Like many of you, I'm trying to figure out whether I should drop the Steelers after last night's thrilling 3-0 win over the Dolphins. The game was an embarrassment to the league.
The new sod at Heinz made some of those Candlestick Park surfaces from the late '80s look like Augusta National. The teams would've been better off moving the game to Carnegie Mellon's Gesling Stadium, where the Tartans play on FieldTurf. I know the place only holds 3,500, but there are some great places to stand. Where is George Toma when you need him?
Against my better judgment, I'm giving the Steelers a free pass for playing in that slop. And speaking of slop, here's my weekly power ranking vote, which somehow counts as much as Johnny Clayton and Len Pasquarelli's:
1. Patriots: For pure comedic value, I would've enjoyed dropping them a spot after the close call with the Eagles. According to sources, though, Bill Belichick is a daily reader and it's not like he needs another source of inspiration.
2. Cowboys: I know for a fact that Tony Romo watched A.J. Feeley pick the Patriots' secondary apart last night. He desperately wants another crack at New England, and he apparently jotted down something about the Eagles having success with in-routes. Didn't hurt that Madden mentioned the word "in-route" 347 times Sunday night.
3. Packers: Brett Favre doesn't win at Texas Stadium. And he's probably not going to stick around for the Grand Opening of JerryWorld, which was of course patterned after the Lyon Airport. 4. Colts: Tony Dungy told everyone in the organization to take three days off after the Thanksgiving Day win over the Falcons. This Colts desperately needed rest, and now I think they're poised for a strong run in December.
5. Jaguars: Jacksonville has a quarterback who rarely makes mistakes, and a defense that is coming off a nice performance against the Bills.
6. Steelers
7. Browns
8. Seahawks
9. Bucs
10 Giants
11. Chargers
12. Titans
13. Lions
14. Bears
15. Bills
16. Eagles
17. Vikings
18. Texans
19. Redskins
20. Broncos
21. Saints
22. Cardinals
23. Bengals
24. Chiefs
25. Ravens
26. Panthers
27. Raiders
28. 49ers
29. Falcons
30. Rams
31. Jets
32. Dolphins
