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INDIANAPOLIS -- Give Pete Carroll credit for the quote of the day Friday from the NFL scouting combine.

A reporter from New York noted that players pointed to Carroll and the Jets' Rex Ryan as the coaches they most enjoyed playing under. But with Ryan taking some heat for his colorful ways following a disappointing season, the reporter asked Carroll whether the former USC coach ever needed to "tamp down" the fun.

"Well, the NCAA thought we had to," Carroll replied, drawing immediate laughter from assembled reporters. "They didn't quite understand how you could have this much fun playing football. I'm serious about that. They could not figure it out and thought something must be wrong."

The NCAA imposed sanctions against USC for violations it alleged took place during Carroll's run as coach there. Carroll has hotly contested the charges. He has also bucked convention when it comes to coaching. His training camps stand out for the hip-hop and other contemporary music that plays over speakers during practices, to cite one obvious example.

"It's not very typical," Carroll said of the newer-school approaches. "Typical is Coach Lombardi. That is probably typical, and an authoritarian way of doing things is really the classic way to coach. I think times are shifting. The kids we coach aren't the same as they were years ago. We have to reach to them to find how we can motivate them and keep them engaged in any way possible."

As for Ryan?

"I think the way Rex goes about it, he's bold, but he has backed it up to a great extent," Carroll said. "He looks like he is having the time of his life doing it, and he makes it fun for his players. We play this game because we love it and love being around it. He demonstrates that to his players, and it carries over.

"I'd like to think that our guys can feel that, too," Carroll said. "I don't see us anywhere near the same, but he really loves it, and makes it fun for the people around him."

Frustrated New York Jets fans might chuckle over the St. Louis Rams' interest in their team's ousted offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, for the same job in St. Louis.

Frustrated Miami Dolphins fans might feel similarly about the Jets hiring their team's former coach, Tony Sparano, as offensive coordinator.

Such is life in the NFL, where the scapegoats are often indistinguishable from the true villains. Was Schottenheimer the reason the Jets' offense went backward and the team finished 8-8? Tough to say.

Rams fans should know this: The Jets were not yet ready to cut ties with struggling quarterback Mark Sanchez. They weren't going to fire head coach Rex Ryan. They weren't going to stand pat, either, after their offense plummeted in the league rankings and Sanchez failed to develop on schedule.

Schottenheimer, once an occasional head coaching candidate, was the odd man out.

For the Rams, hiring Schottenheimer would return them to the general digit-based offensive system St. Louis ran with great success during the Mike Martz years. Sam Bradford would be learning a third scheme in three pro seasons. Then again, if Bradford had pleaded with Fisher to retain the previous system, the Rams could have kept Josh McDaniels, in theory.

Those seeking a better feel for Schottenheimer's coaching roots and what happened with Sanchez should check out Jenny Vrentas' piece in the Newark Star-Ledger from October. Basically, the Jets were asking more from Sanchez this season, and the results were insufficient.

Schottenheimer began his pro coaching career with the Rams in 1997, spent several years in the college ranks and then hit stride at the NFL level with San Diego beginning in 2002. He worked under Cam Cameron there, serving as quarterbacks coach for Drew Brees.

The Jets hired Schottenheimer in 2006. Reading through the ESPN.com story at the time will show just how circular these coaching hires can be. Fisher's former coordinator in Tennessee, Mike Heimerdinger, preceded Schottenheimer with the Jets. Schottenheimer beat out another familiar name, Pat Shurmur, for the Jets job.

The Rams appear unlikely to hire Schottenheimer or anyone else as coordinator without first making official Fisher's hiring as head coach. The sides are working out the particulars on a contract.

The chart shows Jets offensive stats under Schottenheimer. Sanchez was the quarterback for the three most recent seasons, when completion percentages fell.

Five notes before heading out to the Seattle Seahawks' lone practice Sunday:

• Center Chris Spencer's contract agreement with the Chicago Bears puts him in a familiar position: new guy with huge leadership shoes to fill. Spencer has giant feet even by NFL standards -- I cannot recall the exact shoe size -- but he's not a natural leader the way Robbie Tobeck or Olin Kreutz were for their teams. Spencer stepped into Tobeck's spot at center for Seattle following the team's best seasons under Mike Holmgren. He's taking over for the Bears after the team failed to reach agreement with Kreutz. Spencer, a first-round pick for Seattle in 2005, can be a good player. He just won't fill the leadership void.
• Kreutz remains an option for the San Francisco 49ers after the team lost David Baas to the New York Giants. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says the 49ers are the leading candidate to sign Kruetz. Adding Kreutz to the 49ers would upgrade the position while providing strong leadership for young players such as guard Mike Iupati. I like the idea under the circumstances.
• From Jim Thomas: First-round pick Robert Quinn is practicing with the St. Louis Rams. Former Rams receiver Isaac Bruce plans to work with the team's wide receivers. These should be welcome developments for Rams fans. The Rams' current leadership has taken some heat for cutting ties with or failing to embrace some aspects of the team's history. Take note, critics: Enlisting Bruce runs counter to perception.
• There was no place like home for Arizona native Todd Heap. The Cardinals agreed to terms with the veteran tight end even while the New York Jets were reportedly courting him heavily, with coach Rex Ryan even picking up Heap at the airport in person. Ryan and Heap were together for years in Baltimore. Arizona has scored a few victories in free agency. Finishing 5-11 last season appears to have given them a greater sense of urgency.
• The Seahawks are going young throughout much of their roster. They could still consider adding a more experienced kicker, depending on how Brandon Coutu and Wes Byrum fare. The team plans to meet with veteran Jeff Reed, who spent part of last season with San Francisco, in the next day or so. Reed does not have a contract agreement with the team.

OK, that's it for now. The Seahawks are practicing in pads at the moment. It's off to San Francisco 49ers camp Monday morning.

ESPN.com’s NFL writers rank the top 10 up-and-coming assistant coaches in the league today. Next week: Top players overall.

Seven NFL teams named new head coaches after last season, tapping into a pool that included experienced coordinators and relatively unknown assistants alike. The class of 2011 featured longtime candidates (Leslie Frazier, Ron Rivera). It also included a trusted position coach in Mike Munchak (Tennessee Titans) and a couple of relative hotshots in Hue Jackson (Oakland Raiders) and Pat Shurmur (Cleveland Browns).

Who will comprise the NFL's next batch of head-coaching candidates? That was the question ESPN.com hoped to answer in this week's edition of the offseason Power Rankings. We established one ground rule by eliminating any assistant who has already had a permanent head-coaching job. The idea was to develop a list that focused on the "next wave" of coaching candidates.

No less than 24 NFL assistants received at least one vote, a reflection of both the variables involved in head-coaching searches and the relative lack of national name recognition for all but the most highly regarded assistants.

So in that vein, it was no surprise to see four well-known assistants at the top of our list, headed by New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell -- who placed first or second on six of the eight ballots. Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan finished second, followed by New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and Arizona offensive line coach Russ Grimm.

Fewell is an ideal candidate in many ways, having spent time as the Buffalo Bills' interim coach in 2009 and leading a substantial turnaround of the Giants' defense last season. Fewell interviewed for four head-coaching jobs last winter, and NFC East blogger Dan Graziano suggested that experience, along with a high profile afforded to coaches in New York, make him "the most likely guy on the list to be a head coach soon."

Just don't bother forwarding his name to AFC South colleague Paul Kuharsky, who couldn't find room for Fewell on his 10-man ballot. Kuharsky noted the Giants' poor performance in Week 2 last season against the Indianapolis Colts, during which quarterback Peyton Manning threw three touchdowns and cruised to an easy 38-14 victory.

"Certainly I'm letting one game overinfluence my ballot," Kuharsky muttered. "But Fewell's plan for the Giants against the Colts last season was so bad that I could not help but score him down for it. Was he not familiar with how Peyton Manning and Indianapolis operate?"

We can't cover every coach who received votes in this exercise, but let's hit some of the more interesting names that received attention.

Another Ryan? Deserved or not, Ryan has long been considered a loose cannon. There is little doubt about his schematic prowess, but hiring him would require a confident owner ready to make a leap of faith.

The success of twin brother Rex Ryan with the Jets might have softened the perception of that risk, and collectively we see Rob Ryan on the doorstep of a job.

"Similar to Rex, Rob Ryan is good with X's and O's and has the type of outgoing personality players want to be around," AFC North blogger James Walker said. "I think both are equally important in today's NFL. Both brothers say exactly what's on their mind, and before that scared off a lot of teams. But Rex broke the ice with his success in New York and that could help Rob in the future."

The next generation: Schottenheimer has turned down more opportunities to interview for head-coaching jobs than he has actually submitted to. He has nixed requests from the Miami Dolphins and Bills in recent years, but he did interview for the Jets' job that ultimately went to Ryan. I placed him atop my ballot (he finished No. 3 overall) because I think NFL people have made up their mind that he is the kind of young and innovative assistant who can turn around their franchise. (Think: Cowboys coach Jason Garrett.)

Schottenheimer's pedigree doesn't hurt -- he's the son of longtime NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer -- and I'm not sure how closely teams will dissect the specifics of the Jets' offensive performance. Graziano, on the other hand, thinks Schottenheimer is close to coaching his way out of the golden-child image he cultivated and left him off his ballot.

"Having spent a good amount of time around that team the past couple of years, I just feel like defensive coordinator Mike Pettine is the more likely guy to end up a head coach," Graziano said. "Schottenheimer's under a ton of pressure as Ryan defers the offensive responsibilities to him. I feel like, if the offense has a bad year, he could end up in trouble or even out of a job. And given their youth at quarterback and running back and the uncertainty of their receiver situation, a bad year for the Jets' offense is possible.

"Now, he could be a genius, make chicken salad and be the next hot name eight months from now. But I think there's the potential that he may have already peaked as a hot coaching prospect and that he might not be set up to succeed in New York."

The big fella: Four years ago, Grimm thought he would be the next Pittsburgh Steelers coach. He moved to Arizona after the Steelers selected Mike Tomlin instead, and we view his status as a head-coaching candidate with wide disparity.

AFC West blogger Bill Williamson put Grimm atop his ballot, and AFC East blogger Tim Graham had him No. 2. Kuharsky and I left him off.

Williamson thinks Grimm has moved to "the top of the food chain" largely because most of his "hot-name" contemporaries have already gotten jobs. As well, Graham suggested that it will soon be Grimm's turn because he is still well-regarded throughout the league.

Personally, I couldn't get past Grimm's well-publicized gaffe after interviewing with the Chicago Bears, after which he referred to the team owners as the "McClaskey" family. I also agree with NFC West blogger Mike Sando, who ranked Grimm No. 8 and wondered: "Is he still ascending? Grimm seems content coaching the line in Arizona. He has plateaued and doesn't seem to be losing any sleep over it."

Welcome back: Unless you're a college football fan, you might not have heard of Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. He spent six years as the head coach at Arizona State, but has drawn some quiet acclaim for his work with the Jaguars and made a strong impression while interviewing with the Denver Broncos last winter.

"In a setting where he won't have to deal with boosters and can shine for being a smart X's and O's guy with strong coaching DNA," Kuharsky said, "I think he'd do far better. He's smart and will interview quite well. He really impressed John Elway and the Broncos before losing out to John Fox's experience. St. Louis wanted him as coordinator, but Jacksonville wouldn't let him go. He's heading into the final year of his contract. How Blaine Gabbert develops early on will have a big bearing on Koetter's future."

Secret weapon: In two years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have developed quarterback Josh Freeman into one of the better starters in the league. The man largely responsible is offensive coordinator Greg Olson, who navigated a disastrous 2009 preseason -- coach Raheem Morris promoted him in the middle of training camp after firing Jeff Jagodzinski -- and NFL teams often seek out coaches with success developing young quarterbacks.

"I think Olson deserves a ton of credit for developing Freeman so quickly," said NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas. "Freeman threw for 25 touchdowns and six interceptions in his first full season as a starter and carried an incredibly young team to a 10-6 record. I also think people need to look at what Olson did last year with rookie running back LeGarrette Blount and rookie receiver Mike Williams. He helped make them into instant stars."

Super Bowl entitlement: The Green Bay Packers were the only team to place more than one name in the top 10, as would be expected from a championship team. Assistant head coach/inside linebackers Winston Moss is at No. 6, while safeties coach Darren Perry finished No. 10. I also voted for receivers coach Edgar Bennett, who has moved over from running backs coach and is clearly being groomed for bigger things.

I'll detail my ranking of the Packers' assistants, including why I think so highly of Perry, in a future post for NFC North readers. But we'll say this for now: Moss is a strong leader who has drawn interest from the Raiders, while Perry is a disciple of Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers and his coveted 3-4 scheme.

Colleague Kevin Seifert showed some daring by sending TCU quarterback Andy Dalton to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 12 in a recent ESPN.com mock draft.

He wasn't arguing for Dalton's value so much as saying the Vikings' need for a quarterback might compel them to take one there.

"To me," Seifert later wrote with first-year Vikings coach Leslie Frazier in mind, "there is no better time to jump to the other side than in a coach's first year, giving him a building block for the rest of his program."

The key, of course, is not mistaking anchors for building blocks.

Steve Mariucci was the San Francisco 49ers' first-year coach when the team used a 1997 first-rounder for Jim Druckenmiller, a blunder softened only by Steve Young's presence on the roster. That experience should not directly influence the 49ers' thinking as they consider first-round quarterbacks for new coach Jim Harbaugh, but it's a reference point.

With Harbaugh and the 49ers in mind, I went through recent drafts to see which teams with first-year head coaches used first-round selections for quarterbacks. More precisely, I looked at all first-round quarterbacks since 2000 to see which ones had first-year head coaches.

Six of the last eight first-round quarterbacks -- Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and JaMarcus Russell -- joined teams with first-year head coaches. All but Russell remain franchise quarterbacks in their teams' eyes. All but Russell are still playing for their original head coaches. Four of the six had winning records in 2010.

For most of those franchises, value and need lined up pretty well, and first-year coaches benefited.

"If you don't have a quarterback, you're drafting maybe a different kind of running back, maybe a different kind of offensive lineman, than if you have somebody," Lions coach Jim Schwartz told reporters at the scouting combine. "We had Calvin Johnson, but our ability to get Jahvid Best, Nate Burleson in free agency, to draft Brandon Pettigrew -- those pieces were because of the quarterback that we have."

We could also argue that the St. Louis Rams were better off building their offensive line and other areas of their roster before making Sam Bradford the first overall choice in 2010. They could have drafted Sanchez or Freeman instead of defensive end Chris Long in 2009, then spent subsequent selections on players to build around one of those quarterbacks.

Bradford and Denver's Tim Tebow were the "other" first-round quarterbacks in the eight-man group featuring Stafford, Sanchez, Freeman, Ryan, Flacco and Russell.

In general, getting the right quarterback for a first-year head coach puts a franchise in strong position for the long term. There's no sense forcing the issue, however, because the wrong quarterback can drag down any coach, regardless of tenure.

A coach such as the Vikings' Frazier might have a harder time waiting. His contract runs only three seasons and ownership expects quick results. Harbaugh has a five-year deal with the 49ers. Expectations are high, but there's less urgency for immediate results.

The first chart shows the 14 first-round quarterbacks since 2000 that landed with returning head coaches.

The second chart shows the 14 first-round quarterbacks since 2000 that landed with first-year head coaches.

Rex Ryan's candor helped make him a finalist this year for the Horrigan Award.

Heck, I voted for him (results are pending).

The award, given annually by the Professional Football Writers of America, honors the non-player who helped the media best do its job the previous season. Few head coaches in recent memory have offered unvarnished assessments as regularly as the New York Jets' colorful leader has done.

That doesn't make everything Ryan says fair, of course, and his broadside shot on Jets-turned-Arizona Cardinals safety Kerry Rhodes looks like a late hit.

"He was a selfish-ass guy," Ryan wrote in his new book, according to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini. "He wouldn't work and he was a Hollywood type."

Rhodes earned the "Hollywood" label after appearing in movies and doing modeling earlier in his career. He sought to change perceptions last season and made a positive impact. He was the only player in the NFL last season with at least four interceptions and four fumble recoveries. He became the first players in Cardinals history to return fumbles for touchdowns in consecutive games.

"In this league, perception is a big thing," Rhodes told Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic during the season. "When you get labeled in one place you're at -- 'Going Hollywood, he doesn't focus on football, blah, blah, blah,' whatever that may be -- it can stick with you. So, I wanted to come back this year and make sure it didn't stick."

Thanks to Ryan, Rhodes has more work to do along those lines.

Our Power Rankings for NFL head coaches are out and Tim Graham has the full breakdown on the AFC East blog.

General thoughts: These rankings were easier than the positional ones we've done. There are only 32 head coaches, for starters. Five have never coached an NFL game. Eight others have losing career records. Four with winning records have coached two or fewer seasons and only two of those, Rex Ryan and Jim Caldwell, have enjoyed postseason success. It became clear early that we were working from a relatively short list. Only 13 coaches received votes.

My top 10: Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Tom Coughlin, Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton, Mike Tomlin, Rex Ryan, Ken Whisenhunt, Lovie Smith and Mike Shanahan.

What mattered to me: I favored coaches that had taken over losing teams, turned them around quickly and then enjoyed success over multiple seasons, including in the playoffs.

Why Tomlin was only sixth: No one else ranked him lower. As I told Graham, Tomlin took over a healthy operation and kept it going. He deserves credit for that, but not as much credit as if he had produced similar results after taking over a struggling franchise. We should view the success Bill Cowher enjoyed in a similar context. Both worked for an outstanding organization.

Why Mike Shanahan was on the list: Shanahan hasn't produced a winning record since 2006. His teams own one postseason victory since his 1998 Broncos defended their Super Bowl title. The way he misread Donovan McNabb worked against him, too. In the end, Shanahan's 152-108 regular-season record, 8-5 postseason record, nine winning seasons and two Super Bowl titles commanded recognition, albeit in the 10th spot.

Toughest call: Leaving off the Atlanta Falcons' Mike Smith hurt. He walked into a brutal situation and helped revive a flagging franchise. The Falcons have won 68.8 percent of their games under him without posting a losing record in any of his three seasons. Had Smith made my top 10, however, he would have been the only one without a postseason victory. The Falcons are 0-2 in the playoffs under Smith, with both defeats coming against teams that had inferior records during the regular season. That opened the door for others.

A vote for Whisenhunt: Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt ranked eighth on my ballot, 10th on three others and 12th among the 13 coaches receiving votes. His regular-season record dipped to 32-32 after a rough 2010 season. Overall, though, Whisenhunt gets credit for producing an immediate turnaround for a historically inept franchise. Kurt Warner had a 3-12 starting record for the Cardinals before Whisenhunt arrived. His record was 24-18 in the regular season and 4-2 in the postseason with Whisenhunt. Taking the Cardinals to a Super Bowl gave Whisenhunt the edge over some other candidates, including the Falcons' Smith.

The rest of the NFC West: Seattle's Pete Carroll produced a division title and playoff victory during a rebuilding season. He's on the rise if Seattle continues to improve. ... St. Louis' Steve Spagnuolo has a .250 overall winning percentage thanks to a 1-15 inaugural season with the Rams. He'll move into consideration if the Rams start winning division titles with Sam Bradford at quarterback. ... San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh inherits enough talent to compete in his first season as an NFL head coach, provided he finds even a serviceable quarterback.

A weekly review of how teams performed in relation to last week’s Power Rankings:

Bank on the New York Jets closing ground on the Pittsburgh Steelers for the top spot when ESPN.com's NFL Power Rankings come out Tuesday.

It has to happen.

Should the Jets overtake the Steelers? ESPN's John Clayton has had Rex Ryan's team ranked first for two weeks already, pointing to Santonio Holmes' return as a factor that would help the Jets get even better.

So far, so true. While Holmes lost a fumble during the Jets' 24-20 victory Sunday, his 22-yard reception sparked the tying touchdown drive, and his 13-yarder on third-and-7 sustained the winning drive. A penalty against Holmes for offensive pass interference wiped out his 31-yard gain on third-and-9.

Overall, though, Holmes gave the offense a lift, LaDainian Tomlinson continued his career revival (while his former team fell to 2-4) and the Jets proved they could win ugly on the road -- even with a couple interceptions from quarterback Mark Sanchez.

The Steelers did nothing to cede the top spot. They emerged from Week 6 with the Jets and New England Patriots as the only one-defeat teams in the league.

The reckoning: Eight games featured lower-ranked teams defeating higher-ranked teams in Week 6.

• (6) New England 23, (2) Baltimore 20: Loving that Tom Brady quote to Boston radio saying the Ravens sure talk a lot for a team that has beaten the Patriots once in nine years.
• (14) Philadelphia 31, (4) Atlanta 17: If sticking with Michael Vick was the right call then, keeping Kevin Kolb in the lineup makes sense now.
• (27) Seattle 23, (7) Chicago: The Bears are 0-for-25 on third down in Jay Cutler's past two starts and 4-for-45 in his past four. Wow.
• (13) Houston 35, (10) Kansas City 31: The Chiefs' tour through the AFC South has been rocky so far, but home games against Jacksonville and Buffalo come next.
• (17) Miami 23, (8) Green Bay 20: The Dolphins are 0-2 at home and 3-0 on the road. The trend could continue when the Steelers visit in Week 7.
• (20) Minnesota 24, (19) Dallas 21: Pure artistry. Just ask Kevin Seifert.
• (26) St. Louis 20, (21) San Diego 17: The Rams are 3-3 with Sam Bradford after going 3-33 in their previous 36 games.
• (30) San Francisco 17, (25) Oakland 9: If Seifert liked the Cowboys-Vikings game, he would have loved this one.

Still to play: Twelfth-ranked Tennessee visits 18th-ranked Jacksonville on "Monday Night Football" (8:20 p.m. ET, ESPN).

My early favorite for the No. 1 spot: The Steelers were my choice a week ago and they should only improve as Ben Roethlisberger settles into a rhythm. I think the home team would likely win any game between the Steelers and Jets.

MIAMI -- Tony Dungy wasn't the only one who thought the Indianapolis Colts would blow out the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.

"I did too," Colts tackle Ryan Diem said Sunday night.

The Saints' 31-17 victory proved quite a few people wrong, most notably Dungy, who should have known better than to suggest Peyton Manning would breeze through the Saints' defense on his way to a second Super Bowl title.

"I think they're going to be so far ahead," the former Colts coach had told the New York Times, "that people are going to say, 'Oh, ho-hum, he played a good game, they won by two scores, the Colts won their second championship.' "

The comments created a ripple, but Dungy mostly got a free pass while Gregg Williams, the Saints' less stately defensive coordinator, took heat for suggesting the New Orleans defense would rough up Manning with "remember-me" hits.

Dungy's prediction read more like something from Rex Ryan at an MMA event than anything befitting the man NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has anointed as league ambassador. The prediction was so strong, so unflinching, so seeming inconsistent with Dungy's usual form that I figured he had to be right. Certainly Dungy wouldn't speak out so strongly if the Saints were the better team.

"I don't think it's going to be close," Dungy had said.

The Colts were going to win in a blowout.

"A blowout?" Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "Well, it didn't happen."

The Saints needed overtime to beat the Vikings in the NFC Championship game even though Minnesota suffered from five turnovers, critical penalties and questionable coaching decisions. Logic said the Colts would never suffer so many mistakes. But logic would also fail to explain what the Saints were feeling. From their perspective, this was the only just outcome after the organization stuck it out in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

Manning and the Colts were a great team, perhaps even the better team on paper, but the Saints felt they were playing for a greater purpose.

"They are really hard to prepare for," Saints linebacker Scott Fujita said of the Colts, "but the Saints were on a mission and for us it was about much more than just football -- much more than just football.

"I think you could see the stadium, we must have had Colts fans outnumbered six, seven to one. Throughout the city all week, the black and gold just poured into Miami to take over the city. I'm getting text messages all week from friends in the U.K., friends in Italy, saying the whole football world is behind us. This is bigger than just the game. The Saints are the world's team."

The Saints defied convention with an onside kick to open the second half. They went for it on fourth down when a field goal would have been the politically safe call. Cornerback Tracy Porter jumped the route for the interception he returned 74 yards for the clinching touchdown with 3:12 remaining.

We could view these high-stakes gambles as the Saints' acknowledgment that taking chances was their only hope against Manning, but that would be missing the mark. The Saints bet big on themselves and won.

"We have been the best team in the NFC," safety Roman Harper said. "We knew nobody was going to give it to us. We have to go out there and take it. Nobody picked us, nobody believed in us but us and ourselves and our locker room and our city and our families. We went out and proved everybody wrong today."

Starting with Tony Dungy.

Jim Mora's firing after one season as Seahawks coach sent me back through records for the other NFL coaches new to their roles in 2009.

Two of them -- Mike Singletary and Tom Cable -- took over as interim coaches during the 2008 season.

The 10 new head coaches combined to win one more game than their predecessors.

Coaches probably get too much credit and too much blame for how their teams fare. Season records fluctuate regardless of coaching changes.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Rank Team 1 IND 1 1 2 2 2 NO 2 2 1 1 3 DEN 3 3 4 3 4 MIN 4 4 3 4 5 NE 6 6 6 5 6 CIN 7 7 5 6 7 PIT 5 8 8 7 8 NYG 9 5 7 9 9 DAL 10 9 10 13 10 ARI 8 11 11 14 11 ATL 12 10 12 11 12 PHI 13 12 14 8 13 GB 15 13 13 10 14 BAL 11 14 15 12 15 NYJ 17 15 9 17 16 SD 14 16 19 16 17 HOU 18 20 18 15 18 CHI 16 17 21 19 19 MIA 19 19 17 20 20 SF 20 23 16 18 21 JAC 22 18 20 21 22 BUF 21 22 23 23 23 SEA 23 24 22 22 24 CAR 24 21 25 24 25 WAS 25 27 24 25 26 DET 26 29 26 27 27 OAK 27 25 31 26 28 KC 28 26 27 29 29 TEN 31 30 28 28 30 CLE 29 28 30 31 31 TB 30 31 29 32 32 STL 32 32 32 30

The top spot in ESPN.com's NFL power rankings for Week 8 could be yours for the taking, New Orleans Saints.

Voting will not commence until after the Falcons-Saints game Monday night, but I've pretty much made up my mind on New Orleans. If the Saints beat the Falcons, they'll overtake Indianapolis as the top-rated team on my ballot.

The Colts found a way to win against the 49ers on Sunday, but it wasn't pretty or convincing.

The chart shows power rankings votes from last week. Red lettering identifies teams that lost in Week 8.

The power rankings for Week 9, scheduled to appear here Tuesday, could very well validate Paul Kuharsky's choices in the top three spots one week ago. Kuharsky had the Saints, Colts and Vikings as his top three teams, respectively.

That sounds about right, provided the Saints win Monday night.

The Cardinals and Giants will almost surely drop from the top 10, replaced by the Eagles and Ravens. The Falcons have a chance to join them with an upset victory over the Saints.

And now, the power rankings revisited ...

The reckoning: Six games featured lower-ranked teams defeating higher-ranked teams:

• (32) St. Louis 17, (26) Detroit 10. Steven Jackson deserved your early Pro Bowl vote even before his latest inspired performance. This game left no doubt.
• (29) Tennessee 30, (21) Jacksonville 13. Bud Adams was right. Vince Young is the Titans' greatest quarterback since Kerry Collins.
• (24) Carolina 34, (10) Arizona 21. The Cardinals' run defense fell from No. 1 to No. 9 in one Sunday. No wonder strong safety Adrian Wilson avoided reporters after the game.
• (19) Miami 30, (15) New York Jets 25. Nice postgame quotes, Rex Ryan. Delivered like a future defensive coordinator.
• (14) Baltimore 30, (3) Denver 7. The Ravens did not score an offensive touchdown until the second half.
• (12) Philadelphia 40, (8) New York Giants 17. That Cardinals victory at Giants Stadium seems a little less impressive.

Still to play: (11) Atlanta at (2) New Orleans on "Monday Night Football."

Welcome to Loserville: The Broncos, Bills, Browns, Seahawks, Giants and Jaguars lost by a combined score of 199-64. The winning teams scored at least 30 points in nine of 12 games Sunday. The Giants and Seahawks allowed a combined 78.

Doing 120 in the southbound lane: Giants, Jets, Seahawks, Lions. The idle Bucs could fall into the 32nd spot, but how far should the Lions fall after losing to the Rams? They were 26th last week.

Northbound in a hurry: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Houston, Carolina.

My early favorite for the No. 1 spot: New Orleans, provided the Saints beat the Falcons.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando



Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic passes along a tweet from Larry Fitzgerald's brother suggesting the Arizona receiver isn't happy with his role. Marcus Fitzgerald also referred to Warner as an old man. Nothing a couple touchdown passes can't solve.

Bob McManamon of the Arizona Republic says Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt is appealing to Fitzgerald's improved leadership skills during a slow start for the Pro Bowl wide receiver.

Also from McManamon: redemption for the Cardinals' offensive line.

Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic says the Cardinals' running game is gaining momentum early in the season. Boivin: "No one is calling Wells the next Walter Payton, but he has shown some much-needed home-run promise. Even in limited play, he has had runs of at least 15 yards in each of the Cardinals games. He's the ideal guy to have in the lineup when the team takes a lead into the fourth quarter. Too bad he couldn't be that Sunday. After fumbling twice -- giving him the dubious honor of sharing the NFL fumble lead -- he lost coach Ken Whisenhunt's confidence, and with good reason. Whisenhunt has a 17-0 record when his team wins the turnover battle. Seventeen-and-oh. They are 1-15 when they lose it. That's significant."

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com breaks down the Cardinals' field-goal block against the Jaguars in Week 2. Gabe Watson was the mastermind.



Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle stands up for 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill. Knapp: "How can 9-3 not buy Hill more respect? Drew Brees is currently the quarterback equivalent of Tiger Woods at the 2000 U.S. Open, so far ahead of the field that his competitors can only laugh. Yet he is 7-5 over his past 12 games. Donovan McNabb is 8-3-1 in his past 12 regular-season starts. Philip Rivers is 6-6." Agreed.

Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat provides a video analysis of the 49ers' performance in Week 2.

Also from Maiocco: Mike Singletary hopes the 49ers never need Hill to carry the offense. Singletary: "I believe what he's doing right now has been good enough the first two games. Going forward, and I've said before, we're going to have to run the ball and Shaun Hill makes some plays here and there, and as he gets more comfortable, we can open it up a bit. That's what's going to have to start happening. And I believe he can do that."

Lowell Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat says the 49ers' willingness to file tampering charges against the Jets suggests general manager Scot McCloughan is showing some of the toughness and resolve that have marked Singletary's run as head coach. Cohn: "McCloughan is doing the same thing in the front office, taking his cue from the team on the field. He’s ordered Crabtree to sit in the corner and ponder the meaning of his life, and he’s told the Jets not so fast. The wimp fights back."

Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News provides an overview to the tampering case and some good quotes from Jets coach Rex Ryan, who called the charges "ridiculous" and said he wished the Jets could play the 49ers on the field.

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News wonders if the 49ers need Michael Crabtree. Kawakami: "You have to read between the lines and pick up the vibe of the room, but there's a definite sense of distance cropping up in Singletary's words about Crabtree. He's unsigned, apparently insisting on at least $7 million more in guarantees than the 49ers are willing to pay him. And all the recent activity tells us that the 49ers are bracing themselves for life after Crabtree, without ever actually having Crabtree."

Greg Johns of seattlepi.com says Seahawks rookie Aaron Curry needs to find a more effective tempo to avoid being too aggressive.

Also from Johns: Matt Hasselbeck says he is "absolutely hoping" to play against the Bears in Week 3.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times quotes Hasselbeck as saying he has "definitely felt worse" on days after games.

Clare Farnsworth of seahawks.com also checks in with Hasselbeck and coach Jim Mora. Mora: "Every time Matt gets hit, everyone thinks, 'Oh no, his back.' But I knew right away it wasn’t his back. I thought it was his head, the way that he came over as he walked off the field, and then just kind of crumbled. I thought, 'Oh, it’s his head.' But as soon as (the trainers) laid him down, you could see that he was lucid. It was just that he was in a lot of pain and he was struggling to catch his breath."

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune says Chris Spencer, Walter Jones and Deion Branch are expected to practice for the Seahawks when the team returns to the field Wednesday.

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Rams quarterback Marc Bulger has shown good toughness through two games. Coats: "As he dressed in the locker room Sunday at FedEx Field, a large, ugly welt across his back was noticeable. So were knots on both arms. The bruise on Bulger’s back was the result of a vicious shot he took after he scrambled for a 3-yard gain late in the first half. Bulger slid, which means he’d given himself up and shouldn’t be hit. But Redskins end Andre Carter drilled him anyway, and then 350-pound tackle Albert Haynesworth piled on. No flag was thrown, but either or both players should’ve been called for a personal foul."

Also from Coats: The Rams are on pace to finish the 2009 season with only eight sacks, not good for a team that has invested heavily in the defensive line. Coats: "Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been sacked 10 times — six in Sunday's loss to Cincinnati. And the Packers might be without veteran left tackle Chad Clifton, who is nursing an ankle injury, when they visit the Edward Jones Dome."

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks down the Rams' injury situation heading into Week 3. Expect Adam Goldberg to start at right tackle Sunday.

Roger Hensley of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch asks whether the Rams are headed for an 0-5 start. Thomas and other staffers provide answers. Bernie Miklasz: "It’s up to the lines. The Rams offensive line has too many breakdowns that kill drives and scoring chances. The defensive line has one sack in two games and is doing nothing to disrupt the QB. As long as the Rams continue to get slapped around up front, the losing will continue. They need better game management from the coaches. And someone -- anyone -- has to step up and make some plays. There is a critical shortage of playmakers on this team."

Steve Korte of the Belleville News-Democrat says the Rams aren't sugar-coating their latest defeat.

Randy Karraker of 101ESPN St. Louis offers video analysis from the Rams' defeat at Washington.

ESPN's Mike Golic discusses some of the new coaches heading into the 2009 season.

NFC West Team Draft Choices Under Current Head Coach Draft Choices Under Past Coaches Cardinals 18 13 Seahawks 7 29 49ers 7 27 Rams 7 23 Totals 39 92

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Cardinals' Ken Whisenhunt has a one-year head start on the other NFC West coaches in terms of stocking the roster with his own draft choices.

Eighteen of the 31 Cardinals draft choices on Arizona's roster entered the league under Whisenhunt. The numbers in the chart's middle column will grow over time, helping each coach establish his program with players he presumably wanted.

In Tennessee, 37 Titans draft choices entered the league with Jeff Fisher as their head coach, by my count. The number is 33 for Bill Belichick in New England, 32 for the Packers' Mike McCarthy and 31 for the Giants' Tom Coughlin.

The league low: three for new Jets coach Rex Ryan.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

K.C. from Wenatchee, Wash., writes: Hi Mike. I have a research question for you =)

With everything that went on with Jay Cutler in Denver it got me thinking … Bill Belicheck's former assistants haven't been faring too well out there.

Romeo Crennel was fired from Cleveland. Eric Mangini was fired from the Jets (and picked up by Cleveland). Charlie Weiss has been on the hot seat at Notre Dame since he got there. And now Josh McDaniels is losing his star QB because he was too eager to get his former star QB.

So what I'm wondering: Is there a Head Coaching family tree out there somewhere that would show us which coaches came from which coaches? Which of the current Head coaches has had the most success in developing other head coaches?

I'm measuring success by longevity in job, W-L record, and playoff experience, but feel free to throw in anything else that makes sense. Thanks in advance as always!

Oh, and Corey Redding's new deal only means one thing to me. The Hawks are playing to win this year and are looking to rebuild next year. New QB, new LT, new RB, new DL, and new DBs.

Mike Sando: This will come as a great shock to the regulars here, but my roster database does include 30 columns of information for each head coach. I added the 30th column under the heading "coaching tree" in response to your question. Thanks for the idea.

In some cases it's hard to tell which branches lead to which trees. It's not like every head coach owes his advancement to a single mentor. Some coaches spent one or more seasons under multiple head coaches early in their NFL careers.

That said, I went through and assigned mentors to every head coach, based on my judgment.

In keeping with the tree analogy, Bill Parcells leads the way with five branches: Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, Tony Sparano, Todd Haley and Tom Coughlin.

Brian Billick has four: Jack Del Rio, Mike Smith, Mike Singletary and Rex Ryan.

Tony Dungy has three: Lovie Smith, Mike Tomlin and Jim Caldwell.

Mike Holmgren has three: Andy Reid, Dick Jauron and Jim Zorn (although Jauron worked with both of Holmgren's predecessors in Green Bay, and he was with Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville).

Reid has three: Brad Childress, John Harbaugh and Steve Spagnuolo.

Bill Cowher has two: Marvin Lewis and Ken Whisenhunt (although Whisenhunt spent four years as an NFL assistant to three head coaches before joining Cowher's staff).

Belichick has two: Eric Mangini and Josh McDaniels.

The Parcells tree is holding up quite well. Six current coaches led their current teams to a combined nine Super Bowls. Belichick went to four of them. Coughlin went to a fifth. That gives the Parcells tree five of the nine Super Bowl appearances by coaches with their current teams. Belichick and Coughlin are the only current coaches to have led their current teams to Super Bowl victories.

As for your thought about the Seahawks rebuilding in 2010, that might happen, but the deal with Cory Redding wouldn't necessarily be an indication, in my view. The Seahawks saved only $1.55 million on the new deal. Redding's salary in 2010 would have been manageable.

Note: I'll be responding to mailbag submissions throughout the weekend. Thanks much for getting in touch through the comments, the mailbag, our Facebook profile and Twitter account.