Season 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 | Colts · Trends | 1 | |||||||
| They didn't look great against the 49ers, but they found a way. That's what good teams do. It has to be good having Bob Sanders back again. | ||||||||||
 | 2 | Saints · Trends | 2 | |||||||
| It was a little bit of a struggle against the Falcons, but the schedule is favorable the rest of the way, to say the least. Is an undefeated season possible? | ||||||||||
 | 3 | Vikings · Trends | 4 | |||||||
| They have a real hold on the division after sweeping the Packers. They really are a balanced team and Brett Favre is coming off a big game. There, I said it. Aside from the Steelers game, he is playing well. | ||||||||||
 | 4 | Broncos · Trends | 3 | |||||||
| After their first loss, here come the champions. The Pittsburgh Steelers will provide another stiff test for the Broncos. They need to throw it better. Period. | ||||||||||
 | 5 | Patriots · Trends | 5 | |||||||
| They come off the bye with a chance to take a real hold of the division by beating Miami. You know they'll be ready for the Wildcat. | ||||||||||
 | 6 | Bengals · Trends | 6 | |||||||
| At 5-2 after their bye, they get a rematch with the Ravens this week. They can throw it better now than when they beat them the first time, which should help. | ||||||||||
 | 7 | Steelers · Trends | 7 | |||||||
| They can show they are back with a road victory at Denver. The bye week gives them a little edge heading into that one, although Denver will be angry coming off its first loss. | ||||||||||
 | 8 | Eagles · Trends | 8 | |||||||
| We get Eagles-Cowboys this week for first place in the NFC East. That should be fun. The Eagles are rolling after that Oakland disaster two weeks ago. | ||||||||||
 | 9 | Cowboys · Trends | 11 | |||||||
| Is it time to stop ripping on Tony Romo? He's playing some of his best football. The defense, which was a problem much of the season, is playing better. | ||||||||||
 | 10 | Ravens · Trends | 14 | |||||||
| They had to beat Denver to save their season, but now they get a big one against the Bengals on the road. To have a real chance to win the division, they need that one. | ||||||||||
 | 11 | Cardinals · Trends | 9 | |||||||
| Can anybody figure this team out? They play well on the road and stink it up at home. Good thing they're on the road this week. | ||||||||||
 | 12 | Giants · Trends | 10 | |||||||
| They are an example of how fast things can go bad in the NFL. If that defense doesn't play better soon, they could be playoff-less. | ||||||||||
 | 13 | Texans · Trends | 16 | |||||||
| The improvement of the defense to go with that passing game has really helped this team. They do have a lot of premium talent on the defensive side of the ball. | ||||||||||
 | 14 | Chargers · Trends | 17 | |||||||
| They seemed to right things the past two weeks, but now must head east to play a desperate Giants team. That won't be easy. | ||||||||||
 | 15 | Falcons · Trends | 12 | |||||||
| They played well at New Orleans, especially in the second half, and the schedule gets easier now. They are a good 4-3 team. | ||||||||||
 | 16 | Packers · Trends | 13 | |||||||
| Boy that offensive line is bad. If they don't improve there, Aaron Rodgers doesn't stand a chance. | ||||||||||
 | 17 | Bears · Trends | 19 | |||||||
| Nothing like the Cleveland Browns to provide the perfect potion for all that ails a team. Facing Arizona at home this week won't be as easy. | ||||||||||
 | 18 | Dolphins · Trends | 22 | |||||||
| That wasn't pretty against the Jets, but they found a way. Now they have to go to New England, with a chance to get back into the race. Playing two consecutive road games is tough. | ||||||||||
 | 19 | Jets · Trends | 15 | |||||||
| There is no way they should have lost to the Dolphins at home, but at 4-4 they have been way too inconsistent. How about some special-teams work this week? | ||||||||||
 | 20 | Jaguars · Trends | 18 | |||||||
| They will be a .500 team at best. The defense isn't very good, so they will play a lot of high-scoring games. The good news is they have a winnable game against Kansas City this week. | ||||||||||
 | 21 | Panthers · Trends | 24 | |||||||
| Was that a job saver for coach John Fox and a season saver last week in Arizona? It was a big win, but those two things are still to be decided. | ||||||||||
 | 22 | 49ers · Trends | 20 | |||||||
| Playing close isn't good enough. They have to start winning those kinds of games. It's hard when they're limited on offense. | ||||||||||
 | 23 | Bills · Trends | 21 | |||||||
| The run defense is really bad and they don't have the offense to make up for it. Did you ever think they would long to get Trent Edwards back so much? | ||||||||||
 | 24 | Seahawks · Trends | 23 | |||||||
| They've been a major disappointment in a lot of people's minds. But the injuries have crippled this team. It's a tough first year for Jim Mora Jr. | ||||||||||
 | 25 | Raiders · Trends | 25 | |||||||
| At least they showed up and competed against the Chargers. It's more than they did the previous week. Wonder how Tom Cable's troubles will affect the team? | ||||||||||
 | 26 | Chiefs · Trends | 26 | |||||||
| They come off their bye with the Larry Johnson saga hanging over their heads. Something they need more of: Better play from Matt Cassel. | ||||||||||
 | 27 | Redskins · Trends | 27 | |||||||
| Did they fix things during the bye? Is Jim Zorn safe now that he made it through the week off? Can they turn it around? Doubtful. | ||||||||||
 | 28 | Rams · Trends | 31 | |||||||
| They won. They won. They won. After 17 consecutive losses, they should celebrate. Steven Jackson is having a good year for a bad team. | ||||||||||
 | 29 | Titans · Trends | 32 | |||||||
| The move to Vince Young paid off. Yeah, as long as Chris Johnson runs for 228, it paid off. They did show more life coming off their bye in winning for the first time. | ||||||||||
 | 30 | Lions · Trends | 28 | |||||||
| Losing to the Rams drops them down a few spots. They are competing, which is a good sign for this young team. | ||||||||||
 | 31 | Browns · Trends | 29 | |||||||
| Does this team need a bye or what? Do they really have to play out the season with that offense? | ||||||||||
 | 32 | Buccaneers · Trends | 30 | |||||||
| The Josh Freeman Era begins, and it's the right thing to do. They have to get him going for the future. Why wait? | ||||||||||
