NFL Power Rankings (October 10)

Everyone loves power rankings, right? Ok, maybe not but it seems like more and more people are doing them, so why can't a jackass like me?

These rankings are done without looking at the standings or any statistics. I am ranking the 32 teams on my vast knowledge of the National Football League. Seriously. Let's go.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars - sometimes I forget these guys are still in the league, and if you look in the stands, I think most of Jacksonville shares that thought.

31. Cleveland Browns - this a terrible team, a terrible franchise, playing in a terrible city. I do like Trent Richardson, though.

30. Kansas City Chiefs - Tim Tebow scores more off and on the field than the mighty Chefs. Great fans looked like jabronies booing Cassel when he got hurt. Boo Romeo for not pulling him earlier.

29. Tennessee Titans - Chris Johnson....wa happened? He's done. Hate to see Matthew Hasselbeck end his career with this group.

28. Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton....wa happened? Steve Smith and Cam aren't on the same page. And their defense blows.

27. Oakland Raiders - not gonna lie. I haven't watched one second of the Raiders this season. Can't imagine they deserve to be higher than this.

26. Buffalo Bills - Ryan Fitzpatrick is a milt. A highly overpaid milt....which is the worst kind. They should unite with the Toronto Argos and form one real football team.

25. New Orleans Saints - I'm tired of hearing about Drew Brees and this franchise. Until Hurricane Katrina, this franchise was a pimple on the enormous ass of the NFL.

24. Tampa Bay Bucs - You're in good hands with Alstott! What? He retired 5 years ago? Shit. Who cares?

23. New York Jets - I've been a Mark Sanchez defender. I still believe he can be a good qb if you put quality players around. His receivers are awful. I thought a Rex Ryan team was supposed to have a great defense. I'd fire Sexy Rexy after this season.

22. Miami Dolphins - nice to see Reggie Bush excelling in South Beach. Tannehill is gonna be a solid qb for them. Cam Wake is a monster.

21. Detroit Lions - Not sold on how good Matt Stafford is. NFC North is very strong this season, so the Lions won't sniff the playoffs.

20. Dallas Cowboys - I've been a Tony Romo defender but unlike with Sanchez, I'm losing hope on Romo. Way too inconsistent. Makes a lot of poor decisions. This team has obvious talent but they're going nowhere.

19. Cincinnati Bengals - I know almost nothing about this team. Andy Dalton is a player. Do they still love signing criminals?

18. Indianapolis Colts - Suck for Luck, indeed. Tremendous comeback against the Packers. Props to Reggie Wayne for sticking around. Get well, Chuck Pagano.

17. Washington Redskins - RG3 is the real deal. Mike Shanahan is still a rat.

16. St. Louis Rams - I know they beat the Seahawks but let's be honest, Seattle is the better team. Biggest weapon is their freak kicker. It doesn't seem right that once the Rams get on opponent's side of the field, they're in fg range. Sam Bradford - big Canucks fan!

15. Denver Broncos - Eli's brother has a spaghetti arm. His balls are fluttering. What? You know what I'm saying. Not a John Fox fan at all.

14. Seattle Seahawks - oh, how you frustrate me. A top 3 defense and a bottom 3 offense. Can beat anyone at home, and lose to anyone on the road. I hope it's a short leash on RW but I'm afraid it's not.

13. Philadelphia Eagles - a couple lucky wins so far. these guys can't hold onto the ball to save their lives. Mike Vick takes better care of his dogs than he does the football (and no, I won't let it go). Playoffs or bust for Andy Reid.

12. San Diego Chargers - Norv, Norv, Norv. Remember when people thought of Phil Rivers as a borderline elite quarterback? It's true, they did!

11. Pittsburgh Steelers - these guys are getting long in the tooth and it's showing. the defense isn't as good as once was and Big Ben is fat.

10. Green Bay Packers - I know they have a crap record and are getting hit by injuries but I think they're still a playoff team and potentially dangerous. Big questions on the o-line though.

9. NY Giants - So Eli will end up having a better career than Peyton? Seems crazy. Peyton, you can keep those stats, Eli will keep the SBs.

8. Arizona Cardinals - the NFC West is all of a sudden the best division in football after being a laughing stock for the last 5 years. Cards are most impressive on the defensive side. Can they keep it up? With Kevin Kolb? No.

7. Baltimore Ravens - this seems low for them but that 9-6 "masterpiece" against the Chiefs left a sour taste in my mouth. KC ran the ball up and down the field on them. As the Iron Shiek would say "Flacco the real?"

6. Chicago Bears - Jay Cutler is a child. Their defense is still dominant and puts points on the board. I sense an ugly playoff loss for this team and Cutler crying on the sidelines.

5. Minnesota Vikings - I love what I've seen from Christian Ponder. He looked awesome against SF a couple weeks ago. Percy Harvin is having an MVP type season and I would like him on my fantasy football team.

4. Houston Texans - I know they're undefeated and two weeks ago, I thought they were the best team in the league. Didn't impress me against the Jets. Not sure the d will hold up though the season. Will get to the AFC Championship game against....

3. New England Patriots - sure, they're only 3-2 but they still have Brady and Belichick, and with those two, anything is possible. They get Hernandez back this week. Gronk is unstoppable. Running game making the difference.

2. Atlanta Falcons - A lot of playmakers. Jones, White and old man Gonzalez is still getting it done. Will be tough for any team to beat them in the dome in January.

1. San Francisco 49ers - ugh. As a Seahawks fan, this was not easy. But really, this was easy. Dominant defense, very good special teams and all of a sudden Alex Smith is not only an average NFL qb, he's a very good NFL qb. He's not a "game manager" as some believe. He is making big throws down the field to his various talented targets. Barring injury, hard to imagine anyone knocking them off on their run to the Lombardi Trophy. Harbaugh is still a prick, though.

Judging American Idol's Judges

I used to love American Idol. I loved the judges - Simon, Paula and Randy. In season 8, they added Kara DioGuardi. I was not a fan of hers to say the least but still enjoyed the show. Season 9, they made the terrible decision to replace Paula Abdul with Ellen. Paula was a bit wacky but that was a positive. You never knew what kind of nonsense she would spew out. Ellen, although a really likable and popular celebrity, simply didn't work as a judge. It was a nightmarish season, and it started Idol's decline.

In season 10, Simon Cowell, the star of the show, left to focus on his other projects. Ellen was gone, and nobody cared. Idol decided to bring in major star power with Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. I was stunned that both of those musicians signed on to be a judge on a show that was openly mocked by numerous entertainers in its early seasons. I gave the new judges a chance but quickly lost interest in the show. Jlo was nice enough, probably too nice but lacked backbone. Steven Tyler was often in his own, bizarre world, fantasizing about sleeping with any contestant wearing a dress.

Over the past 2 days, it has been confirmed that Lopez and Tyler are done with Idol. Good riddance, I say. I'm just surprised they stayed for two whole seasons. They're big stars who still have active careers, making music and/or movies. And for that reason, I believe bringing in Mariah Carey, which is the rumor, is a mistake. Carey is personification of diva. I can't imagine her being a judge is a long term solution. If I was Idol, you need someone with some star power but it doesn't need to be at Jlo or Carey's level. Even a star from the 80's or 90's who hasn't been heard from much lately, would be a fit.

IMO, Idol will never be the same until Simon Cowell returns.

A Talk Between Mike Gillis and Jason Garrison

Mike Gillis: Jason, we're a big fan of yours and would love to have you join the Canucks organization.


Jason Garrison: Mike, it's always been a dream of mine to play in Vancouver. I grew up as a huge Canucks fan and hoped this day would become a reality.

Mike Gillis: Well, that's good to hear. We have a tight knit group here. We do things a little different here. You've probably heard about the sleep doctor and stuff of that nature.

Jason Garrison: Sure, the organization sounds very forward thinking and I love that. I can't tell you how happy I am. I've got to be the luckiest man in the world! Is there anything else I should know?

Mike Gillis: Umm, not really.....well just one. We ask our players not to post videos of their hunting trips. Our fanbase is full of crazy, left-wing loons and they don't like looking at dead animals. Just between you and me, I think this city is full of pussies. Anyway, you'll be ok with not showing off your kills, right?

Jason Garrison: Bye.

Why The Canucks Should Keep Kesler

Ok, that should get everyone on the same page...

Maybe Vigneault Stays

It's hard not to notice a common theme amongst the four semi-finalists in the Western Conference. St. Louis, Nashville, Phoenix and LA are defense-first teams. The teams they eliminated in the first round - San Jose, Detroit, Chicago and Vancouver are offense-first teams. Is this coincidence? Is it just "one of those seasons"?

Mike Gillis has made it no secret he likes a team that stresses offense. Just last week on the Team1040, he mentioned wanting his team to play up tempo. The Canucks got to game 7 of the SCF last season playing that style. They started out this season, playing the same style. Things changed in the last couple months of the season, though. When they shipped Hodgson out and replaced him in the lineup with Samme Pahlsson, it showed a change in philosophy, a philosophy that is near and dear to the heart of Alain Vigneault. The team went into the playoffs knowing they were gonna have to win low scoring games to succeed. Unfortunately, you do still have to score the occasional goal to win in the NHL.

Alain Vigneault's future in Vancouver is the hot button issue is Vancouver. I was convinced a change was gonna be made. It's not that AV isn't a very good coach, he obviously is. The fact is every coach has a shelf life and you've got to wonder if his time has expired in Vancouver. They couldn't get out of the first round playing his brand of hockey, although that's not entirely his fault, based on the fact the team is not really constructed through the lineup to be a shutdown type team. The question is will Mike Gillis consider changing his mindset going forward, based on the success of other "defense first" teams in the Western Conference? If so, it wouldn't make sense to let Vigneault go. As a fan of offensive hockey, I hope Gillis sticks to his guns and builds his team to score goals. Whatever the decision is, I expect it to be made within the next 2 or 3 weeks.

Who stays? Who goes?

Who Stays

Cory Schneider
Alex Edler
Kevin Bieksa
Chris Tanev
Dan Hamhuis
MA Gragnani
Henrik Sedin
Daniel Sedin
Alex Burrows
Ryan Kesler
Max Lapierre
Chris Higgins
Jannik Hansen
Zack Kassian
Manny Malhotra

Who Goes

Roberto Luongo
Andrew Alberts
Samme Pahlsson
Mason Raymond
Aaron Rome
Alain Vigneault, Bowness and Brown

Question Marks

David Booth - Can he be moved with that contract? Where does he fit on this team?
Andrew Ebbett - had his moments when he was in the lineup
Dale Weise - had a lot of haters because he's not a great fighter but he's a decent skater and occasionally hits people
Keith Ballard - Can he be moved with his contract? More importantly, with a coaching change, can he flourish? I think it's possible.
Byron Bitz - showed flashes but health is a major concern going forward with him.
Sami Salo - If he doesn't retire, I would love to see him back. Still a valuable player.

Will Schneider Be Another Victim Of The Goalie Graveyard?

With the Canucks season on the line tomorrow night, many Canucks fans and some media member have started to look forward to possible changes in the off-season. Other than a possible change behind the bench, the topic garnering the most discussion is which goalie is leaving. If you follow Jason Botchford and Tony Gallagher of The Province, you are aware that they feel strongly that Cory Schneider is going to remain a Canuck into the future. As a huge Schneider fan, that's music to my ears. I can't imagine Luongo and Schneider co-existing going forward but what the hell do I know? Luongo to Tampa Bay makes a lot of sense but that's a topic for another day.

Cory Schneider is extremely popular in Vancouver. I haven't seen or heard a negative word about him since arriving on the scene here. He says all the right things, he carries himself like a seasoned veteran and oh yea, he's pretty good at stopping the puck. What's interesting is a lot of Canucks fans feel that eventually the core of the fanbase will turn on Schneider, like many have on Luongo. While it is possible, I don't see it happening.

Roberto Luongo was brought to Vancouver by Dave Nonis with the hype of him being one of the best goalies in the world following him. That's a lot of pressure and expectations, coming to a hockey mad market. With that being said, Luongo has been a great goalie for the Canucks in the 6 seasons he has been here. Off the ice, he lost some fans in the first few years by occasionally throwing teammates under the bus and not taking responsibility for soft goals.  During the playoffs, he has shown brilliance, like game 7 vs Chicago and his 2 shutouts in the SCF. He has also had a few memorable meltdowns. So, although Luongo has done a lot of good, a large portion of the fanbase choose to remember the bad stuff for whatever reason.

Cory Schneider was drafted by the Canucks, unlike Roberto Luongo, Dan Cloutier, Garth Snow, Felix Potvin or Kirk Mclean. The fans have fallen in love with Schneider from the very beginning. He is one of our own. His Vigneault and Burrows impressions have been universally praised....ok that's a bit of a stretch. Schneider didn't arrive from another city with the hype of being one of the best in the world. Schneider has been outstanding in his limited time in the NHL. He has earned the rep that he has. He comes across warmly in his interviews, which Luongo didn't do in his first couple years here. Unless his career goes into an ugly downward spiral, I can't imagine the fans turning on him.

Of course, I never would have imagined the Canucks being down 3 games to none against the Kings....

What The Hell Am I Doing Drinking In LA And Other Questions

It's do or die tonight for the Canucks. Call me a pessimist but I can't see them winning four straight if they lose tonight. I've got lots of questions going into this game, starting with the obvious one...

• Is Jim Hughson gonna have his head removed from his ass to call this game?

• Who is starting in net for Vancouver? 

• Why do the Canucks insist on trying to manipulate/trick/mislead everyone? I know teams look for every edge they can get but what does it say about your own team that you have to resort to such tactics?

•  With a loss tonight, does Alain Vigneault have one foot out the door?

• When Bieksa says "it's a revolving door" on the powerplay, is that a shot at the coaching staff?

•  Will the "good" Alex Edler show up at any point in this series?

• Will Willie Mitchell continue to look better on the point on the pp than any Canuck d-man?

•  Is it time to separate Ryan Kesler and David Booth?

• Are special teams gonna be the determining factor in game 3?

•  Is PJ Stock gonna irritate me enough to throw something at my tv?

A thought on the goalies

Desperate times call for desperate measures...if you want to call putting the goalie with the 2nd best save percentage in the league a desperate measure. Nobody with half a brain would blame Luongo for either of these disappointing losses. He has been extremely good but the team needs a shakeup. Of course, there is no guarantee that a goalie change will have any impact. Gotta try something.

Before the playoffs started, Vigneault said Luongo would start game 1 and they would "go from there". Mike Gillis was quite upfront about using both goalies during the playoff grind. So, with that in mind, a goalie change is the right thing to do and shouldn't be viewed as a controversial move, either. A few days ago, I tweeted that I would've liked to see games 1 and 2 for Luongo, 3 for Schneider, 4 and 5 for Luongo, 6 for Schneider and whoever is playing better for game 7. That was just a wild proposition but I got some positive feedback on it. AV can start Schneider and say it was part of the plan to get Schneider in at some point.

The goaltending isn't the problem. Henrik Sedin said they were gonna have to be happy winning games 1-0 but they're playing so piss poor defensively, that's really hard to do. Alex Edler, where have you gone?

Gameplan For Game 2

Just win, baby.

A few post-game 1 thoughts

Disappointing loss. Nobody is happy about this. Game 2 is definitely a must win. AV better wake the hell up. And Kesler, stop being like that. Be a man.

Dustin Brown is quick as shit.

I thought LA wasn't a fast team but they skated circles around the Canucks at times, tonight.

The Canucks got to within one game of winning the Stanley Cup last season, by playing an offensive style. So what do they do? Dump it for a conservative gameplan. Not a big fan.

Still think we see Schneider in game 3 or 4, no matter what happens in game 2.

Powerplay needs to produce.

Daniel Sedin Not In Lineup For Game 1

Oops.

I think Game 3 is the earliest we will Daniel Sedin and I'm really good at predicting these things.

2-1 Canucks, tonight. Edler with the GWG.

Keys To The Playoffs

There are a million blogs out there breaking down everything from offensive zone faceoffs Manny Malhotra has taken to how many sticks Alex Edler goes through in an average NHL game. Not gonna find that here. Let's look at some of my keys to the series...not just the Canucks/Kings series but any series, really.

• Scoring the first goal in a game is always extremely important. First of all, if you score first, that means you won't be shutout which is vital because no team has ever won a game when they were shut out. Also, when you score first, that means the other team has to score at least TWO goals to beat you (unless it's the regular season where you can tie it and then win it in a skills competition). The Canucks opened the scoring more often than any other team in the league, I would guess the Kings are aware of this.

• Stay out of the penalty box. When you receive a penalty, your team has to play with one less player for at least two minutes, unless you get scored upon. If you spend a lot of the game shorthanded, your chances of winning drop dramatically. I don't need to tell you the ugliness of being shorthanded two men. If you want to play loosely with the rules, make sure the refs aren't looking, you know like what happens in the WWE.

•  Win as many faceoffs as possible. When you win a faceoff, you have puck control. And when you control the puck, it's nearly impossible to be scored on and you increase your own chance of scoring, which leads to my next key....

•  Score as many goals as possible. Don't worry about the team captain talking about being happy winning games 1-0. An offensive player would only say nonsense like that to please his milty defensive-minded head coach. Goals are good because the team that scores the most wins the game, which seems pretty obvious. Another great thing about scoring goals is if you're at home, it excites the crowd. It's good to have an excited, energetic crowd. A library-esk atmosphere, like the one that can be found at the Air Canada Centre 41 times a season, is not ideal for playoff hockey. On the road, goals can take the opposing crowd out of it.

• An often overlooked key is to stay hydrated. If you don't get plenty of fluids, you are susceptible to cramps, even if you're a "backup". If something like this happens, it can dog you for well into the future, as media types will question whether it will happen EVERY time you get a chance to start. Not naming any names... 

• Finally, try to win 4 games in the series as quickly as possible. First, when you win the fourth game, that eliminates the opposition, thus getting you closer to the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup. If you can win those 4 games quickly, it may allow the team some valuable rest time. Rest time is vital in the marathon known as the NHL playoffs. Sometimes it's hard to win a series quickly even if it doesn't take you many games, because scheduling conflicts with basketball games and Coldplay concerts could spread the series over an absurd length of time.

Thanks for reading, follow me on twitter here

Will Daniel play in game 1?

Yes.

Introduction

This is my first attempt at blogging. The plan is to do a short blog after each Canucks playoff game. I have been posting #hardhittinganalysis on twitter over the past few months. Nothing too serious.

A few thoughts before the series gets going in a couple days...

It's cliche to say goaltending is going to play a big part in any playoff series but I truly believe that to be the case in this match-up. Jonathan Quick has had a tremendous season and is going to receive Vezina consideration. Hard to imagine things changing in the post-season for him. Roberto Luongo has had a good season, filled with a few up and downs. He got off to his trademark slow start but got things cooking in the middle of the season. After a few rough starts in March, Luongo got back on track in the last couple weeks. The wild card is Cory Schneider. Some have suggested Schneider should get the occasional game in the playoffs, no matter how Luongo is playing. I like the idea, myself, and it would be the out-of-the-box thinking the Canucks organization has shown in the past.

Another key to the series will be the Canucks powerplay. It has been dreadful for a solid 2 months now. Is the absence of Hodgson to blame? I would suggest that's part of the problem but surely, not the major issue. They've become much too predictable entering the offensive zone. Hopefully, Newell Brown has some new wrinkles once the playoffs begin.

Anyway, I wanna keep these entries relatively short, so that's all for today.

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