Rick Gosselins NFL rankings

[dfwbillsfan]

If already posted please merge with the appropriate thread. Rick gives us an accurate ranking in my opinion at 21.

 

http://fwix.com/dallas/share/48229f6bff/ri...rawstory.com%2F

[C.Biscuit97]

If already posted please merge with the appropriate thread. Rick gives us an accurate ranking in my opinion at 21.

 

http://fwix.com/dallas/share/48229f6bff/ri...rawstory.com%2F

 

 

All offseason ratings are pretty dumb but it's nice that one of the best football writers at least did some research. #21 seems pretty fair and his reasoning is solid. Much better than they didn't draft a QB so they will suck,

[DanInUticaTampa]

He predicts we improve! hurrah!

[San Jose Bills Fan]

http://fwix.com/dallas/share/48229f6bff/ri...rawstory.com%2F

 

1. Indianapolis

The Colts were the AFC's best team a year ago despite getting nothing from their running game (No. 32 in NFL) and a disappointing 34 sacks from a pass rush that features two Pro Bowl edge rushers (Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis). Peyton Manning had to shoulder more of the burden than usual, and he responded. He used 2009 to develop two young wideouts into playmakers (Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon) and led seven fourth-quarter, come-from-behind victories. The Colts also overcame 65 games lost by starters because of injury to win the AFC.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 2

 

2. Dallas

Only the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints had a more prolific offense than the Cowboys in 2009. The arrival of WR Dez Bryant gives the Cowboys the best offense in the NFL. QB Tony Romo, HB Marion Barber, WRs Miles Austin and Roy Williams and TE Jason Witten all have been to Pro Bowls, and first-round draft picks Bryant and HB Felix Jones have Pro Bowl potential. The Cowboys will need all of that to survive a schedule that includes games at Indianapolis, Green Bay, Houston and Minnesota. The Saints also visit Cowboys Stadium.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 5

 

3. Baltimore

The Ravens have always won with defense. They reached the AFC semifinals last season with the NFL's third-ranked defense and figure to be even stronger in 2010 with the additions of pass rusher Sergio Kindle and nose tackle Terrence Cody with their first two draft picks. But the offense is no longer just a spare tire – not with the emergence of Ray Rice as a Pro Bowl running back and the arrival of WR Anquan Boldin this offseason in trade. They will help accelerate the development of QB Joe Flacco, who passed for 3,613 yards last season.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 11

 

4. Green Bay

The Packers finished sixth in the NFL in offense and second in defense last season with the youngest roster in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers emerged as a Pro Bowl quarterback, and Green Bay re-emerged as a playoff contender, winning seven of its final eight games to qualify as a wild card. Twenty-one of the 22 starters return with only Aaron Kampman defecting in free agency. First-round draft pick Bryan Bulaga bolsters the blocking front.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 6

 

5. San Diego

LaDainian Tomlinson was the face of the franchise for the last decade. But he left this off-season after averaging only 3.3 yards per carry and gained a career-low 730 yards. The Chargers had already transitioned to a pass-first attack with Pro Bowl QB Philip Rivers and went 13-3 in 2009 with that approach. San Diego used a first-round draft pick on RB Ryan Mathews to balance the attack.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 3

 

6. Minnesota

Pencil Brett Favre in at quarterback. Officially, he remains undecided on his future. Unofficially, Favre underwent ankle surgery last month to restore his mobility. Don't look for Favre to walk away from football following a 4,202-yard, 33-TD passing season. But he's 40. When do his wheels start to wobble? The 21 other starters are back from a team that finished 12-4 and played into overtime in the NFC title game. This team has unfinished business.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 4

 

7. Atlanta

The Falcons return all 22 starters from a 9-7 team, and young QB Matt Ryan has another year under his belt. A healthy RB Michael Turner will energize the NFL's 16th-ranked offense; he missed five games because of injury last season. Coach Mike Smith addressed the NFL's 21st-ranked defense by signing CB Dunta Robinson in free agency and using his first two draft picks on that side of the ball (OLB Sean Weatherspoon, DT Corey Peters).

 

Final 2009 ranking: 15

 

8. New Orleans

The Saints enjoyed a magical season in 2009 – starting with a 13-game chase of perfection and finishing with a first-ever Super Bowl championship. But can New Orleans rebottle that magic? Offensively the Saints will be fine with Drew Brees at the controls. But defensively the Saints took a hit with the free-agent defection of LB Scott Fujita.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 1

 

9. Houston

The Texans have never made the playoffs in their eight years of existence. But Houston has strung together three consecutive nonlosing seasons, highlighted by a 9-7 finish in 2009. The Texans have a Top 5 offense, featuring the game's best WR in Andre Johnson, and some defensive standouts in DE Mario Williams, LBs DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing and SS Bernard Pollard.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 13

 

10. NY Jets

The Jets reached the AFC title game last season with a rookie quarterback. They are sparing no expense to take the next step, signing RB LaDainian Tomlinson and DE Jason Taylor and trading for WR Santonio Holmes and CB Antonio Cromartie. Gone is 1,400-yard rusher Thomas Jones, which will put greater pressure on QB Mark Sanchez.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 12

 

11. New England

Tom Brady is still taking the snaps, but the Patriots have become vulnerable. They have slipped from 16 victories in 2007 to 11 in 2008 to 10 in 2009. Age has caught up with the Patriots, and perennial Pro Bowlers Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Asante Samuel have moved on.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 10

 

12. Cincinnati

Mike Brown can't resist signing troubled-but-

 

talented players. Last season, the Bengals added RB Cedric Benson and DT Tank Johnson and won a division title. This off-season Cincinnati signed WR Antonio Bryant and CB Pacman Jones. But it's QB Carson Palmer and CBs Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph who lead a contender.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 8

 

13. NY Giants

Last October, the Giants were 5-0 and looking every bit the best team in the NFL. But a 3-8 finish left them out of the playoffs. So which team is the real Giants? The defense collapsed, so New York sought some patches by drafting DE Jason Pierre-Paul and signing safety Antrel Rolle.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 20

 

14. Tennessee

The ball is back in the sometimes shaky hands of QB Vince Young, but bank on the Titans calling plenty of handoffs to get the ball into the hands of NFL rushing champ Chris Johnson. The Titans took steps to improve their 28th-ranked defense by drafting pass rusher Derrick Morgan and signing LB Will Witherspoon.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 18

 

15. Miami

The Dolphins needed some dramatic moves this off-season to close the gap on New England and New York in the AFC East. So Miami traded for mercurial WR Brandon Marshall and signed veteran Pro Bowl LB Karlos Dansby in free agency. But the continued development of QB Chad Henne will determine if the Dolphins can contend.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 21

 

16. Philadelphia

Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook carried the Philadelphia offense most of the 2000 decade. Both are gone. Kevin Kolb replaces McNabb and LeSean McCoy takes over for Westbrook. Coach Andy Reid bolstered the rest of his roster with 13 draft picks, including elite pass rusher Brandon Graham and versatile safety Nate Allen.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 7

 

17. San Francisco

Mike Singletary has the 49ers pointed in the right direction for the first time in a long time. All 22 starters are back from an 8-8 team, and the 49ers will be bigger and more physical up front with top two draft picks OT Anthony Davis and G Mike Iupati. Free-agent CBs William James and Karl Paymah bolster the pass defense.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 17

 

18. Pittsburgh

The Steelers are growing old on defense and must play at least the first four games of the season without franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger because of an NFL suspension for violation of the personal-conduct policy. Pittsburgh will try to re-establish its identity as a running team.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 14

 

19. Carolina

The long-time faces of the offense (QB Jake Delhomme) and defense (DE Julius Peppers) departed this off-season. Now the focus is on RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The Panthers will go as far as their legs can carry them. Matt Moore replaces Delhomme until rookie Jimmy Clausen is ready.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 16

 

20. Arizona

The Cardinals were a perennial noncontender before QB Kurt Warner arrived. He promptly delivered them back-to-back division titles and a first-ever Super Bowl appearance. But Warner retired, turning the offense over to Matt Leinart. How valuable is a franchise quarterback to a team? We'll find out.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 9

 

21. Buffalo

The Bills hired Chan Gailey as head coach and gave him a dynamic offensive weapon in first-round draft pick C.J. Spiller. The NFL's 30th-ranked run defense will be bigger up front with the signing of ILB Andra Davis in free agency and the drafting of DLs Torell Troop and Alex Carrington.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 24

 

22. Chicago

The Bears made the biggest splash in free agency, signing Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers. But it will go for naught if QB Jay Cutler doesn't reduce his turnovers (a league-high 26 interceptions). The Bears hired Mike Martz as offensive coordinator to straighten Cutler out.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 23

 

23. Jacksonville

Defensive deficiencies cost the Jaguars in 2009 so they restocked the front seven. Jacksonville drafted DE Tyson Alualu in the first round, traded for MLB Kirk Morrison and signed former Pro Bowl pass rusher Aaron Kampman.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 22

 

24. Detroit

Coach Jim Schwartz addressed the offense in his first season by drafting QB Matthew Stafford and TE Brandon Pettigrew. This season, the focus is on defense. The Lions drafted DT Ndamukong Suh and signed Pro Bowl DE Kyle Vanden Bosch.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 31

 

25. Washington

The Redskins will be an old team this season. Veteran Pro Bowlers Donovan McNabb, Larry Johnson and Willie Parker have been added to the roster along with former first-round draft picks Philip Buchanan, Adam Carriker, Joey Galloway and Vonnie Holliday.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 29

 

26. Denver

In Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow, the Broncos have unprecedented depth at quarterback. But Denver traded away two of its three leading receivers in WR Brandon Marshall and TE Tony Scheffler. An old secondary isn't getting any younger.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 19

 

27. Kansas City

Aspiring to be the Patriots, the Chiefs hired New England personnel director Scott Pioli as GM. In 2010, the Chiefs hired two coordinators who helped the Patriots win Super Bowls – Charlie Weis on offense and Romeo Crennel on defense.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 26

 

28. Seattle

Pete Carroll was a tremendous success in the college game. At Southern Cal, he could recruit the nation's best players and stack All-Americas two-deep. But he could recruit 25 players each year in college. He only gets to draft seven each April in the NFL.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 28

 

29. Cleveland

New president Mike Holmgren brings a rich history of aerial success to a franchise that has historically succeeded running the football. The Browns will have to run out of necessity in 2010 with aging Jake Delhomme at quarterback.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 25

 

30. Tampa Bay

QB Josh Freeman gives the Bucs a chance on offense and rookie defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Brian Price give them hope on defense. But a young team and the NFL's youngest head coach will continue to struggle in 2010.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 30

 

31. Oakland

JaMarcus Russell is out and another disappointing first-round quarterback is in. After cutting Russell, the Raiders acquired Jason Campbell in a fire sale from the Redskins. Oakland will again wear out the NFL's best punter – Shane Lechler.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 27

 

32. St. Louis

The selection of former Heisman Trophy-winning QB Sam Bradford was a great move for the future of the franchise. But rookie quarterbacks tend to struggle. Troy Aikman went 0-11 as a rookie and Peyton Manning 3-13.

 

Final 2009 ranking: 32

[San Jose Bills Fan]

After just quickly skimming over the piece, it's obviously very abbreviated.

 

Gosselin, who does an outstanding job with his NFL mock draft and is a very knowledgeable NFL scribe, could have written pages on each team…but the newspaper wouldn't afford that.

 

So he doesn't get into full explanations of his rationales.

 

I generally agree with his rankings. I feel he's got the Bills about right. And I agree with Gosselin that the three teams that had the big-name coaching hires, Cleveland-Holmgren, Washington-Shanahan, and Seattle-Carroll will all suck. I further am skeptical that any of these three will have success turning around their franchises…but that's just my opinion and we'll have to wait and see.

[billsfan89]

Honestly any rank between 28-20 is fair. Its the rankings were we are 31st or 32nd that are a very bad assessment of our team. We are by no means a good team on paper but we aren't a bottom 4 team by any means either.

[Numark]

why the !@#$ aren't we in the bottom 2

 

 

 

WE DIDNT DRAFT A LT OR CLAUSEN OR MCCOY OR TEEEEBOOOOOOOOOOOO NOR DID WE HIRE A BILLION DOLLAR COACH

[mpl6876]

This guy has it all wrong. The Bills will be in the top 15 and maybe top 10 by the end of the season. I would bet my house on it. How are teams going to stop our three headed monster attack of Spiller, Jackson, and Lynch. Hardy and Nelson are going to have breakout years and Lee is going to make the pro bowl. Gailey will work his magic and make Edwards look like the second coming of Jim Kelly. We will be dominant on defense with our secondary averaging 2-3 picks a game. Teams will be hard pressed to run on our the 3-4 scheme with added additions of Troup, Davis, and Callaway. Maybin is going to be a beast of a pass rusher. Not to mention with Bruce D back and Moorman and Lindell. Need I say more...I would be surprised if this team doesn't make a playoff run. I know you guys are probably thinking I am crazy but hey stranger things have happened.

[mary owen]

I always respected RG because he gives solid reasoning for his rankings, albeit limited here as someone mentioned. The thing I can't understand is why everyone ALWAYS ranks the Cowboys so high. Is there a more overly hyped team than Dallas the last 10 years or what?

How many times over the last few years have you heard Dallas mentioned as a SB favorite before the season starts? I hear it every year. Keep hyping them up....i love watching them self destruct and seeing the Jerry Jones face on the sidelines....it's become an annual favorite of mine

[Beerball]

Anyone else think Indy is poised for a major fall? Surprised to see them at #1.

[PromoTheRobot]

#21 is just about right. This guy understands the Bills were not the worst team in 2009 and did not get worse in the off-season. We will earn our way up.

 

PTR

[Conch]

so if someone gives us an elevated ranking like #21, they are intelligent. If they give us an accurate ranking like #29, they are dumbasses?

[DrDawkinstein]

so if someone gives us an elevated ranking like #21, they are intelligent. If they give us an accurate ranking like #29, they are dumbasses?

 

yes, AND they get put on our "like them" list. This is all very important and scientific.

[Buffalonian-at-Heart]

so if someone gives us an elevated ranking like #21, they are intelligent. If they give us an accurate ranking like #29, they are dumbasses?

 

 

No, the evidence is that we aren't in the 29-32 range. Look at where we've been drafting the last several years. We haven't been one of the worst teams in a long time. But yet we get grouped into that rating, that's not intelligent at all.

[DrDawkinstein]

No, the evidence is that we aren't in the 29-32 range. Look at where we've been drafting the last several years. We haven't been one of the worst teams in a long time. But yet we get grouped into that rating, that's not intelligent at all.

 

Really? No playoff appearance (or even being close) in over a decade + a(nother) brand new coach + brand new schemes + no QB/Oline.... and you think a bottom ranking is out of the realm of possibilities?

 

You're right, we haven't been one of the worst teams in the past, but there are a lot of people who believe the Bills will get worse before they improve. As a matter of fact, we may HAVE TO finally get worse in order to improve.

[MaineMoxie]

The only major beef I have is that I am sick and tired of hearing about how Shane Lechler is the league's best punter. 1. He punts in Oakland. 2. Average length of punts is not necessarily the absolute determiner of what makes a good punter. If your punter is consistently punting from the opponent's 36 yard-line, but does a good job of avoiding touchbacks, then he's a damn good punter. Just sayin.'

[PromoTheRobot]

Really? No playoff appearance (or even being close) in over a decade + a(nother) brand new coach + brand new schemes + no QB/Oline.... and you think a bottom ranking is out of the realm of possibilities?

 

You're right, we haven't been one of the worst teams in the past, but there are a lot of people who believe the Bills will get worse before they improve. As a matter of fact, we may HAVE TO finally get worse in order to improve.

No one can ever accuse you or exaggeration.

 

Not even close to a playoff appearance? We have been in the running most years to the last two weeks of the season.

 

New coach/schemes/no line/no QB? You could be talking about KC, StL, Detroit, Oakland and 5 other teams.

 

Have to get worse to get better? This is a crock. Prove that statement. Are you saying you need high draft picks to improve? Then why do the same teams draft first year after year and never improve?

 

Yes, with all that against us we're still drafting around #10 which means there are usually 9 teams worse than us! Everything you wrote is true for other teams BUT THEY LOSE MORE THAN WE DO!!! What is so hard to comprehend??

 

PTR

[Dr. K]

I think he's got the Bills about right.

 

I do think that there's a strong likelihood the Colts will take a big fall. They won too many games last year by coming from behind, and were too pass-oriented. They are not young. They depend too much on Manning.

 

I agree the Pats are getting old, and they have not drafted well despite the many high picks they have had.

 

I expect some surprise teams to do well (I hope one of them is Buffalo, but everything has to fall right for that to happen), and major declines from Indianapolis, Minnesota, San Diego, New Orleans among others.

[Jerry Jabber]

I like the ranking at #21, IMO it's accurate. IMO, the Saints should be ranked at #1 and the Colts at #2. The Saints won the SB by convincingly beating the Colts. The Colts had young WR's last season and will only get better.

 

With Dallas, I'm so sick of seeing them rated high. IMO, Romo is great during the regular season, but stubles in the playoffs. Plus, they have Wade Phillips as HC. While Phillips knows how to get teams to the playoffs, but that's been about it with him.

[mike oxhurtz]

No one can ever accuse you or exaggeration.

 

Not even close to a playoff appearance? We have been in the running most years to the last two weeks of the season.

 

New coach/schemes/no line/no QB? You could be talking about KC, StL, Detroit, Oakland and 5 other teams.

 

Have to get worse to get better? This is a crock. Prove that statement. Are you saying you need high draft picks to improve? Then why do the same teams draft first year after year and never improve?

 

Yes, with all that against us we're still drafting around #10 which means there are usually 9 teams worse than us! Everything you wrote is true for other teams BUT THEY LOSE MORE THAN WE DO!!! What is so hard to comprehend??

 

PTR

 

Good points. You're right about Detroit, Oakland, StL, KC, they have been drafting high for years and are still at the bottom. But this guy, along with other 'doom & gloomers' are huge exaggerators.