Sep 09, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) drops back to pass against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-US PRESSWIRE

If you watched the New England Patriots take the field Sunday it looked too easy, it’s as if Tom Brady and company are just jumping on the plane for a business trip.  They may not be the greatest team this season, but they go out with a business approach and dissect the opponents weakness and then exploit it.  There defense played better then expected and totally shut down Chris Johnson, putting his come back season on hold for a week.  After their Week 1 win they enter at the top spot! Here’s the rankings!

1. New England(1-0)- It really shouldn’t be that easy to win on the road in the NFL

2. Denver  (1-0)- Hello Peyton,  Hello Super Bowl talk after one week

3. San Francisco (1-0)- Total domination of the Packers.  Alex Smith looked very good!

4. Dallas  (1-0) – First team to beat the defending Super Bowl champ in more than a decade on opening day

5. Atlanta  (1-0) This offense could be scary good. Julio Jones starting his pro bowl season with 2TD

6. Houston (1-0) Defense swallowed up Miami and Oh ya their offense is good too

7. Chicago (1-0) Did what they were suppose to do. Real test is Thursday

8. Green Bay (0-1)  Defense looks shaky. Shoot-outs will be a plenty this year

9. Detroit (1-0) Stafford looked shaky until last drive.  Half empty or Half full?

10. Washington (1-0) RGIII looked pretty good… future looks bright

11. Baltimore (1-0)  No huddle offense makes Ravens fun to watch

12. Tampa Bay (1-0) Totally shut down Cam Newton

13. New Orleans (0-1) Will need to adjust quickly without their coaches. Too much offense to lose games

14. Arizona (1-0) Someone will need to challenge the 49ers

15. Pittsburgh (0-1) Big Ben played good except for pick 6.  Big week 2 matchup versus the Jets

16. NY Giants (0-1) They never play good in September, but they better not fall to far behind

17. NY Jets (1-0) Calm Down!! You beat Buffalo!!!

18. San Diego  (1-0) Finally a good start to a season?

19. Philadelphia – That is as ugly as a win as possible.  It was so much #$#$&@@ fun sitting next to an Eagles fan at Buffalo Wild Wings (shameless plug) all game.

20. Cincinnati (0-1) They aren’t going to sneak up on anybody this season.

21. Minnesota  (1-0) Having Peterson back helps Ponder.  Great comeback after giving up TD with only seconds remaining

22. KC Chiefs (0-1) Offense looked good, defense not so much

23. Seattle (0-1)  Russell Wilson had two td passes dropped that would have won the game

24. Oakland (0-1) Poor Special Teams cost them in Week 1

25. St. Louis Rams (0-1) Defense played great all day until last series.  Offense was boringly predictable all game long

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) Good news- Great TD to take lead with seconds left Bad News- Defense couldn’t hold! Gabbert looked improved

27. Carolina Panthers (0-1)  Ron Rivera didn’t have his team prepared for the Bucs!

28. Miami Dolphins (0-1) Tannehill looked like a rookie especially when the line kept knocking down passes

29. Indy Colts (0-1) Luck will be good, Brown is terrible! Two really bad drop balls didn’t help Luck and the offense

30. Tennessee Titans (0-1) Very little resistance for Brady. Paging Chris Johnson anyone??

31. Cleveland Browns (0-1) Weeden was terrible Period!

32. Buffalo Bills (0-1) You made the Jets look Super which is pretty tough

Who’s your top 5? Where do you have the Bears in your power ranking? It will be exciting Thursday night to see if the Bears can seize their opportunity!

Jay Cutler and the Bears are rising to the top of NFL Power Rankings.

We have all heard Bill Parcells line, “You’re as good as your record says you are,” and it looks like people are hesitantly starting to believe it about the 2010 Chicago Bears.  College football has the BCS and the NFL has their power rankings.  Yes, power rankings are very arbitrary and subjective and honestly can be a waste of time to read.  But, who doesn’t check them out now and again just to disagree with 90% of the picks?  At least some people are finally giving the Bears some love, so here’s a look at a few top ten lists from around the web:

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To make matters worse, here’s the blurb that ESPN puts under the Packers’ #4 ranking:

It’s hard to beat anyone when you’re committing 18 penalties. (Walker)

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Football Armageddon is Upon Us

Last season, SI’s Peter King made headlines when he picked the Bears to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in his preseason playoff predictions.  This year, he goes the other way – BIG TIME – and ranks the Bears as the 25th best team in the NFL.

Here’s what he has to say about the Beloved in his blurb that accompanies the ranking:

25. Chicago. The Mike Martz-Jay Cutler marriage could work, or it could explode. The defense will be solid, assuming Julius Peppers comes to play, but he can’t solve everything on a unit that allowed 375 points last year.

To make matters worse, he ranks the Detroit Lions – yes those Detroit Lions – 24th, one spot ahead of the Bears.  Are you ready for the cherry on top?  His #1 team?  The Green Bay Fucking Packers!  Arghh!!! (more…)

I may not like how Jay Cutler babied his way out of Denver, but by Labor Day, the football world will have forgotten, and by Thanksgiving, the most popular baby name in Chicagoland will be Jay. (Unless it’s Jerry, as in Angelo, the man who stuck his neck out and made this deal.) Cutler’s a big-time player, and I suspect we’ll find out over the next few years if he has nerves of steel and can win the big game.
Now, there’s two things we don’t know about Cutler and this offense. There’s not a great receiver in the house and no promise of one on the way (Angelo should have guaranteed Torry Holt more money to get him to come to the Windy City). So Cutler’s going to have to make do with the Devin Hesters and Rashied Davises, apparently. (Not that there’s anything wrong with Hester. But he should be a third receiver, using his speed to game-break.) (more…)

Honors

Congrats to Lance Briggs, the Bears’ lone Pro Bowl selection.  This makes the fourth straight trip to Hawaii for Lance, who has taken over as the leader of the Defense.  Tommie Harris makes it as a first alternate, while Olin Kreutz, Greg Olsen and Brad Maynard get the nod as second alternates.  In the “things that make you go ‘huh?’” selections, Brian Urlacher (pictured above being blocked by Maurice Jones-Drew) and Devin Hester join as third alternates.  Really?  Devin Hester can’t crack the starting lineup as kick returner on his own team.  I guess it shows how slowly news travels around the NFL.  Click here for the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl Rosters.

Speaking of kick returners, Danieal Manning earns NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after his 83-yard opening kick return against the Saints.  It was the first opening kickoff return since Devin Hester’s opening kickoff return in Super Bowl XLI.  Ahh, remember when?  Manning leads the NFL in kick returns this season with a 29.5 yard average. Nice work Danieal!

Power Rankings Around the Web

Bears are ranked smack dab in the middle of the Power Rankings on both ESPN , CBS Sportsline and Sports Illustrated. FoxSports is a little more generous, with a ranking of 13, ahead of the streaking Eagles and the playoff-bound Cardinals. 

What Vegas Thinks

The Bears have been installed as a 4.5 point favorite on Monday night against the rival Packers, who slapped the Beloved around at Lambeau earlier this year.  It’s payback time!  The total for the regular season home finale is 42.  With temperatures expected in the single digits with below-zero wind chills, those points might be tough to come by.  Not that I advocate going to the window.  But if I did, I would go under.