by Daryl Johnston

Updated: January 19, 2006, 3:41 PM EST

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"Moose" gives his Playoff Power Rankings, comparing all four teams at every position.

Best quarterback

1. Tom Brady, Patriots — Two Super Bowl MVP awards before he's even thought about losing his hair. Blessed with tremendous poise, Brady has been nearly perfect in the clutch. Can we stop overlooking this guy and this team?

THE REST:
2. Michael Vick, Falcons — Best athlete on the field. Can take a perfectly defended play and still get something big out of it.
3. Donovan McNabb, Eagles — Philly's Super Bowl aspirations ride squarely on his shoulders.
4. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers — When will this guy ever play like a rookie? He did at times against the Jets, but still escaped with a win.

Best running backs

1. Patriots — Corey Dillon has been a perfect fit for this offense. His success will be paramount to keeping opposing offenses off the field, while also opening up New England's play-action package.

THE REST:
2. Falcons — The league's No. 1 rushing offense, No. 30 pass offense ... 'nuff said.
3. Steelers — Bettis and Staley offer the best 1-2 punch of the group.
4. Eagles — Westbrook more of a receiver than runner, especially in Philly where running is more of an afterthought.

Best wide receivers

1. Steelers — Part of the reason Big Ben was blessed to fall out of the top 10 in last year's draft. Plaxico Burress being healthy now elevates their big-play potential, which already features chain-movers Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El.

THE REST:
2. Patriots — No superstars, but they all can flat-out run.
3. Eagles — Did Terrell Owens make that much of a difference?
4. Falcons — TE Alge Crumpler saves these guys, who have been very disappointing.

Best defensive front seven

1. Steelers — Dick LeBeau has turned the Steelers' unit into one of the most formidable front sevens in the playoffs. Good D-line, but maybe the most disruptive group of linebackers. It's the perfect marriage of scheme and personnel at LB.

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2. Patriots — Smart, tough guys that excel in Bill Belichick's style.
3. Eagles — Two key differences from last year's defense: MLB Jeremiah Trotter and rush DE Jevon Kearse.
4. Falcons — Gaining attention as one of the better front seven's in the NFL.

Best secondary

1. Eagles — Three of the four members of the secondary are going to the Pro Bowl. Safety Michael Lewis is overshadowed by perennial defensive leader Brian Dawkins. The CBs allowed Jim Johnson's defense to play his aggressive scheme.

THE REST:
2. Steelers — Have made huge strides over the last two seasons.
3. Patriots — Still finding ways to win, even with WR Troy Brown in the secondary.
4. Falcons — DeAngelo Hall is good, which is surprising in his first year in this scheme.

Best special teams

1. Falcons — Ranked No. 1 in both punt-return average and coverage. Nobody makes as big of a special teams commitment as special teams coach Joe DeCamillis. It can be the forgotten part of the team, but has been a real key to helping the Falcons to 11 wins.

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2. Eagles — One of the best for the last six years behind coordinator John Harbaugh.
3. Steelers — Solid and dependable across the board, including kicker Jeff Reed.
4. Patriots — Speaking of reliable kickers, let me introduce Adam Vinatieri, owner of two Super Bowl-winning field goals.

Best coaching staff

1. Patriots — Winning two of the last three Super Bowls says it all. Nobody plays to the strengths of his players as well as Bill Belichick and nobody exploits weaknesses of the opposition better. Plus, it's no coincidence that all of the Patriots' assistant coaches are highly sought after.

THE REST:
2. Eagles — Only remaining question: Can they take last step? They've answered all others.
3. Falcons — Jim Mora gets credit, but Greg Knapp, Ed Donatell, Joe DeCamillis are excellent coordinators.
4. Steelers — Bill Cowher is the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL for a reason.

Breaking down the Quarterbacks

Best arm/long ball — Donovan McNabb, Eagles: With McNabb, accuracy has always been a question, but the deep ball has never been a problem. And this year you haven't seen as many balls at the feet of his receivers.

Most accurate — Tom Brady, Patriots: All of the other QBs in the final four experience accuracy issues at times.

Best at reading defenses — Brady: Though McNabb has improved here, Brady's quick decision-making may be his best trait.

Best escapability — Michael Vick, Falcons: It's very hard to tackle what you can't catch.

Best pocket presence — Brady: Although he's not known as a scrambler, he has an incredible feel for pressure.

Best leader — McNabb: Forget that he hasn't reached a Super Bowl. McNabb keeps his team positive and even-keeled at all times, even the worst of times.