Pre Preseason Rankings
By author
Here’s what I have so far.
32 – Cincinnati Bengals
31 – Seattle Seahawks
30 – San Francisco 49ers
29 – Washington Redskins
28 – Cleveland Browns
27 – Carolina Panthers
26 – Denver Broncos
Now let’s tackle No. 25-16. Once again, these opinions of the rankings are solely mine, based on where the teams are heading into preseason.
No. 25 – Jacksonville Jaguars. Isn’t this the team you seem to never think about? I don’t. Even when they’re good I really don’t pay attention to them. I think they’ll really struggle this year. The lost MSW, drafted a QB of the future, and I have a feeling the MJD show will be the only thing they have on offense. Their defense will play well, but it just won’t be enough most weeks.
No. 24 – Oakland Raiders. I know they swept their division last year, but even that didn’t get them in the playoffs. The best thing they have had going for them the past few years was Tom Cable, and they let him go. With a ton of talent and speed, new head coach Hue Jackson just won’t have enough time to get much accomplished. Plus their best player went to Philly, looks like another long season out in Cali.
No. 23 – Tennessee Titans. Yet another team with a new head coach at the bottom half of the rankings. I know they signed Matt Hasselback, but who is he going to throw to? Kenny Britt is a mess right now, and who knows how long it will take for Hasselback to be injured. Tennessee will live and die by the Chris Johnson show.
No. 22 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I realize they were in the playoff hunt late last season, but what good team did they beat last year? They are still young, and with a tougher schedule this year, that age will show. I like what they are building in Tampa, but I think this year will seem like a step back.
No. 21 – Kansas City Chiefs. Didn’t it seem like last year a lot of their wins came from big plays? A long run, a punt or kick return? Those types of things usually don’t happen two years in a row. This is another team that is taking steps in the right direction, but it just seems like playing a first place schedule is something they may struggle with.
No. 20 – Buffalo Bills. They are adding veterans to their roster left and right, but you can’t win in the NFL like that. Championship teams are built through the draft first, then they add the missing pieces through free agency. Buffalo will compete this year, but will be unable to close out games. At least they get another trip to Canada…..eh?
No. 19 – Minnesota Vikings. Donovan McNaab is a good QB, but he’s not that good at this point in his career. All Day AP is about the only offense they will have this year, especially with Sidney Rice taking off to Seattle. This team isn’t close to the team from 2 years ago, and they will show that. The team will play hard for Frazier, but it just won’t be enough to have a good year. Hopefully they will play well enough that the roof won’t collapse…….I know, that was bad.
No. 18 – Chicago Bears. After a trip to the NFC Championship game, the Bears were awarded with playing a first place schedule. They still don’t have an answer for a number 1 receiver, and their running game was hit or miss last season. They seemed to be another team that won on big plays, or big calls like the win over Detroit. With another year added to this veteran defense, look for father time to start showing up in Chicago. The loss of Manning doesn’t help much either.
No. 17 – Arizona Cardinals. Kolb has to be the most overrated unproven QB in history. If he was that good, why would Philly not keep him? They know the probablity Vick gets hurt at some point this year is pretty high, and they still traded him away. Now, they did get a heckuva package for him, but if was really the future of the Eagles, they would have kept him. The good thing for the Cards, is the fact they play in the NFC West. They could be a losing team and still be in the hunt to win the division.
No. 16 – St. Louis Rams. I’m a Bradford fan. I think he is going to be pretty darn good, but until he gets more talent to throw to, the Rams will have a tough go at things. They really didn’t upgrade the WR position, MSW isn’t a true number 1, the team that let him go has just as bad if not worse receivers than the Rams. Stephen Jackson is another year older, and the amount of touches during his career will surely start to rear their ugly head sometime soon. Spags has some good things going, but they have no playmakers outside of Bradford and Jackson, and the rest of the NFL knows that too.
There you go, teams 25-16. Love em or hate em, that’s how I see it.
Phins Up!
BEL