A Post Five Months In The Making

After yet another massive layoff, I'm back again.

You know the old saying: "You can never keep a good blog down"...or something like that.

Well, to business now. I'm going to take the time first to recap some of the big storylines as we start the season in just over 24 hours.

- Brett Favre returns again. Can he (and AP) lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl?
- Romo is the man. No more TO, no more excuses for Romo, Phillips.
- Speaking of TO. Can the controversial one bring Buffalo back to the playoffs?
- Brady Bunch Rerun? Can Brady recover his 07 form, and who will stop the Pats if he does?

Those are just a few of the storylines, but now we will take a look at the pre season power rankings.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Champs stay at number one, just because I don't know if anyone will be able to unseat them. The defence is older, but should still be the best in the business. If Big Ben gets him legal stuff taking care of, this team will be among the best again.
2. New England Patriots: Terrific Tom is back, and will that mean the return of the Pats? The defence may be like a brick of swiss cheese, so expect a lot of 50-49 wins for this offensive juggernaut. Trading Seymour this close to the season is mind-boggling.
3. Indianapolis Colts: Decline? Don't believe it. As long as this team has Peyton Manning, they will be fine. However, the loss of Bob Sanders for the first couple weeks could leave the defence in shambles.
4. New Orleans Saints: A bit high for this team, but the offence will carry them as far as they want to go. The defence has been improved each year, and now they will look towards LB Jonathan Vilma to lead the charge yet again. Could run away with this division.
5. New York Giants: Eli Manning still hasn't proved anything to me. Despite his contract, the Giants should be wary of his inconsistancy. Also, he has no proven recievers. On that note, the defence will dominate at the line of scrimmage and will provide matchups problems all year.
6. San Diego Chargers: LT's team now belongs to Phillip Rivers. However, the Chargers should be much better than their 8-8 record last year. Getting Shawne Merriman back (maybe) will be a huge boost to their defence, and are possibly the only postseason certainty this year.
7. Green Bay Packers: The transition to the 3-4 has been better than expected, and they have a quarterback that is ready to explode. The offence will go as far as Rodgers and Ryan Grant can take them. That said, they will feel immense pressure from the Bears and Vikings.
8. Arizona Cardinals: The almost-Super-Bowl-Champs will be hard pressed to get back there this year, but should be fairly successful as long as Kurt Warner stays healthy. The defence still has issues, but Darnell Dockett was a beast in the Super Bowl.
9. Tennessee Titans: The Titans may not have Albert Haynesworth, but they still have one of the better defences in the league, and a pair of RBs (Chris Johnson, Lendale White) that are among the best in the league as well. Kerry Collins worries me though.
10. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles are considered by some as Super Bowl contenders. Donovan McNabb is running out of chances in Philly. Brian Westbrook is 30, and the defence is a shell of its former self. The Eagles are a classic Boom-Bust team.
11. Baltimore Ravens: Another offseason for Joe Flacco, a new feature back in Ray Rice, and an un-retirement that wasn`t Brett Favre. All these things point towards another playoff appearance for the Ravens. Also, the defence still rocks.
12. Carolina Panthers: While they may not push the Saints for the division, the Panthers will be in the hunt for one of the NFC Wild Card spots. The running game will be lethal, but will QB Jake Delhomme rebound off that miserable playoff performance.
13. Dallas Cowboys: TO is gone, Romo is single, and this is the final chance for Wade Phillips. The Cowboys will have a tough time, but if they can steal four wins within the division, they will make the playoffs. Romo will have a big year...count on it.
14. Minnesota Vikings: Anyone who has read my blog before knows my love of Brett Favre. I think the Vikings could be unstoppable this year. The key will be getting the Williams`suspensions out of the way early. Oh, and AP must stay healthy.
15. Seattle Seahawks: The offence gets Matt Hasselbeck back, and he has a bunch of weapons to play with. The defence will still be great with Patrick Kerney, and they get a boost as well with the addition of rookie Aaron Curry. Could push for the division if everyone stays healthy.
16. Atlanta Falcons: As long as Matt Ryan avoids the sophomore slump, the Falcons should fight for a playoff spot. The defence has been greatly improved, as they have even added DBs Brian Williams and Tye Hill as the season draws near. Michael Turner is a MVP Canidate.
17. New York Jets: This is another team that goes as far as their QB can take them. Mark Sanchez has a decent cast around him, so he should be able to succeed early. Rex Ryan will greatly improve this defence.
18. Houston Texans: The Texans could be on the verge of thier first playoff run. But, yet another team will be reliant on their QB staying upright. Matt Schaub is good, but he is also very brittle. The defence is young and has been improving every year.
19. Cincinnati Bengals: The return of Carson Palmer is huge for this team. They have the potential to be very explosive on offense. The defence is been very good as well (finally). The Bengals could be a major sleeper team in the AFC.
20. Miami Dolphins: The sexy-sleeper team from last year gets a bit of reality this year. They won`t be able be run the Wildcat as successfully...so we think. Also, the defence really isn`t that great. They won`t make the playoffs. The AFC is too tough. Sorry fish fans.
21. Washington Redskins: Maybe they should sign Troy Aikman too. Maybe then they will have a shot at beating the Cowboys. The defence should be really good, but I can`t see where the points will come from outside of Chris Cooley and Clinton Portis.
22. Buffalo Bills: The TO show comes north. The question yet again...will Trent Edwards stay healthy. Its doubtful, but if he does, he could pick teams apart with his Stanford brain. The defence didn`t look good in preseason, but Aaron Schobel is back, that will help.
23. Chicago Bears: Yup, don`t believe the hype. Jay Cutler will certainly help, but he has no proven WR other than TE Greg Olsen. The defence has been brutal the past few years, and Brian Urlacher is a shell of his former self.
24. San Francisco 49ers: A lot of people think the niners can take the division, but I`m not buying that. Shaun Hill will be OK, but they will be focused on Frank Gore yet again. Patrick Willis will continue to dominate for the defence, and the secondary is greatly improved.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars: This is a lot lower than they should be, but I don`t think Torry Holt is the answer at WR. David Garrard and the offence will be better, but they missed their window when the defence was among the best in the league.
26. Denver Broncos: The Jay Cutler era is over, and now they are forced to search for John Elway yet again. The defence blows, and the running game could be a disaster without Mike Shanahan. Actually, this team could be a disaster without him.
27. Kansas City Chiefs: The team made the right move getting Matt Cassell. If they get Larry Johnson focused, the offence could be really good. However, the defence is lacking in almost every area. The transition to the 3-4 defence may not go as well as planned.
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The QB situation appears to be stable now with Byron Leftwich keeping the seat warm for Josh Freeman. But, the defence is a joke, and there will be serious problems dividing the carries in their loaded-yet-average backfield.
29. Cleveland Browns: Maybe the biggest mystery behind this QB competition is whether or not it matters anymore. They have no proven WRs after Braylon Edwards, they have a RB on the decline, and no big-names on defence.
30. St Louis Rams: The potential is there with Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson. But, their WR corps is a joke. The defence hasn`t got much better, and they traded away their best DB. A team going in the wrong direction. They better hope Sam Bradford is ready to go next year.
31. Oakland Raiders: Just when you think they are turning a corner, they cut Jeff Garcia and trade for Richard Seymour. What a mess Al Davis has made yet again. JaMarcus Russell needs to make big strides this year if the Raiders want to win more than 2 games.
32. Detroit Lions: Until they win a game, how could they be anywhere else. Matthew Stafford brings hope, but so did Joey Harrington. Kevin Smith is a gem, and Calvin Johnson is one of the best WRs in the league. But, did the defence improve enough to get them a win.

Until next time...hopefully not another five months