Power Rankings: Denied Patriots have to get back in line

Updated Feb. 5

Perfectville, that mythical neighborhood created by the 1972 Miami Dolphins, is a really tough place to gain entry into, an ultra-exclusive area that features few in it.

The exclusivity of it makes any gated community, even those of the high-rolling stars, seem as if they're open to all of us. You can't buy your way in, either. You have to earn it.

Tom Brady heads off into the sunset for now -- better luck next season. (Getty Images)

The New England applied for entry but got turned down when a group of blue-collar New York Giants proved the Patriots weren't good enough.

Sunday night's Super Bowl XLII gave us another valuable reminder of why we love sports so much. The seemingly unbeatable is always beatable.

The Patriots 17-14 loss ruined their chance at a 19-0 season, allowing them to stake a claim as one of the greatest, if not greatest, team of all-time. We were ready to anoint coach Bill Belichick as the greatest coach and Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback.

Now they have to spend the next six months hearing how they choked it all away. They are the biggest Super losers of all-time.

Yes, the Baltimore Colts were bigger favorites when they lost to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III, but the Colts weren't unbeaten. They weren't trying to get into Perfectville.

Now the Patriots appear to be facing a tumultuous offseason. In addition to the sting of hearing how they gagged their season away, they have the Specter (as in Arlen) hanging over their heads.

They thought the spying scandal was long gone when they were caught early in the season, but now we get word there might be another tape, one in which they filmed the St. Louis Rams' walk-through before Super Bowl XXVI. If that is found to be true, Belichick could be facing a year-long suspension, which ultimately could lead to him walking away for good. There is talk among some in the league that the Patriots ownership wouldn't need much to send him packing.

Winning Super Bowls, they tolerate his boorish behavior and off-field dalliances. But if he's caught in another scandal, watch out.

Belichick, in his usual standoffish way, shrugged off a question about the latest allegations after Sunday's game. "I don't know about that," he said. Then again, he shrugged off a lot of questions, his bitter-beer face showing all the pain he was feeling inside.

His classless walk off at the end of the game, leaving the field with one second left in the game and a snap still to take, was vintage Belichick. How about losing with some class? Then again, some say he doesn't win with class so why should we expect him to lose with it?

The Patriots will also have to decide what to do with Randy Moss, who can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. He did little in the postseason, although he did have a touchdown catch Sunday after catching 23 of them in the regular season. He says he wants to come back to New England, but you can bet he won't take the home-team discount if that's what the Pats are thinking.

Then there's the aging defense, especially at linebacker. And wasn't that graying safety Rodney Harrison who gave up the two biggest completions Sunday night?

It will be a long offseason for the Patriots, one they thought they'd spend talking about their greatness.

Who didn't think they would start the 2008 season atop all the power rankings? But instead they are in the two hole, behind the Giants. If the two teams played 10 times, the Pats would probably win seven of them, which means they are probably the better team and should be in the top spot. Bodog.com sent out a list of odds for next year's Super Bowl and the Patriots are the favorites at 4-1. The Giants are 10-1, behind the Chargers and Colts and tied with the Cowboys.

But Super Bowl winners always take the top spot in the first set of our rankings that close out this season and peek ahead to 2008.

There will be another three or four sets of these rankings before we kick off the regular season, one after free agency, another after the draft and one or two more before the regular season opens.

New England thought they had the top spot locked until we kicked it off for real. The Giants took that from them and they took something far more important.

They took away their slide card for entry into that elite community known as Perfectville.

Now they have to wonder if they'll ever get in.

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Giants · Trends	10
	They shocked the world by winning Sunday and now they have to deal with being the hunted. The next step is to give Tom Coughlin a new contract.
	2	Patriots · Trends	1
	How do they recover? If the spying scandal doesn't become more, the Pats will be in the thick of the title chase again.
	3	Colts · Trends	2
	They have the nucleus for another big season. What they found out in the loss to the Chargers is how much they need Dwight Freeney on the field.
	4	Cowboys · Trends	3
	As long as they can keep their quarterback away from the Mexican Riviera during the playoffs, they'll be a legitimate Super contender. They do play in a tough division.
	5	Jaguars · Trends	4
	It's time to find a pass rusher -- or two. They've been getting by without a premium edge rusher, but that started showing up last year. They might also consider a star receiver, perhaps Chad Johnson?
	6	Packers · Trends	5
	Will Brett Favre play or not? If he does, they stay here. And we're assuming he plays. If he doesn't, they'll drop down some. But there is a lot of young talent on the roster.
	7	Chargers · Trends	6
	This talented team started slow and came on strong. That's a good sign for next season. How does L.T. handle the questions about his not playing in the title game?
	8	Steelers · Trends	7
	If they're to have a chance to get back to the Super Bowl, the offensive line has to improve. That will be tough considering they probably won't re-sign guard Alan Faneca.
	9	Seahawks · Trends	8
	Mike Holmgren returns for one final season. How that plays out will be key to this team getting back to the postseason. The running game has to be better.
	10	Eagles · Trends	17
	Will Donovan McNabb be back? There is talk of a possible trade. I wouldn't trade him. Let him play another year for a run with this veteran group.
	11	Buccaneers · Trends	9
	They surprised a lot of people by winning the division this season. They have to hope they can get another good year out of Jeff Garcia to have a chance to do it again. They need more playmakers on offense.
	12	Cardinals · Trends	15
	It's Matt Leinart's time. He needs to show he can be a star passer. The defense had too many injuries in 2007. If they stay healthy and add a body or two, the Cardinals will push Seattle.
	13	Titans · Trends	12
	They changed offensive coordinators, so now there are no more excuses for Vince Young. It's time he made strides as a passer. They also need to get him a go-to receiver.
	14	Redskins · Trends	11
	Who will be the coach? Steve Spagnuolo might have earned the job with what he did Sunday. It would be a good choice.
	15	Saints · Trends	14
	It's all about improving the defense this time around. They can score points, but they don't have enough good players on defense. The lack of speed at linebacker and the so-so corner play will be areas of focus.
	16	Bengals · Trends	21
	Coach Marvin Lewis enters the coming season on the hot seat. He has to get this group back to the playoffs or he could be gone. The Chad Johnson situation -- he wants out -- also has to be addressed.
	17	Browns · Trends	13
	The offense is pretty much set and should be good again. Now it's time to fix that defense. Derek Anderson will be back, and he should be back.
	18	Bills · Trends	24
	Watch out for this team in 2008. With a couple of good additions in free agency, they could be a playoff team. The growth of Trent Edwards will be crucial to their improvement.
	19	Bears · Trends	20
	Quarterback, quarterback, quarterback. It's all about that position for the Bears. They have to settle on one and get good play or it will be another non-playoff season.
	20	Rams · Trends	29
	Scott Linehan had to endure a ton of injuries and a backlash from his players. If he doesn't handle that better this time around, he won't be back in 2009.
	21	Broncos · Trends	19
	The talent level on this team has gone way down and Mike Shanahan needs to be held accountable for that. He's made a lot of bad moves that have hurt the Broncos.
	22	Texans · Trends	18
	They're getting better, but they play in the toughest division in the league. If they can fill in a few holes on defense, they have a chance to be a playoff team if Matt Schaub continues to improve.
	23	Vikings · Trends	16
	If Tarvaris Jackson can take his game up a notch, the Vikings could move to the top 15 and higher. They need to take the pressure off their running game.
	24	Chiefs · Trends	26
	Brodie Croyle has to make big strides in 2008 or Herm Edwards will be looking for work. Croyle to Dwayne Bowe should become a quality passing combo.
	25	Lions · Trends	23
	It might be time to take a step back and play Drew Stanton at quarterback. Jon Kitna isn't the long-term answer.
	26	Panthers · Trends	25
	At some point the Panthers need to bring their passing game up to date. They can't just be a run-first team and win a Super Bowl.
	27	Ravens · Trends	22
	John Harbaugh comes in as the new coach with a light resume in terms of coordinator experience, but a lot of coaches who vouch for him. The first thing he needs to do is liven up that passing game.
	28	49ers · Trends	27
	Can Alex Smith turn his career around? Or is he a bust No. 1 pick? Is Shaun Hill the answer? They have to fix the quarterback position.
	29	Jets · Trends	30
	After a disappointing 2007 season, Eric Mangini needs to get this team back on track. They have to find out if Kellen Clemens is the long-term answer at quarterback.
	30	Falcons · Trends	31
	New coach Mike Smith will bring some much-needed enthusiasm to a team that had a ton of turmoil in 2007. Now he has to find a quarterback.
	31	Raiders · Trends	28
	What a mess they are. Will Lane Kiffin be back? Why doesn't Al Davis get it over with and take over as coach?
	32	Dolphins · Trends	32
	New coach Tony Sparano has a real fix job on his hands. At least he has the guy who invented the game of football, Bill Parcells, helping him.