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Dan Grenda's NFL Power Rankings
(Last Update: Aug. 23, 2007)

  1. New England Patriots
    After losing in a heart-breaking battle in the AFC Championship to the Colts, the Patriots finally decided to go big this offseason. The Patriots had wide receiver trouble in their last game, so they did the smart thing and added such players as Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte' Stallworth, and Kelly Washington. Tom Brady should be very happy with the front office's decision to give him more weapons.

    The Patriots even struck gold on the defensive side of the ball with the addition of Adalius Thomas, the athletic linebacker out of Baltimore. With all of these additions, and the fact they were five points away from the Super Bowl with their starting wide receiver being Reche Caldwell, it is pretty much Super Bowl or bust for the New England Patriots.

  2. Indianapolis Colts
    The Colts have had a pretty rough offseason so far. They lost Nick Harper, Cato June, Mike Doss, Dominic Rhodes, and Montae Reagor to free agency, but the Colts can never be counted out when Peyton Manning is under center. They added new receiver Anthony Gonzalez through the draft to produce behind Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Tony Ugoh, another high pick, will be able to replace Tarik Glenn. If they play defense and stop the run the way they did in the 2006 playoffs, it will be very hard to stop the Colts from repeating.

  3. San Diego Chargers
    The Chargers had the best regular season in 2006, but apparently didn't show during the playoffs when the lost to the “classless” New England Patriots at home. San Diego has had a quiet offseason with no real signings, but that may be because there are no real weaknesses on the roster. The biggest move of the offseason was the re-signing of guard Kris Dielman, who inked a long-term contract in March.

    It will be interesting to see if Norv Turner and 2006 MVP LaDainian Tomlinson can take this very talented team and get them to the Super Bowl, which isn't too far out of reach.

  4. Denver Broncos
    Not many teams can say they were aggressive as the Denver Broncos this offseason. Mike Shanahan completely revamped the roster when he added such players as Daniel Graham, Patrick Ramsey, D.D Lewis, Dre Bly, Travis Henry, and Brandon Stokely. The Broncos addressed the defensive line, which was a must, when they selected defensive end Jarvis Moss, and defensive tackle Marcus Thomas through the draft. It wasn't all positive though; Damien Nash and Darrent Williams both lost their lives.

    With the addition of Dre Bly to accompany Champ Bailey and the emerging Jay Cutler under center, there is no reason to believe the Broncos can't challenge the Chargers for the AFC West title.

  5. New Orleans Saints
    The Saints had to address defense this offseason, and that is exactly what they did. They signed players on every aspect of the defense to make sure Rex Grossman wouldn't tear them apart again. Safety Kevin Kaesviharn was added, as well as linebacker Brian Simmons and cornerback Jason David. The David signing was huge because that means Fred Thomas will not start.

    The Saints lost Joe Horn to Atlanta, but that shouldn't matter too much, because young starters like Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, and rookie Robert Meachem should step in, which happened last year when Horn was injured down the stretch. There is no question Drew Brees can lead this team far into the playoffs, but can he do it with this very young Saints roster?

  6. Chicago Bears
    The 2006 NFC champions faced a lot of problems this offseason. First, they had to put up with the disgruntled linebacker Lance Briggs, when he stated “I will never play a down for Chicago again.” Second, they shopped running back Thomas Jones to the New York Jets for a second-round draft pick.

    Some may see this as a down year, but the Bears will be getting dominant defensive tackle Tommie Harris back, who can change an offensive game plan on his own. If Rex Grossman can eliminate his mistakes, there is a very good chance of the Bears repeating as NFC champs. Even if he doesn't, Devin Hester can just return every kick for a touchdown.

  7. Seattle Seahawks
    Even with all the injuries last season, the Seattle Seahawks were a few yards away from the NFC Championship. The Seahawks' offensive line was switched almost every game, and led to their downfall in Chicago. They added defensive end Patrick Kerney from Atlanta to help the pass rush, which was lacking last year after a dominating 50 sacks in 2005. They also added safeties Deon Grant and Brian Russell to help the secondary after Ken Hamlin's departure to Dallas. If this team can stay healthy, they can very well go back to their 2005 form where they made their first ever Super Bowl trip.

  8. New York Jets
    It was simply amazing what Eric Mangini was able to do last season with all of the holes on the roster. Even with a fragile quarterback, no running game, and an average defense, Mangini was able to take his team to the playoffs, only to lose to his old friend in Bill Belichick.

    All they did was get better this offseason, the biggest move being the trade for running back Thomas Jones, who will finally give the Jets a clear No. 1 starter. They drafted solid players such as cornerback Darrelle Revis, and middle linebacker David Harris. It's too bad they are in the same division as the Patriots, but it is very likely they will be pushing for another playoff spot in 2007.



  9. Baltimore Ravens
    The Ravens are in a very tough situation. They lost linebacker Adalius Thomas and offensive tackle Tony Pashos. Jamal Lewis left for Cleveland, but he was replaced by Willis McGahee, who should be an instant upgrade. It looks as if Steve McNair's career is nearing an end, so the Ravens need to make a run quickly, or they may be stuck with another possible Anthony Wright-Kyle Boller situation, which was obviously the downfall of the team for the past couple of years.

  10. Dallas Cowboys
    I have only one problem with the Cowboys offseason thus far, and that was the overpaying of first-round bust offensive tackle Leonard Davis. Other than that, they were able to keep key players such as center Andre Gurode and offensive tackle Marc Colombo. They also added safety Ken Hamlin to improve the secondary. They drafted underrated defensive end Anthony Spencer, who should be a great player in this league for years to come. With Tony Romo having another year of experience, and the NFC East getting weaker by the minute, the Cowboys should, at this point, be favorites to win the division.

  11. Jacksonville Jaguars
    It looks like the Jaguars will give the Byron Leftwich-David Garrard era one more chance. Reggie Nelson and Tony Pashos were great additions.

  12. Philadelphia Eagles
    The Eagles will take a slide this season, but Andy Reid and crew can very well prove me wrong, which they have done numerous times in the past.

  13. San Francisco 49ers
    If Alex Smith can keep improving, and Frank Gore can have a repeat performance from last year, the San Francisco 49ers will contend for the NFC title come January.

  14. Carolina Panthers
    If it weren't for having such a great draft, the Panthers would be very lower on this list. This may be John Fox's last season to make something happen in Carolina, so he better make it good after having such a disappointing campaign last year.

  15. Pittsburgh Steelers
    It will be interesting to see if Big Ben can overcome all the adversity from last season, and lead his team to the playoffs in 2007. It will be a tough task though, considering it is very difficult to grab a playoff spot in the taxing AFC.

  16. Cincinnati Bengals
    It's becoming an annual event for the Cincinnati Bengals to always underachieve despite the talent they have. It must be because their players have a habit of going to jail.


  17. St. Louis Rams
    The Rams will be scary on offense this year, after acquiring many key role players to an already explosive offense.

  18. Arizona Cardinals
    Oh no, not again. I'm falling for it, aren't I? The yearly Arizona Cardinals bandwagon has begun, and once again I'm jumping aboard. These are the Cardinals, who have only one playoff victory in the Super Bowl era, so maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up.

  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    I really like what the Buccaneers did this offseason (Jeff Garcia, Jerramy Stevens, Luke Petitgout, Gaines Adams, etc.) As it stands right now, Tampa Bay is the most underrated team going into the season.

  20. Atlanta Falcons
    No Michael Vick, but the Falcons still have a great defense and stout rushing attack. Joey Harrington might be a better pure passer.

  21. New York Giants
    The New York football Giants took some hits this offseason, losing key players that played big parts in their recent playoff runs. This is the year that will make or break Eli Manning.

  22. Buffalo Bills
    The Bills are younger and faster, but I'm not sure if they are better.

  23. Detroit Lions
    I'm starting to think that Matt Millen is going to run this team forever. Surprisingly, the Lions had a very good offseason. It may take another year, but this roster has tons of talent and could challenge for a playoff spot in the near future.

  24. Green Bay Packers
    Like Millen, it seems as if Bret Favre is going to be with his organization forever. In my mind, this is his last year, and he'll try his best to go out with a bang. That said, Green Bay had the chance to take a step forward this offseason, but they may have just taken another step back.

  25. Kansas City Chiefs
    The Chiefs defense is just not good enough to carry this team, so it will have to rely on its troubled offense to contribute. We all saw what Indianapolis did to them in the playoffs, which may not be a positive sign of things to some.


    Sports Tickets

  26. Minnesota Vikings
    The Vikings' season will rely on a young quarterback with below-average wide receivers. Worse comes to worse, maybe Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor can carry the Vikings offense.

  27. Tennessee Titans
    If it weren't for Vince Young, this team would be the worst in the league. Tennessee failed to address many needs this offseason and they will pay for it in the long run.

  28. Cleveland Browns
    What a dream draft for the Cleveland Browns. Not only did they grab a franchise left tackle with the No. 3 pick, but they were still able to acquire their hometown hero in Brady Quinn.

  29. Oakland Raiders
    The Raiders will be much better in 2007 than last year, but that's not saying much. Give them a few years before they start competing again.

  30. Washington Redskins
    The defense better stay healthy this season, or this team is in trouble.

  31. Miami Dolphins
    After being one of last offseason's Super Bowl favorites, the Dolphins are now the favorite to be one of the league's worst teams.

  32. Houston Texans
    I don't see the logic in trading for quarterback Matt Schaub when all of us know that the Texans' problems have sorely been on their offensive line. Schaub will be killed just like David Carr was for all those years. Charley Casserly may have set this team back five years with the stupid decisions he made when he was general manager.


    Agree or disagree with something Dan Grenda wrote? You can send him an e-mail here: seahawk719@yahoo.com

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Dan's Other Columns:
2007: 2007 NFL Power Rankings - Aug. 23, 2007
2007 NFL Draft Grades - Aug. 13, 2007

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