There have been numerous threads discussing various rankings of NFL teams recently, from positional rankings to overall rankings. And some people get all worked up over them. While rankings of NFL teams may make for interesting discussions for some while we wait for camp to open, they are about as meaningless and inaccurate as can be. Two things to keep in mind. First, rankings are always based on last year and the rankers perception of the free agents a team brought in. But things change so much from year to year in the NFL that last year may as well be ten years ago. Half the teams that made the playoffs won't this year. That has been consistent over the past 20 years in the NFL. We also know that the Super Bowl loser usually flops the following year. Is Seattle really that good? Three or four teams that are expected to be good won't be. Some teams expected to stink will make the playoffs. Then you add in new coaches, injuries etc. and ranking teams becomes a complete crapshoot. Second, and most importantly, NFL teams play actual games, win and lose them and make the playoffs based on those records. Then they play playoff games and the teams that win games advance. The bottom line - the NFL decides things on the field and not in some sportwriter's column. So let's just calm down on these useless rankings and wait until some games are played. Remember, going into last year many "experts" had the Jets offensive line ranked among the best in the NFL. Why? Because Martin led the NFL in rushing in 2004. How accurate was that prediction? And what did it matter once the ball was teed up in week one vs KC??????
I remeber last year prior to the season we let our starting RT and TE walk, didn't replace our LT who proved the prior year that he was done and put an untested rookie at RT. The only experts that thought the Jets had a solid OL were Bradway and Herm.
i agree with you, but it's still fun to discuss who we think will be good this year and why, and who will suck etc.....team rankings by "experts" just give us a basis for our arguments....i'm pretty sure most people on here take the "expert" rankings with a grain of salt
Then why do so many get so upset about it??? Check out the Gil Brandt thread and the ESPN threads. People get apoplectic when anybody ranks the Jets lower than they think they should be ranked. I personally despise ranking NFL teams. What difference will it make that the Jets are ranked 29th and the Titans 26th or whatever on September 11th??? And what difference will it make in January? This is not college football where they use some stupid system so that rankings determine the champion. And you do not need ranking to discuss who will be good and who won't. I say throw the rankings in the circular file along with draft grades given out the day after the draft. Meaningless drivel.
Yep, I totally agree with you. As I've stated many times, I view all this rating crap with a shrug. How can they even think of "ranking" teams when training camps are JUST starting? I'm with you, I hate ranking, which to me is actually nothing but a f-ing popularity contest anyway.
yea true, the writers gotta make their money somehow that's all it comes down to....but i still like the rankings just to see different writers perspectives on who they feel is good and who isn't....right now it doesn't mean anything, but i am interested during the season, week to week, on the power rankings espn puts out, along with the one liners under each team
if it wasn't for the pre-season rankings, the threads on most sports web sites would be cut in half as there is nothing else to talk about. besides, most teams are ranked in about the same spot in the rankings. the writers just read each others rankings, make minor adjustments and then print it. if you read one, you read them all.
you're right. there have been several pushes to delay college football rankings until october, at the earliest. Problem is, college football loves the preseason hype associated with rankings. Same holds true for NFL preseason rankings. They cause discussion, argument, and interest in the games. Everyone (NFL, media) likes them, except for fans of teams that are ranked low.
I look at preseason rankings as a sportswriter's way to either slam the teams he dislikes or promote the teams he likes while not actually having to do any work to accomplish said goal. A one-line blurb is satisfactory and acceptable these days to justify one of their all-knowing rankings.
To illustrate. Last year's Fox Sports preseason power rankings had Buffalo in the top five. The Chargers too. Seahawks were 14. It's usually very easy to pick the top five, because some teams are consistently good. For the most part though, these just serve as tools to build speculation and interest in the upcoming NFL season. Anyone with half a brain can make their own predictions by looking at depth charts, numbers, and schedules and be pretty on the money. The best thing to do is avoid paying attention to free agent splash teams. Look at the whole picture. -X-
The national media had the Jets as a darkhorse for the superbowl. This probably reflects the fact that editors like to see their "experts" pick large market teams as favorites. It was really funny watching the Jets and Chad get almost as much positive press as the Colts and Peyton in the pre-season jive talking. Look at where the "experts" have the Dolphins this year. There's no fundamental difference between the Bills prospects going into last year and the Dolphins this year. In fact the Bills were a better bet.
These rankings are fun to debate and to laugh at the dumbness of some so-called experts. In the end, these power rankings in the off-season are meaningless. Which expert had the Bears over the Chargers last year? No one. Unlike other sports, the NFL is very unpredictable. Injuries happen all the time and some players are inconsistent. So, I would never take these offseason power rankings to heart. An example: ESPN's ultimate depth chart might be worth a look, but no fan should worry because some "expert" predicted their team to lose in the wild card round or celebrate with joy because someone said they will have the best rushing attack in the game for the upcoming season. When it comes to the NFL, strange things can and will happen. It's unpredictable and power rankings from past seasons are proof of that.
