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SPF T.I. Poll (Week Five)

The rich seem to be getting richer (and the poor, poorer) in the SPF Footprint.  There is happiness at the top, confusion in the middle, and desperation at the bottom.

Let's start with last week's T.I. Poll

1.  Dallas Cowboys
2.  Indianapolis Colts
3.  Washington Redskins
3.  Tampa Bay Bucs
5.  Tennessee Titans
6.  Houston Texans
7.  Cincinnati Bengals
8.  Jacksonville Jaguars
9.  Atlanta Falcons
10. Carolina Panthers
11. New Orleans Saints
12. St Louis Rams
13. Miami Dolphins

1.  Dallas Cowboys - God bless 'em!  These Cowboys are resonating with their fans like never before.  Sure, they sneaked out a close one in Buffalo on Monday night, but as Randy Galloways points out they have to be looking ahead to the Pats.  Luckily for the Cowboys, it goes right even when it is going wrong.  Jim Reeves writes about how Tony Romo got it together just in time.  There nothing like the Buffalo Bills and finding new ways to lose.

2.  Indianapolis Colts - The Colts are a machine.  They have a great GM, a great head coach who specializes in defense, a great OC, and possibly the greatest QB of all time who never misses a game.  Bob Kravitz's column is all about the ways that the Colts keep finding productive players in the face of injuries.

2.  Washington Redskins - The Redskins made the most of their bye week.  Yes, the Lions have a ridiculously poor record at Washington, but the Skins still took it to them despite missing several key WRs.  Bob Molinaro of the Virginian-Pilot might be worried that the Redskins old school offense is holding back Jason Campbell, but the win and Tom Boswell say otherwise.  SPF agrees with Boswell.  Campbell is quickly turning into a gem.  

4.  Tennessee Titans - SPF warned Tennessee about the Falcons.  The Titans almost lost and Vince Young had a horrible game.  Much like the Cowboys, none of that matters with a win.  When a loss occurs due to poor play, he might doubt himself, but when a player plays poorly and wins, he can learn something.   The Titans  can keep rolling off their bye week because they face another team in turmoil that lies right below them in the Poll.

5.  Tampa Bay Bucs - The Bucs have been holding it together since their opening loss to Seattle.  Unfortunately, the wheels came off in Indy last Sunday.   Injury woes are mounting.  SPF warned about the thin roster at the start of the season.  Without all the full complement of playmakers, the Bucs offense doesn't scare the better teams in the league.  The team has now put QB Chris Simms on IR, so that they can clear room to sign another player or two.  Scraps like Zack Crockett won't be enough.  Gruden and his crew have been putting up an admirable fight all season, but they've got some tough games coming up starting with the team right in front of them in the Poll.

6.  Houston Texans - Richard Justice says it best - a win is the most important thing for the Texans right now.  Even Gary Kubiak told his team that Sunday's close win against the hapless Dolphins was the most important win since he's been Houston's coach.  Kubiak is right.  The Texans were coming off of two losses.  They were playing without key players due to injury, and the Dolphins were going to play like they had nothing to lose.  Still, Matt Schaub made key plays when it mattered despite a relatively poor day, and the defense keeps playing well.  SPF had its doubts when the Texans placed the franchises future in the hands of Kubiak and Schaub, but right now, those two are looking pretty unflappable.

7.  Jacksonville Jaguars - SPF doesn't like this team at all, but they keep moving up in the Poll because there are so many poor teams in the Footprint this year.  Speaking of poor teams, the Jags have played an awful lot of them.  Except for Tennessee (the Jags only loss), their wins came against non-playoff fodder like Denver, Kansas City, and Atlanta.  Maybe Gene Frenette is impressed, but SPF is not.  Neither are the Jax fans who are dangerously close to creating another blackout while the team is trying to instruct them what to wear at the game.  Hey Jags, the fans in Jacksonville don't need to be told how to be football fans.  They need a team that is worth following.  Houston and Indy will be coming to Jax over the next two weeks.  These are the games the matter.  Without home wins against division opponents, nothing else matters.

7.  Cincinnati Bengals - SPF has stuck by this team all season.  They've endured an awful lot of criticism from the media so far, but things aren't as bad as they seem.  Injuries have decimated their defense.  However, even their loss to the Browns doesn't look so bad in hindsight.  This week's game against KC will tell a lot.  The Chiefs are simply not very good.  The Bengals need to take care of business this week.  Their fans have suffered through some horrible seasons, and they carry those scars.  Give them a break by winning the next two before the Pittsburgh game.

9.  Carolina Panthers - Injuries are one of the biggest parts of the NFL.  Everyone gets them.  The key is how you overcome them.  That's why Houston's win was so important against Miami.  Carolina can be proud of their win against New Orleans.  Jake Delhomme was out, and David Carr filled in and won.  Not pretty, but a win.  Scott Fowler sings Carr's praises for being tough.  However, SPF agrees with Tom Sorensen, Fowler's cohort at the Charlotte Observer, who writes about the importance of Jake Delhomme to the Panthers:  "Can you remember who started at quarterback for the Panthers before Jake? Delhomme charged into town with enthusiasm, confidence and an interesting accent."  Sorensen's column is required reading when examining identity.  Delhomme embodies that for the Panthers.  The NFC South remains wide open, but the Panthers have a huge void to fill to get there.

10.  New Orleans Saints - The Saints haven't won a game, but they moved up a slot.  People need to remember that the Saints identity is largely based on losing.  The franchise has more hard luck stories than a panhandler off of Beale.  The NFC South is a disaster this year, so the Saints should just let it all hang out.  Their playoff hopes are pretty much over, but at least make it fun for the home crowds (and keep Tom Benson locked up so that he doesn't start talking about moving the team again.)

13.  St Louis Rams -  The Rams are a mess.  Jeff Gordon points out that the discontent runs deep.  Gordon's column reinforces what SPF always says - it's about identity.  Fans want to feel connected to their team.  It's easy and safe to identify with a winner, but winning is elusive and short-lived in the NFL.  What keeps NFL franchises going over the long term is identity.  The Rams have none.  Their number one goal right now is to create one before next season.  From the top to the bottom, this team needs an overhaul.  Maybe it should start with a local group buying out Georgia Frontiere.  St Louis is a great, great sports town that deserves local and stable ownership with vision.  One read of this story shows that the organization is totally clueless about the St Louis market.

13.  Miami Dolphins - Boring and bad.  Miami's sports media star, Dan Le Betard, has thrown in the towel on the South Florida sports scene in general.  At least the rest of the Miami media has begun to fully call out Cam Cameron as an idiotic fraud.  Armando Salguero rightfully reminds everyone that Trent Green was a bad call that was Cameron's alone.  Not to pour salt on a wound, but Green needs to retire for his own good and for the Dolphins.  The charade is over.  Whether the team plays Cleo Lemon or rookie John Beck, Cameron has the rest of the season to show that he can coach an NFL offense.  Cameron seems stupid and stubborn.  He might have at least one win if he had given the ball to Ronnie Brown more at the beginning.  Maybe he'll realize that Green never was the answer.  Don't you wish you had Daunte Culpepper back, Cam?

13.  Atlanta Falcons - Transition is tough.  That's what the Falcons are going through.  It is only natural that this week's columns in the AJC came down hard on Bobby Petrino.  First, Alge Crumpler stabs him in the back, and then Terrence Moore calls Petrino's hiring a mistake.  Let's not forget that this same paper was singing Petrino's praises for his work with Joey "Loser" Harrington a week before.

SPF hammered one point home before the season - no team had more wrapped up in a single player than the Falcons did with Michael Vick.  Arthur Blank focused all the marketing around him.  He hired GM Rich McKay to find players to complement Vick.  Petrino was hired because Blank and McKay thought that he could get the best out of Vick.  Vick is now gone leaving Petrino to pick up the pieces.

SPF believes Petrino has done so admirably.  McKay and Blank need to step up and rally behind their coach.  Why?  He's all they have.  Vick isn't coming back soon.  The Falcons roster clearly needs to be re-worked in the off season.  Petrino can become a great face of the Falcons, but he needs to be supported. 

There will be several college teams waiting to hire Petrino this off season.  Maybe Crumpler will be happy to see him go, but where does that leave the Falcons?  Petrino and a new QB (perhaps Petrino's old Louisville QB, Brian Brohm) is the only way for this franchise to crawl out of the hole that Blank allowed Vick to put them in.

SPF's advice to McKay - come out publicly and support Petrino over Crumpler, laud Petrino for keeping the team competitive in the face of severe adversity, and take the fall again for putting so much trust in Vick.  (After winning the arbitration ruling, it's doubtful that the Falcons will ever let Vick come back despite having a fan base that still wants him.)  Let Falcons fans (and players) know that Petrino is the man now so that everyone knows what direction this team is going.  The last thing the Falcons need is to rest their hopes on a wayward, self-centered star.  Look at what Ricky Williams did to Miami.  A tease will always be a tease.

SPF's advice to Arthur Blank - you have this team teetering on the brink of irrelevancy.  Pro sports has always been a tough sell in Atlanta.  Bobby Petrino is your best asset.  He has a track record as a winner.  He is the only person showing maturity in this horrific season.  Give him your support - publicly - start the process of rebranding this team away from Michael Vick.  Do not let the AJC set standards for Petrino's performance.  Remind everyone that this season was largely lost the moment that Vick got caught in a federal probe.

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