Rankings that matter: Falcons are better than Saints
Michael Turner and Matt Ryan will lead the Falcons to the NFC South title, according to one expert.
Preseason rankings are entertaining, generally have no meaning and mean even less in the NFL than they do in college football because the NFL actually has a playoff system.
But I just found one set of NFL rankings worth paying attention. Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News, one of the nation’s most respected football writers, just ranked the NFL teams, Nos. 1 to 32. Something you will find noteworthy: He has the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints ranked only eighth — one spot behind the Falcons.
Because I’ve known Gosselin for years — though not for all 35 years he has been covering the league — I decided to give him a call, just to be certain all of his faculties were still intact. When you read Gosselin’s answers, I’m sure you’ll realize what most already know: He knows his stuff.
♦ Question: The Saints eighth?
Answer: “You can’t go status quo because every year more than half of the teams that qualify for the playoffs don’t qualify the following year. I think the number is something like 5.8 of the 12 [playoff teams] qualify the next year. Life changes in the NFL. Parity gives us that.”
♦ Question: Thoughts on the Falcons?
Answer: “Two years ago, the Falcons were on the doorstep of being a Super Bowl contender. Now they have Michael Turner back, healthy again, and Matt Ryan is a potential franchise quarterback. I really like what [Thomas] Dimitroff and [Mike] Smith have going. They’re a young team on the rise.”
♦ Question: With the Saints, are you just thinking in terms of Super Bowl hangover?
Answer: “It was just a miracle type season for them. I think they’re a really good team but almost everything went right. I covered both the NFC [championship] and the Super Bowl and I thought the better team lost twice. The Vikings basically beat themselves in the NFC game and [Peyton] Manning was taking the Colts in [for a potential tying score before an interception] in the Super Bowl. It’s hard for even great teams to come back after winning the Super Bowl, I saw it here in Dallas, and the Cowboys were a great team. The Saints are not a great team, but they won the Super Bowl.”
♦ Question: How far do you see the Falcons going?
Answer: “I think they’ll win the division and make the playoffs. After that, I don’t know. I just ranked the teams, but Indianapolis and Dallas are my top two so I have them going to the Super Bowl.”
♦ Question: And the Falcons will win the division because . . .
Answer: “It’s just the history of that division. I think in one stretch they had four different winners in four years. It’s such a topsy turvy division. I just like their young quarterback. I always used to think quarterbacks were 70 percent of the equation, but after watching the league last season I think now it’s 80 percent. Matt Ryan is going into his third year. The third year is when guys blossom. This is when Troy Aikman took off. The light bulb goes on. If you look at my rankings, my top 10 teams are pretty much all predicated on the quarterback.” (Note: Gosselin is correct on the NFC South’s unpredictability. The winners since 2001: Tampa-Carolina-Atlanta-Tampa-New Orleans-Tampa-Carolina-New Orleans.)
♦ Question: Who’s going to win it all?
Answer: “The Colts are the best team. They were the best team last year. They were 14-0 until they shut it down. They came within three minutes of winning the Super Bowl without the best defensive player in football, Bob Sanders, and a starting wide receiver, Anthony Gonzales. Now they’ve added [defensive end] Jerry Hughes [in the draft]. He’s perfect for them. They’re the best.”
So, are you convinced?
Here’s the link to Rick’s complete rankings, but I’m listing the top 10 below, with his comments.
1. Indianapolis: The Colts were the AFC’s best team a year ago despite getting nothing from their running game (No. 32 in NFL) and a disappointing 34 sacks from a pass rush that features two Pro Bowl edge rushers (Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis). Peyton Manning had to shoulder more of the burden than usual, and he responded. He used 2009 to develop two young wideouts into playmakers (Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon) and led seven fourth-quarter, come-from-behind victories. The Colts also overcame 65 games lost by starters because of injury to win the AFC.
2. Dallas: Only the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints had a more prolific offense than the Cowboys in 2009. The arrival of WR Dez Bryant gives the Cowboys the best offense in the NFL. QB Tony Romo, HB Marion Barber, WRs Miles Austin and Roy Williams and TE Jason Witten all have been to Pro Bowls, and first-round draft picks Bryant and HB Felix Jones have Pro Bowl potential. The Cowboys will need all of that to survive a schedule that includes games at Indianapolis, Green Bay, Houston and Minnesota. The Saints also visit Cowboys Stadium.
3. Baltimore: The Ravens have always won with defense. They reached the AFC semifinals last season with the NFL’s third-ranked defense and figure to be even stronger in 2010 with the additions of pass rusher Sergio Kindle and nose tackle Terrence Cody with their first two draft picks. But the offense is no longer just a spare tire – not with the emergence of Ray Rice as a Pro Bowl running back and the arrival of WR Anquan Boldin this offseason in trade. They will help accelerate the development of QB Joe Flacco, who passed for 3,613 yards last season.
4. Green Bay: The Packers finished sixth in the NFL in offense and second in defense last season with the youngest roster in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers emerged as a Pro Bowl quarterback, and Green Bay re-emerged as a playoff contender, winning seven of its final eight games to qualify as a wild card. Twenty-one of the 22 starters return with only Aaron Kampman defecting in free agency. First-round draft pick Bryan Bulaga bolsters the blocking front.
5. San Diego: LaDainian Tomlinson was the face of the franchise for the last decade. But he left this off-season after averaging only 3.3 yards per carry and gained a career-low 730 yards. The Chargers had already transitioned to a pass-first attack with Pro Bowl QB Philip Rivers and went 13-3 in 2009 with that approach. San Diego used a first-round draft pick on RB Ryan Mathews to balance the attack.
6. Minnesota: Pencil Brett Favre in at quarterback. Officially, he remains undecided on his future. Unofficially, Favre underwent ankle surgery last month to restore his mobility. Don’t look for Favre to walk away from football following a 4,202-yard, 33-TD passing season. But he’s 40. When do his wheels start to wobble? The 21 other starters are back from a team that finished 12-4 and played into overtime in the NFC title game. This team has unfinished business.
7. Atlanta: The Falcons return all 22 starters from a 9-7 team, and young QB Matt Ryan has another year under his belt. A healthy RB Michael Turner will energize the NFL’s 16th-ranked offense; he missed five games because of injury last season. Coach Mike Smith addressed the NFL’s 21st-ranked defense by signing CB Dunta Robinson in free agency and using his first two draft picks on that side of the ball (OLB Sean Weatherspoon, DT Corey Peters).
8. New Orleans: The Saints enjoyed a magical season in 2009 – starting with a 13-game chase of perfection and finishing with a first-ever Super Bowl championship. But can New Orleans rebottle that magic? Offensively the Saints will be fine with Drew Brees at the controls. But defensively the Saints took a hit with the free-agent defection of LB Scott Fujita.
9. Houston: The Texans have never made the playoffs in their eight years of existence. But Houston has strung together three consecutive nonlosing seasons, highlighted by a 9-7 finish in 2009. The Texans have a Top 5 offense, featuring the game’s best WR in Andre Johnson, and some defensive standouts in DE Mario Williams, LBs DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing and SS Bernard Pollard.
10. NY Jets: The Jets reached the AFC title game last season with a rookie quarterback. They are sparing no expense to take the next step, signing RB LaDainian Tomlinson and DE Jason Taylor and trading for WR Santonio Holmes and CB Antonio Cromartie. Gone is 1,400-yard rusher Thomas Jones, which will put greater pressure on QB Mark Sanchez.
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249 comments Add your comment
ATL - bobby
June 17th, 2010
4:22 pm
The Saints squeaked by an injured Falcon team in both meetings.
Explosive as the Saints are they should have blown the doors off the hurt Falcons, but they didn’t.
35 to 27 and 26 to 23. I think those numbers can justify a threat when healthy.
America’s Team – Right now your boys are just a middle of the pack team and as long as Romo is back there it will stay that way. Playoffs but no cigar. I predict you guys will not even win your division.
hiramsaint
June 17th, 2010
4:39 pm
why would the saints show their cards against the falcants when the div. was theirs for the taking.they saved their good stuff for the REAL teams in the playoffs and those teams had very little game film of us.you don’t use a sledge hammer to drive a thumd tack. you save it for rr spikes. sounds like they had and used a good strategy from where i sit
Saints Fans, Have You Seen This $hit?! » ChicksInTheHuddle.com - A place for chicks who love football and the guys who love chicks who love football.
June 17th, 2010
4:57 pm
[...] a laugh out loud article entitled “Rankings that Matter”, an Atlanta sportswriter recounts his recent interview with Dallas sportswriter Rick Gosselin [...]
ATL - bobby
June 17th, 2010
5:00 pm
Mr. Hiramsaint I guess we will have to see this year.
hiramsaint
June 17th, 2010
5:01 pm
don’t know but we won our super bowl. how’d your team do? thats right 34-19 and your trophy and rings went to denver.i’ll say it that dallas beat us but after that it was the same thing. hold your cards- play ‘em when you need to. a victory is a victory whether it’s by 1 or 40 points. have y’all even heard of strategy? apparently not ’cause you’ve just posted your first back to back WINNING seasons –wow- lets celebrate. well the falcons had plenty of time to celebrate for their season ended earlier than the REAL teams
BurningRedBleedingBlack
June 17th, 2010
5:04 pm
THE RAVENS SUCK……SO DOES THE SAINTS!!!!!!! You want a experts view on Matt Ryan ? Go read Claytons article on sports illustrated NFL front page. He already considers Ryan a Elite QB, and says no one beside manning studys as hard as he does. Good stuff jeff can’t wait to kick off, to all my falcon brother LETS GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!
ATLANTA FALCONS BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FalconsFan284
June 17th, 2010
5:04 pm
LOL!!!! Pathetic!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!
ATL - bobby
June 17th, 2010
5:04 pm
Oh yea I guess they did not want to get caught off guard like the Patriots by blowing the doors off of everyone. I getcha…being sneaky!!
After beating the Patriots I think beaing sneaky went out the window!
rekingball
June 17th, 2010
5:05 pm
Can a 12 or 13 yearold be considered or charge as a pedifile?
rekingball
June 17th, 2010
5:14 pm
I don’t think you were wrong. Anyone that hurts a child should be punished.
rekingball
June 17th, 2010
5:15 pm
I think he is a middle schooler.
rekingball
June 17th, 2010
5:16 pm
Over his head.
hiramsaint
June 17th, 2010
5:18 pm
if y’all want to talk kids please get off this site. you can’t talk football cause soon as i refute you , you regress to your hidden passions. first it was 1 falcants fan, now theres of you . it’s an epidemic
hiramsaint
June 17th, 2010
5:19 pm
still having trouble stringing 1 thought together at a time reekingball
BurningRedBleedingBlack
June 17th, 2010
5:20 pm
Well this is a Atlanta bases newpaper and this is a Falcon blog, if anyone needs to leave i think its you sir….
BurningRedBleedingBlack
June 17th, 2010
5:28 pm
The saints get lucky and win the superbowl, now there untouchable, the best team of all time in the history of NFL, they’ll never loose another game ever again, drew brees will play football until he dies. Other teams will quit playing football out of shear fear of the Saints……sorry back to reality the saints will be challenge this year by the Falcons with players healthy and off season trades. I know you guys hate to hear it. We’re gonna be pretty darn good next year. If we can go 9-7 with our QB and staring HB injured and getting our defense in order, then yes we can take the saints and take them twice
hiramsaint
June 17th, 2010
5:30 pm
’cause we won the super bowl
hiramsaint
June 17th, 2010
5:33 pm
you better go better than 9-7. stop worrying about the saints and set you sights on the playoffs . thats been your down fall for years NO VISION. EXCEPT AT MAKING UP EXCUSES WHY YOU LOST AGAIN
hiramsaint
June 17th, 2010
6:26 pm
it’s not a fact if you can’t back it up and if grant and fugita are you backups then your as much a loser as your team. i don’t have to prove it to you ’cause you’ll make up some hokey thing that has no basis. try reading the bleacher report. check out solomon wilcots on the nfl network i could go on and on but what you believe is what you believe so we’ll see as the season progresses on. in the mean time feel free to call me names just like democrats do when they are presented with the facts. it shows you have no knowledge or argument on football . your probably puking up what colin cowherd said instead of making your own thoughts and laying them out for debate
FalconsFan284
June 17th, 2010
6:50 pm
First, you complain because my responses are too long, now you are complaining that I didn’t repeat them. That stuff may work in the yard but on the outside you just look stupid.
What have the Saints done that doesn’t prove my point?
falconfan3411
June 17th, 2010
7:25 pm
If Dree Brees is so good, why did the Chargers release him? Philip Rivers is better that’s why.
falconfan3411
June 17th, 2010
7:40 pm
The NFL as a whole felt sorry for the Saints misfortune with Katrina. Therefore, The NFL commisioner sent a letter to each team and informed them if you let the Saints win, we will donate 75,000 to your franchise.
falconfan3411
June 17th, 2010
7:42 pm
@ Hiram saint
Did the people of New Orleans kick you out of their miserable city?
Topdawg
June 17th, 2010
7:45 pm
The Falcons will go all the way in 2010. If the sorry Aints can do it, any team can.
Boudin
June 17th, 2010
8:20 pm
the Saints lost Kendrick Clancy, Mark SImoneau, Paul Spicer, Scott Fujita and Charles Grant.
actually, the only person they “lost” was Fujita. i’m glad he got his payday. he deserved it. he is not irreplaceable. if he was, the Saints would have matched the Browns’ offer.
Mark Simoneau hasn’t been a starter for two years. we didn’t lose him. we let him go. We’ve got Jonathan Vilma. you remember him right? in your own house he single handedly stopped two potentially game winning drives with an interception and a monster run stuff.
Charles Grant was a lazy liability that didn’t contribute a thing to the Saints’ run through the playoffs. the Saints let him go.
Kendrick Clancy was serviceable. not a good, but serviceable. again, the Saints didn’t lose him. they let him go.
Paul Spicer was never a starter. actually, i don’t think he played at all.
now…. the Saints signed Alex Brown. he’s a definite upgrade over Charles Grant
the Saints drafted Earl Heyman and Al Woods. either will be a suitable replacement and upgrade over Kendrick Clancy.
the Saints brought in Junior Galette and Brandon Sharpe. either will be a suitable replacement and upgrade over Paul Spicer. the guy that never played. the guy that used to be good years ago when he played for Jacksonville.
the Saints have been heaping praise on Jo-Lonn Dunbar. just because you haven’t heard of him doesn’t mean a thing. Clint Ingram was brought in to replace Scott Fujita. he’s an upgrade. the Saints also have Stanley Arnoux, drafted last year and sent to IR during training camp. he was basically red shirted. Harry Coleman was also brought in. Bobby McCray, normally a pass rushing DE can play OLB when the Saints line up in a 3-4 defense. there’s even been rumblings that he could occasionally play SLB, Fujita’s position, depending on the scheme. we loved Fujita. he won’t be missed.
every person you say the Saints lost has been replaced and the position has been upgraded. not only that, the Saints also drafted yet another first round DB. the Saints secondary is extremely formidable.
the D-Line has been upgraded.
the linebacking corps has been upgraded.
the O-line has improved depth.
the Saints also drafted a 6′7″ pass catching TE. who on defense are you going to put on him when the Saints are in the redzone? can you say “alley oop”?
saying that the Saints are a worse team than they were last year is just wishful thinking on your part. the Saints have gotten much better.
scary isn’t it?
Boudin
June 17th, 2010
8:50 pm
Kendrick Clancy has been replaced by either Earl Heyman and Al Woods. both are upgrades. Clancy was a journeyman and never truly starter material.
Scott Fujita was replaced by Clint Ingram. that’s an upgrade. and while you may not have heard of Jo-Lunn Dunbar, coaches have been heaping praise on him. he is well known among Saints fans. Stanley Arnoux was lost to IR during last year’s training camp. he was basically red shirted. he’ll be back.
Mark Simoneau hasn’t started since Jonathan Vilma came to town. he wasn’t even depth as back problems kept him off the field. Marvin Mitchell is Vilma’s backup. he’s still here. the Saints also brought in Harry Coleman. he’d be an upgrade over Simoneau even back when Simoneau could make it on the field.
Charles Grant was a lazy liability that did not contribute a single thing to the Saints run through the playoffs. Alex Brown was brought in and he is a definite upgrade.
Paul Spicer hasn’t been a good player in a long time. he didn’t see any game time anyway. i couldn’t find a single stat for him from last season. at the same time Junior Galette was brought in as was Brandon Sharpe. either is an upgrade over the guy that didn’t play.
oh, and Bobby McCray, normally a DE, plays OLB when the Saints line up in a 3-4. there are also rumblings that he could line up as SLB in certain schemes.
in addition to that, the Saints drafted yet another first round DB. the Saints secondary is extremely formidable.
the D-Line has been upgraded.
the line backing corps has been upgraded.
the highly ranked o-line has better depth.
the Saints also drafted a 6′7″ pass catching TE. who on the Falcons are you going to put on him when the Saints are in the redzone? can you say “alley oop”?
to say that the Saints have gotten worse is just wishful thinking on your part. the fact is, the Saints have gotten much better.
scary, isn’t it?
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June 17th, 2010
8:51 pm
[...] ♦ Rankings that matter: Falcons are better than Saints [...]
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June 17th, 2010
9:01 pm
[...] ♦ Rankings that matter: Falcons are better than Saints [...]
FalconsFan284
June 17th, 2010
10:04 pm
Boudin—-Perhaps you missed where I said the Saints have lost a good deal of their depth! But, leave it to a Saints fan to say that a bunch of journeymen and rookies are upgrades!
FalconsFan284
June 17th, 2010
10:47 pm
4ever—-First of all, just because some Saints fan says something is a fact doesn’t make it so. Why not read Athlon or Lindy’s or ESPN or NFL.com about the Saints and see that all of them agree with what I’ve been writing. As a matter of fact, several publications have the Saints getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs or not getting in at all. Also, each one of them has sighted the defense as the reason for the downfall. Why don’t you form your own opinion instead of waiting for some Saints fan to do it for you?
Tim Hudson: Braves were too 'passive' in past seasons | Jeff Schultz
June 18th, 2010
8:56 am
[...] ♦ Rankings that matter: Falcons are better than Saints [...]
JBFALCON
June 18th, 2010
12:17 pm
I just finished this entire blog. There wasn’t three ounces of fact in the whole thing. H Saint sounds like my first wife. Full of hot air and untrue statements. Anything for an argument. Why don’t you move up to Wisconsin and look her up?
Ryans and Burners and Bears, Oh my! | NFL Touchdown
June 18th, 2010
8:38 pm
[...] writer Jeff Schultz got in on the Falcons love with his article about how the Falcons are a better team than the Saints. Bold statement considering the Saints just [...]
YeahISaidIt
June 19th, 2010
2:38 pm
Let’s hope the oil spill doesn’t influence the officials this year, the way Katrina did, or we’ll get a double-whammy with the Saints and the Bucaneers.
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
June 19th, 2010
2:40 pm
Saints will suck this year. Back to normal for them.
NOLA
June 19th, 2010
2:40 pm
Oh snap. look it’s bobby bouche QB of the ‘ cons. ‘cons are expert chokers.
Saints are your daddy. get used to it.
bow down and show some effing respect to your daddy before you get your rear ends kicked again.
sean
June 19th, 2010
6:21 pm
Oh – I agree with the guy from Dallas……….the Falcons are soooooooo much better than the Saints…………It was such a fluke………right……..
Jim Norton
June 19th, 2010
6:47 pm
Falcons biggest joke in the nfl. Falcons fans talk so much junk when you guys win a play off game then yoyu can say something. Saints are the world champions and when did Atlanta win their last super Bowl. Saints the best football team in America.
kkong
June 19th, 2010
6:51 pm
These are the Falcons, man…losers. A winning season twice in a row? Get serious.
Martin
June 19th, 2010
6:57 pm
You falcants fans fall for anything. That guy in all likely hood picked Dallas to win the super bowl last year and the year before and the year before. Until you guys win a super bowl shut the hell up. The falcants will be at the bottom of the division again. Stop with all this talk about the refs this and Katrina that. The saints won the super bowl because they were the better team. I’m tired of hearing all this bs about well if the falcants had all their players we would have beat the saints twice. Hell if I had just picked the right numbers for the power ball I would be rich. Then somebody else made the comment about all of the saints fans living in Atlanta riding around with their saints banners etc on the vehicles. We can do that because we are the world champions flaunting our world championship banners on the enemy turf. You know as well as me that nobody is from Atlanta that lives there. Oh and by the way if you guys support your team so well, why is it that the falcants ticket office iis calling my phone trying to get me to buy season tickets? Remember until your team gets to party with the Lombardi like the saints, shut the he’ll up. You falcants fans are a bunch of haters. Don’t hate the saints, hate the game. Remember the saints are 7-1 against the falcants the last 8 games. With that said, until your sorry team wins a super bowl, SHUT THE HELL UP
truth
June 19th, 2010
7:00 pm
I guess we wil all have to wait on see………………………………..the Falcons but a country woop’n on tha aints cajun A**ES! We’ll stomp a mud hole in your butt and walk it dry!! Bring it on you little Nawlean pansies!!! There ae only two things that come from Nawleans…..a queer and his roommate.
rekingball
June 19th, 2010
7:12 pm
The saints fans are really insecure about their teams future, if they get so defensesive about a preseason ranking from a guy in Dallas.
But the definition of a REAL LOSER is a person that puts up five posts in a row, using five different handles…..@2:10pm thru 6:57pm.
rekingball
June 19th, 2010
7:18 pm
And all of the posts from Martin, kkong, Horton, sean, and NOLA, look like the same dribblings, that come from hiramsaint.
Punk style AT QB #2
June 19th, 2010
7:34 pm
hype hype punk style hype they sure want this guy to shine. he is no sun just a small moon! reflector of light . Blank must be paying some body off . Ryan can not take a hit and when he does he punk all the way out , teams know that just watch and see!!!
Atlanta Falcons Talk » Blog Archive » Saturday Six Pack 6/19/10
June 20th, 2010
1:02 am
[...] to enrage everyone who’s apparently never watched two consecutive seasons of football, Adam’s uncle has found a list that has the Falcons as the league’s 7th-best team – one spot ahead of the defending champs. We go through this crap every single year: [...]
Falcons are 7th in New Power Rankings | Blogging Dirty | An Atlanta Falcons Blog
June 21st, 2010
3:01 am
[...] Jeff Schultz of the AJC flexes his journalist muscles and talks to Rick Gosselin about the piece. [...]
IN ATL
July 23rd, 2010
7:55 am
Im sure some of the Aints fan will be the first to whine if the Saints do poorly and offer every excuse that they say can be used by fans of other teams
I really expect the Saint to have the same post Super Bowl Season at the Steelers did a few years back..
IN ATL
July 23rd, 2010
8:03 am
I agree hiramsaint is in midschool or he doesnt seemt o know his use of grammer is from mid school
IN ATL
July 23rd, 2010
8:07 am
hiramsaint “”you”" didnt win a thing, youre not on the team youre just a bandwagon fan using the the fact they wom the super bowl to brag about to make up for what you lack
next year you will be on to another team saying “we”