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SPF T.I. Poll (Week Eight)

Things continue to settle out in the SPF Footprint.  This week's big question is whether the South's best is the NFL's best.  The Colts were just that last season, but their old New England nemesis seems to have stolen their thunder again.

Here's last week's "Team Identity" Poll:

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

Now, here's this week's:

1. Indianapolis Colts - They have what people are calling the biggest regular season game in a decade.  Do the Footprint proud, Colts! 

2. Dallas Cowboys - The Cowboys couldn't do what the Colts hope to do - beat the Patriots.  Randy Galloway may be right when he writes that the Cowboys are more lucky than good.  A Colts' loss and a win against the Eagles might lift the Cowboys back to the #1 position.

3. Tennessee Titans - The Titans took care of business against Oakland.  They looked just like we are used to seeing - great defense, rudimentary offense.  But that's what Titans' fans want.  Keep the wins coming!

4. Washington Redskins - Where does this team go from here?  The Patriots embarrassed them.  At least the Cowboys kept it close for a while.  It looked like LSU-Virginia Tech from earlier this season.  (BC is ranked #2 and the Patriots are blowing out the Redskins, Cowboys, and Dolphins.  This has been a head scratching year in football.)

The Redskins still don't know what they have in QB Jason Campbell or OC Al Saunders.  There are too many questions on this team that have been left unanswered for too long.

5. New Orleans Saints - The Saints have now won three in a row, AND they are looking better each week.  Their toughest test yet will be against Jacksonville, but Jacksonville has no QB.

6. Tampa Bay Bucs - Unfortunately, the Bucs and their vaunted defense and a home field game couldn't take advantage of Jacksonville QB Quinn Gray's inexperience.  This was a costly loss.  Sure, the Bucs are still in it, but the Jags showed that rattling Garcia means an instant win against the Bucs.  We've been saying it all year - too much is riding on Garcia.

7. Miami Dolphins -  This is an 0-8 team.  Why are we moving them up?  Because Wayne Huizenga has publicly declared that his team is being evaluated.  This is code for "a house cleaning is coming."  The Dolphins will go into their bye week knowing that changes are already on the way. 

The 2007 season has been a painfully unnecessary process for the Dolphins, but Huizenga had to pretend he still had a winner.  He needed to sell suites to pay for his multi-million dollar Dolphin Stadium renovation.  At least the facade is over now. 

Randy and Cam, don't get too comfortable in your South Florida digs.

8. Carolina Panthers - Scott Fowler made a great point a couple of weeks back after Testaverde's first win as a Panther.  He said not to start him again because he is a better asset in reserve.  Unfortunately, John Fox started him against the Colts, and it was an embarrassing loss. 

Like the Bucs, the Panthers need to understand how to develop young offensive players.  Teams that don't will face dire consequences.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars - Speaking of suffering dire consequences, the Jags did that two weeks ago against the Colts.  Winning in Tampa was unexpected and nice, but it says more about Tampa than it does about the Jags.  The Jags are a borderline AFC wild card team.  They don't have enough playmakers on offense. 

The Orlando Sentinel has a great article that shows what SPF has been saying all year - the Jags should be better on offense than they are. To Jack Del Rio, SPF says, "Doctor, heal thyself!"

10. Cincinnati Bengals - What a mess!  The Bengals dim playoff hopes were dashed by the Steeler once again.  However, Bengals fans can't lose hope yet.  At least they have a strong offensive core in place.  Marvin Lewis has a strong defensive coaching background.  He just needs to get back to that next season.  He needs to use the rest of this one to clean house.

11. Houston Texans - Richard Justice was hoping for competence when the Texans faced the Chargers.  He didn't find it.  This team teased SPF for a few weeks, but their true colors are starting to show.   A road loss to Oakland isn't out of the question. 

12. Atlanta Falcons - If only the Falcons had a bye week every week.  Unfortunately, they are back.  This season's first potential blackout serves as an ugly reminder to the years of Falcons football past.  Vick's value to this franchise cannot be overstated.  No matter, they have to rebuild without him.

13. St Louis Rams - The Rams played much better last week against Cleveland, but they still lost.  What's next for the Rams?  Reading this piece, it sounds like a lot more losing.  Maybe the only person missed by his team more than Vick is Mike Martz by the Rams.  Martz has quickly turned around a Lion offense with a journeyman at QB (Jon Kitna).  Suggestion to the Rams - get Georgia Frontiere to sell the majority share to Stan Kroenke and let him broom the front office so that he can bring Martz back.

Martz was the Rams' identity.  Without him, they have no appeal.

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