After the somewhat successful debut of the baseball power rankings, we will continue with the NFL.
With kickoff hours away, no reason for much of an intro. All criticism is welcome:
1. Packers — As a Bears fan, I find it ridiculous that Green Bay had Brett Favre for all those years then stumbled into Aaron Rodgers with the 24th pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. And while this has gone on, Chicago has stumbled from awful quarterback to awful quarterback then had to trade away consecutive drafts to land Jay Cutler. That rant has been bubbling in me since the NFC Championship, and now that it’s over it’s hard to deny the Packers deserve to be the Super Bowl favorites. They were able to win a championship with a lot of weapons on injured reserve because Rodgers is just that good and getting better.
2. Patriots — Made two high-reward additions, Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco. On most teams they’d be high-risk, too, but Bill Belichick showed last year he can get his team to overcome malcontents (see: Moss, Randy). They made improvements to the offensive line by signing Logan Mankins to a long-team deal, drafting Nate Solder, and bringing in former All-Pro Brian Waters, and that Tom Brady guy is still pretty good. Keep an eye on Rutgers product Devin McCourty, who should be one of the best corners in the league this year.
3. Eagles — They won the Nnamdi Asomugha sweepstakes, but cornerback seemed like an odd place to spend money considering the talent they already had with Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Not saying Asomugha won’t help, but he could have been a bigger addition for some other teams. Still if Michael Vick stays healthy, they will be right there with the Packers in the NFC. If they lose Vick — and have to depend on Vince Young — all those additions will mean nothing.
4. Steelers — Mike Tomlin has quietly become one of the best coaches in football and proved it last season by guiding his team to the Super Bowl despite the controversy and suspension surrounding Ben Roethlisberger at start of year. Young receivers Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown will only be better with another year of experience and the offense is good enough that a veteran defense does not have to carry team anymore.
5. Jets — I had them at 10, Rex Ryan had them at 1, so we split the difference. There were not a lot of upgrades made to this team, so if they are going to get past the AFC Championship, improvement will have to come from within. And that pressure lands directly on Mark Sanchez, who comes into his third season with new targets at receiver behind Santonio Holmes. Plaxico Burress is a step down from Braylon Edwards at No. 2, but ageless wonder Derrick Mason is a step up from Jerricho Cotchery.
6. Saints — The running game should be improved with drafting of Mark Ingram and signing of Darren Sproles to complement Pierre Thomas. Drew Brees will have another big year, but weakness remains on a defense that lost 41-36 to the Seahawks in the wild-card round last season.
7. Chargers — They finally built themselves a hole they could not climb out of last year thanks to the Chiefs’ resurgent season. Expect them to come back on a mission this year with Philip Rivers’ top receiver Vincent Jackson back for a full season after holding out the first 11 games last year.
8. Ravens — Acquiring Lee Evans from the Bills for a fourth-round pick was one of the quieter moves of the offseason, but it could give Baltimore a consistent deep threat that Joe Flacco has never had. Anquan Boldin was never happy as the No. 2 receiver with the Cardinals behind Larry Fitzgerald but was a disappointment as the Ravens’ top guy with 64 catches for 837 yards. If that changes, the Ravens have a chance to unseat the Steelers in the AFC North.
9. Texans — Was completely stunned that Gary Kubiak was allowed to keep his job after another season that started with high hopes ended without a spot in the playoffs. With the Colts without Peyton Manning at least to start the year there is no reason the Texans should not win a division that includes the Titans and Jaguars. They have a balanced offense with Matt Schaub, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson and should have an improved defense with the additions of Jonathan Joseph and Danieal Manning to the secondary.
10. Falcons — Not as high on Matt Ryan and company as most are. They won 13 games last year, but seven of those victories were one-score games. The Falcons got pummeled by the Packers in the playoffs, and with the exception of adding veteran defensive end Ray Edwards, have done little to improve their vulnerable defense.
11. Bears — Despite my Rodgers lament, I am a bigger fan of Cutler than most. Another year in Mike Martz’s system and an improved offensive line could keep Chicago competitive in the NFC. But last year’s 11-win campaign was fueled by a remarkably healthy season that will be difficult to replicate.
12. Cowboys — A healthy Tony Romo and what I believe will be a huge year for Dez Bryant makes Dallas the biggest threat to Philadelphia in the NFC East. But 10 starters return to a defense that gave up the second-most points in the league last year. Rob Ryan has his hands full.
13. Giants — Injuries have decimated the defense, but the offense should still be able to score. Expect Eli Manning to have a bounce-back year with Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham a solid 1-2 combination at receiver. Their schedule starts soft except for a Week 3 trip to Philadelphia, so they need to open 6-1 or 5-2 at worst.
14. Buccaneers — Josh Freeman may be the best quarterback from a 2009 draft class that included Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez, but not convinced the defense can back up a solid 2010 campaign in a difficult NFC South.
15. Rams — And the first team from the NFC West pops up at No. 15. St. Louis should be favorite to win the lowly division in Sam Bradford’s second year.
16. Chiefs — Will rely on a running game with Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones again this year, but should take a step back after last year’s 10-win, AFC West title campaign.
17. Colts — Owner Jim Irsay tweeted Thursday that Peyton Manning will be out “awhile,” which means Tony Dungy was correct to jump ship on Indianapolis’ playoff chances. I will follow their former coach overboard.
18. Lions — Those lovable Lions have sparked optimism thanks to an unbeaten preseason, but I’m not buying yet. The health off Matthew Stafford and Jahvid Best will continue to be question marks, and not convinced that Nick Fairley will be able to dominate the way Ndamukong Suh did his rookie year.
19. Cardinals — At CBS’ NFL media day, Phil Simms wondered what the difference was between John Beck and Kevin Kolb. The point being: No one knows how good Kolb will be as a full-time starter, not even Arizona who gave him $65 million after acquiring him from Philadelphia.
20. Browns — Cleveland is headed in the right direction with Colt McCoy and Peyton Hillis, but nowhere near good enough to compete in the AFC North.
21. Raiders — For the first time since 2002, when they lost the Super Bowl, Oakland did not lose double-digit games last year. So they fired their head coach and watched their best player — Nnamdi Asomugha — leave town.
22. Bills — I am a little higher than most on New York’s only true team. Buffalo made a couple of quiet additions with Nick Barnett and Brad Smith that should improve them on both sides of the ball. Finally giving Ryan Fitzpatrick the starting QB job to begin the season was a wise move and should help the development of Steve Johnson as an up-and-coming receiver.
23. Titans — Matt Hasselbeck should provide a steady hand at quarterback, but teams will still load up against rusty Chris Johnson. Could see Tennessee improving as the year goes on, but Mike Munchak will get off to a slow start in his first year replacing Jeff Fisher as head coach.
24. Redskins — John Beck will have replaced Rex Grossman by Week 3, but Washington’s weaknesses extend beyond quarterback.
25. 49ers — Jim Harbaugh will eventually lead San Francisco back to relevance, but not in his first year and never with Alex Smith at quarterback.
26. Dolphins — Franchise seems to lack a leader in all respects. A coach (Tony Sparano) who was nearly fired, a GM (Jeff Ireland) who flew across the country to find his replacement, a quarterback (Chad Henne) who was getting booed in offseason workouts — and their best player (Brandon Marshall) made news this offseason after a scary stabbing incident involving his wife.
27. Seahawks — Even after Seattle won the NFC West last year with seven wins, the team realized they had to rebuild and they let Matt Hasselbeck go. The problem is they are still nowhere near finding an answer at quarterback: Tarvaris Jackson isn’t it.
28. Vikings — Donovan McNabb no longer has the ability to carry a passing game where his best target is Percy Harvin. Teams will stack up against Adrian Peterson and the defense will take steps back.
29. Panthers — By bringing back DeAngelo Williams, Carolina will have a solid running game for Cam Newton to lean on in his rookie season. Not expecting anything spectacular, but five or six wins is reasonable.
30. Jaguars — Former Jets and Jaguars defensive end Hugh Douglas on coach Jack Del Rio’s decision to waive David Garrard days before the start of the season: ““This is not unlike Jack because he did Byron Leftwich the same way,” Douglas said on ESPN Radio. “If there was ever a coach who needs to be punched in the face for not being truthful to his players, it’s Jack Del Rio.”
31. Broncos — Hopefully Kyle Orton has a monster year after having to deal with a ridiculous quarterback controversy with Tim Tebow. But even if he does, Denver can’t stop anyone on defense.
32. Bengals — Like the Andy Dalton and A.J. Green draft picks, but this team has two terrible years on tap before a turnaround is possible.
