Thanks to those who wrote in to wish me a happy holiday. The feeling is quite mutual. Though that probably goes without saying. I mean, what kind of person would I be if someone said, "Merry Christmas" to me and then I turned around and say, "I hope you have a horrible day." That'd be sort of going against the Christmas spirit now, wouldn't it?

Of course, I was enjoying my Christmas weekend greatly, as evidenced by the brownie-shaped gut that now hangs over my sweatpants (yeah I pretty much wear sweatpants and pajama pants all the time. I figure it's important you guys get to know me as much as possible so we can bond and yada yada yada). So like I was saying, I'd been enjoying the weekend and all that good stuff when suddenly, I saw that the Chargers were currently blitzing the Colts. Despite my pick of Indy to cover the 7-point spread, I of course still held out hope that the boys could go into the dome and come away with a win. After hearing all about how they wouldn't be able to beat any good teams, it was amazing to see them go into Indy, against a team that needed the win, one of the NFL's elite. And you better believe that they were rolling. ANNNNND then the Colts offense woke up. And special teams. And that was that. Tough one to take, but unless the Patriots lose this weekend (unlikely), the game wouldn't have made a difference in the standings anyway. All it means is that if the Chargers and Colts BOTH get out of round one and then BOTH win at Pittsburgh and New England, THEN the game will be played in Indianapolis rather than San Diego. So like I said, it shouldn't mean much. But man, woulda been nice.

As it stands, we're preparing for WWIII at the Brown household should San Diego get out of round one as expected. You see, my 22-year-old brother, Sean, is a giant Steelers fan, my brother-in-law Al is an even bigger fan going back to the glory days of the 1970s, and my 13-year-old brother Kevin's two favorite teams? Chargers and Steelers. So I guess he's got an internal WWIII of his own going on there. He's not a bandwagon jumper, but if/when he does officially pick one team between Pittsburgh and San Diego, it'll be sort of like officially siding with either Sean or I. It'll represent one of us having done a better job of raising him as a fan. So, in essence, to us he'll basically be picking which brother he likes better. As you can imagine, it's been a tough call. And I'm only maybe being sarcastic here.

As for the rankings this week, this may seem like a cop-out but I had a tough time finding much justification for moving many teams this week. In fact, the top fifteen are identical to what we saw a week ago. Either I'm THAT good, or the NFL "parity party" is in full swing. But I'll leave that decision up to you.

Rank…Team……...W/L…(Last week)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers 14-1 (1)
   Seriously, how many other players would give up a shot at 1,000 yards like Bettis has done?



2. Philadelphia Eagles 13-2 (2)
   Well, they won't move down based on that game but those starters better stay healthy!



3. New England Patriots 13-2 (3)
   Business as usual. In fact, their loss to Miami may have been horrible for the rest of the AFC.



4. Indianapolis Colts 12-3 (4)
   I know it was at home, which helps, but that's an impressive comeback anywhere.



5. San Diego Chargers 11-4 (5)
   MAN, they were THIS CLOSE to being number four heading into the playoffs!



6. New York Jets 10-5 (6)
   If we didn't know it already, last week's game would have proven they aren't elite.



7. Atlanta Falcons 11-4 (7)
   Do not confuse this edition of the Falcons with the one we'll see 2 ½ weeks from now.



8. Baltimore Ravens 8-7 (8)
   It just doesn't make sense. This is NOT an 8-7 team!



9. Jacksonville Jaguars 8-7 (9)
   Nor is this one!



10. Buffalo Bills 9-6 (10)
    Awhile back, I said to watch for them in '05. Appears I underestimated them by a bit.



11. Denver Broncos 9-6 (11)
    If they get in, there isn't a rational person out there who thinks they're anything but 1 and done.



12. Green Bay Packers 9-6 (12)
    Favre says he'll play and if he's hurt, he's hurt. Something tells me Packer fans feel differently.



13. Minnesota Vikings 8-7 (13)
    If they do, in fact, get in, they have a good shot at going far. But they do need to, uh, get in.



14. Carolina Panthers 7-8 (14)
    Though it would prove me incredibly wrong, I'll be rooting for them Sunday.



15. Cincinnati Bengals 7-8 (15)
    2003=2004.



16. Houston Texans 7-8 (18)
    Based on expectations, a .500 finish would be a very big accomplishment.



17. Dallas Cowboys 6-9 (16)
    I'm calling it now: 2005 starting quarterback - Kurt Warner, Northern Iowa.



18. Kansas City Chiefs 7-8 (19)
    Based on expectations, a .500 finish (at best) is already a very big disappointment.



19. Saint Louis Rams 7-8 (21)
    I know the turf is a contributing factor, but doesn't Steven Jackson seem to get hurt a LOT?



20. Seattle Seahawks 8-7 (22)
    Can you imagine a baseball team going 81-81 and winning its division? This is not good.



21. New Orleans Saints 7-8 (23)
    I'm really hoping I won't have to save this Saints joke until 2005. But they keep winning.



22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-10 (17)
    Just found an article today about Brad Johnson. I had completely forgotten about him!



23. Washington Redskins 5-10 (20)
    They'll end up 5-11, with just enough losses to mask what is actually a decent foundation.



24. Oakland Raiders 5-10 (24)
    Funny how the Raiders may 'rebuild' around 32-year-old Kerry Collins.



25. Detroit Lions 6-9 (26)
    The talk surrounding Harrington reminds me of someone…uhhh, Drew somebody. Brees?



26. Tennessee Titans 4-11 (25)
    In Week two, I said I expected the end of the era. But I was thinking closer to 7-9, 8-8.



27. Chicago Bears 5-10 (27)
    Easy there, Thomas Jones. Any more good games might kill your great value for '05.



28. Arizona Cardinals 5-10 (28)
    What sort of franchise uses 3 high picks on WRs in two years but never gets someone to throw it?



29. Miami Dolphins 4-11 (29)
    One of the few 4-11 teams you'll see that has legitimate hope for the next season.



30. New York Giants 5-10 (30)
    If Tiki Barber gets another 1-yard TD after Shockey is tackled at the 1, my head may explode.



31. Cleveland Browns 3-12 (31)
    I have an idea! Let's get Kelly Holcomb some PT. Why? I don't know, I really do not know.



32. San Francisco 49ers 2-13 (32)
    What more can be said besides wait til '06? (and no, that's not a typo).

Super Shufflers Of the Week (+)

1. Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, Saint Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints (tied) +2…..with such little movement at the top and bottom, the middle teams had to be shuffled merely based on this week's results. Though the Rams are much better now that Bulger's back.

Plungers Of the Week (-)

1. Tampa Bay Bucs -5…..With a few more bounces in their direction, that 5-10 record could be reversed. WAY too many close losses is a poor reflection on the coaching staff.



2. Washington Redskins -3…..I didn't want to move them down because I don't think they're that bad, but I can't keep them ahead of teams like the Saints who are actually winning games when they need to.



3. Several teams (tied) -1…..Not enough of a drop to warrant mentioning.