PokerFink's NFC Rankings (Week 10)

[lastchance]

3 weeks ago, I had the packers and Giants fairly even.

Green Bay had just one double digit win at that point in the season.

Now they have 4.

[tdarko]

I can't wait for the Cowboys/Pack game!

I was at the Cowboys/Foreskins game yesterday and Dallas played pretty poorly IMO. The difference is Romo. That sounds obvious but Campbell had a wide open Moss on a 20 yard post in the end zone in the 4th and he completely missed him--Romo doesn't miss those. Same drive Campbell throws to Cooley over the middle and Cooley drops the ball, not JC's fault but he had Portis wide open w/ nobody around him on the left and Randle-El wide open in the end-zone on the right side w/ Roy Williams confused once again yet he completely disregards all of this and throws to Cooley over the middle, ugh. Romo doesn't miss that stuff and hits TO in stride when he blows by the secondary.

JC's stats are going to look decent but he played terribly and he was getting garbage yards when Dallas for some goofy reason was playing the softest coverage I have seen all year and just allowing them to get 10 yard catches one after another all the way down the field...I know they didn't want to get beat on one play and wanted to chew up time but man that was ugly.

[j555]

It just doesn't make any sense how Bill counts many of the close wins for the Packers as losses and all of the fumbles and dropped passes the other team made as "lucky." But in the Vikings game when Donald Lee fumbles in the red zone or Brett Favre fumbles with 2 minutes left in the game, up by 7, the Packers should have lost! 3 fumbles against the Bears? They lost to a bad team, end of story. The Packers get lucky, but never their opponents! The Packers are the 5th best team in the NFC blah blah blah. They beat the Giants on the road, have a better record, played a tougher schedule. What more do you need? The Saints lost again to a mediocre team yesterday and they're 4-6 but you want to put them in the top 4? It just doesn't make any sense!

[dlk9s]

(Disclaimer: Packers fan, but a realistic one)

I think it's still Dallas #1, Green Bay #2, but it's not a wide margin at all.

Where Dallas has it over the Packers is their more balanced offense and TO. I think the Packers have a better receiving corps top to bottom (they can easily go five-wide, and have, with Driver, Jennings, Jones, Martin, and Robinson, plus Donald Lee has become quite good), but nobody can ever really handle TO, which makes it that much harder to deal with the other Cowboy receivers. And they have Glenn coming back at some point.

Everyone knows about the Packers' troubles running the ball, although that has gotten better. As Mike Golic said last week, all they need is a "credible" running game to loosen up the defense, and it looks like that is starting to happen. But the Cowboys have a very good running game with Jones and Barber. Add it all up with Romo throwing the ball and it's one of the most well-rounded offenses in the NFL.

Defensively, I'd give the slight nod to the Packers. I think the Cowboys' pass rush is a little better, but the Packers' secondary is much better. The Packers should be able to throw on Dallas, but the O-line will need to give Favre some time in the pocket. The best pass rush they've faced was probably KC's, and the O-line didn't do a very good job. They've been a little schizo this year, but have done a fine job overall.

I'm honestly not sure how the Packers defense, as solid as it is, will handle the Cowboys offense. They can't really sell out for the pass or run, as they'll get killed by the other. They have to concentrate on TO, but Dallas has enough weapons (particularly Witten - GB has had A LOT of trouble covering TE's) to burn anyone. I would personally play the pass and take my chances with the running game.

In the end, I think the game next week will be close, although I could envision Dallas tacking on a late TD to win by 10 or so. I think the Cowboys are slightly better, and the fact that the game is in Dallas after GB had to travel to Detroit will give Dallas more of an edge.

Should be a fun game, though.

[kyro]

j555,

I think anyone with a brain realizes that Bill did some sweet drugs this weekend to come up with that opinion. Nothing more needs to be said.

[Tyler Durden]

So how the hell does Dallas get three home games in a row? Someone, I think it may have been Troy Aikman, said yesterday that if the Lions and Cowboys are going to play home games every year on Turkey Day that they should have to play on the road on the Sunday prior. Both Detroit and Dallas played at home yesterday and Aikman contended that it's a big advantage to not have to travel anywhere for that short week whereas their opponents do have to travel.

In the future I think any team that has a Thursday home game should have to play on the road during the previous weekend.

[fanmail]

Not a bad theory Tyler. Also, somewhat related, I think Aikman is a great announcer, very fair and obv good football knowledge.

[kyro]

Yeah, I like Aikman. I think he did the Redskins/Pats game a couple weeks ago and I thought he did a fine job.

[Tyler Durden]

[ QUOTE ]
Not a bad theory Tyler. Also, somewhat related, I think Aikman is a great announcer, very fair and obv good football knowledge.

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of people say that Aikman is a Dallas homer and a bad commentator. I'm a Redskins lover/Cowboys hater and even I think that he is a good color guy and is very impartial. What do you think?

Emmitt Smith, on the other hand...

[Semtex]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Not a bad theory Tyler. Also, somewhat related, I think Aikman is a great announcer, very fair and obv good football knowledge.

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of people say that Aikman is a Dallas homer and a bad commentator. I'm a Redskins lover/Cowboys hater and even I think that he is a good color guy and is very impartial. What do you think?

Emmitt Smith, on the other hand...

[/ QUOTE ]
yeah for some reason i always thought aikman was a dallas homer too. but after i read those comments i was thinking damn thats pretty cool.