NFL Training Camp Power Rankings

Padded practices, twitter bluster and contract holdouts. The NFL is back!

#1 PACKERS (Key Moves: Releasing LB Nick Barnett, Justin Harrell, Mark Tauscher, Resigning James Jones and Mason Crosby) The Packers have taken a few minor hits this off-season, and Green Bay fans have to be disappointed that more hasn’t been done to shore up a very shaky O-line. Aaron Rodgers’ escapability was off the charts last season, but you can’t rely on that forever. –Joe

#2 EAGLES (Key Moves: Seriously?) Sure as we’re born, Andy Reid will find a way to screw this up. Till then, that Asomugha deal is a game changer. Reid now has one great CB (Nnamdi) and two solid others (Asante Samuel, who’ll be traded any second for some reason, and DRC), plus so many other high-valued free agents the media has labeled the Eagles the “Dream Team.” Vick is still more vulnearble than anyone thinks, and employing a known head-case to back him up might not be the greatest insurance policy…but this is the best team on paper right now. –Anthony

#3 PATRIOTS (Key Move: trading for DT Albert Haynesworth and WR Chad Ochocinco) The Pats’ two big moves were met with major skepticism, but only one has truly disastrous potential. Ocho has a lot in the tank, and more importantly he’s where he wants to be. He’s been a blatant Bill Belichick fan for years, and he’ll pull out all the stops now that he’s finally under the master’s tutelage. Haynesworth just wanted to be somewhere else (remind you of someone?) and will be solid until two years from now when he pulls a Randy Moss (oops) and bitches his way off the team, but Belichick will have gotten what he wanted from him by that point anyway. -Anthony

#4 RAVENS (Key Moves: Acquiring FB Vonta Leach, resigning G Marshall Yanda, CB Chris Carr, releasing WR Derrick Mason, TE Todd Heap, DT Kelly Gregg, RB Willis McGahee) It’ll be tough to watch the Ravens without their ever-tough receiving rocks, D-Mason and Heaaapppppppp. Kelly Greg was an underrated, scrappy player on the inside, too. Resigning Yanda was big, and Leach, one of the league’s best blocking backs, should help Ray Rice put up Arian Foster-type numbers. The big question: Will Flacco plunge to mediocrity without his two safety nets? –Joe

#5 TIE – STEELERS (Key Moves: Resigning most of their free agents, letting go of fatass T Flozell Adams & Max Starks, WR Antwaan Randle El) The Steelers are good as ever, but can they maintain their elite AFC status over the Ravens? If Big Ben has spent the summer feeding on the blood of young, drunk sorority girls, he should be ready for another year of playing QB without a real offensive line. If he spent the off-season having a love affair with Wendy and her salty square hamburgers, they could be in trouble. -Joe

#5 TIE – SAINTS (Key Moves: Trading for RB Darren Sproles, resigning WR Lance Moore, S Roman Harper, OL Jermon Bushrod, acquiring DT Shaun Rogers) Darren Sproles can do everything Reggie Bush can, and for cheaper. Their offensive line is all on board, and, with his rookie tender signed, Mark Ingram is officially the best Heisman-winning running back to play for New Orleans. All they have to do is reteach Roman Harper how to tackle, and the Saints will be back on the march. -Matt

#6 JETS (Key Moves: Acquiring WR Plaxico Burress; re-signing WR Santonio Holmes and CB Antonio Cromartie) If they got Asomugha, they’d be No. 1 for sure, but losing him was more a blow to their ego than anything else. They dumped some dead weight, locked up Santonio, and minus losing Brad Smith to Buffalo, they’re really no worse off after this whole saga. Getting Plaxico is more a headline-grabber than anything (well, that and a not-so-subtle F-You to the Giants, who were ready to take him back) until we find out how much he has left in the tank. Frankly, signing Randy Moss (who actually retired when nobody decided to sign him) would have made more sense. –Anthony

#7 COLTS (Key Moves: Resigning QB Peyton Manning, RB Joseph Addai, letting CB Kelvin Hayden test free agency and LB Clint Sessions go) Their defense is looking a little rickety, but the Colts preparing for a big makeover on that side of the ball. Plus, they resigned Peyton Manning at the bargain price of $90 million and they only had to sacrifice ten virgins.  –Matt

#8 CHIEFS (Key Moves: signing Steve Breaston) The Chiefs have been relatively quiet this free agency period, locking down their draft picks and keeping their team more or less intact. They were a surprise contender last year and were prudent not to disrupt team chemistry by gunning for big name FA’s, which is good, because they’re gonna need it against their horrifying 2011 schedule. Steve Breaston shined as a number two guy in Arizona, and their move for him will pay off when the opposition starts double covering Dwayne Bowe on every play. –Anthony

#9 FALCONS (Key Moves: Signing DE Ray Edwards, resigning OL Justin Blablock and OL Tyson Clabo, losing Harvey Dahl) They lost a big force on the offensive line when Harvey Dahl left for St. Louis, but otherwise, the team weathered a potentially dangerous free agency well. If Blablock and Clabo had walked, it would have been devastating. Ray Edwards isn’t Julius Peppers, but as long as he has John Abraham on the other side, he’ll maintain his current level of production. So he’ll be good for, like, the next year and a half. –Matt

#10 GIANTS (Key Moves: Signing LB Mark Herzlich and P Steve Weatherford, re-signing DE Mathias Kiwanuka and RB Ahmad Bradshaw, retaining RB Brandon Jacobs and DE Osi Umenyiora[?], releasing C Shaun O’Hara, OL Rich Seubert, FB Madison Hedgecock, OL Shawn Andrews, DT Rocky Bernard, DT Barry Cofield) Playing fast and loose with their vaunted lines (especially O’Hara) is cause for alarm. But retaining Jacobs, Bradshaw and Kiwanuka was crucial, since New York has historically avoided flashy free-agent conquests in favor of promotion from within their team. As of this writing, Osi Umenyiora has one foot out the door with a huge asking price, and nobody really knows what he’s trying to pull off. But Eli can hang with the best of them (he’s a top-ten QB. Come at me), and the team’s depth will come in handy when some of the more inexperienced starters need a spell. -Anthony

#11 CHARGERS (Key Moves: Retaining S Eric Weddle, signing S Bob Sanders) Trading Darren Sproles to the Saints wasn’t the greatest move on paper, but it works just fine, since this team literally refuses to run the ball at any time, ever. Weddle and Sanders will give the secondary a nice boost, but we all know this team’s MO by now; they won’t be remotely threatening until sometime around Halloween. -Anthony

#12 BUCANNEERS (Key Moves: Losing MLB Barrett Ruud and Cadillac Williams) Tired of playing the will he/won’t he live up to his potential game with Barrett Ruud, the Buccaneers let him go. Likewise, Cadillac Williams is an unrestricted free agent, but no one is in a hurry to sign the 29-year-old halfback, including the Bucs. Only time will tell if they’ll miss the two players’ experience during the season, but Raheem Morris ain’t sweating it. –Matt

#13 BEARS (Key Moves: Acquiring WRs Roy Williams and Sam Hurd, C Chris Spencer, releasing TE Brandon Manamaleuna, trading TE Greg Olsen to the Panthers) Mike Martz went on a predictable tight end purge this off-season, getting rid of two of the offense’s better pieces. The Bears fit the mold of an overachieving team about to fall back down to earth, but then again, Jay Cutler fits the mold of a date rapist, and we’ve avoided that so far. –Joe

#14 COWBOYS (Key Moves: releasing RB Marion Barber, WR Roy Williams) They’d have looked a hell of a lot better if they landed Asomugha, that’s for sure. But they cut the most dead fish of any team out there (Marion Barber, Roy Williams) and Jason Garrett will have them tentatively believing. I’m still not totally sold on Tony Romo as a dominant QB (if he had it in him, he’d have done it already), but if there is indeed a contender in this team, they’ve kept the core of it reasonably intact. -Anthony

#15 LIONS (Key Moves: Acquiring LB Justin Durant, CB David Wright, C Dylan Gandy, CB Chris Houston, LB Stephen Tulloch) Don’t look now, but the Lions defense actually has some teeth. Durant and Wright were great signings. If Matthew Stafford stays healthy–which is sort of like saying “if Charlie Sheen stays off the crack,” but still–the Lions may be playoff-bound for the first time since the Barry Sanders era. -Joe

#16 TEXANS (Key Moves: Signing CB Johnathan Joseph, losing FB Vonta Leach) Vonta Leach’s departure is fixable problem, but it’ll take a little more than Johnathan Joseph to turn the league’s worst defensive unit around. Wade Philips realizes that, so he’s decided to move their elite defensive linemen to outside linebacker. Wait, what? -Matt

#17 VIKINGS (Key Moves: Acquiring QB Donovan Mcnabb, DT Remi Ayodele, WR Michael Jenkins, DT Fred Evans, losing Sidney Rice) Make no mistake: Donovan Mcnabb was AWFUL in Washington last season. He has the resume, but not much else at this point in his career. And who will he throw to? Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin are inconsistent 2nd options at best. They’re going to miss Sidney Rice almost as much as McNabb misses the early 2000s. -Joe

#18 RAIDERS (Key Moves: Re-signing TE Zach Miller and S Michael Huff) I still can’t get over that Al Davis fired Tom Cable after he built the team up to half-decent status for the first time in ten years. Blows my mind. In any case, the QB situation is still shaky, and Jason Campbell will have to take the reins fast with Gradkowski headed to the Bengals. Losing Nnamdi is a big blow to a team that was just getting its legs back, but keeping Miller and Huff lets the crew retain its scrappy identity at least. They’ve got it in their head they can win again, now they just have to keep doing it. –Anthony

#19 RAMS (Key Moves: Signing G Harvey Dahl, WR Mike Sims-Walker) Harvey Dahl will shank anyone who gets within spitting distance of Sam Bradford, which should help the QB’s confidence. The veteran receiver from Jacksonville should help his QB rating. Ronnie Brown is rumored to end up here to provide a backfield tandem with Steven “This Guy Is Our Whole Team” Jackson. Still a work in progress, but completion is finally in sight. -Anthony

#20 CARDINALS (Key Moves: Trading for QB Kevin Kolb, releasing QB Derek Anderson, signing TE Todd Heap) Kevin Kolb is a thief, swiftly relieving Arizona out of $21 million guaranteed off of four victories, the bulk of which came two years ago. He’s poised to get zero competition from Max Hall or John Skelton, which means he’s the undisputed QB1 of the Arizona Cardinals. Ocean’s Eleven couldn’t have pulled that off, and no matter what happens, Kolb is the undisputed winner of 2011 free agency. Are we headed for a Matt Casell-in-KC-type explosion? Or a McNabb-in-DC-style bust? –Anthony

#21 49ERS (Key Moves: Retaining RB Frank Gore and (sigh) QB Alex Smith) Thank God they got big Frank Gore back; he’s as much a part of San Fran as Mrs. Doubtfire and the trolley cars. The sainted coach John Harbaugh seems to believe Alex Smith is, too, which casts some doubt as to how good he really is. I don’t sense a Rex Ryan-Mark Sanchez like chemistry between the two, and even if there was, Smith kind of is who he is at this point; the best bet is to surround him with a solid team and hope he doesn’t blow it. –Anthony

#22 BROWNS (Key Moves: Acquiring RB Brandon Jackson, S Usama Young, DT Brodrick Bunkley, Releasing QB Jake Delhomme) Do you believe in Colt McCoy and Peyton Hillis? Neither seem like actual NFL players on paper, but they get the job done and strongly resemble the Matt Saracen-Tim Riggins combination from Friday Night Lights. Does Pat Shurmur have a little coach Eric Taylor in him? Would he like to? (Yes, I’m hitting on you, Coach Shurmur…and yes, I like to role-play as Coach Eric Taylor). –Joe

#23 REDSKINS (Key Moves: Trading DT Albert Haynesworth and QB Donovan McNabb, signing DT Barry Cofield and RB Tim Hightower) Scientists are still puzzling over Mike Shanahan’s unwavering faith in the football abilities of Rex Fucking Grossman. In any case, he got rid of the one player he needed to dump (Haynesworth), and the one player he wanted to dump (McNabb). Cofield is more a winner in this deal than the team (he’s entering the second half of his career and got a big, big payday anyway), although Hightower is a nice, semi-marquee acquisition for the Skins running game. This team still looks like sound and fury signifying nothing, yet give kudos to Shanahan: his vision sucks, but dumping McNabb and Haynesworth ensures that at least the entire locker room is committed to it. -Anthony

#24 JAGUARS (Key Moves: Acquiring MLB Paul Posluszny, DE Aaron Kampman, Clint Sessions and S Dawan Landry) As fantasy football players start to assemble their draft boards, fans around the country are starting to remember that there’s that team in Florida with the one really good player. That short guy. Their roster is plain depressing; they’ve got LaRon Landry’s older, less talented brother, the other tight end named Zach Miller, and a man named Guy Whimper. They picked up some under the radar guys in free agency who have big upsides and if they don’t pan out, no problem. Their homes games are getting blacked out either way. –Matt

#25 TENESSEE TITANS (Key Moves: Signing QB Matt Hasselbeck, MLB Barrett Ruud and TE Daniel Graham, losing DE Jason Babin and MLB Stephen Tulloch)

Many wondered if Tennessee would ever find a quarterback who could escape the shadow of Kerry Collins, but they found their man in Matt Hasselbeck. Former franchise quarterback? Check. Super Bowl loss? Check. Drinking problem? That can be arranged. -Matt

#26 BRONCOS (Key Moves: Acquiring RB Willis McGahee and TEs Daniel Fells and Dante Rosario, trading for DE Derrick Harvey) The oncoming bout of Tebowmania is about the worst-kept secret in the league, but Denver is understandably reluctant to let Kyle Orton go in case the golden boy busts (this, in case you were wondering, is the very definition of a backhanded compliment). John Fox inherited a team full of holes, but has done a solid job of patching them up by signing two skilled tight ends and a solid RB who comes from a hard-knock mentality in Baltimore. A Knowshon-McGahee backfield doesn’t exactly scream “Super Bowl,” but it’s good enough for a team that doesn’t rely on the running game too much anyway. They’ve had no identity the last few years, but they’re starting to look sleek and scrappy again. -Anthony

#27 BILLS (Key Moves: Acquiring WR Brad Smith) For some reason, the Bills aren’t looking as terrible as they usually do. I mean sure, their record sucked in 2010, but Ryan Winklevoss Fitzpatrick turned out to be a pretty solid QB, and a few of those losses last year came in close games where they had contenders on the ropes. Getting the mercurial Smith from the Jets was a solid move, and they’re not going to make a playoff run anytime soon, but something good is definitely brewing upstate. -Anthony

#28 DOLPHINS (Key Moves: Acquiring QB Matt Moore and RB Reggie Bush, signing DE Jason Taylor) The front office’s faith in both the head coach and QB is tenuous at best. Bringing in the flashy Bush (more a famous football player than a football player who’s famous; he should be right at home in the bright lights of South beach) and the aging Miami staple Jason Taylor (always wanted to be a Dolphin, always will want to be a Dolphin) were smart-ish and smart moves respectively, but Henne vs. Moore for the QB1 job sounds a bit like the blind leading the blind. Frankly, they need Kyle Orton on this team, and badly. –Anthony

#29 SEAHAWKS (Key Moves: Signing QB Tavaris Jackson and WR Sidney Rice, losing OL Chris Spencer) Pete Carroll is an out-of-the-box thinker, so when he looked how to improve the worst playoff team in NFL history, he picked a model that some might call ‘unconventional.’ Namely, the 2007 Minnesota Vikings. Their 8-8 record left room for improvement, but Carroll will add a few wrinkles to Childress’ game plan. Without teams stuffing the box with defenders to stop Adrian Peterson, Jackson can use his mobility to buy enough time for Rice to get those deep looks. I predict the QB/WR duo will erupt this year, with a 40 catch, 500-yard season, and their 3 TDs will just be icing on the cake. –Matt

#30 PANTHERS (Key Moves: resigning DE Charles Johnson and DeAngelo Williams, keeping Steve Smith, signing TE Jeremy Shockey) North Carolina opened up the checkbook to preserve their veteran core… who went 1-15 last year. Their biggest free-agent splashes in free agency were two guys that were already on the roster, and the only notable addition, Shockey, has been washed up since 2007.  Even if DeAngelo bounces back with another 1,000-yard season, they paid too much for him. The Panthers aren’t even close to rock bottom yet. -Matt

#31 BENGALS (Key Moves: Trading Chad Ochocinco, Releasing Antwan Odom) Well, the Bengals got rid of their only two worthwhile/entertaining players, Chad Ochocinco and Antwan Odom, and Carson Palmer would seemingly rather retire than return to Paul Brown’s labor-camp-quality facilities. As TFT Sports Czar, I propose that we offer asylum to all Bengals fans. Feel free to come root for the Giants, my friends. -Joe

Contributors: Anthony Benigno, Joe Lazauskas, Matthew Alberswerth

Picture from lehighvalleylive.com

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