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NFL Power Rankings: Giants Win by Playing Tom Coughlin Football

Posted Nov 20, 2008 12:00PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Giants, NFL Power Rankings

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It's hard to remember now, but Giants fans were furious after the 2006 season, when the Giants lost their wild-card playoff game and the team didn't fire head coach Tom Coughlin, as fans were almost unanimous in saying they should.

At the time, Coughlin was out of touch and unable to motivate today's athletes, and his conservative approach was outdated and ineffective. Or so we all thought.

Now, of course, it turns out that the Giants are the best team in the league, and they're the best team in the league exactly because they're playing Tom Coughlin football: Tough, physical, disciplined football. Fascinating how that works.

No surprise, Coughlin's Giants are atop our NFL Power Rankings, thanks to the tough, physical, disciplined football players up front.

  • 1. Giants (9-1) | Previous Week: 1
    Everyone's talking about running back Brandon Jacobs and his big game against the Ravens, but the Giants' real stars are their starting offensive linemen: Left tackle David Diehl, left guard Rich Seubert, center Shaun O'Hara, right guard Chris Snee and right tackle Kareem McKenzie may be the best run-blocking line I've ever seen.
  • 2. Titans (10-0) | Prev.: 2
    Another big game from a Titans wide receiver: Justin Gage had touchdown catches of 56 and 38 yards, plus a 47-yard catch on the first play of the game Sunday against the Jaguars. Let's stop all this talk about the Titans not having good receivers once and for all.
  • 3. Cardinals (7-3) | Prev.: 4
    Can you imagine how much different this team would be if coach Ken Whisenhunt had followed the conventional wisdom that says you have to be patient with a young quarterback? The Cardinals are real threats to make noise in the postseason because Whisenhunt recognized that Kurt Warner is better than Matt Leinart, and wouldn't play Leinart over Warner just because Leinart is a first-round pick with a big contract.
  • 4. Panthers (8-2) | Prev.: 5
    Jake Delhomme has been absolutely horrid the last couple of weeks, but the Panthers have won both games. Does that mean they're such a good team that they can overcome bad days from their leader? Or does it mean the Raiders and Lions are terrible? I think it's a little of both.
  • 5. Steelers (7-3) | Prev.: 7
    It's too bad so much attention has been paid to Troy Polamalu's negated touchdown at the end of Sunday's game, because that attention has detracted from the attention that should have been paid to Polamalu's diving interception earlier in the game. That pick was one of the plays of the year.

  • 6. Colts (6-4) | Prev.: 9
    Even after a nine-catch game against the Texans, it just can't be overstated what a bad wide receiver the 36-year-old Marvin Harrison is. The advanced stats at Football Outsiders rank Reggie Wayne sixth in the league in receiving value, Anthony Gonzalez 14th, Dallas Clark 21st and Harrison 64th. If you can't even get into the Top 60 when you've got Peyton Manning throwing to you, you really don't belong in the NFL anymore.
  • 7. Cowboys (6-4) | Prev.: 14
    Although it's easier for me to do my job if players have loose lips, there's something about Marion Barber's silence with the media that I like. Barber is a tough, hard-nosed player, and knowing little or nothing about him off the field helps cultivate that silent assassin image.
  • 8. Ravens (6-4) | Prev.: 10
    I'd like to see fullback Le'Ron McClain get the ball more often. McClain had two carries for 10 yards and three catches for 31 yards Sunday. For a 260-pounder, he can really move.
  • 9. Redskins (6-4) | Prev.: 3
    You have to love a quarterback who runs over defensive backs, although it does kind of put defensive players in a bad position where if they hit a quarterback too hard they get fined, but if they slow down when a quarterback comes their way, they can get run over.
  • 10. Buccaneers (7-3) | Prev.: 12
    Losing starting running back Earnest Graham is a big blow to the Buccaneers. They'll now have to rely on 33-year-old Warrick Dunn to carry the load. Dunn has played well this season when getting about 10 carries a game, but I don't know if he can hold up if they're asking him to carry 20 times a game down the stretch.
  • 11. Eagles (5-4-1) | Prev.: 6
    It's not just that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb doesn't know games can end in ties. It's what that represents: The fact that McNabb, a man who has been an NFL quarterback for 10 years, cares so little about proper end-game strategy that he hasn't bothered to learn the most basic of rules relating to the end of a game. Clock management is an important part of being an NFL quarterback, and you can't manage the clock properly if you don't know what's going to happen when the clock reaches triple zeros. I've always had a lot of respect for McNabb. I lost some of that respect on Sunday.
  • 12. Packers (5-5) | Prev.: 18
    That was a major statement Green Bay made on Sunday. The Packers are clearly the favorites to win the NFC North after that dominant win over the Bears.
  • 13. Jets (7-3) | Prev.: 16
    Last Thursday's win over the Patriots was exactly why the Jets acquired Brett Favre before the season. And Favre's exuberant "F--- yeah!" after the game was a classic.
  • 14. Bears (5-5) | Prev.:8
    After that brutal loss to the Packers, the best thing you can say about the Bears is that their remaining schedule is easy. They don't play any more games against teams with winning records, and they get the Packers at home in December.
  • 15. Patriots (6-4) | Prev.: 11
    Good to see that Tom Brady is feeling better. Matt Cassel had an absolutely amazing game against the Jets -- first player in NFL history with 400 passing yards and 60 rushing yards in a game -- but you know things are getting crazy when people are seriously asking whether the Patriots would trade Brady.
  • 16. Bills (5-5) | Prev.: 13
    I guess we all got excited a little too quickly about Trent Edwards. He's now at three touchdowns and eight interceptions in the last four games.
  • 17. Broncos (6-4) | Prev.: 15
    Did any team have a better draft day than the Broncos? Denver got a couple of offensive starters on the first day in tackle Ryan Clady and wide receiver Eddie Royal, they got the new Chuck Bednarik in the sixth round in fullback/linebacker Spencer Larsen, and the best of the bunch may turn out to be the last guy they drafted, seventh-round running back Peyton Hillis, who's surprisingly effective with the ball in his hands. Mike Shanahan deserves credit for a big draft day.
  • 18. Falcons (6-4) | Prev.: 17
    I still don't see Atlanta as a playoff team, but if they beat the Panthers on Sunday, I'll need to re-consider.
  • 19. Saints (5-5) | Prev.: 19
    The Saints expect to have Reggie Bush back Monday night. Which is good, because they really needed someone who could average 3.4 yards a carry.
  • 20. Dolphins (6-4) | Prev.: 21
    I know everyone else has the Dolphins a lot higher up in their power rankings than I have them in mine, but I just can't get excited about a team that needs to come from behind at the last minute to beat the Raiders.
  • 21. Chargers (4-6) | Prev.: 20
    Norv Turner gets to keep his job no matter how badly the team closes out the season. Marty Schottenheimer is wondering why he can't get a deal like that.
  • 22. Vikings (5-5) | Prev.: 22
    Vikings defensive end Jared Allen just got a $25,000 fine for illegally hitting Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a couple of weeks after a $50,000 fine for illegally hitting Texans quarterback Matt Schaub. I'm not sure why Roger Goodell thinks a second offense should call for a lesser fine than a first, but I am sure Goodell is pleased that Allen didn't also do any on-field dancing. That's where the really hefty fines come in.
  • 23. Browns (4-6) | Prev.: 23
    Brady Quinn has been far from a great player in his first two starts, but the key is that he's not throwing games away, the way Derek Anderson was too often. Quinn has zero interceptions, zero fumbles and just one sack in two games. Anderson had seven interceptions, seven fumbles and 11 sacks in eight games.
  • 24. Jaguars (4-6) | Prev.: 24
    With the Jaguars basically just playing for pride now, coach Jack Del Rio says he doesn't have any concerns about his team's attitude. But considering that Del Rio had to send home one of his supposed team leaders for having a bad attitude, well, I'm not sure I buy Del Rio's optimism.
  • 25. Texans (3-7) | Prev.: 25
    The good news is that the Texans have now played two competitive games against the Colts. The bad news is that this franchise should be beyond the point where it's taking solace in having played competitive games.
  • 26. Seahawks (2-8) | Prev.: 27
    Can you believe we have to watch this lousy team on Thanksgiving? It's bad enough that the Lions are on, but Seahawks-Cowboys is the kind of game that might make you actually want to spend time with your family.
  • 27. 49ers (3-7) | Prev.: 31
    The 49ers signed free-agent tackle Jonas Jennings to one of the most lucrative contracts in the league in 2005, thinking he'd be the cornerstone of their offensive line for years to come. since then he's missed 35 games with a variety of injuries, and the 49ers just put him on injured reserve again this week. And that's the way life goes for the San Francisco 49ers.
  • 28. Bengals (1-8-1) | Prev.: 29
    Don't get me wrong, the Bengals are a terrible team, but it should be said that they at least deserve credit for keeping it competitive against some pretty good teams: They only lost to the Ravens by seven points, they took the Giants into overtime, and then on Sunday they tied the Eagles. Yeah, the overall record stinks, but you can sorta kinda see how the Bengals could be good next year, which you can't say for any of the teams below them.
  • 29. Raiders (2-8) | Prev.: 26
    The Raiders get a rematch Sunday against the Broncos, who embarrassed them on Monday Night Football in Week 1. There's not much reason to think anything will be different this time around.
  • 30. Rams (2-8) | Prev.: 28
    A 19-point loss to the 49ers is about as bad as it gets. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how this team won back-to-back games against the Redskins and Cowboys.
  • 31. Chiefs (1-9) | Prev.: 30
    Chiefs coach Herm Edwards says his team "is trying to learn how to win." Uh, coach? It's the 12th week of your third season. Shouldn't you have taught them that by now?
  • 32. Lions (0-10) | Prev.: 32
    It's hard to believe that any team, in this age of NFL parity, could go 0-16. But when you look at Detroit's six remaining opponents -- Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Minnesota, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Green Bay -- well, it's possible.

Tags: NFL+Power+Rankings, NflPowerRankings

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