Dr. Z has DABoys at number 13 in his latest power rankings for cnnsi

[jayC]

1 1 Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)
Early trouble, then a runaway victory, which really isn't that easy to do down there in Houston. On Sunday they face Baltimore, the runningest team in football, and I'll have more to say on the subject, but you'll have to wait till we get down to No.12 to find out.
2 3 Denver Broncos (3-0)
Who else could I pick after that convincing Monday night putaway of the Raiders? Clinton Portis is hurt, though. So is Mike Anderson. Careful, Broncos. The running game is where it all begins in your system.
3 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
On ESPN's pregame show before the Monday night game, when they showed still another rerun of Warren Sapp's hippety-hop dance, or whatever they call it (I'm hopelessly out of touch when it comes to dance numbers), I automatically flipped the dial one channel down, from 36 to 35, ESPN to ESPN 2, and found myself immersed in the women's bowling. I got so interested in it that I nearly missed the kickoff. Kelly Kulick ... now there's a competitor for you!
4 4 Minnesota Vikings (3-0)
They're in the driver's seat, after having accomplished their early sweep of the now vulnerable NFC North. But if they listen to Daunte Culpepper, who says a little thing like three broken bones in the back won't keep him out of action, their lawyers might have some heavy thoughts on the matter. The Korey Stringer affair is still fresh in many minds.
5 6 Carolina Panthers (2-0)
They move forward a notch, not because they had such an impressive bye week but because the Bills' descent caused a vacancy in an upstairs apartment.
6 7 Indianapolis Colts (3-0)
"Reg-gie! Reg-gie!" they hollered in Indianapolis. Not for Miller of the Pacers. Not for Jackson, in case there are some old Yankees fans still around. This was for Reggie Wayne and his 10 catches against the Jaguars, and you won't find much lamer notes than this one.
7 13 Miami Dolphins (2-1)
Well, after the victory over the Bills we have to buy into the idea that the Houston loss was a glitch and the true Dolphins have emerged. And I think better things are to come, too, once offensive coach Norv Turner starts relying more on Derrius Thompson ... to take the pressure off Chris Chambers ... who takes the pressure off Ricky Williams ... who takes the pressure off Dave Wannstedt.
8 8 Tennessee Titans (2-1)
Eddie George had his first 100-yard game since the days of Marion Motley. Steve McNair played through the pain of a dislocated finger, and about four other injuries he hasn't told anybody about. However, their secondary will be tested Sunday by the Steelers.
9 10 Seattle Seahawks (3-0)
They're the lowest ranked of all the 3-0 teams, even after their stirring victory over the Rams. What'll it take to convince me? Not sure, but I can tell you this: of the seven teams that started 3-0 last season, only one made the playoffs. Waddya mean you don't believe me? Here are the six who didn't -- Dolphins, Patriots, Broncos, Chargers, Saints, Panthers.
10 9 Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
Well, they needed a shot in the ... no, I can't do it. I don't have the heart to turn the Joey Porter thing into a one-liner. But I'd sure like to hear some of the zip-zaps that have been going on in their locker room for the last few weeks.
11 2 Buffalo Bills (2-1)
Believe it or not, I like the way they played defense against Miami. They swarmed Ricky Williams and never stopped coming. But the Dolphins exposed the middle of Buffalo's O-line and gave the world a clinic on how to play Drew Bledsoe. Gut pressure, push the pocket back in his face. It had him throwing off his back foot all night. He's not mobile enough to run a flanking movement, a la Michael Vick or Jeff Garcia.
12 22 Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
Maybe they're too high. I mean, their San Diego victory wasn't a slam dunk, at least not until the third quarter. But, darn it, I just get seduced by teams that run the ball, that have a heavy running to passing overbalance. It reminds me of my early years, when the helmets were made of hollowed out melons.
13 19 Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
Now this is ridiculous. How can you raise a team six places after a bye week? I'll tell you exactly how. I was impressed with the Giants victory over Washington, so New York gets a hoist, and, based on the Cowboys' Monday night win, I wanted to keep Dallas ahead of the Giants. Add to that the fact that four teams immediately higher than the Cowboys lost, and a fifth, New England, is all banged up and struggling, and you have the old vault-o-rama for Dallas. This might end for the Cowboys on Sunday when Bill Parcells does his Meadowlands encore against the Jets.
14 20 New York Giants (2-1)
Fate speaks: Kerry Collins, who calls the coin tosses, prefers heads. For the overtime flip against the Redskins, he turned the job over to Mike Barrow, the MLB. Barrow is also a heads man, for religious reasons. "It's in the Scripture that we are the head, not the tail," he told the New York Daily News' Filip Bondy, "so I always call heads. But for some reason, I keep hearing tails this time. I say to myself, 'We're heads, they're tails, we're going to kick their tails. It's tails.'" And that's what he called. And that's what came up. And the Giants, whose defense was getting killed by Patrick Ramsey and surely would have lost if the 'Skins had received the overtime kickoff, took the ball and drove the distance for the winning field goal. The week before, Jim Fassel lost on a squibber that dribbled out of bounds. Now he wins on a mystical coin-flip reversal by a guy who shouldn't have been calling it in the first place. Which is why so many coaches wind up in psychiatric care units.
15 17 Washington Redskins (2-1)
This was the week in which a victory, especially coming from 21-3 down, would have sent them rocketing up in the charts. Instead, they get a modest two-spot hike after a loss, which, I guess, covers my guilt complex.
16 16 New England Patriots (2-1)
I just got off the phone with a member of the Patriots who said, "I've never seen a bunch of injuries like the ones we have." I was thinking about naming all of them, adding that I don't really feel too hot myself, but I'll spare you the medical report and just mention that their fourth-round draft choice, Asante Samuel, who plays the nickelback, and came in at corner for Ty Law for a while against the Jets, is the real thing. Pure dynamite. A burst, and he reads the QB well, too.
17 14 St. Louis Rams (1-2)
Now Marshall Faulk is out with the broken hand, and since he won't have anything to do for a while anyway, he's going to have some knee surgery for cartilage damage. Can you honestly remember the last time he was fully functional and capable of turning a game around, as he was in the Greatest Show days?
18 24 Cleveland Browns (1-2)
Fear reigns. Tim Couch played scared last year and lost his job. Kelly Holcomb was a nervous wreck in the first two games this season, tight as a drum, but he was so afraid of the unemployment line that he shrugged off a broken leg (HE DID WHAT?) Sunday and led the comeback victory over the 49ers. Writers in Cleveland are afraid of blowing deadlines, team bus drivers of making a wrong turn, groundskeepers of reaching for alfalfa seeds by mistake. A scary place.
19 15 San Francisco 49ers (1-2)
The grumbling has started. Dennis Erickson is supposed to be a deep-ball coach, but the longest completion so far has been the 29-yarder that Cedrick Wilson caught at the end of regulation time (when he failed to get down to stop the clock) against the Rams in Week 2. Terrell Owens did a lot of finger pointing during the Browns game, but he also didn't give it much effort on the last-ditch drive. I wish his numbers didn't make it so tough to leave him off the All-Pro team.
20 11 Green Bay Packers (1-2)
Cheeseheads shut out of home tickets will do anything to watch their Packers live, so they invaded the Cardinals' Sun Devil Stadium and swelled the attendance to almost three times normal size -- normal being in the low-20,000 range. This is what they got for their 36 hours on the road -- a temperature of 104 degrees by kickoff, 105 for the start of the second half, 106 when the Cardinals launched their fourth-quarter drive against the sagging Packers. Grilled Cheeseheads. Phoenix, incidentally, was the hottest city in the world Sunday, topping the usual competition, Riyadh in the Arabian desert. How do I know this? The Flaming Redhead, who's from Phoenix and very very happy not to be there anymore, keeps track of these statistics.
21 12 Oakland Raiders (1-2)
Tim Brown and Jerry Rice are no faster than they were last season, when they were short-to-medium-range receivers and no more. Jerry Porter, the only deep threat, is out. Doug Jolley, who was effective as a second tight end last year and very effective on the seam route, with Roland Williams handling the heavy duty inline blocking, is now all by himself. Jolley's 12.8 yards per catch in '02 is down to a measly 7.5. Defenses are crowding the Raiders' receivers. The O-line looks clumsy and out of step, older, too, unable to give Rich Gannon adequate protection. And I haven't even mentioned the defense yet. I'll get around to that next week.
22 18 Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
I once covered a famous basketball game in Madison Square Garden: Michigan, the country's No. l team, against Princeton, led by the great Bill Bradley. I can't remember how much time was left when Bradley fouled out, it wasn't a whole lot, but Princeton led by 12, and it was up to the guys left on the court to hold the fort. The fort crumbled and Princeton lost a heartbreaker. Doug Johnson is not holding the fort. By the time Michael Vick returns, it might be too late.
23 21 New Orleans Saints (1-2)
They play down to the level of their competition. Yes, you say, but they lost to a good team last weekend. This just proves that all arguments have a flaw in them.
24 23 Philadelphia Eagles (0-2)
You know something, I just remembered that in the K.C. segment I promised to delve more deeply into the Chiefs' upcoming contest against Baltimore. And now we're down to No. 24 already. What to do? Combined angles. The Chiefs will not stop the Ravens' running, but they'll hold it to something manageable, force Kyle Boller to try to win the game, and intercept him twice, maybe more. The Eagles, on the other hand, face the Bills, and they'll, uh, be checking the scoreboard for K.C.-Baltimore results. This doesn't make it for you? Sorry, I'll try harder next week.
25 25 Houston Texans (1-2)
K.C.'s Dante Hall returned to his mom's kitchen in Texas, had a hearty meal, and broke the game open with a 73-yard punt return. If Hall were from Oakland, for instance, and the game had been out there Al Davis would have snuck his personal chef into mom's house, loaded the pasta with quail shot, as the stranger did to poor Dan'l in Mark Twain's Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and slowed little Dante down to a few meager hops. The Texans are too honorable for that kind of stuff, though.
26 26 New York Jets (0-3)
They have weapons. OK, not as many as other people have, but still enough to keep them in most games. Ricky Williams pounded them two weeks ago, but getting slammed by the Patriots' ground attack was an embarrassment. Proud athletes don't like to get embarrassed. They can beat Dallas on emotion -- and defense. This would be my upset special, except that it wouldn't be an upset. The folks setting the price agree with me and they're favoring the Jets. See, we're all on the same page. Now all I have to do is get the Jets there.
27 31 Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Hey, wait a minute. They beat the Packers, and they're in the land of waybelow. But then again, the Lions beat Arizona, and Detroit can be found farther down the rankings. The beauty of this situation -- Packers beat Lions who beat Cards who beat Packers -- is that no matter how you rank them, you'll still have somebody mad at you. Unless I were to revert to that old chestnut called a tie, and there have been some complaints about this traditional copout.
28 29 Detroit Lions (1-2)
C'mon now, they're not that far below the Cards. Yeah, they deserve a raise, after they played the Vikings tough, but a raise over whom?
29 27 San Diego Chargers (0-3)
On their behalf, they haven't had an easy go of it. Chiefs, Broncos, Ravens. They can beat Oakland on the road Sunday, although I don't think they will. They can beat Jacksonville on the road the following week, although I don't think they will. They could be 0-5 going into their bye week, then they have Cleveland ... what, on the road again?... then Miami at home in a Monday nighter. Is there someone in the league office who doesn't like the Chargers?
30 28 Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)
Cincinnati, on the other hand, can win one soon. The Browns, coming off an emotional victory, and with a banged-up QB, could be down. What's that little voice saying? So could the Bengals. Yeah, but they have to beat somebody. Don't they? DON'T THEY?
31 30 Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)
The Colts game was 3-0 at the half. Fred Taylor gained 126 yards on 17 carries. And now we move on to the next team I promised to say something -- anything -- nice about.
32 32 Chicago Bears (0-2)
Here it is. Two days ago I saw a black bear about 25 feet from my house in New Jersey. Not heeding the advice I'd received -- to feed these animals a good meal and try to befriend them -- I hollered at it. That was because at first glance I only saw an ear and thought it was the big black neighborhood cat that makes our tabby, Little Jake nervous. When I saw it was a real bear, why I just got so flustered and excited that I had to sit down. The bear walked away. I yelled upstairs to the Redhead, "Look! A bear!" She'd always wanted to see one in the wild, but by then it had disappeared behind her sister Gail's house. This true wildlife adventure has been brought to you care of Friskie's Wild Animal Fodder.


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[Drbio]

Another reason to just say no to crack. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[MFFL]

Good lord. We >were< only 11 seconds from being 0-2.

[FilthyFinMavs]

It doesn't do much for me. The teams behind the Cowboys deserve to be behind them with the exception of the Redskins. The Giants could easily be 1-2 right now just like the Cowboys could've been 0-2.

[QCarFan]

Way to go Cowboys, well on their way to that 10-6 record I predicted. Oh yea, good job Quincy, well on your way to that good season I knew you had in you. Way to go boys................

[MavsFanatik33]

We've proved we can win this year, let's repeat our performance this week in New York and keep this season good.

[Fah Q]

Originally posted by: QCarFan
Way to go Cowboys, well on their way to that 10-6 record I predicted. Oh yea, good job Quincy, well on your way to that good season I knew you had in you. Way to go boys................

10-6, I must've missed that bold prediction earlier. No matter how much I want to agree with you, I don't. Are you actually saying that you agree with the ranking?

This is so absurd, why is he even putting rankings on teams after the first 3 games? I bet you $ that the cowboys wont win more than 8 games, and I really doubt them even winning 6.

[Dooby]

Shock value!

[Drbio]

And ignorance value.....

[Murphy3]

if the cowboys are #13 in the NFL..the NFL really sucks this year.

yeah, the cowboys could be 0-2..but let's remember, if quincy carter makes a play or two in the first half of the Atlanta game, the cowboys might just put the game out of reach and they'd be 2-0 possibly.


"If's" are hell, aren't they?

[dirno2000]

If he's ranking teams only by what they've shown on the field this year, the ranking is not hard to understand. I don't know how we're ahead of Washington. Besides that the teams below us have 2 loses or a loss to us. The Giant game was an impressive win high profile win. Not easy to beat a division rival on the road in a nationally televised game.

[OutletPass]

Originally posted by FAHQ:

I bet you $ that the cowboys wont win more than 8 games, and I really doubt them even winning 6.

Fah, can I get a piece of that bet ? Oops, I see that QSpareFan hasn't taken you up on it...with his 10-6 prediction.

Let me know if he does...I'll be down for any amount he wants to put up. I'll even give him 3-1 odds on that 10 win thing.

QSpareFan seems to talk to Quincy a lot in his posts...Funny, I never see Quincy answering...Hmmm, wonder why ?

[kg_veteran]

I'll get in on that. I've got $300 for QCarFan's $100 that says they don't win 10 games.

[jayC]

The league is so close that arizona can beat green bay with jeff blake. The Eagles are 0-2 the raiders should be 0-3 they look awful. Dude of course its shock value its sports illustrated thats how they sell the magazine. Parity makes it so every year even the worst team in the league has a chance to beat the best. Its Dr.Z not me the cowboys will still finish at best 7-9 their final 10 games are brutal.

[steponhens]

No way the Cowboys are in the top half of the NFL.

[QCarFan]

Maybe if you guys picked a win total and stayed there, maybe we could bet but since you don't its worthless. You say you bet they wont win 8, now it's 10. LOL, pick one and stay there. I say 10, but know for sure they will win 8. And also, sorry OP I dont have thousands and thousands of posts like yourself and isn't here 24/7. I do apologize, I will try and come around more often to see posts about myself. I have a life outside of thise place, as odd as it may sound to some of you guys. My prediction stands, 10-6 for the Cowboys and 8 wins? For sure....................

[kg_veteran]

Maybe if you guys picked a win total and stayed there, maybe we could bet but since you don't its worthless.

Pay attention. I picked 6-10. I'm merely willing to bet on YOUR prediction because of how unrealistic it is.

Also, don't accuse others of waffling while waffling. It makes you look, well, even sillier than usual.

[Drbio]

Sillier than usual?


Is that possible?

[Fah Q]

Originally posted by: QCarFan
Maybe if you guys picked a win total and stayed there, maybe we could bet but since you don't its worthless. You say you bet they wont win 8, now it's 10. LOL, pick one and stay there. I say 10, but know for sure they will win 8. And also, sorry OP I dont have thousands and thousands of posts like yourself and isn't here 24/7. I do apologize, I will try and come around more often to see posts about myself. I have a life outside of thise place, as odd as it may sound to some of you guys. My prediction stands, 10-6 for the Cowboys and 8 wins? For sure....................

You can look it up I said 5-11. I might be wrong on that prediction but they sure as hell won't win 10.

But like I said before in my previous post I would definately be happy if they did.

I really think you are overvaluing Q.

[Drbio]

I really think you are overvaluing Q.

Geez...we have a winner for the understatement of the year. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[OutletPass]

And also, sorry OP I dont have thousands and thousands of posts like yourself and isn't here 24/7.

Do you even think before you post ? Do the math and you'll see that your per day/per week/per month rate is higher than mine...and throw in some grammar lessons while you're at it. I have to say I've gone over to Doc's side on you...

Now what do you want to bet on YOUR prediction.....oops my bad, you don't stand behind anything that you say.

Nevermind.

[QCarFan]

How about this, everyone just stand behind their predictions and let's see who's right in the end? Or will you change from time to time, like some of you are trying to backtrack and come aboard the Quincy Carter bangwaggon? My prediction is still at 10-6, what are you guys predictions? I will make a note of it, and after week 16 we will see who is closer. How about that?

And I know who is on who's side around here, I have gotten plenty of PMs explaining it all to me, let's just keep everything in check here. Am I suppose to care who is on whos side? Absolutely not, I am here mainly to talk Cowboys. It's really quite simple, no more no less. There's my prediction, let's move on and get ready for the game Sunday.

[OutletPass]

7-9. At th very best. And, no, I've never PM'd you and never will. And I'm not sure who, in their right mind would.

But I do agree, that as the season wears on, we'll see the

the Quincy Carter bangwaggon

--- Classic.

[Murphy3]

7-9. At th very best. And, no, I've never PM'd you and never will. And I'm not sure who, in their right mind would

I admit, OP, I PM'ed him. but it was just to tell him that he's an *****. Can't really say it in here...it's one of those words that others are allowed to say in the forum but that i'm not. It begins with an "I" and ends with a "t". There's also the letters "dio" mixed in there somewhere, but I won't tell you the order. You'll have to figure that one out on your own.

[Nicky31]

The rankings are a little stupid this early this season. I am more shocked to see Denver or Kansas City (should be number 2) ahead of Tampa Bay. They need to wait till at least week 10 to start making predictions on which team has the best chance to be number 1 this season.

[Drbio]

Qsparefan is an idiot? Who knew?

[Murphy3]

you said it doc, not me

[Drbio]

Well...it is said that the truth shall set you free. I'm feeling very free right now.

[Murphy3]

not wearing any underwear?

doc, keep that to yourself

[QCarFan]

Can we get off you guys wild fantasies and dreams for a second please and get back on topic?

[Drbio]

Yet another non-quality unintelligent non-contribution to the board from the dunderpatian football-only poster at a basketball site.

[QCarFan]

To get back on topic, I like the ranking and think the Cowboys with Quincy Carter at the helm will only do better as the weeks go by.

[u2sarajevo]

Originally posted by: QCarFan
To get back on topic, I like the ranking and think the Cowboys with Quincy Carter at the helm will only do better as the weeks go by.

How good do you envision this team being with Quincy at the helm? Is 13th best the max? What are your thoughts?

[QCarFan]

10-6

[Nicky31]

QCarFan,

10-6 is pretty outragious considering their schedule. My prediction is 8-8 for the season if they are lucky, but not having a solid running game is one indicator of a horrible season. Dallas will win against the Jet's this week, but I feel the chemistry is not there enough this season for them to be a playoff team just yet. I do believe that Bill will get the Cowboy's turned around, and their last game against the Giant's was a big indicator that play calling will be alot better when the game is on the line.

[Bayliss]

BOY! WHAT'S WONG WIT YA FULS?!! EVERY1 KNOWS DAM WILL THAT QCARDER IS DA BOM AN' WILL MAK THA BOYS 16-0... AND LED DEM STRAIT TO DA SUPERBOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WANNA BET!?! WANNA BET?!! 100 TO 1... NO A 1000 RO 1 SAYS QCARDER WILL DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND ANY1 WHO DUZN'T BELIEV CUN JUS SHUT THERE PIEHOLES.... THAT INCLUDES YOU KG, OP, FAQ, AND MURPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


























(**note to self** explain to them that this was a ploy for humor))

[Drbio]

good one Bayliss. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: Nicky31
QCarFan,

10-6 is pretty outragious considering their schedule. My prediction is 8-8 for the season if they are lucky, but not having a solid running game is one indicator of a horrible season. Dallas will win against the Jet's this week, but I feel the chemistry is not there enough this season for them to be a playoff team just yet. I do believe that Bill will get the Cowboy's turned around, and their last game against the Giant's was a big indicator that play calling will be alot better when the game is on the line.

Looking back at the schedule, I can see why someone would predict a 10-6 season. Lets look at some games :

Jets - They have a chance.
Arizona - Should win.
Eagles - It depends. If the same Eagles team that we have seen the previous 3 weeks come out to play I see no reason why the Cowboys have no chance to win.
Buccaneers - Loss.
Washington - Should be a loss. If we do win I expect a win like we got from the Giants a week ago.
Bill - Loss.
Miami - Loss.
Eagles - Same as above. Maybe a loss.
Washington - Same as above. We won't win the series between them 2-0 but we could snag a 1-1.
Giants - I doubt we pull another win from them but it's possible.
Saint-s Win.


I predicted a 8-8 record but if they beat the teams they should beat they may get no less than a 7-9 record. Anything is possible in this league. All it takes is one offseason to become a playoff contender and all it takes is a off season to become a non playoff contender. 10-6 seems a bit much but I can see why soemone would predict it.

[Fah Q]

Anyone who thinks the Cowboys to go over .500 is very unrealistic. I've said this many times before, I hope they do, but they wont. So please give it a rest, after 2 games none of us can honestly believe this team has come that far.

I'm gonna go now, I have tired head from my IQ going down because of all of the idiotic things I've read.

[QCarFan]

I wonder what some of you posters on this site will say when the Cowboys do go over .500