Month: October 2012

Dallas Cowboys: Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#17)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings, Cowboys

Last week: 16 (-1)

Record: 3-4

The good news for the Cowboys is that they rank 8th in yards per play differential and 7th in rate of sustaining drives differential. The biggest issue, by far, has been turnover differential so far for them, as they have a turnover differential of -11, 2nd worst in the NFL. The good news is that turnover differentials are incredibly inconsistent, as seen here. Tony Romo, specifically, has an interception rate of 4.6%. Despite his reputation as a turnover machine, his interception rate was only 2.8% coming into the season. In fact, 13 is the most he’s had in a season since 2008, and it’s been 7 games. That will regress to the mean going forward. I’m actually impressed they were able to keep it so close with the Giants despite losing the turnover battle by 4. Don’t count them out yet.

Studs

RG Mackenzy Bernadeau: 1 quarterback hurry on 69 pass block snaps, run blocked for -3 yards on 3 attempts

TE Jason Witten: Caught 18 passes for 167 yards on 23 attempts on 63 pass snaps, 2.6 YAC per catch, 1 interception when thrown to

WR Miles Austin: Caught 9 passes for 133 yards on 16 attempts on 66 pass snaps, 5.1 YAC per catch, 1 interception when thrown to

CB Morris Claiborne: Allowed 3 catches for 15 yards on 5 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 4 solo tackle, 1 assist, 2 stops

NT Jay Ratliff: 2 quarterback hits and 1 quarterback hurry on 27 pass rush snaps, 5 solo tackles, 5 stops, 1 missed tackle

RE Jason Hatcher: 1 quarterback hit and 2 quarterback hurry on 22 pass rush snaps, 5 assists

Duds

QB Tony Romo: 36 of 62 for 437 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions, 1 throw away, 1 spike, 1 drop, 69.5 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 21 of 62 drop backs (4 sacks, 6 of 17, 2 interceptions, 1 throw away)

RB Felix Jones: Rushed for 19 yards (22 after contact) and a touchdown on 13 carries, 1 fumble, did not catch a pass on 3 attempts, 1 interception when thrown to

LG Nate Livings: Allowed 1 sack and 3 quarterback hits on 69 pass block snaps, run blocked for 8 yards on 3 attempts

C Ryan Cook: Allowed 2 quarterback hits and 1 quarterback hurry on 69 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 7 yards on 4 attempts

RT Doug Free: Allowed 6 quarterback hurries on 69 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for -1 yard on 2 attempts

WR Kevin Ogletree: Didn’t catch a pass on 2 attempts on 45 pass snaps

FS Gerald Sensabaugh: 1 solo tackle, 2 missed tackles, allowed 2 catches for 28 yards on 2 attempts, 1 pass deflection

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Washington Redskins: Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#18)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings, Commanders

Last week: 18 (-1)

Record: 3-5

Robert Griffin had the worst game of his career, going 16 of 34 for 177 yards and a touchdown, last week against the Steelers, but you can’t really blame him. For one, he endured 7 drops. Two, Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is a ridiculous 14-1 as Steelers’ defensive coordinator against rookies. Even with a banged up defensive squad, he was able to scheme against Griffin and hold him in check. Griffin should bounce back next week, but that 15 point loss was by far their biggest of the season and it just proves how dependant they are on Griffin, still a rookie quarterback, especially with all of their injuries.

Studs

LG Kory Lichtensteiger: Did not allow a pressure on 37 pass block snaps, run blocked for 26 yards on 4 attempts, 1 penalty

RG Chris Chester: Did not allow a pressure on 37 pass block snaps, run blocked for 12 yards on 3 attempts

RT Tyler Polumbus: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 37 pass block snaps

LOLB Ryan Kerrigan: 1 sack and 4 quarterback hurries on 29 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 4 stops

Duds

WR Leonard Hankerson: Caught 1 pass for 16 yards on 4 attempts on 29 pass snaps, 0.0 YAC per catch, 1 drop

WR Santana Moss: Caught 4 passes for 21 yards and a touchdown on 9 attempts on 23 pass snaps, 0.5 YAC per catch, 3 drops

RB Evan Royster: Allowed 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 3 pass block snaps, did not catch a pass on 1 attempt, 1 drop

CB DeAngelo Hall: Allowed 5 catches for 73 yards on 7 attempts, 2 penalties, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops

MLB London Fletcher: 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops, 3 missed tackles, allowed 3 catches for 4 yards and a touchdown on 4 attempts

NT Barry Cofield: Did not record a pressure on 27 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop

LE Jarvis Jenkins: Did not record a pressure on 20 pass rush snaps, no tackles

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#19)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings, Buccaneers

Last week: 19 (+6)

Record: 3-4

A preseason underrated team of mine, the Buccaneers are now 3-4 with a +31 points differential and they have yet to lose by more than a touchdown all year. Josh Freeman is 82 of 143 (57.3%) for 1309 yards (9.2 YPA), 10 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in his last 4 games. He’s a natural deep ball throw who had been afraid to throw deep last season, throwing longer than 20 yards through the air on just 6.5% of his throws, by far least in the league, despite being accurate of 52.8% of them, 3rd best in the NFL. This year, thanks to new found chemistry with free agent acquisition Vincent Jackson, he is going deep 6th most in the league, 13.5% and, more importantly, has the 3rd highest accuracy percentage, 56.7%, completing 16 of 30 for 669 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 1 drop. I believe this is here to stay. They’re a sleeper team.

Studs

RB Doug Martin: Rushed for 135 yards (97 after contact) and a touchdown on 29 carries, 5 broken tackles, caught 3 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown on 6 attempts, 2 drops, 1 penalty

RT Demar Dotson: Did not allow a pressure on 39 pass block snaps, run blocked for 2 yards on 1 attempt

CB Leonard Johnson: Allowed 4 catches for 49 yards on 7 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 1 interception, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

FS Ronde Barber: 9 solo tackles, 2 assist, 4 stops, 1 missed tackle, 3 quarterback hurries on 6 blitzes, did not allow a completion on 1 attempt

LE Michael Bennett: 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 3 quarterback hurries on 39 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops

P Michael Koenen: 8 kickoffs, 7 touchbacks, 74.5 yards per kickoff, 22.0 opponents average starting distance, 6 punts for 281 yards, 1 inside 20, 3 returns for 31 yards, 41.7 net yards per punt

Duds

LT Donald Penn: 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 4 quarterback hurries on 39 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 11 yards on 5 attempts

CB EJ Biggers: Allowed 7 catches for 125 yards on 10 attempts, 4 solo tackles, 1 stop, 2 missed tackle

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Detroit Lions: Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#20)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings, Lions

Last week: 26 (+6)

Nate Burleson getting hurt might have been the best thing that could happen to this offense. It forced the Lions to replace the mediocre Burleson, who was averaging 8.9 yards per catch and (5.6 yards per target), with explosive 2011 2nd round pick Titus Young and it’s also given 2nd round rookie Ryan Broyles more playing time too. It’s no coincidence that their offense looked by far the best it has all season, and against a tough Seattle defense nonetheless, in their first game without Burleson, even with Calvin Johnson playing at less than 100%.

They already rank 8th in yards per play differential and 16th in rate of sustaining drives differential. If they can get Matt Stafford going, they’re not going to be fun to play. I don’t like their playoff chances at 3-4, but the NFC isn’t looking as loaded as it once did after going 1-3 against the AFC last week after starting 19-9 (the only win was Packers over Jaguars in a game that was closer than it should have been). They’re not out of it quite yet.

Studs

C Dominic Raiola: Allowed 1 pressure on 53 pass block snaps, run blocked for 31 yards on 5 attempts

LG Rob Sims: Did not allow a pressure on 53 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 5 yards on 1 attempt

WR Titus Young: Caught 9 passes for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 attempts on 52 pass snaps, 4.0 YAC per catch

Duds

WR Calvin Johnson: Caught 3 catches for 46 yards on 7 attempts on 51 pass snaps, 7.0 YAC per catch, 2 drops

ROLB Justin Durant: Allowed 8 catches for 121 yards on 11 attempts, 6 solo tackles, 2 assist, 4 stops, 1 missed tackle

RE Kyle Vanden Bosch: Did not record a pressure on 23 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop

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St. Louis Rams: Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#21)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings, Rams

Last week: 21 (-1)

Record: 3-5

I have a lot to write about the Patriots in their section, so I’m going to use this section to talk about the NFL in London. I just don’t think it’s a very good idea. It’s fine having one or two games per year there, but every time we have one, there’s talk about moving a team there and it would make no sense geographically. It’s just too rigorous for the players to travel all the way there and play jet lagged and vice versa for the London team to travel back to the states to play any road games. Plus, with this new stupid Thursday Night schedule, if we had a team in London that teams we’d have, at least once per year, a jet lagged team playing on short rest. Roger Goodell might not see a problem with that, but I do.

Studs

QB Sam Bradford: 22 of 30 for 205 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, 1 throw away, 1 hit as thrown, 2 drops, pressured on 12 of 33 drop backs (2 sacks, 1 scramble, 4 of 9, 1 interception, 1 throw away, 1 drop, 1 hit as thrown)

RG Harvey Dahl: Did not allow a pressure on 38 pass block snaps, run blocked for 3 yards on 1 attempt

Duds

SS Quentin Mikell: Allowed 5 catches for 83 yards on 6 attempts, 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

MLB James Laurinaitis: 3 solo tackles, 2 stops, 1 quarterback hit on 11 blitzes, allowed 1 catch for 25 yards on 2 attempts

DT Michael Brockers: Did not record a pressure on 28 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop

LE Chris Long: 1 quarterback hurry on 37 pass rush snaps, no tackles

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New Orleans Saints: Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#22)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings, Saints

Last week: 19 (-3)

Record: 2-5

I guess beating the Broncos is a lot harder than beating the Chargers and Buccaneers for a still overrated Saints team (heavy public action on New Orleans +6 last week). The rank 31st in the league in yards per play differential and 27th in rate of sustaining drives differential, mostly because of a defense that allows the most yards per play in the league and the 2nd highest rate of sustaining drives in the league. This week, they host Philadelphia in a game that’s going to tell us a lot about both teams as they are both at a crossroads in their respective seasons.

Studs

LT Jermon Bushrod: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 45 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 8 yards in 4 attempts

LG Jahri Evans: Didn’t allow a pressure on 45 pass block snaps

C Brian La Puente: Didn’t allow a pressure on 45 pass block snaps, run blocked for 15 yards on 3 attempts

P Thomas Morestead: 8 punts for 413 yards, 4 inside 20, 4 returns for 43 yards, 46.3 net yards per punt, 2 kickoffs, 1 touchback, 72.5 yards per kickoff, 13.5 opponent’s average starting distance

Duds

WR Devery Henderson: Did not catch a pass on 3 attempts on 38 pass snaps, 1 drop

WR Lance Moore: Caught 3 passes for 25 yards on 6 attempts on 32 pass snaps, 1.3 YAC per catch, 1 drop

CB Patrick Robinson: Allowed 5 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown on 7 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 1 penalty, 5 solo tackles, 1 stop, 2 missed tackles

FS Malcolm Jenkins: 7 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop, 2 missed tackles, 1 penalty, allowed 4 catches for 49 yards on 4 attempts

RE Will Smith: Did not record a pressure on 28 pass rush snaps, 4 solo tackles, 2 stops

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Arizona Cardinals: Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#23)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings, Cardinals

Last week: 23 (-2)

Record: 4-4

I wish Dennis Green was still the Cardinals’ coach. Then he could shout “we are who they thought we were!” I never believed in them. They’ve never been ranked higher than 15th in these Power Rankings, even when they were 4-0. This is what I said about the Cardinals after their 3-0 start. “Almost every year, there’s a team that gets off to a good start and then fades away and misses the playoffs and makes their believers look dumb (“This Ryan Fitzpatrick is the real deal.” “Rex Grossman is a legitimate franchise quarterback.”).

Winning 3 in a row at any point in a season isn’t that impressive, but when teams do it to start the season, it’s much more noticeable and you get idiots like Michael Silver putting them first in his Power Rankings (Really? Kevin Kolb is going to win the Super Bowl?). This is essentially the same team that finished last year 8-8 and I expect them to finish somewhere around there this year. Bettors should ride the correction.” They haven’t covered since and have lost 4 straight.

Now with Kolb out, John Skelton is actually a downgrade, believe it or not, despite their records last season. Skelton was 6-2 in the 8 games he played the majority of the snaps, while Kolb was 2-6, but Skelton had the luxury of playing most of his games supported by better defensive play. In Skelton’s 8 games, the Cardinals allowed 19.0 points per game and in Kolb’s they allowed 24.5. Skelton was actually the inferior of the two quarterbacks last season. He led 100 drives last season and the Cardinals scored 16 touchdowns and 11 field goals (129 points, 1.29 points per drive) on those 100 drives. Kolb led 91 drives, leading to 20 touchdowns and 6 field goals (138 points, 1.52 points per drive).

Kolb also outplayed him statistically. He completed 146 of 253 (57.7%) for 1955 yards (7.7 YPA), 9 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Skelton completed just 151 for 275 (54.9%) for 1913 yards (7.0 YPA), 11 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. This year, Skelton is completing 57.9% of his passes for 5.9 YPA, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions, while Kolb is completing 59.6% of his passes for an average of 6.4 YPA, 8 touchdowns, 3 interceptions. Until Kolb returns, this team is really going to struggle. Meanwhile, the offensive line is one of the worst I’ve ever seen and it might be the worst ever. They’re on pace to allow 89 sacks, which would shatter the NFL record of 76 set by the Texans in 2002.

Studs

C Lyle Sendlein: Did not allow a pressure on 60 pass block snaps, run blocked for 11 yards on 2 attempts

MLB Daryl Washington: 2 sacks on 7 blitzes, 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops, was not thrown on

RE Calais Campbell: 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 24 pass rush snaps, 5 solo tackles, 6 stops

Duds

RB LaRod Stephens-Howling: Rushed for 6 yards (9 after contact) on 8 carries, caught 3 passes for 32 yards on 4 attempts, allowed 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 11 pass block snaps

LG Daryn Colledge: Allowed 1 quarterback hits and 3 quarterback hurries on 60 pass block snaps, 1 penalty

LT D’Anthony Baptiste: Allowed 2 sacks, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 quarterback hurries on 60 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 0 yards on 1 attempt

WR Larry Fitzgerald: Caught 5 passes for 52 yards on 11 attempts on 59 pass snaps, 4.6 YAC per catch, 1 drop, 1 interception when thrown to, 1 penalty

CB William Gay: Allowed 4 catches for 57 yards on 4 attempts, 4 solo tackles, 1 missed tackle, 1 penalty

CB Patrick Peterson: Allowed 5 catches for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 attempts, 3 solo tackles, 2 stops, 2 missed tackles

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New York Jets: Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#24)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings, Jets

Last week: 24 (-1)

Record: 3-5

I have no idea why they haven’t benched Mark Sanchez for Tim Tebow yet. Mark Sanchez is completing 53% of his passes. Only Brandon Weeden has a worse adjusted QB rating. The team is 3-5. They brought Tebow in to be an alternative for Sanchez if he struggled right? Well he’s struggling right now. What was the point of bringing him in if you’re not going to turn to him if the incumbent struggles? It couldn’t have been just to be a special teams decoy…right? Even if you don’t think Tebow can play quarterback, you have to agree with that. He did make a mistake by going to the Jets instead of the Jaguars. He’d be starting in Jacksonville right now.

Studs

RG Brandon Moore: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 62 pass block snaps, run blocked for 20 yards on 4 attempts

LG Matt Slauson: Did not allow pressure on 43 pass block snaps, run blocked for 7 yards on 3 carries

WR Clyde Gates: Caught 7 passes for 82 yards on 10 attempts on 31 pass snaps, 1.1 YAC per catch

CB Antonio Cromartie: Allowed 2 catches for 2 yards on 2 attempts, 1 penalty, 3 solo tackles, 1 stop

Duds

WR Jeremy Kerley: Caught 5 passes for 43 yards on 10 attempts on 56 pass snaps, 5.4 YAC per catch, 1 drop

WR Stephen Hill: Caught 2 passes for 29 yards on 7 attempts on 55 pass snaps, 4.0 YAC per catch, 1 drop

CB Kyle Wilson: Allowed 2 catches for 48 yards on 3 attempts, 2 solo tackles, 1 missed tackle

LE Mike DeVito: Did not record a pressure on 16 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop

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Tennessee Titans: Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#25)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings, Titans

Last week: 25 (-3)

Record: 3-5

The Titans were overrated going into their overtime loss to the Colts last week. Despite their 3-4 record, they had the league’s worst points differential, winning 3 games by a combined 7 points and losing 4 by a combined 96 points. That’s continued into this week as they are now a league worst -95. They also rank 28th in yards per play differential and 31st in rate of sustaining drives differential. Their defense has been particularly bad. They’re one of 2 teams with an opponent’s rate of sustaining drives higher than 80% as they sit at 84.4%, meaning on any given set of downs, they allow a first down or a score 84.4% of the time. The Saints are next worst at 82.9%.

Studs

QB Matt Hasselbeck: 22 of 29 for 236 yards and a touchdown, 1 throw away, 3 drops, 115.8 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 8 of 32 drop backs (2 sacks, 1 scramble, 4 of 5, 1 throw away)

LT Mike Otto: Did not allow a pressure on 36 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 7 yards on 3 attempts

LG Steve Hutchinson: Did not allow a pressure on 36 pass rush snaps, run blocked for 20 yards on 2 attempts

C Fernando Velasco: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 36 pass rush snaps, run blocked for 35 yards on 8 attempts

RT David Stewart: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 35 pass rush snaps, run blocked for 3 yards on 2 attempts

CB Alterraun Verner: Allowed 7 catches for 39 yards on 7 attempts, 7 solo tackles, 1 assist, 5 stops

CB Jason McCourty: Allowed 2 catches for 24 yards on 5 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop

ROLB Akeem Ayers: 4 solo tackles, 3 stops, 1 missed tackle, 1 penalty, 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 quarterback hurries on 9 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass, was not thrown on

FS Michael Griffin: 6 solo tackles, 2 assist, 1 missed tackle, did not allow a completion on 2 attempts, 1 interception

LE Derrick Morgan: 1 sack, 2 quarterback hits, and 7 quarterback hurries on 39 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 stop

RE Kamerion Wimbley: 1 sack, 2 quarterback hits, and 6 quarterback hurries on 38 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 2 stops

Duds

CB Ryan Mouton: Allowed 7 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown on 7 attempts, 5 solo tackles, 1 stop

DT Jurrell Casey: Did not record a pressure on 32 pass rush snaps, no tackles

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