Dirty Dozen: Can Broncos Get Respect?

Denver fans are never secure, maybe because their team is the only one that plays home games in the Mountain Time Zone (I'm never sure what time it is in Arizona). And except for my cousin, who lives in Denver, and Broncos PR man extraordinaire Jim Saccomano, Broncos fans don't seem to like me -- some think I'm part of a conspiracy to keep Broncos out of the Hall of Fame.

Guess what, folks: By beating Dallas, you made it into my top six. Not high into my top six. And being 4-0 guarantees little. Last year, with a lot of help from Ed Hochuli, the Broncos started 3-1, then managed to lose their last three, lose the division and get Mike Shanahan fired.

Besides, I'm not the biggest problem for Broncos fans -- Mike Florio, the juris doctor of ProFootballTalk.com has them at 15. Good luck Mike.

And Denver isn't my biggest problem this week. That's separating the three unbeaten NFC teams: the Bretts, the Drews and the Elis.

Ultimately, of course, they will separate themselves -- Eli Manning (assuming his plantar whatever is OK), visits Drew Brees in Week 6 in Eli's hometown, a game of which far too much will be made. The ultimate separation test is the playoffs, which count a hell of a lot more than someone trying to do rankings after four weeks. This isn't the BCS.

One more Denver footnote: I was on the Hall of Fame Seniors committee that got Floyd Little into the finals, and Floyd sent me a nice note thanking me. But the Broncos fans will blame me anyway if he doesn't get in.

In any case, let's get at it:

Top 6

1. New Orleans (4-0): I've decided the Brees team gets the top spot because its defense played so well against a previously unbeaten team (the Jets). Granted, two TDs off turnovers by a rookie QB helped. No one questions the offense, and the defense had done a 180 behind Gregg Williams (and Darren Sharper, who played in the same college secondary with Mike Tomlin).

2. Indianapolis (4-0): The Colts seem to go unbeaten for four, five six ... eight, nine,10 games every season, but have won only one Super Bowl. Peyton is as good as he's ever been this season, but please (for the second week in a row), please hold the Pierre Garcon French jokes.

3. New York Giants (4-0): The deepest team in the league -- it has to be given all the injuries. Lucky for the Giants, they're going through their exhibition schedule: Tampa Bay, Kansas City and now the Raiders. Eli probably can sit this week if he wants and let David Carr beat Oakland. But he probably won't because Mannings don't miss games. He certainly won't miss going home for next week's "Game of the Century.''

4. Minnesota (4-0): Last year, Brett Favre threw six TDs in a game against Arizona's nonexistent pass rush. Let's see how he holds up against pressure. Monday's game was really won by the Vikings' offensive and defensive lines -- which is how you're supposed to win games in the first place.

5. Denver (4-0): OK, Broncos fans. Start complaining they should be No. 1. Seriously, allowing just 26 points is impressive no matter what the opposition. Even if it's two bad teams and Tony Romo.

6. Baltimore (3-1): Patriots fans will get on me for this one. Forget Mark Clayton's drop. Even the NFL subtly acknowledged the mistakes Ron Winter and his crew made last Sunday. Yeah, Brady and Manning(s?) get the star treatment from the zebras and that probably handed last week's game to New England. Ravens were No. 1 last week and happened to lose. No one's going unbeaten, not even DENVER!!!

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Bottom 6

27. Washington (2-2): This is legitimate. The Skins' two wins are narrow ones at home over No. 28 and 32. The end of Jim Zorn's tenure is coming subtly -- as with the hiring of Sherman Lewis to be offensive coordinator.

28. Oakland (1-3): There are some decent players on the Raiders. But the quarterback is on the verge of entering Ryan Leafdom, so they have no shot.

29. Cleveland (0-4): Eric Mangini no longer has Braylon Edwards to blame, And he has more draft picks to build with -- if he's still around in a couple of years.

30. Tampa Bay (0-4): Not much to say here. Raheem Morris praised Ronde Barber after the Bucs almost beat Washington last week. Ronde's the last Buc standing, and he won't be around when (if) they finally start winning.

31. Kansas City (0-4): Not fun to be an NFL fan in Missouri these days.

32. St. Louis (0-4): Maybe things will gets better when Rush Limbaugh buys the team and trades for Donovan McNabb to quarterback. Sorry. Had to get that in.