50 Storylines For The 2009 NFL Season
2009 NFL Power Rankings: Pre Season
Total Pro Sports – 17 Sundays, 16 Mondays, 7 Thursdays, 1 Friday and a Saturday make up the entire NFL season, and on September 10th the year begins anew as 32 teams chase the ultimate glory of Super Bowl 44.
Whilst actual Super Bowl aspirations are often heavily influenced by schedule – not to take anything away from you Arizona, but I could have probably got 21 of my buddies together and had moderate success in the NFC West last year - Power Rankings live in a world where there are no schedules. They truly are the purest form of comparison and hopefully refect who’s thebest, the worst and the everything in between of the National Football League on any given Sunday.
Without any further hyperbole and before a football’s been kicked in vain, here are the pound for pound ranking of all 32 teams in the NFL.
| Rank | Team | Record | Change | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
0-0 | - | New England’s aerial attack is unparalleled and Laurence Maroney looks desperate to answer his critics by providing some balance. Defensively, age is against them, they lost Richard Seymour and they lack a standout pass rusher, but few teams will be able to match their scoring totals in 2009. Up Next: Buffalo Bills |
| 2 |  |
0-0 | - | How dare I not put the Super Bowl champions #1! I know that to be the champs you gotta beat the champs, but without Brady, New England didn’t get a fair shot at defending their unbeaten record. The Steelers o-line still worries me until further notice. Up Next: Tennessee Titans |
| 3 |  |
0-0 | - | They may have a crippling pass rush and a lockdown D, but it’ll be a few weeks before we find out how the Giants are going to put up touchdowns with no star receiver, a lousy quarterback and relying on a beaten up Brandon Jacobs. Up Next: Washington Redskins |
| 4 |  |
0-0 | - | Ever since Vick showed up there’s been a buzz about Philly. This is dumb. Vick’s impact will be minimal and this team deserves to get Super Bowl hype on it’s own volition. Do not, I repeat do not, mess with the Eagles in 2009. Up Next: Carolina Panthers |
| 5 |  |
0-0 | - | This defense is still lacking against the run, and with a number of offensive players coming off down seasons (Clark, Wayne and Addai come to mind) and a new coaching regime in place, I just don’t believe Indianapolis are the Indianapolis of 2007. Prove me wrong Indy. Up Next: Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 6 |  |
0-0 | - | You’re either pro-LT or anti-LT and by ranking them #6 I’m giving the future hall of famer a big thumbs up. San Diego struggled to compete in 08 because of an inconsistent run game and a total lack of pass rush; a healthy LT and Merriman should change that drastically. Up Next: Oakland Raiders |
| 7 |  |
0-0 | - | Maybe it’s the loss of Rex Ryan and Bart Scott or the effects of age that concern me about the Baltimore Ravens, but if the D isn’t there then they may be in trouble with nothing at receiver and an incoherent run game. Up Next: Kansas City Chiefs |
| 8 |  |
0-0 | - | The Texans may be the young pretenders but the Titans are brutal in every department. A dominant o-line, a tough if ageing defense and a dynamic threat in Chris Johnson. Sans Johnson however, this team will tumble down the rankings. Up Next: Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 9 |  |
0-0 | - | Apparently I’m meant to make the Vikings the best team in the NFC North because they have Brett Favre. You know who’s better than Favre? Jay Cutler. By a loooong way. Up Next: Green Bay Packers |
| 10 |  |
0-0 | - | The Saints’ front 7 offers little past Jonathan Vilma and Sedrick Ellis, but passing on them is a tough proposition. So if you can’t put up a large amount of yards on them quickly, then how are you going to overcome the 28+ points you know they’ll score? Answer: you won’t. Up Next: Detroit Lions |
| 11 |  |
0-0 | - | Yes. I think they’re this good. If Duane Brown can halve the number of sacks he concedes to a more manageable 6 Matt Schaub should/might stay healthy, then you’re coupling 08′s 4th most prolific offense with a young and hungry D. Take note NFL. Up Next: New York Jets |
| 12 |  |
0-0 | - | Aaron Kampman; Wisconsin needs you. If he can make this 3-4 work, then Green Bay will have the pass rush that this blinding offense and shutdown secondary deserves. Up Next: Chicago Bears |
| 13 |  |
0-0 | - | The good: the way the Cardinals played in the playoffs. The bad: being outpointed by any team worth their salt in the 2008 regular season. Up Next: San Francisco 49ers |
| 14 |  |
0-0 | - | Matching last year’s effort will be a huge ask for a young team that played beyond it’s years in 08. The division may be beyond them but they’ll keep things competitive. Up Next: Miami Dolphins |
| 15 |  |
0-0 | - | You could argue that the Panthers have the best o-line in footbal. You could also argue that losing Maake Kemoeatu will cripple their run defense and that Jake Delhomme can be relied on to suicide at least 4 games a year. So is the glass half full, or is the glass half empty? Up Next: Philadelphia Eagles |
| 16 |  |
0-0 | - | Rookie QB, strong line and an exceptional defense led by Rex Ryan. Hmm… I’ve seen this before. The only difference is that Jones, Greene and Washington are a much better running back troupe than McGahee, Rice and McClain. If NFL teams don’t respect New York, they’re going to get burnt. Up Next: Houston Texans |
| 17 |  |
0-0 | - | The Dolphins are a wily team to put your finger on, so here are a series of words that you can draw your own conclusions from: tough, robust, limited, inconsistent, Henne. Up Next: Atlanta Falcons |
| 18 |  |
0-0 | - | 3rd and 2. Farve is under centre. Inside handoff the the best running back in the league is the call. But wait! The safety is shading the run, so Favre changes the play to exploit this. He goes deep and ah… oh no. Interception. Welcome to the Vikings in 2009. Up Next: Cleveland Browns |
| 19 |  |
0-0 | - | Jerry Jones went about dismantling their defense this offseason and questions still remain whether Roy Williams can cement his place as a legitimate number 1. Unless proven otherwise, I struggle to believe this team can hang with the Giants and Eagles in 2009. Up Next: Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 20 |  |
0-0 | - | I keep flip flopping between the Redskins and Cowboys for 3rd in the NFC East, but what could put me over the edge is if this Washington D fulfills it’s ample potential in the first few weeks. Up Next: New York Giants |
| 21 |  |
0-0 | - | Somewhere in the midst of an abysmal safety tandem, a collection of has-been running backs and an offensive line that will sorely miss Walter Jones, there is some semblance of a good team in Seattle. Up Next: St. Louis Rams |
| 22 |  |
0-0 | - | The Bengals straddle the line between the good (see above) and the bad (see below) in the NFL. I love Palmer this year. I think Ochocinco bounces back. I think Chris Henry will hear his name called more times in the playbook than he will in Cincinnati district court for the first time. This and more makes the Bengals a nice little sleeper in 2009. Up Next: Denver Broncos |
| 23 |  |
0-0 | - | The US political landscape boasts a Senator Gore, Hll, Davis, Staley and Morgan. The 49ers offense also boasts such names. Relevant football insight? No. An indication of how totally apathetic I am towards Bay Area football in 2009? Absolutely. Up Next: Arizona Cardinals |
| 24 |  |
0-0 | - | You can rely on Oakland to mess things up, but… JaMarcus Russell started to put it together towards the backend of 08, a healthy Darren McFadden can elavate their run game to another level, Seymour will bolster their pathetic run stop unit and they own the best corner in the league. I’m not saying .500, but things are looking up. Up Next: San Diego Chargers |
| 25 |  |
0-0 | - | Talk about overcompensating. Last year they ran out of linemen, and now they own 2 first day rookies and Tra Thomas at the position. This is a nice offense burdened with a terrible D. Up Next: Indianapolis Colts |
| 26 |  |
0-0 | - | I get the feeling that results for the Buffalo Bills in 2009 will be like the good players they field: sparse, sporadic and colossaly inconsistent. Up Next: New England Patriots |
| 27 |  |
0-0 | - | I’m so sick of Denver getting things wrong that I’m not even going to mention their shambolic defense, ghoulish offseason and rookie head coach. Instead, the positives: Eddie Royal, Champ Bailey isn’t quite done yet and… erm… I think Denver may have the sexiest uniform in the NFL. Thoughts? Up Next: Cincinnati Bengals |
| 28 |  |
0-0 | - | I will say that of all the bad teams Tampa have the most upside. Unfortunately, success in Tampa relies on a lot of pieces falling into place, and it’s highly unlikely they all do. Up Next: Dallas Cowboys |
| 29 |  |
0-0 | - | Transitioning to the 3-4 is hard, and when the only player you have that fits the scheme is a rookie defensive end, trouble will ensue. Jeff Backus couldn’t lace Brandon Albert’s cleats, but other than left tackle the Kansas offense of 09 has a lot in common with the Detroit offense of 08. Up Next: Baltimore Ravens |
| 30 |  |
0-0 | - | The St. Louis Rams have become the trendy sleeper team amongst football analysts, but people seem to forget that this offensive line is still one of the worst in the league and their sole offensive playmaker can’t stay healthy. Up Next: Seattle Seahawks |
| 31 |  |
0-0 | - | 6 new starters on defense is a good foundation for rectifying an 0-16 season, and other than a floundering line this offense is serviceable. Next stop: Super Bowl. Up Next: New Orleans Saints |
| 32 |  |
0-0 | - | The only franchise potentially worse than the Browns in 2009, is the Browns in 2010 when Edwards and Rogers will likely jump ship and unless Quinn kills it, a new QB will probably be in place. Up Next: Minnesota Vikings |
Be sure to check back next week with our NFL Power Rankings post week 1.
