- Indianapolis Colts. Reggie Wayne proved last year that he is a viable number one receiver, so whether or not Harrison plays, the Colts will still be….”The Colts”.
- Dallas Cowboys. Even if Pacman doesn’t play, which I think he will, this team still won 13 games last year. Their only real change is Julius for Felix at RB.
- San Diego Chargers. LT had a drop-off in production last year and still led the league in rushing yards, which shows just how good he is.
- New England Patriots. It’s the same ol' Patriots, with older linebackers (Jerod Mayo is the exception) and one fewer wide-out. I would have them higher, but Randy Moss’ production dropped at the end of the year as teams learned how to cover him.
- Philadelphia Eagles. A healthy Donovan McNabb and L.J. Smith, combined with additions Asante Samuel, Chris Clemons, and draft picks DeSean Jackson and Trevor Laws, should make this team deadly.
- Jacksonville Jaguars. With their new second tier receivers this team is better, but only if Garrard can be as consistent as he was last year.
- Minnesota Vikings. They have a solid defense, but Adrian Peterson started getting bottled up at the end of the season. I don’t think that he can repeat last year's success.
- Pittsburgh Steelers. Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall should be a formidable 1-2 punch, but with that schedule…
- Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers is no Brett Favre, and it will be blatantly obvious. At least they still have their defense.
- New York Giants. The World Champions got hot at the right time, but no one expects them to repeat.
- Seattle Seahawks. Matt Hasselback runs a quality and consistent offense, and is backed by a forceful, but not dominating defense.
- Tennessee Titans. Alge Crumpler should make the offense more dynamic, and they still have a playoff caliber defense.
- Houston Texans. QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson are explosive, and former number one pick Mario Williams is making the Texans front office look brilliant.
- New Orleans Saints. Brees is still an elite QB and Colston is in a real groove, and if Sedrick Ellis is as dominating like he was at USC then they could be much better than this.
- Arizona Cardinals. Leinart is still a developing QB, and their defense needs some serious help.
- Buffalo Bills. The Bills are young and talented; give them some time and they will be dangerous. But not yet.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are getting old, but they do have the advantage of playing in the weak NFC south.
- Cleveland Browns. The Browns were only as good as they were last year because of an easy schedule, and they won’t be so lucky this year. However, the addition of Donte' Stallworth makes this offense explosive.
- Denver Broncos. When your biggest playmaker apart from Champ Bailey is Jay Cutler, you’re in trouble.
- St. Louis Rams. The Rams were hurt by injuries last year, but they should get back to form this year.
- Oakland Raiders. After numerous free agent splashes the Raiders might field a team that can compete in this league.
- Chicago Bears. Another year of good defense and terrible QB play.
- Detroit Lions. For John Kitna’s 10-win promise to come true, the Lions' defense will have to step up.
- Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have an explosive offense with or without "ocho cinco," but they can’t score the 40 points that the defense might give up on any given Sunday.
- Washington Redskins. Jim Zorn is not Joe Gibbs, and that will be painfully obvious this year.
- Baltimore Ravens. If Flacco is as good as he is rumored to be, and if he gets some starts early, then maybe by next year he will have enough experience to improve this team.
- New York Jets. Even after all of their off-season additions, the Jets will still struggle, but at least they get to play the Dolphins…twice.
- Kansas City Chiefs. Glenn Dorsey is a monster, but the Chiefs are still only just beginning to rebuild.
- Carolina Panthers. This team stayed silent during the off-season, unless you count drafting RB Jonathan Stewart or OT Jeff Otah (which I don’t), and rookies don’t win games.
- San Francisco 49ers. Patrick Willis solidifies a weak defense, and having two QBs really means that you don’t have any QBs.
- Miami Dolphins. There’s really nowhere to go but up.
- Atlanta Falcons. This will be Michael Turner’s first year starting, but RBs, no matter how good, don’t win championships.
My NFL Power Rankings
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About the Author Graeme Thornton (scribe)
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3 months ago
You're right, Jim Zorn is no Joe Gibbs. And maybe that's exactly what the Redskins need.
from 3 months ago
Amen to that!
A new offensive look is exactly what we need, especially with Jason Campbell-it seemed that some of his talent was wasted by such a running minded offensive scheme.
Go Zorn!
3 months ago
Giants only 10? come one dude keep doubting them... this is what they absolutely thrived off of last year.. They learned how to play as a team, how to shut up and they showed you no matter how good an offense is they will get after your quarterback even if it isn't putting up gaudy sack numbers... with every post I write about the Giants it might be a little bit biased because I am a die hard fan...
from 3 months ago
Tell em Mike!!!! We beat the best the NFL had to offer on the road!
from 3 months ago
the giants had a whale of a playoff run but even giants fans have to admit the Samuels dropped interception and the pass/catch were 3 lucky breaks in the last 3mins of the game
3 months ago
Ok i'm a Bills fan but i'm extremely confused as to why you put Cleveland lower than us? They had a better team last year beating us 8-0 in the snow bowl, and this year they have made more acquisitions. Personally I think both teams should be higher but if you're going to list it do it right.
3 months ago
As an eagles fan myself, I love trying to hide the bias at 5. haha. I try to stay as unbias as possible but i think the eagles are definitely a top 10, POSSIBLY top 5 team depending on how these young LBs play. good article.
and oh, THE TEXANS AT 13 AND RAIDERS AT 21?!?!?!?! holy hell! ya really think the texans are just gonna miss the playoffs?? in the AFC South, unlikely. If they played in any other division (besides the NFC East of course) they're a 10-6 team. And the Raiders dont even have a head coach! He's kind of like a substitute teacher, yeah he's supposed to be in charge. But does anyone care?
just a thought.
3 months ago
The Pats at #4? Seriously? Is it just me or did they beat the 3 teams you have listed above them? Even if you take Moss out of the picture all together, there's this other guy named Welker...and 20 other players that Brady passed/handed off to that scored last season. Maybe it's just my inner Pats fan voice talking in my head, but I would've put them up higher than 4th....specially since going 16-0/18-1. JMHO.
from 3 months ago
The Patriots should be higher just because they have one of the easiest schedules in the history of the league. I guess the ratings are higher when they win. I hope your ready for another 16-0 season, then a lossq to the Colts/Jags/Chargers in the playoffs.
from 3 months ago
LOL! Perhaps the Pats have an easy division becuase for the last 8 years or so they've been stomping everyone in it consistantly? It's easy for others to say that the Pats are in an easy division when the Pats are the ones handing the other teams in their division their losses. Oddly enough, the Pats seem to be able to beat the "good" teams to, like the Colts, Jags, Chargers etc. etc. With that said, I will admit that they've got an easy schedule. We'll take it though.
As for the 16-0 season, hey, I'll take that any season!..........but I'm not holding my breath this year either! LOL!
3 months ago
C'mon dude you got seattle,titants,texans,saints,cardinals,bills and the bucks above the browns. They are way better then those teams,And for the steelers we will get you this time.Watch and see the CLEVELAND BROWNS AFCNORTH CHAMPS. !!!!HELL YEA GO BROWNS!!!!
3 months ago
I'll give on the fact that the Browns have an explosive offense, but their defense is laughable. They had one of the easiest schedules last year and still missed the playoffs, and as for the patriots being 4th, yeah welker had a great year...when he was in the slot and was the third wideout defenses had to worry about. Now, without Stallworth, he will either have to play on the outside or be a heavily defended slot reciever. The raiders are young and talented, as are the bills, so they belong where i put them. I actually considered moving the Bills up.
from 3 months ago
Next time don't consider and just do it.. actually lets make them top 10 cause they are gunna be this years shocker team
3 months ago
You have no idea what you are talking about. The Panthers were anything but silent. Do a little research before you write in the future.
Numerous proven backup RB's
Proven WR's Muhammed, Hackett
Countless Offensive Lineman
Several Defensive Lineman
LB Landon Johnson
Dude that is off the top my head, without research.
from 3 months ago
how can you not remember steve smith off the top of your head
from 3 months ago
hahaha my bad i was blazed when i wrote that comment you were talking about offseason moves not the roster overall...my bad...holler
3 months ago
Hey guys get off his back... These are HIS predictions... However wrong he'll end up being... I'm still tryin to figure out when the NHL adopted 2 more teams to make 32?
You're right. RB's don't win championships. Except Jim Brown.
3 months ago
I have to question your assessment of the Panthers. As Daniel said, we've made a pretty loud statement this offseason. We cut off most of our dead weight. We cut Dan Morgan, Mike Wahl, Keary Colbert, Drew Carter, David Carr, Deshaun Foster... In their place we added Mushin Muhammed, DJ Hackett, Brandon Toefield, Landon Johnson... ALL proven players when healthy. We've added, I think, 4 O Linemen that are all 330+. Toefield is a damn good RB that got stuck behind 2 great RBs at Jacksonville. Now he's stuck behind DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart (best RB in the draft). Jeff Otah is HUGE on the OLine and will make an immediate impact. Dan Connor from PennState was considered the best LB in the draft and we got him in the third. Put him up with John Beason, Brandon Toefield (Cincinatti's leading tackler in 07) and Thomas Davis (1st Rd pick in 05) and you've got, arguably, the best LB core on paper in the NFL. We still have Steve Smith and added proven receivers that will finally pressure teams into guarding Smith one-on-one. If Jake comes back healthy he will make all the difference in the world. Behind him is a very promising sophomore who's play last year kept the Panthers from getting a veteran to back up Delhomme this year. Heck, the Dallas head coach admitted that letting go of Moore last season was a HUGE mistake. Now we have him and he's got 1 year under his belt.
We finished 7-9 last year. We've gotten better or, at worst, stayed the same. But 29th???? You have to be kidding me.....
3 months ago
Of all the crap I've seen, this is the crappiest of it all.
Raiders over Redskins? Are you crazy? Zorns O will light it up. Their defense is Top5! What does everyone have against the skins? Oh yeah, their owner is rich. So what!? Give this team the respect they deserve and look out.
HAIL!
from 3 months ago
I agree, this list is shi**y
3 months ago
Looking at the List, i'd have put the Saints down some, with the Texans, and probably Denver....Cards, I hate to say it......a lot lower. You can only do so much with that club......and it seems like when they are almost there.....then something goes wrong, injury, and they slide back.
Raiders, it seems safe at 21, but they could go 10 places, either way, with their schedule, and the intangible luck factor.
And Josh, sorry to tell you.....your head coach can only do so much. The Redskins last year looked good, but i'm wondering how much of that is based off of heart, because they were playing with Taylor's memory.....this year, it'll be just like Oakland, hoping for a QB to lead them to the promised land.
3 months ago
Listen BIG and Daniel...You cut your best LBs and a damn good running back. You then signed Mushin, who even when he's healthy, is nothing special. BIG you siad Dan Connor was considered the best LB in the draft!!! is that a joke? how about Kieth Rivers or Jerod Mayo. All of these so-called additions really got you nowhere. Steve Smith is fantastic, but Jake Delhomme hasn't been able to get him the ball, so it doesn't even matter. All of the LBs you picked are over the hill or over rated...so if the Panthers show up in the regular season then you can be mad, but for now they are nothing special.
from 3 months ago
Graeme, I beg to differ. Our best LB has missed the last two seasons on the IR. The man simply couldn't stay healthy. He was hurting us more than helping us. Jon Beason showed, last year, that he's an exceptional LB. We drafted him b/c we knew that we needed a replacement for Morgan b/c he couldn't stay healthy. "Over the Hill?" We picked up two LBs: Dan Connor (quite young) and Landon Johnson (Cincy's leading tackler 27yr old). I'm not sure how to classify that as over the hill.
Our "damn good running back" had more fumbles than TDs and never got 1,000 yards in a season. I'm not sure how you classify that as damn good...
Dan Connor: Leading All-Time Tackler at Penn State, aka "Linebacker U". I'm sorry, he was a steal and will make an immediate impact. Best? Perhaps not, but one of the best.
We brought in Mushin for leadership and run-blocking. No, he's not necessarily special but he can get defenders off of Steve Smith. That's our goal: to free up Smith so he's not triple teamed every play. That's why Jake couldn't get him the ball. The rest of our receivers have sucked over the last 2 years and could be handled man-to-man. That's the point. Get Smith Open...
I'm not arguing that we're going to the Super Bowl, but we're sure as hell not 29th. His basis for putting us there was that we've been "quiet". It's been anything but quiet which shows that he didn't do his homework.
3 months ago
Did you close your eyes and pick these out of a hat?
3 months ago
The Browns at 18!?!?!? I agree that maybe top five is too high, but 18. How are the Colts number one? Unbelievable
3 months ago
Well considering that the Oakland Raiders (You have em at 21) SHOULD have beat the Colts (You have em at 1) last season, only for us to add another elite cb (D-Hall) i think we'll be able to compete with the best. 4 of your top 5 are passing teams. Putting the Oakland Raiders at 21 i couldnt agree with anymore considering we were 29th at the end of last season. Its nice to see that the NFL FANS of other teams(which the Raider Nation could really care less about) is starting to feel our presence. With the aquisition of big names, a game changing prospect (Run-DMC)...and watching a young offensive genius grow before our very eyes. Very exciting... to all NFL FANS, be on the look out for new history coming this fall.... "Great Oakland Raiders Return!"
from 3 months ago
I'm totally agreeing w/ "Real Men Wear Black" on this one.
from 3 months ago
No surprise that having two CBs is going to help us, if they're both high caliber.
It changes the entire spectrum of the defense, and allows us to fill the pocket iwth players.
What's ironic, is before we picked him up, people said he's a good option, after we pick him up, the doubters called it a bad move.
Maybe bad for the opponents, who have to throw deep on us.....I'm just waiting to see Kirk Morrison making picks all over the middle.
Last season, lots of close games, games decided by a final drive.
It'll be fun to watch it from the other side again.
3 months ago
I think the Vikings are kind of high for not having a proven quarterback or a passing game.
When opposing teams line up 8 or 9 players in the box to stop the run, and the Vikings can't pass the ball, not alot of progress will be made.
3 months ago
Get off the pipe dude, your rankings suck.
3 months ago
way to steal the comment on the seahawks for your article from espn.com!
3 months ago
This is a decent article. One thing that i love the most is putting the colts at number 1. Everyone knows what they are capable of but yet year after year they still do what they need to do to stay hot. A complaint is the giants. They won the super bowl for last year for god sake and had to win every game on the road at that. I think there was only 2 other teams to do that so i believe they deserve more.
3 months ago
eagles at #5 damn i wish that was true
3 months ago
wow this guy knows nothing about either the panthers or browns...
Panthers Offseason Aquistions include....
Landon Johnson LB
Darwin Walker DT
D.J Hackett WR
Mushin Muhamed WR
J.Stewart BEST RB IN DRAFT MARK IT...
and to the iodiot who says Dellhome dosnt get smith the ball....
Smiths stats for the 3 games Dellhome played 4 tds 475 yds at 17 ypc not getting him the ball?
Also Jake had 8 tds and 1int in 3 games....
from 3 months ago
Delhomme is very underrated I feel and had he not gotten hurt last season Carolina would've made the playoffs I think, it's obvious that he is the reason Smith's stats are so good. Look at what Smith did without Delhomme in the lineup
3 months ago
I agree with some of the rankings here is 2 articles I have written so far on my power rankings 1-21, I am doing 22-32 in the next day or two....
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/22945-NFL-Post-Draft-Power-Rankings-1-10-130508
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/23172-NFL-Post-Draft-NFL-Power-Rankings-11-21
3 months ago
my top 10 Giants,Pats,Jags,Chargers,Colts,Cowboys,Browns,Panthers,Vikings,Steelers not matter which teams u rate where the top 2 have to start the Super Bowl winner and loser in my opinion
from 3 months ago
definitely agree with you there, how can the super bowl winner and runner up be anywhere but #1 and #2, especially when no games have been played
3 months ago
How can the Vikings be so high when you don't think they "repeat last season's success"? They went 8-8 and missed the playoffs...That makes absolutely no sense
3 months ago
personally i think the Vikings are a 10 win team the Packers have an unproven QB the Bears are washed up and the Lions well they r the Lions
3 months ago
personally i think the Vikings are a 10 win team the Packers have an unproven QB the Bears are washed up and the Lions well they r the Lions
3 months ago
personally i think the Vikings are a 10 win team the Packers have an unproven QB the Bears are washed up and the Lions well they r the Lions
3 months ago
sorry about the echo not sure why it happened
from 3 months ago
*passes Mike a glass of water*
This'll help....had two of the same articles last night too.
3 months ago
I want to dissect and ridicule some of your picks in your power ranking but since you placed my Texans so high on that list (at least in comparison to so many others) I can only commend your football knowledge haha. Good work.
3 months ago
This article is 90% complete rubbish, complete with a spot or two of plagarism from espn.
Also interesting how the writer has run away after getting so much criticism...
3 months ago
Sorry my internet wasn't working....i went nowhere. all of comments so far have yet be without the same bias that they are criticizing me for. To all the people who said how can the gaints be so low, even though no games have been played, that is the dumbest thing i've ever heard. they got worse while other team got better...simple. they won in an upset, not because they were the best team. Also for whoever said i plagerized the bit on the seahwks form ESPN...they said this "New O-line coach Mike Solari stands out as the Seahawks' top offseason acquisition, perhaps allowing them to keep their edge in the NFC West. (MS)"...i said this "Matt Hasselback runs a quality and consistent offense, and is backed by a forceful, but not dominating defense." CAN YOU READ???
3 months ago
The Bills should be at Number 1. No one in the NFL can cover James Hardy. Marshawn Lynch will rush for over 2000 yards
from 3 months ago
Hell yeah.. the pats will have fun trying to cover Hardy with our old garbage Jason Webster who is 5'8
3 months ago
I like the top four, but you were a little rough on the Jets. A solid offensive line and finally a team made for the 3-4 should halp make them pretty good. The only question is at quarterback. I say at least 16 is pretty modest.
3 months ago
Pats at 4? Browns at 18? Give me a break
3 months ago
I have no problem with the list. Forget about last year. This is about predicting next year. I mean, the Chargers have continually beaten the Colts. The Patriots have continually beaten the Chargers. The Colts have continually beaten the Patriots. Those are the best three teams in the league. I THINK that each team is 3-1 against one of the others in the last four games including the playoffs. That's a 4-4 record for each "elite" team against the other "elite" teams.
I rank them Colts, Patriots, Chargers only because the Chargers haven't won the Super Bowl yet and the Colts won it last. The Cowboys??? Maybe, but I highly doubt they could beat either of the AFC's big three unless they were to win the turnover battle.
The Giants? Please. Every dog has his day. Fat chance of those guys being back to back NFC Champs, let alone back to back Super Bowl Champs.
3 months ago
Mike, give it up on the Vikings! Every year for the last 4 years they are the pick and every year they disappoint. Maybe this time they will make it but you have to note that Aaron Rodgers, though no Bret has had 3 years to get ready, that is how it should be. The receivers are first class on the Packers, the Defense is 1st class, the running game is getting much better and the Pack even added to their defense. So in each area the Pack should be there. Maybe a fall off from the last year and half when the Packk went 20-3. But less then the 10-6 you picked for the Vikings? Why is the Viking quaterback a quaterback as good as Favre?
3 months ago
i think there must be something wrong with you. For someone to put the Minnesota Vikings at number 7? is a little too much, your giving them more credit than they deserve. They were not even that great last year, and im seeing the New Orleans Saints scenario from 2006 to 2007 season. I also think that you didnt give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers enough credit, and you are also completely out of your mind to have the Cleveland Browns listed that low. No, i dont beleive that they deserve to be in the top 5, i think that top 10 is reasonable, but number 18? thats absolute crazyness. I think this is the most inaccurate display of the NFL's power rankings, anyone that reads this will be extremely ill-informed, someone please with half a brain re-do this power ranking.
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