Football Thoughts

8/4/08
Patriots take back lead
The start to the NFL Pre-season means a new dose of Power Rankings!

As I woke up yesterday, I did my usual computer check to see all of the new NFL updates. Of course, it was the same old Brett Favre stuff (which I am very sick and tired of hearing about), but as I began to scroll down, something caught my eye. Could it be? Yes! The Hall of Fame game was today. Finally, football was here, and that only meant I had to update my Power Rankings for the year. That also made me think, who would I put at number one? There are many options.

The Colts? Their roster looks stacked, but that didn't stop the Chargers from beating them.

The Chargers? That didn't stop Patriots from beating them.

The Patriots? That didn't stop the Giants from beating them.

The Giants? I could, but I don't see them bouncing back from all of the off-season departures.

Then WHO will it be? I'll go the safe route and pick the Patriots for now, but the Super Bowl loser curse or their secondary could easily take a hit to their team and haul them in for a down season. Either way, there is no clear number one at this moment.

1.) New England Patriots (+1)- The Pats will have a lot of adversity to go through in 2008. Their weak secondary, the Super Bowl loser curse, and an aging defense may be what does them in for a complete down year in 2008. However, this is New England we are talking about, the team that always finds a way to win. With the NFL's easiest schedule ahead, they should be back in the post-season, probably with a first round bye.

2.) San Diego Chargers (+1)- It is amazing how much talent is on this roster. Even with many key injuries to LaDainian Tomlinson and Phillip Rivers, the team was only nine points away from the Super Bowl. With pretty much the whole roster coming back, we can expect a Super Bowl run by the Super Chargers.

3.) Indianapolis Colts (+1)- The only major concern on Colts fans minds is the off-season surgery to quarterback Peyton Manning. Do they even need to worry? The man is a warrior, and should be back 100% by Week one. This is once again a stacked team that should be back to the post-season with an elite offense and a young gun defense.

4.) New York Giants (-3)- I must give props to the Super Bowl 42 champs, but can you blame me for putting them three spots down? Losing safety Gibril Wilson, linebacker Kawika Mitchell, defensive end Michael Strahan, and tight end Jeremy Shockey may prove to hurt this team in the long run, but they still have a lot of offensive talent and an elite front seven to win the NFC East.

5.) Dallas Cowboys (+2)- Americas team enjoyed a spectacular 13-3 season in 2007, but suffered through a heart breaking loss to the Giants in the NFC Divisional Round. Obviously, they don't want to go through that again, so they signed corner back Adam Jones and added a star studded draft class to make this a year to remember in Dallas.

6.) Jacksonville Jaguars (-)- Fans always claim the Jaguars are a sleeper team. Well, not anymore. The Jags have proven to be a force in this league, and if quarterback David Garrard can limit the mistakes again, this team can sneak farther into the playoffs. The team added more pass rushers in hope to get to Manning and Brady more often. That will indeed be the key to their season.

7.) Green Bay Packers (-2)- Will all the Brett Favre drama get to this team? Apparently there is a quarter back competition in Green Bay with the return of Favre, but everyone knows who will win. With Favre in the lineup, they are Super Bowl contenders for another year. With Rodgers starting, they should take a step back. I think they'll make the right choice.

8.) Cleveland Browns (+3)- The Browns are playoff contenders? My oh my have times have changed, but yes, there is no doubt the Browns have the talent to make the post-season. If Derek Anderson can bring his interception total down there is no reason to believe they won't. It will be interesting though to see how this team fairs with the loss of star cornerback Leigh Bodden. The defensive line must step up.

9.) Pittsburgh Steelers (-)- The Steelers late season tumble can be credited a lot to the poor play from the offensive line. The loss of guard Alan Faneca will only make matters worse. They do have the talent though from their defense, quarterback, and run game to remain a top contender, but they still need help from the line to be a Super Bowl participant.

10.) Seattle Seahawks (-2)- The defense is one of the most underrated in the league, but question marks at wide receiver, running back, and offensive line may lead to their downfall. Fans should remain optimistic though, considering they have one tough quarterback in Matt Hassselbeck, who is a true leader. Coach Mike Holmgren hopes his final season will end in Tampa bay in Super Bowl 43. This time, with a win of course.

11.) Minnesota Vikings (+5)- Everywhere I look, I see many people predicting a Super Bowl trip for the Vikings. Hello? Did you see who their quarterback is? Tarvaris Jackson will keep this team back, but if they make a trade for Brett Favre I may just change my mind for the better. No doubt the defense is better, but with Jackson at the helm, they still need a more legit passing game to scare anyone.

12.) New Orleans Saints (+4)- Another one of those "sleeper teams". I will admit, they do look a lot better than last season, but the new defense led by linebacker Jonathan Vilma, cornerback Randall Gay, and rookie defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis must prove to me they can get offenses off the field and make quarterback Drew Brees job a lot easier.

13.) Philadelphia Eagles (+1)- Donovan McNabbs health; that is what the 2008 Eagles season will come down to. They are a threat in the NFC with him under center. Without him, they are just an average squad led by AJ Feely or Kevin Kolb. It will still be fun to watch running back Brian Westbrook do his stuff. He has slowly become one of the NFL's best running backs.

14.) Houston Texans (+3)- It's a shame to see the Texans in such a difficult division. This young talented squad may miss out on the post-season due to a very tough schedule. If they do want to have that dream season though, quarterback Matt Schaub and wide receiver Andre Johnson must stay healthy for them to compete.

15.) Tennessee Titans (-5)- Like the Texans, the Titans may miss out on the post-season fun for having such a hard schedule, but if they do get there, it will be because of their tough defense. The offense doesn't exactly scare anyone. Quarterback Vince Young's number one target is Justin Gage, and that can only lead to bad things.

16.) Washington Redskins (-4)- It seemed the whole Redskin organization was confused when trying to name their new head coach. After the cloud cleared, Jim Zorn took the honor, and he took with him the Seahawks version of the West coast offense. The key to this team will be their ability to learn the new offense quickly enough even with their several newly added offensive weapons such as rookie receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly.

17.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-4)- The defense, who ranked number two in 2007, returns even better in 2008. The offense though can't say the same thing. Can Earnest Graham and Warrick Dunn be capable starters for the whole season? Can Joey Galloway remain a number one target for another season? Can Jeff Garcia remain the starter? Due to having the best defense in NFC South, they can still repeat as division champions.

18.) Carolina Panthers (+5)- The Panthers will be without their best offensive weapon for two games after wide receiver Steve Smith was suspended for punching teammate cornerback Ken Lucas in the nose. At least they'll still have quarterback Jake Delhomme, back from an injury in 2007 that kept him out for most of the season. As soon as Smith comes back, I can see the Panthers flying under the radar, eventually competing for a playoff spot.

19.) Buffalo Bills (-)- Even with multiple injuries and mixed quarterback play, the Bills still went 7-9 in 2007. This team can play ball, that is however if they avoid injuries again, and their new starters such as linebacker Paul Posluzny, defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and Spencer Johnson, and linebacker Kawika Mitchell can step up and make them contenders. All of this doesn't matter though if offensive tackle Jason Peters continues his holdout.

20.) Arizona Cardinals (-5)- How will coach Ken Whisenhunt handle the quarterback situation? Does he ride the momentum with Kurt Warner? Or does he take a step towards the future with Matt Leinart? The only reason the team drops five spots down is due to other teams making other improvements....and the fact they ARE the Arizona Cardinals.

21.) Denver Broncos (-1)- Wide receiver Brandon Marshall will be suspended three games for violations of the personal conduct policy. Will he ever avoid trouble? He is really holding this offense back with his absence, and until he does quarterback Jay Cutler and crew will struggle. The defense, especially the defensive line, still has some question marks as well.

22.) New York Jets (+3)- The Jets need to find out soon who their quarterback will be going into 2008; Kellen Clemens or Chad Pennington. Adding guard Alan Faneca and nose tackle Kris Jenkins will also help this team in the long run.

23.) Detroit Lions (-2)- The offense sure has the talent, and will be even better with the firing of offensive coordinator Mike Martz, but what about the defense? Additions through the draft and trades may have made them better, but will that be enough? Until they prove they're better, the Lions will remain in the seller of the NFC.

24.) Oakland Raiders (+7)- Awfully high huh? Well honestly, I don't know who to put in front of them. The potential on offense is sky high with quarterback JaMarcus Russell and running back Darren McFadden, and the defense is one of the most talented in the league with newly added cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Even with all of this, they may be one or two years away.

25.) Chicago Bears (-1)- Their defense is one of the best in the league, but what really haunts this team is bad quarterback play and lack of talent on offense. Whoever wins the starting job, Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton, will probably be running for their lives with a lack luster run game and below average wide receivers.

26.) Cincinnati Bengals (-4)- Cincinnati emerged from the bottom feeders of the league, to playoff contender, to bottom feeders once again all in a four year span. No major improvements were made on the defensive side of the ball to change that this season, and if they still have any hope, quarterback Carson Palmer will need to play lights out. They will miss wide receiver Chris Henry more than they thought they would.

27.) St. Louis Rams (-)- They can't be as bad as last season; well that is if they can actually avoid costly injuries this season. They're going to need to pay running back Steven Jackson what he wants, because if he's not there for the beginning of the season they're in for another long season.

28.) San Francisco 49ers (-2)- Can offensive coordinator Mike Martz inject some life into this 49ers offense? They need all the help they can get right now. Hopefully free agent additions like Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson can help as well. This team has the looks of a franchise still in rebuilding mode, and they are still struggling to get back on the map. It may take another two years though.

29.) Kansas City Chiefs (-1)- A very young squad clearly in rebuilding mode, but this year’s draft may add many new starters and much hope to a team that has underachieved the past couple of seasons. More offense is needed.

30.) Baltimore Ravens (-)- The Ravens completely shut down last season after a 4-2 start, only winning their last game after wards. Now they'll have to deal with an aging defense, inexperienced quarterback play, and the retirement of offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden. Things could get ugly.

31.) Miami Dolphins (+1)- True, the Dolphins 2007 season is sure one to forget, but things are looking much better with the arrival of vice president Bill Parcells. Miami added many key free agent additions on both sides of the ball, which should be good for a couple more wins, but they're clearly years away from being a dangerous team.

32.) Atlanta Falcons (-3)- The NFC South loser pattern may come to an end just by looking at the Falcons roster. The offensive and defensive line rank near the bottom of the league, and they'll have to rely on a Hall of Fame effort by only a rookie quarterback, Matt Ryan. Don't expect much in Hotlanta.