NFL Pre-Season Power Rankings
The 2010 NFL offseason has been quite eventful if nothing else. Roger Goodell suspended several players (mostly from the Pittsburgh Steelers) and this causes the balance of power to shift somewhat. Furthermore there were some very surprising free agent signings, and draft picks. In fact the draft was the deepest I can remember as college players realized they may create rookie contracts starting next year, limiting their money. So let's see what the offseason has done.
32. Buffalo Bills
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No quarterback, Terrell Owens is now gone and so is Aaron Schobel. I think we can just give them the first overall pick now and get it over with. They needed a quarterback and like most teams passed up on Jimmy Clausen twice. They should have taken him at least in the second round but they had to pass up on him. Now they pay the price.
31. Cleveland Browns
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I considered a lot of other teams but in the end they got picked because they are in one of the toughest divisions in football and don't even have a quarterback! I don't care what Holmgren thinks, Colt McCoy cannot deal with the defenses in the AFC North. They are slowly building but they had to take a few steps back. They are at least headed in the right direction.
30. St. Louis Rams
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The St. Louis Rams are taking the patient approach to rebuilding as they drafted Sam Bradford and a solid tackle by the name of Roger Saffold in the first two rounds. This has laid the foundations for the Rams offense and Steve Spagnuolo should not need too much more to get the offense to an elite level. As for the defense they have their safety and this is Spagnuolo, he can do scary things with lesser defensive personnel.
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29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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I really don't know what to say about the Buccaneers. Gerald McCoy is probably going to be a great player for years to come but it will take time for him to get adjusted to the NFL. On the other hand they lost their top receiver in Antonio Bryant. It is hard to say if McCoy will be the difference maker people think he is but as solid as he is one player cannot fix a team. One good thing about this team, they already have their quarterback in Josh Freeman.
28. Detroit Lions
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The Detroit Lions are one of the most improved teams in football this offseason as they got two first round picks, and were able to use one of them to get the best player in this year's draft. By getting Ndamukong Suh they greatly upgraded their pass rush and now are going to have a defence that will not be the joke of the league. At least they hope not.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
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I don't know what the Jacksonville Jaguars were thinking when they picked Tyson Alualu. Maybe they were thinking his last name ends in the same way as Polamalu, or maybe they picked for the Raiders while Al Davis picked for them. Come to think of it, how else would you explain the logical draft choices of the Raiders this year. Drafting Alualu was by far the biggest reach in the draft and may have set the Jaguars back. For this reason and more they will do horribly this year.
26. Oakland Raiders
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The Oakland Raiders have done an amazing job building their defence through the draft this year. I truly applaud them. It was amazing to see them do so many sane things, like cutting JaMarcus Russell. They then drafted a great MLB in Rolando McClain. He is going to be good for them for years to come. Unfortunately they had to deal away Kirk Morrison but they can slowly build this team if they follow a sane path for the next several years.
25. Kansas City Chiefs
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The Chiefs are ranked lower than this by a lot of people. However I decided to put them a bit higher because of Eric Berry. To be fair they did not do well with Bernard Pollard, but Eric Berry is supposed to be a game changer. The safety position is the most important on defence and getting a player like Berry can vastly improve this team.
24. Seattle Seahawks
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The Seattle Seahawks got their LT of the future in Russell Okung. He is definitely the best LT in this year's draft class and so have gotten a major upgrade at the position. This should help the team going forward but they clearly need to stop signing all these expensive free agent wide receivers (Deion Branch, Tj Houshmandzadeh) and expecting Matt Hasselbeck to find the fountain of youth. By getting legitimate protection they now need to seek a quarterback of the future. Luckily their defence is not that bad, and so they will have somewhat of an opportunity to not completely embarass themselves.
23. Washington Redskins
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I don't care that they got Donovan McNabb. They are still the worst team in their division. Sure they have a quarterback now, but so do the Giants and Cowboys. As for the Eagles they have Kolb and Vick, along with much better receivers. And I didn't even mention the Eagles defence. As for the Redskins, they continue to feud with Albert Haynesworth. It seems he lacks a passion for the game as he has several times butted heads with coach Mike Shanahan.
22. Tennessee Titans
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Chris Johnson is the best running back in the NFL. He may be the best of all time when all is said and done. But for now the primary concern of the Titans is that everyone will focus on Johnson simply because the Titans have nothing else to go to. Sure they could pass, but how good are their receivers? As for their defence, it suddenly seems to have gone cold. Don't be surprised if the Titans defence becomes spectacular, launching them into the playoffs.
21. Chicago Bears
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The Chicago Bears have greatly improved their defence by acquiring Julius Peppers, though the price may have been a bit high. By acquiring Jay Cutler they may have limited the effectiveness of Matt Forte as they do not run it as often. If they just chose to run the ball more, and help Cutler adjust so he does not throw as many interceptions then this team would be a force to be reckoned with.
20. Arizona Cardinals
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They have one of the best receiving duos in the NFL in Steve Breaston and Larry Fitzgerald. This used to be a threesome with Anquan Boldin as well, but he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. This team had an outstanding offence that it relied on to do well. Unfortunately Kurt Warner retired, forcing them to use Matt Leinart this year. Leinart can be a very good quarterback, but very few quarterbacks can carry a team the way Kurt Warner can. For that reason they rank this low.
19. Miami Dolphins
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They need a reality check. This is the same team that almost went winless a couple of years ago. Sure they may have done some quick rebuild by getting Chad Pennington and making it a run first offence, but they are only delaying the inevitable. This team needs to build up in a few more positions. They are not that bad, but they are not a playoff contender as many would like to believe they are.
18. Denver Broncos
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Tim Tebow is the quarterback of the future. Who knows how long it will be before he takes over the reins? By drafting him early they may have made a mistake, but nobody questions his abilities. He may take a while to adjust to the NFL but he will get there. The faster he adjusts the better the Broncos will be. By subtracting Brandon Marshall but adding Tebow it is hard to say if the Broncos got better, but I say they have and will continue to get better in the future.
17. Carolina Panthers
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The Carolina Panthers are an elite team that just lacks a seasoned pro at quarterback. By getting Jimmy Clausen it shows they will be a Super Bowl contender sooner rather than later. An exceptional offense with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Steward, along with a solid defence even with the loss of Julius Peppers. This team may deserve to be ranked a lot higher, but because of uncertainty at the quarterback position they are in the bottom half of the rankings.
16. Atlanta Falcons
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The Falcons are an excellent team led by a young quarterback in Matt Ryan. By getting Dunta Robinson they should improve on their horrendous pass coverage. Unfortunately it is not enough for them to be warranted as a playoff team. They will do well but their pass coverage cannot be fixed with one major signing. Their offence will do great with a healthy Michael Turner but their defence will be their achilles heel.
15. Philadelphia Eagles
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The Eagles are one of the teams that are consistently contending for the Super Bowl. All that can change this year as they no longer have Donovan McNabb. Although they got a reasonable return for him they need to find ways to compensate for his loss. They also lost Brian Westbrook. Never imagined that would be an afterthought but there you are.
14. San Francisco 49ers
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No real major upgrade from last year. So they really have nothing to improve their team except for internal improvements. They were pedestrian last year due to a lack of a franchise quarterback. My guess is they will be a bit better this year, but still not good enough to make the playoffs.
13. Houston Texans
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A solid team with Matt Schaub and Owen Daniels. However, with Brian Cushing's suspension and Schaub's penchant to get injured this team could struggle. This is a boom or bust team. Either they'll be really good, or they'll be really bad.
12. Cincinnati Bengals
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Shows how scary the AFC North is when the Bengals, the third best team in this division is ranked this high. They have an outstanding running game with Cedric Benson, along with a great aerial attack in the form of Carson Palmer. Then they have the two young cornerbacks that have taken the league by storm named Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall and you see how scary their team is.
11. New York Giants
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The Giants are going to have to really try to recapture the magic of winning the Super Bowl a few years ago. They have one of the best defenses in the league, but ever since Plaxico Burress shot himself in the foot they have lacked a true number one receiver. Will Steve Smith be that guy? I really cannot say for sure. And that is all that is holding me back from sending this team to the top five.
10. New York Jets
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The Jets are trying to sell the sizzle and not the steak. This is because in reality what they have is not that great. Rex Ryan thinks his defence in New York is as good as the defence he left behind in Baltimore. It is not even close. The Ravens defence can carry them when they lack an offence at all (including the running game) but the Jets need Sanchez to start being better. The reality is that this team will only make it as far as the AFC Championship game again as long as Tom Brady is not fully recovered along with injuries to the other great teams in the playoffs.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers
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Troy Polamalu is the X-factor on the Steelers defence. They have done an outstanding job with Dick Lebeau to build one of the greatest defences of all time. This is the same unit that led in nearly all major defensive statistical category in 2008. The only difference is that they have LaMarr Woodley doing a lot better, and James Harrison doing slightly worse. Of course that could be because he gets all the double teams now. The Steelers have to run the ball and are glad they have several running backs including Rashard Mendenhall. They will need to as Ben Roethlisberger will not be back for four weeks. That is the only reason this team is not ranked somewhere in the top five.
8. New England Patriots
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I have a hard time putting the Patriots so low on this list. They have essentially all the players from the best offence in league history from two years ago. However questions abound for the defence. Can they get a decent pass rush? Will their rookie cornerbacks be able to contain opposing receivers? Too many questions to put them any higher but this is still the Patriots so you never know.
7. Dallas Cowboys
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Surprised to see the Cowboys ranked so low? The thing is they are ranked high every year and every year they disappoint. So I say they should not be ranked so high. They have an excellent running game with Marion Barber, Felix Jones and company. Romo still has some blue chip targets in Miles Austin and Jason Witten. As for the defence, it is as solid as they come with DeMarcus Ware leading the way. Expect the Cowboys to make a lot of noise come January.
6. Baltimore Ravens
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The best in the AFC North would have to be the Ravens. They have added a blue chip target for Joe Flacco in Anquan Boldin, they have upgraded their defence through the draft, and they are still the same stifling defence from last year. They will compete for the Super Bowl this year but they are just a cut below elite.
5. Minnesota Vikings
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People may be shocked to see the Vikings ranked this low, but at this point all these teams may be separated by just one play. The Vikings are a very good team, but they need to be outstanding to compete with the Green Bay Packers. The defence is solid, the running game has Adrian Peterson, but Brett Favre is missing his favourite target in Sidney Rice. For that reason Minnesota is ranked second in their division.
4. San Diego Chargers
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The Chargers have a very solid defence. The key for them is to keep Shawne Merriman healthy. They drafted a running back very high in Ryan Matthews and he has huge shoes to fill in Ladanian Tomlinson's. Darren Sproles has shown he is not an every down back and so Ryan Matthews must learn to fill the void. As for the quarterback position, Philip Rivers is a franchise quarterback with a lot of options at wide receiver. Granted Vincent Jackson is no longer there (at least for the first six weeks) but he will still be able to spread the ball around.
3. Green Bay Packers
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The Packers ran one of the most prolific passing offenses and a top five defence. This team has added to the pass protection of Aaron Rodgers by drafting Bryan Bulaga in the first round. This team will definitely compete for the Lombardi Trophy and I expect them to decimate a lot of their competition. The pass protection will be the key for the Packers if they want to win the Lombardi Trophy. I fully expect Rodgers to have another career year with Greg Jennings and Donald Driver at the receiver positions.
2. Indianapolis Colts
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As always there are question marks all over the defence. Jeff Saturday is getting up their in age and nearly bolted to Pittsburgh a year ago. The Colts have to have their offence carry them, which makes it difficult against some of the tougher running teams in the league. If they can consistently run the ball they can win. The Colts were wise to ignore the conventional wisdom of drafting a offensive lineman and drafted a DE/OLB named Jerry Hughes. Hard to say if this will upgrade the defence enough or not but Bill Polian needs to focus more on the defensive side of the ball. The Colts will always have one of the best offenses as long as they have Peyton Manning. So the key to their Super Bowl run will be their defence. Has it improved? Only time will tell, but with Manning they may not even need that great of a defence.
1. New Orleans Saints
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The Saints won the Lombardi trophy, 20 of their 22 starters are returning including Drew Brees. Why would anybody rank them lower than one? This is a team that not only has one of the most intimidating offenses in football, but their defence has as many takeaways as anyone in the league. To top it off they added a CB in the first round of the draft. Sean Payton knows he needs to improve on the defence simply because the offense is ideal. This is a team that has a very good chance of repeating. They just need to focus, and they surely can win. This team is the favourite going in, even if Vegas disagrees. They will dominate the league like they did last year. Don't be shocked if they go undefeated this year and take the Lombardi Trophy.
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