1. New Orleans Saints: They are the defending Super Bowl Champs. Though it is hard to repeat they will be coming back with the same team for the most part with some additions. 8-1
2. Indianapolis Colts: Can Peyton and company make another run? Will the Super Bowl loss hangover affect this team? With Manning this team will be fine offensively (though I would like to see a running game), and the defense made strides this year. I think the Colts will have there problems next year but will still find a way to make the playoffs. 10-1
3. New England Patriots: With Brady and Belichik this team will always be a favorite for the Super Bowl. That being said this team needs alot of work. Which Moss will show up? Is Brady fully recovered? Can this team find a running game? Will the defense bounce back or do they still miss their veteran leadership? 12-1
4. San Diego Chargers: The Chargers always have a great regular season but never can close in the postseason. With the questions of LT and Merriman (I think addition by subtraction) and a upgrades this team will make another playoff run. Can the Chargers finally beat the playoff daemons? 12-1
5. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers had a tough five game stretch in the middle of the season that hurt them. Had they won one of those games they would have made the playoffs. That being said this team will retool this offseason and be ready to make another Super Bowl run. Defensively this team needs a healthy Polamalu. Offensively Big Ben needs a line that can block for him and a running game. 13-1
6. Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys finally won a few big games and seem ready to make a Super Bowl run. They have the qb, the o-line and the running game to make it happen. Defensively they are good as well. With a few changes here or there this team will be ready to make another run. 13-1
7. Green Bay Packers: The Packers got it right this year. Rodgers and the offense played great and the defense was a force to be reckoned with (minus the playoff game). If the Packers can get help along the offensive line it should really help this team. This will be a fun team to watch next year. 15-1
8. Minnesota Vikings: I rank them this low just because of the Favre question. Does he or doesn't he. If it is yes they will go higher. If it is a no they may go lower. Offensively this team will be good as long as they learn how not to turn the ball over (bring in Tiki Barber for Peterson enough with the costly fumbles). Defensively this team is set. Will be fun to watch what happens in Minnesota. 15-1
9. New York Jets: Going into Rex Ryan's and Mark Sanchez's second years this team should improve. The defense should get some additions and should get better (they really need a pass rusher). Sanchez should improve in his second year (hopefully no sophomore slump). With Sanchez improving and not costing the Jets games they will have a real good chance of winning the division and maybe even getting a 1st round bye. This will be fun to watch this young upstart team. 18-1
10. Baltimore Ravens: With Flacco and Rice the offense is going in the right direction. Can Ozzie Newsome get a receiver for the offense? If so the Ravens offense will be real good. As for the defense. Does Ed Reed retire (I think he tries to play)? If so that will be a huge loss. Can Ray Lewis still be a difference maker a year older and can they get secondary help? The Ravens really missed Rex Ryan last year and the defense seems to be on the way down. Can they recover from his loss and be better? I see the offense being better but the defense on the decline. 20-1
11. Philadelphia Eagles: Who are the Eagles going to keep? McNabb, Vick, or Kolb? Who is going to start? Eagle fans want a change. Management is saying it will be McNabb. Though I am a McNabb fan I think it is time the Eagles and him part ways. Kolb has shown promise and with a younger team it is time for that nucleus to grow together. McNabb can be traded to Minnesota (if Favre doesn't come back) or Arizona and make them a contender. Philly should retool and prepare this new core of young players for their run to a Super Bowl. 25-1
12. Tennessee Titans: I went back and forth with this team. Great o-line, phenomenal running back, ok receivers, and a good defense. They have a qb who was 6-2 last year and showed he has grown up (I still question that). If Young continues to develop the way he did last year this team should contend and may even unseat the Colts as division champs. 25-1
13. Houston Texans: I love this team from top to bottom. The talent and the way they have developed this team has a real chance to compete. The Texans are missing one thing that is holding them back. My belief is a coach. Gary Kubiak seems to have gotten the best he can from this team and until he goes I do not think the Texans will truly compete. If Kubiak can resolve his coaching issues and get this team playing I would pick them to win. Much like the Titans I can see this team challenging the Colts for the division title next year. 30-1
14. New York Giants: Only two years removed from a Super Bowl the Giants had a disappointing year. Typically the strength of the Giants let them down this year their defense. The loss of Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnola hurt them. The G-Men offense looks good but they need to correct the defense. If they can I can see them make another run with the offense they have in place. My only fear is with the way the Giants played towards the end of the year is did Tom Coughlin lose this team? 33-1
15. Atlanta Falcons: First time in a long time that they had back to back winning seasons. Mike Smith has proven to be a good coach and Matt Ryan is growing into a star. I expect the Falcons to bounce back and be in the playoff hunt again. If they can sure up their defense this team has the potential to go deep into the playoffs. 35-1
16. Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals had a great year. Mike Zimmer had them playing great defense and the running game was one of the best in the league. Carson Palmer and the passing game left alot to be desired. If the Bengals can build off of this success and develop a better passing game then they may surprise again. I am hoping they do. They are a fun team to root for. 35-1
17. Carolina Panthers: The Panthers have everything. A good o-line, great rushing attack, star receivers, and a good defense. The question is do they have a qb. Jake Delhomme seems to have worn out his welcome and is Matt Moore for real. He played very well down the stretch. If the Panthers find the right qb they may be making a strong run to the playoffs. Besides questions at qb the Panthers will likely loose Julius Peppers. Will that hurt their defense? 40-1
18. Miami Dolphins: Chad Henne had a great season when he took over for the injured Chad Pennington. The Wildcat and the running game was good and the offensive line gelled. The defense played well but with the addition of Mike Nolan the defense should improve as well and as I said they had a pretty decent unit to begin with. The one thing this team really needs is a receiver. If they can find one I believe this team can surprise and could accomplish what the Jets did this year. 40-1
19. Chicago Bears: Jay Cutler was a turnover machine and Matt Forte had a sophomore slump. Add in no receivers and this team was headed for disaster. The defense had its moments but nothing too great. With the addition of Mike Martz the offense should get better. The Bears have many holes to fill. This could be a rebuilding year for them. 45-1
20. Jacksonville Jaguars: This team had a very weird season. They started off hot and looked to be a lock to get into playoffs but cooled at the end of the season and missed out. The Jags are always competitive but never seem to get over the hump. They have a good running game, a good qb, an average offensive line, and a good receiving core that is getting better with Mike Sims Walker. The defense is active and can make plays. A pass rusher would help them. Like the Texans I question if Jack Del Rio has taken this team as far as he could. Though I do believe in this case it is a matter of the Jags not having the talent than the coaching. 50-1
21. Arizona Cardinals: If Kurt Warner did not retire I would have the Cardinals higher. Offensively this team is good. They need to get better running the ball and they need to find a qb. Can Leinhart lead this team (I do not think so but Wisenhunt may be able to design an offense that suits Leinhart and the Cards may not miss a beat)? This team needs to solidify their defense as well. Luckily for them they play in the weakest division so I expect them to make another playoff push. 55-1
22. San Francisco 49ers: The 9ers showed improvement under Mike Singletary's first full year as coach. Vernon Davis proved he can be a star and a healthy Frank Gore is an excellent rb. The offensive line needs to improve as well as the receiver position (Michael Crabtree should help with a full offseason and he showed flashes last year). The biggest question mark for the 9ers is the qb position. When Alex Smith took over for Shaun Hill he proved to be an NFL qb. I still have my doubts about Smith and he is the one that can hold the 9ers from making a playoff run. As for the defense the 9ers have a solid defense. At times it looked bad but for the most part the unit is improving. If Smith plays well I can see the 9ers giving the Cardinals a run for the NFC West title. 60-1
23. Denver Broncos: Josh McDaniels and the Broncos started off 6-0 and looked like they were a real contender for a deep playoff run. They then finished 2-8 down the stretch. McDaniels was the toast of the town going 6-0 after the Cutler and Marshall debacle he went through. As the losses started to pile up the Marshall situation got worse and he was suspended for a meaningful last game of the year. Marshall will be traded in the offseason and since McDaniels have taken over he has traded a franchise qb and an elite wr (grant it both more or less demanded the trade you need to find a way to please these stars). That being said the Broncos need to find a franchise qb (Kyle Orton is a nice qb but not a franchise one) and a wide receiver to replace Marshall. Their running game, offensive line, and defense are all good but a few tweaks will help. The biggest loss for the Broncos this offseason was Mike Nolan who left to become the defensive coordinator for the Dolphins. Nolan had the defense playing real well. I do not know what happened with McDaniels and Nolan but that will be a bigger loss than people think. 70-1
24. Washington Redskins: With Mike Shanahan in town the Redskins are a much better team. Defensively the Redskins are ok. A few pieces here and there and the defense will be fine. The Skins need to focus on offense. They need to figure out if Jason Campbell is the qb or should they draft one at number 5. The Skins also need to look at the rb situation. Clinton Portis has been banged up the last few years and they need to find a replacement. The offensive line has lost players the last few years and they need to find replacements there because if not the qb and rbs will get killed. As I said the Skin should be better but it may take a year or two for them to be ready to make a playoff run. 75-1
25. Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have some things in place but not everything. They have a franchise qb, and what looks like to be a starting running back. They have a decent receiving core but an upgrade will not hurt. The offensive line and the whole defense needs improvement. With the additions of Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel this team is already better. Add in Matt Cassell getting better and a year of head coaching experience for Todd Haley and this team is heading in the right direction. 80-1
26. Seattle Seahawks: After another tough season the Seahawks fired 1st year coach Jim Mora Jr. and hired Pete Carroll (I do not think it was a bad idea to fire Mora I just question if Carroll can get it done. I question if he is a college coach and not an NFL coach. Much like Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, and Bobby Petrino). The Seahawks need help everywhere. Matt Hasselback is getting older and has not completed a 16 game season in two years. He will be a nice stop gap if the Seahawks can find a qb. Besides a qb the Seahawks need to address the offensive line, rb situation, receiver, and just about everywhere on the defense. Carroll is in for a big rebuilding job and will he be around long enough to see ith threw. 100-1
27. Cleveland Browns: The hiring of Mike Holgrem already makes this team better. I am surprised that he kept Eric Mangini but a four game winning streak at the end of the year helped Mangini keep his job. The Browns are a team that need help everywhere. The need to find a qb, more help along the offensive line, skilled wide receivers, and the whole defense. Towards the end of the year Jerome Harrison proved he can be a starting running back and Josh Cribbs can do anything. Holgrem will find the talent. The bigger question comes down to Mangini. I think Mangini can be a good coach but he has to end his paranoia and coach. Hopefully Holgrem's influence will help mature Mangini as a coach because as an x and o guy he is pretty good. Either way the Browns have a big rebuilding job ahead. 125-1
28. Detroit Lions: The Lions improved last year and are on the right track in their rebuilding. Matt Stafford looks like he will be a franchise qb and Calvin Johnson is a great player. After that the Lions need help. To help protect Stafford they need to solidify their offensive line and need to establish a running game. Defensively the Lions need help everywhere. They are on the right track but work still needs to be done. 200-1
29. Buffalo Bills: I am sad to see what is going on in Buffalo. Just about everyone turned down the Bills job and Chan Gailey was willing to take the job. The Bills are always competitive, but have many question marks. Who will be their qb? Will they rebuild the offensive line? Can they find receivers? The offense is a mess but the Bills have a good defense. In a tough division I see the Bills having a tough year but they will be competitive in their games. 250-1
30. Oakland Raiders: Al Davis and Jamarcus Russell. Enough said this team is a mess. Much like Buffalo Oakland is in a sad state of affairs and the NFL is better when Buffalo and Oakland are better. Al Davis at one time was a great football mind. Now he needs to let someone come in and run his team. Davis wants Russell to start and coach Tom Cable wants nothing to do with him. When Russell didn't play the Raiders won games and played well. When Russell did play the Raiders got crushed. The Raiders have some positions with players who are good but could benefit from upgrades everywhere. If Davis allows Cable to coach and not demand Jamarcus Russell to start the Raiders maybe competitive it will be interesting to see. Another reason Davis needs to find someone to run his team how does he give up a 1st round pick for Richard Seymour who is a one year rental on a team that was lucky to win games last year. 300-1
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs looked foolish in hiring Raheem Morris in the beginning of the year. He looked like he was in over his head. As the year went on Morris seemed to get it. He improved as the year went on and so did the Bucs. The team needs help at every position but the biggest question mark is if Josh Freeman can be a franchise qb. He looked good at times last year and confused at others. I didn't see much growth and he has to prove that in year two or Raheem Morris can be looking for a job and Freeman maybe another qb bust. If the Bucs can get a team around him alot of these questions will be answered. 500-1
32. St. Louis Rams: The Rams have a great running back after that they need help everywhere. With the first pick many people question if they will go for a qb or Suh the defensive lineman from Nebraska. Either way the Rams need help everywhere and if they did go for the qb with the first pick they will still have a tough time. With as much as this team needs they should look at building their offensive and defensive lines and go from their. 1000-1
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