Aaron Rodgers

Remember that new quarterback rating stat ESPN made up? How does it apply to Ravens QB Joe Flacco? Seven weeks into the 2011 season, the fourth-year quarterback ranks 21st in the league in Total Quarterback Rating . QBR is a confusing stat that measures the quality of quarterback play that ESPN invented because the NFL's traditional passer rating system was in itself a confusing stat measuring the quality of quarterback play. QBR is even more confusing than that last sentence.

Greeting, football fans. This week, we're taking our popular "Five Things" template we use to break down each Ravens game, and expanding to the rest of the NFL. Each week, we'll try to look at some of the trends and issues we noticed around the league. As always, if you don't like the column, which appears only on the web, we promise a full refund.   Kevin Van Valkenburg   1. Everyone loves Troy Polamalu because he's such a nice guy and he's been a dynamic player, but he's a prime example of how the Steelers have drifted from their core philosophy a bit. They used to let their aging players walk and become free agents. Now they sign them to extensions.

I'm not very good at making preseason predictions. Two years ago, I picked the Giants to beat the Chargers in the Super Bowl. Last season, I wrote a column saying the Ravens would go all the way, and they might have had they not fallen apart against the Steelers. This year, I'm feeling good about the Patriots and the Packers -- and yes, I felt that way before Thursday night -- but considering my track record, neither will win it all in 2011. That's why I'm picking nine different teams to lift the Lombardi Trophy, with a reason why each of the NFL's true contenders will be showered with confetti at season's end. I like my chances of getting it right this year.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco appeared on "The Scott Van Pelt Show" on Wednesday, and he talked about a bunch of things with fill-in host Doug Gottlieb, including January's playoff loss to the Steelers, the additions of Lee Evans and Ricky Williams and even the improper benefits scandal down at Miami. But Flacco's assessment of where he thinks he stands in the pantheon of NFL quarterbacks will surely get everyone worked up around here if the message boards and talk radio phone lines aren't already on fire.

I'm pleased to announce that I will be bringing back my weekly fantasy football column this fall. Why am I so pleased? Because it gives me an excuse to tinker with my fantasy football teams when I'm on the clock. I'm scaling back to four or five leagues this year so I can focus on other important things (like the new “Madden” game that comes out at the end of the month). But this column lets me play vicariously through you guys, and I'm always available to give fantasy advice via email, Twitter and the comments section.

Remember back in September when a running back that Terrell Suggs had never heard of rumbled for 144 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens? Well that no-name back is now the cover boy for the next installment of the popular "Madden" franchise. Browns running back Peyton Hillis won a bracket-style tournament using fan votes to determine which player EA Sports would put on the "Madden 2012" cover. Hillis beat out players such as Ray Rice and Aaron Rodgers on the way to the finals, where he nearly doubled up Michael Vick to get his mug put on video game boxes.

ESPN continued its series of NFL positional power rankings today with its list of the league's top quarterbacks, and Ravens QB Joe Flacco finished tied for 10th with Cowboys QB Tony Romo. The rankings were compiled by ESPN's seven divisional bloggers plus senior writer and noted Flacco backer John Clayton. Flacco, who completed 62.6 of his passes in 2010 for 3,622 yards and 25 touchdowns, was ranked as high as ninth on the list of one blogger (Bill Williamson) and was 10th on three other lists.

Here's a look at what other media outlets are saying about the Green Bay Packers' 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV: • SI.com's Peter King wrote that while Charles Woodson spent the second half on the sidelines with a broken collarbone, the veteran cornerback wasn't going to let the pain dampen his mood. The memory of being at a locker with Woodson, who cherished his first championship of a 13-year career, will be with me for a long time.

ARLINGTON, Texas — If everything works out for them in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium, the Packers will hit the wall. Specifically, they want to adorn the wall of their meeting room at Lambeau Field, where photos of every Packers championship team now hang — with players such as Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke, Willie Davis, Herb Adderley and Brett Favre. A space already has been cleared for this season's team. "I thought it would be a cool thing for us to see every day in the meeting room," said quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who lobbied for the blank space.

Pittsburgh will prevail Kevin Van Valkenburg Baltimore Sun Are you ready to live in a world where the Steelers have seven Super Bowl trophies? Where Ben Roethlisberger is considered Tom Brady's equal? Because that's where we'll be Sunday night. I'm not sure I'm ready. But I'd better get ready, because I'm convinced it's going to happen. This Steelers seem to be the perfect blend of style and grit. Their quarterback, whatever personal misgivings I may have about him, is a winner on the field.