Looking at SI's NFL ratings now

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MAGAZINE AND NOVER RANK NFL TEAMS 09/16/03 - Stephen Nover

Sports Illustrated rated each NFL team at the beginning of the current season.

Now, just two weeks later, those rankings look crazy. For instance, does anybody think the Philadelphia Eagles are the second-best team in the NFL?

Sports Illustrated's NFL rankings (in its Sept. 1 NFL preview issue), followed by my comments about that ranking, appear below.

1. Tampa Bay - By default, the Bucs still remain the team to beat. But Carolina exposed a lot of Tampa Bay's flaws, including being vulnerable to a power ground game. The Bucs still don't have much of ground attack. And Thomas Jones isn't the answer.

2. Philadelphia - The 0-2 Eagles are in deep, deep trouble. No defense has been hit harder by injuries, and Donovan McNabb looks terrible. Philly fans are already chanting "A.J." for backup quarterback A.J. Feeley. The Eagles have one touchdown and five turnovers.

3. Tennessee - This looked like a trendy pick, but that was before Indianapolis trounced the Titans. The Titans no longer have much of a ground game, Steve McNair already is banged up, and the team has to rely on 44-year-old Gary Anderson for field goals.

4. St. Louis - The Rams can go either way. It's obvious they can't get back to the Super Bowl with Kurt Warner. Keep in mind, the Rams are extremely young and don't have the depth they had at wide receiver. Their guards are the key, along with new tackle Kyle Turley. That group hasn't played well so far.

5. Green Bay - The Packers have serious deficiencies on defense, lacking a pass rush, big linebackers and speed in the secondary.

6. Pittsburgh - Until they develop a running game and a better pass defense, the Steelers can't be taken seriously. Air Cowher. Who would have thought?

7. Kansas City - Maybe these guys are for real. Priest Holmes has looked great and the defense appears much improved. At this early juncture, the Chiefs have to be considered at least a top-five team.

8. Buffalo - Another team out of the gate quickly with the defense looking much better. But I'll hold judgment until this Sunday when the Bills face Miami on grass in the evening heat.

9. Oakland - The defending AFC champions deserved to be ranked this low. They're in a tough division and age could catch up to them this season. Losing wide receiver Jerry Porter really hurts the offense. The Raiders are extremely lucky not to be 0-2.

10. New England - I'd have a lot more respect for New England if it could find a running back. Time will tell if Bill Belichick did the right thing by jettisoning Lawyer Milloy prior to the opening game.

11. New York Giants - The division door is wide open for them with Philly's early demise. I just don't think Kerry Collins and Tiki Barber are clutch players.

12. Miami - Even with their upset loss to Houston in Week 1, this ranking is too low for the Dolphins. Once Junior Seau and Sammy Knight start getting comfortable, the defense should be as dominant as it looks on paper.

13. San Francisco - I'm far from sold on the 49ers. Their secondary is thin, Jeff Garcia has back problems and Dennis Erickson has never impressed me with his coaching in the pros.

14. Indianapolis - Am I wrong to think Peyton Manning is overrated? Even if I'm not, the Colts should be moved much higher. Their defense has gotten much tougher under Tony Dungy, and Edgerrin James is back to his '99 and 2000 NFL-rushing form.

15. Atlanta - Washington exposed how soft the Falcons are on defense. Mike Vick may return in three weeks, and that won't come soon enough.

16. Denver - The Broncos defense has looked good, which is bad news for the rest of the AFC. Jake Plummer has too many weapons and good coaches to fail. One of these weapons is Clinton Portis, who is the most dangerous back in the NFL.

17. San Diego - What was SI thinking by putting the Chargers this high? The Chargers have trouble stopping the run, and have the worst pass defense. That's not a good combination, especially with a one-dimensional running offense.

18. New York Jets - It's also amazing SI could put the Jets this high when they knew Vinny Testaverde was going to be the quarterback. The decline of Curtis Martin and the inflexibility of offensive coordinator Paul Hackett is not helping Testaverde.

19. New Orleans - An undisciplined, unpredictable team. I love the skill position players, but the secondary is vulnerable. The Saints are your typical team that can beat anybody or lose to anybody on any given week.

20. Cleveland - It's just two games into the season and the Browns are at the crisis point. Their young linebackers have held up well, particularly Andra Davis. But their defensive line, offensive line and quarterback Kelly Holcomb are all underachieving so far.

21. Baltimore - Give Brian Billick an outstanding defense and top runner and he can take you to the Super Bowl. SI should know this. Move the Ravens way up. With defenses now set to play eight-man fronts to key on Jamal Lewis, Baltimore's quarterbacks should be able to complete a few passes.

22. Seattle -SI would put Seattle in the top-five if they could have known how well the Seahawks have looked. New defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes and a healthy Anthony Simmons and Chad Brown make a big difference. Seattle's defense will be even better when star cornerback Shawn Springs returns.

23. Carolina - A team with a defense this good should never be ranked this low. The Panthers are far from a great team because of their quarterback limitations. But they are a solid, physical bunch with excellent special teams.

24. Minnesota - Another team ranked too low. Moe Williams has been solid replacing Michael Bennett, which makes Minnesota very dangerous on offense. George O'Leary has also made a difference as defensive coordinator. This team just could win the NFC North.

25. Jacksonville - I think they're the third-worst team in the NFL behind the Bears and Cardinals. Once they make the quarterback switch to rookie Byron Leftwich - and Fred Taylor gets his annual injury - the Jaguars will suffer even more growing pains under their new coaching staff.

26. Chicago - Losing almost their entire offensive line to injuries puts the Bears at No. 31 in my rankings. The Bears would be wise NOT TO make the quarterback switch from Kordell Stewart to Rex Grossman. Why scar Grossman for life?

27. Dallas - No Bill Parcells-team should be ranked this low. Because of Parcells, the Cowboys are a .500 type team, not the 5-11 club they were the past three years under Dave Campo.

28. Washington - Off to their first 2-0 start since 1991, the Redskins have to be taken a little more seriously. Steve Spurrier seems to be putting his ego aside this year, admitting you need to be able to run in the NFL. The Redskins' robbery of the Jets in the off-season has made them better, and the Jets much worse.

29. Detroit - At least they have a real coach now. However, Steve Mariucci can't do much with a patchwork secondary, a young quarterback and no running game.

30. Cincinnati - Marvin Lewis does make a difference. The Bengals are better than at least nine other teams. They out-gained Oakland on the road last week, 416-237 and collected 27 first downs to the Raiders' 12. They did everything but win the game.

31. Houston - No longer can the Texans be taken lightly. Their defense is semi-respectable, although losing nose guard Seth Payne hurts. David Carr has decent receivers.

32. Arizona - There's no argument here. Emmitt Smith must feel like Davy Crockett joining up with the Alamo defenders. The Cardinals defense was bad before they lost their best lineman and defensive back prior to opening day.
 

Another Day, Another Dollar
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Bad azz stephen. Cool idea
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Another Day, Another Dollar
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>14. Indianapolis - Am I wrong to think Peyton Manning is overrated? Even if I'm not, the Colts should be moved much higher. Their defense has gotten much tougher under Tony Dungy, and Edgerrin James is back to his '99 and 2000 NFL-rushing form.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Least forget before injury edge won the rushing title 2 straight
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