Week 5 Power Rankings

When week 5 started not too many people could predict that the Redskins would win on the road against another NFC Divisional opponent, or that the once Proud Seattle Seahawks would put up the second least amount of points for week 5.  The Power Rankings for week 5 were a little tougher this week but once again from Overtime Sportswear here they are.

5. THE DALLAS COWBOYS - The Cowboys were coming off their first loss of the young season to the Divisional rival Washington Redskins, so how did they look in week 5???  The Cowboys looked like Cowgirls but still managed to get it done week 5 and are in jeopardy of jumping out of the top 5 rankings.  They could barely beat the Cincinnati Bungles winning 31-22.  Tony Romo once again show how average he really is and not an elite QB in this League YET. He will be and I think it will be soon but he is just lucky he has all the offensive weapons around him in Dallas because he would not succeed if he were in Donovan McNabb’s position or one of many other QB’s in this great league.

4. THE CAROLINA PANTHERS - Balance, Balance, Balance, if you have it you will win. The Panthers have had it all year and it is really showing. The destroyed the Chiefs holding them to 127 total yards, let me repeat that 127 TOTAL YARDS!!!!  Carolina was 10-18 on Third Down and held the Chiefs to 4-13. Julius Peppers only had one Tackle but made it count with his 3rd sack in as many games and he also had a Forced Fumble leading the Carolina Defense in Dominating the Kansas City Chiefs and treating them like the bottom 5 team they are.  De Angelo Williams had his best game as a Pro rushing for 123 Yards on 20 carries and had 3 Touchdowns 2 Rushing and 1 Receiving.

3. THE TENNESSEE TITANS - D-FENCE (CLAP CLAP) D-FENCE - The Titans are just dominating people with their Defense and showing the league how good they really are.  I know they only played the Ravens but a controversial call helped the Titans win the game. Kerry Collins got hit on a 3rd and 5 by Terrell Suggs around the head and kept the Drive alive leading to a Touchdown pass from Kerry Collins to Alge Crumpler with 6 minutes left in the game.  Jeff Fisher had the Titans off to their best start EVER at 5-0.  As long as Kerry Collins remains the starter and they have a legitimate down throwing threat they will continue to do well.

2. THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS - For the second consecutive week the Washington Redskins went on the ROAD to a DIVISIONAL OPPONENT and WON!!  The Redskins are for real folks believe it or not. Their only loss of the season came by the hands of the number 1 ranked team in the NFL, the New York Giants on the Opening Thursday game.  Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell have gelled more than Dr. Scholls Insoles and incerts. Are you Gellin???????  Clinton Portis is looking better than he ever has in the NFL, the last time he looked this good he was as the U.  Jason Campbell has yet to throw an interception this young season and is looking like The player we though he was!!

1. THE NEW YORK GIANTS - The Giants Dominated and decimated the Seattle Seahawks like they were playing in the Slack 10 this year.  It was hard to determine if the Giants were beating up the Seahawks or the UW Huskies.  The Giants didn’t have their Best Wide Receiver in Plaxico Burress and it didn’t even look like it at all. Domenik Hixon filled in for Burress with over 100 yards and a TD looking like he could be the number 1 WR for the Seahawks until he left later in the game with a mild concussion from a helmet to helmet his from Josh Wilson.  Eli Manning looked like Eli Manning and the Running game looked like someone left the water faucet flowing. Brandon Jacobs looked like he was a Man among boys running a meager 15 times for 136 yards and 2TD. Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward ran wild combining for 105 yards on 18 carries on the ground once again showing they have the best combined running attack in the NFL.  The Giants have won 8 straight going back to last year in the Playoffs and Superbowl.  The Giants are rolling and it doesn’t look like they are slowing down anytime soon at all.

JOSH HAMMER - OVERTIME SPORTSWEAR

WEEK 4 - TOP 5 POWER RANKINGS

We come to the Quarter Pole of the NFL season and some teams are really starting to show how bad and how good they really are.  The teams with the most balance are generally up in the top 5 consistently week after week. Starting from the bottom to the top this is the week 4 power rankings for OVERTIME SPORTSWEAR

5.  THE CAROLINA PANTHERS - The Panthers have one of the most balanced teams in all of the NFL.  A great running attack with Johnathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams and a pair of veteran receivers who have been there and done that before in Steve Smith and Mushin Muhammad and a speedy outside threat in D.J. Hackett.  Had the Panthers not been the Vikings only win thus far in the season they probably would have been in the top 3 for sure.

4.  THE DALLAS COWBOYS - The Cowboys are America’s Team supposedly but they are going to start being America’s Red Headed Step Child unless they start being more physical and start running the ball more than 10 times.  The Cowboys are in jeopardy in being the NFC’s Colts.  The Colts for years were called a finesse team and were knocking on the door for years before they finally got it done. The Cowboys in their division don’t have that luxury to play teams like Houston and Tennessee and Jacksonville who are all good teams but in the past have been on the bottom of the power rankings.  Tony Romo needs to Yell at T.O. and put him in his place if the Cowboys are going to go anywhere, anytime you allow a Receiver to dictate what you do on offense you are going to come up short for the division every time. Receivers are Divas and Drama Queens and are always open, ALWAYS according to T.O.

3.  THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS - After the Opening Thursday game the Redskins and Rookie Head Coach Jim Zorn both looked dead in the water.  Zorn took control during the next 10 days of practice and worked his MoJo with the Offense and has turned around the Skins in a tough NFC EAST.  The Redskins got a very tough road win in Dallas and Jason Campbell is looking like the Quarterback that Joe Gibbs drafted out of Auburn.  The Redskins are 9Th in the league in Offensive Yards and 14Th in Defensive Yards against, after getting their lunch handed to them week one and to come back to where they are now really shows how good they have been their last 3 games.

2.  THE TENNESSEE TITANS - The Titans might not be one of the best Offensive teams in the league but they surely are one of the best Defensive teams by far. At 4-0 the Titans have 15 sacks from names like Haynesworth, Kearse, Vanden Bosch anchoring one of the leagues toughest and most physical defenses.  Ball control and Defense is what the Titans do best, learning from the model the Ravens set up in 2000 which won them a Super Bowl. Jeff Fisher is one of the leagues toughest coaches and one hell of a defensive minds.  With Chris Johnson and Lendale White running the ball the Titans are looking like they might make a Changing of the Guard in the AFC SOUTH.

1. THE SUPER BOWL WINNING NEW YORK GIANTS - Well they have yet to be knocked off and even with a Bye week the Giants are very well Balanced.  Eli is looking like the beginning of his prime has just started last year in the playoffs.  The Giants have 3 fantastic running backs any of whom could be the starter in New York.  Eli is looking like he relishes the pressure of New York and like he is here to stay on top of the NFC EAST for a very long time.  The Giants Defense is allowing 252 yards a game which is 4Th in the league at the moment and only getting better.  This week will be a real test since they won’t have their best WR this week against the Seahawks a team getting their WR’s back from injury in Branch and Engram.

JOSH HAMMER - OVERTIME SPORTSWEAR

POWER RAKINGS - TOP 5 TEAMS WEEK 2

The Power rankings for week two might just surprise a few of you.  Week 2 was full of ups and downs going from Peyton’s comeback to the Seahawks Swiss cheese defense.  These are the NFL power ranking for week 2 (thru SUNDAY) according to Overtime Sportz.

 

5. ARIZONA CARDINALS - The Cardinals look like a completely different team this year than the past year or two. Why, you ask?????  I have two words for you KURT WARNER. Not only has the 2 Time MVP resurrected his career in Arizona and have the best 2 WR tandem in the NFL but previous QB’s he has taught have done well too, I.E ELI and Marc Bulger. Although Bulger hasn’t done well since the Rams have signed Scott Linehan but is still considered league wide as one of the most accurate passers in the NFL.  Since the Cards got their Tough & Mean spirit from their coach last year it seems like the CHI of the Cards have changed the way they think and preform.  Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm have brought that “Hit ‘em in their Mouth” mentality to the Cardinals from Bill Cowher and it is the best hire the city of Phoenix has had since the hire of Mike D’Antoni, hopefully MANAGEMENT doesn’t run him out like the the Suns did with Mike D’Antoni.

 

4. NEW YORK GIANTS - How do you win in the NFL????? ONE WORD, BALANCE!!! The New York Giants are one of if not the most balanced teams thus far in the early going.  The Giants just ask ELI to be ELI, not to win or loose the game and they just play smash mouth football better than most teams.  Their running game is probably the best in the league from top to bottom.  Jacobs, Ward and Bradshaw, not too shabby if you ask me and probably any or all of them could be starting for more than 1/3 of the league.  Justin Tuck could very easily win the NFL Defensive player of the Year with how he is playing in the early going (2 sacks, 1 INT 1 TD SUNDAY and he is a DE). I know they Giants only beat the Rams this week but you have to win the games on your schedule. They made the Redskins and Rams both look like they couldn’t beat USC. 

 

3. GREEN BAY PACKERS -BRETT WHO????? Aaron Rodgers has put the Ghost of Green Bay’s past behind him in the early going with his beating down of 2 division opponents in Minnesota and Detroit.  In the Early going the Packers have a 1 games lead in the Division with wins over Minn and Detroit and when they face the Cowboys next week, we should be able to get a real reading of how good the Packers really are.  The Chico Product (Aaron Rogers) is completing 70% of his passes and has 4 TD’s to 0 Int in the first two games, not bad for a guy who hasn’t started a game in the NFL coming into this year.  Ryan Grant is a little banged up but Brandon Jackson is right on his tail to keep the competion alive at the RB position and the WR are only getting better with the ball being spread around so much.  Donald Driver is getting older but his play is getting  younger with his new QB not to metion Greg Jennings looking better and better every snap of the game.

 

2. DENVER BRONCOS - With a very controversial win against their Division Rival the San Diego Chargers on sunday, the Broncos are still up in the top 5 in the Power Rankings. Jay Cutler looks like the QB Mike Shannahan was telling people he will be when he drafted him 3 years ago.  Jay Cutler is leading a team and Matt Leniart and Vince Young are sitting the pine, who is having the last laugh now????  Cutler faced Adversity in College playing in the SEC while Young and Leniart were giving plenty of tools around them to succeed that is why Cutler is doing well in the NFL if you ask me.  When you are given everything you want growing up it is tough to go live on your own for the first time when you haven’t worked one day in your life. The same equasion applies to the NFL at any position espically the QB position!!  TWO things are for sure about the Broncos 1. Brandon Marshall is a Top 5 WR and no one knows who will get the most carries for the Broncos!!

1. CAROLINA PANTHERS - A lot of people might be surprised about this pick thus far but, BALANCE BALANCE BALANCE!!! The Last time the Panthers had this much Balance they went to the Super Bowl.  When you loose your BEST player to a two game TEAM IMMPOSED suspension in Steve Smith and you go into SAN DIEGO and beat the Bears who beat down the Colts in week 1,  you’re doing something right.  The Panthers are a lot better on Defense with Peppers, Gamble, Harris, Lucas and a lot more healthy names this year!!  Power Rookie Johathan Stewart are keeping people honest as well as keeping DeAngleo Williams healthy and fresh.  I think Carolina will only get better with the addition of Steve Smith a Pro Bowler with something to show the League!!

 

 

Josh Hammer - Overtime Sportz

THE 5 WORST TEAMS IN THE NFL - WEEK 1

Opening weekend had a lot of ups and downs with teams looking like they were in mid-season form and others looking like they never even had a training camp at all.  The bottom 5 teams in the power rankings week 1 without question if you ask me are…………

5. Cincinnati Bengals - Carson Palmer looked like a deer in the headlights all game long. I know they were playing the Ravens but these are not the same Ravens that won the Super Bowl in 2000.  Carson failed to reach 100 yards passing which with that team and receivers is pathetic as well as slap in the face of the Bengal Fans.  When Joe Flacco a Rookie from a Division II school Delaware and a Ravens team without it’s top Running Back hold you to 10 points and not a single offensive TD they are lucky they’re not in the bottom spot.  Chad, T.J. and Carson need to step up and produce like they should be able too.  We all know the Bengals don’t know how to play defense but with that offense they need to start trying to out score their opponets or they will be on the outside looking in again year after year with that team.

4. San Francisco 49ers - Frank Gore didn’t have any help on Sunday what so ever. It was like he was the only player playing in the Division Match Up between them and the Cards.  Frank Gore ran for 96 Yards and a TD on only 14 carries, and not to mention catching 4 balls for 55 yards as well.  If the 49ers didn’t turn the ball over 5 times yes 5 times in week one they probably would have pulled out the victory.  No one could stop Frank Gore when he had the ball the problem was he didn’t have enough chances at all since the 49er D was always out on the field.  When the San Fran Defense is out on the field 15+ more minutes that the Cards you will more than likely loose whether or not they committed 5 T.O.’s  Some parts of the 49ers offense looked good but overall looked just disgusting and in-experienced.

3. OAKLAND RAIDERS - When you play for the Raiders and Al Davis is your owner, and you open up a brand new season AT HOME on MONDAY NIGHT against a Division Rival you need to come up with more than 14 points, PERIOD!!!!!  When the Raiders’ leading reciver has 39 yards and it is your Fullback, that is horrible.  Going into the season the Raiders were high on their QB since they took him Number 1 overall last year, you need to give him some decent targets to throw too.  When the only WR who had TD for the Raiders is a disgruntled Ashley Lelie that is not good.  He might not be disgurntled now but just wait a bit, every team he has been with has been happy to get rid of the headache called Hurricane Lelie.  The running game looked decent for the Raiders, too bad it wasn’t the guy who they wanted to do most of the running looking great. Run DMC (Darren McFadden) hurt his shoulder in the game a little bit and is expected to be back at practice on Wednesday.  Justin Fargas who gained over 1,000 yards last year looked decent and personally made me question taking McFadden since they have so many other needs and problems.

2. Washington Redskins - New Coach, New System, Crappy execution of it all.  Jason Campbell didn’t even complete his first pass until there was less than 2 minutes in the first half.  Campbell made it look like he wanted to call it a night during halftime.  The Redskins didn’t have a drive last over 2:50 until their 9th drive of the night and it didn’t even end up in any sort of score at all.  The Skin’s defense played 2 different games between the first and second half. The Giants scored on their first 4 drives and were shut out in the second half which if you have to try and find something good for the skins, I guess that is it.

1. St. Louis Rams - Where to start????? The Rams only had 46 plays fro if you ask mem scrimmage which is just pathetic. 0-11 on Third Down Conversions which might even be worse.  Steven Jackson had 14 rushing attempts and only had 40 yards as well as 3 receptions for 34 yards, not very good for a top 5 back in the league. Not having Orlando Pace really hurts the Rams as does loosing their link to the Los Angles Rams in Isaac Bruce. Not having these two players hurt Jackson, Holt and Bulger more than we knew from training camp it looks like.  When Randy McMichael, who is a good TE granted, but when he is your leading receiver that is not too good for the Rams or their Offense.

Josh Hammer - Overtime Sportz

FROM 18 & 1 To 1 & N0!!!!!!

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady will miss the entire season with a left knee injury that needs surgery, leaving the New England Patriots without one of the game’s great quarterbacks and severely damaging their hopes of a return trip to the Super Bowl.

The 2007 NFL Most Valuable Player will be placed on injured reserve, the Patriots said Monday, one day after Brady’s knee collapsed under him when he was hit by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard in the first quarter of a 17-10 victory over Kansas City. Read more

CBS sues for free access to stats for fantasy football……Can you say Greedy???

MINNEAPOLIS — CBS has filed a federal lawsuit in Minneapolis to clarify who can use the statistics that underlie fantasy football leagues.

The lawsuit filed earlier this week claims the NFL Players Association has threatened to sue the company if it does not pay licensing fees for the statistics.

CBS Interactive seeks a ruling saying that the players cannot control use of the publicly available numbers and cannot demand CBS pay for their use.

Players association attorney Jeffrey Kessler isn’t commenting because he just got the lawsuit.

In a case involving a Missouri-based company’s fantasy baseball games, major league baseball players argued they should be paid for the commercial use of their names. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled against the players earlier this year.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

The NFLPA wants more money than they are already getting paid because Fantasy Football Leagues are using their names and stats to play in all its leagues. Personally if the NFLPA wants to play this game, I’ll just play one right back. I’ll back old school and just look up the stats for every player in every league I am playing in.  Before there were computers and Live Scoring on all the websites like CBS, ESPN, FOX and countless others there was the good old fashioned news paper.  Now that there are computers, you can look up stats just as fast in a box score or will the NLFPA file a suit against people using Box Scores as well???  The stats are free if you ask me, if there wasn’t any fantasy leagues what would the NLFPA complain about then??  What is next, Royalty fees for just speaking names of the NFLPA players in public????  The NFLPA might want to start suing all the NFL Pre-Game shows as well. If you ask me the NFLPA just needs to concentrate on keeping its players out of the News and Police Blotters!!!!

Josh Hammer - Overtime Sportz

FANTASY FOOTBALL AND MORE

For all of those people that are looking for some help in the Fantasy Football Department, Overtime Sportz will be posting the NFL INJURY REPORT every WEDNESDAY! If you have any Fantasy Questions as far as Match Up Questions or Start’em - Sit’em Questions, or anything else I will do my best to help out all that I can so feel free to bring it!!!!

Josh Hammer - Overtime Sportz