PFT PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS: NUMBER 13
Yes, we've missed a couple of days of this Power Rankings thing. And we've received surprisingly few complaints about it.
Makes us wonder whether anyone really (sniff, honk) cares.
Well, we still care -- and we've got a baker's dozen of prime pastries still to offer up. Now that we've waded through the Salisbury steak, we sure as hell aren't going to drop the ball as we get to the filet mignon table.
Of course, before we start plowing through the playoff-level teams, there's one small matter to deal with. The last team that, per our list, is on the wrong side looking in (for now) on the postseason tournament.
The Dallas Cowboys.
They're a trendy pick to make it to the Super Bowl, due in large part to the addition of receiver Terrell Owens.
But even though T.O. is among the handful of NFL wideouts who can stretch the field and command double coverage, we don't think he's enough of a force to push a team that was merely on the fringes of the playoffs in 2005 to the top of the toughest division in the league.
Really, how much of a net impact did he have on the Eagles? They'd been to the NFC title game three years in a row before he arrived, and they made it all of one step farther in 2004 -- with an injured Owens on the sidelines leading cheers and shouting for the only time in his Philly career, "We love we some we."
And the NFC East was a lot less competitive in 2004. The Giants were breaking in Eli Manning, the Redskins were breaking in Joe Gibbs, and the Cowboys were breaking in Vinny Testaverde.
This time around, Owens lands in an NFC East that is far more competitive, and which might provide far stiffer challenges to his team, even when two defenders are tracking his every move.
The other newcomers of note on offense are linemen Kyle Kosier and Jason Fabini. Long-time fixture Larry Allen is long gone.
On defense, La'Roi Glover got the boot, as an overdue byproduct of the team's switch to the 3-4. Also gone is linebacker Dat Nguyen, who retired.
The new addition to an otherwise young defense is old-man safety Marcus Coleman.
The draft brought linebacker Bobby Carpenter and tight end Anthony Fasano in the first two rounds. Unless the Cowboys plan to make Fasano a lineman, it looks like there will be plenty of double-tight-end sets in the team's future, given the recent signing of Jason Witten to a long-term deal.
The biggest question mark, in our view? Can the offensive line give aging Drew Bledsoe enough time to get the ball to T.O., Terry Glenn, Witten, etc? Think back to 2005, when Randy Moss landed in Oakland and the pundits were panting over the possibilities, given Kerry Collins' cannon arm. The only problem was that Collins spent more time looking out of his earhole than he did searching for Moss in the secondary.
And if Bledsoe should get the Mo Lewis treatment in 2006, who takes Drew's place? Tony Romo? Drew Henson?
Bottom line -- the arrival of Owens has prompted most members of the media to overlook this potential flaw, and if Bledsoe can't get the ball into the hands of Owens on a consistent basis, it's going to get ugly very quickly in Big D.
Now, for the fantasy grades:
Quarterback: Bledsoe was solid in 2005, and Owens should make him better. His passer rating and his total yards were the highest since his first season in Buffalo. He also started every game for the fourth straight season. Still, his touchdowns-to-picks ratio was a little high, and we're concerned about those 3.1 sacks per game that he took in 2005. He gets a B.
Running back: Julius Jones was expected to be one of the top running backs in 2005. He didn't even crack the 1,000 yard mark. Whether he's the go-to guy is unclear at this point, given that Marion Barber matched him in average yards per carry. Our guess is that they'll split touches, making Jones a C+ at best.
Wide receiver: Owens remains one of the best in the sport, and he's good for roughly one touchdown per week. With that said, we'd be leery about the guy, given everything that has happened over the past year. In most leagues, there will be someone who'll make him one of the first few picks in the draft. Even though we still rate him as an A-, let the guy or gal who's convinced he's an A+++ take him higher than he should go. That said, we'd be sure to throw a middle-round pick on Terry Glenn, who will get plenty of single coverage across from Owens. Glenn could be the SOFD.
Tight end: Jason Witten's numbers weren't far behind Keyshawn Johnson's last year, and Witten likely will get plenty of looks down the middle as defenses try to cope with T.O. and T.G. We give Witten a B.
Defense: A middle of the pack unit in 2005. Pick them if all of the obvious targets are gone.
Kicker: Mike Vanderjagt likely will get drafted higher than he should in most leagues, based on name recognition and 2005 numbers. But he still could have a solid year in Dallas. We give him a B+.
Makes us wonder whether anyone really (sniff, honk) cares.
Well, we still care -- and we've got a baker's dozen of prime pastries still to offer up. Now that we've waded through the Salisbury steak, we sure as hell aren't going to drop the ball as we get to the filet mignon table.
Of course, before we start plowing through the playoff-level teams, there's one small matter to deal with. The last team that, per our list, is on the wrong side looking in (for now) on the postseason tournament.
The Dallas Cowboys.
They're a trendy pick to make it to the Super Bowl, due in large part to the addition of receiver Terrell Owens.
But even though T.O. is among the handful of NFL wideouts who can stretch the field and command double coverage, we don't think he's enough of a force to push a team that was merely on the fringes of the playoffs in 2005 to the top of the toughest division in the league.
Really, how much of a net impact did he have on the Eagles? They'd been to the NFC title game three years in a row before he arrived, and they made it all of one step farther in 2004 -- with an injured Owens on the sidelines leading cheers and shouting for the only time in his Philly career, "We love we some we."
And the NFC East was a lot less competitive in 2004. The Giants were breaking in Eli Manning, the Redskins were breaking in Joe Gibbs, and the Cowboys were breaking in Vinny Testaverde.
This time around, Owens lands in an NFC East that is far more competitive, and which might provide far stiffer challenges to his team, even when two defenders are tracking his every move.
The other newcomers of note on offense are linemen Kyle Kosier and Jason Fabini. Long-time fixture Larry Allen is long gone.
On defense, La'Roi Glover got the boot, as an overdue byproduct of the team's switch to the 3-4. Also gone is linebacker Dat Nguyen, who retired.
The new addition to an otherwise young defense is old-man safety Marcus Coleman.
The draft brought linebacker Bobby Carpenter and tight end Anthony Fasano in the first two rounds. Unless the Cowboys plan to make Fasano a lineman, it looks like there will be plenty of double-tight-end sets in the team's future, given the recent signing of Jason Witten to a long-term deal.
The biggest question mark, in our view? Can the offensive line give aging Drew Bledsoe enough time to get the ball to T.O., Terry Glenn, Witten, etc? Think back to 2005, when Randy Moss landed in Oakland and the pundits were panting over the possibilities, given Kerry Collins' cannon arm. The only problem was that Collins spent more time looking out of his earhole than he did searching for Moss in the secondary.
And if Bledsoe should get the Mo Lewis treatment in 2006, who takes Drew's place? Tony Romo? Drew Henson?
Bottom line -- the arrival of Owens has prompted most members of the media to overlook this potential flaw, and if Bledsoe can't get the ball into the hands of Owens on a consistent basis, it's going to get ugly very quickly in Big D.
Now, for the fantasy grades:
Quarterback: Bledsoe was solid in 2005, and Owens should make him better. His passer rating and his total yards were the highest since his first season in Buffalo. He also started every game for the fourth straight season. Still, his touchdowns-to-picks ratio was a little high, and we're concerned about those 3.1 sacks per game that he took in 2005. He gets a B.
Running back: Julius Jones was expected to be one of the top running backs in 2005. He didn't even crack the 1,000 yard mark. Whether he's the go-to guy is unclear at this point, given that Marion Barber matched him in average yards per carry. Our guess is that they'll split touches, making Jones a C+ at best.
Wide receiver: Owens remains one of the best in the sport, and he's good for roughly one touchdown per week. With that said, we'd be leery about the guy, given everything that has happened over the past year. In most leagues, there will be someone who'll make him one of the first few picks in the draft. Even though we still rate him as an A-, let the guy or gal who's convinced he's an A+++ take him higher than he should go. That said, we'd be sure to throw a middle-round pick on Terry Glenn, who will get plenty of single coverage across from Owens. Glenn could be the SOFD.
Tight end: Jason Witten's numbers weren't far behind Keyshawn Johnson's last year, and Witten likely will get plenty of looks down the middle as defenses try to cope with T.O. and T.G. We give Witten a B.
Defense: A middle of the pack unit in 2005. Pick them if all of the obvious targets are gone.
Kicker: Mike Vanderjagt likely will get drafted higher than he should in most leagues, based on name recognition and 2005 numbers. But he still could have a solid year in Dallas. We give him a B+.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:22 PM
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