2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week One

(Will Brady and Moss be laughing last?) While the talk of the league is Tom Brady and his knee, there are still plenty of story lines to get tripped up in, causing us all to lose focus of a core issue: The Pittsburgh Steelers are still the NFL champions, and nothing has changed to make us think it will end differently in 2009. Well, unless you're a hopeless NFL romantic. Yes, if you're like the millions who saw their jaws drop when Michael Vick signed with the Eagles, Brett Favre un-retired again, and several transactions and injuries began to re-shape contending teams, then nothing is quite what it seems. But this early in the season, you're going in one of four directions. You're either promoting the hell out of your home team, digging deep for an underdog and betting the house on Atlanta or New Orleans, sticking with the Steelers, or re-thinking the NFL like it's 2007 and banking on Tom Brady throwing another 50 touchdown passes. Sadly, though, in this day an...