, everyone should have seen those stats on their passing capabilities; last in every single category. Quickly followed by a shot of Derek Anderson treading the sideline...

Next we get Oakland and JaMarcus can't throw for shit Russell. I think we can beat Oakland if Russell keeps overthrowing screen passes and being all-around terrible.

After these three games comes the real schedule as far as I'm concerned. What we can see thus far is that we're not so bad as to lose to the Browns at home; the Bengals game still has me wondering, though, considering the win was like surviving a skydive in which your parachute failed.

[Lonestar]

I think Mangini had at least an idea knowing of what they would do JR. He's played Baltimore and Nolan's defenses before.


but not with Nolan calling the blitzes with our guys..

But I suspect that CLE is not a world beating O either.. and IIRC Mangini is a rookie HC in CLE.. after how many other failures there.. It may take him some time to get it turned around.. IF IT CAN BE..

[Lonestar]

A lot of people had us going 3-0 to start out. The Bengals were strangely piss-poor and we totally lucked out on that game; and beating up on the Browns is just more tough love hailing back to the Elway-years. Hell, everyone should have seen those stats on their passing capabilities; last in every single category. Quickly followed by a shot of Derek Anderson treading the sideline...

Next we get Oakland and JaMarcus can't throw for shit Russell. I think we can beat Oakland if Russell keeps overthrowing screen passes and being all-around terrible.

After these three games comes the real schedule as far as I'm concerned. What we can see thus far is that we're not so bad as to lose to the Browns at home; the Bengals game still has me wondering, though, considering the win was like surviving a skydive in which your parachute failed.


right now I see us losing in OAK while jamarcus is a lousy QB overall he can get hot and there D is not all that bad.. they looked pretty good against SAN today and they are supposed to be the class of the WEST..

I only got to see some of the SAN game but OAK was holding their own and KO is not a rivers type QB either..


I had us losing in CIN winning CLE and losing in OAK to start with..

1-2 after this OAK game

[Shazam!]

Denver used to make the most mediocre Offenses come alive and look like world beaters. I'm happy thus far.

[NameUsedBefore]

right now I see us losing in OAK while jamarcus is a lousy QB overall he can get hot and there D is not all that bad.. they looked pretty good against SAN today and they are supposed to be the class of the WEST..

I only got to see some of the SAN game but OAK was holding their own and KO is not a rivers type QB either..


I had us losing in CIN winning CLE and losing in OAK to start with..

1-2 after this OAK game

Oakland has a stingy defense and every dog has their day (Russell). I can't shake the feeling, either, of us playing the unusually sloppy game against Oakland. They have a knack for dragging us down to their level.

[Kaylore]

Good news: We're 2-0 and Orton manages the football. He knows how to win games. The running backs looked good and Chris Kuper coming back looks much better. Special teams contained and shut down Cribbs. If this is Shanahan's team he probably returns at least one TD on us. Game plan was excellent! Were it not for Hillis' fumble there's a good Chance the Browns don't have more than one field goal.

Bad News: We played an offense that hasn't scored a TD in almost a season's worth of games. We own the Browns. Those that say "well we stopped Cincy last week and they looked good," I would say that's true but they also dropped something like 11 balls when we played them so we had some bail outs.

Bottom line: Broncos 2-0 and the team is improving. Keep up the good work!

[DenBronx]

Oh please. This defense is like the Super Broncos. Nobody could ask for more.

A new scheme alone can do wonders even without a change of personnel, and we all know the last scheme was a trainwreck.

Like playing Doom to his strengths, a more versatile LB than a straight up DE?

Even if the D was mediocre I'd have been happy, but after two games the Squad has exceeded all possible expectations.

If they can keep this up all year and play good if not great defense, Denver will beat teams that we all never would've dreamed they'd win this year, and that can take them into January.

Defense baby. Defense.


Defense is what it's all about but I like the fact that Orton doesn't turn the ball over and makes smart decisions with the ball. If Orton can find a rythm with the weapons he has around him and we establish a running game with this three headed monster we will put up more points.

But it's great to see our defense make a 180. If they continue playing at this level we could no doubt win our division and that means playoffs.

[Elevation inc]

good points about the defense, i never had a problem with the moves we made on defense all off-season, and i think MCD was a genius hiring a legit D-cordinator....it also seems that his preparation and techniques for the D in practice and the off-season are paying off in a big way, this team wants to play smashmouth again, and its refreshing from the last 3 years of sit and wait for the play so you get steamrolled...lol

[broncophan]

right now I see us losing in OAK while jamarcus is a lousy QB overall he can get hot and there D is not all that bad.. they looked pretty good against SAN today and they are supposed to be the class of the WEST..

I only got to see some of the SAN game but OAK was holding their own and KO is not a rivers type QB either..


I had us losing in CIN winning CLE and losing in OAK to start with..

1-2 after this OAK game

I had hoped for 2-0 at this point in the season......and then, figured 2-12 for the rest of the season...........

Now if we win next week.....the national media will start making a big deal about the new coach being 3-0.......etc........

but if the media look at the schedule the rest of the season......that will put things back in perspective.

Pleasantly surprised by the defense......and good to see Orton not putting the team in bad situations...

GO BRONCOS!!!

[gobroncsnv]

Mangini was HC of the Jets for a couple of years, after being on staff with the Pats. He's seen our kind of D before.
I'm not sitting here saying I have pennant fever after these 2 games, but I am VERY happy with the way our D played so far. I wonder if we would be the #1 D in scoring AND yards if we hadn't played "prevent" against Cincy's last drive.

[broncofaninfla]

Saying our defense is better than last year isn't enough. Our defense was nothing short of pathetic last year. We actually seem to have a good defense this year and a chance to compete against a lot of teams in the NFL this year. Hopefully our offense will get better and play more consistant football.

[NightTrainLayne]

We don't know enough yet to REALLY know how good this team is on either side of the ball. If we were 0-2 instead of 2-0 I'd be saying the same thing (although probably not so many would agree with me in the former scenario).

So, what I am taking away from this week's game is that we are improving. Steadily improving on both sides of the ball. If we can continue that steady improvement, each and every week, this will be a team to be proud of.

So far, I am very impressed with how far McD has brought this team, what with all the controversy we had this off-season. Some of the problems certainly appear to be of his own making (I'm on his side more than Cutler's, but he bears some of the blame as well), but this was quite a test for him to bring the team through and start off 2-0, and leading the AFC West. A bad coach probably wouldn't have been able to pull that off.

[Shazam!]

It isn't a stretch to say the Defense is twice as good as last season, and that would mean it's a middle-of-the-pack unit. Even that would be saying a lot if it finished ranked 16-14 overall from 30.

[TXBRONC]

I felt we would be better on defense I just didn't know how much better. I am surprised at just how stout we have been up the middle. Fields has been a journeyman nose tackle all of his career but from what I can tell Fields has played very well. In fact the trio of Fields, Davis, and D.J have been solid at clogging things up.

There is however one thing I think we need improvement on and its defending the edges against the run. It seems that the biggest gains that the Bengals and the Browns got in the running game was runs to the outside.

[rcsodak]

I felt we would be better on defense I just didn't know how much better. I am surprised at just how stout we have been up the middle. Fields has been a journeyman nose tackle all of his career but from what I can tell Fields has played very well. In fact the trio of Fields, Davis, and D.J have been solid at clogging things up.

There is however one thing I think we need improvement on and its defending the edges against the run. It seems that the biggest gains that the Bengals and the Browns got in the running game was runs to the outside.

Well,tx, I can see your not thinking much of Fields, since many others are in the same boat. But "journeyman"? Denver picked him up from the team he's been with since entering the league. That is far from being a journeyman.

My only worry, as of now, is the lack of depth. If Fields is doing the bulk of the good work, and gets hurt, who's gonna take his place?

I'd say luck is going to have to be with them this year. Then next year they can start upgrading and adding depth. Gerald McCoy hopefully, to start!

As for the big gains on the outside...I'd venture to say that's prolly true with most teams. Between the tackles isn't exactly easy going.

[Tned]

A lot of people had us going 3-0 to start out. The Bengals were strangely piss-poor and we totally lucked out on that game; and beating up on the Browns is just more tough love hailing back to the Elway-years. Hell, everyone should have seen those stats on their passing capabilities; last in every single category. Quickly followed by a shot of Derek Anderson treading the sideline...

Next we get Oakland and JaMarcus can't throw for shit Russell. I think we can beat Oakland if Russell keeps overthrowing screen passes and being all-around terrible.

After these three games comes the real schedule as far as I'm concerned. What we can see thus far is that we're not so bad as to lose to the Browns at home; the Bengals game still has me wondering, though, considering the win was like surviving a skydive in which your parachute failed.

I didn't make a prediction following TC/Preseason, but I did in the thread that was started around the start of training camp, or just a little in to it.

While I might have picked a little different after the preseason, because I came away fairly impressed with the defense (but also concerned about the offense), I also had us going 3-0, but finishing 7-9.

If we beat Oakland next week, it will be great, but still not tell us a whole lost. However, over the next two weeks, once we see how the team plays against Dallas and New England, we will have a much better feel for how good or bad this team is.

[Dreadnought]

I felt we would be better on defense I just didn't know how much better. I am surprised at just how stout we have been up the middle. Fields has been a journeyman nose tackle all of his career but from what I can tell Fields has played very well. In fact the trio of Fields, Davis, and D.J have been solid at clogging things up.

There is however one thing I think we need improvement on and its defending the edges against the run. It seems that the biggest gains that the Bengals and the Browns got in the running game was runs to the outside.

Good call. Fields and Andra Davis have been the finds of the year so far IMO. The center of our run defense bears no resemblance to the squishy soft thing we watched in 2007-08, and those guys are a big part of it. I really liked the Davis signing when we made it, but had no idea Fields would perform as well as he has so far

[NightTrainLayne]

Good call. Fields and Andra Davis have been the finds of the year so far IMO. The center of our run defense bears no resemblance to the squishy soft thing we watched in 2007-08, and those guys are a big part of it. I really liked the Davis signing when we made it, but had no idea Fields would perform as well as he has so far

Ahem. .. just would like to take this opportunity to note that I adopted Fields as my adopt-a-Bronco right after we picked him up. :beer:

Not that I'm a great judge of talent. .. it was more along the lines of "man, we really need this guy to step up, so here's hoping he does well."

He's not a top-tier NT, but he's done well enough so far. I'm pretty pleased with he performance, and like many other pieces of this team, he seems to be steadily improving as we move along.

[Dreadnought]

Ahem. .. just would like to take this opportunity to note that I adopted Fields as my adopt-a-Bronco right after we picked him up. :beer:

Not that I'm a great judge of talent. .. it was more along the lines of "man, we really need this guy to step up, so here's hoping he does well."

He's not a top-tier NT, but he's done well enough so far. I'm pretty pleased with he performance, and like many other pieces of this team, he seems to be steadily improving as we move along.

I'll also credit you with starting the first ever "Fire Slowick" thread last year, so maybe your prognostication is better than you think. And if Fields isn't a top tier NT you sure couldn't prove it by his last two games.

[BigDaddyBronco]

Good call. Fields and Andra Davis have been the finds of the year so far IMO. The center of our run defense bears no resemblance to the squishy soft thing we watched in 2007-08, and those guys are a big part of it. I really liked the Davis signing when we made it, but had no idea Fields would perform as well as he has so far
Buckhalter and Goodman haven't been too shabby either.

[Requiem / The Dagda]

Davis was probably my favorite free agent signing because of what he was able to do in the past in a 3-4 scheme. Fields was a decent pick-up too, considering he isn't a great player. It just goes to show you how well players can do when they work within their roles and buy into the scheme trying to be sold. What also helps is that players love playing under Nolan. He brings out the best in everybody and does what it takes to adjust that players role to what he can do for the team. This defense is heads and shoulders above what they were last year, but are still a long ways off.

[NightTrainLayne]

Buckhalter and Goodman haven't been too shabby either.

It's funny how a lot of the "no-name" or "lower-tier" pick-ups that this staff made in the off-season were ridiculed at the time and used as more fuel on the fire of the whole Cutler disaster.

But now, almost all of those pieces are contributing in our wins so far.

[Slick]

I wasn't all that thrilled with the Davis signing, but I'm always happy to be proven wrong.

I've held a grudge against him mainly for the simple fact that his helmet throw during a Browns Chiefs game gave KC a second attempt at a FG they had missed previously and ended up winning the game.

[Day1BroncoFan]

As long as he can channel that passion into winning games and not doing stupid things that give opponents second chances he can stay around.

[BigDaddyBronco]

I wasn't all that thrilled with the Davis signing, but I'm always happy to be proven wrong.

I've held a grudge against him mainly for the simple fact that his helmet throw during a Browns Chiefs game gave KC a second attempt at a FG they had missed previously and ended up winning the game.
At least his helmet doesn't fly off once or twice a game. :D
:drinksashot:

[Dreadnought]

At least his helmet doesn't fly off once or twice a game. :D
:drinksashot:

Nor have I seen him do a Victory Dance after holding a guy to a six yard gain

[Requiem / The Dagda]

Look Dread, stop hating on Jamie Winborn. :D

[NightTrainLayne]

Nor have I seen him do a Victory Dance after holding a guy to a six yard gain

Considering that he's no longer in the NFL in any capacity, I understand those celebrations much better. You see, he knew that to be a part of any NFL play. . .even tackles 8 yards down-field was a miracle of the highest order, and he was going to celelbrate.

Fare-thee-well Jaimie Winborn. . ..

[Slick]

Look Dread, stop hating on Jamie Winborn. :D

Dread misses Nate Webster.

[Dreadnought]

Dread misses Nate Webster.

Yeah, like I miss my ex-wife...

[topscribe]

I suspect after a few games folks will game plan against them.. the first few games no body has any game tape on them.. now they do the good OC will start to game plan around the weaknesses..

I find it hard to believe that we would be one of the heaviest DL and some as some teams NT weigh more that our DL does..

IIRC they are all about 305-315..

Now that is a HUGE upgrade from years past but.. I find it hard to believe we are one of the biggest..

I suspect they will end the year in the top 20 maybe 15, because there is not alot of depth and IF the O does not start winning the TOP issue big time they will still wear down.. Even IF technique is on the moon they have a long schedule and not much Quality depth.. But then again more than last year..


Doomerville I am pleasantly surprised about I said years ago he was not going to be a great DE to small to play more than passing downs.. I think they have found a good home for him @OLB..

Actually, with Fields (314), Baker (329), and Thomas (316), the Broncos
stack up quite well in the league at NT, in terms of weight.

Regarding the DLs overall, here are some averages, according to CoachScout (http://www.couchscout.com/nfteam.htm):

Denver 308
Dallas 308
NYG 280
Wash 298
GB 309
Pitt 297
Cle 318
NE 313
Minn 296
Balt 313

So Denver shows up quite well in average weights.

Regarding depth, none of the 3-4 teams have more than 7 active players on
the DL, that I have seen. That is how many the Broncos have: Fields, Baker,
Thomas, Holliday, Smith, McBean, and Peterson. They all have played, and
they all have shown well. So, while depth was a concern before they had a
chance to play with each other, I don't see how it is now. Looks like seven
pretty good players to me . . .

-----

[dogfish]

put me down for brian dawkins as the best free agent pickup so far-- dude brings leadership, intensity, accountability, and oh yea-- seventeen tackles in his first two weeks here. . . .

safeties are allowed to make tackles! who knew?

:noidea:

[Dreadnought]

put me down for brian dawkins as the best free agent pickup so far-- dude brings leadership, intensity, accountability, and oh yea-- seventeen tackles in his first two weeks here. . . .

safeties are allowed to make tackles! who knew?

:noidea:

No kidding. After watching Calvin Lowery et al. hit ballcarriers with all the force of an Angel's shrug last year its a pleasure to watch Dawkins play

[honz]

Not only has Dawkins' play been impressive, but he has likely been just as important in changing the culture of the team (at least defensively) as McD and Nolan. Dude brings it every play and plays with reckless abandon. A couple of players have said that it's pretty much impossible not to play hard when you have a guy like Dawkins out there bringing it every play.

[Slick]

Could you imagine Dawkins playing for Bob Slowick?

"I got this Coach. Go fill up some Gatorade cups or something, just stay out of the way."

[WARHORSE]

The SECONDARY of the team is a strength.

Hill and Goodman were unreal value signings for what we needed.

Dawkins? Worth every penny, and a bigger impact than when Lynch was brought in.

Yeah, I said it.

Champ, Renaldo, Andre and B Dawk are playing right where McD and Xman had them valued at: Tough.

The Dline has been coached beyond anyones expectations.

The three big men along with those rotating inside need the entire defense to be giving them kudos after every game.

Just like in hockey when everyone caps the goaltender.

They have played very well.

The linebackers..........well, who could complain?

Everyone is getting in on the action.

Different guys are making plays and contributing out there.

Phonso and J Williams are killin it in their roles, especially Phonzie.

You KNOW the filmroom is lit up with backslaps and fist pumps every time they see the little guys rammin into runningbacks twice their size.

What makes guys play with abandon like that?

Theyre tough, smart, hard working, accountable and most of all: playing for each other.

BRONCOS BABY.

[Slick]

The SECONDARY of the team is a strength.

Hill and Goodman were unreal value signings for what we needed.

Dawkins? Worth every penny, and a bigger impact than when Lynch was brought in.

Yeah, I said it.

Champ, Renaldo, Andre and B Dawk are playing right where McD and Xman had them valued at: Tough.

The Dline has been coached beyond anyones expectations.

The three big men along with those rotating inside need the entire defense to be giving them kudos after every game.

Just like in hockey when everyone caps the goaltender.

They have played very well.

The linebackers..........well, who could complain?

Everyone is getting in on the action.

Different guys are making plays and contributing out there.

Phonso and J Williams are killin it in their roles, especially Phonzie.

You KNOW the filmroom is lit up with backslaps and fist pumps every time they see the little guys rammin into runningbacks twice their size.

What makes guys play with abandon like that?

Theyre tough, smart, hard working, accountable and most of all: playing for each other.

BRONCOS BABY.

You get me pumped when I read your posts War. Good stuff. Lots of credit to Nolan,and shame on me for not remembering his name, the new D-line coach.

[Dreadnought]

Could you imagine Dawkins playing for Bob Slowick?

"I got this Coach. Go fill up some Gatorade cups or something, just stay out of the way."

More like Slowick to Dawkins;

"Yeah, ok so I'm going to have to ask you to play a little further off the LOS than that Brian. So that was good and all where you stopped that 3rd and 3 last series, but thats not a part of my master plan, and its not exactly what I had in mind, remember its all about bending but not breaking here. So if you could just, you know, settle down and play back where I asked you too that would be Greeeaaaattt..."

[Day1BroncoFan]

Hey Slowick, would you stop making that sucking sound please?

:lol:

[Lonestar]

The SECONDARY of the team is a strength.

Hill and Goodman were unreal value signings for what we needed.

Dawkins? Worth every penny, and a bigger impact than when Lynch was brought in.

Yeah, I said it.

Champ, Renaldo, Andre and B Dawk are playing right where McD and Xman had them valued at: Tough.

The Dline has been coached beyond anyones expectations.

The three big men along with those rotating inside need the entire defense to be giving them kudos after every game.

Just like in hockey when everyone caps the goaltender.

They have played very well.

The linebackers..........well, who could complain?

Everyone is getting in on the action.

Different guys are making plays and contributing out there.

Phonso and J Williams are killin it in their roles, especially Phonzie.

You KNOW the filmroom is lit up with backslaps and fist pumps every time they see the little guys rammin into runningbacks twice their size.

What makes guys play with abandon like that?

Theyre tough, smart, hard working, accountable and most of all: playing for each other.

BRONCOS BABY.

great post always optimistic and it looks like you have a right to be..

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm could it be they are playing like a TEAM..

[gobroncsnv]

You get me pumped when I read your posts War. Good stuff. Lots of credit to Nolan,and shame on me for not remembering his name, the new D-line coach.

Wayne Nunnely. and several others...

http://www.nfl.com/teams/coaches?coaType=assist&team=DEN


Dreads, way to go, calling me up some Office Space...

And War, you're right about 33. Phonzo is bringing it. Kid's good, gonna get better.

[T.K.O.]

2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 3Week: SelectPre123 Add Widget
ESPN.com






[Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking in the Week 2 edition of the Power Rankings.]


2009 Power Rankings: Week 3
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (10) Ravens 2-0-0 They're balanced on offense and tough on defense. (Chadiha)
2 (3) Giants 2-0-0 Mario Manningham might not be Plaxico Burress, but he's becoming an Eli Manning go-to guy. (Clayton)
3 (5) Colts 2-0-0 The first of two back-to-back prime-time road games went just fine in Miami. (Kuharsky)
4 (7) Falcons 2-0-0 Taking care of business within the division is key, but the Falcons can take another step if they win at New England on Sunday. (Sando)
5 (8) Vikings 2-0-0 So far, so good with Brett Favre in charge. (Chadiha)
6 (1) Steelers 1-1-0 They have got to find a running game. (Chadiha)
7 (12) Saints 2-0-0 Scoring 48 points at Philly isn't easy. Drew Brees is completing 75 percent of his passes to lead the MVP race early.(Sando)
8 (16) Jets 2-0-0 Rex Ryan has blitzed his way into first place in the AFC East. Division, beware. (Clayton)
9 (4) Eagles 1-1-0 Kevin Kolb put up great passing numbers, but the Eagles can't fly without Donovan McNabb. (Clayton)
10 (2) Patriots 1-1-0 Bill Belichick must go back to the drawing board for a November rematch against the Jets. (Clayton)
11 (6) Chargers 1-1-0 Might that home loss to the Ravens become an outcome that places a playoff matchup in Baltimore? (Kuharsky)
12 (11) Packers 1-1-0 Where was the Packers' pass protection (six sacks) and discipline (11 penalties) against the Bengals? (Chadiha)
13 (18) 49ers 2-0-0 The 49ers want to run the ball and they are, but don't overlook Shaun Hill. He's 9-3 as the 49ers' starter. (Sando)
14 (15) Bears 1-1-0 The Bears need more of the Jay Cutler who showed up to beat the Steelers. (Chadiha)
15 (13) Cowboys 1-1-0 Two problems don't go away: critical turnovers by Tony Romo and giving up big plays on defense. (Clayton)
16 (9) Titans 0-2-0 Mistake-filled first two weeks are fueling those critics who predicted a big drop-off after a 13-3 season. (Kuharsky)
17 (23) Texans 1-1-0 Everyone is wary of saying too much about the great victory in Tennessee, because historically the Texans have had some duds for follow-ups. (Kuharsky)
18 (17) Cardinals 1-1-0 Beating the Colts at home in Week 3 would validate the Cardinals' blowout victory at Jacksonville while potentially forcing a tie atop the NFC West. (Sando)
19 (19) Dolphins 0-2-0 The Wildcat dominated the Colts but Miami lost the game by four. Maybe the "Cat" isn't that wild. (Clayton)
20 (24) Broncos 2-0-0 Their two remaining games against the AFC North aren't likely to produce the same results their first two did. (Kuharsky)
21 (21) Bills 1-1-0 He's lost two offensive tackles and an offensive coordinator, but Trent Edwards is hanging in there as a no-huddle quarterback. (Clayton)
22 (14) Seahawks 1-1-0 Injuries always seem to be the big story for Seattle. Matt Hasselbeck's ribs aren't going to feel good any time soon. (Sando)
23 (20) Redskins 1-1-0 Playing St. Louis and Detroit in back-to-back weeks is a gift that buys time for the offense to start clicking. (Clayton)
24 (26) Bengals 1-1-0 This team would be 2-0 if it hadn't blown the final minute of its season opener. (Chadiha)
25 (22) Panthers 0-2-0 Jake Delhomme was much better in Week 2, but his two-game pace works out to eight touchdown passes and 40 interceptions. (Sando)
26 (27) Raiders 1-1-0 Better than many expected, but how long can they endure the poor play of JaMarcus Russell? (Kuharsky)
27 (25) Jaguars 0-2-0 It's time for the rookie wide receivers to see some action and make some contributions for the struggling Jags. (Kuharsky)
28 (29) Buccaneers 0-2-0 The Bucs have allowed 900 yards in their first two games. They even made the Bills look good. (Sando)
29 (28) Browns 0-2-0 Two blowout losses to open the season don't bode well. (Chadiha)
30 (30) Chiefs 0-2-0 Two turnovers, other miscues undid a lot of stat advantages in loss to Oakland. (Kuharsky)
31 (31) Lions 0-2-0 Even with two defeats, they already seem better than last season. (Chadiha)
32 (32) Rams 0-2-0 The Rams desperately need more punch from their passing game. Donnie Avery has been a nonfactor so far. (Sando)


ok i see that we havnt played any "juggernaut's" but why are below miami ?
they have us below a bunch of 1-1 teams but 0-2?.....c'mon get on the bandwagon espn,its gonna be a great ride !:D