The real top 10

[jayviabay]

1 San Francisco
2 Denver
3 Seattle
4 Atlanta
5 Baltimore
6 Green Bay
7 Houston
8 Indy
9 New York (NFC)
10 New England

 

[USCDoom]

C'mon Man!!! How badly did you want to install the Bucs in that #12 spot instead of the Lions ?

I had them as the #5 seed in my early predictions before Barth got hurt and Nicks looks like he might take longer to heal up. Right now I would rank them #15.

 

[USCDoom]

This is the Biggest Joke of a top 10 list I have ever seen. He includes Cinici, St. Louis, Indy, Detroit but the Seahawks, Bears, Saints, Redskins get left out and they will all be better than the teams that are a joke to be on the list.

I listed the playoff teams I think will make it this year. Teams might be better but if they dont make the playoff then who cares. Lions and Rams went as far as the Bears did last year, No reason to think they dont go further this year. I would like to see your Top teams list...

 

[SoCalWizFan]

Why not 12, that is how many playoff teams there are. This is how I rank them based on what I think they will do this year.

1. Atlanta
2. San Fransisco
3. Denver
4. Green Bay
5. Houston
6. New York Giants
7. Cincinnati
8. St. Louis
9. Indianapolis
10. Baltimore
11. New England
12. Detroit

The Rams & the Lions as the WCs instead of the Seahawks. What? I am not a fan of any of those teams, but this sounds a bit off.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

BTW UscDoom - since your list is garbage I am glad that you did not include my team on the list. These predictions are pretty much a waste time anyhow in the NFL since it generally does not go according to form most years. How many people honestly picked the Ravens to win the SB at the beginning of last season? We could also be totally shocked this season.

 

[cdumler7]

After 2010, they lost:

Derrick Mason - Starter
Todd Heap - Starter
Leron McClain - Starter
Kelly Gregg - Starter
Dawan Landry - Starter
Josh Wilson - Starter
Fabian Washington - Starter (beginning of 2010, replaced by Webb during the season, but still the nickel CB)

They also lost Willis McGahee and Chris Chester who were very important backups who went on to be starters for the teams they signed with.

No team lost more that year. Many actually dubbed 2011 as a rebuilding year for the Ravens.

I give you that the intangibles lost with Lewis and Reed are a different dynamic this year, but there is still a great deal of veteran leadership on this team that has simply rested in the shadows of those two great leaders. The "true" leadership of the Ravens rests in the ownership, front office and coaching staff.

You also need to factor in that the Lewis and Reed losses are greatly offset by the returns of a healthy Webb and Suggs.

I totally get where you are coming from, but there is a tremendous amount of both talent and leadership on this team. Ozzie is a mastermind of both the draft and free agent additions (that are more about fitting the character of the team than big names). There are many players ready to step up who will be huge free agent signings of other teams two years down the road (like Ellerbe, Kruger, Cary Williams, etc.). You also need to factor in signings like Dumervil, Huff, Canty and Daryl Smith who are hungry for success. This isn't even counting what I feel could be their best and deepest draft in years (including the one that netted them Flacco and Rice).

They definitely loss some that year but other than Mason and Heap I would say the others were mainly just role players. Yes they might have been starters but some of them aren't even in the league anymore. There is a difference between losing a big name guy like Ray Lewis or Ed Reed compared to guys like Kelly Gregg who nobody outside of Baltimore really knows who he is (I guess he did play a year in KC but definitely do not remember the guy whenever the Broncos played him).

Ozzie has been great at making sure this team is talent rich. The only thing I would worry about with the Ravens is when they need that leadership to push the team just like Ray Lewis saying it was his last year right before the playoffs is there somebody who can truly do that on the field. Or on offense when they have to have a first down is there somebody who can do what Boldin did last year with just making ridiculous catches while triple covered sometimes. I guess we will find out those answers soon enough. Good luck to your Ravens.

 

[DaBearsShowPride]

I listed the playoff teams I think will make it this year. Teams might be better but if they dont make the playoff then who cares. Lions and Rams went as far as the Bears did last year, No reason to think they dont go further this year. I would like to see your Top teams list...

My Preseason Top 10 would be.

1. 49ers
2. Broncos
3. Seahawks
4. Packers
5. Texans
6. Ravens
7. Giants
8. Falcons
9. Redskins
10. Steelers (Wild Card Pick)

 

[Attractive and Rich]

Yeah...because standing pat with the same roster has been proven to be the formula for sustained success.

Consistency is definitely something that has worked...

 

[Money]

Consistency is definitely something that has worked...

So overpaying to keep players and holding on to older veterans too long is the ticket to success? Thankfully Ozzie Newsome feels differently.