6 NFL Teams on a Mission to Rebound from Terrible 2010 Seasons

Every year, a couple of teams pull themselves out of the dregs of the NFL and compete for division titles and playoff spots. This annual chaos of team rankings and performance drives Vegas bookies nuts and contributes to making the NFL the most successful sports industry in the America.

Thank God for parity and profit sharing in the NFL. Without it, teams like the Cowboys and Redskins would consistently dominate the NFL like the Yankees and Red Sox do baseball, the Packers wouldn't be able to compete—let alone win a Super Bowl—and I would have nothing to write about.

Just like last year's Buccaneers and Chiefs, a number of teams balance on the edge of breaking out and becoming dangerous to the long-standing elite in the NFL.

Move over Pittsburgh. Step aside, Indianapolis. These teams are ready for their turn in the sun and glory that is NFL success.

San Diego Chargers

Nine wins might not be what most people would consider something a team needs to "rebound" from.

That is certainly the case for the San Diego Chargers, though. Kansas City usurped the division title in 2010, stealing away San Diego's playoff spot for the first time in five years. Despite leading the league in both offense and defense, poor special teams play undermined a Chargers team competing for a Super Bowl title since 2004.

There's where San Diego needs to rebound. The Chargers watched key players depart in recent years, and they need to prove they are still the upper-tier playoff team. Standouts like LaDanian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromartie and Shawne Merriman all contributed to the team's earlier success.

It's now pinned its hopes to Ryan Mathews, Larry English and Antoine Cason—and the person with the most to lose if it doesn't work? Norv Turner.

Long considered an offensive genius but subpar head coach, Turner inherited a playoff-ready team after the dismissal of Marty Schottenheimer. Turner has dispelled some of the doubts about his coaching skill, but that might not be enough to stay in San Diego, even if the Chargers return to the playoffs.

General Manager A.J. Smith fired Schottenheimer after another "one and done" in the 2006 playoffs. What opened the door for Turner's return to a head coaching position should also serve as a cautionary tale if the Chargers can't take their game to the next level.

Turner shouldn't have much to worry about this year, though. With the dysfunction currently in Denver and Kansas City (and the constant dysfunction in Oakland), the Chargers should easily find themselves atop the AFC West again and back in position to fight for a Super Bowl berth.

Buffalo Bills

Despite maligning Buffalo's current roster last week, the Bills look determined to not let this year's AFC East not be a two-team competition.

Buffalo sought out multiple upgrades to its defense this year, drafting defensive end Marcell Dareus with the third pick of the draft. Paired with All-Pro Kyle Williams, Buffalo hopes to improve on its run defense, which was dead last in the NFL last year. Free agents Nick Barnett and Kirk Morrison should likewise help matters.

On offense, the front office made a huge statement by foregoing any of the quarterbacks in this year's draft. In fact, the only true quarterback brought in this year was Tyler Thigpen, who played for coach Chan Gailey during his time in Kansas City.

Brad Smith also signed with Buffalo, though his primary role is as a receiver. Fitzpatrick is the unquestioned starter and continues to show that the Bills made the right decision. Fitzpatrick demoralized the Chiefs Sunday with four touchdowns to start the season.

Buffalo still needs to develop before it can consistently threaten the Jets and Patriots, but the Bills will be anything but a pushover in 2011.

Just ask the Chiefs.

Dallas Cowboys

Everything is bigger in Texas.

Whether it's a jumbo-tron or a steak, that's just the way it's done.

The same goes for expectations, and the Dallas Cowboys are no exception. Owner Jerry Jones and his "big" personality is a perfect fit for the Lone Star State, and he demands the same from his team.

Wade Phillips couldn't deliver in three and a half seasons, despite two playoff appearances in that time. Enter Jason Garrett, who salvaged five wins out of the latter half of last year.

Garrett will feel the full weight of those big expectations this year. With Tony Romo returned from a broken clavicle, an assortment of quality offensive weapons, and a respectable defense headed by All-Pro DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys should press their NFC East rivals for a shot at the playoffs.

Houston Texans

Speaking of "big," the Houston Texans have been a huge disappointment the last number of years. Since coach Gary Kubiak took over the team in 2006, the Texans hit the "middle-of-the-pack" level and got stuck in the mud, not really going forward or backward despite having quality talent on both sides of the ball.

This is the year all of that changes, and it comes down to three words:  No. Peyton. Manning.

Offensively, Houston boasts a solid quarterback in Matt Schaub and two of the most productive skill players in the league with Arian Foster and Andre Johnson. However, this wasn't enough to outlast Manning's Colts in the AFC South.

The same truth held for the defense. Standouts Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and Dunta Robinson all headlined for the Texans defensive squad, but they couldn't produce enough to overcome Indianapolis' passing game. When Robinson left last year in free agency, Manning torched the Texans for a combined 701 yards passing, six touchdowns and no interceptions.

So Houston watched the bar drop in the AFC South and will take advantage. Already a team looking for that next level, the Texans see opportunity shining brightly in their faces and won't let their chance slip by.

Despite a respectable early schedule which includes the Saints, Ravens, Steelers, and an improved Dolphins, Houston should hit the Nov. 20th bye no worse than 6-4. And with only Atlanta as a genuine threat for the home stretch, the Texans should take the AFC South with at least an 11-5 record, securing their first playoff appearance in team history.

Miami Dolphins

Miami is a team I didn't originally intend for this list, but Monday night's performance against New England earned my respect and a place among this year's turnaround teams.

The Dolphins have been the "middle child" of the AFC East for the last couple years. The older twins, New England and the Jets, keep fighting over who's the best, while Buffalo sits off to the side with a book and gets regularly picked on by the bigger kids.

I already pointed out that Bufflalo's not going to sit with its nose buried anymore, and now Miami looks ready to stand up for itself as well.

Monday's game was a lot closer than Patriots fans would like you to believe. Lost in the light of Tom Brady's 517-yard performance was Chad Henne's impressive 416 yards against a New England team considered far superior to the Dolphins.

Take away Wes Welker's 99.5 yard touchdown catch-and-run, and Henne boasts an almost identical stat line. And if you go a step further and have Miami convert on fourth and goal at the one, the Dolphins would have pulled to within seven and potentially put the game into overtime.

The Dolphins need to tighten up on a couple key mistakes which cost them that game, but they're a lot closer than some people realize. In the coming weeks, it will become apparent that the AFC East is now by far the most competitive division in the league.

Detroit Lions

Of all the teams looking to turn things around, the top billing definitely belongs to the Detroit Lions. Detroit has literally had neither a winning season nor a playoff berth in the last decade. What's more, it holds the embarrassing distinction of being the only team to go 0-16 in the regular season.

In his third year as head coach, Jim Schwartz looks to change that.

After inheriting that 0-16 team in 2009, Schwartz quickly made the changes necessary to transform the Lions from perennial doormats to perennial contenders. Schwartz built explosiveness on offense through the draft with Matt Stafford, Jahvid Best and Calvin Johnson. Injuries to Stafford and Best inhibited their emergence last year, but all three are now healthy and ready to light up the NFC North.

On defense, the Lions spent back-to-back first-round picks on defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. With Cliff Avril and free agent Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Lions should boast the best defensive front in the NFL by the end of the season.

The Lions also brought in highly-regarded free agent Stephen Tulloch to anchor the middle of the field. The backfield still could use better players, but Chris Houston and Eric Wright are adequate at cornerback.

The front four is the key on defense, though. They will make the rest of the defense look stellar with consistent pressure and penetration at the line of scrimmage.

Detroit shouldn't just turn the NFC North into a three-horse race; it should almost completely edge out Chicago and test Green Bay's resolve to defend its Super Bowl title in the playoffs.