Power Rankings: I Am Not A Homer

Trying to argue with Ian is like trying to debate with a broken record that just keeps saying the same word over and over again ("McNabb").

On his site, he's claimed that the Eagles are good enough to win the superbowl this year. That's how delusional he is.  I think at this point you can safely ignore him and move on.

Pathetic is right. Ian just said that the Seahawks are better. He didn't manage to prove anything. I'll admit that they have a better coach than we do, and I'll say that they have better special teams because I don't give a shit. But if you look at the offensive and defensive stats from last year for both teams, you'll see that the Cowboys lead the Seahawks in all categories. The Seahawks' "more well balanced" offense is a load of BS because they ran the ball about 27 times a game, and we ran the ball just over 26 times a game. The Seahawks threw the ball nearly 37 times a game, tied with Arizona for #2 in the NFL, while the Cowboys threw the ball just over 33 times per game. That's just about even as far as I'm concerned. Let's take a look at some of the other points that Ian made in his argument for the Seahawks as a better team than the Cowboys.
Our offensive line: 28 sacks allowed in 17 games, 109.1 rush yards per game, 4.3 yards per attempt
Seattle: 39 sacks allowed in 18 games, 101.2 rush yards per game, 3.8 yards per attempt

WINNER: DALLAS
Dallas running backs: Marion Barber III and Felix Jones
Seattle running backs: Julius Jones, Maurice Morris, T.J. Duckett

WINNER: DALLAS

Dallas Receivers: T.O., possibly Terry Glenn, Patrick Crayton
Seattle Receivers: Nate Burleson, Deion Branch, Bobby Engram

WINNER: SEATTLE (if we're including tight ends though, the winner would have to be Dallas)

QUARTERBACKS

Tony Romo: 64.4% completion rate, 4,211 yards, 36 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 97.4 passer rating

Matt Hasselbeck: 62.6% completion rate, 3,966 yards, 28 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 91.4 passer rating

WINNER: DALLAS
Dallas Defense: 307.6 yards per game allowed, 46 sacks, 19 interceptions with last year's defense, adding Adam Jones, Mike Jenkins and Zach Thomas
Seattle Defense: 321.8 yards per game, 45 sacks, 20 interceptions with last year's defense, adding Lawrence Jackson as a 3rd defensive end

WINNER: DALLAS

Ian, if you disagree with anything that I've said here, try to prove me wrong.

Hey Ian how about hoping your team breaks .500.

Its amazing how almost the entire football nation has the cowboys ranked at least 4 to 5 spots above seattle but yet Ian thinks he's some type of football genius and only he can see what makes seattle better.

Ian, that was PATHETIC. PATHETIC. And the COwboys don't need a middle linebacker. We've got the best linebacker corps in the game, douchebag. Man, you are such a douche lately.

1. You will regret the day that the Cowboys traded away the pick that turned out to be Stewart Bradley. He is basically the next Brian Urlacher.

2. The Seahawks are probably the most well rounded team in the NFC. They have a very good offensive line, a good group of rbs, a good group of wrs, and a smart qb that has the offense mastered. Defensively they posses great talent of Julian Peterson, Lofa Tatupu, Patrick Kerney, Leroy Hill, Rocky Benard, Marcus Trufant, Kelly Jennings, and Darryl Tapp.

They have a better head coach than the Cowboys, better special teams, a better defense, and a more well balanced offense.

I hope the Cowboys meet the Seahawks in their first playoff game, so Seattle makes it 3 early exits in a row.

you damn right he can't

Ian would say that he's at least won a playoff game. Reid has a half decent record in the postseason, and the guy did win an NFC championship game. But you have to admit, for his first season in Dallas, Wade Phillips did a pretty damn good job. I just really want to see Ian make the case for Seattle being a better team than we are. He made an outlandish statement that I don't think he can back up.

oh, yeah, and wade is now suddenly "bum" phillups???? what the hell has andy reid ever done thats so great?????

MBIII, wow, way to nail his ass. i used to think ian was good at finding tidbits of good football info and presenting his case. now as i see it he's just a bitter eagles fan using anything he can to counter the growth of potential of our team. yeah, we have'nt won a playoff game in a while, but we now have the POTENTIAL to do so and go much farther. the eagles on the other hand as the eagle fans all say is we won all these playoff games, we went to 4 straight championship games, we went to the super bowl, but what the hell did they get out of it. nothing more than we have for not winning a playoff game in 12 years. nothing!!!!! so i guess i'd be bitter too. let ian soak in his bitter stew. cause we're goin on and philly ain't. so prove that shit ain't so on paper, ian.

MBIII wow, way to nail his ass.....dynomite

Let's not be too hasty now, Ian.

1. I'll agree that Roy isn't all he used to be, but he'll be playing this next season lighter than he has been in some time now, and on obvious passing downs, he's moving to LB with Zach Thomas and Anthony Henry will take over at a safety spot with Mike Jenkins, Adam Jones and T-New at the corner spots. That will result in Roy getting beat less. You fail to realize that your team has the same problem at safety. After Dawkins, there ain't much.

2. Thomas has at least one more good season in him because he won't play 100% of the snaps thanks to our depth at LB. I also dare you to find one linebacker for the Eagles who is arguably better than any of our starters. I'll even help you out: there isn't one. 
3. Who are your starters at WR again? Kevin Curtis and maybe DaSean Jackson. I'm not scared of either of them. Give them a solid bump at the line of scrimmage, and they're going nowhere fast. After that, your WR's are chumps. You keep accusing us of having the same problems that your team has.
4. The Giants' defensive line did that to everyone in the playoffs. They were nasty. They completely took apart the Patriots' offensive line, which is among the best in the NFL. We only allowed 28 sacks over 17 games, while your worthless, porous OL gave up 49 sacks in 16 games, and gave up an NFL record-tying 12 sacks against the Giants. You also fail to mention the fact that Marion Barber had over 100 yards rushing in the first half. That doesn't make our offensive line sound like a bunch of fat slobs, now does it?
5. I could care less. All I want from Barber is a chip on whoever is closest, then get out in the flat. The kid is dangerous coming out of the backfield.
6. At least we were in the playoffs last year. You were the only NFC East team that didn't make it. That must've left a bitter taste in your mouth.

7. You bragged earlier that you could argue that the Seahawks are better than the Cowboys, and you've yet to do so. So, for the second time, please show me that argument. I'm just curious about how you think you can really pull this off.

Maybe you guys don't see the black holes on your team like i do.

1. The Cowboys have 1 good safety on the roster! Ken Hamlin is excellent, but after that the safeties suck. Roy Williams is a fat piece of shit, and is done. Pat Watkins is a bust, and you round out the roster with a couple of scrubs.

2. Outside of DeMarcus Ware, and Greg Ellis, there i no major threat in the cowboys defensive front 7. Zach Thomas is washed up, you overrated Chris Canty, Marcus Spears is a borderline bust, you overrate Jay Ratliff, Tank Johnson is a never was, Bradie James plays the run well but falters in pass coverage, if Kevin Burnett does not start this year he is a bust, Bobby Carpentor is a bust, and Anthony Spencer we'll see. Let's not forget that Greg Ellis is getting long in the tooth.

3. People talk up how great the Cowboys WRs are, but take away TO and the group is crap. Terry Glenn is finished, Patrick Crayton is a head case who is average at best, Sam Hurd is a scrub, Isiah Stanbach is a camp hype soon to be bust, and Miles Austin is Greg Lewis lite. Dallas is one TO injury from having Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd starting at WR. That is more than likely to happen since TO gets hurt every year now.

3. Dallas oline played well until they faced elite pass rushers. The Giants defensive line made them look like fat slobs. They abused the Cowboys oline so bad it was laughable. You can get by the regular season with average oline play, but in the playoffs you face the best of the best. Good defensive lines will continue to destroy you.

4. Marion Barber: So many Dallas fans are thrilled that Julius Jones is gone, and Barber is the starter, but they forget one that Julius Jones was the starter for a reason. MARION BARBER CAN'T BLOCK! He looked like an idiot in pass protection letting guys blow past him untouched. you better teach him pass protection schemes all training camp.

5. Wade Phillips is a loser head coach. He has never won a playoff game, and probably never will. He is known for making stupid decisions, bad game plans, and basically just being a dope come playoff time. He will just be the Cowboys scapegoat for the early playoff exit in 2008.

You guys need to log in at the forums and vote in the polls (NFL General), or go under active topics, and vote for who you think is going to win the AFC and NFC. I voted for the Cowboys, but I can see why Hat says in the title of this post "I am not a Homer". If no one else is out there voting on this stuff, it makes us look like that is the case because we are Cowboys fans. PLEASE! GO LOG IN AND VOTE! Leave a comment too. If you truly have faith the Cowboys are gonna kick some ass this year, you'll do it!

There was a poll taken after the draft on NFL.com where anyone could go and give their power rankings. From the overall votes the results were tallied. That is what the show is based off of. 32 Teams in 32 Days. I don't disagree with the Cowboys going in at #1, and that is where I put them too.

1-Cowboys
2-Lametriots
3-Colts
4-Giants
5-Jags

That's my top 5.

Steam, please ruin it. The guy is plain odd.

I did not catch it, but I am not surprised that analysts would not have the Cowboys No 1

I don't mean to ruin the Fred Brito Show, but I was just wandering if you guys caught yesterdays NFL NETWORK'S (NFL.com) 32 teams-32 days nationwide poll ranking of the Cowboys. #3 behind two AFC Teams. The two teams left are New England and Indianapolis I believe.

You'll notice that I don't say "Eli Manning is a great quarterback."

I don't particularly think their prospects for this year look great.  I don't think Eli has magically become a stud QB.  But last year they were the best team when it counted and by definition they were the best team in football.  What you call luck I call Karma and  bad coverage by the Pats who should have been able to knock the ball down but didn't.

I just think that this whole "The Cowboys were the best team last year and should have won the superbowl" nonsense is bunk. They didn't even win a single playoff game. I'll agree that they had a lot of potential, but they never lived up to that potential in the postseason.  Everything else is woulda coulda shoulda, whining,  and poor sportsmanship.

RG,
The only point I will argue with you on is Eli Manning.  Against Dallas he had a good managed game and took advantage of our very bad third corner for key TD's.  Howver against the PATS you have got to admit there were 2 passes he just absoloutely threw up for grabs, one in which he wasnt even looking where he was throwing, and completed them for big plays.  Had his WR not made one of the greatest catches of all time the PATS would be 16-0.  If Manning threw those passes 6 weeks prior they were all picked off.  It's funny at how Manning was a terd for most of the season and then all of a sudden he manages a few good games with his defense dominating teams and now all of a sudden he is Peyton Manning.   Come on bro if you know anything about football you have to see that.  Im not trying to say they got lucky as a team, they didnt.  But Eli was rather fortunate on 2 big key passes where he should have never even thrown them into like quad coverage and the WR's bailed him out.....You call it what you want I call it huge luck on his part and enormous skill on his WRs..

who in the hell is Regular Williams???

I just would like to point out that Matt Jones is not what you would call one of our "chief receivers". He was hardly on the field last season.  Reggie Williams was our play maker and now we have Porter and Williamson. It was doubtful that Jones would make the team at the end of preseason, this just seals it.

The pain of sports is always filled with "what if's". What if the ref did not make that call in that situation or what if Crayton held on to the ball. What if so and so was not injured. Sports games can turn on a dime. Baseball is the game of inches, for example. I am sure players play back the games a hundred time in their head. Goes with the job of being a fan.

The Giants did it, nothing can change the past. But the future is up for grabs. Can't take the ring off their finger, only can try and prevent them for getting any more.

I like what Dallas is talking about such as getting both Jones involved in the passing game. All these things can help minimize losses do to injury. If we lose TO (knock on wood), the team could at least limp along with others in rotation. Three to make up for the play of one for example. Dallas really does look great on paper so far.

On the back of my mind is I hope our kicker is not a fluke. If Nick Folk is even %75 of last year then our special teams are already a big upgrade from last year.

The proverbial icing on the cake would be a demolition of the Steelers. And because of recent events a sweep of the Eagles would make it a perfect season.

Yeah, I know what you mean Staubach.  I just think we have to give them credit.  Saying "the Giants got lucky" really is just diminishing the tremendous accomplishment that is winning a superbowl trophy.  By doing that, you're diminishing the Cowboys own achievements as well. I can understand Ian doing that since his team has never actually won, but Dan you should know better and you should give the Giants their due.

Dan, I won't say you're a homer for your power rankings. I found them surprisingly reasonable, at least when viewed from a cowboy fan's perspective.  That doesn't mean I agree with everything because I don't, but I can see legitimate arguments for putting teams in the order they were placed.  And yes, that includes making the Cowboys #1.  I would put the Pats #1, but I can see a legitimate argument for the 'boys. 

Where you *ARE* a homer, however, is in your refusal to give the Giants any credit for defeating you last year.   You didn't lose to them, they beat you.  Be a man and admit it. Admit that your team didn't play up to its potential and because of that, they weren't the best team after all.  Until you can admit that, you're still a homer.   They didn't even beat the Redskins in the playoffs and I'm willing to say they were the best team because to say otherwise is to make the superbowl meaningless and arbitrary and I refuse to do that.  They were the best team, period.

But all the same, it's nice that you didn't put the Giants, Eagles, and Redskins at #30, 31, and 32. :)

That is only last year RG. I still hold a grudge to what I consider a referee stolen Super Bowl loss to the Steelers in the 70's. Hey the Shrimps won, but good for them. Glad they broke up the undefeated season of the Pats. Imagine how ugly it would have been if it was a Pats/Eagles Super Bowl last year? Unfortunately they do not allow for both teams losing ;-)

I really do not see any weakness for Dallas anymore. I can understand LH putting him first. But it probably make sense to put NE first as they did go undeafeated last year and we did not beat them in the regular season. But the DB holes have been plugged. Dallas looks very good right now as being able to obsorb a few injuries in most positions but the OL and WR. Injuries are always the X-factor

I would put the Steelers higher, though. Nasty receivers, 2 solid backs, good qb, and a tough defense. I might even put them at #2 because they've improved much more than the Patriots did in the draft.

"Heck I can even argue that the Seahawks are better too."

Do it, then.

Both of you sound like pansy ass little girls. Take your loss like a man and admit that they beat you fair and square. To call it luck and make all these excuses just makes you guys look sad and pathetic.

Ian, stop now while you are not ahead because you put yourself in any more deep shit and your credibility is out the door and all the visitors I send to your sick block will be gone. That's how revenue sharing works, kid.
Now, as for your comments, the GIANTS did get lucky. I challenge you to watch the game again tough guy. Watch Eli Manning carefully and tell me some angel wasn't on his shoulder that night. LUCK. Yeah, the defense dominated, but they still should have lost to not only the Cowboys, but the Pats.

Steelers better that the Cowboys?......your retarded Ian!!!

The Giants did not get lucky, their defense line dominated every team in the playoffs, including the Cowboys.

The Colts also went on to win the Super Bowl in 2006. They are a better team overall.

The Chargers are loaded with talent, and were in the AFC Championship game last year. They also have very good receivers. Chris Chambers is an excellent receiver, and Vincent Jackson is a young guy on the rise. They also have a lot of hope in first round pick Craig Davis.

The Jaguars are probably the most physical team in the NFL. People always sleep on them, yet they have been making the playoffs consistently.

Lets throw the Steelers in the mix too. I think they can be considered better than Dallas as well.

You guys overrate the Cowboys, and underrate all these other teams.

Man i love Ian, what a tool.  Who cares if McNabb is the the franchise QB, he reminds me of the Samuel L. Jackson in unbreakable, he should be carted around in a wheel chair.  Its just a matter of time till he's hurt again (probably week 2 against you know who).  And the only team that you maybe can argue that might be better is the Patriots.  The last time Dallas and Indy played in 06 we won, we've gotten a lot better since then, they havent.  Giants got lucky, nuff said.  Jaguars are good but not an elite team yet.  Chargers are good but still have no recievers and an average quaterback at best.

why would the colts-chargers-and jags be rated ahead of dallas???? now i can see new england and the giants as arguement only consideration, but i don't see the clear arguement of the other three. just can't see it. maybe you can spell it out for us with some facts ian, instead of your "unbiased" opinion??????

Also just stop with the "McNabb won't be playing" nonsense. Donovan McNabb is the franchise QB. He is not going anywhere.

Kevin Kolb will have to wait for his turn, just like Aaron Rodgers did in Green Bay.

This is probably the worst power rankings I have ever seen. You putting Dallas number 1 is extreme homerisim. No way Dallas should be ranked higher than the Patriots, Giants, Colts, Chargers, and Jaguars. Heck I can even argue that the Seahawks are better too.

If farve goes to the vikings you might as well mark it down as a cowboy/viking nfc championship game.  The cowboys would still be the best in the nfc but there march to the bowl would just be that much tougher.  Start prayin he goes to the ravens, i know i will be.

Tiddy16, if Minnesota gets Farve, then they will scare the hell out of me. As of right now, I just don't see the improvement over last year except for the fact that they beefed up the already beefy run defense they had last year and added to the pass rush on one side by picking up Jared Allen. Bernard Berrian and no QB. Not too scary. But where the hell is Farve going? That is the question. Talk about a kick in the balls to the Green Bay fans. Especially if he does go to one of the teams in the North.

If Farve goes to Minnesota, LOOK OUT!

I think the Texans will be better this year and perhaps will make the playoffs, but there's no way they are better than the Colts. Other than that, the rankings look good. And I agree, the Cowboys are the best team in the NFL in 2008

Greenbay is gonna be better than minnesota, either way Greenbay has a QB that can play weather its favre or rogers, minnesota has a great Defene but their offense will depend soley on AP and a little bit of rice..

browns texans seahawks packers cards bucs ravens too high broncos rams saints colts steelers too low

The top two are right, but i think you have the browns to high. There good but like you said that defense is shaky.  I think the colts and the vikings should be higher.  The vikings have loads of talent and if Jackson can play even half ass good, the vikings scare the hell out of me.  Not that i think they are as good as the cowboys, there just a team that could ruin a postseason if they get hot.

I won't argue the rankings but will note that Rippen won the NFL MVP the year he took the Redskins to the Super Bowl.  He might have been a so so QB but for that one season, he found lightning in a bottle.  Just given credit where credit is due,

I think you ranked the browns and the texans higher than what they actually are but other than that i dont see anything wrong with it. I cant wait though Dallas is gonna kick ass all the way to the super bowl.

Definately not a homer call. I think Baltimore will be the team in dead last though, not that it matters. As far as Dallas. I agree. I have that much confidence in this team and personally I can't wait for the season to start. The Cowboys are the team to beat in 08'. Everything else is in the past. The Giants had one hell of a playoff run and all that is over now.

Its not a homer call, the cowboys have the most decorated and talented team, I know most of you will bring up our playoff win record but this is a power ranking as of now! I believe the Packers will be better than the Seahawks and I agree the browns should be good and exciting but since this is a power ranking Indy is clearly better so they should be ranked higher.  

Shaun Alexander got cut from the Seahawks.  Jones isn't going to spelling him; he's replacing him.