VanFulpen’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 6

1. New York Jets (5-1) – The Jets defense is outstanding along with a very offense.

2. New England Patriots (4-1) – The Patriots won in overtime against the Ravens.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) – The Steelers got quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back and still have their great defense they are going to be hard to beat this season.

4. Baltimore Ravens (4-2) – The Ravens lost a very close game against the Patriots.

5. Indianapolis Colts (4-2) – There is news that tight end Dallas Clark might be out for a while and if so that will hurt the Colts offense.

6. New York Giants (4-2) – Right now the Giants are the best team in the NFC and they can take out the Cowboys this Monday Night.

7. New Orleans Saints (4-2) – The Saints are rounding in to form.

8. Atlanta Falcons (4-2) – The Falcons didn’t look very good against the Eagles.

9. Houston Texans (4-2) – Great last second win against the Chiefs.

10. Tennessee Titans (4-2) – Vince Young got hurt on Monday Night but the Titans where still able to beat the Jaguars.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) – The Eagles and Kevin Kolb rolled over the Falcons.

12. Chicago Bears (4-2) – The Bears have to fix their offensive line.

13. Miami Dolphins (3-2) – The Dolphins where able to go to Green Bay and beat the Packers.

14. Arizona Cardinals (3-2) – The Cardinals are coming off their bye.

15. Seattle Seahawks (3-2) – The Seahawks where able to go into Chicago and beat the Bears.

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) – Tampa Bay was is starting to come back to where we thought they where.

17. Kansas City Chiefs (3-2) – A heart breaking lose in the last seconds against the Texans.

18. Green Bay Packers (3-3) – The Packers injuries are starting to catch up with them.

19. Washington Redskins (3-3) – The Redskins are still a work in progress.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) – The Jaguars didn’t look good on Monday Night against the Titans.

21. St. Louis Rams (3-3) – Can the Rams win the NFC West?

22. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) – The Bengals are coming off their bye.

23. Minnesota Vikings (2-3) – This week is Farve vs. the Packers Part 3.

24. Oakland Raiders (2-4) – The Raiders really need to find a quarterback.

25. San Diego Chargers (2-4) – The Chargers have to start putting some wins together or they will be left out of the playoffs this year.

26. Denver Broncos (2-4) – Good thing the Broncos play in the AFC West cause they still have a shot to win the division.

27. Dallas Cowboys (1-4) – Monday Night against the Giants is a must win.

28. San Francisco 49ers (1-5) – If the 49ers can get on a roll they still can win the NFC West.

29. Detroit Lions (1-5) – After their bye it looks like Matthew Stafford should be back.

30. Cleveland Browns (1-5) – Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy should get his second start.

31. Carolina Panthers (0-5) – It might be a long season for the Panthers.

32. Buffalo Bills (0-5) – The Bills will play hard this whole season but when it said and done they will be pick 1st in the 2011 NFL Draft.

VanFulpen's NFL Week 6 Winners

Seattle at Chicago 1:00 PM FOX - WINNER: BEARS

Miami at Green Bay 1:00 PM CBS - WINNER: PACKERS

San Diego at St. Louis 1:00 PM CBS – WINNER: CHARGERS

Baltimore at New England 1:00 PM CBS – WINNER: RAVENS

New Orleans at Tampa Bay 1:00 PM FOX – WINNER: SAINTS

Detroit at NY Giants 1:00 PM FOX – WINNER: GIANTS

Atlanta at Philadelphia 1:00 PM FOX – WINNER: FALCONS

Cleveland at Pittsburgh 1:00 PM CBS – WINNER: STEELERS

Kansas City at Houston 1:00 PM CBS – WINNER: TEXANS

Oakland at San Francisco 4:05 PM CBS – WINNER: 49ERS

NY Jets at Denver 4:05 PM CBS – WINNER: JETS

Dallas at Minnesota 4:15 PM FOX – WINNER: VIKINGS

Indianapolis at Washington 8:20 PM NBC – WINNER: COLTS

Tennessee at Jacksonville 8:30 PM ESPN (Monday Night) – WINNER: TITANS

Last Week – 7-7

This Season – 43-33

VanFulpen’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 4

1. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) – Only reason they are number in the power
ranking is because they are the only undefeated team.

2. New Orleans Saints (3-1) – They won another close game they are as explosive as they where last year on offense.

3. Green Bay Packers (3-1) – They got back on track against the Lions.

4. Houston Texans (3-1) – Beat Oakland without wide receiver Andre Johnson.

5. Baltimore Ravens (3-1) – Quarterback Joe Flacco was able to lead the Ravens to a last minute win against the Steelers.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) – Lost in the last minute to the Ravens but now they get their quarterback back.

7. New York Jets (3-1) – The Jets keep things rolling against the Bills.

8. New England Patriots (3-1) – The Patriots went down to Miami and look care of the Dolphins.

9. Chicago Bears (3-1) – The Bears could block the New York Giants and couldn’t do anything on offense.

10. Atlanta Falcons (3-1) – The Falcons found a way to win against the 49ers.

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) – Had their bye this past week.

12. Indianapolis Colts (2-2) – The Colts lost on an end of the game 59 yard field goal against the Jaguars.

13. San Diego Chargers (2-2) – The Chargers where able to roll against the Arizona Cardinals at home.

14. New York Giants (2-2) – Their defensive line dominating the game against the Bears this week.

15. Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) – The Bengals have to get their offense going on their hopes of making the playoffs in back to back season might not be a reality.

16. Tennessee Titans (2-2) – The Titans have been up and down this season and they need to find a way to get Chris Johnson off and running.

17. Miami Dolphins (2-2) – Back-to-back losses at home against divisional teams not a great way to start off the season.

18. Washington Redskins (2-2) – Donovan McNabb was able to go back to Philadelphia and get a win.

19. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) – The Eagles might have lost Michael Vick for a few weeks, if so it could be a rough stretch for the Eagles.

20. Seattle Seahawks (2-2) – The Seahawks are so up and down this season and if they could play consistent they could have a chance to win the NFC West.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) – A huge win at home against the Indianapolis Colts.

22. Denver Broncos (2-2) – The Broncos where able to make enough plays to beat the Titans.

23. St. Louis Rams (2-2) – The Rams have won back to back games, can they make it three in a row, well they are playing the Lions this week.

24. Arizona Cardinals (2-2) – The Cardinals went to Max Hall at quarterback after Derrick Anderson was ineffective against the Chargers.

25. Minnesota Vikings (1-2) – Had their bye this past week.

26. Dallas Cowboys (1-2) – Had their bye this past week.

27. Oakland Raiders (1-3) – Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski just isn’t the answer in Oakland and they will be looking for another quarterback this off-season.

28. Cleveland Browns (1-3) – The Browns were able to steal a win against the Bengals this past week.

29. San Francisco 49ers (0-4) – The 49ers might be 0-4 but in the NFC West they still have a chance but must turn it around this week against the Eagles.

30. Detroit Lions (0-4) – Lions fans can’t wait to get quarterback Matthew Stafford back.

31. Carolina Panthers (0-4) – The Panthers had a chance against the Saints but just couldn’t make the plays at the end to win the game.

32. Buffalo Bills (0-4) – The Bills will play hard this whole season but when it said and done they will be pick 1st in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Power Ranking Number 1: Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts where the favorite going into last years Super Bowl and many think that they will be back again this season. The biggest reason is the best quarterback in the NFL right which is Peyton Manning. Manning has been doing it for so long as such a high level no one thinking anything will be different this season. He also is getting back another weapon on offense in wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez who missed all of last season after injuring his knee in the first game of the season. Because of his injury both Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie step up in the passing last season. The Colts number one receiver Reggie Wayne still is a great receiver and last season he caught 100 passes for 1,264 and 10 touchdowns. Another big time weapon for Manning is tight end Dallas Cark who last season who also caught 100 passes for 1,106 and 10 touchdowns. Running back Donald Brown goes into his second season and him along with Joseph Addai make a nice one-two punch running the football and also being able to catch the ball out of the back field.

Defensive end Dwight Freeney is the leader on the defense and wasn’t 100 percent healthy in the Super Bowl last season. The Colts drafted defensive end Jerry Hughes to add more depth and more passing rushing to their defense and he could be Freeney possible replacement down the road. Linebacker Gary Brackett resigned in the off-season and the Colts need his leadership and experience in their defense to be able to make another Super Bowl run. Safety Bob Sanders is an outstanding player and a difference maker in the secondary when he is healthy but that is the key him being healthy.

The Colts have all the talent on both sides of the ball to make it back to the Super Bowl, but many of the Super Bowl loser in the past haven’t even made the playoffs the following year after they lost the Super Bowl, I don’t think that will be the case with the Colts.

Southern Illinois Karim not a sleeper anymore

Southern Illinois running back Deji Karim came into the NFL Draft process without a lot of fan fare, but he is one of the fast rising players as we lead up to the NFL Draft. He was one of the NFL Draft sleepers when he first arrived in El Paso, TX for the Texas vs. the Nation game, but he is a sleeper no more.

Karim this past season rushed for 1,694 yard and 18 touchdowns averaging 7.1 yards per carry. He also caught 17 passes for 212 yards and 1 touchdown averaging 12.5 per reception. He was invited to play in the Texas vs. the Nation game, but was given an invite to the NFL Combine.

“At first it was a disappointment (not to get invited to the NFL Combine), but I knew I had to do something at my Pro Day to open their (NFL scouts) eyes,” said Karim.

Karim did just that at his Pro Day, where he, out jumped the best running back in Indianapolis by two inches in the vertical jump (43 inches). Karim measured in at 5-8 1/2, 209 pounds and ran the 40 yard dash in 4.40 seconds, the short shuttle in 4.33 seconds, and the three-cone drill in 6.95 seconds. He measured a 10-foot-3 inch broad jump and did 19 reps of 225 pounds.

“I start training down in Florida even before the Texas vs. the Nation game, and it really helped me their and also get everything out of my ability to have a great Pro Day,” said Karim.

After his performance at the Texas vs. the Nation game and his Pro Day, people started to take notice of him and he end up having personal visiting with a number of teams including the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Indianapolis Colts.

But despite all the post season success that Karim is having he knows he can still improve.

“I need to work on my blocking, I have the effort but I need to improve on my technique,” said Karim. “I also need to work on my vision at the second level when I’m running the ball.”

With Karim being one of the fast risers on every teams draft board soon we will all find out what team he goes to.

S Mike Newton, Buffalo: Pro Day Star

Buffalo safety Mike Newton had a great pro day to open up the pro day schedule that NFL Scouts, GM and Head Coaches will be attending in the next month leading up to the NFL Draft. Newton who has started since his red-shirt freshman year was 5-10 197 pounds, ran a 4.46 and a 4.48, 40 yard dash, which would have been second for all safeties at the NFL Combine. He had a 41 inch vertical jump again which would have been tied for second among all safeties at the NFL Combine with USC Taylor Mays. He had a 10 foot broard jump, ran a 6.94 3 cone drill, a 4.17, 20 yard shuttle. The only thing that he didn’t do as well was the 225 bench, which he only had 9 reps.

There where 12 teams at the work which where the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and the Atlanta Falcons. He was also asked to defensive back drills by the Packers, Eagles, Bills, Browns, Jets and Saints.

New York Jets at Indianapolis Preview

Well a month ago many people didn’t even think that the Jets would make the playoffs and now they are one game away from the Super Bowl, and have to travel to Indianapolis and take on the Colts and the NFL’s MVP Peyton Manning. Well the match-up is the Colts offense one of the best in the NFL against the number one defense in the New York Jets. It is New York Jets cornerback Derelle Revis who many people thought was the defensive player of the year against Manning and the Colts receivers, including wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark, both Pro Bowl players.

People say that a great defense will be beat a great offense, well in the this game we have both so we will see if that is correct. The Jets want to run the football with running backs Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene and they have been effective this season doing that and should be able to run the football against the Colts. The Jets won’t ask rookie quarterback Marc Sanchez to do anything but manage the game and not turn the football over, but to do that they can’t get down early. On defense the Jets will blitz Manning and the Colts offense and try to get them to turn the football over to allow them to have a short field.

When the Colts have the football they know that the Jets are coming on the blitz and they will try to take away Manning number one target in wide receiver Reggie Wayne with cornerback Derelle Revis and force his young receiver to make plays. Last week the Baltimore Ravens wanted to run the football and the Colts defense stepped up and made the plays in the running game and I expect them to do that this week as well.

For the Jets to win the need to make plays in the passing game against the Colts young cornerbacks, if Sanchez is able to do that they the Jets will have a chance. But I expect the crowd noise and the pass rushers of the Colts namely defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis to make that very difficult and to help the Colts win the game and head to the Super Bowl.

Baltimore at Indianapolis Preview

Everyone has talked that since the Colts rested their starters the last two weeks of the regular season that they will lose this week, well not so fast. The Colts still have one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history in Peyton Manning, and the Ravens are going to have to beat him and the Colts. The Ravens have a very good running game and there plan will most likely try to run the football and keep Manning and the Colts offense off the field. Ravens running back Ray Rice will need to have another performance like he did last week against the Patriots for the Ravens to move on to the AFC Championship game.

The Ravens won last week not only because they did a great job running the football but they put pressure on Tom Brady and forced him to make mistakes as he turned the football over four times. If the Ravens force Manning to turn the football over four times they will be in a great position to move on. But I don’t see this happing, Manning has something that Brady didn’t have last week his number two receiver in tight end Dallas Clark. The Colts have more weapons in the passing game then the Patriots and they will look to take advantage of the Raven thin secondary on Saturday night.

In my option the NFL’s MVP Peyton Manning will be the difference maker as the Colts move on to the AFC Championship game.