Week 5 Power Rankings

1.      Broncos (5-0)

Under adversity for the first time this season, Peyton Manning played up to the challenge.  Rather than reading the 2013 Book of Eli, Peyton marshaled an impressive two drives. He completed 78 percent of his passes with four touchdowns.  Some questions on defense, but very few people are giving Danny Trevathan props for a great pick. 

 

2.      Saints (5-0)

It’s tough to believe the stats pointed to a third place finish for the Saints prior to the season.  Drew Brees trails only Peyton in passing offense, but the real story should be the defense.  The Saints held the Bears to 18 points on the road, after holding the Dolphins to 17 the week before.  I just want to see Broncos-Saints at this point.

 

3.      Chiefs (5-0)

Alex Smith was toiling with an injury this time last season, and now look at him.  He’s throwing 30+ passes a game, and doing surprisingly well for always being called a “game manager.”  But, the defense won on Sunday, and has 21 sacks thus far.  Defense travels and anchors much better than a wide open aerial attack, so I give credit to Any Reid.  This team has a new swagger. (As a note, I am still not picking these guys to go far in the playoffs…think 2008 Titans under Kerry Collins and that’s how I’m looking at KC).

 

4.      Colts (4-1)

As statement wins go, beating the Seahawks at home one week after winning in SFO represents one heck of a two week stretch.  Andrew Luck might not be prolific, but he is winning games when needed.  He isn’t throwing picks either, with only two thus far.  Their Monday night game in San Diego might be a trap game, but Luck has answered the questions this season.

 

5.      Seahawks (4-1)

Still ran for 218 yards in a loss, and Russell Wilson gashed the Colts defense.  A 13-3 start remains likely, but I am looking to that Saints at Seahawks game on December 2^nd.  At this stage, that game will be for home-field advantage.

 

6.      49ers (3-2)

A new commitment to the running game looks to be bearing fruit.  177 yards last week and have run for 396 over these past two games.  Kaepernick had thrown for 45 yards at halftime against Houston, but the team remained up 21-0!  Don’t count them out yet.

 

7.      Patriots (4-1)

Ugly, ugly, ugly.  The Pats didn’t even play defense poorly in their game against Cincinnati.  Andy Dalton threw for less than 200 yards and looked terrible.  But, so did Mr. Brady, who snapped his streak of games with a touchdown pass.  His receivers don’t look great, and the Patriots remain the power of the AFC East, but can anyone look at them with the same kind of confidence as we have in years past?  A big home game against the Saints this weekend will help us figure out the identity of this team.

 

8.      Bengals (3-2)

Really a strong victory, and one that Cincy has not gotten in recent years.  That said, any improvement by this team needs to come from Andy Dalton, who seems to have lost the decisiveness he brought to the first two weeks of the season.  As a side note, anybody noticed Terence Newman has given up a 14 percent completion rate?

 

9.      Packers (2-2)

When Aaron Rodgers throws downfield like he did against Detroit, the Pack is tough to beat.  He went 5-for-7 on throws more than 20 yards downfield.  The injuries are racking up regrettably, as Clay Matthews’ thumb will certainly leave a large hole for this team.  But, the last time the Pack had tons of injuries, they won the Super Bowl.

 

10.  Bears (3-2)

A lot of the good things people were saying about the Bears weren’t there this past weekend.  Cutler got hit seven times and was sacked three times.  The run defense, suffering under the loss of Henry Melton, lost Melton’s replacement for the year.  Two straight losses, albeit to good teams, doesn’t work well going into a short week.  Great showing by Alshon Jeffery though.

Bit #1: Condoleeza Rice shouldn’t be part of panel

I am starting to have a tough time remembering my previous positions on Dibbles and Bits, but I really despise the idea of a committee for the college football playoff.  We have the BCS rubric, so why not let that be the judge of the top four teams.

The committee looks like an even worse idea when celebrities have a spot on it.  Look, Condoleeza Rice is arguably one of the smartest Americans around.  Like her or not politically, it’s tough to be both National Security Adviser and Secretary of State in the span of eight years.  She’s an admitted fan, and there’s a good case to be made that a woman used to high stakes decisions can do just fine in looking at college football teams.

And yet, I think this is a sham attempt to gain glamor.  I bet she knows football well, in much the same way a psychologist might know the Civil War through books.  All Average Joe fans engage the game through a medium, usually television, and Condoleeza Rice is no different.  Like you or I, she probably can’t design plays or analyze game tape.  She, like you and I, can make general observations that every once in a while might dig into some deeper points or conclusions.  I mince no words when I say that having a fan on the panel has some really good consequences.  That Ms. Rice demands and deserves respect from her peers adds a lot to her potential inclusion.  Whereas an athletic director or former coach might get bogged down in stats, the average fan uses the eye-test (the same eye-test that gave VCU a chance two years ago despite the numbers…and that worked out).

But, at least for now, the BCS needs to get it right with this format.  There need to be as few questions as possible lest calls begin for an expanded eight-team format.  To that end, the ones who will not mess up live and breathe the game.  It’s the same reason celebrity basketball fans aren’t on the March Madness panel.  Admittedly, that requires a deeper knowledge, but the idea still stands…those who are closest to the game are the best qualified to make decisions.  Condoleeza Rice is qualified, but she’s not the best qualified person for that job.

Bit #2: No Hope for the A’s

I so wanted the Athletics, a team long bereft of any success past the first round, to beat the Tigers last night.  But, with the bases loaded and no outs in the eighth, Max Scherzer retired the next three batters to keep Detroit up one.  It was one of those moments in baseball where you can palpably feel the importance of the moment.  Despite having another chance to beat the Tigers in Oakland, there’s almost no way the A’s do it after squandering a golden opportunity.  Justin Verlander, the Game 5 starter for Detroit, has not been his typical dominant self this season, but he rolled Oakland 6-0 in the deciding game last year.  Throw in the A’s miserable ability to close series (1-10 in series closing games recently) and there should be no question that Scherzer, the presumptive and deserving AL Cy Young Award winner, saved the Tiger season on Tuesday night.