The profootball outsiders week 9 rankings just came out -- which give IMHO a better view of rankings than the traditional NFL stats.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/200...rankings/4480/

Our defense is # 1, our special teams is # 6 and our offense is # 24 making us overall in the top 5. Suspect the Aikman ratings will have us near the same level. If we can beat Cincinnati this week we will be at the halfway mark with 6-2 ; In short a far better performance than any of us could have hoped for at the beginning of the season.

So would like to have a discussion on the big issues that we think the team needs to address for the remainder of the season. Here's my list.

Defense -- high risk, high reward. I don't think we're as good as 2000 but its probably more fun to watch this crew. Key question -- Can we cut down on the number of big plays we give up while maintaining the high number of turnovers?

Offense -- I personally think that our new offensive coordinator is going to make a HUGE difference. While I said last week that he would increase point production by 25%, I now think its going to be more like 30-40%. Key question -- Can we figure out a way to bolster up the running game and get more than 4 yards / carry (team is currently averaging 3.5) -- name your favorite way of doing it. I think if that happens, the passing game will follow and we will get our offense in the top half of the league.

Special Teams -- Koch and the new players have worked better than expected. Key question -- can we cut down on the yards given up on the kickoff?


Here's hoping we solve all of those issues -- its great to be in contention -- looking forward to a classic game this Sunday