Sept. 30 | Mort's Week 4 Top-Five Lists
Editor's Note: Chris Mortensen offers his NFL top-five lists for the month of September.
The month of September, I'm not sure what it means. I'm reasonably certain that the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals will fight it out for the No. 1 pick in the draft next April. I'm pretty sure that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans are locks for the playoffs, barring impact injuries.
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| Mike Tice |
I think the Minnesota Vikings, led by coach Mike Tice, are for real -- but I have to admit I want to see more. Same for the Seattle Seahawks. I like the way Steve Spurrier is coaching the Washington Redskins, and they have enough impact players on both sides of the football to make a run.
I'm disappointed in the Buffalo Bills, who I thought were for real, but now they have me guessing and doubting. The Pittsburgh Steelers, too, have more talent than their .500 record.
The Baltimore Ravens' offense is painful to watch, except for running back Jamal Lewis, so the defense will have to be better than advertised. I'll keep my eye on the Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles during the next month to see what they're all about. I'll smile as coach Bill Parcells makes all of his sideline peers very uneasy with his work with the Dallas Cowboys.
And even though you will see Bill Belichick's name nowhere on any of my top five lists below, he's still coaching his tail off with a decimated New England Patriots roster -- even if one hit (Lawyer Milloy) was self-inflicted.
As for my Super Bowl picks at the end of September, I'm sticking with the Bucs and Chiefs, but the Colts have my attention.
Best Team
1. Chiefs
2. Colts
3. Bucs
4. Broncos
5a. Vikings
5b. Panthers
Offensive MVP (2 x 5)
1. Peyton Manning, QB, Colts
2. Dante Hall, KR-WR, Chiefs
3. Steve McNair, QB, Titans
4. Stephen Davis, RB, Panthers
5. Randy Moss, WR, Vikings
6. Ricky Williams, RB, Dolphins
7. Jamal Lewis, RB, Ravens
8. Priest Holmes, RB, Chiefs
9. Clinton Portis, RB, Broncos
10. Laveranues Coles, WR, Redskins
Defensive MVP (2 x 5)
1. Champ Bailey, CB, Redskins
2. Simeon Rice, DE, Bucs
3. Trevor Pryce, DL, Broncos
4. Ray Lewis, LB, Ravens
5. Keith Bulluck, LB, Titans
6. Mike Rucker, DE, Panthers
7. Warren Sapp, DT, Bucs
8. Kendrell Bell, LB, Steelers
9. Jason Taylor, DE, Dolphins
10. David Thornton, LB, Colts
Best Rookies (2 x 5)
1. Ken Hamlin, S, Seahawks
2. Anquan Boldin, WR, Cardinals
3. Kevin Williams, DL, Vikings
4. Mike Doss, S, Colts
5. Andre Johnson, WR, Texans
6. Terrell Suggs, DE/LB, Ravens
7. Charles Rogers, WR, Lions
8. Nick Barnett, LB, Packers
9. Terence Newman, CB, Cowboys
10. Marcus Trufant, CB, Seahawks
Coach of the Month (2 x 5)
1. Mike Tice, Vikings
2. Tony Dungy, Colts
3. Dick Vermeil, Chiefs
4. John Fox, Panthers
5. Mike Holmgren, Seahawks
6. Bill Parcells, Cowboys
7. Mike Shanahan, Broncos
8. Jeff Fisher, Titans
9. Steve Spurrier, Redskins
10. Dom Capers, Texans
Coaches' Hot Seat*
1. Dick Jauron, Bears
2. Jim Haslett, Saints
3. Herm Edwards, Jets
4. Marty Schottenheimer, Chargers
5. Dan Reeves, Falcons
6. Butch Davis, Browns
7. Dennis Erickson, 49ers
8. Dave McGinnis, Cardinals
9. Mike Martz, Rams
10. Gregg Williams, Bills
* This is not necessarily a "firing" forecast
