Here are the teams that I see in the middle of the pack after draft and where they currently stand heading into the upcoming NFL Season.
11. Minnesota Vikings
A very successful season which ended in a bad way seeing the Vikings lose their playoff spot and just missing the playoffs might still be on their minds right now. The future is bright for Minnesota especially with Adrian Peterson back for his 2nd season. If the Vikings want to make the playoffs this season though they need better play from the quarterback position, last years team was carried by the running game and the defense, to be a challenger in the playoffs they need better QB play.
12. Tennessee Titans
The Titans look to build on what was a very good season last year which saw them make the playoffs. Vince Young will need to work past his inconsistencies in the passing game if this team wants to go further then they did last season. The Titans defense won many games for this team last season but this year they need more help from the offense if they want to go places in the playoffs.
13. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles look to build on what was in a way a poor season last year. If Mcnabb and Westbrook can stay healthy the entire season this team could compete for a wild card spot or even a NFC East title. A big signing in Asante Samuel really strengthens this already strong defense. Now it's up to the all around game of offense and defense together to make this team as successful as it was only a couple of seasons ago.
14. Arizona Cardinals
A team that easily could've made the playoffs last season had it not been for bad breaks here and there throughout the season brings back their high powered offense. Matt Leinart was named the starter, will this be the season he steps up and becomes that talent he was highly touted as being before he was drafted? The Cardinals are fine with receivers as Boldin and Fitzgerald are two of the best in the game. The Cards defense must improve especially in the secondary if they want to make the playoffs for the first time since 1998.
15. Green Bay Packers
Losing their franchise player and franchise staple for many years won't be an easy position to replace but Aaron Rodgers seems to be ready to step out of the shadows of Brett Favre. Ryan Grant who stepped up as an unknown sensation comes back as the feature back for an entire season, how effective will he be this season? The Packers are a year older which is good for this team that is still very young, they are more mature for this season. They most likely will not win 13 games this season but I believe they will make the playoffs as a division winner or wild card.
16. Denver Broncos
The Broncos look to build after a down season last year. Will Jay Cutler also take that step to play great football rather then just average football which is all we have seen so far. The Broncos have about 47 running backs that can do the job so they are set in that position. They also have one of the best corners in the game in Champ Bailey, Denver should be a contender this year as they usually are for a wild card spot.
17. New Orleans Saints
An up and down season of losing three then winning three and so on did them in as the season dwindled down last year. This year they look to be the team that they were during the 2006 season. Drew Brees returns after having a good season after starting slow. Will Reggie Bush finally step up and run the ball effectively? Will Deuce be able to come back from a knee injury and be successful? The Saints will go as their defense goes also, if Jason David doesn't get beat by the deep ball more then ten times this season the Saints should be ok.
18. Houston Texans
A team that surprised many last year and won the most games in their franchises short history looks to build off that for this season. Matt Schaub was effective when he wasn't hurt and Andre Johnson could be the best receiver in the NFL that isn't a household name. Mario Williams should've been a pro bowler last season and this season I think he definitely will be especially with a chip on his shoulder from getting shunned this past season. If the Texans can establish a solid #1 running back they will win more then 8 games this season.
19. Carolina Panthers
An early season injury to QB Jake Delhomme basically doomed Carolina last season and it definitely showed. Steve Smiths numbers were way down last season, if Delhomme can be healthy this season the Panthers will be very successful. Julius Peppers anchors a pretty decent defense that just wasn't healthy enough last year. Bottom line, if healthy the Panthers will win a lot of games next year.
20. Washington Redskins
How will new head coach Jim Zorn do in his first season as being something more then a QB coach. If his track record is any indication he will make QB Jason Campbell a very good player. I dropped the Redskins in the power rankings even though they made the playoffs last year because I believe they won many games off of emotion for what happened to Sean Taylor. With a new coach they could go either way this season, and they play in what I feel is the toughest division in football. They have the players there to perform well but with a new coach they could be a year away again.
21. Buffalo Bills
The Bills were one of the bigger surprises last season even with a 7-9 record. They changed QB's mid-season going with rookie Trent Edwards, Edwards looks to be the starter going into the season this year and that could mean a drastic improvement. Problem is the Pats are in the same division and their best shot is finishing 2nd in the division again and fighting for a wild card spot. They do have some studs there with 2nd yr back Marshawn Lynch and wideout Lee Evans. Buffalo is definitely a team on the rise.
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4 months ago
I agree with most of this, I might've put Cinci over Buffalo in the 21st spot though
from 4 months ago
Wow wouldn't that be a nice touch. But you see, Jordan, Buffalo blew out Cinci last year with a league high amount of injuries. Not only do they have ALL those players back (except Everett and I wish him well) they have done alot more in free agency then Cinci. So now tell me why would you put Cinci over Buffalo? And being an idiotic fan doesn't count as a legit answer.
4 months ago
The packers behind the vikings? that can't be right. We lose a franchise quarterback, but we still have a guy who was in the running to be the number one pick in the draft, and from the performances of Alex Smith probobly should have been. The vikings have Tarvaris Jackson, who was carried by his run game and defense to a win streak last year, and once teams started stopping Adrian Peterson, they lost again. (Ryan Grant got better at the end of the year). Tarvaris is nothing more than a manager. The packers have a proven offense that can cope if Aaron Rodgers isn't the best. And our defense is young (2nd round pick CB patrick lee provides insurance for aging studs Charles Woodson and Al Harris) and can only get better. The vikings secondary is questionable. To put an proven winner that far behind a potentially good team in the vikings is ridiculous.
from 4 months ago
I agree with you, but I think the Packers won't do the same as last year, and that is win 13 games, I think the loss of Favre will be bigger then everybody thinks. Who's to see last year the Pack didn't catch lightning in a bottle anyway. They had a good team last year but no way that team goes 13-3 again this year. 10-6 I think is where they will be, don't forget their division has improved drastically and if the Bears play like they did a couple seasons ago then it will be a race to the finish line to win the division because everybody will be so close record wise. I still don't know either if Rodgers can come right in as a starter and be effective, maybe I'm wrong but I just don't know yet.
4 months ago
Nice article.
This is always the hardest part of the NFL to rank. It is easy to see the best and worst, but the teams in the middle are always hard to gauge. They are so close to each other. That being said I disagree with some of what you saying especially about the Buffalo Bills. In the ESPN poll last year the Bills ended up 2007 19th and they had no major coaching changes and lost no key free agents, so it is hard to imagine them getting worse from last year to this year. Between players coming off of IR (which they had 17 last year, most in NFL) free agency and the draft they will have five new starters on defense (if you consider players lost to IR early in the season as a new starter). WLB K Mitchell, DT M stroud, ILB P Pozluzny (last year lost week 3 to IR), FS Ko Simpson (last year lost week 1 to IR), and likely RCB Leodis McKelvin are all going to be new faces for the Bills this year starting on D and are all improvements over what was previously there.
Offensively, the youngster Trent Edwards at QB and Marshawn Lynch at RB will be a year older and wiser, the O line is intact and returns all five starters including pro bowl LT Jason Peters. 2nd round pick James Hardy will be a threat in the Red Zone (33 touchdowns in 32 games at IU) he will take double coverage away from number 1 wideout Lee Evans and also Hardy will allow Josh Reed to return to the slot where he is most effective. Special Teams will continue to be a strength in what is always a strength for this team.
Probably the biggest reason to watch the Bills this year is that the strength of schedule for them drops from .518 to .477. Generally it is regarded that .020 percentage points equates to a win, so that alone should give the Bills two more wins. They are playing the AFC and NFC West this year and should be able to get some at least two more wins against some softer competition.
I think the Bills very quietly had one fo the Best Offseasons in the NFL and are a sleeper playoff team to watch this year. Two early season contests against Seattle and Jacksonville will tell the tale right away.
from 4 months ago
I do see your point, I think the reason that I dropped the Bills a couple spots from what ESPN had them at the end of the season is because other teams that had a down season should be better this season, and the Bills play in the AFC East which is basically like playing for 2nd and not first, so its wild card or bust, the teams ahead of Buffalo could actually still win their division, I think thats why I bumped Buffalo down a bit, thanks for the read though man.
4 months ago
wow i didnt know Raiders were 10th cuz there aint no way broncs can be higher. i dont care what happened last year, anyone with a brain knows the assessment from last year to this. we stomped the broncs and shouldve swept them, and now added a great corner and SB Safety in Gibril Wilson. our secondary far better than theirs, even said by them. and now with playmakers on O to go with the same coaching staff building chemistry. broncs did nothing to improve themselves, same old team as last year and got worse. i guarantee Raiders will be ahead of broncs by seasons end.
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