Pre-June 1 Power Rankings

So, it’s close to June 1, the day when cap casualties normally hit the free agent market. Before those players get cut, I wanted to take the time to list the rankings of each team before we see that influx.

Do these rankings mean much? Well, I’ll admit that they probably don’t, but neither do any others. Even during the season, Power Rankings are useless. But we love conjecture and opinions, so I’m providing my opinions of how well I think all 32 teams have done so far this off-season. Some of the spots might surprise you.

1 -
New England – Yes, they have some age issues, but they restocked on Offense. And I’m not buying into Randy Moss, but even before they traded for him the additions of Welker, Stallworth and Washington had me thinking championship.

2 –
Denver – They’ve shifted around the line to make sure it holds up, and have added a lot of help in the draft. Oh yeah, Dre Bly is there, too. The offense really didn’t need much, but Daniel Graham opens up a lot of new possibilities. Travis Henry and Mike Bell should by an incredibly dynamic backfield, and Jay Cutler will step it up in his second season. Too much talent on this team, but their biggest obstacle lies three spots down.

3 –
Baltimore – Huh?
Baltimore at 3? I couldn’t put Indy or San Diego any higher, and I like
Baltimore. Yes, they lost Adalius Thomas. Yes, their offensive line has been reworked. Yes, they’re old. But read my thoughts in the next two spots and tell me why I’m wrong. If you can convince me otherwise, I’ll change things around.

4 –
Indianapolis – So the offense is back, but with a few changes. Losing Rhodes isn’t consequential because these guys turn out solid running backs like
Denver. Anthony Gonzalez more than makes up for Stokely. So they’re going to the Super Bowl again. Oh, wait. The defense. I’m sorry, but you cannot lose your starting corners, a starting safety and Cato June without feeling it. That’s too much talent lost on a defense with little to spare.

5 –
San Diego – really only have one reason for putting them this low: the coaching staff. I love Norv Turner as an offensive coordinator, but I know he’s done poorly as a head coach. Now add in two new coordinators, and there’s reason to be concerned. There’s a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but new systems take time to learn. It will be hard to keep up with the success of last year with the hurdles they have to overcome.

6 –
Cincinnati – Although it seems they might have stood still this off-season, the Bengals really didn’t need to do much to get back to speed. Leon Hall immediately helps a defensive backfield that was often a sore spot. Kenny Irons will enter as a nice compliment for Rudi Johnson. In the end, though, they didn’t do enough to keep up with other elite AFC teams, and their defense may again be their Achilles heel.

7 – Chicago – Even I am trying to figure out how I put Cincinnati in front of
Chicago. It’s not so much that they’ve gotten better than the Bears as it is that the Bears, in my opinion, have gotten a little worse. Case in point, Lance Briggs and Rex Grossman. There’s still no guarantee that Briggs will be a Bear come training camp, and that should be a worry because of the lack of depth behind him. Grossman was all over the board, and there’s no guarantee that he will be any better. Their receivers are just okay and Thomas Jones is gone. Oh, and so is Ron Rivera. At least they had a good draft, which may end up saving their season.

8 – Pittsburgh –
Pittsburgh’s season relies solely on Mike Tomlin and how he is as a head coach. They have the players – even though their offensive line is circumspect right now – and they did very well in the draft. They easily have the talent and ability to be a championship team again. They just have to prove that their coach is capable.

9 –
New Orleans – I have to admit that I’m not sold on the Saints this season. I thought their draft was weak, and that they didn’t do enough to really place themselves on a pedestal in the league. They brought in Brian Simmons and Jason David to shore up their defense. The brought in Robert Meachem for their offense. We’ll see if this was enough, but for now I’m not sure that they’ve made themselves better than those above them. At best, they’ve just strengthened their hold on the second best team in the NFC.

10 –
Philadelphia – McNabb is back, and he’s the clear leader of the offense. Kevin Curtis will help with the receiver issues, and Spikes was brought in to help their linebacker situation. Everything else is intact. For the most part, this might be enough to get the team back in contention. On paper at least, they look they could tangle with the Bears and come out ahead (preview of the NFC title game in week 7?). I can’t let them go any higher than third in the conference, though, until they prove it.

11 – Jets – This may actually be a team to watch in the AFC. After an out-of-nowhere season last year, the Jets did all they could to not rest on their laurels. I, for one, am convinced that they succeeded. Darrel Revis and David Harris should each make instant impacts on the defensive side of the ball. Thomas Jones will be a beast teamed up with Leon Washington, forcing opposing teams to finally fear the run. An active interest in free agents like Eric Hicks, David Bowens and Michael Haynes will help along the defensive line. Look for the Jets to surprise again in 2007.

12 –
Seattle – Now we start to get into a muddled pack.
Seattle still has a lot of talent on the team, but they did little to put themselves in a position to reclaim the top spot in the NFC. Shaun Alexander is still claiming he’s not right, and I’m inclined to believe a player over a coach. Hasselbeck will have to prove he can perform with underachieving receivers. The defense did well by drafting Josh Wilson, Brandon Mebane and Baraka Atkins, but they may not make much of an impact this season. With their opponents quickly regaining talent, the Seahawks’ hold on the division may be slipping away.

13 – Dallas –
Dallas is in a precarious position right now. Other than Anthony Spencer, I wasn’t impressed with their draft class (great draft with the trades, but poor picks). Ken Hamlin was a nice addition on the defensive side, but I’m still trying to figure out the Leonard Davis project. The team remains largely intact – remember, they were one slippery ball away from beating
Seattle last year – and should improve if Tony Romo can progress.

14 –
Carolina – I like the offense with Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams, DeShaun Foster and Jake Delhomme. I think they have good talent everywhere else on offense, and Ryan Kilil and Dwayne Jarret will get good time in. Their brilliant draft netted them a fine amount of prospective starters, but they neglected to address their defensive backfield issues. The NFC South ay just be the most competitive division in football, so we’ll see if all of their tinkering was enough.

15 – Jacksonville – It’s hard to argue
Jacksonville’s place in these rankings because of their year last year. The same quarterback issues should arise, and the receiving corps still lacks production. You can only rely on Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew for so long. However, the defense should continue to be frightening, and Reggie Nelson will solidify the space left by Deon Grant. Will the mediocrity end? Only time will tell.

16 –
St. Louis – Here’s another team that seemed to be all over the place last season. The offense doesn’t seem to need a lot of help, even though their key players are aging stars. Drew Bennett will solidify the passing game, and Brian Leonard will provide nice depth in the backfield. Aside from drafting Adam Carriker and Jonathan Wade, not much was done to assist the defense. We’ll have to see if the draft was enough. However, Dante Hall arrives in
St. Louis to assist in the return game.

17 – Giants – I really don’t have much to say here. You all know they deserve this ranking, especially after losing Tiki Barber. I don’t care if they did get Ruben Droughns to tag team with Brandon Jacobs. I don’t care about Aaron Ross and Steve Smith. Until Manning, Burress, Shockey and the defense can prove that they can be consistent, the Giants will suffer.

18 –
Atlanta – Where do I start? Bobby Petrino comes into the NFL with a high-flying offense that’s about to revolutionize his team. I’ve heard that before, and I think it didn’t go so well. But, the team believes in the system, and the front office seems to have drafted well. Michael Vick aside, the team seems to be in a decent position to contend – if the receivers can catch this year. Injuries may also doom the franchise, as several areas are thin.

19 –
San Francisco – In my opinion, this is a team on the way up. Alex Smith seems to be going in the right direction, even though losing Norv Turner will hurt him. Frank Gore and Vernon Davis provide excellent talent at their positions, while Joe Staley and Jason Hill should prove to be immediate contributors. Nate Clements, Tully Banta-Cain and Michael Lewis in free agency and Patrick Willis in the draft will prove to be amazing pickups for the defense. Darrell Jackson should assist an underachieving receiving corps as well. Mike Nolan seems to be building a team that will contend in the next year or two.

20 –

Tampa
Bay – Not much can be said about this team right now. On paper, there seems to be a lot to look forward to. The defense looks to have restocked with the additions of Gaines Adams, Sabby Piscitelli and Quincy Black. Cato June rounds out a younger trend for the D. Offensively, Luke Pettitgout and Aaron Sears should solidify the line, along with last years first and second rounders. The questions center on the quarterback, where Jeff Garcia has been brought in to push Chris Simms. With the competitiveness of the NFC South and question marks in a few key areas, the Bucs can go either way: All the way up or all the way down.

21 – Washington – The biggest change in
Washington was Dan Snyders’ unwillingness to open up his checkbook for free agents. This isn’t to say that players weren’t signed, just that huge contracts weren’t handed out. London Fletcher should assist the linebackers, but he was the biggest free agent. LaRon Landry was drafted to make the safety positions, with Sean Taylor already a mainstay, the strength of the defense. Offensively, Jason Campbell will take over full time and gets to prove himself. There’s enough talent around him, but he’s in a tough division.

22 –
Tennessee – Vince Young has nobody to throw to. Pacman is suspended. They have a 270 pound running back. The safety they drafted in the first round is being turned into a cornerback. I’m really trying to find positive things here… Oh, Nick Harper was signed. That should make up for not having a team.

23 –
Arizona – One more team that I think is on the way up. Of course, we’ve been saying that for the past 15 years. The difference is that this time they’re actually surrounding their young franchise quarterback with talent. That’s a resounding turnaround. Levi Brown should help on the line – and he can’t do any worse than Leonard Davis. Alan Branch will help immediately at DT, and Buster Davis could very well find his way into the lineup. Most of their free agent signings seem to be for depth. New coach Ken Wisenhunt should be able to turn this team around.

24 – Miami – Miami isn’t really in any better a position at the start of the season as the were at the end of last season. They still don’t know who their quarterback is, are embroiled in a messy battle for Trent Green, made interesting picks in the draft (including an injured receiver at #9 overall), traded their top receiver and returner, and did little to assist themselves in any other position but linebacker through free agency. Why aren’t they ranked lower? Because more question marks arise on the teams below, of course.

25 –
Green Bay – What happened to the talent on this team? Seriously. Drafting Brandon Jackson in the second round was about the only move I agreed with. Deshawn Wynn in the seventh wasn’t bad, either, but come on. This might be as high as the Packers get this year, because Brett Favre has absolutely no supporting cast on either side of the ball.

26 –
Kansas City – Larry Johnson is still around, but Trent Green may not be. That means Damon Huard will most likely have to reprise his effort from last year – a feat that’s not easy. If not, welcome to the Brody Coyle era. Dwayne Bowe should help the quarterback out, whoever it is. The defense will be helped enormously by Turk McBride and Tank Tyler. But the team is still on shaky wheels, and the West is tough with Denver and
San Diego around.

27 – Buffalo – Is it me, or is
Buffalo in perennial rebuilding mode? I’ve never been one to question Marv Levy, a genius as far as football goes, so I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. I certainly will not question his draft efforts, and I actually like the value they got. I sincerely doubt the team is looking at a winning season, though. Too many players have been lost on a team with too little talent to go around.

28 –
Cleveland – Even though their draft was an obvious success, don’t expect Brady Quinn to step into the starting job. With that said, Charlie Frye will have to prove he deserves the confidence the coaches have put in him. Jamal Lewis will be given the opportunity to resurrect his career. Joe Thomas upgrades the line immediately. The defense will be helped out by Robaire Smith and Eric Wright, but don’t expect to see a lot out of the team this year with Baltimore, Cincinnati and
Pittsburgh around.

29 –
Minnesota – The Vikings are in the quagmire of the NFL. Not many people care about their season right now, and that includes many Viking fans. It’s hard to get excited by a team that played the way they did last year. To change their fortunes, the Vikings tried to draft well – and they did a good job. Adrian Peterson should inject some excitement, and Sidney Rice is the first receiver they’ve had since Cris Carter that won’t drop passes regularly. Marcus McCauley should provide excellent depth at corner and Rufus Alexander will do the same at linebacker. Mike Doss was signed away from the Colts to assist at safety, and Bobby Wade comes over from
Tennessee to help at receiver. Still, the season rests on Travarius Jackson’s shoulders. An unproven quarterback won’t get a lot of confidence votes around here.

30 – Detroit –
Detroit seems to be going in the right direction in many ways. I like Calvin Johnson, so I hope he does well in Mike Martz’ system, and Drew Stanton was a solid second round pick. Free agent signings like Zach Piller and DeWayne White made a lot of sense. This is a team that has some good talent and a solid coaching staff. If Rod Miranelli can build off last seasons successes, which were mostly moral victories,
Detroit could show marked improvement this year.

31 –
Houston – It is no understatement to say that this team has a plethora of question marks leading into the season. Can Matt Schaub be a consistently good starter? Is Ahman Green washed up? Can Amobi Okoye play at this level? Will Mario Williams progress? Fortunately for the Texans, the AFC South isn’t overly competitive. This should keep them from the 32nd spot in the rankings.

32 –
Oakland – I’m not going to waste my time typing the reasons for this rank. What I will comment on is the propensity for this team to be a spoiler late in the season. The Raiders drafted well, picking up a viable TE in Zach Miller and a potential star in Michael Bush. The defense is stout, and should receive Quentin Moses well. The team also shined in the free agent market, picking up Dominick Rhodes, Justin Griffith and Jeremy Newberry to assist on offense. Added to that is the trade for Mike Williams and Josh McCown (who should start the season for JaMarcus Russell), which could pay large dividends. Watch out for them late in the season when the team comes together. But until then, don’t expect to see them leave this spot.