Power Rankings

[infantrycak]

From AboutFootball:

1. New England Patriots
Cory Dillon filled the Super Bowl Champs' biggest need.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
Added Jevon Kearse and Terrell Owens to a team that has made three-straight trips to the NFC Championship game.
3. Green Bay Packers
Solid offensive line, great running game, an adequate defense, and Brett Favre will keep them in contention.
4. Carolina Panthers
Not sure they can repeat the success of last year, but some nice additions should have them back in the playoff hunt.
5. Indianapolis Colts
Still sorely missing a run-stuffing defensive tackle.
6. Tennessee Titans
Steve McNair just seems to find ways to win. The Titans will be in the hunt again this year.
7. Kansas City Chiefs
Added some nice draft picks, but the Chiefs have done little to improve a defense that collapsed late last year.
8. Denver Broncos
Could be one of the most improved teams this year.
9. St. Louis Rams
With Bulger firmly entrenched as the starter, the Rams should rid themselves of Warner and the distractions of a QB controversy.
10. Dallas Cowboys
Only time will tell if they regret passing on Steven Jackson.
11. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens didn't get the receiver they wanted, but they are still a very solid team.
12. Cincinnati Bengals
Losing Cory Dillon might be a plus for this team.
13. Minnesota Vikings
A lot depends on turning the defense around. Could be a Super Bowl run or another 9-7 collapse.
14. Seattle Seahawks
If the Seahawks can improve a pass defense that was among the worst in the game, they should make the playoffs.
15. Miami Dolphins
I'm not sure A.J. Feeley's the answer here.
16. Washington Redskins
Have the Redskins learned from past mistakes or will this be a repeat of recent seasons?
17. New York Jets
The return of Chad Pennington should return the Jets to playoff contenders.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars
With a solid run defense and what will soon be one of the top quarterbacks in the league, the future looks bright in Jacksonville.
19. Chicago Bears
Looks like another solid draft, but so much depends on the play of a second-year QB.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs had a huge turnover in personnel. Could take a while for everyone to get on the same page.
21. Atlanta Falcons
A full season with Michael Vick automatically moves these guys up a few notches.
22. Houston Texans
This is the year the young guys should come together. Keep an eye on this team. Could be their first playoff run.
23. San Francisco 49ers
With Garcia and Owens gone, the Niners don't have a proven pass combo anymore.
24. Buffalo Bills
If Bledsoe doesn't bounce back from a bad season, the Bills will be at the bottom of the division again.
25. Cleveland Browns
Run defense still looks very questionable.
26. Oakland Raiders
Additions to the offensive line should help keep Gannon healthy, but there are still plenty of questions to answer.
27. Pittsburgh Steelers
Roethlisberger is a tremendous addition for the future, but if the Steelers are going to make a playoff run this year, Maddox must have a consistent season.
28. New York Giants
Look for a long losing season as Eli adjusts to the big leagues.
29. New Orleans Saints
Did little to address their biggest need... cornerback.
30. Detroit Lions
This team appears to be on the rebound, but they are still a year away from a serious playoff run.
31. Arizona Cardinals
As with the Lions, this is a team heading in the right direction, but still at least a season away.
32. San Diego Chargers
Still lots of holes to fill and a rookie QB to break in.

As I recall, the Texans were ranked from 30-32 before last season. Pretty good jump to 22.

[Reddevil63]

Not sure why the Jags are ahead of us though, we split the series last season and had the same record with a harder schedule.

[STEEL BLUE TEXANS]

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

It could have something to do with 27-0.

LOL dont remind us.

[BigTex]

The Redskins always do this, they sign alot of people in the offseason Washington get's there hopes up on a big season and once again they BITE the DUST. I would like to see Washington win but I don't see it that likely

[pittbull]

This is due to them being an NFL team longer. The expansion team will always get left off the list. Too unpredictable! But predict this......Texans make the playoffs this season! Write it in stone. Take it to Vegas. Start buying the tickets. You guys get the drift!

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by Reddevil63

Not sure why the Jags are ahead of us though, we split the series last season and had the same record with a harder schedule.

It may also have to do with the fact that we won 2 of the last 8 games and they won 4 of their last 8.

[V Man]

Two things:

1. Like everyone has said Jaguars that much ahead of us.

and

2. The Cowgirls #10, come one #15 maybe but not top ten.

[El Tejano]

Power rankings mean nothing. Miami had a great power ranking last year at this time and they stayed home and watched the playoffs like us. Power rankings are opinions and nothing more. The real power rankings come in the win loss column.

[TheOgre]

I think the Redskins will turn it around this season or next. Gibbs succeeds at EVERYTHING he does. Unfortunately, their cap situation will be so horrible by 2007, that the roster will be chalked full of minimum salaried guys.

[STEEL BLUE TEXANS]

i think the Ravens are definitely a top 5 team. they have one of the youngest rosters in the league and they didnt lose anyone important in the offseason. they added Kevin Johnson who is a reliable receiver, Devard Darling and Clarence Moore. as good as their defense was last season, its only getting better. The most important addition they made this offseason was bringing in Jim Fassel who should help with their offensive playcalling and with the development of Kyle Boller.

[STEEL BLUE TEXANS]

i dont know why the Redskins are ranked so high. sure they brought in some nice players but they do this every year and still end up in the cellar.

[FOOTBALL1999]

Power Rankings: Let's keep things sunny, sonny
By Pete Prisco
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Pete your opinion!


The summer is nearly here, which means it's wind-down time in the NFL. Coaches, front-office personnel and even players will get a break in a month or so before convening for training camp in late July.


Byron Leftwich could shake up the rankings with a good second pro season.(AP)
It's a time to recharge the batteries, get away from the game for a bit and then come back wired for a long, arduous season.

It's the same for many of us who cover the NFL, which means it's about to be a peaceful time, spent on the beach reading books and hitting that little round ball around the course.

It is not a time for anger, grief or nasty e-mails that feature many who would like to put my 9-iron in a place where the sun doesn't shine.

So why is it time for another SportsLine.com Power Rankings?

My bosses love them.

They provoke reader response, and plenty of hate directed at me. Nothing written on SportsLine generates as much feedback as the NFL Power Rankings.

Because we haven't put out the rankings since February, it's probably time. The offseason is nearly complete, save for June 1 cuts and signings, and the opening of camps is two months away.

The hard part with this batch of rankings is how much to take into account the 2003 season, while also looking ahead to the 2004 season.

We know there are going to be teams that come from nowhere to get deep into the playoffs. History tells us that. And there will be teams that make major falls.

The Jacksonville Jaguars might be one of those teams set to make a big rise. They have made big improvements and they showed well in the second half of 2003. If quarterback Byron Leftwich can make significant improvement -- the guess here is he will -- the Jaguars will compete in the tough AFC South.

But the tough part is ranking them now. Are they a top 15 team? Right now, they are just inside the top 15 at No. 15. Come September, that could change and they could be higher.

In doing these rankings, we had similar troubles gauging some of the other teams on the way up, while also trying to find the teams on the way down.

In a word, these Power Rankings were tricky.

So before firing off the usual nasty e-mails, take into account two things: one is the speculative nature of some of the rankings in a look-ahead mode, while the other is the most important thing of all.

It's nearly summertime. Leave me alone until at least late July or I'll never break 90 again.

P.S.: I need my 9-iron.

The rankings for May 18:

POWER RANKINGS
Current Team Previous
1 New England Patriots 1
They add Corey Dillon and end up with one of the better defensive tackles in the draft in Vince Wilfork. They are the team to beat again, but they won't win it again.
2 Denver Broncos 3
The additions of Champ Bailey, Luther Elliss and John Lynch should upgrade the defense -- if the latter two have anything left -- and Jake Plummer will be improved in his second season with the Broncos.
3 Indianapolis Colts 2
The offense is set, but there are still some major worries on defense. Until those are addressed, the offense will be asked to do too much.
4 Philadelphia Eagles 6
The additions of Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse make this a much-improved team and might allow it to finally get past the title-game curse.
5 Seattle Seahawks 4
Now is the time for Mike Holmgren to get this team deep into the playoffs. All the pieces appear to be there.
6 Kansas City Chiefs 8
If Gunther Cunningham can work his magic with this defense, this again will be a Super contender. That's a big if.
7 Baltimore Ravens 9
The quarterback question still hangs above this group, but we believe in Kyle Boller, especially now that Jim Fassel is on the coaching staff.
8 Carolina Panthers 5
We'll keep them in the top 10 for now, even though we don't think they'll be there when the season starts. They'll be good, but not as good.
9 Tennessee Titans 15
Plenty of questions surround the defense, especially up front, but with Steve McNair at quarterback they still will be a quality team.
10 New Orleans Saints 10
Does this seem high? Probably. But the talent is there to make a legitimate playoff push. Maybe they are this year's Panthers.
11 Dallas Cowboys 11
It all hinges on the growth of Quincy Carter at the quarterback position. Rookie Julius Jones also has to show something fast at running back.
12 Atlanta Falcons 13
By the time the ball kicks off, this might be a team ranked higher. Michael Vick is back, which makes them a playoff contender, but it's the defense that has to be fixed.
13 St. Louis Rams 7
Is this the end of the Mike Martz era? Marc Bulger better be ready to show his tail-off at the end of 2003 was an aberration, not the norm.
14 Green Bay Packers 16
As long as Brett Favre is tossing spirals, they will have a chance to be a Super team. The defense has to play better.
15 Jacksonville Jaguars 23
A rising team loaded with good, young players that could actually be a playoff team. The growth of Byron Leftwich will be the key for this team.
16 Miami Dolphins 14
Yet another team that has major quarterback questions. Plus, the offensive line is rebuilt, and not exactly with five Pro Bowlers.
17 Minnesota Vikings 17
The offense again will be explosive, but the defense has to make major strides to get this team into the playoffs.
18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18
They've had a lot of turnover, which will make training camp the real time to put a gauge on this team. One thing's certain: Jon Gruden will have them ready to play.
19 Pittsburgh Steelers 20
The major question is at the quarterback position. Does Tommy Maddox have enough to be a solid starter again or is it time for rookie Ben Roethlisberger?
20 Washington Redskins 21
They've spent a lot of money to turn over the roster, and coach Joe Gibbs is one of the best. But is it enough?
21 Cincinnati Bengals 25
They surprised some people last year, but now they might take a step back playing a first-time starter in Carson Palmer. But it is the right move to play him.
22 Buffalo Bills 24
The defense should again be good, so now it's up to the offense to come alive under new coach Mike Mularkey.
23 Houston Texans 26
They're a year away. Dom Capers and his staff have done a nice job building this thing. They will be in most games again, possibly winning eight.
24 New York Jets 22
The offense will be better with Chad Pennington around for the entire season, but there are a lot of questions on defense.
25 Oakland Raiders 29
Who will play quarterback? Who's the top runner? How will age affect this team? There are some quality young players, but not enough of them.
26 New York Giants 12
It's going to be a tough first year for rookie Eli Manning and first-year coach Tom Coughlin. At least he'll have them playing hard.
27 Detroit Lions 30
Love the direction the offense is taking with third-year passer Joey Harrington and his bevy of skill people. Next year will be their year.
28 Chicago Bears 27
Lovie Smith has a lot of work to do with this team. Is second-year quarterback Rex Grossman ready to assume the full-time starter's role?
29 Cleveland Browns 31
Even with Jeff Garcia in as quarterback, there are still offensive line issues to go with a so-so defense.
30 Arizona Cardinals 32
If Josh McCown is what Dennis Green says he is, this team is ranked too low. We beg to differ.
31 San Francisco 49ers 19
Ken Dorsey or Tim Rattay, whoever starts, has a lot of learning to do. This will be a growing year for the 49ers.
32 San Diego Chargers 28
Marty-ball is in for a long year. We really feel sorry for LaDainian Tomlinson.

[Blake]

winning eight? thats fine with me.

[edo783]

At least Prisco is reasonably on target. Best thing about the low power ranking is, maybe the other teams will believe it and look past us and we can then clobber them.

[DominatorDavis]

the power rankings mean literally nothing. Did you see the power rankings from the beginning of last year 2003? Tampa and the Raiders #1 and #2. And where did they end up. Bumpiks. It only effects the gambling line, over and under, and our preconcieved notions of who *should* be the best. And that is a stretch the Texans winning 8 games. Where and who would they get them from???? Lookin at it I see 6 maybe 7 at best. Who knows, they could take this year (doubtfully) and only win 3. shrug. Lets just play the season and see.....

[Blake]

Originally Posted by DominatorDavis

the power rankings mean literally nothing.

Everyone knows this. I was just saying it is nice to see someone predict us doing well this season. It shows that not just the fans see something in this team.