NFL Preseason: Five Teams Flying Under the Radar So Far in 2010

Every preseason, anybody with an opinion spouts off their Super Bowl picks and sleeper teams.

ESPN never fails to provide us a slew of predictions from so called "experts." These "experts" always seem to recycle each others' picks to the point that a team they claim is flying under the radar is far from it. 

An example of this would be the Houston Texans, who have been tabbed to have a breakout season for what seems to be close to a decade. They've become the popular sexy sleeper in the past, but can a team really be a sleeper if everyone is saying so?

As the New York Jets have been hogging limelight this offseason, I think it's time we pay attention to some other teams. With that being said, here are five teams that I feel have the potential to make some noise, but haven't been getting very much attention. 

New England Patriots

It's amazing how much has changed for the Patriots in the past couple seasons.

They no longer are the it franchise that everyone was envious of during their mini-dynasty. In fact, when New England is being talked about these days, it usually is involving Tom Brady's contract talks. 

After the bad news that Ty Warren is out for the season and the uncertainty of Wes Welker's return, not a lot of good things are happening to the Patriots right now.

No need to worry New England fans because Brady and Randy Moss are still around.

This will be Brady's second season since ACL surgery, which generally takes two years from which to fully recover. Brady isn't a scrambler by any means, but, at times during last season, he clearly didn't look like himself.

I expect a much more focused and determined Brady this season.

Questions still remain in New England's backfield and on the defensive side of the ball. With all the pressure on the Jets, Bill Belichick and company won't have to face the same type of pressure to which they have grown accustomed.

Look for the Pats to turn in another strong season.

Indianapolis Colts

You may be think I'm crazy for putting the Colts on here, but hear me out.

The Super Bowl runners-up have been quiet this offseason and have gone about their business without any headlines.

Peyton Manning's contract talks are really the only reason anyone is even talking about the Colts. Everybody seems to have grown bored with the low key Indianapolis approach.

Rex Ryan and Jim Caldwell couldn't be any more different, but I feel that the Colts are being overlooked partly because the Jets are the sexy team at this moment.

Ryan is a loud individual who makes bold statements. Caldwell keeps to himself and, to be honest, is one of the most—if not the most—boring coach in the game. 

The receiving core could be even better than last year's team with the development of Pierre Garcon.

Anthony Gonzalez will be making his return to the field after missing most of last season due to injury. Manning will have plenty of weapons in the passing game, which will certainly end up being one of the best in the NFL.

Watch out for second-year running back Donald Brown. Brown was a disappointment in his rookie season, but with Joseph Addai getting long in the tooth, there will be more carries available. 

Indianapolis will most likely win its division again and could potentially wind up in the Super Bowl for a second straight season. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco have thrust the Cincinnati Bengals into the spotlight. The Baltimore Ravens have become a sexy pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, when we talk about the Steelers, it generally is involving Ben Roethlisberger's four-to-six game suspension that he has yet to serve.

Even without Big Ben, Pittsburgh is still a very dangerous team. Especially since they are coming off a disastrous season in which they didn't make the playoffs.

Whether it's Dennis Dixon or Byron Leftwich behind center to start the season, it won't matter too much.

The game plan will be simple—hand the ball to Rashard Mendenhall and let him go to work. Mike Tomlin wants to get back to vintage Steelers football this season, which means Mendenhall can expect to see a large amount of carries. 

Pittsburgh is healthy on defense—something they couldn't say last season. They struggled in the fourth quarter, but getting back a healthy Troy Polamalu will be a huge difference.

If Roethlisberger's suspension is reduced (many think it will be reduced down to four games) and the Steelers can go at least 2-2 to start the season, they will have a chance to make another postseason run.

Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta finished 9-7 last season, just missing the playoffs.

They will come into the 2010-2011 season expected to finish in second place in the NFC South behind the New Orleans Saints. The NFC South has never seen a repeat champion in its history and the Falcons would like that trend to continue. 

They have a good chance of unseating the Saints as Matt Ryan enters his third season.

Michael Turner is coming off of a disappointing season in which he failed to crack 1,000 yards. He battled a sprained ankle that ended up holding him out of five games. 

Turner only carried the ball 178 times last season, but could wind up being a good thing for the Falcons. In his first season with Atlanta, he carried the ball an absurd 376 times. Having a fresher Michael Turner will mean a more effective Michael Turner. 

Atlanta is receiving little attention this offseason mostly because the defending Super Bowl champs reside in the same division. The Falcons will be a team to keep your eye on throughout this upcoming season. 

Tennessee Titans

The Titans have made offseason headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Vince Young was involved in an altercation at a strip club and Chris Johnson had his contract issue. Luckily for Tennessee fans, both problems won't effect the upcoming season.

When Young took over as a starter for Kerry Collins—in the team's eighth game—the Titans took off.

They went 8-2 down the stretch with their only losses coming to the Colts and Chargers. Yet somehow, we haven't been hearing much about Tennessee's chances of being a playoff team.

Johnson has set his sights on rushing for 2,500 yards—a feat that many fantasy owners would appreciate. While the Titans would love that kind of season from their star tailback, odds are—if they want to win—that won't happen.

Young is going to have to take on a much larger role throwing the football this season.

The receiving core remains mostly the same, but a full offseason working with Young will pay dividends when the season starts. 

Defensive end and first round pick, Derrick Morgan, will need to make an instant impact to help out a defense that ranked near the bottom last season. An improved defense, to go along with Young as the starting quarterback for a full season, will put the Titans in contention for a Wild Card berth.