2011 NFL Predictions: 10 Teams That Will Blow Their Super Bowl Chances This Year

Now that the majority of impact NFL free agents have found new homes and the big trades have been made, its finally time to start looking into the crystal ball and start figuring out how all of this plays out.

There has never been a Super Bowl won on paper, and right now there are more than a few teams that are going to disappoint.

From the lack of depth to the negligence of bolstering talent at a certain key position, there are plenty of ways for the season to fall apart.

Right now there are teams that have you saying "wow" right now—but by the time the end of the regular season rolls around, you’ll be remembering how dumb those predictions were.

This list isn’t just every team that is good but won’t win the super Bowl; this is a list of the teams that are seemingly heading in the right direction and making the necessary moves, but will come up empty-handed this February.

10. Seattle Seahawks

After reaching the second round of the NFC playoffs a season ago, Seattle has to be considered a contender.

Factor in the signings of Robert Gallery, Sidney Rice and Zach Miller—and the Seahawks have done some major work in the last week.

Yet they will be on the road to nowhere because of their QB situation. Putting the franchise in the hands of Tarvaris Jackson is a puzzling move and one that should force Pete Carroll to examine his sanity. The guy has never played well in limited snaps in NFL action and a seemingly incredibly fragile ego—a terrible trait for a QB.

Expect the Seahawks to still maintain the same 7-9 record—but it won’t be enough to win the improving NFC West this year.

9. Chicago Bears

The fact that Mike Martz is once again paired up with Roy Williams is a brilliant move. It adds depth to a weak part of the Bears' offense, and it gives the gunslinger QB Jay Cutler a tall, deep threat to chuck the pigskin to.

The signing of Marion Barber was not a great one because the guy is washed up. He can take some of the load off Matt Forte—but Barber is certainly not the explosive back he once was.

The worst thing the Bears could have done was kick veteran center Olin Kreutz to the curb.

Kreutz was the anchor on the line the past 13 seasons, was the heart and soul of the locker room and a fan favorite around the Windy City. He was as consistent and reliable as it comes. When the Bears' front office decided they couldn’t pony up an extra half million dollars, it turned into a situation that enraged everyone in Chicago.

Now the Bears enter the season with a new center in Chris Spencer and a ton of question marks around the rest of the unit.

Not the recipe for a Super Bowl.

8. Houston Texans

Everyone’s favorite team to be considered a "sleeper" entering seemingly every season, the Texans once again look enticing on paper with the additions of Johnathan Joseph and Danieal Manning in the secondary.

The weakest unit on the team was drastically upgraded and now they can win a Super Bowl, right?

The loss nobody is talking about is fullback Vonta Leach. He was the catalyst for the breakout season of Arian Foster and was terrific in pass protection as well. It’s a huge blow at a position that seems to be ignored by most.

Add in an incredibly weak group of receivers after Andre Johnson, and the Texans still have holes that will sink their ship before it lands in Indianapolis this February.

7. New York Giants

The lack of moves the Giants have made can wrap up any thoughts of a Super Bowl right now.

I’m sorry, a team that misses the postseason, then can only bring in three players who will provide little impact is a disservice to fans. Sure, center David Boss, punter Steve Weatherford and tight end Ben Patrick will provide varying levels of impact to the team—but none of them will be a game-changer.

The Giants re-signed Ahmad Bradshaw after a nasty negotiating period that may impact his effort on the field. As the whole Osi Umenyiora fiasco continues to get worse, chock it up as a substantial distraction.

The mediocre receiving corps didn’t improve, and the special teams will be a big problem yet again.

The Giants are going sideways right now.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs win the award for the biggest loser during the 2011 free-agent frenzy.

They were $50 million under the cap and could have pulled off an Eagles-like shopping spree.

Instead, they sat on their hands and didn’t make a single move aside from re-signing four of their own players and landing punter Michael Koenen.

Coming off a 10-6 season that had fans incredibly excited, the buzz has quickly evaporated. The Bucs are too young and inexperienced to be expected to make any sort of impact in the playoffs.

5. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys' 2010 season was filled with high hopes before everything came to a crashing halt right off the bat. The season was officially over when Tony Romo went out with a shoulder injury in October.

So what has changed since then?

They have a new head coach in Jason Garrett and a new defensive coordinator in Rob Ryan.

The team has let multiple players go to stay under the cap, and have only been able to re-sign three guys in Doug Free, Kyle Kosier and Marcus Spears.

They lost Roy Williams, Troy Bergeron, Marion Barber, Robert Brewster, Marc Colombo, Travis Bright and Kelvin Smith. Stephen Bowen bolted in free agency.

No additions have been made.

As Romo shakes off the rust, the rest of the NFL will shake off the Cowboys.

4. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs were a dynamic passing game away from doing some damage in the postseason in 2010. Going out and signing Steve Breaston was a great idea and one that will instantly equal success. Combine him with Dwayne Bowe and Jonathan Baldwin, and the receiving corps is ready to be a force.

It was a savvy move to improve the 30th-ranked passing offense.

Too bad that was the only one made.

Aside from landing linebacker Brandon Siler, the Chiefs have done nothing else to improve a defense that was merely above average. Do they expect safety Eric Berry to instantly turn into a shut-down safety overnight?

A shaky secondary and QB Matt Cassell will keep the Chiefs on their couch watching the big game.

3. Indianapolis Colts

The Peyton Manning era is not going to last forever, and it’s puzzling to see the Colts stay extremely quiet.

Sure, you can applaud them for re-signing oft-injured running back Joseph Addai, reliable kicker Adam Vinatieri and solid safety Melvin Bullitt.

But where was the big linebacker signing? Or the offensive linemen to shore up an increasingly shaky unit?

The offseason was already rough with the slow progress of Manning’s neck injury, and flipping to ESPN to hear Reggie Wayne moan about the slow progress of the team is not an ideal start.

This may be the year Manning finally misses the playoffs.

2. New England Patriots

I think the Chad Ochocinco trade was great.

He is a strong player who needs strong leadership to keep him focused. Mission accomplished. Expect him to be a top-20 receiver this season.

The whole offense should be fun to watch.

It’s the defense that will be the downfall.

Signing Albert Haynesworth may not be very risky, but it’s a sign of desperation and a subliminal way of realizing the Pats are desperate upfront.

They cut Marcus Stroud, Ty Warren and on the defensive line, while letting Gerard Warren walk. The depth is gone.

It leaves gaping holes in a pass-rush that was already one of the worst units in the league. The young secondary played surprisingly well last season, but if you can’t pressure the QB, it will all be for naught in 2011.

The acquisition of Haynesworth was a panic move for the Pats, and one that shows they are staring up at the New York Jets in the AFC East.

1. Green Bay Packers

It was smart of the Packers to re-sign John Kuhn and James Jones. Both players are good locker room guys, and both bring plenty of intangibles on the field. Bringing back Mason Crosby was a no-brainer as well.

The Packers should have been more prepared to bring Cullen Jenkins back. He was a disruptive force on a D-line that developed terrific chemistry and cohesiveness together for their magical Super Bowl run.

Losing fullback Korey Hall is an underrated loss, as are linebacker Nick Barnett and center Jason Spitz.

Sure, Jermichael Finley is back at tight end, but losing the insurance of Donald Lee will sting at some point this season. Who knows if Finley is even completely healthy?

The reason the Packers were so great last year was because of their outstanding depth. They won the Super Bowl despite having 15 players on the season-ending IR list.

This year, they won’t have that luxury, and it will end up costing them in the end—there will be no repeat in 2011.

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