The Official Unbiased Ebony Bird Power Rankings
By Casey Durkin
Here are the official power rankings for Ebony Bird. Power rankings do not predict the outcome of a season, they simply rank the teams from 1-32; 1 being the strongest and 32 the lowly of the low. It would be great for you to leave critiques and your own power rankings by commenting at the bottom. Well, here ya go:
- Pittsburgh Steelers- As much as this pains me to do, it has to be done. They are the world champions and until they are knocked off, they are number one. If defenses truly do win championships, then this is a team that is most certainly championship caliber. Your Baltimore Ravens will square off against the black and gold in weeks 12 and 16, so in the words of T.O., “Get your popcorn ready!”
- New England Patriots- Expect Tom Brady to bounce back and the Patriots to resume at top form. Don’t expect another 16-0 regular season but 13 wins isn’t a stretch either.
- San Diego Chargers- Last year’s top scoring team hasn’t lost a step. LT is recovered from his ankle injury. Phillip Rivers has another year under his belt, and seems to be building a “Manning to Harrison” relationship with wideout Vincent Jackson. On the defensive side of the ball, the Bolts get back one of the most effective pass rushers in the game with OLB Shawne Merriman. Look for Norv Turner to get the Chargers off to a quick start unlike last year when they broke out the gates with a 4-8 record, only to catch fire in the last 4th of the season.
- New York Giants- The New York football Giants remain atop the NFC, but they did take a few steps back. The losses of RB Derrick Ward and Eli Manning’s favorite downfield target, WR Plaxico Burress will be detrimental. However, it is the loss on the other side of the ball that will hurt them the most. Without defensive guru Steve Spagnuolo, look for the ferocious front seven to be a bit more tamed this year. Other than that they still have the best offensive line in football, and a great coach in Tom Coughlin.
- Carolina Panthers- Throughout most of the season last year, the Panthers looked like a force to be reckoned with out of the NFC. However, the D faltered late in the season leaving the Panthers reeling in the playoffs. With a new defensive coordinator and LB Jon Beason coming into his own, this defense is poised to match the double headed beast in the backfield, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.
- Tennessee Titans- The Titans boasted the best record during the regular season in the whole NFL. The loss of Haynesworth up front on D will hurt, but a healthy Kyle Vanden Bosch and Jevon Kearse makes the Titans’ defensive ends some of the best in the business. With this team’s nucleus intact they are pointed straight to Miami, let’s just see if Kerry Collins has enough left in the tank to get them there.
- Indianapolis Colts- Sure Tony Dungy is gone, but his replacement came within the system, and has been a key component to their dominance over the past few seasons. With Peyton Manning under center and a solid secondary don’t expect the Colts to snap their 6 year streak with 12 or more wins.
- Philadelphia Eagles- The Cheesesteak Nation should be extremely happy with what they see on paper. A revamped O-line for McNabb. A few more weapons on the offensive side of the ball in McCoy and Maclin. Despite the loss of Brian Dawkins the Eagles still boast one of the top secondaries in the league. If the offensive line can gel quickly, the Eagles have an outside shot at vying for a spot in Super Bowl 44.
- BALTIMORE RAVENS- The moment you have all been waiting for. Maybe a bit later than you may have wanted but I have my reasoning and it seems that the Ravens enjoy being underdogs. Our purple warriors should return to post behind the Steelers and in a wild card spot, but this year the Ravens will make our hearts beat a bit quicker. With the loss of our super-mind Rex Ryan, and his kidnapping of Bart Scott our D appears to have dropped a few Madden points. On the offensive side of the ball if we don’t find a suitable replacement for Derrick Mason, Flacco could struggle. On the other side it appears that Ray Rice will be involved in the offense a bit more this year, and Flacco is a year wiser. This season could be trouble, but with the steady leadership of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis the defense should bounce back. With Cam Cameron coordinating the O, I think our season should work out just fine. Fingers crossed.
- Atlanta Falcons- Last year’s second best rookie quarterback and new head coach driven team should continue on the right path. With added target TE Tony Gonzalez, and standout wideout Roddy White Matt Ryan should flourish. With the ground game of Michael Turner, HotLanta should be one of the top offenses next year.
- Green Bay Packers- With one of the most potent passing attacks in the game, the Pack will do just fine on the offensive side of the ball. The defense has 6 relatively easy games in the beginning of the season to get their transition from a 4-3 defense to the 3-4 formation already utilized by the top defenses in the league: Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
- New Orleans Saints- They have the best offense in the league. Drew Brees carved up secondaries and gave defensive coordinators fits. With a bulked up defense to go with a high octane offens; New Orleans will be a team to be reckoned with.
- Dallas Cowboys- Without the distractions Romo will…fall flat on his face anyway. But wait! Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice swoop in and save the day. This triple threat is one of the best, and the ‘Boys will stay alive led by them.
- Miami Dolphins- The originators of the wildcat offense will continue to grow, and will challenge for a wild card spot behind the Patriots.
- Arizona Cardinals- Last year’s playoff run was a fluke. Warner is a year older, and this defense is less than decent. However, due to an easy division and Larry Fitzgerald (yeah, he’s that good) the Cardinals will be knocking at the playoffs door come January.
Best of the Rest:
Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams
Worst of the Worst:
Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders