NFL Power Rankings

NFL Power Rankings: Pre-Free Agency
Follow @walterfootball for updates.

My pre-free agency NFL Power Rankings.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2016 NFL Mock Draft. Follow @walterfootball.

I’ve gone from WORST to FIRST, so if you don’t see reverse numbering (via Javascript), don’t worry; the Rams, Buccaneers and Jaguars aren’t my top teams.

Updated: April 5

Tennessee Titans (2-14) – Previously: 32.
I can’t believe I was once optimistic about the Ken Whisenhunt hire in Tennessee. What was I thinking? I’ll blame Derek Anderson for sneaking into my house and pouring some of the liquid in his flask into my morning orange juice.

It’s astonishing how uncompetitive the Titans were last year. Nine of their 14 losses came by two touchdowns or more. Their sole victory following Week 1 of the season was a 16-14 win over Jacksonville at home. Speaking of Week 1, what the hell happened in that Kansas City contest? It seemed to make sense at the time, but there’s no explicable reason that the Titans were able to win in Arrowhead; let alone by the score of 26-10. I bet Derek Anderson had something to do with that as well.

April 5 Update: I liked some of the moves the Titans made this offseason, as Brian Orakpo and Perrish Cox should make the team more competitive. Hilariously enough, only one Tennessee free agent signed elsewhere, and that was Michael Oher. It’s almost like the Tennessee players weren’t any good last year, or something.

Oakland Raiders (3-13) – Previously: 30.
The Raiders were competitive toward the end of the season, as Derek Carr played somewhat well at times. That will change with Greg Olson gone. Carr will have a sophomore slump, and making things worse, Oakland now has a coach who doesn’t try hard. I can only imagine how that interview went…

Mark Davis: So, Jack, why should I hire you?

Jack Del Rio: Because I want to be close to the beach so I can catch some waves, bro.

Mark Davis: Ah, OK, well I have other candidates to interview…

Jack Del Rio: Dude, I’m loving your Captain Kangaroo haircut. Totally rad, man.

Mark Davis: YOU’RE HIRED!!!

April 5 Update: The Raiders made a couple of nice signings in Rodney Hudson and Dan Williams this offseason. They’re much better than the crop of old men from last year. It’s nice that the younger players are beginning to appreciate Mark Davis’ awful haircut. That, or they’ve learned how to lie to him in interviews.

Cleveland Browns (7-9) – Previously: 26.
Say what you want about Johnny Manziel, he knows a bad play-call when he sees one…

Does anyone else think that Manziel’s trip to rehab is a PR stunt? His rookie year was so bad that his publicist almost had to recommend rehab to repair his image.

April 5 Update: Johnny Manziel is still faking his rehab, erm, I mean, still trying to get better in rehab. Good luck, Johnny! And good luck to the Browns, who will need a prayer to be competitive against top teams this year.

San Francisco 49ers (8-8) – Previously: 22.
I’m at a loss for words. Jerry Jones is so stupid for firing Jimmy Johnson. He was such a great coach, and his absence is going to cause the Cowboys to decline tremendously until they live in mediocrity for more than a decade.

Whoops, I just had a flashback. Sorry, wrong decade. Just replace “Jerry Jones” with “Jed York,” and “Jimmy Johnson” with “Jim Harbaugh,” and “Cowboys” with “49ers.” Either way, we’re talking about a derp owner making a derp decision.

April 5 Update: Patrick Willis, gone. Chris Borland, gone. Jim Harbaugh, gone. Mike Iupati, gone. Chris Culliver, gone. Perrish Cox, gone. Michael Crabtree, gone (but he sucks anyway). Frank Gore, gone. All hope in the Bay Area, gone.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-14) – Previously: 29.
The Buccaneers are standing pat at No. 1, and they currently prefer Jameis Winston, as you can see in our NFL Draft Rumors page. I actually think this is a mistake, as the only entity to benefit from Winston going to Tampa is Mons Venus. THe demon spawn of Johnny Manziel and JaMarcus Russell will single-handedly put the strip-club owner’s kids through college, and the establishment might have to change its name to Mons Jameis.

April 5 Update: The city of Tampa is thrilled to have Winston. Check out my 2015 April Fools Mock Draft to see one citizen who is particularly overjoyed.

Chicago Bears (5-11) – Previously: 27.
The Bears are screwed. They have the heartless Jay Cutler at quarterback, yet he doesn’t give a damn whether the team wins or loses. He single-handedly capsized the team and got Marc Trestman fired, yet the Bears can’t get rid of him because of his massive salary. As a result, they can’t make too many upgrades this offseason. If I were the owner of the team, I think I’d stage a kidnapping by Isis so Cutler would disappear, and then I’d ask Roger Goodell for some cap relief. After all, there have to be exemptions made for teams that lose their starting quarterbacks to terrorist kidnapping, right? The only flaw in this plan is the fact that it’s blatantly obvious that Isis wouldn’t want anything to do with Cutler because he’d find a way to single-handedly bring down their organization.

April 5 Update: Pernell McPhee and Antrel Rolle will help on the defensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, the Bears still have a quarterback who doesn’t give a crap. He puts less effort into playing football than I did in this write-up.

Washington Redskins (4-12) – Previously: 28.
I don’t like Washington’s chances as long as Robert Griffin is the quarterback. He’s too much of a Prima donna, and he apparently doesn’t put enough effort into preparing for the opposition. It’s a shame because he was so great as a rookie. The turning point, as far as I’m concerned, was when Daniel Snyder began feeding him grapes. Pampering him like that was a huge mistake.

April 5 Update: Terrance Knighton and Chris Culliver were nice offseason acquisitions, but the Redskins need much more defensive help. And as of this writing, Snyder is still feeding Griffin grapes, so that’s not the best news.

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13) – Previously: 25.
The Jaguars haven’t won more than five games since 2010, but that could change this year. They made a great hire by bringing in Greg Olson, who has gotten the most out of every professional quarterback he has coached (Blaine Gabbert not being a professional). He even had Josh Freeman on a Pro Bowl level. I like Blake Bortles’ chances of making a big leap in 2015 as long as Jacksonville can find some upgrades for the offensive line.

April 5 Update: The Jaguars signed some big-money free agents this offseason, but it’s dubious that they would leave playoff or Super Bowl contenders just for the money. I don’t have high expectations for Jacksonville, though the team will be better.

New York Jets (4-12) – Previously: 31.
I still can’t believe how incompetent owner Woody Johnson was for firing Rex Ryan. The former head coach was the only thing the Jets had going for them, save for their defensive line and Nick Mangold. They had one of the worst rosters in recent memory, and most other coaches wouldn’t have even squeezed out two victories. With Ryan gone, New York might even be worse than it was last year. The only hope for the Jets is for Marcus Mariota to fall to them at No. 6 in the 2015 NFL Draft, but that probably won’t happen.

April 5 Update: The Jets boned themselves pretty hard by signing Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. The two stud cornerbacks will instantly make the team much more competitive. However, New York still won’t be good enough to reach the playoffs, yet it won’t be bad enough to select Cardale Jones next April, which is what I currently have happening in my 2016 NFL Mock Draft. This type of short-term thinking seldom pays off in any facet of life.

Atlanta Falcons (6-10) – Previously: 24.
You know what’s weird about the Falcons’ noisegate story? The fact that this occurred in 2013 and 2014 – when Atlanta has sucked. Can’t Arthur Blank argue that the noise was done as a handicap? He should call up Roger Goodell and say, “We were too good in 2012, so we wanted the NFC South to actually be competitive, ya know?” I think this would work, as long as Blank shows up to the commissioner’s office and kisses Goodell’s ring.

April 5 Update: The Falcons don’t appear to have gotten better this offseason, but it’s not like they’ve regressed either. Thus, their 2015 prospects depend on how they do in the draft later this month – that, and how crappy the NFC South will be next year.

New York Giants (6-10) – Previously: 23.
The Giants averaged 29.2 points per game following Week 11 last year, and they managed to win three of their final four contests. Odell Beckham was obviously the reason for their late surge, and it’s only scary to think that he’ll improve as he obtains more experience. I’m going to mention this in my impending Fantasy Football Rankings, but look at what he did in his final six games: 60 receptions, 842 yards, nine touchdowns. Extrapolate that over a full 16-game slate, and you’d get 160 catches, 2,245 yards and 24 scores. Holy crap.

April 5 Update: The Giants overpaid for some mediocre players this offseason (J.T. Thomas, Dwayne Harris), but they at least retained Jason Pierre-Paul. It’ll be interesting to see how Eli Manning and Odell Beckham play together after practicing together for an entire summer. Let’s just hope Eli stays off the beach…

St. Louis Rams (6-10) – Previously: 21.
The Rams always have this hype coming into the season, then they fall flat on their faces, and then they finish the year on a hot streak and once again have hype for the following campaign. It’s an endless cycle. Fortunately for the people of St. Louis who don’t go to the games, the Rams will be moving to Los Angeles in the near future, where they can play in front of other people who don’t care.

April 5 Update: Nick Foles is an upgrade over Sam Bradford because there’s a better chance that he’ll stay healthy. Nick Fairley, meanwhile, will provide a boost on the defensive line. All of this sounds great, but I’m beginning to wonder if this will be another season in which the Rams get tons of hype, struggle early and finish strong enough to go 8-8 or something close to that.

New Orleans Saints (7-9) – Previously: 20.
The Saints cost me so much money in 2014 that I started saving up cardboard boxes, just in case I would have to live out of one of them after depleting my bank account. I’ll never forgive this team; how they went from a top-10 defense to an absolute abomination is beyond me, and I’ll never understand how Drew Brees aged two decades in just one offseason. It’s possible Brees and Rob Ryan’s defense will rebound, but this team could be done.

April 5 Update: The Saints appeared to have a fire sale at the beginning of the offseason. Some thought they would trade Drew Brees, but they were actually getting rid of the players Brees didn’t get along with. You have to wonder what Jimmy Graham did to Brees to piss him off. My guess is that Graham double dipped his chips at Brees’ birthday party. What a dick.

Miami Dolphins (8-8) – Previously: 18.
As if the Dolphins weren’t stupid enough already, head coach Joe Philbin will now report directly to owner Stephen Ross. Sounds like a great plan. I can only imagine how some of their meetings will go…

Stephen Ross: Joe, how’s my team looking?

Joe Philbin: Derp dee dep, good I guess, derp.

Stephen Ross: Were any cool celebrities at practice today? Maybe Gloria Estefan or Lisa Turtle from Saved by the Bell?

Joe Philbin: Derp dee dep, maybe, derp.

Stephen Ross: Damn it, Joe, you’re supposed to get them to come to the games so that other people do too!

Joe Philbin: Derp dee dep, OK boss, derp.

Sounds like a great plan. I still can’t get over it. The guy who had NO clue that bullying was happening in his locker room is supposed to tell the owner everything that’s going on? Derp!

April 5 Update: The Dolphins benefited from addition by subtraction when they got rid of Mike Wallace. However, the Ndamukong Suh signing was very dangerous. We’ve seen what happens when talented defensive tackles leave superior teams for the money. Albert Haynesworth didn’t work out in Washington, and Suh could similarly fail in Miami. This is bad news for Joe Philbin, who could lose his job when higher expectations that stemmed from the Suh acquisition won’t be met.

Houston Texans (9-7) – Previously: 19.
The Texans have J.J. Watt, so they’ll be competitive as long as they play hard (they did not in 2013). Unfortunately, they don’t have a quarterback, so they won’t go far in the playoffs, if they even get there. I don’t even know what they could possibly do either. If I were Bill O’Brien, I’d ask Watt if he could play the quarterback position. Considering that Watt does everything else for the team, it wouldn’t surprise me if he happened to be an upgrade over Ryan Fitzpatrick.

April 5 Update: Brian Hoyer was signed on to challenge Ryan Mallett for the starting quarterback job. Because there are no real winners in this contest, the Texans should have them compete in an academic decathlon to generate some interest within the fan base. My guess is that Hoyer and Mallett will be tied heading into the final challenge before one of them suffers a mental breakdown and threatens to shoot everyone. Like I said, no real winners.

Detroit Lions (11-5) – Previously: 17.
The Lions struggled offensively for the most part in 2014, thanks to their woeful offensive line, but were able to reach the playoffs with their defense. That won’t happen if Ndamukong Suh leaves. Should Suh walk as a free agent, Detroit will have to really bolster its blocking, since it won’t be able to rely on its stop unit as much. That, and they also have to put one of the most crooked calls in NFL history behind them. I bet some Detroit fans see Chris Christie’s belly giggle in their sleep each night. How horrifying.

April 5 Update: The Lions were able to mitigate the losses of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley a bit by trading for Haloti Ngata. Or did they? The swap looks promising now, but think about it this way: If you’re an NFL general manager, why in the wide world of sports would you ever strike a deal with Ozzie Newsome? The man is a genius who has swindled so many teams over the years. Given that, there almost has to be something wrong with Nagata, right? Perhaps Ngata doesn’t want to play football anymore, or even worse, it could be possible that he has developed horrible B.O. and will hurt team morale for that reason.

Kansas City Chiefs (9-7) – Previously: 15.
I don’t know why people were surprised that Alex Smith didn’t throw a touchdown pass to a receiver. It’s Alex freaking Smith, and the Chiefs aren’t going anywhere with him at quarterback. If he didn’t throw a single touchdown to anyone in 16 games, I wouldn’t have been shocked. In fact, he could’ve registered negative touchdowns, and I wouldn’t have reacted. A stat line of 20-of-30, 80 yards, negative-2 touchdowns and two interceptions seems like a normal Smith game to me.

April 5 Update: Apparently, Jeremy Maclin didn’t read my previous blurb. Maclin took the money and ran to the Chiefs, where he will be unhappy watching his stats dwindle with Alex Smith throwing the ball to him. On the bright side, the Chiefs and Eagles have similar playoff aspirations.

Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) – Previously: 11.
The Panthers’ season was doomed from the start. The offensive line was an abomination, and the receiving corps wasn’t much better. Cam Newton was hurt, while head coach Commander Adama was having a tough time dealing with the Cylons. Fortunately for the Panthers, the rest of the NFC South sucked, so they were able to sneak into the playoffs despite being 3-8-1 at one point.

I think the Panthers will be much better in 2015, as long as Newton is healthy. They’ll undoubtedly fix their line and receiving corps this offseason, and there’s even talk that the Cylons have conceded the war.

April 5 Update: The Panthers had two goals entering this offseason: They had to upgrade the offensive tackle and receiver positions. Signing Michael Oher and Ted Ginn won’t exactly help, so Carolina will have to nail the draft in order to repeat as division champs an take the next step.

Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1) – Previously: 14.
Another year, another one-and-done performance in the playoffs. Cincinnati fans will remember this image all too clearly:

Granted, Dalton didn’t have much of a chance without A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham in the postseason defeat, but it’s not like he would’ve won with them anyway.

April 5 Update: The Bengals usually don’t do much in free agency, so it was a surprise that they made a huge splash signing Michael Johnson and A.J. Hawk – two big-time players. Sure, they both sucked last year, but that’s largely irrelevant.

Minnesota Vikings (7-9) – Previously: 13.
I like the Vikings to challenge for a playoff spot next year. They finished the year on a 5-4 streak, and their losses – two of which came against Green Bay and Detroit – were by an average of 3.8 points. Teddy Bridgewater made great strides in the second half of the season, and I don’t see why he would suddenly decline.

April 5 Update: It sounds like Adrian Peterson will be heading to Dallas or elsewhere. Not that I blame him. It’s kind of ridiculous that the Vikings catered to the idiots on Twitter who get offended by the slightest things that don’t affect them at all. They should’ve stood behind their guy. At any rate, I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Peterson’s time in this league is running out, and the franchise is ready to move forward with the promising Teddy Bridgewater.

Buffalo Bills (9-7) – Previously: 16.
I love the Rex Ryan hire, but the Bills still need a quarterback more than anything else. I have no idea what they’re going to do at the position. Trade for Jay Cutler? Sign Ryan Mallett? Try E.J. Manuel again? If I were a Buffalo fan, I would be vomiting right now.

April 5 Update: I was the recipient of some negative backlash from Buffalo fans recently when I said that the Bills had zero Super Bowl aspirations heading into this season. I was taken aback because Bills’ backers have never, ever, ever criticized me before in the 15 years I’ve been running this Web site. Except for that one time… and that other time… and that other time… OK, except for all of those other times. But anyway, no team with Matt Cassel as its starting quarterback can possibly have Super Bowl aspirations. It’s similar to a 500-pound woman like Rosie O’Donnell thinking she can win a beauty pageant. She can hope all she wants, but it’s not going to happen.

Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) – Previously: 10.
Philadelphia’s offseason is the most interesting of all, as far as I’m concerned. Nothing Chip Kelly could do would surprise me. He could trade Nick Foles to the Titans/Texans/Rams (all of whom are interested in him); he could trade up for Marcus Mariota; or he could move back for Brett Hundley. Perhaps he’d even petition Roger Goodell to let him play quarterback and coach at the same time. Like I said, nothing would shock me.

Having said that, I don’t really see what the big fuss is. Foles wasn’t the problem. If the Eagles had a quality secondary, they would’ve made the playoffs with a healthy Foles. I’m not sure trading him away is the best solution, especially if they can’t get Mariota. I feel like drafting Hundley would be disastrous.

April 5 Update: Want to know the scariest part of Chip Kelly’s crazy wheeling and dealing? If Sam Bradford actually stays healthy and performs up to his ability, he might lead the team to an 11-5 record and a second-round playoff visit. If that happens, the Eagles might feel inclined to give Bradford a big contract with a considerable guarantee. And you know what’ll happen after that: a torn ACL in August 2016. Sorry for making you crap your pants, Philly fans, but the Bradford trade is extremely dangerous and could hurt the Eagles in more ways than one.

San Diego Chargers (9-7) – Previously: 12.
It’s crazy that the Chargers, who were in desperate need of a playoff spot, lost to Chase Daniel in the final week of the season. I know Philip Rivers was completely banged up, but still. Rivers’ health will go a long way in determining San Diego’s 2015 playoff chances, so the offensive line absolutely has to be repaired this offseason.

April 5 Update: The Philip Rivers trade rumors are surprising, but upon thinking about it, I can’t say I blame Rivers for not wanting to move to Los Angeles. The city is extremely overrated, as the taxes are too high, the earthquakes are too scary, the fans are too fair-weather, the traffic is too agonizing, and the celebrities living there are too pretentious. Rivers is a family man, and he would rather hang around with his family and yell at his kids than spend time in L.A. I also would rather spend time with Rivers’ family and yell at his kids than be in L.A.

Arizona Cardinals (11-5) – Previously: 9.
A year ago, I wrote that the Cardinals would’ve also beaten the Broncos in the Super Bowl. I can’t say the same for their chances against the Patriots because despite their early record, they weren’t as good, but they never even had a chance when both Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton went down. It’s a shame that Arizona had to collapse with Ryan Lindley. It makes you wonder how bad Logan Thomas was that he didn’t get a chance. What did he do, pull a Tim Riggins and show up drunk to every practice?

April 5 Update: I liked the moves the Cardinals have made this offseason. Mike Iupati and Cory Redding should bolster the trenches, while Sean Weatherspoon could pan out if he stays healthy. Of course, none of this matters if Carson Palmer can’t stay on the field.

Dallas Cowboys (12-4) – Previously: 7.
It’s crazy how much the NFL has changed. Years ago, Dallas would’ve kept DeMarco Murray at all cost. Now, he’s just an afterthought. Sure, he was the NFL’s league-leading rusher by about 500 yards, but who cares? Running backs grow on trees nowadays, and they can easily be replaced. In fact, I bought a couple of running backs at Acme the other night. I signed them each to 1-week, $59.99 deals to clean my bathrooms and gutters.

April 5 Update: Here’s an idea – the Cowboys could appear in those “No More” commercials. Jerry Jones could look at the camera, pretend to be sad like those other players/celebrities and struggle to say anything. Sure, it’ll be insincere, but that’ll just match the NFL’s attitude toward sexual abuse.

Denver Broncos (12-4) – Previously: 8.
I wasn’t a fan of the Gary Kubiak hire, but I love the fact that John Elway brought in Wade Phillips to coach his defense. How many sacks will Von Miller have in Phillips’ scheme? Like 5,000?

Having said that, the biggest factor is Peyton Manning’s arm. I know he was playing with a torn quad last year, but he’s 39. These injuries will just keep manifesting. And besides, Manning looked done even before he got hurt. Brett Favre suddenly fell off a cliff, and the same thing could be happening to Manning.

April 5 Update: With the Patriots taking a step backward, the AFC is suddenly wide open. However, I feel as though the Broncos are definitely behind New England and Indianapolis, and could also be trailing Baltimore and Pittsburgh depending on how much of a decline Manning will sustain this upcoming season. I liked Denver signing Darian Stewart and Antonio Smith to cheap deals, but it won’t be enough.

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) – Previously: 5.
The Steelers are definitely a prime Super Bowl XL contender. They need to fix their secondary, but that’s not the worst issue to have; the Steelers could be like the Bills and Texans and lack a franchise quarterback.

One e-mailer, Andy R., disagrees: “The Steelers should look at Jameis Winston … that way they can groom the next rapist behind their current rapist.”

April 5 Update: No Jameis Winston for the Steelers, and it doesn’t look like Troy Polamalu will be playing for them either. Ed Bouchette reported that the Steelers have been trying to usher their long-time safety into retirement. Polamalu has definitely lost a step, but I just wonder if Pittsburgh will be the same without one of its key leaders. The Eagles suffered when they allowed Brian Dawkins to walk, and the Steelers could endure a similar fate.

New England Patriots (12-4) – Previously: 2.
The good news: Tom Brady doesn’t choke anymore, and he has cemented himself as Peyton Manning’s superior. The bad news: The Patriots could lose draft picks because of Deflategate.

Speaking of both Brady and Deflategate, if you haven’t seen the Brady music video regarding the incident, you need to check this out:

April 5 Update: Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Shane Vereen and Vince Wilfork are all gone. I trust Bill Belichick and Tom Brady to right the ship and win the AFC East again, but New England may not be the best team in the AFC anymore.

Green Bay Packers (12-4) – Previously: 3.
I still can’t believe the Packers found a way to blow the NFC Championship despite being up 16-0. So many things had to happen for them to lose, but Mike McCarthy, who has long been an overrated coach, bungled the end of the game, robbing us of a Tom Brady-Aaron Rodgers Super Bowl. Just think of how awesome that battle would’ve been. The game might have gone down to the wire and been super exciting.

April 5 Update: Want a list of all the big-name players the Packers signed this offseason? Here it is:

The Packers have signed no one. In other news, the sky is blue, grass is green, and Roger Goodell is a douche. Green Bay, as usual, will build via the draft. It always works, yet other big-spending teams haven’t figured it out for some reason.

Baltimore Ravens (10-6) – Previously: 4.
It’s easy to forget that like the Seahawks, the Ravens blew an opportunity to beat the Patriots in the playoffs. Unlike Seattle, however, Baltimore did this in Foxboro, all while New England had the luxury of playing with deflated footballs. With Marc Trestman on board to coach up Joe Flacco, the Ravens have become one of my favorite Super Bowl XL favorites.

April 5 Update: Haloti Ngata is gone. Oh noez, the Ravens are in trouble. That would be the case if Ozzie Newsome weren’t some evil genius who was able to manipulate the NFL like some wizard. The only living person the Ravens signed this offseason was Kendrick Lewis – Matt Schaub is just a walking corpse at this point – but Newsome will master the draft and have his team competing for a Super Bowl title, as usual.

Indianapolis Colts (11-5) – Previously: 6.
D’Qwell Jackson was arrested recently for punching a pizza delivery boy. Many are condemning Jackson for this, but I’m here to praise him. Pizza delivery boys have gotten too arrogant over the years, and someone needs to put them in their place. Enter Jackson, who won’t take sausage when he ordered pepperoni under any circumstances. You tell ’em, D’Qwell!

April 5 Update: The Colts could be the favorites in the AFC. I love the moves they’ve made this offseason; Trent Cole and Kendall Langford will bolster the defense, while Frank Gore and Andre Johnson are some much-needed weapons that Andrew Luck has needed. Sure, Johnson and Gore are old, but think about the guys they are replacing. Reggie Wayne was a corpse last year, while Trent Richardson didn’t give a crap. He was so indifferent that he probably didn’t even know which team he was on.

Seattle Seahawks (12-4) – Previously: 1.
So many memes, so little time…

And another…

MORE MEMES MORE MEMES MORE MEMES!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MEEEMEMMEEEESSSS!!!

OK, now that I got that out of my system, the people who criticized my No. 1 ranking of the Seahawks aren’t using simple logic. Seattle had the game in hand. Suppose the team actually ran the ball, scored with Lynch and prevailed. Would I get that same criticism? What if I then decided to put the Patriots No. 1? I’d get a lot of hate for that, right? Why, because the Seahawks won, right? Well, Seattle easily could have won, and was actually just one yard away from doing so despite losing two key defenders earlier in the evening.

The fact remains that there’s a strong case for both the Seahawks and Patriots to be No. 1, and criticizing either decision is homoclitic. Then again, those who did so might be under the influence. Damn that Derek Anderson.

April 5 Update: “I keep forgetting that the Seahawks didn’t win the Super Bowl.” That’s what my LVH Supercontest partner Matvei says to me every time we talk, and I share his sentiment. It’s kind of crazy that the Seahawks didn’t prevail, considering that they were the better team, they led by double digits in the fourth quarter, and they had three chances to reach the end zone from the 1-yard line. Unlike the Patriots, however, Seattle didn’t lose much in the offseason. So, while New England isn’t expected to participate in Super Bowl L, the Seahawks have to be considered the favorite to reach the “big game” from their conference.

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