Madden 2013, Walmart and the JLo Debacle

Let me start off by saying that I am not quite the avid gamer that I used to be. Pretending to be a grown up, entering the real world and trying to have an actual career have really gotten in the way of that. There was a period of time (pretty much a decade really) in which I would alternate between the new Madden game or the latest NCAA Football each year to get my fake football fix. Well, it has been a few years since I have purchased either and with a long holiday weekend and some cash burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to head to the local Walmart Super-Center here in Houston and give the new Madden 2013 a try. 

Had a great little lazy Sunday in mind, drove the 15 minutes or so to the nearest Walmart and braved the crowd of dregs and vagabonds  with their own personal Sunday bests (stained wife beaters, moo moos, assorted skimpy apparel that is at the very least two sizes too small) and headed towards the electronics department. I obtained the attention of a friendly associate who helped me get the game from the locked plastic security case and he allowed me to check out right there in the electronics department. Which I was quite thankful for because as you know trying to checkout at the front of the store, no matter what time of day or night, is like your own personal purgatory. Every lane is at least ten deep and there are always between fifteen and twenty unattended checkout stations at any given time. 

So, I make it home, charge my controller battery and my headset and get ready to talk some smack to some twelve year old in Iowa who is already undoubtedly infinitely better already than I am. I open up the game, still sealed in its plastic packaging with EA stickers and the Xbox security seal on the inside. The first thing I notice is that the disk appears to be either upside down or it does not have a label on it. Next, the top exposed part looks to be fingerprinted and scratched. I take the disk out and see that it was indeed upside down, and much to my surprise the label the disk does have is a for a JLo album. Love may not cost a thing, but surprise, anger and disappointment come to about 59.96 + tax.

Obviously perturbed to say the least, I head back to said Walmart to try to rectify the situation. By now it is a little later in the day and the parking lot and store have filled up. With Madden still on my mind, I give the homeless guy in the parking lot a stiff-arm and a spin move and head towards the customer service both. And of course it is Walmart on a Sunday, so a pretty substantial line has formed, so I wait my turn behind the best society has to offer with their money-order requests and receipt-less returns. It is finally my turn and I hand over the game case, the torn plastic, the JLo CD and my receipt. I tell the customer service representative the in my mind unbelievable story. She looks back at me, unimpressed and tells me that I can go get another copy of the game, but only that same game, and bring it back to complete the exchange. I cannot decide if video game makers often switch up crappy old used CDs instead of their highly anticipated new releases, video game buyers try to double up on games by pulling this stunt, or the far more likely scenario that this poor woman works customer service at Walmart in the forth largest city in America and this is by far not the strangest return/ exchange that she has dealt with.

Well, I was able to exchange my purchase for a real copy of the game, and minus the wasted gas and time of a return trip, all's well that ends well, right? But I cannot help wondering where down the line this switcheroo could have occurred. 

State of (North) Texas Sports

Last year after the Rangers made their first ever trip to the World Series and the Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA title, Dallas was named Best Sports City of 2011. Well, since then things have kinda gone south for the home town favorites.

Sure the Rangers made it back to the World Series, but just ended up being a bigger disappointment when they ran into the team of destiny that was the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals.

The Mavs got an extended offseason thanks to the NBA lockout, but still managed to let two of the biggest pieces from that championship team go in free agency. Tyson Chandler moved on to the Knicks and J.J. Barea followed the big bucks to Minnesota, and who can really blame them? Apparently both players were upset by the Mavs lack of pursuit and offering shorter contracts. The Mavericks ended up bringing in several veteran guys on one year deals (Vince Carter, Delonte West, and most notably Lamar Odom) with hopes of filling in the blanks to be competitive this year, and more importantly, freeing up cap space when these contracts expire at the end of the season. This could turn out to be a great plan if they are able to woo the two big free agents in 2012 Dwight Howard and hometown boy Deron Williams, but if not, they could end up with just an aging roster and a fading memory of championship glory for the next decade.

So far so mediocre for the defending Champs. After a slow start, the Mavs finally are staring to show a little life. After back to back road wins (the first road wins of the short season), the Mavericks are finally above .500 for the first time all season. At 6-5 the Mavs are only a game out of first in the Southwest Division to the hated Spurs, but hot young teams around the league like OKC and Miami are already off to quick starts. Can this group of veterans find the chemistry to get things together and make a run in a shortened 66-game season?

The most disappointing team has to be the always beloved Dallas (Arlington) Cowboys. Things were set up so nicely this year for the Cowboys. The NFC East was as inconsistent as it probably ever has been. The "Dream Team" that was to be the Eagles was a nightmare most of the season. The Giants were a Jeckle and Hyde team, winning tough games at New England and then losing at home to the Seahawks. And do we even need to mention the Redskins? In the end, embarrassing losses to the Eagles and Giants to end the season kept the Cowboys out of the postseason. To make matters worse, little brother down in Houston actually did make the playoffs for the first time in their ten year history (especially worse for a Cowboy's fan who actually resides in Houston). The spunky little Texans achieved this feat despite losing  both their number one and number two quarterbacks, left to rely on an unproven rookie 5th round draft pick. And wouldn't you know it, they actually won a playoff game with him as well. Throw in the fact that most of the credit for their run is given to former Cowboy's head coach and current Texan's defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, and that T.J. Yates has the same number of playoff wins as Tony Romo, it is all just salt in the wound.


Well, 2012 is a whole new year. Maybe our beloved teams can turn things around. I just hate that the most exciting sports story for us in early January is Yu Darvish.

Battle on the Brazos

Waking up a little early on a Saturday morning is not so bad when you have a afternoon of College Football to look forward to. With my Coogs having a bye week this week, the most interesting game of the day by far to me personally is Baylor versus Texas A&M. I am hoping for an instant classic here.

Having attended Baylor for two years right out of high school, and then moving to College Station for three plus years after that, I have followed both schools through their ups and downs over the years, and it is great to see these two programs on the rise and I have good friends on both sides of the fence in this one. So I am excited to see how this game pans out.

 Texas A&M has a great two-headed rushing attack with Christian Michael and Cyrus Gray, and Baylor has probably the most exciting player in the country with Robert Griffin III. Both teams will be game planning on how to stop these super starts, so I think the difference in this game will be roll players and defense. Which squad is going to be able to  limit the effectiveness of the others high octane offense?

Baylor is going to need a solid performance from big bruising back Terrance Ganaway, the transfer from University of Houston whom I am happy that he has gotten his life and football back on track, but would have loved to still see him in the red and white. Running the ball is gonna take the pressure off of RGIII and eat up the clock while keeping the ball out of the Aggie's hands. Another Bear to look out for is Senior wider receiver Kendal Wright. Anyone who caught that Baylor/ TCU game knows who this kid is. He is fast, explosive, and a game changer. He is the perfect wide receiver for Griffin.

The keys for the Aggies are once again defense and limiting mistakes. They need an efficient game from quarterback Ryan Tannehill to come away on top here. Tannehill does not need to be the MVP in this one or look across the sidelines and try to outdo Griffin, he just needs to run the offense well, limit turnovers and hand the ball off to his explosive duo. Tannehill has some great weapons as well in the receiving corp that can not be overlooked. Junior Ryan Swope is a gritty possession receiver who is not afraid to go over the middle to get the tough yards, and Senior Jeff Fuller is a big, tough receiver with an NFL pedigree and first round talent.

Either way this game goes I believe it will be exciting. Vegas has the Aggies -8 in this one, and I think it will be a much closer game. So I am taking Baylor with the points, but do not be surprised to see the Aggies come away with the close victory at home.

The new "T" for Texas

I am starting to think that big block "T" on the Rangers' hats and helmets stands for something other than their home state. At least with the 2011 version of this club it stands for "team", and that is how they have played all season and are making their playoff push.

For decades the Texas Rangers relied on star power from individuals who put up big stats, threw hard and fast and hit the ball far, but did not make much noise in the post season (if making it there at all). All teams had to do at crunch time was get around these big names like Nolan Ryan, Juan Gonzales, Rubin Sierra and Alex Rodriguez, each in their own eras. Not discounting the efforts or abilities of these great players, but far too often they did not have enough around them to shake things up when it counted.

The franchise had accumulated six Most Valuable Players over the years and Ryan recorded two of his record seven no-hitters with the Rangers, but up until last season, the Rangers had never even won a playoff series. 

But this team is different. They are built different. This is a team without a number one starting pitcher. This is a team that from one to nine on the line up card there are no easy outs. Sure Josh Hamilton won the MVP last year, but these guys can win even when he has an off night. They get contributions from players most people not from these parts have heard of like David Murphy and Yorvit Torrealba. They have a pitcher who made the All-Star team as a starter who has been lights out in the post season pitching from the bull pen. And no need to go into detail with what Nelson Cruz has done in this ALCS. And as a long time fan of the historically inept Rangers, the most satisfying contributor is a cast off from the hated division rival Angles in Mike Napoli.

Yep, this team is different, and I have a feeling this year the results will be as well.

Unconfirmed NFL Power Rankings Week 4

There was not a lot of shuffling at the top this week, the best teams still look like the best teams, or at the bottom, still pretty clear who the worst teams in the NFL are, but the middle group is still up for grabs. Who are going to end up being the contenders and pretenders going in to the first round of bye weeks?

Rank (Last)

#1 (1) Green Bay Packers (4-0) - The defending champs are still looking like the most impressive team in the NFL. They are still a little shaky on defense, but their offense is potent enough to cover so far. Will they be able to keep this up over the course of a long season?

#2 (2) New Orleans Saints (3-1) - After a slightly shaky start, the Saints finished strong on the road at Jacksonville and continue to impress. The turnovers are a bit of a red flag, but Sean Payton is a good coach, and Drew Brees is an elite quarterback, so they will get it figured out.

#3 (3) Baltimore Ravens (3-1) - The Ravens dismantled the Jets in prime-time with their ball-hawking defense, but they ineffectiveness of Joe Flaco is a real concern.

#4 (4) Detroit Lions (4-0) - For the second consecutive week, the Lions made a 20+ point comeback in the second half on the road (unfortunately against my beloved Cowboys). We may have shown a little foreshadowing last week when we claimed that no lead was safe against this potent offense.

#5 (6) New England Patriots (3-1) - The Pats came back with a vengeance this week, dismantling a very good Raiders team in Oakland, after that collapse in Buffalo the week before. Like the Packers, New England has a potent enough offense to compensate for defensive liabilities, but the Pats' D is not even as good as the Packers. When it comes down to playoff time, there are too many good defenses in the AFC to be able to cover that up.

#6 (5) Buffalo Bills (3-1) - For four weeks everyone has been asking if the Bills are for real. A loss to Cincinnati does not help to plead their case. A tough road loss is no reason to give up on a team that has looked so impressive the rest of the young season, but it does raise concerns (enough concerns that Vegas has made them a home underdog to the 1-3 Eagles).

#7 (7) Houston Texans (3-1) - The Texans did what they needed to do by handling the disappointing Steelers at home. The defense seems to be taking to Wade Philips' system, and Philips kept up the pressure late (which was a knock in the loss to the Saints). Last season's leading rusher Arian Foster came back with a vengeance and ran all over the Steelers. Can they survive the next three games without Andre Johnson?

#8 (10) San Diego Chargers (3-1) - The Chargers have not exactly been impressive so far this season, but they just keep winning. Their one loss came when they had to travel cross country at New England. If San Diego gets their yearly late season push, one of our favorites to win the AFC just could be contenders yet.

#9 (13) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) - The Bucs get another ugly win at home, but all that matters is the "W". At 3-1 they are tied atop the division with the explosive Saints. Can this young coach and his younger team really shake things up?

#10 (8) Oakland Raiders (2-2) - New England exposed a lot of the Raiders vulnerabilities last week as they embarrassed Oakland at home. The Raiders have a tough test at Houston this week where their sub-par run defense tries to deal with the newly healthy Arian Foster.

#11 (16) Washington Redskins (3-1) - We are already four weeks into the season and Rex Grossman's bold prediction that the 'Skins would win the division is looking less and less crazy. the question is are the Redskins really good, or is the rest of the division just shooting themselves in the foot?

#12 (20) Tennessee Titans (3-1) - After being embarrassed by Jacksonville in week one and the ineffectiveness of Chris Johnson coming back from the holdout, the Titans looked hopeless. But quietly they have rattled off three straight wins and Matt Hasselback is playing some of the best football of his career.

#13 (19) San Francisco 49ers (3-1) - San Francisco answered a few critics (namely a few Unconfirmed critics) and started to take on the persona of their head coach by that huge comeback at Philly last week. Their best offensive weapons finally got going with Vernon Davis and Frank Gore. They play in the weakest division in the NFL and they seem to be the cream of that crop thus far.

#14 (12) Chicago Bears (2-2) - It is still tough to read the Bears thus far. Their two losses came against our top two rated teams, so no shame in that. They blew out an Atlanta team that has been fairly disappointing thus far this season, and Squeaked past the Panthers. What we do know is they have protection issues on the offensive line, and if they can keep Matt Forte rolling like last week, that will be a huge step towards covering them up.

#15 (14) New York Giants (3-1) - The Giants are about as Jeckle and Hyde as a team can be. Eli Manning   can either shred a defense of hand it right to them. They are still dominant up front on offense and defense, but the injuries are piling up for the back end and wide receiving core. Can Tom Coughlin keep his team together and make a playoff push?

#16 (9) New York Jets (2-2) - Last week the Ravens man handled the Jets and the Patriots made the Jets previous road loss at Oakland look worse by roughing up the Raiders. Can Rex get his guys back into the mix this week as they travel to New England?

#17 (11) Dallas Cowboys (2-2) - It seems that no other team succeeds or fails more solely by their QB. In all four weeks Tony Romo has been either the hero or the goat. Their could not be a better time for a bye week for this team. The Cowboys need the time to get healthy and make corrections.

#18 (18) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) - The Steelers have been one of the bigger disappointments so far this season. The defending AFC champs are looking old on defense and can not protect their QB on offense. Division rival Baltimore is playing great and Pittsburgh can not afford another slip up at home this week against Tennessee.

#19 (17) Atlanta Falcons (2-2) - Another team that has disappointed so far this season, Atlanta can not get the opposition off the field on defense and their explosive offense has fizzled. With division rivals New Orleans and Tampa Bay playing well, the clock is really ticking for the Falcons to get things fixed.

#20 (28) Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) - the Bengals have been a bit of a surprise team thus far. Their defense is playing well and the rookie tandem of Andy Dalton and AJ Green have really gelled.

#21 (15) Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) - The "Dream Team" has become a nightmare. That collapse against the 49ers is just more salt in the wound. Too many problems on the offensive line and in the linebacking core have this team at 1-3.

#22 (22) Cleveland Browns (2-2) - The least impressive of the .500 teams, the Browns have benefited from a fairly easy schedule so far. The feeling around here is that following the bye week, the Browns will just continues to fall in the rankings. Division in that locker room surrounding their best player Peyton Hillis will only expedite the process.

#23 (21) Arizona Cardinals (1-3) - Arizona's three losses are by a combined eight points, so this team is not as bad as their record. They play in a bad divisions so even at 1-3 they are not out of it.

#24 (26) Carolina Panthers (1-3) - Cam Newton can put up huge numbers out side of monsoon like conditions. Now the rookie QB needs to learn how to win at this level.

#25 (30) Seattle Seahawks (1-3) - Seattle gets a big boost here because they are so competitive at home. Also getting Sydney Rice back and on the same page with Tavaris Jackson has opened things up for Marshawn Lynch and the run game.

#26 (24) Denver Broncos (1-3) - Denver just is not very good right now. Their young defense shows promise, but they can not really get anything going offensively.

#27 (29) Indianapolis Colts (0-4) - How does an 0-4 team keep creeping up the rankings? By outplaying superior teams in prime time. They just need to learn how to close out games.

#28 (23) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3) - After handling Tennessee at home in week one, the Jags have been a dumpster fire since. We have a feeling that Jacksonville will be bottom dwellers of the rankings for the remainder of the season.

#29 (32) Kansas City Chiefs (1-3) - The Chiefs move up a few spots after finally getting a win. Too bad that lone win was against fellow disappointment Minnesota.

#30 (25) Minnesota Vikings (0-4) - The first three weeks it was hard to believe that the Vikings game up double digit leads. Last week it was even harder to believe they lost to a Chiefs team without their best offensive and defensive player. How long until they throw Christian Ponder into the fire?

#31 (27) St. Louis Rams (0-4) - Not much to say about the Rams. Injuries have played their part, but this team can not really get anything going. They even have to teach their fans how to be fans.

#32 (31) Miami Dolphins (0-4) - The bad news for the Dolphins is that they are 0-4 in a tough division. The good news is now that the Chiefs have a win, they are the new front runners for the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes.

Anti-Overreaction Monday

It was a tough weekend for the Central/ North Texas sports fan. Friday saw the Rangers get two-hit in a home loss to the Wild Card Tampa Bay Rays to open up the Division Series. On Saturday three of the four ranked college teams here regionally had disappointing losses in A&M, TCU and Baylor, and the lone win was by the University of Texas, which ends up just making things even worse for their rivals. But what topped it off was on Sunday when the beloved Dallas Cowboys blew a 24 point, second half lead at home to the upstart Lions.  The Aggie collapse and the eerily similar Cowboy disappointment happened on  back to back days in the same building. Seeing these two games specifically, and being in College Station at the time to watch them, coupled with the recent history of both A&M and the Cowboys having similar collapses, the Aggies just the week before and the Cowboys in week one, I could not help but get the feeling of here we go again even when the teams where still ahead late.

The big surprise for me today is the lack of overreaction by the local and national media, especially in regards to the Dallas Cowboys.  "America's Team" historically has encited more than deserved praise in a win, and even more so criticism in a loss. I expected everyone to be calling for Tony Romo's head today after his three interception performance, two of which were returned for the momentum changing touchdowns. To my surprise, there is actually many more people voice their support. It could be that he impressed so much in his gritty performances in wins in weeks two and three, or the fact that the rest of the division has not been impressive either. The "Dream Team" Eagles are 1-3 and had their own collapse this week. The Giants barely squeaked by against the Cards, and depending on who you ask, the Cardinals may have gotten robbed on that late non-fumble by Victor Cruz. And the Redskins lead the division at 3-1, and the Cowboys handed them that loss.

What I am mostly hearing is that with Romo as your quarterback, it is going to be feast or famine. His playmaking abilities will win you some games, but also lose you some. The Cowboys coaching staff needs to put him in position where it will be the former rather than the latter.

So, take a step back., realize that this is a long season. The Cowboys are heading into their bye week and are going to get healthy again and fix their mistakes. It was hard not to be impressed by how the young offensive line came together and mostly handled a tough Lions' defensive front.  Bryant showed that he is still a playmaker and the running game is finally getting going. Not to mention, Jason Witten stepping up and being that tough possession receiver Romo needs him to be.

Unconfirmed NFL Power Rankings Week 3

What a great Sunday of NFL action.  It seems like this season that any one team can beat any other team on any given Sunday.  Even Indy and Kansas City got close to winning this week.

Rank (Last Week)

#1 (1) Green Bay Packers (3-0)  The Packers are the class of the NFL right now.  Even with their sub-par defense they continue to win every week.  Somehow they are still underrated.

#2 (6) New Orleans Saints (2-1) With a solid home win against the young, up-and-coming Texans, the Saints are still as explosive an offense as any in the league. If they can get their running game going behind the best interior o-line in football, they are going to be tough to beat.

#3 (7) Baltimore Ravens (2-1) The Ravens looked impressive in their two wins and disappointing in their road loss. Consistency is key for this team.

#4 (9) Detroit Lions (3-0) Detroit has outscored their opponents 101-46 so far this season, and proved last week by coming back from down twenty at halftime, that no opponent's lead is ever safe.

#5 (12) Buffalo Bills (3-0) The surprising Bills are 3-0, and as we promised last week, if they could remain unbeaten after hosting the Pats that they would vault up in the rankings. Here they are.

#6 (2) New England Patriots (2-1) This is a big four-spot drop for the explosive Patriots, but the Bills were able to expose quite a few of their short comings. We think the Patriots will bounce back, but another tough road trip out to Oakland may see the Pats falling again.

#7 (4) Houston Texans (2-1) There is no shame in losing to the Saints on the road. There is in only getting five red zone TDs in 16 tries. This young team can bounce back big with a home test against the Steelers.

#8 (16) Oakland Raiders (2-1) That last second loss to the Bills is not looking so bad now. Oakland has the league's best ground game and can pound you to death while controlling the clock with RunDMC and Michael Bush. Can they handle a pissed off Patriots team at home and continue to climb the rankings?

#9 (5) New York Jets (2-1) The Jets looked good coming back against the Cowboys, then dominated the Jags, but ran into a huge road block out in Oakland. They have a big road test this week at Baltimore and can not afford to lose any ground to the Pats and Bills.

#10 (11) San Diego Chargers (2-1) How does a team barely win at home against the worst team in the league and still move up a spot? Too many teams ahead of them looked even less impressive. There is still a lot of uncertainty for one of our Super Bowl contenders in the AFC. We have a feeling they are either moving on up once they hit their mid season stride that they usually do, or falling way down if they can not.

#11 (15) Dallas Cowboys (2-1) The Cowboys are just a few plays away from being another 0-3 team, but Romo and Garret have found a way to get this injury depleted young group to find ways to win, even after finding a way to lose in week one. Another big test at home with the Lions coming in. (When is the last time anyone said that?)

#12 (10) Chicago Bears (1-2) How is a team under .500 this high up? Because their two losses came to the best two teams in the NFL. The Bears are not as bad as their record (well, their O-line might be). Jay Cutler is going to be key to their success and his protection, both from the offensive line and Mike Martz play calling, could be their downfall.

#13 (17) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) The jury is still way out on the Buccaneers. They are 2-1 so far and are tied with the Saints for the division lead, but they have been far from as impressive so far as New Orleans. A young coach and young core of players are the recipe for a few mistakes and inconsistency, but can they learn from them and make a playoff push?

#14 (18) New York Giants (2-1) Once again the Giants are only going to go as far as their defensive line and QB will take them. They are severely depleted on defense, but their pass rush has been a bright spot so far. They handled the "Dream Team" in Philly and knocked Vick out of the game for the second straight week. Eli Manning is an MVP when he protects the ball, but more often that not he does not. A road win at Arizona might vault them into the top ten next week.

#15 (3) Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) Giant dip this week for the Eagles (pun intended?).  Luckily they host the 49ers this week, but then again, they broke Tony Romo's rib and punctured his lung. Chances Vick finishes the game this week?

#16 (13) Washington Redskins (2-1) Slight drop for the Redskins this week. (My best Dennis Greene voice) "They are who we thought they were!" Except that 'Skings defense under Haslett. They are young, athletic and legit.

#17 (14) Atlanta Falcons (1-2) We are having a tough time giving up on the Falcons, and this is probably higher up than they deserve after their performance thus far. They just have too much talent, especially on offense, but their defensive liabilities are showing far more than they did last season.

#18 (8) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) The Steelers probably would not have dropped this far if that last second win against a bad team would not have happened in prime time (see Chargers above).  The biggest problems for the Steelers came to light first in the Ravens game and even more so against the lowly Colts. Their line is inconsistent and depleted by injuries, they can not protect Big Ben or get the run game going, and they have serious trouble away from the friendly confines of Hines Field. Not a good time to be traveling to Houston where they have a young, athletic defensive line and Wade calling in blitzes.

#19 (21) San Francisco 49ers (2-1) The Niners are over .500 and if not for a Captain America lead comeback, they would be undefeated. San Fran has beat the teams they should beat so far and lost to the better team. If they can go in and win at Philly, they can really jump up.

#20 (24) Tennessee Titans (2-1) We are still not sold on the Titans, especially with CJ2K still under 100 yards on the season, and now that Kenny Britt is out for the season. That was an impressive win at home against the Ravens, but that opening loss to the Jags is looking worse and worse. They travel to Cleveland this week, and who would have thought one of those teams is gonna come away 3-1?

#21 (19) Arizona Cardinals (1-2) The Cardinals are probably still the best team in their abysmal division out west, and a few teams better than the Seahawks are gonna lose up in Seattle, but 1-2 is a good sized hole to be in, especially with the Giants coming to town. 1-3 is looking more and more realistic.

#22 (26) Cleveland Browns (2-1) No team has benefited more from the schedule makers thus far than the Cleveland Browns. They have played three bad teams and beat two of them so far. And this week they are hosting the inconsistant Titans. Once again, I can not believe one of those teams is going to be 3-1 after that game.

#23 (20) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) Jacksonville is not very good, and most likely they will just continue to fall in the rankings, but they did play well in that monsoon at Carolina with a rookie QB starting his first game. Plus they get to host the Bengals this week, so they can potentially double their win total.

#24 (25) Denver Broncos (1-2) This is probably the highest the Broncos will be in the rankings, especially with having to travel to Green Bay this week. Kyle Orton can still do some things and their defense is young and hungry, but they are way overmatched this weekend, and have at least two better teams in their division.

#25 (28) Minnesota Vikings  (0-3) We keep wanting to put the Vikings higher, but they keep blowing double digit leads. One more and we will have to supplant KC as the worst team in the league. Ironically enough they head to Kansas City this weekend.

#26 (23) Carolina Panthers (1-2) The Panthers offense looked solid in two losses, and anything but in their one win, but the weather may have had a big part in that. Thye travel to Chicago to face a Bears team that is better than their record and tough at home. Look for Cam to have to wait another week to get his second win. Interesting side story to that game, the returns of Ron Rivera and Greg Olson to the Windy City.

#27 (27) St. Louis Rams (0-3) We had such high hopes for the Rams this season, but injuries and a tough schedule have prevented a win thus far. Luckily they play in a division in which an 0-3 team is not out of it.

#28 (22) Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) The Bengals, unlike the Browns, did not benefit from their cupcake early schedule. It is only going to get tougher as the season goes. Do not sleep on this team for the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes.

#29 (30) Indianapolis Colts (0-3) The Colts get to move up a spot this week because of the effort they made against Pittsburgh, especially on defense. They get another chance to impress in primetime this week when they travel to Tampa Bay on Monday night.

#30 (31) Seattle Seahawks (1-2) Seattle would be a much better team if they were able to play all 16 games at home where they are infinitely better. Unfortunately, half their games are on the road and they still have Tavaris Jackon at starting QB.

#31 (29) Miami Dolphins (0-3) No problem with losing to the Patriots or Texans, but that loss to the Browns vaults the Fins to the bottom and puts Sparano on the hot seat.

#32 (32) Kansas City Chiefs (0-3) Valiant effort against the Chargers last week, but the Chiefs are still the bottom feeders. They have a chance to prove us right or wrong this week by hosting the 0-3 Vikings.