NFL Power Rankings: 17-32

17) New York Giants: I have to be the only one on the planet that would even think of putting the defending Super Bowl champions this low but, I'm convinced it was just a fluke. Strahan is leaning towards retirement, Osi isn't happy, Shockey isn't happy, Eli is gonna go right back to being Eli, and they won't get to play all 16 games on the road.

18) Buffalo Bills: The rookies from last year looked promising. Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch look destined to have great careers, and Marcus Stroud in the middle on defense will help them immensely. What the Bills need to do now is put it all together.

19) Detroit Lions: Doesn't it seem like Detroit needs something to look forward to other than the Red Wings? Kitna made the smart move of not guaranteeing a 10-win season, but said he'd be disappointed if they didn't. I think this team has one of the best offenses, but you need some kind of defense to compete.

20) New Orleans Saints: I love what they did in the draft and free agency. And trading for Vilma without giving up much for him was brilliant. However, I don't know if that defense is still where it needs to be to compete in what will be a much-improved NFC.

21) Arizona Cardinals: In finding a way to keep Fitzgerald happy, they upset Boldin. This is another team with all the offense to make it big time, but the lack of defense is obvious. I love the pick of Calais Campbell in the second round, but one player won't be enough to get them where they need to be. Keep truckin' Cards.

22) St. Louis Rams: First off, I love the Chris Long pick. He was as close to a can't-miss prospect as we were gonna see in 2008. That being said, I still think their defense is suspect. The D-line seems to be solid enough at this point, but the LBs are only decent at best, and they lack playmakers in the secondary. Holt is getting old, Jackson is in a contract year, and Bulger is going backwards.

23) Kansas City Chiefs: This may be a little generous, but I love what they did in the draft. They somehow managed to get a ton of picks for Jared Allen, and they used all of them to perfection. Glenn Dorsey and Branden Albert were both top-10 players that fell into their laps. They should help to solidify where it counts most, the lines.

24) Carolina Panthers: This was another team with a very good draft. Stewart and Otah will really help that offense out right away (even though I think they gave up far too much for Otah). Fox is raving about Jake Delhomme's play after his surgeries, so the quarterback situation should work out. Someone needs to get Julius Peppers' mind on football, and they should be able to exceed all expectations.

25) Denver Broncos: Their biggest playmaker can't even walk across his living room without hurting himself. Not good. And I understand the Broncos can usually plug anyone in at RB and make it work, but I just don't see it working this year. They lack playmakers on both sides of the ball.

26) Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals could very well be without two of their starting three WRs from last year. They will definitely be without Chris Henry, and we'll see what happens with Ocho Cinco, but I don't see him playing. Rudi Johnson is overrated as far as I'm concerned, but still a viable option for them in the backfield. Even if Rudi steps it up and Chad plays, they can't play defense for them.

27) San Francisco 49ers: If Alex Smith can blossom under new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, then this team will see a significant improvement. Unfortunately, we could see Frank Gore taking a few steps backward. Martz has proven he's afraid to run the ball, and leaning that heavily on Smith will not work out. Martz is going to have to run the ball a lot more than he'd like if this team is going to go anywhere.

28) Chicago Bears: No quarterbacks in the draft. Really Chicago? Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton are not the answer. They don't even have a good running game to lean on for whoever they throw to the wolves behind center. The defense is getting old, and that offense, believe it or not, is still going backwards.

29) Oakland Raiders: Yes, I believe there are three teams worse than Oakland. The defense was a bright spot for them two years ago, they need to get back to that. Russell is really a rookie this year because of all the time he missed, and they have a pretty good running attack when they'll need to bail him out. I think they should have gone to further lengths to improve the line, but I like what they did in the offseason, and it should translate well. By the way Al, get a coach or step down.

30) New York Jets: If Kellen Clemens is even in the same breath as "starting quarterback", you have some problems. I don't believe either of them has any business starting. They did nothing but deplete their defense by giving away Vilma, and they overpaid Calvin Pace. On the bright side, they snagged Faneca, and that should give whichever QB they decide on more time to decide where he's going to throw an interception.

31) Miami Dolphins: They hit rock bottom of the NFL world. Busted through the basement, so to speak. There is only one way to go for the Dolphins and that's up. With Bill Parcells doing the grocery shopping (see, "famous Bill Parcells quotes") they should really get something cooking in Miami. The Big Tuna in Big Tuna, only good can come from that.

32) Atlanta Falcons: No team has ever been in more of a rebuilding mode than the Falcons are right now. After the Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino episodes, they need something to look forward to. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if Matt Ryan is it. He threw way too many interceptions at BC, and that's not what you want from your franchise quarterback. The running game should be better, but that's about it.

Let the debating and name-calling begin!