Fleece & Flog's NFL Top Five: Week 9

Well, it's safe to say the Bears bandwagon just lost a whole bunch of posers. In fact I'm pretty sure most of the country outside of Chicago doesn't think the Bears have what it takes to win it all. And this is after only one loss and one close call. But the proof is in the pudding as they say, and the close call and loss were to awful teams, and Rex Grossman looked like the recipient of an evil postcard from the bad guy in Saw III. The team that was perfect in every phase of the game fell apart in every phase of the game, and now injuries will make even more people doubt the ascension to lofty heights of Chicago's beloved Bear.

But not this here blogger. I'm still of the opinion that the defense can shut down just about any team even if the safeties' Houdini act against Miami was more than just a cruel parlor trick. The corners have played well enough this season that if the Bears needed to shift Peanut Tilman to safety to help playing the run, they could get away with it with better results than many would originally think. Jerry Angelo has provided this team with more than enough depth to make up for the loss of Mike Brown, and maybe this team is already used to being without its best run stuffer since he never seems to spend a whole season on the playing field. (The Bears should just sign him now as a coach cuz that's obviously where he's headed.)

Let's not forget the offense has proven winner Bob Griese, I mean Brian Griese, waiting in the wings for the change that seems all but inevitable. By the way, do you think father Bob called up son Brian, asked him over for dinner and then proceeded to gloat over last Sunday's Miami loss to keep his 1972 Dolphins one Indy loss from still being the only undefeated team in the Superbowl era? Who wouldn't pay to be a fly on the wall during that conversation? Father Brian pulls out the old 1972 Dolphins collectible dinnerware, he puts on his bright and shiny bling ring, takes down family pictures and replaces them with snapshots of 1972, and he invites Bob Kuechenberg over to wax poetic about the fun of being undefeated. Oepidus Rex would have to be renamed Brian's Song of Death, the massacre would be so bloody.

Well, as I said, I'm not jumping off the Bears' bandwagon although my rankings will reflect a new #1 team.

Onto the rankings---------------------------------

1. Indianapolis Colts (8-0): Consecutive defeats over Denver and New England guarantee a few more months of Manning fellatio until he fails again in the big one that counts.
2. Da Bears (7-1): Never has the status of a few toes been of such a big concern since WGN decided to take Bozo off the air. Get well soon, Brian.
3. San Diego Chargers (6-2): LaDainian Tomlinson and NIU alum Michael Turner are the main reason for the leapfrogging of the Broncos. SD will ride those horses a very long way especially with Manic Marty at the helm.
4. Denver Broncos (6-2): Still a damn good defense playing in the Rockies. I can't wait to see them attempt to stop the Chargers' run game.
5. Baltimore Ravens (6-2): They get this spot over the Saints and the Giants by virtue of wins over NO and the Bengals. Ray Lewis is quietly (is that possible) having a great season.

It's midseason and the bye weeks are over; and I haven't been this hopeful since, well, last season. But the Bears may need a little Griese to get by.