ESPN Power Rankings

It's not that hard though when you look who is ranked above them.....The Bengals, who went 8 and freakin 8 in the same conference as us who has NO DEFENSE......Seattle? Dallas? Not better than us, I'm sorry.......overall a decent job by ESPN however......Titans should be at 16 IMO instead of 21

 

For those at work.

RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (3) Patriots 12-4-0 Just one minute away from a trip to the Super Bowl, the Patriots were arguably the NFL's most active team this offseason, adding big-ticket items such as Randy Moss and Adalius Thomas.

2 (4) Colts 12-4-0 What, the Pats sign a receiver or two and everyone forgets about the defending Super Bowl champs? Fine. But let's see Randy Moss or Tom Brady do better than Peyton did on "Saturday Night Live."

3 (1) Chargers 14-2-0 Weird offseason for the Chargers. They're clearly one of the NFL's most talented teams and will be there in the postseason. But the way their season ended and the firing of Marty Schottenheimer has created some negative feelings.

4 (2) Ravens 13-3-0 If he's healthy, Willis McGahee is going to be a stud in Baltimore and will give the running game a boost over Jamal Lewis.
5 (5) Bears 13-3-0 Lance Briggs is unhappy. Cedric Benson is unproven. And Rex Grossman is still Rex Grossman. The good news is the Bears are still in the NFC North.

6 (6) Saints 10-6-0 A great offense added another weapon with first-round WR Robert Meachem. The Saints strengthened their secondary, but there are still concerns about a defense that couldn't stop the run last year.

7 (12) Broncos 9-7-0 After a disappointing end to the 2006 season, the Broncos were extremely busy this offseason, adding impact starters in TE Daniel Graham, RB Travis Henry and CB Dre' Bly. Denver should push the Chargers in the AFC West.

8 (7) Eagles 10-6-0 We can sort of understand why Donovan McNabb would be confused by the drafting of Kevin Kolb. But at the same time, should a franchise QB really be that concerned about a rookie second-round pick?

9 (11) Cowboys 9-7-0 The Cowboys' players sure seem glad to have Wade Phillips in place of Bill Parcells. But will he actually make them a better team?

10 (14) Bengals 8-8-0 While their tough schedule was partly to blame, the Bengals' 8-8 finish last season was a disappointment. Anything short of a trip to the playoffs in 2007 will be equally disappointing.

11 (9) Seahawks 9-7-0 Shaun Alexander's health. That's as simple as it gets for the Seahawks. Seattle needs a healthy Alexander to regain its spot among the elite teams in the NFC.

12 (8) Jets 10-6-0 It might not have made the same kind of headlines as the Patriots' grabbing Randy Moss, but the Jets' acquisition of running back Thomas Jones could end up being one of the best moves of the offseason.

13 (13) Steelers 8-8-0 It's pretty obvious for the Steelers. If Ben Roethlisberger returns to form, the Steelers are clearly a playoff contender. But if he's closer to the QB who struggled last season, the Steelers will be in trouble.

14 (17) Jaguars 8-8-0 So, do a quarterback (Byron Leftwich) and head coach (Jack Del Rio) need to like each other for a team to succeed? Guess we'll find out this year in Jacksonville.

15 (23) 49ers 7-9-0 In the wide-open NFC West, there's no reason the 49ers can't compete for a playoff spot this season.

16 (20) Panthers 8-8-0 The Panthers had a solid draft, but after falling in love with them last season (see Super Bowl predictions) only to get crushed, it's safer to take a wait-and-see approach for now.

17 (16) Giants 8-8-0 Brandon Jacobs might be the biggest risk/reward player in fantasy football for 2007.

18 (18) Rams 8-8-0 The Rams had a solid offseason and appear ready to keep moving forward in Scott Linehan's second season.

19 (22) Falcons 7-9-0 The Falcons have put their future in the hands of Michael Vick. Who could be so, umm, bold? We're drawing a Blank.

20 (10) Chiefs 9-7-0 Damon Huard played well last year and Brodie Croyle might have a bright future, but it's pretty clear that QB is a major issue in Kansas City right now.

21 (15) Titans 8-8-0 Didn't exactly add any playmakers to the offense, but they still have VY and offensive coordinator Norm Chow, and that's good enough. (BTW, how is Chow not a head coach somewhere yet?)

22 (28) Cardinals 5-11-0 Looks like the Cardinals are going to be a popular ''sleeper'' pick again. Will this be the year they actually wake up and make something happen?

23 (21) Bills 7-9-0 The Bills clearly wanted to get younger this offseason, waving goodbye to a number of key veterans. But will it make them better on the field? That's largely in J.P. Losman's hands.

24 (19) Packers 8-8-0 Justin Harrell may be a good player, but why not get Brett Favre some playmakers instead of supplementing a defense that returns 11 starters?

25 (26) Vikings 6-10-0 Adrian Peterson is the kind of player who can turn a franchise around. He'll make QB Tarvaris Jackson that much better and by the end of the year, this may be the best offense in the NFC North.

26 (24) Dolphins 6-10-0 With Trent Green as their starting QB, the Dolphins could be a solid team. With Cleo Lemon, not so much.

27 (29) Buccaneers 4-12-0 How many QBs does a team need? Jeff Garcia, Chris Simms, Bruce Gradkowski, Luke McCown and, just for fun, maybe Jake Plummer. Clipboards for everybody!

28 (27) Redskins 5-11-0 Obviously Jason Campbell will be in the spotlight in Washington. But the glare will be even brighter on defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Regarded as one of the NFL's best defensive minds, Williams' defense ranked 31st in the NFL last season.

29 (25) Texans 6-10-0 Matt Schaub is doing all the right things early and adding Ahman Green will help. Just one small detail the Texans forgot: get a few big guys who can block.

30 (31) Lions 3-13-0 Greatest Show on Turf, Part II? With WRs Roy Williams, Mike Furrey and Calvin Johnson, Mike Martz must be having flashbacks to his days in St. Louis.

31 (30) Browns 4-12-0 The Browns had a solid offseason, remaking their offensive line with the addition of Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach. But a solid offseason won't help Romeo Crennel if the Browns have another 4-12 season

32 (32) Raiders 2-14-0 The reviews on Lane Kiffin and JaMarcus Russell have been all positive. But as good as they might be, they're going to take a lot of lumps this year.

 

although power ranking really mean nothing, i think 12 is very fair and accurate.

jets are a fringe playoff team in the AFC which makes 12 seem very reasonable

 

I'm happy with 12. Even though these things are completely retarted and never close. Its nice to see some respect flowing in our direction after that 4-12 season. Pretty much everyone had us crossed off from any type of playoff contention for 2-3 years and here we are after one season with a preseason power ranking of 12. Lets go Jets!

 

Bucs, Bills and Panthers too low. Jets, Seahawks and Cowboys too high.

I'd have Carolina above all 3 of the too highs right now.

 

I like Carolina but they have alot of questions on the OL(despite having some big names) and at QB right now. I could see taking them over Seattle, but I don't see them as superior to the Jets and Cowboys...

 

They have Jake Delhomme and David Carr as their QB options. I'd kill to have that choice.

They had an amazing draft too. But probably the biggest factor is the following pattern: 2003 11-5, 2004 7-9, 2005 11-5, 2006 8-8. The next number in that series is very likely going to be 11-5.

 

is it just me or are the eagles way too high. we're gonna be them this year and i cant wait.

 

I think the Eagles are too high also, but if McNabb plays 16 games they're about right.

 

Power Ranking this time of the year are a joke. They still have to see what happens after the June 1st cuts.

 

Power rankings are a joke at this time of year, but there is not much else to talk about. I think 12 is fair and is better then the 16th spot that cbs sportsline gave them a few weeks ago. These rankings seem a bit more accurate then cbs'.

 

I like Carolina also but did you see the way Delhome played last year? And what have the Bills done to make them any better than where they are ranked?

 

Steelers, Jags and Panthers should be ahead of us. Defense wins Championships and they are all better than us.

 

I'll give you the Jags.

Steelers and Panthers is debatable, steelers lost Joey Porter, switching to a 4-3 and Roethlisberger is still a question and Hines Ward is long in the tooth.

The Panthers offense is a HUGE question mark at OL, which means Delhomme's slipping play might continue to suffer, which means DeAngelo Williams might be having a rough second year. Their defense is starting to get old. Sure Peppers is an all pro, but hes one player.

 

Delhomme's "poor" year last season looked a lot like the one that Chad had. Better in some ways and worse in others. It was about a 10% stepdown from his peak performances in 2005 and 2006. Again very similar to Chad's stepdown. I expect him to bounce back and have a good season but if he doesn't...

Carr is the best #2 option in the game right now. He had real difficulties in winning in Houston due to lack of support, but his performance stepped up over the last 3 years and he showed signs of becoming a very good QB with the right people around him.

The Bills have several very good young players in place in key positions. Losman is very under-rated as a QB at the moment, although he has not stepped up into the top 10. 2007 is pretty much a make or break year for him and if he makes it the Bills will be winners for awhile. Lee Evans is already one of the top 10 receivers in the game and he has even more potential than he's shown. The wildcard here is Marshawn Lynch, and I have no idea if he's going to be great or mediocre. If he's great the Bills will be also.

On the defensive side the Bills have been quietly stockpiling young talent over the last two seasons even as vets slipped away. They got very unlucky with injuries last season as John McCargo broke a foot early and several other people played with injuries and missed games during the season. I expect them to either repeat the pattern of nagging injuries in which case they could backslide some or to keep their key players on the field, in which case I think they will have a top 10 defense.

 

I don't think the Jets are a fringe playoff team, and, quite frankly, I don't see two teams coming off 9-7 seasons IN THE NFC should be counted ahead of them, particularly when you consider the Jets are basically the same team as last year PLUS a franchise running back.

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