Some coaches here have changed positions but mostly it’s the same group. Still, just like with the players, November and December tend to bring out the best and worst of coaches as well. Here is the updated Coach of the Year power rankings….

1. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—Everyone kept saying the Colts hadn’t played a quality opponent yet. Well, they beat the Patriots in a thriller last Sunday night, and Caldwell’s team mirrored his calm sideline demeanor in working their way back from 17 points down late in the game to stay undefeated.

2. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—Each game is getting to be an adventure, and after almost blowing it against the lowly Rams, coach Payton’s stock has to have dropped just a tad. Still, his Saints are 9-0, and at the end of the day, all nine of those wins count.

3. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—The Bengals are for real. And Marvin Lewis, the defensive minded coach who has never had a defense to speak of in Cincinnati, finally has one. Boy, does he have one. But more than that, his Cardiac Cats are playing so inspired that they are now 7-2, leading the tough AFC North, and they are a combined 4-0 against the Steelers and Ravens. Wow.

4. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—Not much changes for Childress after disposing of the Lions last Sunday. It’s just that what Lewis has done is a bit more impressive.

5. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos—He’s now lost three straight, but I guess if you look at this and think that McDaniels’ Broncos are 6-3 when everyone may have expected them to be 3-6 at this point, he deserves to stay here….for now.

Honorable mention: Mike Tomlin, Steelers; Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals; Jack Del Rio, Jaguars

We’re getting deeper into November now, and as we do the playoff races in the NFL are getting tighter. That means certain players are beginning to step up an show their mettle at crunch time, while others are quietly fading off the map a bit. Here is our updated power rankings for NFL MVP….

1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Thanks to Bill Belichick giving him a short field to work with last Sunday night, Manning once again led his team to victory to reach 9-0. But let’s not forget the Colts were trailing by 17 early in the fourth quarter before Manning led his team’s comeback.

2. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—It’s safe to say that nobody expected Brett Favre to have the highest QB rating in the NFL at this point (107.5). But there it is, with 17 touchdown passes and just 3 interceptions, and he’s led the Vikings to an 8-1 record with visions of the promised land becoming clearer.

3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—He’s slipped just a little in our rankings despite his team being 9-0. It seems like each week it’s becoming more and more of a struggle for Brees and his Saints’ teammates, but until someone beats them, there’s no real reason to discount the QB’s season.

4. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals—Unfortunately, Benson left last Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh with an injury, but there is no denying his value to this upstart Bengals’ squad so far.

5. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans—Sure, his team began the season with six straight losses. But suddenly, we have to give CJ props, because his team has now won three in a row, and he leads the league in rushing (1091 yards, 121 yards per game). He also has 30 catches for 262 yards and 9 total touchdowns. He’s a threat to score from any part of the field, any time.

Honorable Mention–Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Reggie Wayne, Colts; Jared Allen, Vikings

Not much has changed in the Coach of the Year power rankings, because most of the coaches here won last weekend. Josh McDaniels is the only one who did not, and he’s in danger of falling into honorable mention.

1. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—Eight and Zero. 303 points for, 174 against. That’s an average score of 38-21. The 2007 Patriots’ had an average score of 37-17, and this team is reminding folks of that one.

2. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—Halfway through his rookie season as head coach, and Jim Caldwell hasn’t lost a game yet. Why isn’t anyone talking about this? Okay, so he inherited a pretty good team with an elite QB, but the Colts have had their share of injuries as well, and a coaching change.

3. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—We’re holding his place for the bye week, and he’s got the Lions this Sunday. Safe to say Mr. Childress’ seat here will stay warm.

4. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—Two wins against the Ravens, and Marvin’s boys are a stunning 4-0 in divisional play, including two wins against the Ravens. This weekend’s rematch with the Steelers will tell us a lot, but win or lose that one, Marvin has earned a place here.

5. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos—Despite two straight losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh, the Broncos are still 6-2 when many thought they’d be 2-6 at this point.

Honorable mention: Bill Belichick, Patriots; Wade Phillips, Cowboys; Mike Tomlin, Steelers; Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals

With Drew Brees and Peyton Manning leading their teams to victory again, barely, there is no good reason to drop them in the rankings here. Meanwhile, Brett Favre and Jared Allen did not play, so we held spots for them, but moved Cedric Benson up based on a second 100-yard rushing performance against the Ravens.

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Halfway through the season, Brees and his Saints are 8-0 and have a three game lead in their division. Suffice to say, this team appears to be headed toward a first round bye, and their QB is one of the biggest reasons.

2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—After a subpar start to 2008 after knee surgery, Manning wanted to get off to a fast start this season, and he has done just that. But what might be more impressive is that after Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, he’s throwing to guys named Garcon and Collie.

3. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals—He rushed for 120 yards against the Ravens in Week 5, and 117 yards against them in Week 9. Read that back. That’s two 100 yard games against the Baltimore Ravens, and that’s just sick.

4. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—The old man still has it, much to the dismay of everyone in Northern Wisconsin. You think Ted Thompson is sleeping well lately?

5. Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings—He’s had two weeks to rest those wheels that never seem to stop moving. Next on Allen’s hit list is that poor Stafford kid in Detroit.

Honorable Mention–Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Andre Johnson, Texans, Tom Brady, Patriots; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Chris Johnson, Titans; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Michael Turner, Falcons; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Steve Smith, Giants

Here’s how I see things 1-32 in the NFL with nine weeks in the books:

1. New Orleans Saints (8-0)
Nobody should be surprised that the Falcons and Panthers gave the Saints issues at home the past two weeks. After all, Atlanta and Carolina are familiar with New Orleans since they play them twice a year. The real story is how the Saints never panicked when they got down early and outplayed both the Falcons and Panthers in the fourth quarter.

2. Indianapolis Colts (8-0)
The Colts have the eighth best defense in the NFL, which is rather remarkable given that starters Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson haven’t played much at all. Dwight Freeney has terrorized opposing quarterbacks this season.

3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
Heading into the second half of the season, the only question I have about these Vikings is whether or not Brett Favre will stay healthy enough to lead this team deep into the playoffs. Last year, he couldn’t and the Jets tanked in the final month of the season.

4. New England Patriots (6-2)
We’ll get a great idea of how good this Patriots team is this weekend when they travel to Indianapolis to take on the undefeated Colts. Bill Belichick better figure out a way to get Dwight Freeney blocked so Tom Brady can build off the momentum he has created the past three games.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
I get the feeling that people keep waiting for the Bengals to cave and sink back to reality. Those folks will be waiting a while because this team is underrated, not overrated. A win this week in Pittsburgh and everyone will be believers.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Jon Gruden hit the nail on the head when he said on Monday night that the Steelers close out games better than anyone in the league. One of the rare times they didn’t close out a team was earlier this season in Cincinnati, when the Bengals beat them on a last-second touchdown. They’ll get a chance to avenge that loss this Sunday in Pittsburgh, as well as take a one-game lead in the AFC North if they can pull off a win.

7. Denver Broncos (6-2)
I’m not ready to suggest that Denver is overrated or will start to freefall, but it is a little troubling that they’ve played two good teams the past two weeks and were beaten soundly in both contests. It’s time for Josh McDaniels to prove that he can make adjustments and Kyle Orton needs to take better care of the ball when his team is trailing.

8. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)
Given all their talent, I want to believe that the Cowboys have turned the corner under Wade Phillips. But this isn’t the first time in the past couple years where they’ve stringed together a couple of good outings to get people to believe. Their win in Philadelphia was awfully impressive, but they need to prove that they can sustain their momentum.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)
The Eagles had an opportunity to make a statement at home against the Cowboys last Sunday night and failed. Hopefully Brian Westbrook will return soon, because Philly’s offense can look stagnant at times without him.

10. Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
Michael Turner started hearing the words “one-year wonder” being tossed around a couple weeks ago and didn’t like it. He’s responded with two 150-plus rushing performances and has looked like the back he did last year. It’s a good thing too, because Matt Ryan hasn’t played well since Atlanta’s win in San Francisco four weeks ago.

11. Arizona Cardinals (5-3)
The Cardinals’ win over the Bears was one of the more complete victories of the season for any team. Now if they could only figure out how to win at home…

12. San Diego Chargers (5-3)
What a great final drive by Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ offense in New York last week. Norv Turner still needs to figure out how to generate a running game, but all of a sudden San Diego is right on Denver’s heels again in the AFC West.

13. Houston Texans (5-4)
The Texans shot themselves in the foot last Sunday in Indianapolis too many times to count. But they proved that they can hang with the best in the AFC and that will give them confidence moving forward.

14. Baltimore Ravens (4-4)
There’s no doubt that the Ravens are a good team. They were just beat by a better one last Sunday in Cincinnati.

15. New York Giants (5-4)
Has the Giants’ coaching staff lost faith in Eli Manning? They didn’t allow him to test the end zone once after their defense intercepted Philip Rivers late in the fourth quarter last week and set the offense up with great field position. Tom Coughlin and company seem to be playing not to lose these days.

16. Miami Dolphins (3-5)
It’s apparent this season that the Dolphins don’t have enough talent to beat top competition, but that hasn’t stopped Tony Sparano’s squad from battling week in and week out.

17. New York Jets (4-4)
Rex Ryan, Mark Sanchez and the Jets need to find where that swagger is that they played with the first couple weeks of the season. Maybe they located it during their bye.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)
What a game for Mike Sims-Walker last week: Six catches, 147 yards and one touchdown. He’s put together a solid season thus far and is starting to make a name for himself.

19. Green Bay Packers (4-4)
It’s almost like Dom Capers’ defense takes every other week off. How the hell do they allow Josh Freeman and the Bucs to rack up 38 points on them last week?

20. San Francisco 49ers (3-5)
The 49ers need a good showing against the Bears on Thursday night if they want to get back into the race in the AFC West. Alex Smith has played pretty well for them, but wins are what matter most in this league.

21. Chicago Bears (4-4)
There’s no team in the league that gives up quicker than the Bears do when they face a double-digit deficit at halftime.

22. Carolina Panthers (3-5)
The Panthers gave a great effort last week in New Orleans, but in the end turnovers killed them. Injuries are starting to mount up for this team, but a win this Sunday at home against the Falcons will keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

23. Seattle Seahawks (3-5)
Good thing Seattle’s defense intercepted Matthew Stafford five times last week, because the offense tried to give the game away early.

24. Tennessee Titans (2-6)
Vince Young has found his confidence again, folks.

25. Buffalo Bills (3-5)
Maybe Trent Edwards can spark the Bills’ offense this week. Or not…does it really matter?

26. Washington Redskins (2-6)
You can tell that Jim Zorn has no control over his players when DeAngelo Hall and Albert Hanyesworth are mixing it up with their opponents on the sidelines when they’re getting their ass handed to them.

27. Detroit Lions (1-7)
Learn from that performance in Seattle, young Matthew Stafford.

28. Oakland Raiders (2-6)
Enjoy whatever time you have left in Oakland Tom Cable, because your time is quickly running out.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-7)
It wasn’t a perfect performance, but Josh Freeman showed some real poise in his first career start last week. Hopefully he can build off that and learn some things this year.

30. Kansas City Chiefs (1-7)
Outside of forgetting to cover Mike Sims-Walker, the Chiefs’ defense really didn’t play that bad last week in Jacksonville.

31. St. Louis Rams (1-7)
Let’s see if the Rams can build any momentum after compiling their first win before their bye last week.

32. Cleveland Browns (1-7)
This might be cruel given the state of our economy, but somebody got fired for putting the Browns on Monday night football this year right? Given how bad they were last year, it’s absolutely inexcusable for this crap team to be on prime time television.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/11/2009-nfl-power-rankings-week-10/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/08/nfl-week-7-coy-power-rankings-2/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/08/nfl-week-7-coy-power-rankings-2/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:00:40 +0000 Mike Farley http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=28398

Leading the way here, are, not surprisingly, the two coaches who have unblemished records. But remember how the Giants started out 11-1 last year and then finished 12-5, including an early playoff exit? The Titans did something similar. So nothing is guaranteed, but these guys are sure off to good starts and deserve to top the list. The boy wonder in Denver, however, fell under scrutiny after losing to Baltimore, but if he bounces back against Pittsburgh, look out.

1. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—The talk has begun on whether or not the Saints can run the table. Think about that for a minute. Did anyone see that coming at the start of the season?

2. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—Everyone is saying to wait until the Colts play a real opponent, but still, you don’t get to 7-0 by being lucky. Still, should be interesting to see how that upcoming Sunday nighter against New England shakes out.

3. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—Yeah, the Vikings are pretty good. And we’ll keep saying Childress looks like a genius for bringing back #4 until #4 proves us otherwise.

4. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos—Finally a blemish on the Broncos’ record in Baltimore, but it was lopsided enough to start wondering about just how talented this upstart team is.

5. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—A bye week keeps Marvin safe, but a rematch against Baltimore looms, and then a road game in Pittsburgh.

Honorable mention: Bill Belichick, Patriots; Gary Kubiak, Texans; Andy Reid, Eagles; Wade Phillips, Cowboys (well, he’s 5-2 and climbing back into contention!); Mike Tomlin, Steelers

The race for MVP rages on at the midway point of the season, and it’s loaded with QBs, for good reason. Brees, Manning and Favre have a combined record of 21-1 and show no signs of slowing down. So we’ll give them their due, for now. Things are going to get mighty interesting, though, in the coming weeks as races get tighter and become closer to being decided, including this race for NFL MVP…..

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Their games are getting tighter, but it’s not like the Saints just beat a bad Falcons team on Monday night. That was a tough divisional match up and the Saints just keep, you know, marching…oh, forget it.

2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—No TDs against the Niners, but Manning still had a Week 8 best of 347 yards. Plus, the Colts remain undefeated.

3. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—Okay, forget that one blemish against Pittsburgh. After another strong showing against his former team, Favre has now thrown for 1925 yards with 16 TDs and just 3 picks. And his team is 7-1. Raise your hand if you expected that kind of success.

4. Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings—Three more sacks against the Packers. Jon Gruden talked about Allen having a “motor that never stops,” and that’s pretty spot on. Allen is not just playing like defensive player of the year, he’s making a strong case for MVP.

5. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals—Sorry Cedric, but while you were on bye, Favre and Allen terrorized the Packers, and Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew racked up a bunch of yards and TDs. We’ll hold you a spot, but let’s see how you do against the Ravens this week.

Honorable Mention–Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Andre Johnson, Texans, Tom Brady, Patriots; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Chris Johnson, Titans; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Matt Schaub, Texans