NFL End Of Regular Season

I am not going to do my weekly Power Rankings this week. The week 17 games were mostly meaningless and so I decided my Power Rankings would remain the same as they were in Week 16. I would like to make some week 17 observations, though.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) I just don't know what to think of Vince Young. I see some really nice talent there, and I also see some really good decision making occasionally. But, his inconsistency is incredible and it isn't getting better. I honestly think the Titans looked better this year with Kerry Collins in the backfield. I'm not ready to give up on Vince yet, but I'm not holding my breath.

2) I'm not sure what to think of Derek Anderson, either. He is the AFC Pro Bowl alternate at the quarterback position, but his numbers aren't actually that great. He did pass for 29 touchdowns this season, but he also had 19 interceptions and only completed 56.5% of his passes. His 19 interceptions rank him 29th out of the 33 statistically relevant NFL quarterbacks and his 56.5 % completion percentage ranks him 28th. Plus, his numbers actually got worse in the 2nd half of the season. I'm not convinced he is the long term solution in Cleveland. I hope the Browns decide to keep both Anderson and Quinn for at least 1 more year.

3) Jim Sorgi may be the worst quarterback I have ever seen in an NFL uniform. And yes, I am old enough to remember the strike year when the "Scabs" played. The Colts would be lucky to win 3 games during a 16 game season with Sorgi at the helm. I honestly don't know what Dungy and Polian see in Jim. The Colts will be totally screwed if anything ever happens to Peyton Manning.

4) Brian Billick deserved to get the axe in Baltimore, but not based solely on this season. The guy is supposed to be some kind of offensive guru, but he has had something like 13 different starting quarterbacks in 9 years and the defense is still the strongest part of that team. The Ravens are getting old on defense and I think their window is closing. I applaud the ownership for making a very difficult decision that needed to be made.

5) The Dolphins fired GM Randy Mueller today. I guess we're about to find out if Bill Parcells really is as good as advertised. The Dolphins are a complete mess on offense as far as talent is concerned, and their defense is getting really old. Don't be surprised if you see a lot of new faces on the roster next year.

6) I really don't see any major upsets in this year's playoffs. But, you never know. I think New England has the best shot at winning the Super Bowl, with Indy as the 2nd strongest team, Jacksonville as #3, Dallas as #4, and Green Bay as #5.

7) There are more than a few teams in the NFL who will probably be looking to improve their quarterback situation next year. And, there doesn't appear to be any real strong quarterbacks available in this year's draft. Check out Scout.com's NFL draft rankings. It could be an interesting offseason.

8) OK, remember you heard this here first. I am going to go out on a limb and predict that the New England Patriots will become the first team in NFL history to go undefeated in back to back seasons. I just checked out their preliminary schedule for next season and it looks like it will be easier than the one they faced this year. The teams in the AFC East are scheduled to face the AFC West and the NFC West next season. In addition, the Patriots will also have to play Indy and Pittsburgh. So, New England's schedule for next season will include these games:

Patriots Home Games: Denver (7-9), Kansas City (4-12), Arizona (8-8), St. Louis (3-13), Pittsburgh (10-6), Miami (1-15), Buffalo (7-9), and the Jets (4-12).

Patriots Away Games: Oakland (4-12), San Diego (11-5), San Francisco (5-11), Seattle (10-6), Indy (13-3), Miami (1-15), Buffalo (7-9), and the Jets (4-12).

As you can see, the Patriots will only be facing 4 teams next season that finished the '07 season with winning records. Like I said, I think the Patriots have a pretty decent shot at becoming the only team in NFL history to go undefeated in back to back seasons.