Here are the top 12 teams in my NFL Power Rankings.
12. Dallas
That means, yes, Buffalo
Why I like Dallas
-DeMarcus Ware rates as my 5th best player in the NFL. He’s
good for 20 sacks.
- Tony Romo is the best quarterback in
the NFC East, at least according to Amani Toomer, who played with Eli for five
years.
-I’m unabashedly in love with DeMarco Murray, and have
been since I watched this Youtube clip last September. He is a clone of Adrian
Peterson and I’m still trying to figure out how he went in the third round.
-The secondary went from a weakness to a strength, with
the additions of Maurice Claiborne and Brandon Carr. They now have the best
tandem of CBs in the NFC.
Why I’m not completely sold on Dallas
-Every year, they are undisciplined and stupid. Drama is
the lifeblood of their organization and I don’t think that changes as long as
Jerry Jones runs the show. This type of weakness outweighs personnel
weaknesses. You can win with a bunch of average players who play their butts
off; you can’t win with undisciplined morons, no matter how talented they are.
-Miles Austin hasn’t been the same since getting his huge
contract, and Dez Bryant is a diva waiting to be born.
-Their schedule is very rough.
-The interior of the offensive line is unresolved.
-Romo is not clutch. You may have heard this before. I
think the overwhelming media attention he absorbs messes with his head.
11. Buffalo
My flier team for 2012. For more reasons that just the
signing of Mario Williams, though that was huge.
What I love about Buffalo
-Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller. Jackson
-Ryan Fitzpatrick. Okay, I don’t actually love Ryan Fitzpatrick. But the dude is smart (went to Harvard), he understands defenses, and while he doesn’t have great physical ability, he usually doesn’t mess things up.
-The defensive front 7 rivals San Fran and Pittsburgh
-The secondary is also above average, though very young.
Safety Jarius Byrd is a stud, and they
have a quartet of solid corners in Leodis McKelvin, Terrence McGee, Aaron
Williams, and Stephon Gilmore. Three of those guys are under 26. That could be
a great group for years to come.
-Most of all, I like Buffalo Green Bay
But sometimes, a team like San Fran or Baltimore contends
without an elite quarterback, and that happens if and only if you nail your
draft picks year after year. Examine Buffalo
2008 – Got McKelvin in the 1st round; found WR Steve
Johnson and OT Demetrius Bell in the 7th. That’s three starters.
2009 – Totally wasted the #11 pick on Aaron Maybin, but
still managed to grab 3 starters, two of whom are studs – center Eric Wood (pick
#28) and safety Jarius Byrd (pick #42). Also got a solid starting guard in Andy
Levitre (#51).
2010 – Okay, they got nothing out of this one, except
Spiller, who was a lousy pick at #9. Bad example. Moving on …
2011 – In the first three rounds, they landed three
defensive studs with Dareus, Aaron Williams and Sheppard. Three starters in three
picks.
2012 – Gilmore at pick #10, and guard Cordy Glenn at #41
(could have gone in the first round). Neither of
them have played yet, obviously, but I’m thinking both picks will work out well.
Even with a couple wasted first round picks, Buffalo
-One last thing I like about Buffalo Miami
Now, the weaknesses … first of all, it should be said that
the receivers stink. Steve Johnson is a nice possession guy (though he drops a
lot of passes), but they don’t have a big play, stretch-the-field player. That
hurts them.
The offensive line isn’t bad, but it certainly isn’t
overwhelming. It’s middle-of-the-road, much like Detroit
They are very young on defense, relying on lots of rookies
and second-year players. They’re also
hoping a few key players recover fully from nasty injuries, namely the
Williamses (Mario and Kyle).
Lastly, Ryan Fitzpatrick is limited physically, as I
mentioned, and won’t be able to carry the Bills on his back. He needs to be a
manager, and let Fred Jackson and the defense win games. I think that can
happen, but it’s a risky formula that doesn’t always work.
Overall, because of the silly-easy schedule, I think the
Bills go 10-6 and earn a Wildcard.
10. New Orleans
In the wake of “BountyGate,” I would like to propose that
we stop calling every single scandal “SomethingGate.” It's stupid, lazy, and totally overdone. I nominate calling it "Crushin for Concussions.” Or what creepo Gregg Williams called it: “Kill the Head! The Body will
Die!!”
About the Saints, I rank them this low because I’m
pretty nervous about Drew Brees’ potential holdout. It sounds like they aren’t
close to an agreement. Brees wants to be the highest paid QB in the league, and
the Saints are saying “Uh, bud, you’re 33.…”
The Saints have until July 16 to work out a deal,
otherwise Brees is stuck under the ‘franchise tag,’ which is bad for him (no
guaranteed money), and bad for them ($23.5 million due to him this year) So it appears a deal has to
get done soon; if it doesn’t, it’ll be awful for everybody.
But in the meantime, Brees is skipping practices and
conducting interviews to talk about his frustrations. He needs to be there;
he’s basically the team’s coach in the absence of suspended Sean Payton.
The Saints suffered a few blows this offseason, losing All Pro guard Carl Nicks and WR Robert Meachem. But they added Ben Grubbs from the Ravens to
replace Nicks and they still have Brees’s favorite weapons in Graham, Sproles
and Colston. Mark Ingram should take over as the primary ballcarrier in his
second season, but this will still be one of the most pass-heavy teams in the
NFL, so Ingram won't be used much.
*If you’re in a PPR league, make sure you draft Darren
Sproles. I did last year, brilliantly, and after a few awesome weeks I decided to trade while
his value was high. Idiot. I got Santonio Holmes for him, and was totally screwed by that trade.
Defensively, the Saints are under the microscope because
of “BountyFence.” It’s just assumed that they’ll suck defensively because of
it. But Gregg Williams was already gone, so his suspension is irrelevant. And
Jonathan Vilma was on the decline of his career before his suspension, and then he was replaced in free agency by Curtis Lofton, a
superior player anyway. (Read this well-written article for 9 reasons why Lofton makes the Saints D better than they were with Vilma). Also, the defense landed a pair of reliable starters in DT Brodrick Bunkley
(from Denver
But, I still have the Saints ranked 10th, behind the Lions
who they whipped twice last year, because they don’t have a head coach (or a play-caller), and they don’t have much of a pass rush or a
secondary. That, and of course the Drew
Brees holdout. If Brees doesn’t play,
they’ll go 0-16.
9. New York
Some Power Rankings have put the G-Men at #1 out of
respect for their Super Bowl. I’m not quite that stupid. They went 9-7 last
year, and only made the playoffs because Dallas
That being said, they exploded in the postseason, and annihilated
the Falcons, outplayed Green Bay in Lambeau, got a little bit lucky in San Fran
(two fumbled punts), and then upset New England thanks to the Pats’ horrendous
defense. Eli’s QB rating was 92.9 in the regular season and103.3 in the playoffs.
The most exciting thing going for the Giants in 2012 is undoubtedly Justin Pierre-Paul. The #15 pick in 2010 emerged from a relatively unknown backup
to arguably the best DE in the league in just four quick months. He didn’t even
start the first four games of 2011, but injuries to Tuck and Umenyiora plunged
him into the starting job, where he was completely and utterly dominant, amassing 17 sacks,
two forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked field goal which came in the
closing seconds of a huge game. JPP was so under-the-radar that he wasn’t even on the Pro Bowl
ballot, but he ended up making the NFC roster anyway, then was voted a First Team All Pro. Oh, and he was the Giants’ best player during their
Super Bowl run. Pretty good for age
23. This guy is just going to get
better, and the rest of the league better be scared. If he stays healthy and
smart, he could eventually be of the best pass-rushers of all time.
Next to JPP are a couple of other well-established pass rushers in Justin Tuck and Osi. The rest of the
Giants D is nothing special, though Prince Amukamara is a sensible nominee for
a breakout season.
Offensively, they’ll continue to live and die by Eli’s
late-game heroics and uncanny knack for making big plays. Losing Mario
Manningham shouldn’t slow them down as Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks are one of the best tandems of receivers in the NFL. Ahmad Bradshaw was re-signed
for 4 years, and rookie David Martin from Virginia Tech (the #32 pick) joins
him in the backfield.
The Giants face arguably the toughest schedule in the
league this year, with the NFC South, AFC North and a 1st place schedule that
pits them against Green Bay
8. Denver
I’m really excited about Peyton Manning. And Von Miller. I might actually be a closet Broncos fan. Not sure yet.
7. Detroit
Yeah that’s right. The seventh best team in the NFL resides in Michigan
Here are a few reasons why this is the best Lions’ team
ever: (I’m not counting the stupid 1950s
teams)
-Calvin Johnson. Third best player in the NFL. Totally
unstoppable. Twice as talented and ten times as smart as the average receiver.
-Matt Stafford. Best quarterback the Lions have had since
… …. …. … … well, ever. I was totally wrong about him. I still can't believe how good he was towards the end of the year.
-Suh and the D line. Corey Williams, Avril, KVB, Fairley,
Lo-Jack, Willie Young, Sammie Hill … that’s some serious depth. Eight guys who
can really play. Strangely, KVB might be the weakest link in that group.
-Explosive offense. I didn’t like the Titus Young or Ryan
Broyles picks, but they have afforded the Lions a dynamic arsenal of weapons.
Along with Burleson, Pettigrew, Scheffler, Best, LeShoure … it’s going to be
pretty difficult for defenses to double team Calvin.
-Chris Houston really stepped it up last year, and might
be even better this year. If he can play like a solid #1 CB, it’ll make him one
of the most important players on the team.
-Stephen Tulloch is a stud. He might not get the attention
he deserves, but the Lions took care of him financially and he’ll anchor the
middle of the field for years.
-Riley Reiff should replace Gosder at right tackle and
will be an immediate improvement.
-Ford Field became an intimidating place to play last
year. Jim Schwartz has the players and fans believing. They have a nastiness
and an arrogance that, while it can lead to stupid behavior, can also be pretty darn effective.
And of course, here are the reasons Detroit
-They continue to neglect the secondary. Bringing in warm
bodies isn’t enough; 3rd round rookies and Colts’ castoffs aren’t going to make
a difference. Until Schwartz and Lewand
make the pass defense a priority, we’ll continue to give up huge passing plays.
-Bad drafting in 2011. Fairley and LeShoure are both
potheads and morons. Titus Young has an anger problem. None of these guys were
very smart picks in the first place even before the character concerns arose.
-Veteran leadership. Somebody has to whip these
undisciplined idiots into shape. Stafford may
be the guy, but he’s a little young and a little too laid-back. Calvin doesn't have that fiery personality either. Suh could be the guy, but he's more of the problem than the solution. It could be KVB,
but he’s kind of a hooligan too. Nobody else on the roster really has any
credibility, except Jason Hanson. The butt-kicking could come from Schwartz or
Gunther Cunningham, but they’re just as hotheaded as the players who have taken
on their personalities.
-Backus, Raiola and Peterman remain pretty mediocre
mainstays on the O-line. Only Rob Sims really stands out at left guard, and
he’s not exactly an All Pro. Having Reiff at RT and grooming him to take over
Backus’s spot in 2013 will be a good start, but this is still a position of weakness for the time being. We can’t afford another injury to Stafford .
-Most of all, the infamous Madden Curse is looming. It’s
inevitable. Our best-case scenario is Calvin only missing 6 to 8 games.
Anything less than that would be a miracle. If we can go something like 3-4 in
the games he misses, we may be able to overcome the Curse. If he misses the
entire season, like I think he probably will, we’ll finish no better than 7-9.
Quickly recapping the offseason, the most important things
Detroit
We didn’t lose any starting players in the offseason
except CB Eric Wright, which is really a win for us. Bobby Carpenter was a nice
special teams player and good depth at OLB, but losing him is not detrimental. Replacing Drew
Stanton won’t be hard to do either. By far, the worst thing that happened this
offseason was Calvin Johnson winning the Madden vote.
One of my favorite football sites used to be
Walterfootball.com, but lately Walter has become a slacker and writes really
dumb, low-quality stuff. However, his analysis of the Lions is spot on, so I
will plagiarize it:
“The Lions have one of the most talented rosters
in the league. They now have to play up to that talent level. They must avoid
stupid penalties and mistakes that resulted in losses last year. They also have
to stop getting into legal trouble. If they can do all that, and if Calvin
Johnson can elude the dreaded Madden Curse, there's no telling how far this
team can go. “
Right on.
Of all the reasons to be optimistic this year, perhaps the
best reason is our super easy schedule.
Ten of our games are against teams ranked in the bottom
half of the league, and seven of the games are against teams in the bottom 10.
We open the season at home against St.
Louis Tennessee , who has no chance of slowing down our offense,
then home for Minnesota
Then it’s two straight road games – Chicago Seattle
After that, it’s two road games against two lousy teams. Blaine Gabbert and Jacksonville ,
and then to Minnesota
Assuming that’s a loss (probably safe to assume), we’ve
got to recover quickly for a tough Thanksgiving game against Houston Detroit
Last year, the wheels almost fell off the wagon during the
Lions short home stand. Remember, we were 5-0 (3-0 on the road) heading into two
games at home, and everyone assumed we’d be 7-0 or at least 6-1 after that. But
then came two crushing home losses to Atlanta
For whatever reason, the Lions lost focus last year on the
home stand. They can’t afford to repeat that mistake this year during weeks 12
and 13. We need to beat Houston
After the Indy contest, Detroit Green Bay Arizona Atlanta
So while we do
enjoy a very easy schedule, I think the Lions inexperience in big games and
lack of mental toughness is going to lead to us losing a couple games we should
win. Still, I have us finishing 11-5, a very good record, but probably 2
games lower than where we could finish if we play to our full potential.
Again, all this is based on health. If Calvin gets struck
down by the Curse, pencil us down for 7-9 or worse. If Stafford
goes down, Shaun Hill could do a decent job, but nothing will come easy.
Everybody else on the team is replaceable, except Chris Houston, because after
him we have no worthwhile cornerbacks. If Houston
gets hurt, Detroit
So that’s my prediction … 11-5 and a wildcard spot.
Moving on to the top 6 …
Moving on to the top 6 …
6. Houston
No team had more injury problems last year, and no team
lost more talent in the offseason. Not only did they lose Mario Williams, but
they said goodbye to two offensive lineman, most notably stud RT Eric Winston.
The Texans O-line drops from being one of the league’s best to just an above average unit. They still have an elite left tackle and center, and thus they’ll still
be formidable running the ball. But not quite as good.
Arian Foster got a big payday, which makes me think he'll regress,
but his backup (Ben Tate) may be just as talented as Foster. In fact, Tate is
probably a top 10 running back in the league once he gets his chance. He
ripped off a 5.4 YPC last year on 175 attempts. Wow. If Houston
The Texans’ season really rests on the health of Matt Schaub
and Andre Johnson, both of whom missed a lot of games last year. If they are
both healthy all year, Houston
Despite losing Mario, the Texans have arguably the best overall defense in the league. With Brian Cushing anchoring the middle of the field, the pass rushers went ballistic, with Connor Barwin, J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed combining for 23 sacks last year. Now, with #26 pick OLB Whitney Mercilus joining the D, they’ll be even scarier. CB Jonathan Joseph is a stud shutdown corner as well.
The main thing the Texans have going in their favor is the
departure of Peyton Manning from the AFC South. The starting quarterbacks in
their division are ages 24, 22 and 22, and have combined to throw only 16 TDs in
their careers. Luck and Locker are potentially going to be studs, but Houston
has a window to dominate the division right now, and they need to take advantage of that window before Andrew Luck becomes awesome.
5. San Francisco
I respect the heck out of them, but they are becoming my
least favorite team in the NFL for some reason. Adding Randy Moss didn’t help their cause. Amazing defense though.
4. Baltimore
Probably should rank them a few spots lower now that their best defensive player (Suggs) is going to miss the entire season, but something tells me they’ll be okay without
him.
3. Pittsburgh
My hatred for “Them Stellers” is slowly fading, but that
doesn’t mean I won’t cheer against them at any opportunity. But I think hatred
is the wrong word; it’s more of a tolerable disdain.
On the other hand, I really like the Pittsburgh Pirates.
They are my second favorite baseball team. Weird huh.
2. New England Patriots
I like what the Pats did in the offseason, bringing back
O-coordinator Josh McDaniels, signing WR Brandon Lloyd, TE Jake Ballard, and CB
Will Allen, and drafting OLB Chandler Jones and MLB Donta Hightower. They had
to make serious changes to the defense, and they did. Hightower was potentially
the best defensive player in the Draft, and will end up being a total steal at
pick 25.
Also, I think Brady is pissed about the Super Bowl.
1. Green Bay
I mean, they went 15-1 last year. Rodgers set the record
for best QB rating ever (122.5!!!!!!!!!). And I don’t care if they ranked 32nd in defense. That’s only
because they led every game by 20 points at half and teams just aired it out. With
Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji, Charles Woodson, Desmond Bishop, A.J. Hawk, Tramon
Williams, and now DT Anthony Hargrove (from the Saints) and rookies Nick Perry
and Jerel Worthy … that’s a darn good
defense. Darn stinking good. They may have ranked 32nd in yards allowed, but they are top 15 in
terms of talent.
The offense is just too stinking incredible. Only an
injury to Rodgers can keep them from trashing everybody they play. I mean, do you realize how good a 122.5 QB Rating is? All I can say is Discount Freaking Double Check.
So that’s it. Sorry
this took like two months. The funny
thing is, I ranked the teams a long time ago, and then by the time I finished
the writing, I’m not very happy with how the teams are ranked. Oh well. I’m excited
to get some fantasy football rankings up soon. And of course my weekly against-the-spread picks.
GO LIONS!!
And lastly, a few notes about a few things ….
-Steve Nash signed with the Lakers.
That would have been so cool 5 years ago. Oh snap!
-Ray Allen went to the Heat. Sell-out.
-Dwight Howard has replaced LeBron as the Biggest Jerk in the
NBA. Too bad. I always liked Dwight. Not anymore.
-Oh yeah, I forgot, the Heat won the Finals. Big stupid deal. The NBA is almost as
irrelevant to me right now as hockey.
The only thing keeping me engaged is fantasy basketball, which by the
way, I am awesome at.
This whole “LeBron is a Hero, he won a ring!” crap is
really stupid. All he did was join
forces with two stars. He didn’t do what Jordan
or Bird or Magic or Kobe Cleveland
As I wrote last July ... “The
Heat are gonna win the next 3 or 4 titles.
Wake me up in 2016.”
Or, as I wrote in my NBA Preview in December, “Heat over OKC in 6. Good for you LeBron, you a-hole.”
-Switching to baseball … Prince Fielder won the Home Run
Derby. Now he just needs to do it with
guys on base. 11 of his 15 homers are solo shots.
-The Tigers ended the first half of the season on a 5 game
winning streak. That was great. Let’s
hope they keep it rolling. But I have no
confidence in anything Jim Leyland does right now. He is making decisions
simply out of stubbornness and arrogance, not in the best interest of winning
games. He is honestly making it harder
for the team to win, by doing things like batting Raburn in the 2-hole,
watching him go 0 for 4, then doing it against the next day. The Raburn fetish has gone on way too long,
and I think it’s almost over as the Tigers will likely deal for a 2nd baseman
before the deadline. But who knows. I have no idea what to expect from the evil
wizard who abandoned reason for madness .
But I do think the White Sox are better than advertised,
and catching them won’t be easy. They have a much better starting rotation than
Detroit Chicago Avila Detroit Berry
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