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National Football Post: Colts ranked #1 entering 2010 season

I like Matt Bowen at National Football Post. He's written some great stuff this off-season. However, I'm going to give him a little crap for these two lines right here:

I’m not big on predictions before camp starts. Too much to find out throughout the month of August before we can begin to lay out the post-season lineup and the matchup we will see in Dallas at the Super Bowl.

These two sentences open his team rankings before the start of training camps. Come on, Matt! You're "not big" on Super Bowl predictions in July, but you are a-okay with team rankings before pre-season?

In general, there's nothing wrong with either, and I really wish people would just accept them as natural elements of NFL coverage. It's fun to predict Super Bowl winners in July. It's fun to ranks teams before any practices start, let alone real games. Remember fun? This is a game after all.

Rankings and predictions are designed to get us all excited for the game. They aren't meant to be taken too seriously. The only thing most NFL fans ask is that you don't get too silly (or biased) with either. That said, Matt's team rankings in July are outstanding. Why? Because, in Matt's rational and unbiased opinion, the Colts are #1.

Maybe too easy to put the Colts in the No. 1 slot, but when we actually look at their personnel on both sides of the ball—and how they game plan—they are primed for another run. The way Peyton Manning runs his one-back system on offense paired with speed and athletic ability of their Tampa 2 defense still sells. My top club heading into the preseason.

Props to Matt for praising the Tampa-2.

One part of these rankings I take issue with is the Saints listed at #5, behind the Cowboys and the friggin Dolphins. Come on. These are the world champions here! The Cowboys have won only one playoff game in fourteen years, and the Dolphins didn't even make the playoffs last season. Saints should be, at least, #3.

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Don Banks/SI

just put out his list with the Colts at #4

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/don_banks/07/27/precamp.1/index.html?eref=sihp

I guess that is better than last year when he had the Colts out of the top ten and said they wouldn’t make the playoffs (hahahahahahaha)

by coltus on Jul 27, 2010 1:07 PM EDT reply actions  

And has the Jets as #1, well to each their own.
As some of you know by some of my posts I don’t give much credence to all this early ranking nonsence, but if they are going to do it I say that the Saints are #1 until proven otherwise

by Ufanforreal on Jul 27, 2010 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions  

I usually go with the defending champs are number #1 until beaten line, just out of respect.

But other than MIA, and NO being at #5, I like his rankings.

EVH+DLR=BFFs........ God I Hope So!!

by dmstorm22 on Jul 27, 2010 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions  

He said that the Colts didn’t improve this offseason but if Sanders, Hayden, Freeney, and Gonzalez are all healthy this year then that’s a solid improvement.

by Lell87 on Jul 27, 2010 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions  

And also

Hughes, another year of development and knowing the offense for Garcon, Collie and Brown, another year of experience for guys like Lacey, Powers and Moala … the Colts will improve because they have a lot of young players who will improve. Him saying the Colts didn’t improve ignores the natural progression of young talent. Oh, and by the way, we did make the Super Bowl last year. If we play at exactly the same level as we did last year, we still are a serious championship contender.

Nothing's complicated if you understand it.

by ctnyc on Jul 27, 2010 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions  

Banks is a Hack

His writing is a prime example of why blogs and sites like Football Outsiders are popular. His articles are done with basically no thought or analysis. He just thinks the Jets picked up some FA’s and finished the season strong so they must be really good.

At the same time, he says the Colts haven’t improved at all which “Lell87” proves wrong with all the people coming back from injuries.

I can’t believe a site like SI still thinks a dinosaur of a writer like him is remotely interesting or relevant.

by cleanface on Jul 27, 2010 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions  

Him being a dinosaur isn’t why he sucks. He sucks because he’s legitimately stupid. He might be retarded. Even with all his access he knows less than an average fan. They might as well hire the dude from CHFF to write for them.

Oh, wait…

Cookie Cookie Cookie starts with C!

by willyduer on Jul 27, 2010 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions  

I agree with you. He’s just has nothing interesting to say.

by cleanface on Jul 27, 2010 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions  

Predictions

BBS, predicting a SB winner 6 months out and a “best team at the start of the season” sound like two different things to me. It’s why I prefer to see rankings than predicting a SB champ in August. I know a lot of folks are forced to predict specific winners, but that’s nuts.

They’re similar, to be sure, but we all know how player development, injuries, etc can change the look of a season by January. If he says they’re the best right now, I have no problem agreeing with that. If he predicted them to win it all, I’d say great, but we’ll have to getthrough a lot of football between now and then. Check back in December….

I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.

by Bobman on Jul 27, 2010 1:15 PM EDT reply actions  

Interesting rankings

I have never put a lot of stock into these silly pre-season rankings. But, they do get us excited about the upcoming football season. Especially since the only sports on right now are baseball (snooze), softball (isn’t this a drinking sport?), foosball (see baseball) and golf (see softball).

Packers at #2. Nope. Not drinking the kool-aid this year. I was all about the Pack last season and they made me look like a complete idiot. The Phins at #4 is interesting. Nice stretch.

Don Banks. Oh… good ole, predictable Don Banks. Get used to the Jets media love fest. Rex Ryan is a genius!!!, Mark Sanchez is the next Tom Brady!!!, this is the greatest defense of all time, no one will be able to score against the Jets!!!!. I do know one thing. Their schedule is brutal. If they make it to the playoffs, they will definitely earn it . Ravens, Pats(2), Phins(2), Vikings, Packers, Bears, Steelers, Texans and Bungels. Wow.

by davis3217 on Jul 27, 2010 3:16 PM EDT reply actions  

Wrong! I couldn't disagree more!

golf is snooze while foosball is a drinking sport.

Careful what you wish for... "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." Gerald Ford, 38th US president

by teej813 on Jul 27, 2010 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions  

Get out and get FIFA

… can easily made into a great drinking game!

by jocre on Jul 28, 2010 2:25 AM EDT up reply actions  

Sanchez=tom Brady??...no.

Sanchez has a long way to go to become as good as Tom Brady, and this is coming from soemone who passionately hates, I mean spit in Brady’s face and kick him where it counts, HATES Tom Brady. Jets got to where they were because of excellent defense, the #1 offensive line, and excellent Run game. They were NOT real playoff condenders because of their passing game.

Rex is picking up all these free agents and such to cover up Sanchez’s slack. The kid has potential, but he is still a far cry from being a great QB. Even if he improves this off season, he still gots a long ways to go.

Agree on the Packers though, screw them, They won’t get much of anywhere.

by smits07 on Jul 28, 2010 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions  

Really?

I thought the Jets won the Off-season Super Bowl. Rexy said so himself.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Jul 27, 2010 3:44 PM EDT reply actions  

I wish they did not place Colts at #1. Usually all preseason predictions don’t come true.

by codrutc on Jul 27, 2010 7:27 PM EDT reply actions  

no worries.... there are some rankings that do not have the Colts at #1

and I agree with you 100%, idiots please don’t pick the Colts at #1. Last year, I vividly remembered that a lot of the analysts said the Colts would not even make the playoffs…. blah blah blah….. and we nearly won the 2nd SB in 4 years. So, I am hoping they would say, the Colts SUCK BIG TIME!!!! then more than likely we will hoist the Lombardi… just like in 2006….. towards the end of the season, analysts all said the Colts were going downhill and would not win the big one….. /middle finger time

If you see my smilieys, think of E.M.H. - our COLTs King of Smileys!

by Manning4ever on Jul 28, 2010 4:09 AM EDT up reply actions  

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