LPF's Offseason Power Rankings

[Carl Spackler]

While most major sports websites, networks, papers and magazines are in the midst of discussing Major League Baseball, LeBron James, or the World Cup, I decided to voice my thoughts on who (at this point) is a pretender, or a contender, in the NFL.

Without further ado, here are the rankings.

1: Green Bay Packers - The Pack are Back. They've got a top-ten quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, an emerging running back in Ryan Grant, a couple of good receiving threats and a defense anchored by A.J. Hawk. I know Peter King of Sports Illustrated also has them at #1, but I think they deserve it as of now.

2: New Orleans Saints: Their defense is a point of concern but when Drew Brees is under center and you're facing a less-than-difficult schedule, hopes should be high. Some of their toughest games will be inter-division matchups.

3: Indianapolis Colts: It may seem like they're firmly rooted in the top five as long as Peyton Manning is their quarterback, but I can assure you, it's true.

4: New York Jets: A lot hinges on how well some of their new pickups like LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromartie fit into what Ryan wants out of his team. If they mesh well and Sanchez keeps getting the green light, look out.

5: Baltimore Ravens: A team on the rise. They've got talent just about everywhere you look.

6: Minnesota Vikings: Favre or no Favre, it doesn't matter. Peterson, Harvin, Gerhart and that front four will take them places.

7: Dallas Cowboys: A team rooted near the top every May-July, but never December-January. Does that change in '10?

8: San Diego Chargers: Ryan Mathews should be a key cog to a team already boasting an MVP-caliber quarterback in Philip Rivers and a defense in its prime.

9: Miami Dolphins: It comes down to this...if I have to pick between Miami and New England right now, give me Miami.

10: New England Patriots: And here's where you have a team that could easily contend for another Super Bowl trip, or another January at home. I don't know where they'll end up, but one thing is for sure, they'll need some young players to step up.

11: New York Giants: Give me a reason to regret keeping you out of the top ten, Giants.

12: Atlanta Falcons: Another inter-division toss-up, this time between Atlanta and Carolina. One of these two will get the Wild Card. It's going to be a good battle for sure. Atlanta as of now leads based on proven commodities over potential (Carolina). Ryan and Turner, or Moore/Clausen and Williams/Stewart?

13: Carolina Panthers: If their youth movement goes anywhere near as well as it did the last time they had one (2003: Super Bowl), keep an eye on them. At least one young quarterback (Matt Moore or Jimmy Clausen) will flourish, and of course Williams and Stewart will excel. They need a bigger presence at receiver and the front four would only strike fear in college teams.

14: Seattle Seahawks: About in the same boat as the Falcons and Panthers.

15: San Francisco 49ers: See #14, but featuring Patrick Willis.

16: Pittsburgh Steelers: In need of an identity. The one they have now isn't very good.

17: Chicago Bears: The team who could make me feel stupid for putting them this low, or a genius for not overrating them. There's no middle ground. It's sink-or-swim for Cutler, Peppers and company.

18: Cincinnati Bengals: Can they out of the injured reserve list, police station, and the limelight? The third option is the most likely.

19: Washington Redskins: Could jump out of the middle of the pack if the money they spent on free agents actually pans out, for once.

20: Philadelphia Eagles: Kevin Kolb is in the Matt Moore boat, only with less of a proven record and a worse running game. Would you rather have him, or Vick?

21: Arizona Cardinals: They've got options at quarterback, but they'll all make fans miss Kurt Warner.

22: Tennessee Titans: This is a big year for Vince Young. Their hopes rest as much on him as All-World Chris Johnson.

23: Denver Broncos: When you lose your marquee players and replace them with rookies and unheralded free agents, it's not good. Even in the AFC West, the Island of Misfit Teams. They'll sell some The Golden Calf of Bristol jerseys though.

24: Jacksonville Jaguars: They remind me of the 2002 Charlotte Hornets. Young, potentially competitive small-market team with a largely ambivalent local fanbase, fighting for an identity. Maybe they'll find it in Los Angeles.

25: Houston Texans: The only team in the big four (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) to have never made the playoffs since the Charlotte Bobcats left the nest this NBA season. Can they petition to join the AFC West?

26: Detroit Lions: Yeah, all they way up to 26th! It's because of a great draft, a good young quarterback, an elite receiver and Kyle Vanden Bosch. Temper the excitement though. Six wins should make Lions fans happy.

27: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Could surprise some people. The Best of the Worst, you could say.

28: Oakland Raiders: Sure, they're 28th, but they had a productive offseason that made the team better for once. They got rid of one overpaid, distracting waste of money (JaMarcus Russell). Now can they rid themselves of the other (Al Davis)?

29: Kansas City Chiefs: Matt Cassel should improve, and the running game is pretty good. Am I missing something else?

30: Cleveland Browns: Jake Delhomme, Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace won't make you miss Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson, but that's not saying much.

31: Buffalo Bills: Hopefully C.J. Spiller can throw the ball, because they don't have anyone to do that and still are yet to address it.

32: St. Louis Rams: They're not rebuilding, because their only key parts are Steven Jackson, James Laurinaitis and Will Witherspoon. They're just building. Bradford better be ready to take some hits.

[Panther59]

Sorry, good effort but I quit reading after this...

14: Seattle Seahawks: About in the same boat as the Falcons and Panthers.

[Carl Spackler]

Sorry, good effort but I quit reading after this...

I believe you may have misunderstood. I meant that they or the 49ers could flip as well.

[CRA]

13: Carolina Panthers: If their youth movement goes anywhere near as well as it did the last time they had one (2003: Super Bowl), keep an eye on them. At least one young quarterback (Matt Moore or Jimmy Clausen) will flourish, and of course Williams and Stewart will excel. They need a bigger presence at receiver and the front four would only strike fear in college teams.

.

I wouldn't say 2003 was a youth movement. A lot of key veteran FA's were brought in and were major reasons we made the Superbowl. On offense alone we wouldn't have sniffed the Superbowl w/o Davis being brought in that season. Prohel was also brough in and played a key but small role in the offense.

Defense was also featured a lot more vets like Minter, Rucker, Buckner, etc.

[Carl Spackler]

I wouldn't say 2003 was a youth movement. A lot of key veteran FA's were brought in and were major reasons we made the Superbowl. On offense alone we wouldn't have sniffed the Superbowl w/o Davis being brought in that season. Prohel was also brough in and played a key but small role in the offense.

Defense was also featured a lot more vets like Minter, Rucker, Buckner, etc.

True but at that time Jake was young, Smith was young, Gross, Foster, Manning, lot of key guys were playing serious minutes for either the first or second year.

[coxc63]

While most major sports websites, networks, papers and magazines are in the midst of discussing Major League Baseball, LeBron James, or the World Cup, I decided to voice my thoughts on who (at this point) is a pretender, or a contender, in the NFL.

Without further ado, here are the rankings.

1: Green Bay Packers - The Pack are Back. They've got a top-ten quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, an emerging running back in Ryan Grant, a couple of good receiving threats and a defense anchored by A.J. Hawk. I know Peter King of Sports Illustrated also has them at #1, but I think they deserve it as of now.

2: New Orleans Saints: Their defense is a point of concern but when Drew Brees is under center and you're facing a less-than-difficult schedule, hopes should be high. Some of their toughest games will be inter-division matchups.

3: Indianapolis Colts: It may seem like they're firmly rooted in the top five as long as Peyton Manning is their quarterback, but I can assure you, it's true.

4: New York Jets: A lot hinges on how well some of their new pickups like LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromartie fit into what Ryan wants out of his team. If they mesh well and Sanchez keeps getting the green light, look out.

5: Baltimore Ravens: A team on the rise. They've got talent just about everywhere you look.

6: Minnesota Vikings: Favre or no Favre, it doesn't matter. Peterson, Harvin, Gerhart and that front four will take them places.

7: Dallas Cowboys: A team rooted near the top every May-July, but never December-January. Does that change in '10?

8: San Diego Chargers: Ryan Mathews should be a key cog to a team already boasting an MVP-caliber quarterback in Philip Rivers and a defense in its prime.

9: Miami Dolphins: It comes down to this...if I have to pick between Miami and New England right now, give me Miami.

10: New England Patriots: And here's where you have a team that could easily contend for another Super Bowl trip, or another January at home. I don't know where they'll end up, but one thing is for sure, they'll need some young players to step up.

11: New York Giants: Give me a reason to regret keeping you out of the top ten, Giants.

12: Atlanta Falcons: Another inter-division toss-up, this time between Atlanta and Carolina. One of these two will get the Wild Card. It's going to be a good battle for sure. Atlanta as of now leads based on proven commodities over potential (Carolina). Ryan and Turner, or Moore/Clausen and Williams/Stewart?

13: Carolina Panthers: If their youth movement goes anywhere near as well as it did the last time they had one (2003: Super Bowl), keep an eye on them. At least one young quarterback (Matt Moore or Jimmy Clausen) will flourish, and of course Williams and Stewart will excel. They need a bigger presence at receiver and the front four would only strike fear in college teams.

14: Seattle Seahawks: About in the same boat as the Falcons and Panthers.

15: San Francisco 49ers: See #14, but featuring Patrick Willis.

16: Pittsburgh Steelers: In need of an identity. The one they have now isn't very good.

17: Chicago Bears: The team who could make me feel stupid for putting them this low, or a genius for not overrating them. There's no middle ground. It's sink-or-swim for Cutler, Peppers and company.

18: Cincinnati Bengals: Can they out of the injured reserve list, police station, and the limelight? The third option is the most likely.

19: Washington Redskins: Could jump out of the middle of the pack if the money they spent on free agents actually pans out, for once.

20: Philadelphia Eagles: Kevin Kolb is in the Matt Moore boat, only with less of a proven record and a worse running game. Would you rather have him, or Vick?

21: Arizona Cardinals: They've got options at quarterback, but they'll all make fans miss Kurt Warner.

22: Tennessee Titans: This is a big year for Vince Young. Their hopes rest as much on him as All-World Chris Johnson.

23: Denver Broncos: When you lose your marquee players and replace them with rookies and unheralded free agents, it's not good. Even in the AFC West, the Island of Misfit Teams. They'll sell some The Golden Calf of Bristol jerseys though.

24: Jacksonville Jaguars: They remind me of the 2002 Charlotte Hornets. Young, potentially competitive small-market team with a largely ambivalent local fanbase, fighting for an identity. Maybe they'll find it in Los Angeles.

25: Houston Texans: The only team in the big four (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) to have never made the playoffs since the Charlotte Bobcats left the nest this NBA season. Can they petition to join the AFC West?

26: Detroit Lions: Yeah, all they way up to 26th! It's because of a great draft, a good young quarterback, an elite receiver and Kyle Vanden Bosch. Temper the excitement though. Six wins should make Lions fans happy.

27: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Could surprise some people. The Best of the Worst, you could say.

28: Oakland Raiders: Sure, they're 28th, but they had a productive offseason that made the team better for once. They got rid of one overpaid, distracting waste of money (JaMarcus Russell). Now can they rid themselves of the other (Al Davis)?

29: Kansas City Chiefs: Matt Cassel should improve, and the running game is pretty good. Am I missing something else?

30: Cleveland Browns: Jake Delhomme, Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace won't make you miss Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson, but that's not saying much.

31: Buffalo Bills: Hopefully C.J. Spiller can throw the ball, because they don't have anyone to do that and still are yet to address it.

32: St. Louis Rams: They're not rebuilding, because their only key parts are Steven Jackson, James Laurinaitis and Will Witherspoon. They're just building. Bradford better be ready to take some hits.

I dont believe he's with the Rams anymore....but I agree with your power rankings except Seattle is ranked too high and San Fran should be in front of them. 13 is a good spot for us, maybe lower because of all the unprovens...another thing about all these power rankings, everyone needs to quit sniffing the cowgirls jock straps they look good on paper but they could have the worst season ever (well 0 wins is the worst and the Lions achieved that) and theyd still be ranked in the top ten...

[Delhommey]

In the time it took you to write the paragraph on Green Bay, Arizona hung another 14 points on em.

[Carl Spackler]

In the time it took you to write the paragraph on Green Bay, Arizona hung another 14 points on em.

What I love about doing these things is that everyone disagrees with everything.

[HSCBandit07]

What I love about doing these things is that everyone disagrees with everything.

I disagree

[MadHatter]

I think people are WAY over-rating the Jets. They have a Sophomore QB....aging RB's....lost one of their top OL in Faneca (he will be missed more than most think)...Jenkins prob won't play.

Let's remember that this was a team that should not have even been in the playoffs last season. They backed in as a result of their last two opponents not playing any of their starters.

They are going to disappoint BIG TIME this season.