Power Rankings: Time to play out one seriously long string
By Pete Prisco | CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer Follow PeteSeason over.
That's a phrase I like to use a lot. The real end of the NFL regular season isn't for a couple of months, but the phrase applies to a third of the league's teams right now.
(By the way, did you see I went 11-2 against the spread in my expert picks?)
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| The rest of the season is inconsequential for Dennis Green's Cardinals -- and 10 other teams. (AP) |
No, so it's season over before the World Series starts.
Sure, they can play out the string, hoping to win a game here and there, but the reality is that it's time to start looking ahead to free-agency next March and getting those scouts primed for the draft.
(By the way, did you see I went 11-2 against the spread in my expert picks?)
Nobody is worse than the Oakland Raiders. They remain the only winless team in the league, a bona fide mess. At one point during Sunday's loss to the Broncos, NBC announcer John Madden, a former Raiders coach, said the losing was killing owner Al Davis.
Probably not the proper words, considering Davis appears frail and was using a walker to get around when Madden was inducted into the Hall of Fame in August. You could tell Madden wanted those words back as soon as he said them.
But even in his current state, Davis is a competitor, one who lives by the "Just Win, Baby" mantra. So this can't be sitting well with him. Not only are the Raiders losing, they're doing it in embarrassing style. When right tackle Langston Walker went down with a head injury, it forced Chad Slaughter in at that position. He proceeded to get penalized four times for false starts.
Last time I checked, head coach Art Shell and line coach Jackie Slater were Hall of Fame tackles. Not only that, but the Raiders have a third line assistant, former tackle Irv Eatman.
And Slaughter can't stay in his stance?
That's inexcusable.
(By the way, did you see I went 11-2 against the spread in my expert picks?)
The polar opposite of the Raiders are the Chicago Bears, who somehow found a way to win a game they had no business winning Monday night at Arizona. They won without getting an offensive touchdown, getting two defensive scores and a punt return to win 24-23.
That's the sign of a good team. Somehow, when their MVP-candidate quarterback turns into a scatter-armed, brainless passer, they find a way to pull out a victory. Of course, it had to happen against Arizona. Admit it, when Neil Rackers missed that last-minute field goal, you thought to yourself, "Of course. It's Arizona."
That's why the Cardinals, a team I thought would push for a division title, are one of those teams at the bottom of these rankings that are going nowhere, planning for 2007.
Season over.
(By the way, did you see I went 11-2 against the spread in my expert picks?)
The rankings for Oct. 17:
| Power Rankings | |||
| Current | Team | Previous | |
 | 1 | Giants · Trends | 8 |
| With a young team, an elite quarterback and a coach who knows how to make these playoff runs, they will be a Super factor again. | |||
 | 2 | Packers · Trends | 1 |
| They have to do a better job on the defensive side of the ball in 2012. There was a major regress by a lot of defensive players in 2011. | |||
 | 3 | Patriots · Trends | 3 |
| Bad drafting is starting to catch up with this team. It's time to fix that. And one has to ask: Has Tom Brady lost his postseason magic? | |||
 | 4 | 49ers · Trends | 4 |
| Alex Smith is a free agent, but don't expect him to go anywhere. But if the 49ers are going to stay a good team, they have to throw it better. | |||
 | 5 | Ravens · Trends | 5 |
| This is a team getting up in years at some spots, which might mean the window is closing. | |||
 | 6 | Saints · Trends | 2 |
| Biggest offseason priority: Getting Drew Brees signed to a long-term deal. You can bet it will happen soon. | |||
 | 7 | Steelers · Trends | 6 |
| They face a lot of uncertainty on the defensive side of the ball. What veterans won't be back? Who shouldn't be? | |||
 | 8 | Texans · Trends | 10 |
| If Matt Schaub comes back healthy, this could be the team to beat in the AFC next season. They have a tough decision on Mario Williams in free agency. | |||
 | 9 | Falcons · Trends | 7 |
| They have two new coordinators, and that might be a good thing. Dirk Koetter will bring more down-the-field stuff to the offense. | |||
 | 10 | Bengals · Trends | 11 |
| This is a young team on the rise. As the young players mature, especially Andy Dalton, they will be a Super contender. | |||
 | 11 | Lions · Trends | 9 |
| It's all about improving the defense and getting more out of the running game on offense. Cliff Avril is a priority free agent. | |||
 | 12 | Cowboys · Trends | 13 |
| We think they underachieve every year, but are they really as good as we think? | |||
 | 13 | Broncos · Trends | 12 |
| The entire offseason will be devoted to making Tim Tebow a better passer. Good luck with that. | |||
 | 14 | Eagles · Trends | 14 |
| The Eagles' big splash last year didn't pay any dividends. Now they have to regroup and try and get back to playoff football. If not, Andy Reid could be gone after the 2012 season. | |||
 | 15 | Titans · Trends | 15 |
| Jake Locker needs to be the starter in 2012. It's time to move forward. | |||
 | 16 | Jets · Trends | 16 |
| How do they fix that broken team? The locker room seems to be a mess. There is a lack of discipline. | |||
 | 17 | Cardinals · Trends | 17 |
| There is talk they will get into the Manning derby? If that's true, what's that say about Kevin Kolb? | |||
 | 18 | Chargers · Trends | 18 |
| Was keeping Norv Turner the right move? Philip Rivers thinks so. But we know he has to win in 2012. | |||
 | 19 | Raiders · Trends | 19 |
| Dennis Allen takes over the NFL's most dysfunctional franchise. Is Greg Knapp the right guy to lead that talented offense? | |||
 | 20 | Seahawks · Trends | 20 |
| Who will be the starting quarterback in 2012? Do they make a push for Matt Flynn? | |||
 | 21 | Bears · Trends | 21 |
| With Mike Martz out, and Mike Tice in, it appears they will move more to a running offense. Is that a good thing? Matt Forte is a top offseason priority. | |||
 | 22 | Chiefs · Trends | 22 |
| Romeo Crennel gets his second chance to be a head coach. Better sweep the office for bugs first. | |||
 | 23 | Dolphins · Trends | 23 |
| I like the hire of Joe Philbin, a bright offensive mind. Now they need to get him a quarterback. Peyton Manning? | |||
 | 24 | Redskins · Trends | 24 |
| Here's another team that is expected to be in the Manning sweepstakes. They have to do something there. | |||
 | 25 | Panthers · Trends | 25 |
| Cam Newton fixed the offense. Now it's time for the defense to be addressed this offseason. | |||
 | 26 | Bills · Trends | 26 |
| They are switching to a 4-3 front. That means they have to find some ends to help the pass rush. | |||
 | 27 | Jaguars · Trends | 27 |
| Mike Mularkey is the new coach, but the key will be how much of new owner Shad Kahn's money they are willing to spend in free agency. | |||
 | 28 | Buccaneers · Trends | 28 |
| New coach Greg Schiano's first order of duty has to be to get Josh Freeman playing to his 2010 levels again. | |||
 | 29 | Browns · Trends | 29 |
| They have to decide if Colt McCoy is the long-term answer. He didn't look like it in 2011. | |||
 | 30 | Vikings · Trends | 30 |
| They need to get better players around Christian Ponder. He needs weapons, especially with Adrian Peterson coming off a torn ACL. | |||
 | 31 | Colts · Trends | 31 |
| The Peyton Manning saga is getting old. The team needs to make a decision soon and move on. New coach Chuck Pagano has a lot of work to do. | |||
 | 32 | Rams · Trends | 32 |
| Jeff Fisher takes over a team with a lot of holes. They have to get Sam Bradford some weapons. | |||
