Lions Roar and Broncos Fail Miserably: Power Ranking the NFL After Week 8

Week eight saw the Detroit Lions roll over the hapless Denver Broncos and saw Tim Tebow look horrific much like his first game of the season against the Miami Dolphins, the only difference there was no chance of a comeback for Tebow. The St. Louis Rams had the biggest upset on Sunday beating the New Orleans Saints 31-21 with Stephen Jackson having his best game of the season and the Baltimore Ravens looked rusty in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals and rallied from a 21 point deficit to knock of the Cardinals.

So, with week eight complete is time to look at the power rankings for all 32 NFL teams:

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0): The Packers were on a bye and still remain the no.1 team in the NFL.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): A big test for the Steelers wasn't much of one on Sunday against the New England Patriots and even though the Steelers only managed to win by eight the victory could have been much bigger if it weren't for a few mistake and on both sides of the ball the Steelers dominated.

3. San Francisco 49ers (6-1): With the Packers on a bye the 49ers had a chance to move closer to the no.1 spot in the power rankings and through the first half it looked like that was going to be the case. With a terrible second half offensively the 49ers drop down to no.3 after a 20-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns in San Francisco. Frank Gore did manage to rush for over 100 yards for the fourth consecutive game.

4. Detroit Lions (6-2): Matthew Stafford showed his toughness by playing on an injured ankle, he could have easily sat out and let Shaun Hill lead the offense, yet he played and he picked apart the Broncos secondary. Defensively the Lions made life difficult for Tim Tebow and the offense couldn't get anything going except for a meaningless touchdown.

5. Buffalo Bills (5-2): The Bills played a home game in Toronto and shutout the hapless Washington Redskins. Fred Jackson continues to impress at running back and Ryan Fitzpatrick showed why the Bills were smart in signing him to a brand new deal.

6. New England Patriots (5-2): The Patriots are coming off of a bye and did not look good offensively against the Steelers. Worse for the Patriots was their defense that saw Ben Roethlisberger pick it apart and Rashard Mendenhall had a big game well. The Patriots face another test against the New York Giants.

7. New Orleans Saints (5-3): The Saints lost to the previous winless St.Louis Rams in St. Louis and have yet to win a road game this year. The Saints could fall even more in the rankings if the team can't win on the road and as well find a consistent running game as Mark Ingram sat out and has been a disappointment for the Saints.

8. Baltimore Ravens (5-2): With back to back disappointing efforts one that saw them lose to the Jacksonville and falling behind to the Arizona Cardinals one has to wonder what is going on in Baltimore? They still have one of the better defensive units as the Cardinals managed just over 200 yards of offense, it's the inconsistent play of Joe Flacco that's a concern for the Ravens.

9. Houston Texans (5-3): Arian Foster continues his strong play and Matt Schaub was his normal consistent self, the Jacksonville Jaguars made it interesting for a while and Foster sealed the victory with a late touchdown. In the first half of the game it was the battle of the defenses as neither team could get much offense going.

10. New York Giants (5-2): The Giants found themselves trailing by 11 to the winless Miami Dolphins in the second half and it meant that the Giants were throwing much more than usual as Eli Manning had 45 attempts he was able to find Victor Cruz with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to seal the victory over the Dolphins, far from an impressive win and still they could find themselves finding it difficult to make the playoffs.

11. New York Jets (4-3): Mark Sanchez has been up and down this year and yet after the bye still very much alive in the AFC East for the division title.

12. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2): The Bengals made quick work of the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle and that's saying something as they were without Cedric Benson who was suspended for a game, A.J. Green continues to excel and Andy Dalton continues to play well and with a 34-12 in one of the more difficult places to play he is keeping the Bengals in contention for a playoff berth.

13. Chicago Bears (4-3): The Bears were on a bye this week and with Matt Forte being a dual threat they have a good chance of a possible wild card berth. It will be difficult to make the playoffs unless the Green Bay Packers start to slip.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4): Coming off the bye the Eagles did not look rusty making life miserable all game long for Tony Romo and the offense looked like it was projected to be at the start of the year. The Eagles still have plenty of time to make up ground on the division leading Giants.

15. Atlanta Falcons (4-3): With the Saints losing to the Rams even without playing the Falcons were able to move closer to leading the division and if the Saints can't prove they can win on the road the Falcons could be the favorites to win the NFC South division.

16. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3): The Chiefs have won four straight games after beating the San Diego Chargers in overtime. With the winning streak the Chiefs move into a three way tie for the division lead in the AFC West meaning the division is up for grabs except for the Broncos.

17. San Diego Chargers (4-3): Philip Rivers has been struggling this year and doesn't look like the elite quarterback he normally is. The Chargers lost Monday night to the Chiefs meaning they have lost two and a row and the AFC West division is up for grabs it's just a matter of who wants it more at this point.

18. Dallas Cowboys (3-4): Nothing really went right for the Cowboys against the Eagles on Sunday, were nearly shutout and the defense looked over matched against LeSean McCoy.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3): For the Buccaneers the bye was a welcome sight after losing a number of running backs to injuries, if the Buccaneers can get a running game they could be a dark horse candidate to win the NFC South which is

wide open.

20. Oakland Raiders (4-3): With the Broncos up next Carson Palmer should be able to prove that he has worked with the Raiders receivers and should be a good warmup for him and with the Raiders tied for the AFC West lead, he has his opportunity to get the Raiders to the playoffs.

21. Tennessee Titans (4-3): Chris Johnson continues to struggle one has to wonder when Javon Ringer is going to get the starting nod. The Titans coming off a terrible effort against the Houston Texans, beat the winless Indianapolis Colts 27-10.

22. St. Louis Rams (1-6): The St. Louis Rams did the unthinkable and beat the New Orleans Saints when most experts didn't think they stood a chance. Stephen Jackson is healthy and had a huge game, the addition of Brandon Lloyd was a tremendous help for the Rams as he made a huge catch in the latter stages of the game to seal the victory and Chris Long was a beast defensively.

23. Minnesota Vikings (2-6): Christian Ponder won his first game as a starter against the Carolina Panthers and if Adrian Peterson becomes a duel threat the Vikings could make some noise and head towards that .500 mark, it still won't be enough for the playoffs yet it will build confidence for Ponder going into the 2012 season.

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6): Played well for much of the game against the Texans their defense is solid and Blaine Gabbert did show flashes that he can be a good quarterback in the NFL, though it was only for a number of plays. 2012 should be a better year for the Jaguars.

25 Carolina Panthers (2-6): Still no defense to speak of were in position to at least take the game to overtime against the Vikings, yet Olindo Mare missed a field goal. Cam Newton continues to impress and Steve Smith leads the NFL in receiving yards. Victories though have proven difficult to come by for the Panthers.

26. Washington Redskins (3-4): The Redskins were shutout by the Buffalo Bills 23-0 over the weekend the only positive on the season for the team has been the play of Fred Davis and a few weeks ago they were sitting at the top of the NFC East and now they're quickly moving towards the basement. Maybe the benching of Rex Grossman wasn't such a good idea after all. Next week doesn't come easy for the Redskins either as the 49ers come to D.C.

27. Cleveland Browns (3-4): With Peyton Hillis injured, Montario Hardesty being injured against the 49ers the Browns do not have any running game which isn't helpful for Colt McCoy who struggled mightily in the first half against the 49ers and McCoy did show some life in the seocnd half and at that point it was a little too late. The Browns defense is impressive could easily have a better record with a little bit more consistent offense.

28. Seattle Seahawks (2-5): Seahawks were dominated at home by the Bengals, their defense normally solid got picked apart. Right now the Seahawks do not have a quarterback who can make plays and will continue to struggle and most likely will find themselves in the basement of the NFC West with the Arizona Cardinals.

29. Arizona Cardinals (1-6): There will not likely be a more disappointing loss for the Cardinals this season after going up by 21 points to the Baltimore Ravens and then not being able to win. Even worse for the Cardinals is that Kevin Kolb is currently in a walking boot due to turf toe.

30. Miami Dolphins (0-7): Another week another disappointing loss for the team, again had a chance to win and weren't able to do it. Reggie Bush had a solid game running for over 100 yards on 15 carries and had the lead for much of the game, yet weren't able to make the play when the defense needed too which led to a game winning touchdown being scored by Victor Cruz with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

31. Denver Broncos (2-5): Tim Tebow looked awful for the Broncos and with Willis McGahee out he had no chance against the Lions swarming defense. At the moment the Broncos are going to stick with Tebow it will be a matter of time before he's either replaced by Kyle Orton or Brady Quinn as the Broncos cannot win with Tebow as the quarterback.

32. Indianapolis Colts (0-8): The Colts lost 27-10 to the Titans and are still without a win and it doesn't look like there's much hope for the team. Every part of the team is awful, there's no running game, they do have decent receivers just that the numbers come when the game is already out of hand.

The Top 10 Hitters in Athletics Franchise History

The Oakland/Kansas City/Philadelphia Athletics have had talented hitters throughout it's storied franchise history. Narrowing down the list of the top 10 hitters was an even more difficult task than the starting pitchers as there are a number of Hall of Famers who have played for the team. So, here's a look at the top 10 hitters in Athletics franchise history and two honorable mentions:

Eric Chavez was a solid hitter in his 13 years with the A's and the only reason why his numbers weren't better was because of injuries that plagued him his final few seasons with the team. When healthy he was a solid hitter who could find the gap and drive the ball out of the park. His best season came in 2001 when he hit .288, with 159 hits, 43 doubles, 32 home runs and 114 rbi, 41 walks a .338 obp, .540 slugging percentage, .878 OPS and 298 total bases.

His career totals were a .267 average, a .343 obp, 1,276 hits, 230 home runs and 787 rbi, 282 doubles, 20 triples, a .478 slugging percentage, a .821 OPS and 2,288 total bases.

Jose Canseco when he made contact the ball traveled a long way when he made contact, that is the key when he made contact. He didn't hit for a particularly high average in most of his nine seasons in a A's uniform. His best season came in 1988 which is the year he won the American League MVP. He hit .307 with a .391 obp, had 187 hits with 42 home runs while driving in 124 runs, to go along with 34 doubles, 78 walks, a .569 (led the AL), .959 OPS and 347 total bases.

10. Mark McGwire wasn't going to hit for a high average much like Canseco and just like him when he connected the ball was going to go a long way. He played 12 seasons in an A's uniform and there were injuries the kept his numbers from being better than they are and yet he is the franchise's leader in career home runs with 363, what keeps him ranked at no.10 is that he was an all or nothing type hitter.

His best season with the A's was his last full season with the team before being traded to St. Louis and that was in 1996 when he hit .312, with 52 home runs (led the AL) drove in 113 runs, had 132 hits, 21 doubles, 116 walks a .467 obp (led the AL), .730 slugging percentage (led AL), 1.198 OPS (led AL) and 309 total bases.

In his career with the Athletics he again hit 363 homeruns, drove in 941, had 1,157 hits, 195 doubles, five triples, 847 walks, a .260 average, a .380 obp, .551 slugging percentage, .931 OPS and 2,451 total bases.

Besides being the A's franchise leader in home runs he has the second best slugging percentage in a season as well as the second most home runs in a seson, third best season for OPS, third best in career slugging percentage, fourth in career OPS, rbi, extra base hits and walks, seventh in total bases for his career with the team and the 10th best season in extra base hits.

9. Reggie Jackson played in 10 seasons with the Athletics and is much like Canseco and McGwire all or nothing type hitters. His best season with the A's came in 1969 when he hit .275 with a .410 obp, had 151 hits, 36 doubles, 47 home runs, 118 rbi, 114 walks, a .608 slugging percentage (led AL), 1.018 OPS (led AL) and 334 total bases.

In the 10 seasons he played in he hit .262 with a .355 obp, with 1,228 hits, 269 home runs, 776 rbis, 234 doubles, 27 triples, 633 walks, a .496 slugging percentage, .851 OPS and 2,323 total bases.

He won the AL MVP in 1972 he also led the AL in home runs twice, slugging percentage three times and OPS twice. In franchise history he ranks third in total home runs, fifth best season home run wise, sixth in extra base hits, eighth in total bases and rbi, 10th in slugging percentage, plate appearances and OPS.

8. Jason Giambi was a complete hitter he was not the all or nothing type hitter he could easily take the pitch that was given to him and drive it to the opposite field for a base hit. He spent seven plus seasons with the A's and won a MVP and was the runner up in another season.

His best year was his MVP season which was in 2000 when he hit .333, with 43 homeruns, 137 rbi, 29 doubles, a triple, 137 walks, a .476 obp (led AL), a .647 slugging percentage, 1.123 OPS and 330 total bases.

For his career in an A's uniform he hit .300, with 198 homeruns, 715 rbi, with 1,100 hits, 241 doubles, seven triples, 636 walks, a opb of .406, a slugging percentage of .531, a .938 OPS and 1,949 total bases.

Giambi also led the AL in doubles once, walks twice, opb twice, slugging percentage once and OPS once. Ranks with the A's include first best season in obp, second best season in walks, third in OPS, fourth in slugging percentage and also fourth best season in doubles and OPS wise, sixth best season in slugging percentage, seventh all-time in obp and eighth best season in homeruns and in total homeruns.

7. Mickey Cochrane could just flat out hit and even if he didn't hit for a lot of power in his nine seasons with the A's he posted consistent numbers and were impressive for a catcher. His best season came in 1932 when he hit .293 with 23 homeruns, 112 rbi, with 152 hits, 35 doubles, four triples, a obp of .412, slugging percentage of .510, a OPS of .921 and had 221 total bases.

In the nine seasons with the A's he hit .312 with 1,317 hits, 108 homeruns, 680 rbi, 250 doubles, 59 triples, a .412 obp, a .490 slugging percentage, .902 OPS and 2,009 total bases.

He won a MVP Award in 1928 and also led the AL in obp once. Cochrane's ranking in Athletics history include fifth best obp, sixth best batting average and OPS, 10th in total hits and 10th best single season batting average and obp in a season.

6. Jimmy Dykes played 15 seasons in an A's uniform and put up tremendous numbers especially for the era he played in. His best season came in 1929 when he hit .327 with 13 home runs, 79 rbi, 34 doubles, six triples, 51 walks, a .412 obp, .539 slugging percentage, .950 OPS and 216 total bases.

For his career he hit .283 with a .365 obp, had 86 home runs, 365 doubles, 73 triples, 1,705 hits, 686 walks, a .411 slugging percentage, .776 OPS and 2,474 total bases. Dykes ranks first in doubles, third in plate appearances, at-bats and singles, fourth in hits, sixth in total bases, seventh in extra base hits and 10th in triples.

5. Home Run Baker didn't have a very long career with the Athletics, yet he definitely made his mark. He did not play in an era where the ball jumped out of the stadium yet in the seven years with the A's he led the league four times in home runs, two times in rbi, once in triples and yet didn't win a MVP award.

His best season came in 1912 when he hit 10 home runs, drove in 130 runs, hit .347, had 200 hits, 40 doubles, 21 triples, 50 walks, a obp of .404, a .541 slugging percentage, a .945 OPS and 312 total bases.

Career wise he hit .321 with a .375 obp, had 1,103 hits, 194 doubles, 88 triples, 48 home runs, 612 rbi, 266 walks, a .471 slugging percentage, a .845 OPS and 1,617 total bases. Baker ranks first in triples in a season, third in total triples and sixth in career batting average.

4. Bob Johnson is one of the most underrated players in Athletics history. He was a consistent slugger in his 10 seasons with the team and his best season came in 1939 when he hit .338 with 23 home runs, drove in 114, with 184 hits, 30 doubles, nine triples, 99 walks a .440 obp, a .553 slugging percentage, a .993 OPS and 301 total bases.

For his career with the Athletics he hit .298 with 1,617 hits, 252 homeruns, 1,040 rbi, 307 doubles, 72 triples, a obp of .395, a slugging percentage of .520, a .915 OPS and 2,824 total bases.

Johnson ranks second in total bases and times on base, third in rbi, extra base hits and walks, fourth in doubles, at-bats and plate appearances, fifth in hits, homer runs, slugging percentage and OPS and 10th in singles.

3. Al Simmons was a great hitter for the Athletics and easily could be considered the greatest in Athletics franchise history. He played in 12 seasons with the Athletics and his best season came in 1930 when he hit .381 (that's not even his best average in a season .392 was) with 211 hits, 36 home runs, 165 rbi, 41 doubles, 16 triples, 39 walks, a .423 obp, a .708 slugging percentage, 1.130 OPS and 392 total bases.

He twice led the league in at-bats, hits, batting average, total bases and once led the league in rbi. The amazing thing is he never won a MVP award for any of his outstanding years the closest he came was second in 1925.

Simmons career numbers with the A's a .356 batting average, 1,827 hits, 209 home runs, 1,178 rbi, 348 doubles, 98 triples, a .398 obp, .584 slugging percentage, a .983 OPS and 2,998 total bases.

He ranks first in runs batted in, career batting average and total bases, first in at-bats for a season, singles, extra base hits, and doubles, second best in average for a season and second in hits, doubles, triples, runs driven in during one season, career slugging percentage and OPS, third best season in extra base hits, slugging percentage wise and total bases, fourth in singles, fifth best season OPS wise and in triples, seventh in total home runs, times on base in career and in plate appearances in one season, eighth in total career at-bats and career plate appearances and ninth in obp

2. Rickey Henderson is the greatest leadoff hitter in Major League Baseball history and he spent 14 of his 25 seasons with the Athletics during his long successful career. His best season with the A's came in 1990 when he had 159 hits, 28 home runs, 61 rbi, 33 doubles, three triples, 97 walks, a .439 obp, .577 slugging percentage, 1.016 OPS (led AL) and 282 total bases. The 1990 season also saw him winning the AL MVP award.

For his career he had a batting average of .288, 1,768 hits, 167 home runs, 648 rbi, 289 doubles, 41 triples, 1,227 walks, a obp of .409, slugging percentage of .430, a .839 OPS and 2,640 total bases.

Henderson ranks first in walks and times on base, second in singles, at-bats and career plate appearances, third best season in obp and plate appearances and third in total hits, fourth in total bases and fourth best season in times on base, and sixth in career obp and doubles and eighth in extra base hits.

1. Jimmie Foxx is one of the greatest sluggers in MLB history and played 11 seasons with the Athletics before moving on to Boston for seven plus seasons, had a short stint with the Chicago Cubs and ended in his career with the Philadelphia Phillies.

His best season came in 1932 when he hit .364 with 58 home runs, 169 rbi, with 213 hits, 33 doubles, nine triples, 116 walks, a obp of .469, a .769 slugging percentage (led AL), a 1.218 OPS (led AL) and 438 total bases (led AL) and he did win the MVP for this incredible year and also the next season.

Foxx's career numbers with the A's were a .339 batting average, 1,492 hits, 302 home runs, 1,075 rbi, 257 doubles, 79 triples, 781 walks, a obp of .440, a slugging percentage of .640, 1.079 OPS and 2,813 total bases.

He also led the league three times in slugging percentage and OPS, twice led the league in home runs, rbi and total bases, once led the league in obp and won one batting title. His rankings include first in obp, slugging percentage and OPS and first best season in home runs, rbi, extra base hits, times on base, slugging percentage, total bases and OPS, second best career batting average, home runs, rbi and extra base hits, third best season in obp and third in total bases, fifth in times on base, sixth in triples, seventh in hits and walks, eighth best season in batting average and ninth best season in hits.

The Top 10 Starting Pitchers in the Athletics Franchise History

The Oakland/Kansas City/Philadelphia Athletics have certainly had plenty of talented starting pitchers come along over the years. Narrowing down the list of the top 10 starting pitchers was a difficult task especially with ranking them and what made it difficult is the fact that half of the pitchers on the list are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

So, here's a look at the top 10 starting pitchers in Athletics franchise history including two honorable mentions:

Bob Welch was a very consistent pitcher with the Oakland A's. No pitcher in the past two decades had as many wins in a season as Welch did in 1990, when he recording 27 wins in the season.

He went on to win the CY Young Award in 1990 and made his only All-Star appearance in an A's uniform. That season, he was 27-6 with a 2.95 ERA in 35 games starts, with two complete games. He struck out 127 batters while walking 77.

For his career with the A's from 1988-1994, Welch went 96-60 with a 3.94 ERA. He had 14 complete games, five shutouts, and 677 strikeouts vs. 469 walks.

Mark Mulder pitched for the A's from 2000-2004. In that span, he went 81-42 with a 3.92 ERA, with 22 complete games, eight shutouts, and 668 strikeouts.

Rube Walberg pitched 11 years for the A's from 1923-1933, compling a record of 134-114 with a 4.11 ERA. He pitched 125 complete games, with 15 shutouts.

Barry Zito went 102-63 with the A's from 2000-2006. He had a 3.55 ERA and pitched 9 complete games and four shutouts, striking out 1,096 batters while walking 560.

10. Dave Stewart was an Athletic from 1986-1995 and he was known for his fierce demeanor on the mound.

For the A's, he went 119-78 with a 3.73 ERA. He pitched 49 complete games and nine shutouts, and struck out 1,152 batters while walking 655. With his best season coming in 1990 when he went 22-11 with a 2.56 ERA, with 11 complete games, four shutouts, 267 innings pitched and struck out 166 while walking 83.

In his time with the Athletics he led the American League in starts four times, complete games twice, wins once and shutouts once. Also, he finished in the top five in Cy Young Award voting four times as well.

9. Jack Coombs played nine years with the Athletics from 1906 to 1914. In that span he went 115-67 with a 2.60 ERA, pitching 135 complete games and 28 shutouts. He had 870 strikeouts while walking 606.

In 1910 Coombs went 31-9 with a 1.30 ERA (an Athletic record), in 45 games with 38 starts, he completed 35 games along with 13 shutouts, pitched 353 innings and struckout 224 while walking 115.

He he holds the following ranks in team history ranks first in most shutouts in a season with 13, tied for first in most wins for a season with 31, third for complete games in a season with 35, tied for fifth for career shutouts with 28, sixth in total complete games for his Athletic career with 135, seventh in career ERA with a 2.60 ERA and ranks 10th all-time in franchise history with 115 wins.

8. Tim Hudson was known for his bulldog like mentality. When the Oakland A's had the big three of Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, and of course Hudson and without a doubt he was the very best of the three.

That's saying something, because both Mulder and Zito got more of the credit, With one coming in second for the Cy Young and one actually winning the award (Zito).

Hudson was with the A's from 1999-2004, a span in which he went 92-39, good enough for a 70.2 winning percentage. He had a 3.30 ERA and pitched 16 complete games with eight shutouts, striking out 899 hitters.

For Hudson his best year came in 2003 when he posted a record of 16-7 with a 2.70 ERA, started 34 games, threw 240 innings, recorded three complete games and two shutouts and struck out 162 while walking 61.

He twice led the American League in shutouts, he also had one season when he led the American League in starts with 35 and for his career with the A's his win-loss percentage ranks second in team history.

No.7 Eddie Rommel ranks as number four all-time in A's history in wins. However, his ERA, his lack of control, and his win-loss percentage put him at number seven.

Rommel pitched from 1920-1932 he had a record of 171-119 and a 3.54 ERA. He pitched 145 complete games and 18 shutouts, striking out 599 hitters while walking 724.

Those were his total amounts as a reliever and starter. Looking only at his numbers as a starter he was 120-95 with a 3.49 ERA, 145 complete games, 18 shutouts, and 425 strikeouts to 504 walks.

Other rankings in Athletics history for Rommel include third all-time in innings pitched, fifth all-time in complete games, seventh in total number of game started and eighth all-time in shutouts.

No 6. Vida Blue pitched in nine seasons with the Athletics from 1969 to 1977. During his time with the Athletics he compiled a record of 124-86 and had a 2.95 ERA. In addition he had 105 complete games, 28 shutouts, and 1,315 strikeouts to 617 walks.

For Blue his best season came in 1971 when he posted a record of 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA in 39 starts he had 24 complete games and eight shutouts, he threw 312 innings and struckout 301 while walking 88.

Rankings in franchise history include second in complete games for a season, third in strikeouts for one season, tied for fifth in total shutouts, sixth in total strikeouts and games started, seventh in total innings pitched, eighth in total wins and ninth in total complete games.

No.5 Jim "Catfish" Hunter pitched 10 seasons for the A's from 1965-1974. He went 161-113 with a 3.13 ERA, and hurled 116 complete games, 31 shutouts. He also struck out 1,520 batters while walking 687.

The best season for Hunter came in 1974 when he went 25-12 with a 2.49 ERA in 41 starts, he had 23 complete games and six shutouts, threw 318.1 innings and struckout 143 while walking 45.

As an Athletic he led the American League in win twice, win-loss percentage twice and ERA once.

He's most remembered for pitching a perfect game for the A's, he was an outstanding pitcher and ranks second all-time in franchise history in games started, fourth all-time in team history in innings pitched and shutouts, fifth all-time in team history in wins and strikeouts, eighth all-time in team history in career complete games and 10th in all-time in total appearances.

No.4 Lefty Grove could easily be considered the second best pitcher in Athletics franchise history considering he had a 71.2 percent winning percentage in his starts. Grove played nine seasons for the franchise from 1925-1933 and compiled a record of 195-79, with 179 complete games, 20 shutouts and recorded 1,523 strikeouts to 740 walks.

In his time with the Athletics he led the league in strikeouts seven times, ERA five times, wins four times, win-loss percentage four times, complete games three times and shutouts twice. His best year came in 1931 and he won the MVP Award as well when he went 31-4 with a 2.06 ERA in 30 starts, he completed 27 games, threw four shutouts and struckout 175 while walking 62.

His all-time ranks in franchise include tied-for first with most wins in a single season, second in total wins, third in games started, fourth in strikeouts, fifth in win-loss percentage and innings pitched, seventh in total appearances, and 10th in career ERA.

No.3 Rube Waddell may be one of the most underrated left—handed pitchers in Major League history. He was outstanding as an Athletic, and he is the franchise leader in ERA. He completed a very high percentage of the games he started for the team, and the only reason he's not number two on the list is he only played six seasons for the franchise though those six seasons were outstanding.

From 1902-1907, he compiled a record of 131-82 with a 1.97 ERA. Waddell pitched 168 complete games, 37 shutouts, and had 1,576 strikeouts to 495 walks. With his best season coming in 1905 when he went 27-10 with a 1.48 ERA in 34 starts, he threw 27 complete games and seven shutouts, threw 328.2 innings and struckout 287 while walking 90.

Waddell ranks first all-time in ERA, most strikeouts in a single season and most complete games in a single season, second in total strikeouts, fourth in complete games, seventh in wins, and eighth in innings pitched.

No.2 Chief Bender ranks second in franchise history in complete games and third in wins. He was with the Athletics for 12 seasons from 1903-1914 and had a record of 193-102, a 2.32 ERA, 228 complete games, 36 shutouts, and 1,536 strikeouts to 614 walks.

His best season came in 1910 when he went 23-5 with a 1.58 ERA, in 28 starts, with 25 complete games and three shutouts, threw 250 innings and struck out 155 while walking 47.

Besides the aforementioned rankings he's also ranks second in innings pitched, third in ERA, games started, shutouts, and strikeouts, fourth in win-loss percentage and ninth in total appearances.

No.1 Eddie Plank Another underrated lefty that hardly gets talked about in terms of the best in MLB history.

Plank played for 14 years with the A's from 1901-1914. He has the most wins in franchise history along with the most complete games, shutouts and strikeouts.

With the A's he went 284-162, threw 362 complete games and 59 shutouts, and 1,985 strikeouts to 913 walks. Plank's best season came in 1907 when he went 24-16 with a 2.20 ERA, started 40 games, threw 343.2 innings, had 33 complete games and eight shutouts, and struckout 183 and walked 85.

Other rankings for Plank include first all-time in games started and second all-time in franchise history in total appearances.

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