CBS Power RANKING-- Falcons Soars to 1

[Falcons_own_nfc_south]

OH NO>> I HATE IT.. I want out team to run under the radar.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/powerrankings

Late last Thursday night, I told Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff something that made them cringe.

"I think just watched one of the two best teams in the NFC," I said. "The Giants and Falcons have the two best teams in the conference."

They both waved me away.

It's November. You don't want to be a champ in November. But this is the month for separation. This is the month where contenders emerge and the pretenders fade away.

The Falcons are a contender.

For now, they're the top team in the CBSSports.com Power Rankings. That's because the latest No. 1 -- the Giants -- got manhandled at home by a Dallas Cowboys team that had been dreadful in its previous two games.

That leaves the Falcons at 7-2 with the best record in the NFC. If the NFC playoffs started today, they would go through Atlanta.

"Man, there's so much football to go," Falcons receiver Roddy White said. "We can't worry about that stuff. If we keep winning, it will take care of itself."

When the season began, the Falcons were my pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The Colts were my pick in the AFC.

I believe more in the former than the latter. We will know more about the Colts this week when they go to New England to play the Patriots. Those are classics, and it's once again a big game in the conference. Anytime Tom Brady and Peyton Manning get together, it's a treat.

The one thing that stands out about this season so far is 10 weeks in there is no dominant team. The Falcons, Jets and Patriots are tied for the best record at 7-2, but if you look inside those numbers they aren't without faults.

The Jets have won consecutive road games in overtime against two lesser teams. The Patriots blew out the Steelers on Sunday night, but that was a week after getting hammered by the Browns. The Falcons have won five games in the final minute.

So even the really good teams are in fights this season. There is no dominance. Anybody is beatable. Just ask the Giants, last week's top team. The Philadelphia Eagles, who actually beat the Falcons, seem to be flying high. But the Giants come to town this week, so that can change quickly.

It's no wonder guys like Smith and Dimitroff want no part of the best-team talk now.

The final seven weeks of the season will offer up a lot of big games because there is no separation in any division. That's what the NFL loves. It brings end-of-season intrigue and lots of unpredictability.

Best team? Who wants that title now anyway?

[telfo]

#1 on ESPN as well. goodbye under the radar

[dmite]

#2 on Foxsports. They'll never see us coming! :ph34r:

[AF89]

Late last Thursday night, I told Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff something that made them cringe.

"I think just watched one of the two best teams in the NFC," I said. "The Giants and Falcons have the two best teams in the conference."

They both waved me away.

It's November. You don't want to be a champ in November. But this is the month for separation. This is the month where contenders emerge and the pretenders fade away.

For all my talk on why its ok to disscuss power rankings, I'm glad Smiity and co. are brushing it off. As long the people who matter come out and take care of business one game at a time then it really doesn't matter what we the fans talk about.

[dmite]

For all my talk on why its ok to disscuss power rankings, I'm glad Smiity and co. are brushing it off. As long the people who matter come out and take care of business one game at a time then it really doesn't matter what we the fans talk about.

Exactly, it's just something to keep us busy during the week and argue amongst ourselves.

[=abrahamburger=]

Pete Prisco is one of my favorite sports-journalists. He's been hailing the Falcons as a Super Bowl contender since preseason. It is the first week he has listed them as #1. He likes our team but he's not a homer (which is what I want in a journalist).

If you want us to fly under the radar, get AJC writers to do power rankings. That would ensure that we never break the top 10 (and ensure that nobody will see them because that newspaper blows).

[L.T.]

I like Pete Prisco, too. Incidentally, I also picked Atlanta vs Indy in the Superbowl this year.

I'm a bit worried with Atlanta in that top spot. Has anyone noticed that when a team has moved into the #1 spot or has the best record in the NFL...that they suddenly lose or get upset? The New England/Cleveland game is a perfect example.

Pete Prisco is one of my favorite sports-journalists. He's been hailing the Falcons as a Super Bowl contender since preseason. It is the first week he has listed them as #1. He likes our team but he's not a homer (which is what I want in a journalist).

If you want us to fly under the radar, get AJC writers to do power rankings. That would ensure that we never break the top 10 (and ensure that nobody will see them because that newspaper blows).

[Quiksilverly]

I wasn't aware teams were sleeping on us...People already know the deal. Every corner in the league as been burnt by Roddy or run over by Turner in the last 2 seasons. Trust, they all know what's up. It's the media who's catching up now.