Rankings cross-posted at sk7326's personal site:
When I heard the news that Al Davis passed away - I am sure my reaction was not uncommon - "Al Davis can be killed?" Opinions can vary on his efficacy in manning the Raiders the last 10 years, but there is no doubt that he is the last of a breed of football men in a way that NFL Films and such have long created legend around. You know what I mean: Landry, Noll, Walsh, Halas, Lombardi ... Al Davis surely fits in the same vein of names that are instantly identifiable with a franchise, a way. And Al Davis was not the spoiled, "starting life on third base" kazillionaire that is the subject of so much rightful ire. He learned the football business from the ground up - and worked his way into the top seat. Certainly no other owner - perhaps in sport - is as intimately connected to the enterprise as Davis was. He was also the first owner to hire an African-American head coach, and a Latino head coach ... whether it was due to a commitment to excellence, a commitment to diversity or because he wanted to be the person to do something like that. It is amazing to envision a Raiders without him.
After another week of action, we get the fourth number one in four weeks, with Detroit just sneaking to the top even with both they and Green Bay hanging up excellent prime time performances. Green Bay is a bit shackled by the disappointing performance to date of the Falcons, while Detroit's opponents have created a slight schedule advantage that is paying off for now. With the first bye week in the books, we started to see more movement, usually related to prior opposition either going up or down in stature. As always, the power ranking is a total comparison of teams on schedule adjusted winning percentage, schedule adjusted scoring margin, record vs good teams, record vs common opponents and head to head. So, what do the rankings hold for this week?
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