NFL Predictions: 4 NFL Teams That Will Exceed Expectations in 2011

The NFL is a league that changes from season to season. One year you can be in the playoffs, while the next you can be in contention for the first overall draft pick.

Most people cant even remember that the New England Patriots were written off by most teams last year as being too young and inexperienced while the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals were widespread favorites for the Super Bowl.

You see perception in the NFL often doesn't reflect reality. Some teams will shock you while others will surprise you.

There are many teams that will falter and fail to reach their expectations but here are a few that should surpass the bar that the national media holds over their heads.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns have been the perennial whipping boys of the AFC North in recent years. This year that mantle should be passed onto the Cincinnati Bengals.

There is a lot of young defensive talent in Cleveland. Jabaal Sheard, and Phil Taylor arriving on the defensive line will aid their talented secondary that includes rising star at corner Joe Haden.

The defense does still have holes in it, but it shouldn't suffer dramatically from the loss of Rob Ryan as the group's coordinator.

What will surprise people however, will be the efficiency of the Browns' offense.

They have three talented running backs—Mario Hardesty, Owen Marecic, and Peyton Hillis—who will be running behind a very talented offensive line.

Running the ball wasn't a problem in Cleveland the difference makers will be Pat Shurmur and Colt McCoy.

Shurmur is instituting the west coast offense in Cleveland which will put McCoy in the best position possible to excel. He had a lot of success with Sam Bradford as a rookie and almost made the Rams a playoff team.

McCoy doesn't have the strongest arm or the best of receivers to throw to, however his poise in the pocket and accuracy throwing the football will allow them to consistently move the chains and before pounding the ball into the endzone.

The Browns will be running an offense that neither the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers like to play against. I don't see them overtaking either team, but it wouldn't be out of the question for them to come second in the division and possibly make a playoff push.

A lot of question marks remain in Cleveland, but they are not moving up in the division by default. While the Bengals got worse, the Browns definitely improved this year.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are missing only one major piece to be a Super Bowl contender.

Everyone knows that Chad Henne is not an elite quarterback and likely never will be. However, with the quality of the defense and the pieces the Dolphins have put in place around him, an average year for Henne could see them as the second best team in the AFC East.

The New York Jets have a lot of question marks and will need for Mark Sanchez to prove that he can carry that offense and make it elite next year.

Henne is in a more comfortable position, as he has two very talented running backs and a lot of talent around him. With Jake Long—the man who many believe is the best left tackle in the league—protecting his blindside as well as the additions of Marc Colombo and Mike Pouncey, the Dolphins have a mauling group of offensive linemen.

Thomas is a big back who will burst through the gaps that line creates to wear down the defense before Reggie Bush comes in and electrifies the crowd. The Dolphins' running game will be similar to the Chiefs' of last season.

With Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess, Anthony Fasano, and Brian Hartline catching his passes, Henne just needs to avoid turning the ball over for this offense to be efficient.

The reason for this is that the Dolphins are set to have a top five defense this year.

The addition of Kevin Burnett helped them to become the second best front seven in the league. Burnett's athleticism will also give the team an edge over the division rival Patriots, as they now have two middle linebackers who are athletic enough to match up to their tight ends.

With a vaunted tandem at cornerback in Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, and reliable safety play. The offense in Miami won't have to put up a huge amount of points to win football games. For this reason, it made a lot of sense for the Dolphins to bring in Kyle Orton when they had the chance.

It was a pity they didn't but they should still exceed expectations for the coming year.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams are an emerging team that a lot of people seem to like.

Most so called experts see the Rams as being a competitive team in the NFC West next year. I believe that they will win the division with ease and lock up their playoff spot early.

Yes the team has a brutal schedule outside of the division but they are further along in their development than you would think after a very good offseason.

The biggest addition of the offseason was the addition of former Denver Bronco's head coach Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels was obviously a terrible head coach but before that he was a brilliant offensive coordinator. While he doesn't have Randy Moss or Wes Welker to work with like he did in New England in 2007, he does have more talent than you would think.

The return of Donnie Avery gives the team the legitimate deep threat that they were lacking last year, while Mike Sims-Walker will benefit hugely from being a better situation than he was in in Jacksonville. Those two will allow Amendola to do a Wes Welker impression while Brandon Gibson has been outstanding in the preseason and training camp.

Rookie Lance Kendricks could also make a big impact but the Rams don't need him to because Stephen Jackson and Carnell Williams will be punishing defenders all year long.

The Rams offense is set to explode as their offensive line is also going to be one of the best next year. The addition of Harvey Dahl gives them a grafter inside while Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith will only get better again as they move towards their primes.

Defensively, the Rams have replaced OJ Atogwe with a motivated and talented veteran in Quintin Mikell. Atogwe's mind wasn't in St. Louis as he hasn't been happy for the past few years. Mikell will bring a different type of player but should excel either way.

Cornerback is an area of concern, but Bradley Fletcher and Ron Bartell won't lose the team many games.

Robert Quinn is under no pressure to perform as a rookie but any flashes can't hurt. James Laurinitis and Chris Long lead a front seven that has made some very astute additions also since last year—Ben Leber in particular stands out.

Washington Redskins

Whether John Beck or Rex Grossman starts at quarterback, the Washington Redskins will be a much improved team this year.

This is not a reflection on Donovan McNabb, who I believe was a victim of circumstance last year. There is no coincidence that the Redskins went about rebuilding their offense in the off-season as McNabb lacked the pieces to perform last year.

Im a big fan of the Kyle Shanahan offense. The addition of Tim Hightower could see his aggressive style and resilient body make it past the 1,000 yard marker.

Shanahan's offense doesn't complicate things. He gets the best out of good route running receivers that he didn't have last year.

While Santana Moss used to be a deep threat, he has become much more of a possession receiver in recent times. He and Jabarr Gaffney are not the best receivers, but both consistently run expert routes and can get open on a regular basis.

Donte Stallworth, Leonard Hankerson, and Anthony Armstrong provide an athleticism that will give them the potential for big plays also while the offensive line should hold up.

The Redskins offense won't be putting up fantasy numbers but it should at least be an average unit this season.

Defensively the Redskins have improved dramatically also.

Josh Wilson and OJ Atogwe will give them a secondary capable of playing with the best in the league while Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo will be terrorizing opposing tackles every week.

Stephen Bowen and Barry Cofield's attitude to work as well as their talent will make Redskins' fans forget the whole Albert Haynesworth debacle pretty quickly.

The Redskins won't be winning any division title or making it to the playoffs, but they definitely won't be anyone's whipping boys just because Rex Grossman or John Beck is under center.

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