Still here and kickin. Same deal as last week, but this time we’re tackling the “superior” conference.
16. Cleveland Browns
-Coup
I think there’s three cut-and-dry bottom feeders in the NFC, but the Browns have the least going for them this season. Maybe Brady Quinn becomes a legit starter in three years, but he’s too far behind because of the contract negotiations and our friends at ESPN still seem to treat him like a top-5 pick when there’s a damn good reason he dropped so far. It might be a contract year for Jamal Lewis and the mythical third season for wideout Braylon Edwards, but that’s barely enough to say they’ll have slightly motivated talent, if any real talent at all. They’re just lacking impact players in far too many positions. They better hope Quinn is worth it since their first rounder in ’08 goes straight to the Cowboys — that pick could very well turn into a Heisman-winning running back by the name of Darren McFadden.
-SJ
The Browns are a team who just do not have enough to get the job done right now. They have a couple weapons as Coup said, but across the board they don’t have the talent to make any real noise. They aren’t that young either when you think about it. Who is their running back? A prospect who needs some experience to improve right? Oh it’s Jamal Lewis. How about a young wide receiver who has all the potential in the world? Joe Jurivicius? No. The Browns are going to be hurt this year and next. Too bad Romeo won’t be around for the renaissance. Remember last year when Willie McGinest got signed and everyone thought the Browns would turn it around? Me neither.
15. Oakland Raiders
-SJ
I’m shocked you didn’t put the worst team in the conference at the bottom. They won two games last year, they have a new coach and they lost their best playmaker. So how did they improve. No one even knows who the starting quarterback is. JaMarcus Russell’s agent just ruined his rookie campaign. Josh McCown and Andrew Walters are great backups, just not to each other. And Daunte Culpepper…he may look impressive in practice but is he really back? I still can’t believe Lamont Jordan was ever a 90 in Madden (seriously it is mind boggling). Dominic Rhodes was always Edgerrin’s backup and when Edgerrin left he still lost the Colts job. Need I say more? I like their defense but this is gonna be another tough year for the Raider Nation.
-Coup
That semi-solid defense is the sole reason I gave the Raiders the benefit of not being at the bottom. That, and even though they didn’t have a whole lot of talent to work with in the first place last season, they were still coached into the ground by Art Shell. I wonder if Al Davis realizes how lucky he is to have such a loyal fanbase.
14. Houston Texans
The Texans round out the hellish trio of sucky NFC teams, but at least they have some room for optimism. Sure, Matt Schaub could end up being just about anything at this point, and Ahman Green can sometimes come down with Fred Taylor-esque injury stretches, but the organization seems dead set on building behind defense after taking Mario over Reggie and taking upside-DT Amobi Okoye this year. I just don’t know if Schaub is going to get the opportunity to get anything more out of the offense than David Carr if he gets the same (small) amount of protection. At least he has a legit WR 1 talent in Andre Johnson, even if nobody treats him as such.
-SJ
Oh the mighty Texans. Their number one problem is this; they have no offensive line. They have never had an offensive line. Their offensive line has pretty much ruined David Carr’s NFL career (barring a renaissance in Carolina). When your QB is getting sacked over and over again, there definitely isn’t much chance for a running game either. If you look at the Texans they have a nice little blueprint going. A solid QB in Schaub (who is in a make-or-break season here), a solid running back in Ahman Green, a great number one in Johnson and a defense that will be something sooner than later. The big issue however…a piece of crap offensive line. And until they fix that they will always be at the bottom. Plus they pretty much only have one good reciever which is never a positive.
13. Miami Dolphins
-SJ
I flirted with the Bills here but I have to hand the #13 spot to the Dolphins. Mainly for their inane thought process. They’ve already taken Ted Ginn off of return duty, not a good sign seeing as how that’s what he does best. You should never be rebuilding around a 37 year old quarterback. Ever. The offense that was middle-of-the-pack at best…didn’t do anything to get better. They lost Randy McMichael. Can Ronnie Brown step up to the plate and carry the Dolphins? Will Chris Chambers and Marty Booker show up every week? Their defense is still just as good but is this the year they start to show their age? I’ll be shocked if the Dolphins can head it in the right direction.
-Coup
For me, every single year has been Chris Chambers’ breakout year that never happened. But it’s not all his fault. It’s just a bad, clumsy, risk-free offense that rarely goes for the score in the right places. Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor can’t anchor that defense much longer and the team didn’t start a youth movement in the draft like they should have. It will still be a good defense, this year at least, under Cam Cameron, but they just don’t seem to have the offense to compete for the playoffs.
12. Kansas City Chiefs
What, Reggie Bush takes LJ No. 1 in his fantasy draft? Bull. Take LT and go smoke a cigar. LJ’s heavy workload has been well publicized, and for good reason — the Chiefs just can’t advance the ball any other way. And with the offensive line not nearly what it was two years ago during his breakout season, I’m seeing a medium slide in production and a probably injury this year. Damon Huard is no hero. Remember how they were supposed to kill Indy with their running attack in last year’s playoffs? Yeah, that went well.
-SJ
I wouldn’t count LJ out quite yet…remember he hasn’t had to go through the complete grind of the off-season and training camp. But then again, he will be run into the ground and is officially a ticking time bomb. It’s a matter of when not if. I feel like a broken record but the Chiefs don’t have enough. Bless Herm Edwards as he’s trying but it just doesn’t look as if this will be the year. If Damon Huard can step it up and get anything done than the Chiefs become a different team. But if they try and put it all on LJ again than 9-7 will seem like a wet dream.
11. Tennessee Titans
-SJ
Two words; Madden curse. Vince Young led the way last year, shocking a lot of teams and getting the Titans to 8-8. Even before he signed to be on the cover of Madden I thought he was in for a bit of a let-down year. Now he’s definitely screwed, either via injury or poor play. Put me in the club of people who think Vince relied a little bit too much on his insane play-making skills to get the job done last year. People are going to be ready for it this year. Ask Kordell Stewart what happens when people get ready for you. They have an underachieving WR corps and a defense that will be without their big playmaker. Not seeing too many positives for Tennessee.
-Coup
Why they didn’t address their wideout corps more directly in the draft is beyond me. This will be a middling team all year, one that might surprise a couple top dogs and also might fall to a couple really bad teams. And no don’t think it’s not ok to say the word dog in a sports sentence anymore, I’m not letting Vick or PETA take that away from me. But think about it, they e
ven lost Drew freakin’ Bennet. And he was their No. 1 for chrissakes. The Curse will live on, but only because people with cover worthy players seem to stop trying to improve their teams in the places they need it the most.
10. Buffalo Bills
Now we’re into the teams that could be something this year. Not Patriots/Chargers/Ravens somethings, but playoff somethings nevertheless. Willis McGahee never fit into that offense and word is that Marshawn Lynch is going to be a huge difference maker. Not in overall talent, but because of his overall skillset. I’m not even near being sold on J.P. Losman, I’m still on the fence about even contacting his real estate agent for the purchase, but he’s got a better chance than a lot of folks in the league to do something. And like the Texans, he’s got an underrated No. 1 in Lee Evans, who could be this season’s Laverneaus Coles.
-SJ
The one thing I would say that the Bills have working against them is experience. They have the ability to be good and should reach their potential, but if they fell it would be easy to see why. I applaud them for looking to get young but stay good at the same time. This isn’t an aging Buffalo Bills team trying to use veterans to hold on to a vague playoff hope. This is a young team that could make some noise. Marshawn Lynch is going to be a guy to watch out for. Lee Evans went from underrated to slightly overrated and now back to underrated. If he can just be consistent than the Bills will be fine. Losman is the big question mark. If he has a breakout year, watch out for the Bills. If he stays the same, they flirt with .500 at best.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
-SJ
They always are a team who gets hype and then underachieves, or a team who gets no hype and then overachieves. They have major consistency issues, I mean you just never know which Jacksonville is going to show up. The one who should beat the Colts, or the one who can’t beat the Texans. It’s never good when starting QB and head coach don’t have beef, especially when the backup is more than capable of getting the job done. The tools are in place, the biggest question is whether they can get the job done. If so…they’ll move up. If not…down goes the Jags.
-Coup
The Jags really are a bonafide enigma. I attribute a good deal of their issues to their vastly underachieving receivers. The D is solid and Rashean Mathis has that Ronde Barber big INT return potential but it’s just going to take a team coming together to overcome the giants on the NFC. I don’t see that happening.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
I never got Ben Rothlesberger. That rookie year win streak just didn’t impress me when it happened, and when you have the lowest QB rating in a winning Superbowl ever, it’s pretty difficult to inspire the levels of hype the rest of the world gives you. I guess when your white, your a nice guy and you get into a motorcycle accident that was a retarded decision on your part but you get played off as the victim, you can’t help but be hyped like all heck. These guys feel like Raven’s-lite this season, good RB, good D, should-be-consistent-enough O. If they’re gonna make the postseason, they are going to have to fight out some wins.
-SJ
I can’t join in on all of the Big Ben bashing. To be a rookie and to lead a team to that many wins (aka not mess it up) is impressive. That game where he led the Steelers over the Patriots when they really were the Patriots and killed their 21 game win streak was gold. He followed it up by continuing to play football at a high level and has a Superbowl ring. That can’t be taken away from him. Leading the Steelers to those three road wins? Not luck. This isn’t Trent Dilfer just not messing up to a ring, Big Ben did his thing. He may have ruined his career with that damn accident though. The Steelers have slipped in that division though so I just don’t know if they have what it takes.
7. Denver Broncos
-SJ
Can’t put them any higher after the gagjob known as the end of the last season. I have a feeling they will move up and make some noise but I hesitate to join in on the hype. Adding new faces to a team is always a risk/reward type deal. I think I’m a little down on the Broncos because they SHOULD be very good. Travis Henry (and all his babies) should flourish in the Broncos system. Jay Cutler should improve, their WR corps should be lethal and their defense. Dear lord. Their defensive line looks nasty and their secondary is disgusting. My problem with the Broncos; they look entirely too good on paper. Something has to give.
-Coup
Broncos, Broncos, Broncos. If I were a betting man and was looking for a team with a big payout line for winning the SuperBowl, this might be the one I put my money on. If everything comes together, this could be a SQUAD. They could just do so many things so well. And Champ Bailey, good god, the man is in a class of his own. Have you played against the Broncos in Madden this year? Champ Bailey covers so much he finds ways to intercepts your damn handoffs.
6. New York Jets
I wanted to put the Jets at least one higher. There is just so much to like about them, except for one — Chad Pennington. He can be ridiculously shaky on near-Rex Grossman levels and while I’ve never bought into the weak-arm arguement with QB’s, Pennington’s really worries me. Almost all of his longer completions were due to crazy YAC by Coles. Give him 6 years and he could be the new Brad Johnson. But I do like what Mangini is doing and he alone should get them into the playoffs.
-SJ
The Jets were a surprise last year, some have thrown around the word letdown but I don’t see it. They have a great coach and a great looking team. This year they won’t have to rely on four different running backs. They’ve got Thomas Jones to carry the load. I like their defense and I like how Chad Pennington doesn’t have to do too much. But if Kellen Clemens keeps it up, Chad Pennington could be the next Brad Johnson in a year. This is a major instance where the coach elevates a team.
5. Cincinnati Bengals
-SJ
#1 improvent by the Bengals…the schedule. They won’t have to go through hell like last year which should add two or three wins. We all know about the offense. Carson, Chad, Rudi, T.J., even Chris Henry. Sick. The key to the Bengals will be their defense. They pretty much just have to be decent to get the job done. If their defense fails them it will be a long season for them. But with the return of Ocho Cinco and the release of the team from jail, the Bengals should be more than ready. Too bad they play in the same division as the Ravens.
-Coup
This year should be what the 2005 playoffs should have been for the Bengals before they were devastated by Palmer’s knee. I’m excited to watch them and I think that as long as they make the playoffs, they could knock out just about anybody in one of those 45-42 shootouts. Only thing I’m a little scared about, other than the D, is Rudi. How long can he be this consistent before showing those signs of wear and tear?
4. Baltimore Ravens
I came very close to putting the Colts here, but the Ravens are just too damn ooooold. McNair is very close to the absolute end and losing Adalius Thomas is going to create more matchup problems with certain teams than people realize. They get to the playoffs and lose just because they can’t put enough points on the board. On the plus side, as old as they are, I don’t see any reason why this organization won’t be able to keep the same formula working going foward. They draft exceptionally well on defense and always get by on offense. The wild card is going to
be Willis McGahee. This is when we learn just how much talent he actually has. The Ravens on the bottom of the same tier as the next three squads.
-SJ
My black ass would’ve put the Colts here, simply based on the fact that I swear they lost every player on their team. As old as the Ravens may be they are very experienced. Miami guys seem to do well in Baltimore and I think McGahee is going to fit in very nicely in Baltimore. Ray Lewis is brash, cocky, loud similar to McGahee. McGahee walked the walked, then talked the talk (and some) and how he’s got to get the job done again. It is a testament to Brian Billick and the defense that the Ravens have been able to contend for this long. Name one year they’ve had a legit offense. Exactly. They may have lost Thomas but they are still the Baltimore freakin Ravens. Any semblance of an offense and they are scary. But even without it they are contenders.
3. San Diego Chargers
-SJ
Bet ya didn’t see that coming did ya Coup. I can’t put them higher than #3 for a couple of reasons. First off they won 14 games and choked last year. And they fired their head coach. And then they hired Norv Turner. One playoff appearance in nine years at head coach doesn’t give you the benefit of the doubt. But if he doesn’t mess this up, there is no telling how nasty the Chargers will be. I don’t like the fact that Merriaman isn’t going to do the ‘Lights Out’ anymore. Whenever players stop doing what they do they tend to take a step back…ask Chad Johnson. There ain’t much else to be said about the Chargers though.
-Coup
On one side, the Chargers seem like they are going to be a worse version than last year having lost Wade Phillips and most of their coaching staff. On the other, Rivers has one more year under his belt and Norv Turner should be able to do things with that offense that Marty would never risk even thinking about. They’ll be there in the end and LT will continue making his case for one of the greatest RB’s of all time.
2. Indianapolis Colts
Here’s the boring part. We all know who HAS to be No. 1 because there just isn’t any other choice right now. The Colts have lost more than they want the rest of the public to know but the biggest loss is going to be McFarland, their DT. They won last year because their defense played well throughout the playoffs and their O did it’s thing. Now they are back to being the team they were 3-4 years ago when they’d outscore everyone in forty point games during the regular season and collapse without a D in the playoffs. Peyton gets a bye year anyway for winning it in ’06.
-SJ
They are the champs…bu then again they are far from the same team coming back. Regardless of what they do this year there won’t be that same pressure on them. The monkey is off the back, their local fans can’t complain and they won’t be getting beat up nationally. They are the Super Bowl champions. Peyton is still Peyton so offensively they will be fine. Losing a ton of defensive players is never good, especially when the adequate defense finally got you a Super Bowl ring. They certainly won’t be bad but it is hard to really put much ‘They are so good’ stock into them.
1. New England Patriots
-SJ
There is not too much that needs to be said about New England. They are poised to reclaim the throne. They always have found a way. This year they have weapons. Tom Brady gets to throw to Randy Mass, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth. If he has been getting the job done with converted cornerbacks, this should be easy as pie for him. I look for him to make the Quantum Leap. Also…their defense got better. Scary. The New England Patriots improve offensively and defensively. They have one of the all-time great football minds at head coach and one of the top quarterbacks running the show. How do you not bet the mortgage on these guys?