Tuesday, August 28, 2012

NFL Preaseason Powerpoll Part 1


My preview for the NFL season will consists of a 4 part power ranking of the 32 teams.  I’m dividing teams into categories and beginning with my prediction of the worst teams in the NFL, teams that I would guarantee will not be making the playoffs this season because quite frankly they aren’t that good.  Yes I do realize that in all likelihood one of these teams will be making the playoffs and making me look like an idiot, so without further ado here are the NFL’s bad teams:
1.       Cleveland Browns
Ah the Cleveland Browns , the perpetual loser, which I’m not sure as a Bills fan I can really say but guess what I’m sticking with it.  I know this about the team they took a running back in the 1st round, a decision that almost never pans out, look at my Buffalo Bills, they have drafted 3 running backs in the 1st round since 2003 and guess what… their best running back over that time frame is undrafted free agent Fred Jackson.  The team also took 28 year old Brandon Weeden in the 1st round and look the track record of teams doing that isn’t horrible… mainly because it doesn’t exist only Chris Weinke and Roger Staubach have been that old when they made their NFL debut so I don’t know how to judge that.  Really though the Browns offense is just atrocious, they don’t have any playmakers, and I have no confidence in their quarterback play.  The defense was pretty good last season, but come on Dick Jauron is their defensive coordinator not a real way to inspire confidence. 
2.       Minnesota Vikings
This is the one team on this list that I think has the best chance of making me look stupid.  The team talent wise has a young potential breakout quarterback, a solid running game, and a talented defense.  The reason I think it will struggle though is that I think Christian Ponder is at least a year away from emerging in the league.  Adrian Peterson is coming back from a torn ACL and I don’t care how great an athlete you are it takes 2 years to fully recover from that injury.  Unless of course you are Mariano Rivera who I think is in fact a zombie so he doesn’t count.  Then the defense was really bad last season and is really old so I don’t see them emerging next season. 
3.       Miami Dolphins
If there is one team that talent wise should be higher on this list it should be the Dolphins.  This team last year had an expected record of 8.5-7.5 and was above average offensively and defensively.  In the last 9 games the team went 6-3 only losing to the Eagles, Patriots and Cowboys during that time.  The reason I see this team being so bad is that they replaced the extremely underrated Matt Moore with a quarterback who in the Big 12 was average last year in Ryan Tannehill.  That is such a downgrade in quarterback play I believe that it changes them from a fringe playoff contender to a bottom 5 team in the NFL. 
4.       St. Louis Rams
I actually might be overrating how good this year’s Rams will be.  It was a team that went 2-14 last year and I am not sure if they improved in any way.  They had the worst offense in football along with an atrocious defense last year with really no top of the line players on either side of the football.  The only justifiable reason I don’t have them lower is that I think Sam Bradford will take some strides forward next season and that honestly you can’t get much worse than last season for the Rams.
5.       Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs were a deceptively awful team last season and personally I don’t see any real reason they would be any better.  Last year’s 7 win team had an expected record of 4-12 so for one that is a huge red flag for regression.  Let’s put it this way, the Chiefs had a record 3 wins better than their actual record while Tim Tebow’s God Blessed Broncos had a record 2.2 wins better.  This means last year’s Chiefs were luckier than what is considered one of the luckiest teams most people have ever seen.  Looking at the team though they have an above average defense with an atrocious offense!  This offense has an average quarterback with a bad group of receivers and a bad offensive line.  The only real sign of hope is Jamaal Charles who is coming back from a torn ACL.  Also Romeo Crennel is there coach that never helps matters.
6.       Jacksonville Jaguars
Really the Jacksonville Jaguars have very little going their way as a franchise right now.  They have a horrible owner, low attendance, a bad quarterback and their star player is in a mess of a holdout.  They couldn’t even land Tim Tebow to come lead them to football wins with the help of Jesus Christ.  As a franchise right now I think their best case scenario is that they are the worst team in football and they land Matt Barkley.
7.       Arizona Cardinals
These guys to me are the lowest of the low among football teams.  They have a putrid offense, a putrid defense and really only one blue chip type player, the magnificent Larry Fitzgerald.  Really though what does Arizona have going for it right now.  They have gotten lucky with return touchdowns and turnovers their last 2 seasons defensively and only don’t have a great turnover differential because of how often they throw interceptions.  Their actual record was one game better than their expected record, and they didn’t win a game last season decided by more than 7 points, including going 4-0 in overtime games.  Also their quarterback will probably be John Skelton.  

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