Kicking off the mailbag a bit differently in honor of the upcoming election week…

From a reader named CJ (no location given): Keep politics out of the football arena! It's bad enough musicians are getting into it. Let's have sports writers stick to what they know.

This was my first e-mail last Friday morning. My 'political comment' was that with the Red Sox and Pats doing well, and John Kerry making a White House run, New Englanders could be in for a nice autumn.

Well, I could take this e-mail this way: I could go on and on about people being overly-sensitive, or in this case, simply seeking a reason to comment. I could explain how I never tried passing my own political views and all I did was mention a Presidential candidate's name. I could say that it is a simple fact that New England is very pro-Kerry and that he will get the vast majority of the votes up there. I could try and tell everyone that being a football writer doesn't mean I know nothing about the world around me (much like being a lawyer or teacher doesn't mean you can't play fantasy football). I could tell everyone about how I would never use footballguys as a forum to spout my own political views, and that I didn't do that here. I could do all that. But talking about politics tends to get you in trouble, so I won't say any of those things.

On to the rest of the mailbag…

Rob from Philadelphia writes: Well...first of all the Dallas Cowboys really should be around 20. I just don't think they can be ranked above the Texans, the Packers and yes, even the Lions. Bill Parcells has totally lost control of his team. He trades away a bad guy and problem player for ANOTHER bad guy and problem player. And yes, I'm sorry....you DID pick them to win the East. They aren't sneaking up on ANYONE this year. You can credit my $5 bucks to next year's subscription please.

Might we have an Eagles bias Robert from Philly? I'll go on the assumption that you do not, and that this is merely your objective opinion of the state of the Cowboys. But it probably doesn't matter if you're biased or not. In all honesty, it's pretty close to my opinion at this point as well. While I feel the statement that Parcells has lost control is a little strong, I do think that last week's trade was a curious one that seems to fill neither a short-term nor long-term hole. The defense is playing extremely poorly, the offense was never a strength to begin with, and Parcells has shown some early-season cracks that we aren't used to seeing. This team, as you'll see, will take a big tumble this week, and won't be moving back up too high until/unless they show some great big signs of life.

And about the $5…the check's in the mail.

Paul in Detroit writes: "Don't look now, but those illegitimate Lions are trying to make another rise in the rankings.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. There are illegitimate Lions in Detroit? Someone's got some explaining to do! There are bigger problems than the quality of the football team, I see!

About the Lions on the field. They are indeed trying to make another rise in the standings. And, based on my current rankings, they just beat a quality team in the New York Giants. But just keep in mind that the Lions are coming off a stinker at the hands of the then-struggling Packers and took out a Giants team known for being notoriously sluggish following the bye week. If the Lions can put something together here, I'll be a bigger believer. And it's a good first step for them. But I won't be jumping them up all that highly this week just because of a win over the Giants.

Future questions/comments/rants should be sent to: [email protected]. Please be sure to include your name and hometown/home state so I can properly credit you in the article.

Rank…Team……...W/L…(Last week)

1. New England Patriots 6-0 (1)
   I know it's been mentioned plenty, but doesn't it seem like this streak is underrated?



2. Philadelphia Eagles 6-0 (3)
   First non-impressive win of the year. They just keep on rolling, though.



3. Indianapolis Colts 4-2 (2)
   I hear Reggie Wayne was merely trying to do his best Alex Rodriguez impersonation.



4. Minnesota Vikings 5-1 (4)
   On behalf of all Randy Moss owners, I'd like to take this moment to give Mike Tice the finger.



5. Jacksonville Jaguars 5-2 (7)
   How about THAT for a statement?!?



6. Denver Broncos 5-2 (5)
   Even the good teams hiccup every now and then. This was theirs.



7. New York Jets 5-1 (9)
   In position to win late, but came up just short. Haven't we heard this one before?



8. Baltimore Ravens 4-2 (10)
   If Ogden doesn't get back healthy soon, this team may not make the playoffs.



9. Pittsburgh Steelers 5-1 (11)
   Welcome back to your schedule, boys. Next up, here are the Patriots. Enjoy.



10. Seattle Seahawks 3-3 (6)
    Seattle is fantasy football's version of the Colorado Rockies with their home/road splits.



11. Atlanta Falcons 5-2 (8)
    Feely has 15 extra points this year in 7 games. Lawrence Tynes had 8 last week.



12. New York Giants 4-2 (12)
    That was, dare I say it? A Fassel-esque performance against Detroit.



13. San Diego Chargers 4-3 (14)
    A blowout win on the road against last year's NFC Champs? I'm listening…



14. Saint Louis Rams 4-3 (13)
    Anyone who loses to the Dolphins has some serious explaining to do.



15. Green Bay Packers 3-4 (17)
    If Favre can maintain his focus, the Pack still have enough time to make some noise.



16. Detroit Lions 4-2 (18)
    Every time I'm ready to completely write them off, they stick around.



17. Houston Texans 3-3 (19)
    George Bush is from the Houston area. Just testing. :



18. Cleveland Browns 3-4 (20)
    'Almost' only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades…and Power Rankings.



19. Dallas Cowboys 2-4 (15)
    Parcells blamed everyone but his band for last week's loss.



20. Kansas City Chiefs 2-4 (26)
    Horrible teams don't usually beat good teams 56-10. Let's see what we've got here.



21. New Orleans Saints 3-4 (22)
    Theme of 2004 Saints: "Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in."



22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-5 (27)
    It's not quite interesting yet, but the Bucs are playing MUCH better recently.



23. Cincinnati Bengals 2-4 (29)
    See what a difference Peter Warrick makes?



24. Tennessee Titans 2-5 (16)
    You had to know sooner or later that a head coach with a mustache like that would start losing.



25. Carolina Panthers 1-5 (21)
    Hi Panthers, I'm thinking of taking a vacation to rock bottom and I wondered what it was like.



26. Oakland Raiders 2-5 (23)
    Losing at home to the Saints is about as low as you can go.



27. Washington Redskins 2-4 (24)
    With their remaining schedule, a loss this week all but ensures no playoffs.



28. Buffalo Bills 1-5 (25)
    Get spanked by a Jamal-less Ravens team? Perhaps I actually OVERESTIMATED this bunch.



29. San Francisco 49ers 1-5 (28)
    Nothing new here. Montana, Rice, Craig all still retired so the Niners aren't going anywhere.



30. Arizona Cardinals 2-4 (31)
    It may not happen now, but this team, for the first time ever, is headed in the right direction.



31. Chicago Bears 1-5 (30)
    I actually know the problem with the Bears' offense. They just aren't any good.



32. Miami Dolphins 1-6 (32)
    One win does not negate six horrible losses just yet.

Super Shufflers Of the Week (+)

1. Kansas City Chiefs +6…Suffice it to say, I can't figure this team out.



2. Cincinnati Bengals +6…The win last week presents them with a great opportunity to build on the momentum. The playoffs are still within reach, believe it or not.



3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers +5…With Atlanta getting drubbed, the Panthers playing terribly, and the Saints being the Saints, there is a tiny glimmer of hope for a second-half surge for them.

Plungers Of the Week (-)

1. Tennessee Titans -8…That was the bottom falling out



2. Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks (tied) -4….How do you like that? Even MORE teams from last year's playoffs that are struggling. The only thing wacky about the NFL every year is that we are somehow surprised that the good teams don't always remain good.