Power Rankings: Denied Patriots have to get back in line

Updated Feb. 5

Perfectville, that mythical neighborhood created by the 1972 Miami Dolphins, is a really tough place to gain entry into, an ultra-exclusive area that features few in it.

The exclusivity of it makes any gated community, even those of the high-rolling stars, seem as if they're open to all of us. You can't buy your way in, either. You have to earn it.

Tom Brady heads off into the sunset for now -- better luck next season. (Getty Images)

The New England applied for entry but got turned down when a group of blue-collar New York Giants proved the Patriots weren't good enough.

Sunday night's Super Bowl XLII gave us another valuable reminder of why we love sports so much. The seemingly unbeatable is always beatable.

The Patriots 17-14 loss ruined their chance at a 19-0 season, allowing them to stake a claim as one of the greatest, if not greatest, team of all-time. We were ready to anoint coach Bill Belichick as the greatest coach and Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback.

Now they have to spend the next six months hearing how they choked it all away. They are the biggest Super losers of all-time.

Yes, the Baltimore Colts were bigger favorites when they lost to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III, but the Colts weren't unbeaten. They weren't trying to get into Perfectville.

Now the Patriots appear to be facing a tumultuous offseason. In addition to the sting of hearing how they gagged their season away, they have the Specter (as in Arlen) hanging over their heads.

They thought the spying scandal was long gone when they were caught early in the season, but now we get word there might be another tape, one in which they filmed the St. Louis Rams' walk-through before Super Bowl XXVI. If that is found to be true, Belichick could be facing a year-long suspension, which ultimately could lead to him walking away for good. There is talk among some in the league that the Patriots ownership wouldn't need much to send him packing.

Winning Super Bowls, they tolerate his boorish behavior and off-field dalliances. But if he's caught in another scandal, watch out.

Belichick, in his usual standoffish way, shrugged off a question about the latest allegations after Sunday's game. "I don't know about that," he said. Then again, he shrugged off a lot of questions, his bitter-beer face showing all the pain he was feeling inside.

His classless walk off at the end of the game, leaving the field with one second left in the game and a snap still to take, was vintage Belichick. How about losing with some class? Then again, some say he doesn't win with class so why should we expect him to lose with it?

The Patriots will also have to decide what to do with Randy Moss, who can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. He did little in the postseason, although he did have a touchdown catch Sunday after catching 23 of them in the regular season. He says he wants to come back to New England, but you can bet he won't take the home-team discount if that's what the Pats are thinking.

Then there's the aging defense, especially at linebacker. And wasn't that graying safety Rodney Harrison who gave up the two biggest completions Sunday night?

It will be a long offseason for the Patriots, one they thought they'd spend talking about their greatness.

Who didn't think they would start the 2008 season atop all the power rankings? But instead they are in the two hole, behind the Giants. If the two teams played 10 times, the Pats would probably win seven of them, which means they are probably the better team and should be in the top spot. Bodog.com sent out a list of odds for next year's Super Bowl and the Patriots are the favorites at 4-1. The Giants are 10-1, behind the Chargers and Colts and tied with the Cowboys.

But Super Bowl winners always take the top spot in the first set of our rankings that close out this season and peek ahead to 2008.

There will be another three or four sets of these rankings before we kick off the regular season, one after free agency, another after the draft and one or two more before the regular season opens.

New England thought they had the top spot locked until we kicked it off for real. The Giants took that from them and they took something far more important.

They took away their slide card for entry into that elite community known as Perfectville.

Now they have to wonder if they'll ever get in.

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Patriots · Trends	11
	They get Tom Brady back. They have the deepest team in the league. Oh, and they have the best coach. Add it up, and it's no wonder they are Super favorites.
	2	Steelers · Trends	1
	The champions are loaded again and will be in the thick of it come playoff time. They didn't do much to improve their offensive line, though, which has to be a concern.
	3	Colts · Trends	7
	Peyton Manning is back healthy again, so they are a real contender again. The addition of Donald Brown to the running game will give it more explosiveness. The key will be the return to health of major defensive players.
	4	Cardinals · Trends	2
	They've done some nice things in the offseason, including adding corner Bryant McFadden and drafting Beanie Wells to carry the football. They will be a playoff team again and maybe they'll finish in Miami.
	5	Eagles · Trends	4
	They've had a wonderful offseason, adding key players like tackles Jason Peters and Stacey Andrews and loading up in the draft with speed and quickness. They will be tough to stop on offense.
	6	Giants · Trends	5
	They fortified the defense with some key free agents and added a speed receiver in Hakeem Nicks to the passing game. Tom Coughlin will have this team in the playoffs again.
	7	Titans · Trends	6
	They haven't done a lot, and losing Albert Haynesworth will hurt. The other thing is their division is tough. They also have to get more big plays from their passing game.
	8	Ravens · Trends	3
	Joe Flacco will be better in his second season as a starter and that defense will once again be among the best. They do have to take their passing game up a notch.
	9	Falcons · Trends	9
	It's all about the defense for the Falcons. Adding Tony Gonzalez makes the offense complete and the draft was loaded with defensive picks to help the other side. They aren't going away.
	10	Saints · Trends	19
	This is another team that has improved its defense in the past four months in terms of talent. Now new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has to bring it all together.
	11	Chargers · Trends	10
	This is still a deep, talented team. If Philip Rivers continues to develop, the Chargers will easily be the class of the AFC West.
	12	Texans · Trends	17
	The Texans have a lot of important pieces in place. As long as Matt Schaub can stay healthy, they might be ready to make a real playoff push.
	13	Panthers · Trends	8
	They will be the same team: Run heavy and play tough defense. Is that enough? Jake Delhomme has to play better.
	14	Bears · Trends	18
	Getting Jay Cutler is the steal of the offseason. He makes them a real playoff threat. Yes, I do believe that.
	15	Cowboys · Trends	14
	They have talent, but something just seems to be off. I don't think they're as good as the Eagles or Giants in their own division, which is why they are down this low.
	16	Bengals · Trends	24
	Getting Palmer back makes them dangerous and the defense will be better around him. I like the Bengals as a sleeper team. I really do.
	17	Vikings · Trends	13
	Quarterback. It's all about the quarterback. Whether it's Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson, that position has to be better. Words of advice: Stay away from that guy named Favre.
	18	Packers · Trends	23
	The move to a 3-4 under new coordinator Dom Capers will be one to watch closely. If that side of the ball plays better, Aaron Rodgers might get them to a playoff game.
	19	Bills · Trends	22
	Can Terrell Owens make them a playoff team? That might be stretching it, but they will be better on offense.
	20	Seahawks · Trends	28
	New coach Jim Mora takes over a veteran team that was hurt by injuries last season. They need to keep Matt Hasselbeck healthy. If they do, they will push the Cardinals.
	21	Jets · Trends	16
	How long does it take to get Mark Sanchez ready? If he's what they think he is, they will be better than expected. If not, it's a redshirt season and they will win six games.
	22	Buccaneers · Trends	15
	Who plays quarterback? Whoever it is has to be better than what they had last season. There are also some age concerns on defense. New coach Raheem Morris faces a challenging first season.
	23	Redskins · Trends	25
	They're the fourth team in a four-team division. That will make it tough to win eight games.
	24	Jaguars · Trends	26
	They've made some nice moves to fix the offensive line, and now it's time for the offense to do more. The defense also needs young players to step up, especially end Derrick Harvey.
	25	Broncos · Trends	20
	They're excited about Kyle Orton. I'm not. I think he's OK. They better hope the defense plays better than a year ago or it won't matter who quarterbacks the Broncos. I do like Knowshon Moreno.
	26	Dolphins · Trends	12
	They are the step-back team this season. But in 2010, look out. I think Chad Henne will take over at some time this season.
	27	49ers · Trends	21
	It's all quarterback with the 49ers. Can Shaun Hill or Alex Smith get the job done? If not, they'll stay down here all year long.
	28	Raiders · Trends	27
	It's all about JaMarcus Russell. If he plays an entire season to the level of expectations, the Raiders will be better. I think he can. But they have other issues.
	29	Chiefs · Trends	29
	They landed their quarterback in Matt Cassel and have added a few players to help, but new coach Todd Haley faces a big task in getting this offense to play like his Arizona unit did.
	30	Browns · Trends	30
	New coach Eric Mangini will build this team the way he wants it. But one has to wonder if that's a good thing considering his Jets history.
	31	Rams · Trends	31
	The Rams were a disaster last year. New coach Steve Spagnuolo has a lot of work to do. They're at least a year away.
	32	Lions · Trends	32
	They have their franchise quarterback to build around, and Jim Schwartz will do a good job, but there's a lot of work still to be done.