Uncategorized

Pittsburgh Steelers: 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#25)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, Steelers, Uncategorized

Last week: 22 (-3)

Record: 0-4

Yes, I know the Steelers have won a game and are higher rated than teams that have won games. If you want teams sorted by record, go to ESPN.com’s NFL Standings (or their NFL Power Rankings because they’re pretty much the same thing). The Steelers are not a good team by any stretch of the imagination, but they are going to be a more dangerous opponent going forward than any of the teams below them on this list. Having a quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger is often a trump card.

Week 4 Studs

WR Antonio Brown

TE Heath Miller

TE David Johnson

Week 4 Duds

LT Mike Adams

MLB Vince Williams

CB Cortez Allen

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New York Jets: 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#26)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, Jets, Uncategorized

Last week: 25 (-1)

Record: 2-2

Brandon Moore retired. Mark Sanchez is out for the season. And ESPN took down Butt Fumble as Worst of the Worst. And yet, somehow, the Jets manage to continue to make themselves the butt of jokes (I’ll let you decide whether or not the pun was intended). Geno Smith fumbled this week off of his OWN butt trying to move the ball from one hand to another behind his back like some sort of Harlem Globetrotter. The fumble was recovered by Tennessee in the end zone for a touchdown. You can’t make this stuff up.

Week 4 Studs

RE Sheldon Richardson

Week 4 Duds

QB Geno Smith

LG Vlad Ducaase

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Buffalo Bills: 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#27)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, Bills, Uncategorized

Last week: 27

Record: 2-2

The difference between old Defensive Coordinator Dave Wannstedt and new Defensive Coordinator Mike Pettine has been immense. Pettine’s new hybrid 3-4/4-3 defense, coming over from the Jets, has really had this front 7 playing well, with guys like Marcell Dareus, Mario Williams, Kyle Williams, and early Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner Kiko Alonso. As a result, opponents are moving the chains on 69% of opportunities, one of the better rates in the defense, despite a banged up and thin Buffalo secondary. If only the offense could move the chains at a higher rate than 68%.

Week 4 Studs

RG Kraig Urbik

C Eric Wood

DT Marcell Dareus

MLB Kiko Alonso

CB Aaron Williams

SS Da’Norris Searcy

Week 4 Duds

QB EJ Manuel

ROLB Mario Williams

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St. Louis Rams: 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#28)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, Rams, Uncategorized

Last week: 20 (-8)

Record: 1-3

The Rams keep adding talent, but they never seem to get any better. Their retooled offensive line isn’t playing up to expectations. Rodger Saffold is out, while veteran Scott Wells has been awful at center. Chris Williams continues to prove he’s not a starting caliber player, while even Jake Long has not been the franchise left tackle they thought they were getting. Rookie Tavon Austin, who was supposed to invigorate Bradford’s receiving corps, has looked like, well a rookie, while Jared Cook has been pretty hit or miss. Defensively, Chris Long and James Laurinaitis, who have been signed to long extensions recently, aren’t living up to their salaries. The same is true of Cortland Finnegan, who was signed to a 50 million dollar deal last off-season. He’s suddenly morphed into the worst cornerback in the NFL, allowing 16 of 19 for 248 yards and 3 touchdowns before getting “hurt” against the 49ers. With another two 1st round picks this year, the Rams have a lot of decisions to make on which highly paid veterans to dump and which youngsters to give up on.

Week 4 Studs

None

Week 4 Duds

QB Sam Bradford

RB Daryl Richardson

C Scott Wells

FS Rodney McLeod

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Minnesota Vikings: 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#29)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, Uncategorized, Vikings

Last week: 30 (+1)

Record: 1-3

I don’t really have anything interesting to say this week about the Vikings, who went to the land of the redcoats this week for a game of 0-3 teams between them and the Steelers. Instead I’ll talk about how stupid expansion to London would be. The NFL is so much less foreign than leagues like the NBA, the MLB, or the NHL and yet none of those leagues have tried teams abroad (unless, you count Canada). There’s a reason for that. The grueling schedule of the NFL doesn’t help matters.

Week 4 Studs

RG Brandon Fusco

DT Fred Davis

Week 4 Duds

QB Matt Cassel

FB Jerome Felton

LE Brian Robison

MLB Erin Henderson

CB Josh Robinson

FS Harrison Smith

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#30)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, Buccaneers, Uncategorized

Last week: 28 (-2)

Record: 0-4

This Josh Freeman situation gets weirder and weirder every week. Multiple people in the know have referred to “off the field issues” with Freeman that they refuse to get into for personal reasons (it’s not drugs, he passed a numerous amount of tests since entering the NFL). His privacy should be respected, but whatever they are, I’m giving the Buccaneers the benefit of the doubt with how they are handling the situation, keeping Freeman away from the team. He’s already the 3rd string quarterback and will likely be granted his release sometime in the next week or so, after the Buccaneers make a futile attempt to trade him. Mike Glennon is the present for the Buccaneers now and has 12 more games to prove he’s the future. A likely combination of struggles on the field, a top-5 pick, and Schiano getting canned probably loses Glennon his job for 2014.

Week 4 Studs

DT Gerald McCoy

Week 4 Duds

QB Mike Glennon

RB Doug Martin

RG Davin Joseph

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Oakland Raiders: 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#31)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, Raiders, Uncategorized

Last week: 31

Record: 1-3

If it wasn’t already clear, Matt Flynn’s performance against the Redskins proves the Raiders made the correct choice going with Terrelle Pryor over Flynn. It isn’t saying a ton, but Pryor is already one of the top-5 players on this roster, while Flynn looked like a quarterback who deserved to go in the 7th round back in 2008, leading the Raiders to a pathetic 14 points at home against an awful Washington defense. The Raiders should have a top-5 pick this season, but they shouldn’t go quarterback. Pryor deserves another chance going into the contract year of his rookie deal and the Raiders have plenty of other needs. Jadeveon Clowney would look awfully nice on that defensive line, assuming they can get him.

Week 4 Studs

RB Rashad Jennings

LE Jack Crawford

Week 4 Duds

QB Matt Ryan

DT Vance Walker

CB Tracy Porter

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Jacksonville Jaguars: 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#32)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, Jaguars, Uncategorized

Last week: 32

Record 0-4

The Jaguars have been so bad through 4 games that I don’t think the word horrendous is even strong enough. They’ve been outscored 129 to 31 and even that figure is inflated by garbage time. If the Seahawks, against whom they scored 17 of their 31 points, hadn’t taken their starters out in the 3rd quarter, their differential would be even worse. They move the chains on just 58% of downs, as opposed to 78% from their opponents, a -20% differential. Only the Giants, -15%, as even close to how bad they are, and 3rd worst is Tampa Bay at -8%. Fortunately, I don’t think it’s possible to be THIS bad for the entirety of the season. This is just an especially brutal stretch for this team and getting Justin Blackmon back this week will help. It doesn’t mean they’ll win more than a game or two, but they should cover at least a few spreads this season, possibly starting with a ridiculous 12 point spread in St. Louis this week.

Week 4 Studs

RE Jeremy Mincey

CB Will Blackmon

Week 4 Duds

LG Will Rackley

FS Josh Evans

SS John Cyprien

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Arizona Cardinals trade OT Levi Brown to the Pittsburgh Steelers

stevenlourie Cardinals, Steelers, Uncategorized

Trade for Steelers: The Steelers clearly need left tackle help. 2012 2nd round pick Mike Adams is bombing in his first chance as a full-time starter. Only Atlanta’s tackles, Sam Baker and Lamar Holmes, have graded out worse than Adams on ProFootballFocus this season. However, Brown isn’t a significant upgrade. He currently ranks just 10 spots higher than Adams, 60th out of 72, and the 2007 5th overall pick has never resembled an NFL caliber left tackle.

Before missing the entirety of the 2012 season with injury, Brown was ProFootballFocus’ 57th ranked offensive tackle (out of 76) in 2011, 78th ranked offensive tackles (out of 78) in 2010, and 72nd ranked offensive tackle (out of 77) in 2009. He’s also very overpaid, making 4.75 million this season and 6 million in an age 30 season in 2014, though I suppose the Steelers could cut him without penalty after the season. Still, the last thing the Steelers need is another overpaid veteran. Though they’re only 2 games out of the AFC North lead, at 0-4, they are in no position to be making this type of move.

Grade: C

Trade for Cardinals: I thought the Cardinals should have cut Brown before the season because he simply wasn’t worth his salary so getting anything for him is a win, even a late round pick as the Cardinals will reportedly receive. The Cardinals are technically still in it at 2-2, but I doubt they’ll miss Brown that much. Intriguing youngsters Bradley Sowell, Nate Potter, and Bobbie Massie all have more upside than him at a cheaper rate. Sowell will get the first crack at the left tackle job with Brown gone and it’s going to be hard for him to be much worse than Brown.

Grade: A

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Jacksonville Jaguars trade OT Eugene Monroe to the Baltimore Ravens

stevenlourie Jaguars, Ravens, Uncategorized

Trade for Jaguars: The Jaguars just sold a franchise left tackle for pennies on the dollar (multiple 3rd day picks). Ordinarily, that’s an awful deal, but Monroe was heading into free agency this off-season and the Jaguars are so awful. It’s totally believable that they knew they wouldn’t be able to re-sign him after the season and it’s not like they’re doing anything this year. Luke Joeckel, the 2nd overall pick, looks to be their left tackle of the future. Still, this is barely more than they would have gotten in compensatory picks if they had lost him in free agency and it’s a big loss for the fan base. The Joeckel pick looks like just a horizontal move at this point.

Grade: C

Trade for Ravens: This is absolute steal for the Ravens. Monroe doesn’t get a lot of attention in Jacksonville, but he’s one of the better left tackles in the game and a huge upgrade over Bryant McKinnie, both short-term and, if they want him, long-term. He was ProFootballFocus’ 15th ranked offensive tackle in 2012 and 6th ranked offensive tackle in 2011. He and right tackle Michael Oher will be free agents this off-season, so the Ravens will have some decisions to make, but they’re competitive enough now to be buyers, especially at such a cheap price.

Grade: A

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