NFL Power Rankings: 4 Cellar Dwellers Guaranteed to Stay Shackled

Instant success is something that doesn't occur in any sport unless you are very lucky. In the NFL many franchises will cast an eye to the future when entering transition periods enduring struggles early to gain success later.

For some franchises however, those transition periods take a lot longer than expected. Some never escape the cellar of their division or at best maintain mediocrity for a few years before returning to the bottom of the class.

Here are five teams that won't be climbing the cellar stairs in 2011.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos have have had a tumultuous offseason. With the changeover at head coach and expected change over at quarterback that never materialized, it's difficult to define the team at the moment.

One thing is for certain there is a lack of talent in Denver after the years of Josh McDaniels' draft picks. DeMaryius Thomas at least returned to practice this week but shouldn't be that effective coming off of two serious injuries this season. Kyle Orton likely won't have as much success this year in John Fox's style of offense.

At least the defense in Denver should see some big plays off the edges as second overall pick Von MIller will pair off with Elvis Dumervil to wreak havoc on opponent's passing games. However relying on Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey to be the most talented pieces in the secondary isn't advisable at this stage in their respective careers.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are in a really tough division to play football competitively and have too many question marks to make a real impact this season.

I am a fan of Ryan Fitzpatrick and think he is a reliable quarterback. However he will never be elite in my mind and the Bills need to surround him with good weapons and a strong defense to make them a respectable team.

The first thing they need to do is find a reliable tandem of offensive tackles which isn't always easy. Many people point to the quarterback situation in Buffalo as their biggest problem but Fitzpatrick just needs better protection and time for his young receiving corp to develop.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals owner Mike Brown is suffocating this franchise with the Carson Palmer affair. Brown needs to trade Palmer as he is only punishing the Bengals' fans with this continued standoff.

Palmer's potential replacement Andy Dalton is a long-term project that will need to learn a lot about the game before he is able to make that offense respectable. No matter how talented AJ Green, Jordan Shipley or Jermaine Gresham are, the offense won't be able to work if Dalton cannot maintain a certain level of performance.

Even if he does, the Bengals don't have the defense to carry a rookie quarterback. The loss of Jonathan Joseph will be severe while Dhani Jones and Antwan Odom were let go. The overall talent of the Bengals' roster isn't inspiring as their defensive line and safety positions could also use an upgrade.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings fell off last year to the bottom of the NFC North and I don't see them rebounding any time soon, especially not this year.

Donovan McNabb undoubtedly still has a lot left to give as he struggled in a poor offense last year. Unfortunately the Vikings offense isn't going to be spectacular either as the offensive line is in poor condition. Charlie Johnson has signed from the Colts. Johnson was the left tackle in Indy and is one of the biggest reasons for Peyton Manning's injury issues.

Defensively the Williams wall was dismantled when Pat Williams retired while Kevin Williams will now be missing for the first two games. Included in that is a very difficult trip to San Diego which could put the team in a hole from the off. The secondary in Minnesota hasn't been a strong point over the years and will likely be exposed with the loss of the pressure upfront.