ESPN Power Rankings week 7

[Shredman]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings?year=2009&week=7

1 (1) Colts 5-0-0 Looking at the Colts' schedule, it is difficult to come up with many really tough games the rest of the season. A 14-2 record looks very attainable. (M. Williamson)

2 (4) Saints 5-0-0 Drew Brees has 13 TD passes despite a bye week. The rest of the NFC South quarterbacks have 20 combined. (Sando)

3 (3) Vikings 6-0-0 They seem stronger and stronger with each passing week. (Chadiha)

4 (5) Broncos 6-0-0 This is a very well-balanced team that doesn't beat itself and has maximized its personnel. That is awfully good coaching. (M. Williamson)

5 (2) Giants 5-1-0 The "Big Easy" in New Orleans was how Drew Brees rolled through the Giants' defense. (Clayton)

6 (10) Patriots 4-2-0 How many points can Tom Brady put up on Tampa Bay after putting up 59 on Tennessee? (Clayton)

7 (8) Falcons 4-1-0 Matt Ryan seems to be hitting his stride for the Falcons, a good thing while the run game finds its way. (Sando)

8 (13) Steelers 4-2-0 Big Ben had a big game against Cleveland, but four turnovers are a concern. (Chadiha)

9 (6) Bengals 4-2-0 Matt Schaub shredded them in their loss to Houston. (Chadiha)

10 (12) Bears 3-2-0 Red zone problems killed them in a loss to Atlanta. (Chadiha)

11 (11) Ravens 3-3-0 Three straight tough losses have brought the Ravens back to Earth. (Chadiha)

12 (7) Eagles 3-2-0 Andy Reid has to live with Sunday's reality: He was outcoached by Tom Cable. (Clayton)

13 (14) Packers 3-2-0 They still haven't found a way to protect QB Aaron Rodgers. (Chadiha)

14 (16) Chargers 2-3-0 The Chargers' passing game is among the best in the league. But the line play is extremely suspect, particularly on defense. (M. Williamson)

15 (15) 49ers 3-2-0 Desperate for offense, the 49ers are moving rookie WR Michael Crabtree into the starting lineup against Houston. (Sando)

16 (19) Cardinals 3-2-0 Billy Davis' defense validated its No. 1 ranking in rushing yards allowed, but a bigger test awaits at Giants Stadium. (Sando)

17 (22) Texans 3-3-0 This was an impressive win in Cincinnati. They took away the Bengals' run game, and Matt Schaub was nearly flawless. Can their defense keep it up? (M. Williamson)

18 (9) Jets 3-3-0 All of a sudden, Mark Sanchez is starting to play like a rookie. (Clayton)

19 (17) Cowboys 3-2-0 The Cowboys had a quiet bye week to reflect upon where they are as a team. (Clayton)

20 (18) Dolphins 2-3-0 You wonder how many more Wildcat plays the Dolphins invented during a bye week. (Clayton)

21 (21) Jaguars 3-3-0 The offense shows promise and can cause problems with its balanced attack. The defense is among the worst in the league. Add it all up and you get a team near the bottom of the middle-of-the-roaders. (M. Williamson)

22 (23) Panthers 2-3-0 Nothing comes easy for the Panthers even in victory. Four touchdowns and 10 picks for Jake Delhomme so far. (Sando)

23 (20) Seahawks 2-4-0 This team could use a bye month to sort through the infirmary and find some healthy offensive linemen. (Sando)

24 (25) Bills 2-4-0 **** Jauron finally let the Bills' offense huddle, but now they have to see whether Trent Edwards (concussion) can be in one. (Clayton)

25 (29) Raiders 2-4-0 To say the Raiders' victory (without Nnamdi Asomugha for much of the game) over the Eagles was a shocker would be a massive understatement. But, Oakland still has plenty of problems. (M. Williamson)

26 (26) Lions 1-5-0 They need to find some defense in Motown. (Chadiha)

27 (24) Redskins 2-4-0 Now that he's no longer the playcaller, Jim Zorn is vulnerable to being fired midseason. (Clayton)

28 (30) Chiefs 1-5-0 At Washington, Kansas City got its first victory of the season. Let's see whether the Chiefs can get two. (M. Williamson)

29 (28) Browns 1-5-0 If Brady Quinn weren't so bad, the Browns would've benched Derek Anderson by now. (Chadiha)

30 (27) Titans 0-6-0 How do you rank this team? After coming off the most embarrassing loss in recent memory, this is now the lowest of lows for Jeff Fisher's club. (M. Williamson)

31 (31) Buccaneers 0-6-0 More than 36 points separate the Bucs' passer rating (64.9) from their opponents' passer rating against them (101.0). Not good. (Sando)

32 (32) Rams 0-6-0 Another injury has hit Donnie Avery just as the Rams' top and perhaps only receiving threat was gaining momentum. (Sando)

I think Saints should be #1 , they have looked great, only weakness is ST, thats 1 area Falcons can for sure exploit them, But there D has been spectacular , and eveyone knows what Bress can do, now they are running well also... even with the weak ST they should be #1 IMO

[Dago]

one thing I saw in the Giants game is that the Giants were using a wedge and that isn't supposed to happen anymore (at least I thought it wasnt). On one kickoff I could swear I saw 4 players nearly shoulder to shoulder

[nolafan33]

The Giants ran the wedge several kickoffs, and the refs kept allowing it. Payton challenged the officials about it, but I don't know what reasoning he got.

[Dago]

and if your kick coverage is not designed to bust a wedge (which it wouldnt be since it is supposed to be against the rules) a team will tear right through the middle if they run one

[Shredman]

wasnt just last week, didnt Lions and jets bust off some good returns and have a couple of big ST Plays ????

i remember you guys complaining about it,,,

[Dago]

The Giants ran the wedge several kickoffs, and the refs kept allowing it. Payton challenged the officials about it, but I don't know what reasoning he got.

hey nola....post those pics you have over there so Falcons fans don't think we are just complaining for nothing

[nolafan33]

hey nola....post those pics you have over there so Falcons fans don't think we are just complaining for nothing

It won't let me for some reason. Anyone who wants to see them just go here:

http://saintsreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128748

[Dago]

wasnt just last week, didnt Lions and jets bust off some good returns and have a couple of big ST Plays ????

i remember you guys complaining about it,,,

look at the pictures and give me your opinion. Now as far as the Lions and Jets are concerned, we didnt perform well. I didnt see them doing what the Giants did

[Shredman]

yea i saw them, and yea sure looks like a wedge , more than once,

hey you guys stop scoring so much then you wont have to worry about the wedge returns lol

dont know why more isnt made of it, if its a new rule, which it is...it needs to be enforced ...

[Dago]

yea i saw them, and yea sure looks like a wedge , more than once,

hey you guys stop scoring so much then you wont have to worry about the wedge returns lol

dont know why more isnt made of it, if its a new rule, which it is...it needs to be enforced ...

the 4 man one was inexcusable but to ask a ref to be able to judge if 2 pairs of players are 2 yards or more away from each other is idiocy

[falconsd56]

the 4 man one was inexcusable but to ask a ref to be able to judge if 2 pairs of players are 2 yards or more away from each other is idiocy

The only one I could really see a problem with is the 3rd picture there

the others are questionable but some like the very last one.......... nothing to even question there now.

Its too much to ask the refs to call that all the time.... **** they cant even catch BLATANT holding 98% of the time.

Then they turn around and call holding on the most ticky tack of calls.

[Dago]

The only one I could really see a problem with is the 3rd picture there

the others are questionable but some like the very last one.......... nothing to even question there now.

Its too much to ask the refs to call that all the time.... **** they cant even catch BLATANT holding 98% of the time.

Then they turn around and call holding on the most ticky tack of calls.

exactly. but your coverage is going to be schemed to not have to face that wedge which means if you are getting away with using it you have a good chance of tearing right through the coverage

[falconsd56]

exactly. but your coverage is going to be schemed to not have to face that wedge which means if you are getting away with using it you have a good chance of tearing right through the coverage

its just something teams will have to adapt to.

I am willing to bet every team if you took snap shots of returns would look close....... in the NFL teams will do it until they get called for it.

personally I think its just the saints have terrible players on the kick coverage :P

in all seriousness its a legit thing to point out, but like I said just something you have to work around...... like the missed holding calls.

[Tom Servo]

one thing I saw in the Giants game is that the Giants were using a wedge and that isn't supposed to happen anymore (at least I thought it wasnt). On one kickoff I could swear I saw 4 players nearly shoulder to shoulder

What they were doing was combining two man wedges with enough space between them until the actual block. sneaky stuff. didn't matter though did it?

[REV.2000]

hey nola....post those pics you have over there so Falcons fans don't think we are just complaining for nothing

I SAW THE PICTURES. I WONDER HOW THE REF's WOULD HAVE RESPONDED IF THE SAINTS

HAD STARTED DOING IT? MAYBE THE REF'S THOUGHT THE GIANTS NEEDED ALL THE HELP

THEY COULD GET. SERIOUSLY THOUGH ... ILLEGAL IS ILLEGAL.

[Tom Servo]

Upon further DVR review, it wasn't a wedge but quite close. They cleverly had 2 players stacked off-center and slightly in front of another 2 player wall. Beyond that, they smacked around the Saints ST players pretty good on the long returns.

wow look three posts up from this one.

[Dago]

The first two pictures are the same and illegal, the second set was also illegal, the last two were legal three man wedges with a trail blocker. So yes, I agree that a couple of them were illegal and I'm not sure how the refs missed them? It reminds me when we showed the Cards offsides in our game last season? It makes you wonder what the refs are looking at?

three man wedges are illegal now as well. No more than two man wedges and from what I understand you cannot have two 2 man wedges within 2 yards of each other (which they clearly were in those pictures)

however, as I already stated, it is ridiculous to expect officials to be able to accurately estimate a 2 yard gap between 2 pairs of of players who are on the run

[joe horn]

I got no problem with the Colts at #1. Heck, throw us out of the top 10 entirely, bring the lulz.

[IonSen88]

If the Colts played the Saints right now on a neutral field, the Colts would win. Big. (as usual).