Sporting Joe NFL Power Poll: Week 8

Peyton and Tom.  Tom and Peyton. The rest of the NFL action this week is peripheral to yet another showdown between two of the top ten quarterbacks in NFL history.  It is a battle for AFC supremacy between Denver and New England.  Neither Manning nor Brady wishes for their personal history to overshadow that fact.  And neither quarterback will get his wish.  Prepare for the inevitable onslaught of gushing, hyperbolic, awe-struck on-air talent this week.

  

1)      Denver- If the Broncos can win this week on the road in Foxboro, they will likely secure home field advantage during the playoffs.

           

2)      New England- By seizing former Patriot Aquib Talib in free agency, Denver opened the door for Darrelle Revis to join the Patriots.  Demaryius Thomas may not enjoy how that particular domino fell during Sunday’s game. 

   

3)      Green Bay- Even with a loss in the Superdome and Aaron Rodgers’ iffy hamstring this is a dangerous squad.

4)      San Diego- Losing at Denver does not signal the end of the world.  East coast trips are always treacherous for west coast teams so a win at Miami this week is not a given.

5)      Dallas- During their six game win streak the Cowboys averaged 29.5 pass attempts and 35.3 rushing attempts per game.  In their two losses, Dallas has averaged 35.5 passes and a mere 24 rushing attempts a game. 

   

6)      Arizona- The Cardinals have the inside track to win the NFC West.  Rookie John Brown’s game winner helped to maintain their surprising advantage, while overjoying the home crowd.

 

7)       Indianapolis- The Colts still own the AFC South.  This team should be postseason bound but defensive injuries are mounting to an alarming extent.

  

8)      Detroit- Winning a NFL game is never easy and the Lions just keep winning.  However, Atlanta gifted that contest to Detroit so skepticism is justified about their staying power.

9)      Philadelphia- Dallas bailed Philly out with their loss to Washington.  The Eagles need to win the NFC East or risk missing the playoffs.  Philadelphia’s losses to San Francisco and Arizona are against potential wildcard competitors.  West coast failures may haunt this team.

10) Baltimore- Every team in the AFC North is over .500 thanks to a steady diet of NFC South teams.  As divisional play heats up that will change.  The Ravens appear to be the best of this bunch now.

Sporting Joe NFL Power Poll: Week 7

Week seven has altered the rankings.  The Power Poll has booted both Seattle and Cincinnati.  A 3-3 record reflects Seattle’s current locker room strife and on-field inconsistency.  Cincinnati has the ugly images of a shutout loss to Indianapolis to blame for their absence.  Each of these teams is talented enough to make significant playoff runs but each team is also suddenly facing adversity.

1)      Denver- Having fricasseed a wounded 49ers defense; Peyton Manning now turns his attention to an angry, but depleted, Chargers defense.

            

2)      Green Bay- Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers began the season on the hot seat and that seat was warming up early in the season.  Now Capers, who many people forget teamed with Dick LeBeau from 1992-1995 to build the famed Blitz-Burgh Steelers, has fit his scheme to his talent.  The Packers are sitting at ninth in the NFL in scoring defense.

     

3)      Dallas- Many have lampooned Jerry Jones for his bumbling attempts at building a championship quality team.  It is time to acknowledge Jones’ role in building the 2014 Cowboys.  This team has a solid defense, the best run blocking offensive line in the NFL, a historically hot running back, and the most accurate kicker in NFL history.

4)      San Diego- Keenan Allen’s 2014 stat line speaks to his lack of production thus far.  His 354 yards and zero touchdowns indicate that a second half surge is in store for the second year wideout. 

  

5)      Indianapolis- MMQB writer Andy Benoit’s article arguing that Andrew Luck is on track to be the best quarterback in the NFL has been prescient.  Luck is leading a dangerous Indy team that has room for substantial improvement.

   

6)      New England- Sometimes divisional games are ugly, as evidenced by New England’s 27-25 escape from the Jets, but a win is a win.

   

7)       Arizona- The schedule is about to heat up for the Cardinals with three of their next four coming against Philadelphia, Dallas, and Detroit.

  

8)      Detroit- No Megatron, no problem is a welcome development.  The diversification and balancing of Detroit’s offensive attack bodes well for a playoff push.

 

9)      Baltimore- The Ravens are coalescing as the rest of the AFC North is stumbling.  This week’s contest in Cincy offers the occasion to seize control of the division.

10) Philadelphia- A bye week did not offer an opportunity for the Eagles to ascend the rankings.  Their week eight showdown with Arizona does.

Sporting Joe NFL Power Poll: Week 6

The mid-season mark is approaching and injuries are mounting for every team.  The best teams are the ones who can fully embrace the next man up ethos.  While Seattle struggles with secondary injuries, Cincinnati faces a dearth of bodies at wideout.  The Eagles have a patchwork offensive line that the Colts exceed with a cobbled together defensive front seven.  This is the point in the season when the talent evaluation of every general manager will either carry a team or lead to a drop in on-field production.

1)      Denver- After six weeks the Broncos have ascended to the number one spot.  If the Denver offense struggles against San Francisco’s shorthanded defense, it will be a short-lived stay at the top. 

             

2)      San Diego- The Chargers put away a feisty Oakland squad largely due to Phillip Rivers, who recorded his fifth consecutive game with a passer rating of 120 or higher. 

     

3)      Seattle- Dallas dominated the Seahawks in Seattle.  Moreover, cornerback injuries are mounting and testing their depth.  However, this is the type of adversity that Pete Carroll embraces. 

4)      Green Bay- The ship has righted itself but the loss to the Lions in Detroit may have lasting divisional implications. 

   

5)      Dallas- The victory in Seattle was a vivid example of the Cowboy’s new-found aggressive mentality.  This is a dangerous team if Dallas can maintain that edge over the course of the season.

   

6)      New England- A mere fortnight after the media declared their run over; the Patriots have claimed sole possession of first place in the AFC East.

    

7)       Indianapolis- Bjoern Werner was close to receiving the dreaded bust label after a disappointing start to his career.  This season, with Robert Mathis sidelined, Werner has begun to flash his potential with three sacks in six games. 

  

8)      Cincinnati- Mike Nugent’s missed 36-yard overtime field goal resulted in a frustrating tie for fans.  Allowing 37 points to an embattled Carolina offense is twice as frustrating to Marvin Lewis.

  

9)      Detroit- The Lions have the NFC North lead and boast the NFL’s number one scoring defense.  Yet, Jim Caldwell, and his often-questionable game management, is cause for unease.

10)Philadelphia- The Eagles desperately need this week’s bye to convalesce.  If Darren Sproles misses any games with his knee injury, all eyes will be on LeSean McCoy for a pivotal showdown in Arizona.

Sporting Joe NFL Power Poll: Week 5

This past week saw the two remaining unbeaten teams lose.  That combined with Chicago’s struggles in Carolina has reshuffled the Power Poll.  Fresh off a "home win" in AT&T Stadium, Dallas has debuted in the rankings.  Meanwhile, familiar faces are ascending the list yet again.

1)      Seattle- If it was not for Richard Sherman’s verbal sparring with an opposing receiver every week; this would be the dullest reigning champion despite being poised to repeat.

              

2)      Denver- Few superlatives remain for Peyton Manning’s illustrious career.  However, one adjective is applicable Denver’s power ground game, missing. 

    

3)      San Diego- If the Chargers were not on their fourth center in six weeks they would have leap frogged the Broncos.  The bandwagon is filling up at Qualcomm Stadium. 

 

4)      Green Bay- Granted Christian Ponder is not a stern test but Dom Capers has his defense flying to the ball and raising havoc.

     

5)      New England- Once again it was too early to fret in Foxboro.  The tight end tandem of Rob Gronkowski and Tim Wright is a developing story to watch in the coming weeks.

     

6)      Cincinnati- Sunday night was another prime time failure for Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton.  The talent is present, but an inability to match the opponent’s intensity is troubling. 

    

7)       Dallas- Sporting Joe was dubious that the Cowboys would resist the temptation to air it out despite the best run blocking line in the NFL.  DeMarco Murray is on pace to tie the single season rushing attempts record.  Ironically, it is Passing Game Coordinator Scott Linehan’s play calling that has the Cowboys running into the playoff picture. 

8)      Indianapolis- Pat McAfee is the most entertaining specialist the NFL has seen since the Gramatica boys bounced through the league. 

  

9)      Philadelphia- LeSean McCoy may be in his last season in Philly.  An 11.95 million dollar cap number has placed a target on his back and his continuing strife with Chip Kelly only adds to the uncertainty.

10) Arizona- If the Cardinals had not beaten San Francisco in week three; they would have found themselves dropped from the Power Poll in favor of their NFC West brethren.  As it is, a promising start is beginning to hang in the balance due to a rash of injuries.

Decision Time in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Pirates saw their season come to a screeching halt with their 8-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants in the NL Wildcard.  The Pirates have had successful seasons the past two years, marked by consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since the 1991 and 1992 campaigns.  The Bucs appear to be a young and upwardly trending ball club but one key free agent will dictate the course of the 2015 season.

 

Catcher Russell Martin is now a free agent and Pittsburgh will suffer if they let him walk.  The ninth year backstop used 2014 to post the second highest Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of his career with a 5.5.  That All-Star level WAR follows 2013’s 4.3 WAR.  Martin has value at the plate; this season yielded a .290 batting average (BA) with a .402 on base percentage (OBP) and a .430 slugging percentage (SLG).  According to Baseball-Reference.com Martin also claimed the second highest Wins Above Average (WAA) of any Pirate.  Only NL MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen’s 4.5 was higher than Martin’s 4.1.

 

The problem for Pittsburgh is twofold.  First, there are not any viable options to replace Martin.  Internally, the Pirates would likely promote their backup catcher, Chris Stewart, who in limited action has a .294 (BA)/ .362 (OBP)/ .331(SLG) 2014 season stat line.  Nick Hundley .233 (BA)/ .273 (OBP)/ .352 (SLG), Geovany Soto .250 (BA)/ .302 (OBP)/ .363 (SLG), and A.J. Pierzynski .251 (BA)/ .288 (OBP)/ .337 (SLG) are the current options available.  None of these 2014 slash lines is particularly appealing.

 

That leads to the second problem facing Pittsburgh.  If they cannot replace Martin, they will need to pay Martin.  The Pirates typically do not hand out big contracts.  Pittsburgh has adhered to the 18% guideline in the past.  This guideline stems from General Manager Neal Huntington’s time in Cleveland where a study revealed that no team has won a World Series that has devoted 18% or more of its payroll to a single player.  This is a sound guiding principle except Huntington has acknowledged that the study is likely outdated.

This admission combined with Martin’s year at the plate and his typically sound defense has momentum building within the Pirate’s organization to pay Martin.  There is inherent risk in rewarding a soon to be 32-year-old catcher.  It is a necessary risk.  Common sense dictates that Huntington has taken notice of the impact that the Cardinal’s Yadier Molina, commonly believed to be the best catcher in MLB right now, has on the NL Central Division every year.  Rewarding Martin would demonstrate that Pittsburgh is digging in for a long-term battle for NL Central supremacy.  After twenty consecutive losing seasons, that is a welcome development for Pirates fans.