Each NFL Team's Weakest Positional Unit Thus Far

There hasn't been a flawless team win the Super Bowl in the history of the NFL. Some, like the 1972 Miami Dolphins and 1994 San Francisco 49ers, had very few faults, but they still had some.

Right now the NFL is experiencing an era of parity, so each team is going to having glaring weaknesses on its roster. The good teams find a way to cover those issues at other positions, while the bad teams allow these problems to continue holding them back.

This is one of the primary differences between the likes of the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns.

That said, it is easier to make up for weaknesses at certain positions than it is others. For example, if your middle linebacker struggles in coverage, the strong safety may be able to handle that coverage, but if you have a weak starting quarterback, a lot of offensive issues are going to remain.

Besides pointing out the obvious, like I just did, I am going to give you each team's largest area of weakness thus far in the 2011 season.

Arizona Cardinals: Secondary

The Cardinals secondary has yielded 686 yards passing over their first two games. This is only good enough for 29th in the NFL, and the issues don't stop there: Arizona was playing a marginal starting quarterback in Rex Grossman last week against Washington and a rookie making his first start the previous week against Carolina.

With upcoming games against the Giants, Steelers, Ravens, Eagles and Cowboys, this promises to continue being an issue for them.

When your top two tacklers are from the secondary and your No. 1 corner doesn't have a pass defended, these issues become magnified.

They need to fix this or face the possibility of struggling throughout the entire season.

Atlanta Falcons: Offensive Line

Matt Ryan has been sacked nine times and hit 17 times over Atlanta's first two games this season. Considering that the Falcons rely heavily on a timed passing scheme, this is a major issue for them.

The major culprit has been Sam Baker, who has given up three of those sacks and countless more hits.

Additionally, the Falcons need to keep their franchise quarterback upright to avoid a devastating injury. They only have two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster with Chris Redman backing up Matt Ryan.

An injury to Ryan would put a quick stop to the high expectations in Atlanta.

Baltimore Ravens: Secondary

Despite forcing seven turnovers and three interceptions against the Pittsburgh Steelers on opening day, the Ravens secondary has been suspect at best. I think we can mostly agree that these issues are at the corner position and not with Ed Reed at safety.

Baltimore doesn't have a true No. 1 corner to shut down opposing wide receivers, so it relies heavily on disguising those weaknesses with scheme; however, that isn't going to work against some of the best offenses in the NFL.

The Ravens are 28th in the NFL in pass defense, giving up more than 300 yards per game. This needs to change quickly if they want to be considered one of the elite teams in the AFC.

Buffalo Bills: Defensive Line

It is hard to find a weakness with the way Buffalo has played in its first two games, but I see one glaring issue it is probably concerned with: the defensive line.

The Bills are giving up nearly 120 rushing yards per game and have only two sacks thus far. This is surprising considering they have two extremely talented players up front in Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus.

Some of these issues could be linked to the linebacker group, but it is hard to imagine that Nick Barnett and Shawne Merriman are the real problems here.

If Buffalo can fix these two issues, you could be looking at a team that will continue to surprise throughout the 2011 season. Keep in mind, seven or eight wins would be a surprise for this team.

Carolina Panthers: Secondary

The Carolina Panthers are giving up nearly 300 yards per game passing through two weeks. Considering that two of their best defensive players, Thomas Davis and Jon Beason, are out for the remainder of the season, this unit really needs to step up.

However, I am not too confident that it will.

Captain Munnerlyn and Chris Gamble, their two starting corners, are really not capable of defending opposing No. 1 receivers. This will cause them to play zone with safety help over the top. That can also be an issue with Sherrod Martin starting at free safety and Charles Godfrey playing strong side.

Still, if this is Carolina's primary weakness right now, it means this team has improved a great deal from its two-win 2010 campaign.

Chicago Bears: Offensive Line

This offensive line is going to cause a serious injury to Jay Cutler if it doesn't get its act together soon. The quarterback has been sacked a whopping 10 times and hit a total of 16 times in just two games this season.

Chicago did attempt to solidify the offensive line in the first round of April's draft with the selection of Gabe Carimi. However, the former Wisconsin star hurt his knee against New Orleans last week and will miss several weeks. Three-year veteran tackle Frank Omiyale will start at right tackle.

Chicago also lost its longest-tenured player, Olin Kreutz, to the New Orleans Saints in free agency after the two sides failed to come to a contract agreement.

Overall, this line just isn't that good, and there isn't much hope that it is going to get better. Mike Martz will need to dial up fewer six- or seven-step drops or Cutler won't last the season.

Cincinnati Bengals: Secondary

Take it from someone that has followed the San Francisco 49ers for the last few seasons. Having Nate Clements and Taylor Mays in your regular secondary rotation will not do any good in terms of coverage at the back end of the defense.

They just aren't that good in coverage.

The Bengals are giving up less than 200 yards passing per game thus far this season, but that is more of a mirage than anything else. You will see teams exploit their zone coverage underneath and attempt to go up top against a few suspect coverage guys in man.

It might not happen against a rather conservative San Francisco offense this week, but it will eventually come back to hurt Cincinnati.

Cleveland Browns: Wide Receivers

This has been an issue for Cleveland since the year of Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards. You know what I am referring to, right? Yes, it is the the Browns wide receiving corps.

None of the Browns' top receivers have caught more than 40 passes in a season, and they lack the necessary experience to help fellow youngster Colt McCoy on the outside. This lack of a threat has had a major impact on Cleveland's offense of the course of its first two games.

McCoy is averaging less than six yards per attempt so far in 2011. If Cleveland is going to be successful, someone in this group is going to have to step up. My money would be on Greg Little, if anyone.

Dallas Cowboys: Offensive Line

This just isn't good news for Dallas. There has been a lot of debate about whether or not Tony Romo coming back in against San Francisco last week was a good idea or not, but if this continues, it won't matter: Romo will not last the season. He has been sacked five times and hit a total of 12 times in two games.

It is so bad that Romo hasn't been able to even get into his drop-back routine on multiple occasions this season. The five sacks do not tell the whole story either; if you have watched both Cowboys games this year, like I have, you know that he has been bruised and battered.

Another cause for alarm in regards to the offensive line is its inability to open up holes in the running game. Dallas is second to last in the NFL in rushing offense and averaging 2.3 yards per rush.

If this unit doesn't get it together quickly, the Dallas Cowboys have no shot at the playoffs.

Denver Broncos: Defensive Line

Last season the Denver Broncos defense yielded a total of nearly 2,500 rushing yards (154.9 per game), and it hasn't been much better this season: Denver ranks 28th overall in rush defense.

One look at the Broncos' defensive line rotation and this makes perfect sense. Brodrick Bunkley and Kevin Vickerson are just not going to get it done in the 3-4.

Meanwhile, Denver has recorded just three sacks in two games, and only one has come from the defensive line. I fully expect Von Miller to help out a lot in the pass rush, but he cannot do it all and won't have a major impact in rush defense.

Detroit Lions: Running Backs

Talk about grasping at straws here. I had an incredibly hard time finding much wrong with Detroit's performance thus far in 2011; the Lions have played near flawless football.

That said, every team in the NFL has some type of weakness on its roster, and Detroit's is running back.

Detroit lost 2011 second-round pick Mikel Leshoure for the season in training camp, which hurt the team a great deal. It was looking for him to be part of a nice one-two punch with Jahvid Best. Now, the Lions are relying on Maurice Morris and Jerome Harrison to back up Best. That isn't the best-case scenario.

Meanwhile, Best has performed much better on the ground so far this season but still isn't lighting the world on fire, averaging 3.5 yards per attempt.

Best's best attribute remains his receiving ability with 10 receptions in the first two games. Matthew Stafford has a history of injury concerns over his first couple seasons in the NFL. Detroit will have to find balance in order to keep him healthy.

It has done that so far in 2011.

Green Bay Packers: Secondary

It appears that Nick Collins is lost for the season, while both Tramon Williams and Charles Woodson did not practice on Thursday, leaving their status for Sunday's game in question.

Another scary situation is the fact that Green Bay's opponents have an average of 400 passing yards per game so far this season—dead last in the NFL. I can understand giving up huge lumps of yardage against New Orleans, but Cam Newton's performance with Carolina last Sunday caught me off guard.

This is surprising considering the Packers secondary looked to be a strength heading into the 2011 season and helped them win the Super Bowl in 2010.

Moving forward, Green Bay has difficult matchups against passing offense such as Chicago (twice), Detroit (twice), Atlanta, San Diego and the Giants.

This is something the Packers are going to have to fix in short order.

Houston Texans: Defensive Line

As with the Lions, it is hard to find a major weakness with the Houston Texans. Prior to the 2011 season it would have been easy: the secondary. However, they rank No. 1 in the NFL in pass defense through two games.

With that, I decided to look at Houston's defensive line.

They are giving up nearly 110 rushing yards per game and nearly five yards per rush. These are not indicators of a Wade Phillips-led defense. It should also be cause for concern that this was against the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts.

If Houston can fix these issues, it will make it among the favorites to win the AFC this season, right up there with the Jets and Patriots.

Indianapolis Colts: Quarterbacks

This is a complete opposite problem for me from the previous slide with Houston. Where to start with the Indianapolis Colts? It appears the loss of Peyton Manning has exposed several underlining weaknesses that many suspected they had prior to the 2011 season.

Still, I have to go with the quarterback position and Kerry Collins. Sure, Collins isn't a horrible signal caller, but he is a dramatic drop-off from Manning.

It is like going home from a bar with Angelina Jolie and waking up in the morning with Roseanne Barr. She looked good the night before, but not so much the next day. This is because they are not the same person. One is a stud—the other an overrated shell of his former self.

That bad metaphor aside, Collins really hasn't endeared himself to Indianapolis Colts fans over his first two games with the team. The former top-five pick has completed just over 50 percent of his passes and is averaging 5.6 yards per attempt.

At this point it seems futile to expect Indianapolis to get its act going to salvage what already appears to be a lost season.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Quarterbacks

Ouch, that was a short-lived string as the Jaguars' starting quarterback for Luke McCown. It lasted a grand total of two games that saw him fail to complete a touchdown pass and throw four interceptions. Overall, McCown's rating of 30.6 is less than the average points scored by six NFL teams so far this season.

Yes, he really was that bad.

Now rookie Blaine Gabbert enters the equation. He has all the tools necessary to be a successful starting quarterback in the league and was one of my favorite players in the 2011 draft class. However, he is still a rookie.

Maybe Jacksonville is looking for Gabbert to duplicate the "success" of Andy Dalton and Cam Newton this season, but I wouldn't bank on it.

Jack Del Rio appears to be headed out of Jacksonville quicker than David Garrard.

Kansas City Chiefs: Quarterbacks

I really have no idea where to start here, and I've almost met my pun quota for the day. When you score 10 points and give up 89 in two games, there are issues—more issues than can be included on this slide.

Kansas City Chiefs fan are probably asking themselves if this is a bad dream less than a year after they were in the playoffs as AFC West champions.

Thus, I decided to blame the quarterback—how original. That said, Matt Cassel has been pretty bad this season. He is averaging 4.3 yards per attempt and has thrown one touchdown compared to four interceptions, while leading the Chiefs to a total of two scores in two games.

The opportunity for success in Kansas City in its remaining 2011 games also took a major hit when Jamaal Charles tore his ACL last week against Detroit.

It is going to be a long year for the Chiefs; let's just hope they don't give up on the talented Cassel too soon.

Miami Dolphins: Secondary

I have been having a conversation with a couple Miami Dolphins fans; they think I am being too harsh on Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, the Dolphins' two starting corners. Many believe the letdown of this pass defense has to do with individuals playing behind Davis and Smith.

Well, how can that be the case? After all, they are the Dolphins' starting corners.

This is a secondary that went from one of the best in the NFL to No. 30 as I write this, in the matter of a year. I understand these statistics are inflated because of Tom Brady's performance against Miami in the season opener. However, Matt Schaub completed 21 of 29 passes last week against Miami as well.

I will not argue that Nolan Carroll and Jimmy Wilson shouldn't be in any team's corner rotation because they are just not that good. Still, big-time players need to step up; Smith and Davis haven't done that.

Minnesota Vikings: Quarterbacks

I really hate to put Donovan McNabb on this list. I thought he was going to have a great season in Minnesota. However, it has not turned out that way.

After a mighty struggle against the San Diego Chargers, McNabb picked up his game a great deal last week against Tampa Bay but came up empty in the second half.

This is a Minnesota Vikings offense that has run for 345 yards in their first two games, while averaging nearly six yards per carry. Still, the passing game has not been able to pick it up.

With Detroit and Green Bay both off to 2-0 starts, McNabb needs to pick it up relatively quickly in order for the Vikings to have a shot at the playoffs.

New England Patriots: Secondary

The New England Patriots secondary has not played well by any stretch of the imagination in either game this season. They are 31st in the NFL in pass defense and have been beaten countless times.

After giving up over 400 passing yards to Chad Henne of the Miami Dolphins in the season opener, the Patriots secondary failed to respond last week against the San Diego Chargers. Philip Rivers threw for 378 yards, connecting with Vincent Jackson 10 times for 172 yards and two scores. The Patriots gave up seven passing plays of over 20 yards last week against San Diego.

That said, Tom Brady can disguise these weaknesses during the regular season with his stupid statistical totals. However, come playoff time this could, and I repeat could, become an issue.

New Orleans Saints: Secondary

This appears to be a continuing theme right now in the NFL. Either secondaries are really struggling or we are entering a new era of the modern passing game.

I could be reading too much into the Saints' struggles against Green Bay in the season opener because their secondary did a stand-up job against Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears last week.

Still, I see a weakness in terms of pass defense for the 2009 Super Bowl champions. I am just not sold that Patrick Robinson and Jabari Greer are good corners right now, and they are two of the Saints' top three at that position.

We will see whether or not my concerns are worthwhile coming up soon. After New Orleans faces the Houston Texans this week, it will have to play Carolina, Tampa Bay (twice), St. Louis and Atlanta before its Week 11 bye.

New York Giants: Secondary

Here we go again—another secondary faces my wrath, but this one warrants it. The New York Giants have been extraordinarily bad in pass defense in their first two games.

After making Rex Grossman look like Sonny Jurgensen out there against the Redskins in the season opener, they were equally as bad against St. Louis last week before tightening up in the red zone, which could be a halfway decent sign.

Still, Aaron Ross isn't a starting corner in the NFL and shouldn't even be one of the Giants' top three at that position right now; he has just been bad.

Hopefully, the Giants can get Prince Amukamara back at some point soon to help transform what is now a 24th-ranked pass defense.

New York Jets: Running Backs

Last season the New York Jets averaged 148 rushing yards per game. So far this season those numbers have been cut in half (73). What is the issue?

It doesn't seem like New York's offensive line is any weaker than it was last season. LaDainian Tomlinson looks good in the receiving game but hasn't been able to get it together, and Shonn Greene just looks lost out there.

In 2010, the Jets were split right down the middle in pass and rush attempts, about 530 each. This year they have attempted 68 pass attempts compared to 48 rushes, so that could be the reason their rushing total is down.

Another indication is the fact that New York is averaging three yards per attempt.

I am not sold on Mark Sanchez being able to hold the offense on his shoulders throughout an entire season or in the playoffs. If the Jets want to get that elusive Super Bowl title, they need to start running the ball better.

Oakland Raiders: Secondary

Some Raiders fans are living in denial by saying the loss of Nnamdi Asomugha isn't going to hurt their pass defense. Well, that obviously isn't the case.

They are giving up 265 passing yards per game so far this season and yielded three second-half touchdown passes to Ryan Fitzpatrick last week. I do like Stanford Routt a great deal and think he will be a No. 1 corner at some point, but he isn't right now. Chris Johnson has been struggling to an extent as well.

My major concern with Oakland's pass defense is the fact that its safeties just aren't that good in this aspect of the game. These issues are going to be magnified over the course of the next two weeks when Oakland takes on the New York Jets and New England Patriots.

This area of Oakland's team needs to be fixed in order for it to overtake the San Diego Chargers in what promises to be an interesting division race.

Philadelphia Eagles: Linebackers

I was going to go with offensive line here for Philadelphia, but it hasn't been too bad so far this season. Instead, I decided to go with what many "experts" view to be an obvious weakness on an otherwise "great" team.

The Eagles are 30th in the NFL in rush defense, and I am not going to blame their defensive line for that. Rather, I am going to question the ability of Philadelphia's linebacker group.

Casey Matthews is going to be a good player in the NFL, but he still has a lot to learn. The other two along that group are the ones that worry me; Moise Fokou and Jamar Chaney just don't appear to be NFL-caliber starters right now.

The Eagles have recently undervalued their linebackers, letting them walk. This could be the year it comes back to haunt them.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Offensive Line

Ben Roethlisberger is one tough dude, so when you see him go down, that means there are major concerns as to whether or not he can play.

This happened last week against the dreadful Seattle Seahawks, and the offensive line was to blame. This unit needs to get it fixed quickly or face the possibility of playing a lot of games this season without "Big Ben."

He has been sacked six times in two games and was pressured countless times more. The season-ending injury to Willie Colon hurt as well.

If Pittsburgh can find a way to give its star quarterback protection, it will spell doom for opposing defenses. If not, the Steelers could be in for a long season.

San Diego Chargers: Running Backs

By now it is pretty clear the San Diego Chargers are going to live or die with Philip Rivers on offense, and they wouldn't have it any other way. Still, you need to find some type of happy medium or balance on offense in order to be successful and take pressure off the passing game.

Right now, the San Diego Chargers don't have that.

They are passing the ball 61 percent of the time on offense, much higher than the league average. When San Diego does go to the ground, it is averaging 3.4 yards per attempt.

Issues also remain in regards to Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews actually holding on to the ball when they get a carry, something neither has been able to do a great deal the last season-plus.

San Francisco 49ers: Offensive Line

With the amount of pressure that Alex Smith has faced so far this season, it is amazing that San Francisco has only turned the ball over one time in two games and is plus-four in turnover margin.

If the 49ers offensive line doesn't get its act together, this will change really quickly. After not being sacked and only getting hit once in San Francisco's season opener against Seattle, Smith was treated like a modern version of the Bobo doll against Dallas last week.

He was sacked six times and hit a total of nine times. Smith also suffered a concussion in the game. This means the only thing separating the 49ers from having to start Colin Kaepernick is another hit to the head.

Additionally, San Francisco ranks 26th in the NFL in rush offense, and Frank Gore has gained just 106 yards in two games. This isn't No. 21's fault; instead, the offensive line hasn't been able to open up lanes for the former Pro Bowl running back.

If San Francisco's offensive line continues to struggle, it will spell an end to any title aspirations in the NFC West.

Seattle Seahawks: Offensive Line

The Seattle Seahawks are just not a good team right now, and there remain many weaknesses to cover. Instead, I decided to focus on one glaring weakness that has been a continuing theme throughout this article:

The offensive line.

Seattle ranks 28th in pass offense and dead last in rush offense. Some of this has to do with the inability of Tarvaris Jackson to actually complete a pass downfield and on target, but more of it has to do with the offensive line.

Through two games, Jackson has been sacked 10 times and hit a total of 16 times. This is an indication of the offensive line not holding up at the point of contact and allowing free reign into the backfield.

Another sign of a putrid offensive line is running the ball 35 times for less than 100 yards through two games. This is what Seattle has done so far this season.

Seattle will probably finish in the cellar of the NFC West this season, but it doesn't need any player killed in that process.

St. Louis Rams: Defensive Line

The St. Louis Rams have given up 355 rushing yards through the first two games, and offenses are averaging over five yards a rush against them. Pretty bad numbers, if you ask me.

The Rams secondary has played pretty well but isn't the most talented of groups at this point. It needs all the help it can get from the defensive line in this regard. By this I mean that safeties cannot be inching up to the line in order to stop the run while leaving the suspect Rams corners in one-on-one situations.

This is a recipe for disaster.

Still, the NFC West appears to be a three-team race, and the Rams will be in the midst of it the entire season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Defensive Line

Many people have been waiting for Brian Price and Gerald McCoy to turn it up for Tampa Bay in their second season with the team, but it hasn't happened thus far. Additionally, the Buccaneers defensive ends really haven't done the job asked of them in a 4-3 defense.

Tampa Bay is yielding 156 rush yards per game (31st in the NFL) and has sacked opposing quarterbacks just twice in two games—neither sack coming from a defensive lineman.

This is still an extremely young and talented unit with two second-year players and two rookies in the rotation, but they need to step it up if Tampa Bay is going to challenge the Saints and Falcons for the division crown.

Tennessee Titans: Offensive Line

Who would have thought Chris Johnson would be averaging less than three yards per rush, even after his lengthy holdout? Well, that is the case: CJ is currently averaging a paltry 2.8 yards per attempt.

I am not going to stand here and blame him for it. Rather, I am going to go with the scapegoat hypothesis and blame the entire offensive line. Even at his worst, Johnson would average over four yards per rush if there were any holes to be found.

In watching tape of the Titans' first two games, I am not seeing the holes that I have seen the previous two seasons. Instead, Johnson is running into a pile of defenders up front. Some of this has to do with defenses zeroing in on him and utilizing eight-man fronts, but most of it has to do with poor execution from the offensive line.

If it can fix this, Tennessee may stand a shot at finishing above .500 and contending for a playoff spot in the AFC.

Washington Redskins: Quarterbacks

I really had a hard time figuring out what Washington is doing badly right now. The Redskins have been pretty solid all across the board through the first two games.

The one glaring weakness that I saw coming into the season was Rex Grossman, but he is performing at a relatively high level right now.

Still, that is the direction I am going to go in with this slide. After having a great game against the weak New York Giants secondary in the season opener, Grossman made some major mistakes against Arizona last week.

This has been Grossman's MO over the course of his nine-year career, and I have a hard time believing you can teach an old(er) dog new tricks.

I know Redskin fans are hoping he proves me wrong.