Jordan’s 2010 Power Rankings – Week 2

Greetings all! Phoenix Rising is glad to be back for the 2010 season. The draft was held at the Sheff over Labor Day weekend, with activities slightly delayed due to a wedding in Mr. Garvey’s family – congratulations and best wishes to Rich.

Week 1 is in the books, and there are already moving narratives and cataclysmic disasters to report throughout the league. Let’s get to it:

1. Northboro Steroids – I am always hesitant to list my team too high, but in a week where my club put up 29 points more than any other team in the league, you guys will have to indulge me here. During our draft preparation, Brian pointed out that this year the critical pick was in round 4, where we picked Arian Foster. The thinking was that we had control over rounds 1 through 3 – we would pick the best running back and the two best wide receivers available. Round 4 was a complete crap shoot because it depended on what was picked by other teams. We were very happy that Foster was sitting there, and week 1 showed off why – the performances at the end of last season were not an aberration.
2. Garvey’s Gangsters – Given what we saw out of the Indianapolis defense in week 1, owning Peyton Manning seems like a sound idea. The amazing Manning, who threw the ball 57 times against Houston in week 1, will have one arm longer than the other by the time this season is over, as he tries to compensate for the ineffectiveness of the defense. Bob Sanders’ annual season-ending injury is already in the books. Yikes. Miles Austin, who helped lead Tony to a Super Bowl last year, went 10 catches/146 yards/1 TD on Sunday. The rest of the Dallas offense did nothing. This guy is Wes Welker with better speed. Lesean McCoy (12 rushes for 82 and a TD) should not be spending too much time on the bench. Maurice Jones-Drew's knee (23 carries for 98 yards) is just fine, thanks for asking.
3. Midwest Marauders – I really like this club. The Achilles heel is the QB slot, which was not lost on the defending champion – Hugh picked Jay Cutler in week 1 waivers. The rest of the club looks fantastic. Having Andre Johnson, Roddy White and Steve Breaston as the regular receivers will make for some very pleasant fall afternoons in the Windy City. Steven Jackson and Cedric Benson – regular attendees at Northboro team meetings over the last couple of years – will be big scorers here. This team has a playoff look despite the week 1 loss.
4. Georgia Satellites – It is best not to lose sight of the 7-time Nelson League champion, who had a fine week 1 with a win over Tony. John’s club fortunes this year rest on the shoulders of Rashard Mendenhall and Ray Rice. Mendenhall busted a 50 yard overtime run which was critical in John’s win last week. He has to continue to deliver – this week the Steeler’s back is facing Tennessee.
5. Dangerous Minds – Mike ran into a buzz saw in week 1, with Northboro going off for 88, but the story of the Stephen Cup winner’s season comes down to Matt Forte and Pierre Thomas. If Mike guessed right here – and the week 1 numbers are beyond reproach – then Mike will be a serious threat all year. We know Gore will be effective, but is Forte going to catch 100 balls this year? Is Pierre Thomas going to be able to play a full season? Mike’s fortunes hang in the balance as he heads to New England to face the Spies who, of course, lost Ryan Grant last week.
6. Rocky Brook – Any team that starts Tom Brady and Chris Johnson is worth the price of admission, but Tom suffered two major setbacks to his backfield that could cost him down the line. At the end of last year, Shonn Greene seemed ready to emerge as the next Michael Turner, but his catastrophic week 1 performance could relegate him to a committee situation with LT2. Going back on his word, Eric Mangini seems poised to force Jerome Harrison to split carries with 250-pound Peyton Hillis, who saw touches at the goal line. Anquan Boldin will not sit long on Tom’s bench. After a 7 catch, 110-yard performance against one of the two best defenses in football (the other being his own), Boldin seems ready to put up elite numbers this season. Tom has upside, and some major question marks.
7. Phight-in Camels – Tony got a little too much sun on the back nine on Sunday and missed the fact that Ronnie Brown had a cupcake matchup against Buffalo (65 yards/1 TD). Peterson and DeAngelo Williams are automatic starts at RB, and adding Ronnie Brown for those precious weeks when he’s healthy will give the Camels some serious horse power out of the running attack. Welker may surprise this year as a red zone taget – he got some looks in preseason and scored twice last week.
8. Northern Spies - Bri and I watched our team roll to a week 1 victory in the Deslauriers man cave in beautiful Franklin, Massachusetts. The fist-pumping was kept to a minimum as Rich’s team was struggling all afternoon. The killer was Ryan Grant’s injury, which leaves a hole in the Spies backfield. Brandon Jackson is a good try as the week 1 waiver pick. The other hangers-on – C.J Spiller (7 carries, 6 yards) and Clinton Portis (63 yards, questionable for week 2), do not inspire confidence. There are guys we like elsewhere – Fitzgerald and Marshall should be fine, and Carson Palmer (345 / 2 TDs) looked fabulous in the second half against the Patriots “wave your arms and pray” pass defense. The key here is trying to piece their backfield together.