[Doncarlito]

There wasn't much to go on when I released my Power Rankings back in July, but now each team has a few pre-season games under their belt and we've had a chance to see some of the rookies or new starters get some playing time.

Here are your August Power Rankings:

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: With Josh Freeman hurt, the Buccaneers might as well forfeit every week. Josh Johnson is fast, athletic, and can make some plays. On the other hand, he has no business being an NFL quarterback. With Johnson starting, Buccaneers will have to go out there every week knowing they have almost no chance to win. That sucks.

31. St. Louis Rams: Well, Mr. Feeley has had some injury concerns and it's possible that Sam Bradford will get to start the season. Unfortunately, that's not a good thing. While Bradford makes the Rams better in the long-run, he's going to take quite a few lumps during the 2010 season.

30. Buffalo Bills: Maybe the Bills are geniuses for drafting C.J. Spiller. Spiller looked good against the Colts and this team is going to need him if Jackson and Lynch can't stay healthy this year. Even if Spiller earns a starting position on the team, I'm still not sure how they're going to win many games with no quarterback.

29. Cleveland Browns: Even with Ben Roethlisberger out, doesn't it seem like the Browns are still the clear favorite to finish last in the AFC North? I know it's preseason, but geeze, the Browns couldn't even beat the Rams this week. Heck, the Browns are so bad that Jim Brown isn't even showing up to their scheduled Ring of Honor event in September.

28. Detroit Lions: I'm still waiting for the Lions to field a defense. They've brought in some new faces on that side of the ball but there isn't much reason to believe that the defense will be any good this year.

27. Seattle Seahawks: Part of me wants to write a raving review about the Seahawks since I ended up taking Hasselbeck and Houshmandzadeh for back-ups on my fantasy team but I just can't. The truth is, this team is lackluster on both sides of the ball. Even if Hasselbeck returns to form (which is a huge 'if'), the Seahawks still shouldn't be able to make much noise in the NFC this year.

26. Denver Broncos: It's tough to imagine God's only son losing in the NFL but he might not even be playing much this year. And even though neck beard is an efficient quarterback, he needs his receivers to step up this year. Luckily for the Broncos, they're in the weakest division in the NFL. Unfortunately, they may be the worst team in that division.

25. Pittsburgh Steelers: Is it just me or do people wonder how Byron Leftwich was ever even considered as a first-round talent? Yeah, the guy is decent but nowhere near as good as a first-rounder should be. I'm sure the Steelers are lucky they didn't waste a first-rounder on Leftwich, but they did waste a first-rounder on a sexual predator who will be missing a quarter of the season this year. Big Ben's success speaks for itself and he's shown he can make it look easy winning games in the league. Unfortunately, he finds it difficult to keep Little Ben in his pants.

24. Arizona Cardinals: Leinart sucks. Anderson sucks. I feel bad for Larry Fitzgerald who is about to watch as teams double and triple team him all season long.

23. Carolina Panthers: Stewart and Williams are amazing but can Matt Moore get it done at quarterback and will the Panthers be any good on defense? The Panthers might not be horrible but they've got a lot of questions. Too many for me to rank them any higher than this.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars: I don't know what happened but the Jaguars seem to really suck on defense. Anyone can see MJD is a beast, and I actually expect Garrard to have a better year this year, but this defense is simply atrocious. Unless that changes, this team doesn't have a chance.

21. Oakland Raiders: Raiders fans should be excited about the 2010 season. The Silver & Black have a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball and Jason Campbell looks to bring consistency to the offensive side. Sadly, he may actually have more weapons than he had while in Washington.

20. Kansas City Chiefs: Todd Haley may not garner respect from Larry Johnson, but Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel have had a lot of success as coordinators in the NFL. It wouldn't be a huge surprise to see the Chiefs be competitive this year.

19. Miami Dolphins: The popular opinion is that Chad Henne is going to have a great season. It makes sense since the Dolphins brought in Brandon Marshall, but you've really got to wonder how Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown are going to hold up. It's a safe bet Brown will suffer some sort of knee injury this year and I'm not sure anyone thinks Ricky Williams can repeat what he did last year.

18. Philadelphia Eagles: Maybe I'm putting the Eagles too high. Kolb hasn't exactly looked great in the preseason so far and the offensive line hasn't improved from last year. On the other hand, the Eagles defense should be better up from this year and that will help them tremendously. Even so, the NFC East will be tough for the Eagles to compete in this year.

17. New York Giants: The Giants are a tough team to gauge because when this team gets hot, it seems unbeatable. But when they're playing poorly, they look just plain awful. I wouldn't write the Giants off but I also wouldn't expect much from this team in 2010 either.

16. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons have some questions surrounding them -- will Matt Ryan progress after a bad sophomore season? Can Michael Turner bounce back? Will the defense play up to its ability? Fortunately, the Falcons get to play the Buccaneers and Panthers twice each, and it seems improbable that the Saints will be as good defensively this year. All of that combines to give the Falcons a shot at the playoffs this year. Once there, they've certainly got the talent to get it done.

15. San Diego Chargers: This team missed its shot when it had the best RB in the league on the team. Now, the defense is weaker and the offense will be taking a hit, too. They might win the division again but it will only mean they get their asses kicked once playoffs start.

14. Houston Texans: Well, Andre Johnson is happy but I don't think Matt Schaub can repeat what he did last year. And that's ignoring the question of whether Johnson and Schaub will both stay healthy this year.

13. Washington Redskins: Is it just me or are McNabb and Santana Moss a perfect fit together. Moss can run really fast and McNabb knows how to bomb the ball deep. More importantly, Shanahan knows how to scheme the offense around McNabb's strengths. He'll do this and the Redskins should be able to win some games they would have lost last year.

12. Chicago Bears: Catch me on a bad day and all you'll hear me complain about is how Julius Peppers is overrated. Even acknowledging that, he's pretty good and should fit Chicago's defense pretty well. And with Urlacher returning, the Bears defense should be pretty damn good this year. Oh yeah, Jay Cutler won't completely suck this year either.

11. New York Jets: Defense wins championships. The Revis situation still isn't settled, though, and "Cromartie Island" doesn't have the same ring to it. Jets will be competitive but without Revis and Rhodes, I wouldn't bank on them repeating last year's defensive performance.

10. San Francisco 49ers: I've said it before and I'll say it again -- Singletary is awesome. And with the Rams, Seahawks, and Cardinals in the division, the 49ers should be able to put up double-digit wins this year.

9. New England Patriots: Old Man Warren injured his hip and will be missing the season. The damage that should do to the Patriots defense can't be overstated. At the same time, the Patriots have replaced important defensive pieces before and you've got to think Belichick will continue to work his magic when it comes to replacing elite players with apparent scrubs.

8. Cincinnati Bengals: Well, I wasn't sold on the Bengals a month ago. That was before they brought in the best receiver not named Jerry Rice to ever play the game. The offense was already pretty good. Terrell Owens makes this offense downright frightening. And hey -- if the Bengals suck, at least it should be entertaining to watch them this year.

7. Tennessee Titans: Never bet against a Jeff Fisher coached team. It's a principle to live by. The Titans looked great to end the year last year. As long as Vince Young doesn't go all suicidal on us this year, the Titans should be playing in and winning a lot of close games this year.

6. Dallas Cowboys: Whether his mother's a whore or not, the injury to Dez Bryant's ankle sure is a bitch. Signs point to him being ready for the beginning of the season but leg injuries to receivers are never a good thing. Even if Bryant isn't 100% healthy, though, the Cowboys still have a lot of weapons on offense. And the defense should be just as good as it was last year. Cowboys will be tough to beat.

5. Baltimore Ravens: Everything points to the Ravens as a force to be reckoned with coming out of the AFC but it's still not clear whether the Ravens can get it together on defense. Even worse, the Ravens did more to improve their offense than defense in the offseason. Whether the Ravens are truly contenders this year will hinge on whether the defense plays as well as it should.

4. Indianapolis Colts: Having the best quarterback in the history of the NFL is always nice but I'd respect the Colts more if Dungy were still the head coach. I'm just not sold on Caldwell -- even if he did take them to the Superbowl last year. Ranked at 4, many may think this is too low but doesn't it seem like the balance of power is shifting from the AFC to the NFC these days?

3. Green Bay Packers: I'm ranking the Vikings first so I needed to come up with some reason for Vikings fans to complain. Step 1 -- rank the Bears in the top 12. Step 2 -- rank the Packers 3rd in the NFL. Can you hear the fumes forcing their way out of Vikes fans ears yet? And hey, I haven't even started bashing Favre yet. But anyway, the Packers are a pretty good team. While the loss to the Buccaneers last year was likely a fluke, the Pack only lost to the Vikings, Bengals, and Steelers last year during the season. And the Steelers loss came after some questionable clock control in Pittsburgh.

2. New Orleans Saints: WWBD? What would Breesus do? Win the Superbowl and then scoff at superstition by appearing on the cover of Madden. Drew Brees comes from the Voodoo capital of the United States. If he was going to be cursed, it would have already happened by now. Don't expect the Saints defense to be quite as good this year but the Saints offense shows no signs of slowing down. Even if their defense isn't great, I'm not sure anyone can stop their offense.

1. Minnesota Vikings: So Brett Favre has finally come back and now there are rumors of some sort of discord in the locker room. People may wonder if Favre really wants to play a full season and others will wonder if he's even capable at his age. Once his teammates see him make some ridiculous pass to some scrub ex-Eagles receiver the Vikings picked up from the garbage heap, everyone will be back on the Favre bandwagon. With Peterson, Favre, and the Vikings defense, this team is the most balanced team in the entire league. That spells success.

[zibTefapparia]

Yeaaaa Raiderssss

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[AlekseyZubkov]

17 teams ahead of the Eagles? Really? The fact that you have the Bears and the Redskins top 15, but not the Eagles is the icing on the cake.

[hictchewisa]

17 teams ahead of the Eagles? Really? The fact that you have the Bears and the Redskins top 15, but not the Eagles is the icing on the cake.

Eagles didn't really beat any good teams last year. And even though Kolb might be ok, the Eagles could easily be worse than they were last year.

And I like the additions on defense, but I have my doubts on whether these guys will be able to stop the run.

[glazgoR@]

Vikings defense. LOLz

[Reocourgigiot]

Steelers are ranked way too low.

[snislarne]

Vikings defense. LOLz

You don't think they're any good?

[@Aerodyno@]

Steelers are ranked way too low.

The Steelers were pretty weak last year. I don't expect them to be any better without Roethlisberger in there for 4-6 games.

[ticskebasse]

The Steelers were pretty weak last year. I don't expect them to be any better without Roethlisberger in there for 4-6 games.

That still doesn't explain why you have the Bears and Redskins top 15.

[Si8jy8HN]

You don't think they're any good?

He's a Packer fan. Of course he doesn't.

[BeksTeene]

That still doesn't explain why you have the Bears and Redskins top 15.

Redskins added McNabb. They were top 10 in my July rankings. Good quarterbacks win football games in this league.

The Bears added Peppers and are getting Urlacher back. The defense should be pretty good this year. Aside from that, instituting the Martz offense, adding Chester Taylor, and my expectation that Cutler will get it back together this year, I like the Bears to be pretty good this year.

[fount_pirat]

pssshh Saints. We'll see if that garbage defense can get lucky again....and the Steelers are WAY too low. 25? Seriously?

[exettybele]

As long as Coughlin is still around, I am not sold on the Giants doing anything beyond squeaking into the playoffs. He has lost this team down the stretch the last few seasons, and do not see it changing soon.

[Serereids]

pssshh Saints. We'll see if that garbage defense can get lucky again....and the Steelers are WAY too low. 25? Seriously?

I agree their defense probably won't repeat what they did last year but their offense is still the best in the league.

And the Steelers? Their team was weak last year, they've lost Holmes, Roethlisberger is missing 4-6 weeks, their offensive line still can't block, and their defense had major issues that need to be resolved. I'm not going to assume they'll be good just because they're the Steelers.

[Unergerah]

As long as Coughlin is still around, I am not sold on the Giants doing anything beyond squeaking into the playoffs. He has lost this team down the stretch the last few seasons, and do not see it changing soon.

Agreed. I just can't imagine their defense playing worse than they did last year. So I figure the Giants at least deserve some respect.

[redDoodia]

As long as Coughlin is still around, I am not sold on the Giants doing anything beyond squeaking into the playoffs. He has lost this team down the stretch the last few seasons, and do not see it changing soon.

Agreed. I just can't imagine their defense playing worse than they did last year. So I figure the Giants at least deserve some respect.

I expect D-Student - if he is even still around here - to chime in soon
BTW, though I do not follow NFL much outside of Eagles and NFC east, I appreciate the time and effort you obviously put into this, Moses.
I have a two Fantasy drafts coming up on Sunday, has someone or can someone give a summation of who to look for as I have less of a clue this season than most others w/ all the changes around the NFL.

[r7rGOhvd]

Redskins added McNabb. They were top 10 in my July rankings. Good quarterbacks win football games in this league.

The Bears added Peppers and are getting Urlacher back. The defense should be pretty good this year. Aside from that, instituting the Martz offense, adding Chester Taylor, and my expectation that Cutler will get it back together this year, I like the Bears to be pretty good this year.

Haynesworth is a joke, their offensive line is a joke, and their wide receivers are mostly a joke.

The Bears added Peppers and got Urlacher back. The defense is always pretty good. Aside from that they're exactly the same. When has instituting a Martz offense been a good thing since his days in St Louis? You're going on gut, basically. There's really no logical justification for them to be that far in front of the Eagles, or to be in front of them at all.

The Eagles added a much needed starter at safety, added a pass-rushing DE opposite Trent Cole, got Bradley back, have a healthy Hobbs, and the only thing that changed on offense is McNabb. So I guess for these rankings McNabb is worth +5 spots?

[11Woxsepmoomo]

I expect D-Student - if he is even still around here - to chime in soon
BTW, though I do not follow NFL much outside of Eagles and NFC east, I appreciate the time and effort you obviously put into this, Moses.
I have a two Fantasy drafts coming up on Sunday, has someone or can someone give a summation of who to look for as I have less of a clue this season than most others w/ all the changes around the NFL.

Are you playing in a traditional FF league or are the scoring settings tweaked by the manager?

Anyway, there are a few WRs that have been getting taken pretty late that could have big seasons:

Santana Moss (McNabb taking over), Malcolm Floyd (since Jackson is suspended and in a contract dispute), Wes Welker (especially if it's a ppr league), T.J. Houshmandzadeh (apparently hurt last year and Hasselbeck will be back all year), Mike Wallace (replacing Santonio Holmes). I also think Jeremy Maclin, Steve Breaston, and Dwayne Bowe are guys with potential to be really good this year.

Mostly, I'd stay away from the injured guys or RBs that are in RBBC situations.

[MiniBoy]

Haynesworth is a joke, their offensive line is a joke, and their wide receivers are mostly a joke.

The Bears added Peppers and got Urlacher back. The defense is always pretty good. Aside from that they're exactly the same. When has instituting a Martz offense been a good thing since his days in St Louis? You're going on gut, basically. There's really no logical justification for them to be that far in front of the Eagles, or to be in front of them at all.

The Eagles added a much needed starter at safety, added a pass-rushing DE opposite Trent Cole, got Bradley back, have a healthy Hobbs, and the only thing that changed on offense is McNabb. So I guess for these rankings McNabb is worth +5 spots?

It does seem odd that McNabb would carry so much weight. Isnt he limping already?

[JaK_MarkoV_Pi]

Raiders>Chiefs

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