2011 NFL Free Agency: 10 Teams One Free Agent Away From a Super Bowl Run
Only two teams get the ultimate shot at the Lombardi Trophy each season, the trophy that every team sets out to capture, and only one of those two teams can be lucky enough to call themselves champions for an entire year.
The 2010-2011 NFL season saw the trophy return home to Green Bay, where legendary coach Vince Lombardi won the first two Super Bowls in 1967 and 1968.
Now we enter the off-season, the most curious off-season we may ever know, as the current CBA is about to expire on March 3.
We have no certainty of football next season and all we do have is a guarantee that players will be drafted in the NFL Draft in late April but will be unable to sign any contracts until the new CBA is agreed upon.
If no deal is made before the March 3 deadline, which is the likely scenario at this point, NFL Free Agency will not begin until a new deal is met.
Players will not be traded; they cannot sign elsewhere. They, in fact, cannot do much at all.
Even so, we can only hope that at some point the deal will be met and we will have NFL football next season.
When we do, only the Super Bowl Champion Packers and AFC Champion Steelers can say they made a Super Bowl run last season; here are 10 teams that are one free agent signing away from doing the very same.
10. Minnesota Vikings
1 of 10
The Vikings underachieved as much as any team in the league last season.
Granted they had issues with a head coach who slid by for far too long without any accountability, Brett Favre was not Brett Favre and injury issues to key players like Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin were a lot to overcome.
Leslie Frazier stepped in and helped ease the Vikings' nosedive but he still has some work to do.
They were not nearly as effective as they should have been up front on both sides of the ball and the secondary will likely be addressed in the Draft.
Yet the Vikings have a lot of pieces in place but are missing the most important position: quarterback.
If Minnesota were to make a move in free agency for quarterback they believe is franchise material they may actually put together a solid campaign in 2011.
The quarterback market will not be flooded with talent but if the Vikings do find the right player to step under center then they have to be considered a possible threat to go deep in the playoffs, much like they were at the start of this season.
9. Dallas Cowboys
2 of 10
Jason Garrett saved the Dallas Cowboys last season and was made the Cowboys head coach in return for it.
Now he has a talented football team that is almost always projected to go farther than they actually will.
Quarterback Tony Romo will be back from injury and he will have two big threats on the outside in Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.
Despite a less than stellar performance last season, the Cowboys do have talented running backs in the backfield but need to find a way to get the most out of them.
They will have to address the offensive line and possibly the defensive line in the Draft, but they still have a lot of talent everywhere on the field.
If the Cowboys could find a playmaking safety though, to help a below-average pass defense that consistently under-performs, it could pay big dividends in the long run.
They have yet to truly find a playmaking safety for years now and that would be the one position that could elevate the entire defense.
8. San Diego Chargers
3 of 10
San Diego is another team that was highly talented but was hurt by injuries and doomed by inconsistent play and a slow start once again this season.
Quarterback Phillip Rivers has carried this team for too long now and he may lose both his top weapons in free agency as well.
The Chargers had solid statistical numbers in almost every category but winning and they are still the favorite to win the AFC West division.
GM A.J. Smith would be wise to try and bring back at least Vincent Jackson this season or the Chargers will not be as good as they need to be in 2011.
If they lose both Malcolm Floyd and Jackson they will have to find a suitable replacement somewhere or they will be in trouble.
They have other holes to fill as well but most can be addressed in the Draft; wide receiver is the position they still need a veteran playmaker to fill.
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7. New York Giants
4 of 10
First and foremost, New York Giants need to stay out of their own way this season and be smart with the football if they want to succeed.
They have talent at almost every single position and have few, if any, glaring needs on either side of football.
Two positions that stand out most to me though are two of the very positions the Giants are typically known for.
Kevin Boss has been a good tight end for the Giants but struggles at times on the line, is not consistent down field and is not always worked into the offensive effectively.
There are unlikely to be any play-making tight ends available so the next spot would be middle linebacker.
Jon Goff played well last season but does not fit the mold as a mean, ready-to-kill middle linebacker the Giants need.
Their biggest problem this past season (aside from turnovers) was leadership, especially on defense, and the Giants have not had a linebacker worthy of leading them since Antonio Pierce retired; a strong middle linebacker would be ideal for the Giants next season.
6. Philadelphia Eagles
5 of 10
Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles seem to be a match and now Kevin Kolb is expendable to any team looking for a new, starting-caliber quarterback.
The Eagles need some help on the offensive line but Andy Reid likes to build through the trenches early in the Draft and he looks to work some magic there.
The Eagles biggest need will likely be in the secondary at either cornerback or strong safety.
Second year player Nate Allen will likely be a starter at free safety for the foreseeable future, but outside of Asante Samuel, whose playing style can be a cause for concern at times as well, the Eagles have little talented depth at the corners and strong safety Quintin Mikell is slated to be a free agent.
In a division that features powerful receiving corps in Dallas and New York, the Eagles need to be able to defend the pass if they want to succeed.
Adding another play-making cornerback opposite Asante Samuel would be the one position I think they should attack.
Strong safeties can be found later in the Draft but a solid, veteran corner is not easy to come by.
5. New England Patriots
6 of 10
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will always have the Patriots at the forefront of the league; in fact, they are the early pre-season favorite to win the Super Bowl according to Las Vegas.
Recently they have had some serious trouble in the postseason and that has been concerning to fans and the team itself.
The defense continues to get better and they do have some positions they can address with the plethora of Draft picks they have at their disposal.
Brady proved he did not need a dominant, big play receiver to be successful after winning the MVP award unanimously, but in their loss to the New York Jets at home, it proved more important than ever to have a vertical threat in their passing attack.
The wide receiver free agent class looks to be the most promising position featuring players such as Steve Smith (NYG), Vincent Jackson, Terrell Owens, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Sidney Rice, James Jones, Malcolm Floyd and, of course, Randy Moss.
The Patriots have talented younger weapons but lack a true deep threat to stretch the field.
Moss, Jackson, Edwards and Rice can all stretch the field vertically and would do exactly what the Patriots need to succeed.
4. Atlanta Falcons
7 of 10
Like a lot of the teams on this list the Falcons have their quarterback in place and were extremely successful last season, but fell short in the playoffs.
Atlanta needs to get younger at tight end for the day Tony Gonzalez retires, and they could still use help on the offensive line and defensive front seven, yet all these things can be addressed in the Draft.
One position that could use an immediate upgrade is at wide receiver.
Roddy White was a one-man wrecking machine out wide but the Falcons have no real threat opposite him.
In the postseason we see good teams taking away their opposition's best players and if White had another dangerous threat opposite him it would benefit the whole team.
Atlanta was not as successful on the ground as they have been in the past and teams will focus more on White and the run game without a true threat on the other side.
If Atlanta wants to take the next step this season they should get Ryan another target and take some heat off of White.
3. New York Jets
8 of 10
The New York Jets have a lot decisions to make in-house before they can hit the open market.
Santonio Holmes has proved too valuable and needs to be re-signed if the Jets want to stay in the race for the AFC East next season.
Braylon Edwards would be nice to have back but may not necessary if the price is too high.
The Jets' move for Jason Taylor last season really did not turn out as well as they had hoped, former No. 6 overall draft pick Vernon Gholston is no sack master, and the Jets need to find a way to get after the passer without sending the house on every play.
Now if they signed Nnamdi Asomugha that may be possible but I'm not going to get too crazy here.
The Jets would be wise to take care of their own players first (when the CBA says they can) and then try and find a player that can get after the quarterback off the edge.
New York has been as close as you can get for two straight seasons; if their window has not closed a pass rusher will help them tremendously.
2. New Orleans Saints
9 of 10
Sean Payton and New Orleans Saints just ran into the wrong team (and running back) at the wrong time this season.
Drew Brees and the Saints offense will be back through the air next season; they can address some defensive front seven needs through the Draft, but what if they had a true running back threat to compliment it all?
Reggie Bush is an incredible talent but does not scare opposing defenses unless he gets on the edge or in a mismatch with a linebacker. Chris Ivory was a solid find and Pierre Thomas is good when healthy, but a true running back threat would really elevate everything the Saints do.
The running back market will have some interesting players and the Saints would be wise to take a look into it if they want to get another shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
1. Baltimore Ravens
10 of 10
The Ravens have this tendency to be a dominant looking squad on paper that cannot seem to get away from their division rival Pittsburgh Steelers when it matters most.
The defense is not getting any younger but most of that will need to be addressed in the upcoming Draft.
If Baltimore really wants to take another step forward next season they have to give Flacco another weapon opposite Anquan Boldin.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh literally dropped the ball this season and never was the player he could have been.
Derrick Mason continues to defy father time but that will not last forever.
The free agent wide receiver group has a lot of talent and the Ravens do not have to make a dominant splash but could certainly benefit from players like James Jones, Malcom Floyd or Jacoby Jones on the outside.
Baltimore is one of, if not the best, drafting organizations in the league and addressing the wide receiver position in free agency could be the move they need to get back to the Super Bowl.
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