The season ended less than 12 hours ago and we have no idea if or when a new CBA will be agreed upon. No free agents have signed, no trades have been made, no draft picks have been selected. And yet, I offer you my top 10 rankings for 2011.
1. Green Bay. This is the one team we were all worried about heading into the playoffs, and for good reason. They were picked by many to win the SB this year before the season began, and for good reason. They're really good with a great QB. Young, resilient, good on both sides of the ball. They're a force to be reckoned with, and they just won the championship. Can't fairly put anyone else in the top spot. The good news is that it's very hard to repeat (only one team has repeated since 2000), so maybe we'll see a drop off.
2. New England. The reigning MVP and coach of the year. A 14-2 record. The #1 offense and the youngest defense in the league, which had improved considerably in the 2nd half of the year. Tons of $$ to play with and a boatload of high draft picks. It all adds up to a top tier team, no matter how you slice it.
3. Pittsburgh. They're really good, built for ongoing excellence. I don't see them going away.
4. New Orleans. They have some RB issues, but they are also an excellent team. Brees is remarkable, and I don't see him having quite so many INTs as last year, which really hurt them. Don't be surprised by a big rebound year in 2011.
5. Baltimore. The Ravens are solid in every aspect. I think Flacco continues to improve. The D is getting a little older (Lewis, Suggs, Reed, etc.), but they should have enough for one more big year. Their problem is that they're in the same division as the Steelers.
6. NY Jets. I don't like them, and the Rex Ryan "We're gonna win it all this year....and this time, I really mean it!" schtick is going to get old at some point, but this team has a lot of talent. Sanchez is still not exactly an all-pro, but he was better in 2010 than he was in 2009, and should be better still in 2011. They're going to be a real pain in the butt, even though they're going to lose several key guys.
7. San Diego. I expect a bounce-back season from the Chargers. They have a lot of good players, and Rivers is excellent. They'll start off 2-3 or something like that and end up with 10 or 11 wins and go into the playoffs as one of those "teams you don't want to face". But you'll end up beating them (unless you're the Colts) because they still have Norv Turner as their head coach.
8. Indianapolis. They are on the back nine for sure, but I think that they'll have one more really good season left in them. Call it between 10-12 wins and they'll be a team that scares us as Pats fans. We may make fun of Peyton Manning, but we will not be comfortable if, in the divisional round of the playoffs, he has the ball with 2 minutes to go down 5 points. Not comfortable at all.
9. Atlanta. They probably won't be as good as they were this past season, but they'll still be solid. Mike Smith is an outstanding coach and they have excellent skill position guys in Ryan, Turner, and White.
10. Dallas. Big rebound year from the Cowboys, who played very hard under Jason Garrett. They have tons of talented players, and I think they'll win the NFC East next year. Still not sold on Romo in the playoffs but if he's healthy, they'll make some noise during the regular season.
Others to consider: Philly, NY Giants, Chicago
1. Green Bay. This is the one team we were all worried about heading into the playoffs, and for good reason. They were picked by many to win the SB this year before the season began, and for good reason. They're really good with a great QB. Young, resilient, good on both sides of the ball. They're a force to be reckoned with, and they just won the championship. Can't fairly put anyone else in the top spot. The good news is that it's very hard to repeat (only one team has repeated since 2000), so maybe we'll see a drop off.
2. New England. The reigning MVP and coach of the year. A 14-2 record. The #1 offense and the youngest defense in the league, which had improved considerably in the 2nd half of the year. Tons of $$ to play with and a boatload of high draft picks. It all adds up to a top tier team, no matter how you slice it.
3. Pittsburgh. They're really good, built for ongoing excellence. I don't see them going away.
4. New Orleans. They have some RB issues, but they are also an excellent team. Brees is remarkable, and I don't see him having quite so many INTs as last year, which really hurt them. Don't be surprised by a big rebound year in 2011.
5. Baltimore. The Ravens are solid in every aspect. I think Flacco continues to improve. The D is getting a little older (Lewis, Suggs, Reed, etc.), but they should have enough for one more big year. Their problem is that they're in the same division as the Steelers.
6. NY Jets. I don't like them, and the Rex Ryan "We're gonna win it all this year....and this time, I really mean it!" schtick is going to get old at some point, but this team has a lot of talent. Sanchez is still not exactly an all-pro, but he was better in 2010 than he was in 2009, and should be better still in 2011. They're going to be a real pain in the butt, even though they're going to lose several key guys.
7. San Diego. I expect a bounce-back season from the Chargers. They have a lot of good players, and Rivers is excellent. They'll start off 2-3 or something like that and end up with 10 or 11 wins and go into the playoffs as one of those "teams you don't want to face". But you'll end up beating them (unless you're the Colts) because they still have Norv Turner as their head coach.
8. Indianapolis. They are on the back nine for sure, but I think that they'll have one more really good season left in them. Call it between 10-12 wins and they'll be a team that scares us as Pats fans. We may make fun of Peyton Manning, but we will not be comfortable if, in the divisional round of the playoffs, he has the ball with 2 minutes to go down 5 points. Not comfortable at all.
9. Atlanta. They probably won't be as good as they were this past season, but they'll still be solid. Mike Smith is an outstanding coach and they have excellent skill position guys in Ryan, Turner, and White.
10. Dallas. Big rebound year from the Cowboys, who played very hard under Jason Garrett. They have tons of talented players, and I think they'll win the NFC East next year. Still not sold on Romo in the playoffs but if he's healthy, they'll make some noise during the regular season.
Others to consider: Philly, NY Giants, Chicago
