Top Five- Bottom Three

August is upon us and some teams have already established themselves as favorites in their respective conferences.  Between returning starters and new additions, the offseason has dictated some preseason favorites to win it all.  On the other side of the ball, certain teams have been eliminated from competition before a regular season game has occurred.  Whether it was a bad draft, no significant signings, or a major injury, these teams will be fighting to stay out of the basement all season.Still at the top of the National Football League is the New England Patriots.  The Super Bowl Champions were not without their losses.  Offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss went the way of the college game to take the head coaching position at his alma mater, Notre Dame, and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel has his shot with the Cleveland Browns.  As though these losses were not enough, Tedy Bruschi, star linebacker and team leader, is sitting out the season due to a stroke he suffered.  A contributor at linebacker, Ted Johnson, also left the team as he retired.  Despite these losses, among others that the Patriots suffered, this team is still the defending champions.  They still have won three of the past four Super Bowls.  We will find out this year what Bill Belichick is really made of as a coach.  Defensively the Patriots added Duane Starks to boost the corner position and signed Chad Brown to help contribute to their pass rush.  Offensively the Patriots can still pound the ball with Corey Dillon.  Most importantly, though, is quarterback Tom Brady.  Brady may be the most composed and best big game quarterback in the game today.  As long as he is on the field, the Patriots will be in contention come January.

New England’s competitor in the Super Bowl was the Philadelphia Eagles.  They will look to contend once again this season despite the circus that is Terrell Owens.  The contract squabble that is going on in Philadelphia has caused quite the distraction in Eagles camp.  Not only has Owens focused the attention on himself, but his absence has left the Eagles with very little at the wide out position.  Todd Pinkston, arguably the Eagles second best receiver is out with an injury and Freddie Mitchell is no longer around.  This inexperience will hurt the passing game.  McNabb though is a winner, and if they can get Brian Westbrook into the game again, the Eagles offense will be good enough to challenge in the relatively weak NFC once again.

Another camp is having some troubles with their star receiver and this camp resides in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  Hines Ward was said to be the Steelers top priority last season after asking for an extension.  No deal has gotten done and Ward has not been to camp.  Pittsburgh has had a receiver step up though.  With the absence of Plaxico Burress, it was thought that Antwaan Randle El would step into the starting lineup.  While that is still possible, former San Francisco 49er Cedrick Wilson has dazzled in camp.  Wilson’s speed and quickness has shown as he has become the front-runner to start alongside Ward (if he returns).  New addition Heath Miller is also going to help in the passing game to help ensure star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can build on his first season where he won his first 14 games.  The Steelers are also going have to deal with injuries as they are going to miss starting running back Duce Staley and outside linebacker Joey Porter for a month.  Jerome Bettis, along with young backs Willie Parker and Verron Haynes can fill Staley’s role while James Harrison and his feistiness will fit right in with the aggressive defense that the Steelers have.

The offensive juggernaut, which also goes by the name of the Indianapolis Colts, will once again be favorites in the AFC.  There are three reasons why: QB Peyton Manning, WR Marvin Harrison, and RB Edgerrin James.  The `big three’ of the Colts provide a potent aerial and ground assault that few defenses can stop.  Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, and when he returns, Brandon Stokely, provide very nice complements on offense.  Defensively the Colts only need to improve to the middle of the pack to significantly increase their chances of making it to the Super Bowl.  Dwight Freeney is the key here.  He once again has to have a great year at defensive end to spark some emotion and playmaking ability into the Colts defense.  First round draft choice, Marlin Jackson is expected to add toughness to the defensive backfield.  The rookie cornerback has great size and will have the ability to cover and defend against the run.  This team will be the favorites to win the AFC South.

The offseason champions just may have been the Minnesota Vikings.  Despite losing Randy Moss, the Vikings add Napoleon Harris at linebacker, defensive tackle Pat Williams, cornerback Fred Smoot, safety Darren Sharper, linebacker Sam Cowart, and wide receiver Travis Taylor.  The Vikes also added talented rookies Troy Williamson at receiver, Erasmus James at defensive end, and Ciatrick Fason at running back.  Factor in young linebacker E.J. Henderson and defensive end Kenechi Udeze and the Vikings have a much upgraded defense that will now be able to help out the offense.  Daunte Culpepper should be happy to have a young stable of running backs behind him as well has Nate Burleson to take over for Moss.  If Mike Tice can keep the Vikings from their annual fade, Minnesota will be Super Bowl contenders.

Other teams do not nearly have as much hope.  You may ask yourself, why are there five teams that stand out on top, but only three on the bottom.  Well this question is easy to answer, each of the other teams not listed have a legitimate shot to at least make a little bit of noise at some point during this season.  There are really only three teams that at this point do not look like they have any chance at even reaching the seven win mark.

Chicago was one team that could have been on the rise.  Muhsin Muhammad was brought in to help Rex Grossman out.  Cedrick Benson was going to be the big back carrying the load and the Bears, with Lovie Smith as head coach, could have been expected to have a strong defense.  That all took a hit when Grossman went down in a preseason game with a broken ankle.  This is the second straight season that he has missed significant time due to an injury.  The latest injury not only impedes his own progress, but also that of the team.  Chad Hutchinson is expected to start the season, and that is never a good sign for your team.  Chicago is slowly adding talent, but it is not enough for now and without their starting quarterback, there is little hope heading into this season.

Romeo Crennel went from one of the most successful teams in recent memory to a team that has been in disarray since re-entering the NFL.  Cleveland is a talent starved team right now.  The Browns are switching to a 3-4 defense, which they do not currently have the personnel for.  A 3-4 defense all starts out with the nose tackle.  This typically calls for a stout, heavy player who can take up two blockers on every given play.  Cleveland does not have anyone who fits this bill.  Next you need playmaking linebackers.  Andra Davis may fit that bill, but that is about it.  Teams should also have a decent secondary.  Gary Baxter is OK at corner.  Brodney Pool and Sean Jones could be something at safety, but that is yet to be seen.  The offense is a whole other animal.  The offensive line has yet to come together.  Jeff Faine at center, with Joe Andruzzi at guard, and L.J. Shelton at tackle are a decent group, but there is much room for improvement.  Running behind this line should be Lee Suggs.  He has the size and speed to be the feature back for Cleveland.  Antonio Bryant and Braylon Edwards could make a formidable receiving duo.  The problem is that Trent Dilfer has to get them the ball.  Dilfer has never been known has a great quarterback.  He is more to the level of average.  All of this will lead to a lot of growing pains for the Browns, but growing pains is better than going backwards, which is what they have been doing.

With the first overall selection, the San Francisco 49ers select…ok, it is too early to project who will go to the 49ers in next year’s draft, but it is a good bet that they will once again have the top overall selection.  Rookie quarterback Alex Smith is the perfect fit for the West Coast offense that San Francisco runs.  He is smart, can move around, and is accurate.  The only trait that may benefit Smith this year is his mobility as he does not have a good line in front of him.  Smith will have to depend a lot on Kevan Barlow, who 49ers fans will hope to get back to form.  There is also no standout receiver for Smith to go to.  Rashaun Woods and Brandon Lloyd both have potential to be a number two or three guy and Arnaz Battle who could be a three or four.  This means tight end Eric Johnson may have to handle the bulk of the load.  This should not be a problem as Johnson reeled in 82 receptions last season.  First year head coach Mike Nolan will also have to work hard with his defense.  Another team going to the 3-4, he will have the same problem as the Brown’s have, lack of personnel.  Andre Carter and Julian Peterson both may be impact linebackers.  Ahmed Plummer, Shawntae Spencer, and Mike Rumph give the 49ers a decent group of corners.  Despite these few bright spots, San Francisco has a long way to go and will just look to develop Alex Smith in what they hope will be another great quarterback in the Bay Area.

The NFL has proven to be one of the most unpredictable pro sports out there, but how these eight teams will fair are good bets for when it comes to making your predictions for this upcoming season.  So while strange things can happen in the NFL from year to year, next April you will see San Francisco, Cleveland, and Chicago near the top of the first round, while New England, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Minnesota will bookend the bottom.