Jordan's 2009 Power Rankings - Week 4

Last week, the ground was leveled in the Nelson League. Bottom feeders Georgia and Dangerous Minds picked up much-needed victories. Tony’s top-seeded Camels got slapped by Rich Garvey’s Gangsters, and the undefeated Spies popped the cork for the 1972 Dolphins by losing their first game of the season.

The league is so even this year that the records almost mean nothing at all. Wins and losses are factored into the ratings, but the underlying analysis suggests that the best teams in this league are not leading in the standings. This week’s rankings…

1. Garvey’s Gangsters – They have never been in the #1 spot in the rankings before, but they are this week’s Team You Don’t Want to Play. They are second in Game Points (239), first in total points (460), and first in Relative Won/Lost Percentage (.571). They have been dominant in the last two weeks, with Peyton Manning and Willis McGahee leading the way. This week, they try to keep the momentum going against Georgia.
2. Midwest Marauders – They lost a brutal heartbreaker to Northboro last week, but they are first in Game Points (245) after 4 weeks. The strength of the team is in its receiving corps – Brandon Marshall looks like he’s ready to contribute as he did for the Northboro Steroids last year. Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne have been terrific.
3. Northern Spies – They are 3-1, and are second in the league in total points (393). They head to week 5 with a pile of guys on the bye, but they have solid replacements at QB (Rothlisberger vs. Detroit) and kicker (Kris Brown against Arizona). Problems are showing up at running back – Lendale White has scored 9 points in 4 weeks and Pierre Thomas is on the bye. Watch Calvin Johnson this week – Pittsburgh is struggling without Polomalu.
4. Northboro – They are 3-1, but they have scored a puny 201 Game Points through 4 weeks – last in the league. They are leading the league in luck, though. Northboro's three wins came by a total of 7 points. The Steroids get everyone back this week, and they face a struggling Rocky Brook club whose top scorer is on the bye.
5. Phite-in Camels – Tony’s fortunes tend to fluctuate with the Eagles’ performance. Westbrook is probable this week and faces a wimpy Tampa Bay run defense. MoJo Drew has been a stud. Deshean Jackson has emerged as one of the most dangerous receivers in football.
6. Dangerous Minds – It’s starting to come together, but the names are not the ones Mike expected to be playing. Pierre Garcon and Glen Coffee were not heavily-discussed on draft day – I never heard of either of them until two weeks ago. Mike is improvising, and dividends are starting to tumble in.
7. Rocky Brook – They have been really scraping ever since Frank Gore went down. They have scored 63 points over the last two weeks. They look to get back on the horse against the Steroids.
8. Georgia Satellites – They resurrected their season by crushing the undefeated Northern Spies, 80 – 53. They may have caught the wave on both Rashard Mendenhall and Mike Sims-Walker, who combined for 37 points last week. This week, they tee it up against the #1 team in our rankings – the gunning Gangsters. This could be a beauty.