Tom Coughlin led his team to Super Bowl XLII, can he do it again?
The NFL is known for it's parity. Why then do we see the same 4 or 5 teams at the top of the league and the same 4 or 5 teams at the bottom year after year? Parity is overhyped.
Now that Free Agency is winding down and the draft is winding up, it's time to take a look at where the teams stand. Until proven otherwise, the champions stay at the top.
The Contenders
- 1. New York Giants: I don't actually think they will stay on top, their division is too strong and I still question Eli. He's always shown he can get hot, but can he sustain it?
- 2. New England Patriots: Despite his cheating, they still have Hoodie. They also have one of the easiest 2008 schedules.
- 3. Indianaplis Colts: Peyton finally has a defense to compliment his offense, it's a scary combination.
- 4. San Diego Chargers:The biggest question for this team is if they can recover from all of their offseason surgeries. Seven Pro-Bowl players are rehabbing this summer.
- 5. Dallas Cowboys: Is this the year that T.O. blows the team up, or does Romo finally prove that he doesn't crumble in the post-season?
Almost There
- 6. Jacksonville Jaguars: They are trying hard to close the gap between themselves and the Colts. It appears to be working.
- 7. New Orleans Saints: They are only a year removed from the NFC Championship and have made some moves to shore up their weak point, defense.
- 8. Cleveland Browns: The Browns are slowly creeping into the elite level in the NFL, that is totally out of character.
- 9. Seattle Seahawks: They have tried to replenish their running attack to compliment the more potent passing attack. That, combined with a solid D and a weak division, spells success.
- 10. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers can never be counted out, but they will be fighting with the Brown for supremacy in the AFC North.
Postseason Hopes
- 11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs are always a tough team to figure out, but Garcia’s play has given them stability.
- 12. Tennessee Titans: They can run and play defense, they just can’t move out of the AFC South.
- 13. Washington Redskins: The health of Portis and the play of their QB are their biggest concerns.
- 14. Houston Texans: They can pass and play defense, they just can’t move out of the AFC South.
- 15. Philadelphia Eagles: It seems that the yearly McNabb saga will continue.
- 16. Green Bay Packers: When Rodgers told everyone he isn’t Brett Favre, he wasn’t just paying us lip service.
- 17. Chicago Bears: Look for their defense to rebound, not their offense.
- 18. Carolina Panthers: Peppers had an off year, so did Smith. Both should rebound, but the QB is still an issue.
- 19. Minnesota Vikings: Peterson is exciting, and will win them some games. Jackson is exciting in a different way and will lose them some games.
In Need of Work
- 20. Denver Broncos: The onus is all on Shanahan, last year was the first time I can remember that the Broncos did not have a touted running game.
- 21. Buffalo Bills: This team came on strong to end the year, but questions still abound about their passing game.
- 22. Arizona Cardinals: They kept Fitzgerald, but can Leinart get him the ball?
- 23. Detroit Lions: Hard to imagine, but losing an offensive genius like Martz should actually help the offense. It won’t affect the defense.
- 24. Cincinnati Bengals: With so many questions about Johnson, the locker room is bound to fall apart eventually.
- 25. Oakland Raiders: The off-season moves are signature Davis moves. Walker is a more expensive, less effective version of Moss and Hall is prone to giving up the big play.
- 26. St. Louis Rams: Having Bulger and Jackson healthy for a full year should help but their defense still needs more work
- 27. New York Jets: Pennington will not finish the season, neither will Mangini.
- 28. San Francisco 49ers: Martz does not have the offensive weapons he needs for his offense to work. Their defense is improving.
Arm-Wrestle You for a Draft Pick
- 29. Atlanta Falcons: A year removed from controversy should help their focus, cutting or trading all your productive players shouldn’t. Turner could be another Lamont Jordan.
- 30. Kansas City Chiefs: Another 4 win season is possible, they don’t know where they are going.
- 31. Baltimore Ravens: I’m convinced their offense can’t be fixed. Their defense is aging.
- 32. Miami Dolphins: Parcells will install his regime, but it will take another year to be noticed.
comments (23) write a comment »
write a new comment
5 months ago
Why should the Redskins be worried about Portis' health? A guy who started every game last season? Great observation.
5 months ago
He may have played in all 16 games, but any time a running back has knee issues it is a concern. He never looked explosive last year. His longest run was 32 yards and he had a measly 3.9 yards per carry. That was my observation.
5 months ago
You are in desperate need of a spell check.
5 months ago
Way to take some time and put some analysis into your work past the first 10.
Laziness and negativity....... great!
Sarcasm abound if you didn't get my post.
Why bother writing this article at all?
33. The Bleacher Report: Nice layout and easy to browse. Matt Stephens is lucky to keep his job for not putting forth the effort of a quality writer.
Even if my team was one of the last four on that list, I would like a few positives and some effort.
from 5 months ago
Anonymous, if you come back, the purpose of a ranking is to rank the teams. Not to cheer you up about being a fan for a bad team. I ranked the teams and then gave a brief sidenote on why I feel they belong where they do and what their biggest concern needs to be for the draft and/or the coming season. Every team needs improvement somewhere.
5 months ago
Didn't mean to be so negative! Seriously though, why not stop at the "Top Ten" if you don't want to put the effort into it.
5 months ago
Found your article on Google news.
Nice job
5 months ago
I think the raiders should be at the #20 spot and not the broncos. the raiders improved at defese and offense and the broncos did nothing other than they added a LB, and lost thier kicker. the raiders improved thier passing attack and thier o-line. By improving thier offense the defens should be off the field longer and that should help against the run also.
5 months ago
i meant to type defense.
5 months ago
The Broncos were tied for 3rd in the NFL with 4.6 yards per attempt. Their attempts were down because they sucked against the run. This off season they have signed two linebackers, two safeties, and will add a defensive tackle or two. If the defense is fixed they will challenge for a playoff spot.
5 months ago
The Lions should be under the arm wrestle you for a draft pick, they were in need of work before releasing Jones and Edwards, now they have to many holes to fill.
5 months ago
I think this was a good article, but there are at least 3 or 4 AFC teams better than the Giants. I think that Eli's playoffs were a semi-fluke, and he can't consistently be great.
5 months ago
The Packers 16th??? One word, WOW! Even without Brett, this team is going to win their division easily, and by the time the playoffs come, they will be AT WORST the 3rd best team in the NFC. Putting the Packers behind the Redskins, Buccaneers, Eagles and Saints is nothing short of a joke.
5 months ago
Saying the Jets are clearly in the bottom half after this off-season pre-draft is insane. They improved themselves in several areas of need. But maybe you don't watch football and have no clue who Kris Jenkins, Alan Faneca, Calvin Pace, Damien Woody or Tony Richardson are? Either way, your rankings are attrocious.
4 months ago
agreed
4 months ago
New York Giants wow what a run they had but huge losses across the board and the fact that they where the visiting team in the wild card game. Do you really think they're #1. Is this they are the champs until someone knocks them off!
I understand but disagree.
4 months ago
After the schedule the Patriots played last season (including 6 eventual playoff teams, to my knowledge more than any other team), they deserve a break in that department. Yes, count 'em, 6, and they won every game. Don't try to tell me they were cheating then because we all know they were under a microscope after week 1. And who says their schedule is so much easier next season? You can't reasonably predict that. Case in point: What was the giants' record in 2006? Did they look tough going into 2007?
from 4 months ago
Well...I guess there's a reason some folks like to stay anonymous!
First, I didn't have to look too hard to find that the Colts played seven games against playoff teams last year, so there's that "fact" debunked.
Second, an answer your question about who says their schedule is easier next year: the 2007 winning percentage of the teams they play next year. Granted, it's dragged down a bit by playing the Dolphins twice, but then again...THEY GET TO PLAY THE DOLPHINS TWICE!
Finally, we certainly do have a league that emphasizes parity and, as such, any team can jump up and bite you on any given week. But with the exception of the Indy, SD and maybe Seattle road games, there is not a real tough game on their schedule. And before you read me your line about "who can really predict?"...please go ahead and tell me what you think Oakland, Denver, SF, Miami (twice), NYJ, KC, and St. Louis are REALLY going to do this coming year. I don't see the next Cinderella coming out of that group...and I'm even giving you credit for Buffalo perhaps being better than they have been.
4 months ago
I'll start off by admitting i'm a die hard Ravens fan, so i'm ridiculously biased. But 31st????????? The defense may be getting older, but I'd be suprised to see them outside of the top 10 in points allowed and shocked to see them outside the top half. QB is a disaster but the OL is promising, McGahee is solid and the recieving corps is only slightly below average. They're certainly not a top team but I don't see how they can be the second worse team in the NFL. They seem pretty comprable to the Redskins to me. Enjoyed the article.
4 months ago
The Green Bay Packers are an extremely talented team, however, everything is a big unknown when your quarterback is a big unknown (Chicago Bears). This season could go either way for them - at least that will make it fun to watch without Favre.
I would like to say the Packers should be in the almost there category, but I can't disagree that they might be fighting for a wild card.
4 months ago
7 NFC teams ahead of the Packers, 6 of which they finished ahead of. Yeah, this list almost makes sense. Colts are not contenders, neither are the Cowboys. Jags and Steelers are underrated. Actually instead of dissecting this insane list, I'll just ignore it.
4 months ago
damn... i understand the negativity about the Vikes' passing game from last year (Jackson was darn near a rookie when you consider everything though), but i still see them addressing alot of needs thus far in the off-season. i really think they're gonna surprise some people, including you. if they can get some good protection, and get some decent pass rush themselves, they'll be in the playoffs...end of story.
4 months ago
This kind of article is destined to get lots of negative feedback because everyone in their camp is convinced their team is improving. I for one think the Ravens are rebuilding and won't be real contenders until they go through another youth movement of the type that netted them the likes of Peter Boulware, Ray Lewis, Jamie Sharper, Jonathan Ogden, Jamal Lewis, etc. That may be a few years away because so long as Ray Lewis remains on the roster, ownership has to shell out the big bucks for him (I think he makes about $14 million this year but don't quote me). But if they pick up a good replacement for Ogden and a cornerback in the second round of this draft, I see no reason why they can't be a middle-of-the-pack team. Last year, the defense severely missed both of its starting corners with injuries.
Lastly, if you ask me, QB Troy Smith is for real. So he's short and doesn't have the physical tools, you say? ...I seem to recall that he played at Ohio State. Don't they have big offensive linemen there? Didn't he see over or around them pretty well? Didn't he win ALL of his games against rival Michigan, and lose a grand total of about 4 "big" games his entire starting career? Oh, and wasn't TOM BRADY a 6th round pick out of Michigan?
Of course, it is technically better to go 4-12 and miss the playoffs than it is to go 8-8 and miss the playoffs...
But overall a good read, thanks for the article.
write a new comment