Time for......Off-Season Power Rankings

[red]

we didn't have a pass rush last year, and our o-line was also in shambles then

last year we lost all our running back, and our top reciever, then we found out we only had 1 decent WR left on the roster.

so things haven't changed for the pass rush and the o-line, but you stated our back 7 has improved. i would say we have a lot more talent at WR this year, compared to what we played with last year. our Rb's should be healthy which should be a huge upgrade over what we played with last year. our #1 TE is healthy, or is suppose to be. special teams should be better with the extra depth on the team.

a new head coach, our coach last year was a horrible game day coach, it would be hard for MM to be much worse IMO

the only spot that i see where we are worse off is the kicker, the other spots are the same or improved big time over what we had during the season last year

rb are better just by guys being healthy
qb, the same but our backup looks a lot better
wr, lost javon, but he didn't play last year, jennings and boe are nice additions a long with a lot of other young new guys
o-line- can't get much worse then last year, new system and players can only help
te- a healthy bubba is an upgrade over the injured bubba of last year
de's- the same, maybe a young guy might step up a bit, but the starters haven't changed
DT- grady was an absolute wall when he was in the game, pickett is a younger guy that should be able to stay on the field more. other DT should be improved from last year just because of gaining experience. i call this spot a wash
lb- much better this year if its hawk, hodge and barnett or hawk taylor and barnett. even with 2 rookies starting i think we would be better then last year.
cb- much, much better this year. we now have 2 shut down CB's. say what you will about the injuries to woodson, but if he stays healthy he's in a totaly different class then carrol
s- collins is back with a full year under his belt, and i'd say a rock with moss on it might be a better safety then roman. at worse this year we are the same as last year

k-i'm pretty sure we'll be worse here
p- the same or better

[BallHawk]

Here is how I see us doing...

(A) We play like we did last year and end up in the 5-11, 6-10 area

(B) We surprise every one and win the division with a 10-6, 11-5 record.

I think we're gonna be choice B. I kinda see ourselves as the 2004 San Diego Chargers. A team that bombed the year before and suddenly everything just clicked.

And Power Rankings don't bother me too much, especially when the author puts the Philadelphia Eagles at number 9 and says they're a serious contender in the NFC, even though they are either #3 or #4 in their division.

I will enjoy our climb up the power rankings this season.

[Badgepack]

In the past few years in the NFL, a team will rise from the depths of bottom of the league and make the playoffs. I will assume that will be the Packers this year, because they are my team. Until we have 8 loses or so, that will be my take. We are only 1 season removed from being in the playoffs, we had a ton of injuries and were very close to winning more than 4 games last year.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

i like sportsline powerrankings a lot better and it made more sense to me.

last updated may 16

17 Minnesota Vikings
They've made some nice moves since the end of last year, including drafting Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway in the first round. But can Brad Johnson be the answer at quarterback at his age? Will they regret letting Daunte Culpepper go?


20 Chicago Bears
They were very good on defense last year and so-so on offense, yet they went strong on defense in the draft. What the heck was that all about?

23 Green Bay Packers
Brett Favre decided to play again, which is a good thing. But they still have a lot of questions, starting with running back.

30 Detroit Lions
If they think Jon Kitna and Josh McCown are the long-term answers at quarterback, they better think again. They're serviceable for now, but is that good enough?

if you want to see the rest heres the link:

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/powerrankings

[jack's smirking revenge]

I know you guys want to see the glass as half full, but this team has a lot of problems, and they won't show improvement until they're dealt with.

The back seven on defense is vastly improved from last year, but they still have absolutely zero pass rush... no defense can be effective w/o a pass rush. Their top 10 ranking last year was a mirage... they weren't that good.

On offense, their OL is very unsettled. If you don't have a cohesive OL your offense is going nowhere. Beyond that, their skill position players have all the explosiveness of a fire cracker - w/o a top flight OL, and w/o playmakers at the skill positions, I don't see this offense putting up very good numbers.

If both units produce middle of the pack numbers and rankings... I'll consider that progress.

Add to those problems a completely green Head Coach, and new coordinators on both sides of the ball, and you've got the makings of a very slow start while those guys learn on the job - assuming they even have the mettle to succeed to begin with.

Sorry for this dose of reality, but that's the way it is... Hopefully they can get to 8-8 and build from there in succeeding years, but there are definitely going to be major growing pains this year.

I agree with wist. There are sooooooooooooooooooooooo many question marks with this team. As the ranking stated, it's hard to know what to expect from the Pack. We hear glowing individual reports coming out of the OTAs but we don't know how this team will be with a new coaching staff, new members of the offensive line, Charles Woodson on the corner and AJ Hawk on the line. We just don't know.

The Pack was one of the worst teams in the league last year and I think they deserve to stay there until they prove that they don't belong there.

I'd rather have the media paint us as underdogs and underestimate our talent than pull a "Viking" and glow about how great of an offseason we've had and slot us for the Super Bowl.

To quote Al Pacino from the Devil's Advocate..."Don't get too cocky my boy. No matter how good you are don't ever let them see you coming. That's the gaffe my friend. You gotta keep yourself small. Innocuous. Be the little guy. You know, the nerd... the leper... shit-kickin' surfer. Look at me.....Underestimated from day one. You'd never think I was a master of the universe, now would ya?"

tyler

[havanother]

I don't agree with Minn posted above Chicago. If they flipped those two I would agree. Chicago doesn't have anything to prove, they are Div. champs and although minny has made improvements they have to prove themselves as the top team. Remember last year when MN. was handed the division? Regardless I think the race will be between them this year and we'll be watching while sitting on top of the lions.

[Rastak]

I don't agree with Minn posted above Chicago. If they flipped those two I would agree. Chicago doesn't have anything to prove, they are Div. champs and although minny has made improvements they have to prove themselves as the top team. Remember last year when MN. was handed the division? Regardless I think the race will be between them this year and we'll be watching while sitting on top of the lions.

I agree...plus, when the annual season ending injury happens to Grossman (not hoping either) they'll have Griese.....

[The Leaper]

The back seven on defense is vastly improved from last year, but they still have absolutely zero pass rush... no defense can be effective w/o a pass rush. Their top 10 ranking last year was a mirage... they weren't that good.

I agree that they weren't as good as their simple yardage ranking. However, the BIGGEST key for any defense is creating turnovers. Even Donatell was able to mask the subpar talent on defense when he had a group that created turnovers. If this defense can create 2 turnovers a game, then they have a chance to become a top ten defense.

The DL is subpar in rushing the passer, and needs to improve. However, where you may see the improvement in that area will be at LB...where they have depth and can be much more aggressive in blitzing now that they have greater experience in the secondary. This also is the first year in ages that the defense actually will be running the same scheme they did the year before. Finally, they have a chance to work more on fundamentals and techniques in training camp instead of learning a new system. I find it very reasonable to assume that this defense will be at least marginally better at rushing the QB in 2006.

On offense, their OL is very unsettled. If you don't have a cohesive OL your offense is going nowhere. Beyond that, their skill position players have all the explosiveness of a fire cracker - w/o a top flight OL, and w/o playmakers at the skill positions, I don't see this offense putting up very good numbers.

I disagree. The OL was just as unsettled last year...even moreso IMO. The offense still moved the chains...we had more first downs than our opponents in 2005. What killed the offense last year was not the OL, even though the OL was certainly average at best and at times subpar. Turnovers and not taking advantage of scoring opportunities is what killed this offense in 2005. THREE TURNOVERS A GAME!! I don't care if you have the most settled, dominating OL in the NFL...that many turnovers spells disaster.

Add to those problems a completely green Head Coach, and new coordinators on both sides of the ball, and you've got the makings of a very slow start while those guys learn on the job - assuming they even have the mettle to succeed to begin with.

Who cares. I'm not comparing M3 to Parcells...I'm comparing him to Sherman. Sherman was a miserable in-game coach, and at times last year even dropped the ball completely outside of the game as well. Even a green, inexperienced head coach could easily turn out to do a better job than Sherman did last year. Plenty of green, inexperienced head coaches have done a damn good job recently. M3 may not be one of them...but even if he does a respectable job, it will be a vast improvement over last year.

This team clearly is not a title contender in 2006...and a marginal playoff contender even if several things fall their way. However, the future is bright...and this team is likely going to be much stronger at the end of the year than it was at the beginning. If that is enough to get Favre back in the saddle for 2007...that's good enough for me.

[red]

well said leaper

one thing i will add that i forgot before, but shouldn't be overlooked. I DO think the loss of Bates will have a negative effect on the D, he brought a fire that helped motivate a lot of guys to perform better then maybe they should have.

i hope a guy like Hawk can bring some motivation and intensity that might have been lost with bates

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

I do agree with leaper and other who said the D was not as good as their ranking last year. But this year they made several key additions that will imporve them this season and in future seasons.

1) they upgraded the cornerback position with C. wood
2) Drafting Hawk(starter from day 1) and hodge
3) replacing a old grady jackson with a young pickett.

I will not say manuel is an upgrade b/c he really has done nothing his whole career, but we will see.

In two years from now I really see our D in the top five in the league b/c if you look at all the starter on the D they are all locked up for at least the next two years with no free agents. This will allow them to grow as a unit a and really gel together, all the while playing in the same system. Not to mention next years draft and free agents that could also be added to the unit.

[Tarlam!]

In Germany, they play Soccer as you know. One year, a team called Kaiserslautern were promoted to play in the top division. At the beginning of the year, they were ranked 3rd last out of 18 teams. 2 years previously they were unceremoniously demoted into the 2nd division and had to fight their way back.

Kaiserlautern did something no other team in Europe has ever achieved before or after. They won the Title the year they were promoted. They almost went undefeated.

They changed a few players to the previous coupla year. But, they were so annoyed at being talked down to by the big clubs, they decided to listen to their fans. Those fans compare well to the Lambeau crowds in passion and love for their team.

[Rastak]

In Germany, they play Soccer as you know. One year, a team called Kaiserslautern were promoted to play in the top division. At the beginning of the year, they were ranked 3rd last out of 18 teams. 2 years previously they were unceremoniously demoted into the 2nd division and had to fight their way back.

Kaiserlautern did something no other team in Europe has ever achieved before or after. They won the Title the year they were promoted. They almost went undefeated.

They changed a few players to the previous coupla year. But, they were so annoyed at being talked down to by the big clubs, they decided to listen to their fans. Those fans compare well to the Lambeau crowds in passion and love for their team.

Hey Tarlem, I saw a bunch of their games that year....watched alot of German football that winter......

[Partial]

I agree...plus, when the annual season ending injury happens to Grossman (not hoping either) they'll have Griese.....

[FavreChild]

So...

Bears
Vikings
Lions
Packers

...in that order. Wow, just how they finished last year. Because very little changes from year to year in the NFL.

Power rankings are shoddy, horserace journalism.

Now I'm not saying that making predictions isn't fun - it is. But predicting is different than regurgitation of teams by order of their records from last year. So thanks to those contributing their own actual analysis or actually predicting something other than the expected. Carry on...

[red]

In Germany, they play Soccer as you know. One year, a team called Kaiserslautern were promoted to play in the top division. At the beginning of the year, they were ranked 3rd last out of 18 teams. 2 years previously they were unceremoniously demoted into the 2nd division and had to fight their way back.

Kaiserlautern did something no other team in Europe has ever achieved before or after. They won the Title the year they were promoted. They almost went undefeated.

They changed a few players to the previous coupla year. But, they were so annoyed at being talked down to by the big clubs, they decided to listen to their fans. Those fans compare well to the Lambeau crowds in passion and love for their team.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

keep your pansy soccer crap out of the forum devoted to real football

j/k, i love soccer. i think i played more seasons then i was old up till high school