NFL power poll
1. Patriots. Yes, Chuck Pagano's boneheaded play-call derailed what could have been a great win for the Colts, but you also have to give credit to the Patriots. New England marched into Indy and handled the Colts' best shot and walked out with a seven-point win that could have been more.
2. Packers. Aaron Rodgers is great. Seriously. That said, if you are a Packers fan are you concerned about San Diego throwing for more than 500 yards last week? Maybe. But as long as Rodgers is upright, those types of things are simply background noise.
Cincinnati Bengals' A.J. Green (18) tries to avoid Houston Texans' A.J. Bouye (34) as he runs with the ball during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in Houston. (AP Photo/Patric Schneider) 3. Bengals. The Bengals have the best roster 1-through-53 in the NFL. Pick an area and they have talent. Yes, it will all come down to how Andy Dalton plays in the postseason, but with a healthy Tyler Eifert at tight end giving help to A.J. Green, Dalton may have the best set of skilled weapons this side of Pittsburgh.
4. Panthers. Cam Newton is the No. 2-rated quarterback in the fourth quarter this season. He is going to smash Steven Young's NFL career mark of games with at least one TD run and TD pass considering he's just four behind Young and has played half as many games. And the defense has been salty, and that's playing half the season without linebacker Luke Kuechly, who missed games with concussion fallout. These guys are good.
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) prepare to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Aaron Josefczyk) 5. Broncos. You are what your record says you are, but the unbeaten Broncos are far from perfect. Peyton Manning looks pedestrian, and that may be putting it kindly. His 72.5 rating is last among NFL starters, his 6.4 yards per attempt is 34th in the league and his 10 interceptions are the most in the NFL. Denver defensively has been great, but that's been against a soft schedule that becomes more formidable after this week's bye.
Bottom five
28. Ravens. Arguably the biggest disappointment in the NFL. The 1-5 start means the year is done, considering they are chasing the unbeaten Bengals and a Pittsburgh team that will be as good as anyone offensively when Big Ben returns.
29. Chuck Pagano. OK, the Colts are certainly not among the dregs of the league, but their coach deserves special mention in the bottom layer. In addition to calling the worst single NFL play since Joe Pisarcki made the Victory formation the standard game-ending call, now Chucky P is saying he has no regrets. Pssssttttt, coaches: This coach speak mumbo jumbo when everyone in the room knows it was a mistake makes you look silly to the fans and the players. Yes, football is a tough-minded sport, but it does not have to be a no-minded sport.
30. Chiefs. The injuries have mounted - especially running back Jamaal Charles going down with a season-ending knee tear - but the Chiefs have underwhelmed. At 1-5, maybe they can work a passing game that will move the offense into the early 2000s.
31. Titans. Speaking of worm-turning scenarios. Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota has an MCL sprain. That means despite the desperation, Ken Whisenhunt, who is 4-29 in his last 33, has to play it slow with the brightest spot in the franchise since Steve McNair was in town. It could be Zach Mettenberger time and the potential catch phrases that come with it. The Zach Attack. Flip the Mettenberger. Extra cheese on that please.
32. Jacksonville. OK, the last time a supremely struggling team went to London, they came back without a head coach. Gus Bradley, here's your travel iternary to London, and we'd think a win would make every one feel a little safer for at least one more week. Bradley is 8-30. Yes, 8-30.
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Daily fantasy update
We have been curious and a little apprehensive about these daily fantasy gaming sites from the beginning.
FILE- In this Sept. 9, 2015, file photo, Len Don Diego, marketing manager for content at DraftKings, a daily fantasy sports company, works at his station at the company's offices in Boston. New York's attorney general has sent letters to daily fantasy sports websites DraftKings and FanDuel demanding they turn over details of any investigations into their employees on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File) We have always believed them to be legalized gambling sites.
In fact, Nevada has shut down the brand leaders Draft Kings and Fan Duel until the state's investigation is completed. Now Georgia is among the states looking hard into the issue.
Now there also is this, which is another interesting sidebar to follow: This story tells us that some plaintiffs want the daily fantasy sites to reveal their funding and make sure they have proof of secure funds to make all the payoffs. This is a key scenario, and if the sites are not properly funded, they will be shuttered quickly. At that point there are little more than a Ponzi scheme.
First, we understand Nevada's investigation. Sports gambling is legal and regulated in Nevada, and if the daily fantasy sites are found to be gambling, they will have to go through the process. We're OK with that. It's how it's done.
Georgia comes off a little hypocritical here, since the only legalized gambling in the state is the gambling run by the state in the Lottery.
We think it's past time to legalize all sorts of gambling and start reaping the tax benefits. Whether it's just online or full blown casinos in Hixson, we're good.
And remember, what happens in Hixson, stays in Hixson.
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In the Cards
The stories out of Lousiville continue to get murkier and uglier.
Here's the latest OTL report on the Cardinals basketball program allegedly paying for dancers and sex parties at Minardi Hall, the school's athletics dorm.
FILE - In this April 24, 2007, file photo, Los Angeles Lakers' Lamar Odom sits on the bench in the fourth quarter of a Western Conference playoff basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix. Odom, who was embraced by teammates and television fans alike for his Everyman approach to fame, was found face-down and alone Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, after spending four days at the Love Ranch, a legal Nevada brothel. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) Basketball dorm = brothel is never a good takeaway, regardless whether Lamar Odom or the Kadashians are involved or not.
Seriously though, this could be a legacy defining storyline, considering the following account from the main accuser, who said the Louisville graduate assistant had this to say when asked if Rick Pitino had knowledge of these activities:
"He's Rick. He knows about everything."
Ouch.
Read the story, and the accuser has kept journals and text messages which ESPN verified were from Andre McGee, the Louisville grad assistant. There are as many as five former players/recruits who have spoken to ESPN without giving their names for the story.
We all kind of know that recruits are shown a good time that in a lot of cases borders on the edge of ethical and certainly not stories that want to be shared at the alumni association meetings.
That said, this type of detail - and it happening at the athletics dorm - could be a career changer for Pitino, who was ahead of his time and has shaped the modern college game (for better or worse mind you) as much as anyone around.
Pitino overstocked and embraced the here today and who know's where tomorrow routine during the mid-1990s at UK. Look back at those teams - the 1996 team had 10 NBA players on it for crying out loud - and be stunned.
He took that talented and stretch the floor and was willing to play more physical than everyone else. This allowed UK to maximize its depth, and it forced teams to fight foul-trouble-be-danged. Plus, UK was happy to foul on every play because it knew the refs could call them all and the more physical the game, the better the Cats' chances.
Those decisions and MOs play out in today's game, too. While the talent assemblage is as much about one-and-dones today as depth and decisions, it still plays out.
And Pitino's legacy could be forever altered.
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This and that
- Toronto responded in a must-have situation and whipped Kansas City and Johnny Cueto. Royals lead 2-1. Chicago needs to match the Blue Jays' power showing to have a chance against the Mets in the NLCS.
- Major props to UTC football for reaching No. 5 in the national poll.
Eddie Murphy presents the award for best original screenplay at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles in this Feb. 22, 2015, file photo. Chris Rock, Kathy Griffin, Arsenio Hall and other leading comedians will perform Sunday, Oct. 18, in honor of Murphy as he receives the nation's top prize for humor, the the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, at the Kennedy Center in Washington. - We hope this is overstated, but it looks like Grantland may be in trouble. Great site.
- Coach K is calling it quits as the USA Hoops coach after the 2016 Olympics. Here's a slideshow of some of his biggest moments. Know this: Yes, dude has had the privilege of the most dominant roster in any team sport, but remember the shortcomings of USA Basketball before Coach K? Yes, we do too.
- Here's Eddie Murphy reminding us what it was like when he was the funniest guy on the planet. Wow.
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Today's question
It's a True-or-False Tuesday.
True or False: When we arrived in town in 2002, it was more likely that UTC would kill football than arching top 5 in the FCS. We say that's completely true.
True or False: You agree with TFP ace columnist Mark Wiedmer, who picks the Vols over the Tide here.
Offer up your own True or False if you'd like?