1. New York Giants (3-0)

Yet again the Giant’s pimp slap another team. The Bucs didn’t get a first down until near the end of the third quarter. That really says more about the Tampa Bay offense than the Giant’s defense, but nonetheless the Giant’s are playing some solid D. The run defense has some holes in it but when Chris Canty and Justin Tuck come back that should help things out.

Glaring Stat: Philip Rivers has passed more in one game (436) than has been allowed by the Giant’s secondary all year (372). The Giant’s have statistically the best pass defense in the NFL.

2. New Orleans Saints (3-0) 

They didn’t even need Drew Brees against the Bills. He only threw for 172 yards for not touchdowns. Mike Bell was even out for the game. Pierre Thomas stepped up big time in his absence. This is what you want to see out of a team, depth. I said it last week and I’ll say it again, I’m glad the Broncos aren’t playing the Saints this regular season.

Glaring Stat: Keep your eye on the progression of sophomore DT Sedrick Ellis. Last year Ellis started 13 games and recorded 30 tackles and four sacks. This year Ellis has already grabbed 10 tackles and a sack in just three games.

3. Baltimore Ravens (3-0)

The Ravens are playing some very balanced football right now. The only problem? Their opponents are just 2-7 so far with the two wins just being San Diego. So yes, that means they have beaten two teams that are winless. The Raven’s run defense has been phenomenal only allowing 2.5 yards a rush, but their secondary is looking ugly at 7.7 yards a pass.

Glaring Stat: Since his junior season (second year playing) Willis McGahee has scored seven touchdowns twice in a season (2007 & 2008). This year he already has five in three games played.

4. New York Jets (3-0)

Rex Ryan has made this defense tough and is so far the frontrunner of the coach of the year. The defense ranks top ten in all the main categories and the offense isn’t too shabby either. Mark Sanchez looks real solid but needs to work on his consistency with his throws, but he’s still better than half of the quarterbacks in the league at the time.

Glaring Stat: Don’t pass on the Jets… literally. Only 46.3% of passes thrown on the Jets have been completed.

5. Minnesota Vikings (3-0)

Brett Favre Brett Favre Brett Favre Brett Favre Brett Favre Brett Favre Brett Favre. There, I just saved you from watching ESPN today.

Seriously though, the Vikings are a solid team looking to win the division. It pains me to see Brett Favre do well but any team that has two chances to make Denver’s draft pick higher is okay in my book. The defense has looked really sharp this year, add in the running game and Minnesota is looking like a major threat to anymore. Also Favre being able to step in when Adrian Peterson is being contained will really take them places.

Glaring Stat: Percy Harvin has 514 all purpose yards so far. Chester Taylor leads the team in receptions with 15, and people say Kyle Orton is the king of the dink and dunk offense.

6. Indianapolis Colts (3-0)

The Colts know how to win, period. They’re opponents combined record is 2-7 and their average T.O.P is still below 30 minutes at 26:50. Their defense can’t get off the field on third down, even against bad teams. That all doesn’t matter though Peyton Manning is magic with Reggie Wayne. Last week I stated that Donald Brown needed to start earning his keep and he improved against the Cardinals, but there is still a ways to go for the rookie. Now that Dwight Freeney is out for a few weeks the defense will have a harder time, but I don’t expect that to slow the team down too much against Seattle next week and a bye following.

Glaring Stat: The Colts have only completed 43.8% of their third down situations, but they average 10.2 yards a pass.

7. San Fransisco 49ers (2-1)

Shaun Hill is doing great for a guy who has been sacked nine times this year. Hill proved even with Frank Gore out he could keep the team in the game. No Glen Coffee did not help much with his average of 2.2 yards a carry against Minnesota. Vernon Davis and Issac Bruce are having great years as well.

I have little complaints with the Niners defense. Patrick Willis is all over the field and could take the place of two linebackers if needed. Manny Lawson had a great game against Minnesota tallying 11 tackles. The front seven has allowed 3.0 yards a rush (remember they played against Peterson). However, the secondary has it’s issues, Brett Favre can attest to that.

Glaring Stat: The Niners have not allowed a rushing touchdown yet, even last week against Peterson.

8. Denver Broncos (3-0)

So many analysts are baffled right now. The most “baffling” thing is the defense. Mike Nolan has done a hell of a job turning a team with -17 turnover differential into one with a +6 right now. Denver’s opponents have a record of only 3-6 right now and the Browns are probably the worst team in the NFL, especially offensively. The Denver D really has its first test against Dallas this Sunday.

The offense is ironically the weaker part of the team. Kyle Orton has been an efficient game manager so far(I don’t care what Josh McDaniels insists). The running game is finally starting to get strong as well. Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter a.k.a the Orange Rush (at least to me), are going to carry the team down the field. I don’t like how McDaniels opted for consecutive running plays at the goal line instead of using one of the big tight ends, but I’m not complaining too badly because he’s gotten the job done thus far. It is essential for Kyle Orton to continue his mistake free streak against Dallas.

Glaring Stat: Eddie Royal only has six receptions for 42 yards in these first three games. I know the ball has been spread around a lot, but it’s surprising to see fresh Eddie disappear.

9. New England Patriots (2-1)

I wouldn’t write the Patriots off just yet, they still have the ability to win their division. Tom Brady looks rusty still (Randy Moss is still a beast) and rushing game is mediocre. Brady is lucky he has Julian ‘Wes Welker Jr.’ Edelman on the team since Welker is hurt. The defense looks great with the exception of the secondary. This team is running on experience right now and needs to be more consistent with their tough schedule coming up.

Glaring Stat: Tom Brady has a quarterback rating of 79.9.

10. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)

Atlanta looked very confused during the loss to New England. Matt Ryan had some trouble last game it was apparent if he or Michael Turner doesn’t have a good game the Falcons don’t have a good game. The depth isn’t really there with this team. Without Turner being effective and the defense not stopping the run their T.O.P is terrible at 27:32. The less time Matt Ryan holds the ball the less chance this team has to win.

Glaring Stat: Michael Turner hasn’t averaged above 4.0 yards a carry in any of his games this year (highest was 3.8).

San Fran above Denver? I know Denver is 3-0 and San Fran is 2-1, but I think Denver’s offense would have a hard time against San Fran’s defense. San Fran forces you to pass on them and right now Kyle Orton isn’t ready to win games himself. I believe that McDaniels will eventually mold Orton into a much better quarterback than he is now. By the way check outAssociated Content’s Zac Wassink’s power rankings, his rankings are quite unique compared to the usual MSM rankings.

Rookie of the Year Watch

1. Mark Sanchez – Sure the defense and Thomas Jones help him out a lot, but Sanchez plays like a pro.

2. Percy Harvin – What can’t Harvin do? I remember watching him win five state titles at the indoor track state meet. However, I didn’t watch him the next year seeing how he was suspended from sports for fighting during a basketball game.

Coach of the Year Watch

1. Rex Ryan (3-0) – He had a decent deck of cards in the first place but he turned it into something even better.

2. Josh McDaniels (3-0) – Josh McDaniels doesn’t care who you are or what you think. Woody Paige said “McDaniels first hire could be his misfire” referring to Mike Nolan. Not too sure about that anymore. It’s always good to have a coach with thick skin and after this offseason no one comes close to McDaniels.

3. Mike Singletary (2-1) – Possibly one of the scariest head coaches ever. The man made his own mountain just to put his players in pain. This year they’re playing tougher and better than ever. Singletary didn’t have much going for him in terms of players and now San Fran looks like they could take the division. Who needs Michael Crabtree anyways?

4. Sean Payton (3-0) – This man has been patiently building the Saints. Payton has picked up players like Sedrick Ellis, Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston, and Roman Harper, among others. A lot of his credit has been given to Drew Brees (for good reason), but the game against Buffalo showed that New Orleans is a very well coached team.

What do you think Nation? Any more deserving teams in the Tentative Ten? Air it out!

Reggie Bush vs. Washington Redskins

Quick facts: Mike Shanahan is 2-1 versus the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees has been hurt twice against Denver in his career (one of which ushered in the Philip Rivers‘ era). Former Denver WR Keary Colbert posted his best game last season against New Orleans (4 for 74 yards, including one 49 yard reception). RB Michael Pittman was born in New Orleans, LA, and has posted one of his ten 100 yard games against the Saints.

***

The New Orleans Saints were a sexy pick to make the playoffs… Last season, but this season, they have had their moments of brilliance and they’ve had their middle-tier-team moments. In week one against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers they were able to pick apart a very strong defense. It is of note that the Buccaneers sat starting quarterback Jeff Garcia, mysteriously, following this game. Garcia claimed that he was healthy enough to play in week two, yet backup Brian Griese got the starting job in week two for the Bucs. All of this amidst rumors that Tampa had offered Garcia to the San Francisco 49ers.

The only reason that I mention all of this, is because the Saints were able to beat the Buccaneers, but was it because of the lack of power from the Buccaneers offense? Who is to say, but Garcia’s listed as the third-string quarterback going into week three for the Bucs.

The Saints owned the game most of last week versus the Washington Redskins, but like the Broncos, allowed the opposing team to get back in the game in the second half. However, unlike the Broncos, the Saints ultimately lost.

How were the Redskins able to defeat the Saints? Well, by neutralizing running back Reggie Bush. Bush wasn’t much of a rushing threat, nor was he much of a force on offense at all, he ran a punt return back 55-yards for a touchdown.

Quarterback Drew Brees was 22 of 33 passes for 216 yards with a touchdown pass and two interceptions. Bush led the Saints with 146 all purpose yards. Washington out gained New Orleans in yardage 455-250 and held the ball for 33:43 of the contest compared to 26:46 for the Skins. Bush led the Saints in both rushing (28 yards) and receiving (seven catches for 63 yards).

Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell completed 22 of 33 passes for 321 yards with one touchdown pass. Washington wide receiver Santana Moss recorded seven catches for 164 yards with one touchdown. Redskins running back Clinton Portis rushed 21 times for 96 yards, including eight and nine yard touchdown scampers.

The Saints had three rookies in the starting lineup (LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, DT Sedrick Ellis and CB Tracy Porter).

Where the Broncos will run into major problems

Reggie Bush on special teams: Think Darren Sproles was a problem? Well, think Devin Hester on this one, Sproles was a misprint compared to what Bush is capable of doing with the ball on a return.

Redzone Defense: The Broncos have played the, ‘Bend, but don’t break,’ defense to near perfection when inside the redzone this season. However, the Saints in 2007 were the number one offense in scoring when inside the redzone. In 50 trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, the Saints scored 36 touchdowns for a 72.0 percent effectiveness rate. Drew Brees had an NFL-best 116.8 passer rating in in the red zone, completing 60-of-84 passes (71.4 percent) for 314 yards, 23 TD passes, zero sacks taken and zero interceptions.

This season, the Saints are ranked for eighth in the NFL and third in the NFC in red zone touchdown percentage (66.7) through two games.

Leading going into the fourth quarter: If Denver’s not winning going in the the fourth quarter, then it is of note that Saints’ head coach Sean Payton is 17-3 in his career and would most likely pull through with the victory.

Deuce McAllister: He’s back and barring any major setback in practice this week, he’s looking to be back in the starting lineup. He can hurt in a number of ways, not just in the way that he can run the ball, but on passing downs. He’s one of the best blocking backs in the league in pass protection, this will slow down the first tier of Broncos lineman who are able to get penetration. He is the man in the short yardage game as well, a spot where, had he been more of a presence, the Saints may be marching into Denver 2-0, instead of 1-1.

How does Denver win?

Pressure all day on Drew Brees: Brees is an incredible quarterback, but as I mentioned in the Quick Facts portion, Brees has been hurt twice against the Broncos (both as a Charger). So the Broncos, at least at one point knew how to get at him and get to him. Speaking of sacking a quarterback, what happened to blitzing packages that we saw in training camp? Put Jarvis Moss back on the active roster, bookend him opposite Elvis Dumervil, stick Ebenezer Ekuban and Dewayne Robertson or Marcus Thomas in the middle and let’s see what happens. Let’s see what happens with Jack Williams in the nickel spot instead of Karl Paymah and let Dre Bly or Champ Bailey peel off the corner and steam roll a quarterback. Conservative defense is what got us into that god damned gun-slinging match-up against the Chargers.

Champ Bailey’s reemergence as a shut-down corner: Is it me or are quarterbacks going extra hard at Champ over the last three seasons? Bailey’s a future Hall of Famer and these aren’t his twilight years, this is the man’s prime, let’s see the tenacity and audacity of the old Champ. We saw a bit of it on the second play against Philip Rivers and the Chargers. However, that’s not enough, the Saints are without their best receiver and have relegated his looks to their running back.

Passing: The Buccaneers didn’t and the Redskins did, the running back by committee is a concern for fantasy players. It’s working perfectly in Denver, fresh legs, 5.4 yard averages per-carry. It really doesn’t matter who is running the ball. Denver needs to supplement Brandon Marshall for their running game once again and Jay Cutler needs to connect with Brandon Stokley whenever possible. With Eddie Royal available on deep routes, Darrell Jackson will also be a factor, if in fact he is active/healthy. This is all not mentioning Tony Scheffler, who is still Cutler’s favorite target, no matter what Marshall’s 18 catches said last week.

Don’t let Jeremy Shockey become a factor: Boss Bailey got very, very lucky on a couple of over-throws to Antonio Gates or it could have gotten really ugly early. Let’s not take our chances two-weeks in a row. When facing a top 10 tight end, like Jeremy Shockey, the Broncos must blanket them, speed wise, Boss owns Shockey. Get at Shockey’s ego early and neutralize him.

UPDATE: According to ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson, Jarvis Moss is set to make his debut Sunday. [ESPN]

Nation, what are your keys to your favorite team winning this weekend? Predictions on where Cutler and co. fair following Sunday, are they still number one or will the Broncos have to rush a little bit more? And the defense… Where do they stand after this weekend, do you agree with me on the blitz packages? Want to see Dre Bly and Marlon McCree in the backfield more often?

The Denver Broncos could see a slew of different options at 12 depending on how the first eleven picks pan out, but one things for certain: where Boston College QB Matt Ryan falls will have a bigger effect on their options than just about anything else.

There are thought to be three to four teams ahead of the Broncos who would be interested in Ryan (Falcons, Chiefs, Jets, Ravens). All of these teams are also likely considering drafting the best offensive lineman on the board, among other choices (with exception to the Jets, who just drafted D’Brickashaw Ferguson with a high first rounder 2 years ago). If Ryan goes early to the Falcons or Chiefs, it could easily start a domino effect that would see the Broncos losing out on one or two of the top tackle prospects left.

If Ryan escapes the first three teams and falls to the Ravens, many expect Baltimore to take the quarterback. A player like Ryan Clady (you knew it was coming) could easily fall to the Broncos then.

Meanwhile, the ultimate landing spot of USC DT Sedrick Ellis could have a big effect on the running backs available to Denver at 12. There are a lot of fans clamoring for a RB like Rashard Mendenhall or Jonathan Stewart; don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you.

If Ellis goes early (literally anyone before the Bengals could take him), teams like the Chiefs, Jets, Ravens, and Bengals could end up taking the 2nd running back on the board, leaving Denver with Stewart (which may be just what they want anyway).

The scenarios of who will fall to 12 are easily the most exciting, gut-wrenching parts of the draft. Will your guy fall to the Broncos at 12? Everyone is hoping for someone different – tomorrow we’ll see who gets their wish!

The simple answer is that, by luck of the draw, a defensive tackle simply isn’t available at the 12 spot that is worth the 12th overall pick in the draft. Sedrick Ellis will certainly be gone, as early as #5 to the Chiefs, and Kentwan Balmer is pegged in the 20′s of the first round. There isn’t a prospect that fits the 12th pick in the draft.

Or is there?

I’m reminded of former Buffalo Bills coach and GM Marv Levy. In 2006, the Bills stirred the draft pot by selecting S Donte Whitner with the 8th overall pick. Most people had him pegged as a late first rounder, and Levy and the Bills took a lot of heat for reaching for such a player.

Levy responded firmly, saying he was at the top of their board. He didn’t care what other teams had on their boards; he didn’t care what the thousands of mock drafts on the Net had said. He cared about his own grade, and Whitner turned into a more than decent player for the Bills the past few seasons.

So should the Broncos do the same? If Balmer is ahead on their board, of course, they should do the same. But it would surprise me if he was that high.

Should they reach? There’s an argument to that. We have a huge need at a position. No one wants to trade down. We take that guy anyway and improve our biggest weakness. It’s not unheard of.

The problem, of course, is that any team drafting this high in the first round has a number of needs. We don’t have the luxury of targeting a specific position, like our AFC West friend Chargers. There are other players on the board at other positions that are a better prospect than someone like Balmer.

If the Broncos are set on drafting a defensive tackle in the first round, they should trade up high enough to take Ellis or down into the 20′s and target Balmer. It’s that simple. And I’d be happy with that.

Be sure to let us know your opinion by taking the daily poll on the upper left sidebar of the main page.

Every weekday leading up to the draft, BroncoTalk is breaking down the Broncos roster and the 2008 draft prospects, position by position. Each day we’ll tell you why we should draft that position in the first round, why we shouldn’t, and then ask you to tell us your thoughts. Today we’re breaking down defensive tackle. Enjoy.

Is there a bigger need for the Broncos than defensive tackle? The only starter set in stone in 2008 is Marcus Thomas… but wait, even he has huge questions surrounding his off field incidents. Being in a vehicle with cocaine, passenger or not, is no way to ensure future seasons in the NFL. Is a league suspension looming? What is to happen with his ever-postponed court date? Can we really count on Thomas being on the roster in 2009? 2008?

Besides Thomas on the depth chart, we have Alvin McKinley and Josh Mallard, who’s a DE/DT hybrid.  Both were serviceable at times last year, but neither can be called a reliable starter.

The need is there, both short term and long term, and when put so blatantly it’s hard to argue it’s not extreme.

Dewayne Robertson has to also be considered a factor here as well.  The trade talks have been going for over a month, and it looks like it will be a draft day trade.  Immediately he would become the best starter at the defensive tackle position, possibly on the defensive line as a whole.

Names to Know: Sedrick Ellis, Kentwan Balmer

Most Likely at 12: Kentwan Balmer

Arguments against drafting a DT, including a breakdown of the “names to know” in this draft, in a little bit.