After months of a lockout, a whirlwind free agency, and the another long preseason schedule, Week one of the 2011 NFL Season is finally upon us. Much has been said about the high octane Patriots, the Jets vaunted defense, the self proclaimed Miami Heat of the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles. And that has helped my number 1 team stay under the radar, get healthy, and concentrate on a repeat.
Cream of the Crop
1. Green Bay Packers: Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant. Two pro bowlers that were injured for the Pack's Super Bowl run last year. It makes them all the more dangerous now that they're back. One of the deepest wide receiving core in football, and a top 5 quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. Tougher NFC North, but no one as tough as the Packers.
2. New England Patriots: Welker, Branch, Ochocinco, Woodhead, Green-Ellis, two trusted tight ends. Not to mention the reigning MVP, Tom Brady. Is there a better offense in football? Probably not.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Tomlin's approach is to trust his number 1 defense, and run the ball. Ground and pound with a smash mouth defense. Old school football. And Big Ben does nothing but win. The passing game should open more with the emergence of Mike Wallace last season.
4. Philadelphia Eagles: No team was as active in free agency as the Eagles were this short offseason. They signed pro bowler after pro bowler. Most important? The addition of Nnamdi Asomaough and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, makes their secondary the best in the NFL.
5. New Orleans Saints: One of the best aerial attacks in the NFL. Drew Brees has a plethora of options to feed the ball to starting with Marques Colston, and going on down the line to Lance Moore, Devery Henderson, and Robert Meachem.
6. New York Jets: 6th in opponent's passing yards, and 3rd in opponent's rushing yards. The Jets lone weakness on defense is getting to the quarterback. One more year and one more championship game under the belt of 3rd year quarterback Mark Sanchez. Will the additions of Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason help Sanchez get to elite QB status? We should find out week 1 vs the Cowboys revamped defense led by Rex's twin brother, Rob.
7. Atlanta Falcons: Ranked last in the league in 2010 in plays over 20 yards. With the addition of first round draft pick Julio Jones, Atlanta should be able to open up on offense.
8. San Diego Chargers: Dissappointing season for the Chargers last year, but with Vincent Jackson back for an entire season, the offense should take a step forward, even if they were ranked 1st last year in total offense. Special teams was a huge detractor to this squad in 2010. We'll see if it has improved.
9. Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco has taken the Ravens to the playoffs in each of first three years in the league. Strong running game, stronger defense, but if the passing game improves enough, the Ravens can be a very dangerous squad. Look for a big year from Anquan Boldin, which for me is the key to Baltimore's season.
Best of the Rest
10. Indianapolis Colts: Normally I slot 10 or 11 teams in the Cream of the Crop, but to start the season, I couldn't bring myself to do it. The Colts potential loss of Peyton Manning for the first few weeks may be disastrous. The Colts are where they are every year because of number 18. This could mean the Texans first ever South division championship.
11. New York Giants: Non-existent and very frustrating offseason for the Giants. The front office did nothing in terms of free agents, except that is to let them go elsewhere. Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, Shaun O'Hara, Rich Seubert. All Giants of the past now. Can Eli Manning overcome three huge losses in his pass protection?
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Strong South division is this team's only downside. Josh Freeman leads an impressive young team full of upside. Mike Williams and LeGarette Blount just to name a couple.
13. St. Louis Rams: Steve Spagnuolo made a very important offensive hiring. The addition of quarterback guru, and offensive mastermind Josh McDaniels can take Sam Bradford, and an already established Steven Jackson to another level. Eagles, don't sleep on this team in week 1.
14. Houston Texans: Have the Houston Texans improved enough on defense to really contend for the playoffs? My simple answer is, absolutely. With key acquisitions Jonathan Joseph and Daniel Manning, Houston's secondary is no longer the joke of the NFL.
15. Kansas City Chiefs: Very good defensively, great running game, but.....I don't know what it is, but I just don't buy this Chiefs squad as a playoff contender.
16. Chicago Bears: Lots of experts are saying the Bears running game will take a down turn this year with the loss of center Olin Kreutz, but I foresee a big year for Matt Forte. The question is can that offensive line protect Cutler, and can Cutler protect the ball?
17. Dallas Cowboys: The personnel hasn't changed so much, but the addition of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan should have the Cowboys back to respectability this season.
18. Detroit Lions: Everyone's preseason darlings, but there is no established running game in Motown, just like there isn't a consistent QB. If Stafford can stay healthy, and their young defense can perform, the Lions just may rattle some cages in the NFC North.
19. Arizona Cardinals: NFC West is by far the weakest division in football, so the Cardinals might have a shot to make the playoffs. Their defense is weak, but with a competent QB at the helm, their offense looks stronger. This is officially my 2011 sleeper.
Mediocrity and Messes
20. Seattle Seahawks: I love the acquisitions of Sidney Rice and Zach Miller, but who is going to pass to them? Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst? Really? Next.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars: David Garrard doesn't get enough credit. He is an accurate passer with a career 85 QB Rating. He can also elude the rush. MJD should get about 85% of the touches at tail back now that Rashad Jennings is done for the year. Wear and tear is not good news for MJD.
22. Oakland Raiders: New season, new coach, probably same reults. 8-8 at best.
23. Minnesota Vikings: Aging quarterback in the twilight of his career. Sounds familiar.
24. Miami Dolphins: Maybe they bring back the Wild Cat with new addition Reggie Bush. Channing Crowder retired. Chad Henne is still the QB. This might be the first team in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.
25. Tennessee Titans: Lost Jason Babin. Lost Kerry Collins. Threw away Vince Young. Thank God Chris Johnson ended his holdout or this could have been a full blown disaster.
26. San Francisco 49ers: Will Alex Smith ever start being the guy everyone thought he'd be? I'd bet on never happening.
27. Washington Redskins: Defense much improved, but Rex Grossman as their Week 1 starter really hurts their ranking. Tim Hightower was impressive in preseason.
28.Denver Broncos: There should be no argument as to who should be the starting QB in Denver. If Josh McDaniels had kept his mouth shut, it would still be Jay Cutler. Now McDaniels is gone, they'll have to live with Kyle Orton, who isn't half bad.
29. Cleveland Browns: Mike Holmgren has a long way to go to restore the Cleveland Browns to even mediocre.
30. Buffalo Bills: Ryan Fitzpatrick may be the smartest QB in the game(Ivy Leaguer), but with Lee Evans now gone, he has one target.
31. Carolina Panthers: The Era of Cam Newton starts in Week 1. I am not a believer in his abilities as a professional QB in the NFL, but I said the same thing about Mike Vick.
32. Cincinnati Bengals: Aging running back in Cedric Benson. But growing pains for Andy Dalton and A.J. Green this year. Should be a long season in Cincinnati. The Bungles are back!
No comments:
Post a Comment