Pr4wn's Preseason Power Rankings

Right, my effort on these boards has been shoddy of late. Moved into a new flat that doesn't have broadband yet, so I thought I'd best catch up whilst at work.

So here are my post-free-agency Power Rankings. Feel free to slate me:

1. Green Bay Packers - Was there any doubt? This was a team that had multiple starters on IR and still won it all last season. The only notable free-agency loss was Cullen Jenkins and even that shouldn't really hurt. This young and talented team are primed for a repeat.

2. New England Patriots - Some risky free-agency moves that could pay huge dividends in Boston. Haynesworth could now be properly motivated under a proper coach, Chad really has something to prove with the league MVP throwing to him. The only problem with this team seems to be the pass rush, or lack of it. Couple that with a tough division, that is why the Pats aren't number one.

3. New Orleans Saints - They played free agency well and they drafted well, the Saints will come marching in this season. Drew Brees should play much better now that his team have a running game in Ingram, Thomas and Sproles. The defense looks slightly weak at LB, but the defensive line is something else with Franklin, Rodgers and Ellis at DT.

4. Philadelphia Eagles - This year's major free-agency players are only at number four on my list, despite having a "dream team". After splashing out on multiple signings, the Eagles now need t prove that all of these players can work together as a team to achieve consistent success. Vick needs to stay un-injured, Jackson needs to play hard and that defensive line and LB corps needs to hold up.

5. New York Jets - So they lost Braylon Edwards. Oh well, less dropped catches, I guess. The Jets are still a major force this year, with the best defense in the league at the moment. Sanchez needs to start performing in the regular season and they need a big season from Shonn Greene as nobody is sure of how much Tomlinson has left in the tank.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers - Big Ben is out of trouble, as is Mendenhall. The Steelers are now free from distractions and itching to prove that they are the best team in the NFL. That mean defense hasn't lost any of it's bite during the offseason.

7. Altanta Falcons - On paper, the Falcons have everything they need to go all the way. I don't know why, but I just can't see it happening. I think Ray Edwards is over-hyped, Abraham will surely start to play like a 33 year-old soon and Dunta Robinson is playing anywhere near as well as his contract suggests. Still, you can't ignore the talent on offense.

8. San Diego Chargers - Yes, I'm going to get slated for this but this team is loaded with talent. Rivers is a top-5 QB, V-Jax has a lot to prove at WR now that he's only on a one-year deal and that defense is stacked. I watched some of their preseason game last night and the starters are just a well-oiled machine. Losing Sproles will hurt, though.

9. Baltimore Ravens - This team has so much talent, all it needs is for Joe Flacco to take them all the way. I'm not too sure about Flacco, but they are looking like a superb team that just needs that extra push from their leader.

10. Indianapolis Colts - Is Peyton Manning healthy? I'm not sure. This ranking is assuming that Manning is in good shape for the start of the regular season. If he isn't, the Colts are bottom ten material. I'm serious. Losing Clint Session will hurt more than many people think...

11. Kansas City Chiefs - This team looks very good. Cassell had a good season last year and Jamaal Charles is looking scary. Add this to a young and very talented defense and this all makes the AFC West look like a very interesting division. Breaston should help Dwayne Bowe out a lot.

12. New York Giants - Lots of talent, but even more pressure. I think that Tom Coughlin is one of those coaches that enters this season on the hot seat. Steve Smith is gone, Eli Manning is an interception machine and the Giants deperately need to make it back to the playoffs. Retaining Bradshaw was a big move, this team just needs to back up their coach with some performances.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Offense is fine, defense is a potential problem. The Bucs have the youngest defensive line in football and a secondary that could be depleted if Aqib Talib and Tanard Jackson have prolonged absenses. Camp has been buzzing this year, though, and the coaching staff are excited about players such as Da'Quan Bowers, Adrian Clayborn and Dezmon Broscoe. Can they beat the tough teams?

14. Chicago Bears - So the worst offensive line in football just became even more terrible after Olin Kreutz fled to New Orleans. They still have a nasty defense, but offense may be a big problem for Chicago this year. Roy Williams is their number one wideout and they have to play the Packers twice. Let's hope Jay Cutler has been eating his Weetabix.

15. Detroit Lions - Again, this slot is dependent on Matt Stafford staying healthy. If he does, his team could make a run at a wild-card berth. The defensive line is looking awesome, Calvin Johnson isn't even in his prime yet, and the o-line is underrated. I hope the Lions do well this year.... starting from week two.

16. Houston Texans - Again, this is maybe a little high, but 16 seems quite high for a lot of teams right now. They have greatly improved their secondary with the addition of multiple young players. Losing Leach on offense will hurt more than people think. If the Texans are to do well, they need Arian Foster to repeat.

17. Dallas Cowboys - Romo returns, but where is the running game? Without a standout back and with an ageing offensive line, this may well be a long season for Dallas fans. they didn't really inject the talent that they wanted on defense and this could be a vulnerable secondary. Dez Bryant needs to pull his pants up and play this year.

18. Oakland Raiders - Yes, losing Nnamdi hurt. A lot. but one can't ignore that the Raiders went 6-0 in the division last year and they're not exactly playing in the NFC West. If this team can get consistent play from Campbell, they have a shout.

19. Arizona Cardinals - Kolb looked good last night, he might be just what this team needs. Peterson should step straight in at corner to take DRC's place and he is arguably more talented. The major question mark is not over Kolb, but the Cards' running game. Does Beanie Wells really have what it takes to carry this team? I'm not so sure...

20. St Louis Rams - Bradford now has a couple of weapons in Sims-Walker and the returning Mark Clayton. If Jackson can stay healthy, this offense doesn't look bad at all. However, to me, they look like a team filled with "pretty good" players. No stars. Lucky for them that they playing in the easiest division in the NFL.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars - This team quietly did very well in free-agency, adding Paul Posluszny amongst others. Trouble is, their secondary is relatively weak and they play in the same division as Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub. Their first few games could be very interesting.

22. Seattle Seahawks - Is it me or is Seattle the good receivers' graveyard? Let's hope Tavaris Jackson can show some of his potential because this team really needs him. They are set at RB with Lynch and Washington but there are plenty of question marks on this team.

23. Miami Dolphins - They Dolphins aren't a terrible team, they just have a terrible QB who has terrible plays called at him by a terrible offensive co-ordinator. They also play in the AFC East. Henne really needs to step up to give his team any kind of chance, but I can't see this happening.

24. Minnesota Vikings - Let's not mess about. McNabb was terrible last season, but the guy has talent. They also still have the league best running back and a defense that can play. It's not all gloom and doom for Vikes fans, but they look extremely fragile.

25. Tennessee Titans - Lots of talent but lots of question marks. Can Hasslebeck continue to perform? Will Kenny Britt stay out of jail? How long will it be until CJ2K gets his new deal? Could go either way, but I think Munchak is a good coach and the Titans may be ok.

26. Carolina Panthers - This team did very well out of free-agency. Greg Olsen was a steal, they held on to Steve Smith, they grabbed a QB at number 1 and their defense has a lot of teeth. I'm certain that the Panthers will improve on last year's record.

27. San Francisco 49ers - Mabye a little harsh, but I've got a feeling that their defense is going to stink next season. Losing Franklin to the Saints was huge, Willis is far less likely to make plays without him there. They're also pinning their hopes on Alex Smith yet again. Sigh.

28. Denver Broncos - If Orton starts, they won't be too bad. Fox should help plug up that defense a little, although taking Von Miller was a little puzzling. The running game remains a problem as Knowshon Moreno has yet to show any glimmer of talent.

29. Washington Redskins - They play in a tough division, they have a heated battle between Rex Grossman and John Beck for the starting QB job and they have a coach who I have absolutely no faith in. Sorry Skins fans, but I see a long season ahead.

30. Buffalo Bills - This team all comes down to the offensive line. Fitzpatrick isn't a bad QB at all, but no QB can play if he's injured and pass protection is going to be a big problem for a team that has to face NYJ and Miami twice each. It's no good having a "pass catchin' running-back" is the line gets no push.

31. Cleveland Browns - So much hinges on Colt McCoy in Cleveland but even if he's half good, who does he have to throw to? They're in a tough division and play against some quality oppoenents this season. They also have a rookie head coach.

32. Cincinnati Bengals - The elephant in the room. I really think that this team stinks and that the owner has handled the QB situation terribly. Ocho is gone, Owens is gone Palmer is gone and Joseph is gone. Are there any bright sparks on this team? No? Thought not...

Not fully read them all yet, but love your take on the AFC North. Steelers 6th Ravens 9th, Browns 31st, Bengals 32nd.

Yep, great work Pr4wn, been way too quiet in here.
I don't disagree hugely, I would have the Colts dropping out of the top 10 though as I don't see them as having made major upgrades on the O-line and with Manning just off the slab his body is getting to the age where the knocks/knifes start to affect you.

My top 10:

Packers - no weaknesses anywhere, I keep looking, can't find any !
Steelers - always tough to beat and weakish schedule should give them bye
Pats - always a threat and Belicheat looks to have made some solid changes
Saints - expecting big things from them this season
Eagles - at the moment all hype but could be the real deal
Jets - despisingly good
Chargers - as brilliant as they are bad
Falcons - no weaker than the team that won the South last year
Ravens - no weaker but a year older, may be the telling point
Giants - plenty of talent, need to be more streetwise perhaps

I just can't see how it can end well for either the Browns or the Bengals.

Sorry I missed that down the bottom, Browns will not finish with the #2 pick.
They've had a tough off season and FA wasnt kind to them, but they were making solid improvements last season and any team with Hillis running the ball and Cribbs on KR will be a danger.
They won't make play offs but they'll win more than 3 games as well, I'll say 6-10 season which will probably be good enough for the #8 pick

Cribbs will hardly have the chance to erturn any kicks at all with the new rules and Hillis could well have been a one-year wonder.

I agree it may be very harsh on the Browns as they do have some talent, but they have a young, inexperienced QB with nobody to throw the ball to.

Valid points but there are teams out there with bigger problems.
You can hound me for an apology come Jan mate but I don't see Browns being the 2nd worse team out there.....

Too late to edit it all now...

Are the Eagles going to suffer from that "dream team" comment? I really hope not.

The same way that the Heat did? Possibly.

The main factor is Vick staying healthy and the LB corps performing. Linebacker is definitely the weakness of that team and opponents may just try to run the ball over them.

Pr4wn wrote:Cribbs will hardly have the chance to erturn any kicks at all with the new rules and Hillis could well have been a one-year wonder.

I agree it may be very harsh on the Browns as they do have some talent, but they have a young, inexperienced QB with nobody to throw the ball to.

Cribbs will still have enough chances to return kicks, plus it should help his development as a WR, yes Hillis could prove to be a one year wonder, but every single player except those on the Browns could suffer season long injuries, if you're using "he could be a one-year wonder" as your justification then it's a ridiculously poor one. The West Coast Offense is playing to all of Colts strengths and from what I here the TE's aren't dropping a thing, Little is apparently having a few drops but after a year out from football I wasn't expecting amazing things and I expect it to be between Robiskie and a fit Massaquoi for number 1 receiver.

great list, the only thing i would have different is have seattle and tampa a lttle lower, agree with your bottom 5 totally

How about the bottom six, niner?

Pr4wn wrote:The same way that the Heat did? Possibly.

The main factor is Vick staying healthy and the LB corps performing. Linebacker is definitely the weakness of that team and opponents may just try to run the ball over them.

True but the worst thing is I think it was Vince Young who said it and he's a 2nd string player. Linebacker is a definite weakness and they'll need to be smart to protect these guys. I think though with the improvement of the secondary, we know teams will run at the Eagles and knowledge is the first step to help.

The Bucs are placed around right. They could go extremly well or horribly bad,hoping they win in Wembley at least!

MBTGOG wrote:True but the worst thing is I think it was Vince Young who said it and he's a 2nd string player. Linebacker is a definite weakness and they'll need to be smart to protect these guys. I think though with the improvement of the secondary, we know teams will run at the Eagles and knowledge is the first step to help.

Exactly it was Vince Young, he may be your 2nd string but he would probably start for many teams in the league, and many franchises would kill for a second string quarterback like that, especially if there was a high chance of the starter getting injured. I think it may have been wiser to only add one of either DRC or Asomugha, and add some linebackers instead.

After watching the Eagles-Ravens preseason game it might even be the case that Young is a third stringer, Kafka looked impressive. That being said all of the Eagles looked very sharp, a good early run out.

The other game I watched was Jaguars-Patriots. A couple of points from that one was how well Ridley seemed to do and the fact that Hernandez seems to have learned how to drop the ball, a couple of fumbles from him.

I know the games don't mean much but those things did jump out.

Kafka's easily been the more impressive in camp so far. Though hes had the extra year and week or so in the system. We'll see as the season goes on.

To say there is no bright sparks on this Bengals team is a tad harsh. We have the likes of Dunlap, who quietly had a monster 2nd half of his rookie season. A good set of receivers and a good young tight end. QB is a big unknown but it is for a lot of teams.

I’m by no means saying we’re a good team but there is talent on the roster and we will not pick first in next years draft. As we all known in the NFL the same set of teams are rarely in the playoffs.

Ok Virgil, if the Bengals aren't picking first, who is?

Given Carson Palmers stance had there been any major fallout I'm sure it would have been rumoured by now, so you would have to assume that he's looked at the roster and said I'm working with 2nd rate players so I'm not sticking around here.
I do believe that had the kit man been smashing up Palmers missus it would have been made public by now

Anyone from a number of teams, the Redskins would be my choice. Who would have said the Panthers, Broncos, Bills, Bengals and Cardinals would be the 5 worst teams last year. The Bengals were a fancied team last year coming off a sweep of the North.

No one knows what’s going on with Palmer all we know is that he’s not coming back. My opinion is that he thought major changes would be made and they weren’t, resigning Marvin Lewis being one of them.

Ok, but the Cardinals, Panthers and Broncos have all become better through free-agency and trades. All the Bengals have done is lose their starting QB and their best CB.

The Bengals current quarterback situation does not look promising to say the least. Mike Mayock gave Andy Dalton some praise before the draft which generated some hype when others jumped on the bandwagon but he was very much a meh type of prospect in my eyes. Bruce Gradkowski can just about manage an NFL offense but beyond that…

The Bengals certainly have among the worst quarterback situations in the league IMO but I also agree with Virgil that there is talent on the roster. Jerome Simpson, Jordan Shipley and AJ Green lead a promising young group of receivers to go along with 2nd year TE Jermaine Gresham. Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott are viable running backs. Andrew Whitworth is an underrated LT but the rest of the line isn’t the strongest. They have some promising young players on D# as well-Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap for example. Manny Lawson could prove to be a good signing as I believe he could thrive in a 43. The Bengals may have lost Jonathan Joseph but they still have Leon Hall who, although possibly a notch down when it comes to coverage, might be a better all-round CB. It might not be enough to stop them from ending up with the #1 pick next year but there is some potential.

Skins have got to rank above the 49ers at least. We may not have a stand out QB, but at least we HAVE a QB!

I'm not so sure Grossman and Beck count.

Depends who shows up to play -- Good Rex or Bad Rex.

The Mangler US_UK wrote:Depends who shows up to play -- Good Rex or Bad Rex.

I'm still wondering who I would prefer out of the Good Rex or Alex Smith... probably the latter if i'm honest.

crazy_dave23 wrote:

The Mangler US_UK wrote:Depends who shows up to play -- Good Rex or Bad Rex.

I'm still wondering who I would prefer out of the Good Rex or Alex Smith... probably the latter if i'm honest.

I'm still wondering who I would prefer out of Bad Rex or Alex Smith... probably the former if i'm honest

Beck is still the starter atm

I think your point about Knowshon Moreno is harsh, he has actually shown a lot of talent, but whenever he got into his stride he picked up another injury. If he can stay healthy, I can see him doing very well this year, especially with John Fox at the helm.

Grizzly wrote:

crazy_dave23 wrote:

The Mangler US_UK wrote:Depends who shows up to play -- Good Rex or Bad Rex.

I'm still wondering who I would prefer out of the Good Rex or Alex Smith... probably the latter if i'm honest.

I'm still wondering who I would prefer out of Bad Rex or Alex Smith... probably the former if i'm honest

The cowboys O line is not ageing its going in reverse gone are Columbo and Davies in comes Smith at 20 at RT Free at LT 24-25 Kosier and Guorade are the old heads on the line at 32 and 31 plys with Holland injured 4th round pick David Arkin has being seeing snaps with the 1st team, in 1 off season we have gone from an old lumbering O line to a young quick mobile line.