Lonely at the Top: Super Bowl LXIV Champion Saints

In case you're confused, it's good to be green.

1. Indianapolis Colts (15-2)
2. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
3. San Diego Chargers (13-4)
4. New Orleans Saints (14-3)
5. Houston Texans (9-7)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
8. New England Patriots (10-7)
9. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
10. Baltimore Ravens (10-8)
11. Dallas Cowboys (12-6)
12. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
13. Denver Broncos (8-8)
14. Tennessee Titans (8-8)
15. Atlanta Falcons (9-7)
16. San Francisco 49ers (8-8)
17. Arizona Cardinals (11-7)
18. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9)
20. New York Jets (11-7)
21. Carolina Panthers (8-8)
22. New York Giants (8-8)
23. Washington Redskins (4-12)
24. Chicago Bears (7-9)
25. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
26. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13)
28. Oakland Raiders (5-11)
29. Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)
30. Seattle Seahawks (5-11)
31. St. Louis Rams (1-15)
32. Detroit Lions (2-14)

...and then there were 2

I apologize to those keeping track at home for the the tardiness of this post. Though the Vikings had beaten what I believed to be a better team in the Bengals than anyone the Saints had managed to knock off, home field advantage seems to have been sufficient equalizer (both for the Vikings in their win over the Bengals and for the Saints in their win over the Vikings) to have carried the 4th, rather than the 2nd, best team to the Super Bowl for a showdown with the Colts. How the Jets survived to the Conference Championship, beating the Bengals twice as well as the Chargers in San Diego, will forever remain a mystery--unless you believe Nate Kaeding's two misses from inside the 45 and the Bengals' rash of late-season injuries count as sufficiently significant aberrations from regular season performance.

1. Indianapolis Colts (15-2)
2. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
3. San Diego Chargers (13-4)
4. New Orleans Saints (14-3)
5. Houston Texans (9-7)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
8. New England Patriots (10-7)
9. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
10. Baltimore Ravens (10-8)
11. Dallas Cowboys (12-6)
12. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
13. Denver Broncos (8-8)
14. Tennessee Titans (8-8)
15. Atlanta Falcons (9-7)
16. San Francisco 49ers (8-8)
17. Arizona Cardinals (11-7)
18. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9)
20. New York Jets (11-7)
21. Carolina Panthers (8-8)
22. New York Giants (8-8)
23. Washington Redskins (4-12)
24. Chicago Bears (7-9)
25. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
26. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13)
28. Oakland Raiders (5-11)
29. Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)
30. Seattle Seahawks (5-11)
31. St. Louis Rams (1-15)
32. Detroit Lions (2-14)

Lighter Red Means Fresh Wounds

1. Indianapolis Colts (15-2)
2. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
3. San Diego Chargers (13-4)
4. New Orleans Saints (14-3)
5. Houston Texans (9-7)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
8. New England Patriots (10-7)
9. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
10. Baltimore Ravens (10-8)
11. Dallas Cowboys (12-6)
12. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
13. Denver Broncos (8-8)
14. Tennessee Titans (8-8)
15. Atlanta Falcons (9-7)
16. San Francisco 49ers (8-8)
17. Arizona Cardinals (11-7)
18. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9)
20. New York Jets (11-7)
21. Carolina Panthers (8-8)
22. New York Giants (8-8)
23. Washington Redskins (4-12)
24. Chicago Bears (7-9)
25. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
26. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13)
28. Oakland Raiders (5-11)
29. Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)
30. Seattle Seahawks (5-11)
31. St. Louis Rams (1-15)
32. Detroit Lions (2-14)

Watching the Field

As we move through the playoffs, why not keep an eye on the final edition of the philosophically suspect power rankings I've published on the site each week? This weekend saw several teams relegated to underdog status by the rankings rise up and deliver a sucker-punch to a favorite, and so the 19-spot gap between the best and the worst of the playoff field remains:

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
2. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
3. San Diego Chargers (13-3)
4. New Orleans Saints (13-3)
5. Houston Texans (9-7)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
8. New England Patriots (10-7)
9. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
10. Baltimore Ravens (10-7)
11. Dallas Cowboys (12-5)
12. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
13. Denver Broncos (8-8)
14. Tennessee Titans (8-8)
15. Atlanta Falcons (9-7)
16. San Francisco 49ers (8-8)
17. Arizona Cardinals (11-6)
18. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9)
20. New York Jets (10-7)
21. Carolina Panthers (8-8)
22. New York Giants (8-8)
23. Washington Redskins (4-12)
24. Chicago Bears (7-9)
25. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
26. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13)
28. Oakland Raiders (5-11)
29. Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)
30. Seattle Seahawks (5-11)
31. St. Louis Rams (1-15)
32. Detroit Lions (2-14)

Final 2009 Entirely Non-Deriddean Achivement-Centered Rankings of 53-Man Football-Playing Associations

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
2. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
3. San Diego Chargers (13-3)
4. New Orleans Saints (13-3)
5. Houston Texans (9-7)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
8. New England Patriots (10-6)
9. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
10. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
11. Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
12. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
13. Denver Broncos (8-8)
14. Tennessee Titans (8-8)
15. Atlanta Falcons (9-7)
16. San Francisco 49ers (8-8)
17. Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
18. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9)
20. New York Jets (9-7)
21. Carolina Panthers (8-8)
22. New York Giants (8-8)
23. Washington Redskins (4-12)
24. Chicago Bears (7-9)
25. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
26. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13)
28. Oakland Raiders (5-11)
29. Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)
30. Seattle Seahawks (5-11)
31. St. Louis Rams (1-15)
32. Detroit Lions (2-14)

Sam the Seahawk?

Nothing more than idle speculation, but would any team seem more suited to a guy like Sam Bradford than the Seattle Seahawks? Not that I know much about him, but if Bradford's renowned accuracy suits him for the West Coast Offense, and, as has been reported, he's less than passionate about the NFL and its lore, perhaps he'd fit in best out of the limelight up in the Pacific Northwest. A cool customer such as the former Sooners quarterback could become a rather apt face for a franchise buried in the coffee-drinking, socially conscious hipness of a city that chose to wave goodbye to its NBA franchise rather than bankroll a new stadium on the public dime.

It's worth noting that among the other franchises which may be in position to draft Bradford come April, St. Louis seems too near Bradford's college haunt in Norman, Oklahoma to allow a local boy to outlive his Heisman fame, and I shudder to think of the political dialogue Daniel Snyder would force on Redskins fans by drafting a quarterback with a conspicuous Native American heritage. Of course, Mike Holmgren's installment as Browns President could result in the adoption of a West Coast Offense in Cleveland, but should the Browns be permitted to destroy the youth of another heralded curly-locked hero? Wouldn't Gustav Aschenbach rise from his fictional grave and protest? And shouldn't Cleveland have a quarterback with a little more rock 'n' roll in his veins?

As it regards football, the Seahawks have a proven veteran in Matt Hasselbeck behind whom Bradford could sit while he bulks up and works on taking snaps from under center. In my opinion, as a refuge for the last dalliances of a delicate but auspicious youth, Bradford could do worse than Seattle.

Entirely Non-Deriddean Achivement-Centered Rankings of 53-Man Football-Playing Associations Through 16 Weeks

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-1)
2. Minnesota Vikings (11-4)
3. San Diego Chargers (12-3)
4. New Orleans Saints (13-2)
5. New England Patriots (10-5)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (10-5)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7)
8. Baltimore Ravens (8-7)
9. Houston Texans (8-7)
10. Philadelphia Eagles (11-4)
11. Denver Broncos (8-7)
12. Green Bay Packers (10-5)
13. Tennessee Titans (7-8)
14. Atlanta Falcons (8-7)
15. San Francisco 49ers (7-8)
16. Arizona Cardinals (10-5)
17. Miami Dolphins (7-8)
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8)
19. New York Jets (8-7)
20. Chicago Bears (6-9)
21. Carolina Panthers (7-8)
22. New York Giants (8-7)
23. Dallas Cowboys (10-5)
24. Washington Redskins (4-11)
25. Cleveland Browns (4-11)
26. Buffalo Bills (5-10)
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-12)
28. Oakland Raiders (5-10)
29. Seattle Seahawks (5-10)
30. Kansas City Chiefs (3-12)
31. St. Louis Rams (1-14)
32. Detroit Lions (2-13)