32 in 32: Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers

Read the introduction here
Read the Lions preview here
Denver Broncos tomorrow

2011 Record: 12-4

Key Acquisitions: Mike Adams, David DeCastro, Leonard Pope
Key Departures: James Farrior, Chris Kemoeatu, Mewelde Moore, Hines Ward

The Steelers have talent. They have a lot of talent. Roethlisberger is a top ten quarterback, and he has some offensive weapons around him. The unfortunate part is that they have been plagued by injuries on both sides of the ball. What's even worse is that defensively, not only are they fragile, the personnel is aging, and quickly. I think they'll be decimated by the injury bug this year, and it's finally the year for them to take a step back. They'll still be fine, but not in the playoffs.

Offense
Big Ben is a really good QB. He does a lot for this team, and his strong arm really helps with his young group of receivers. He also has a knack for avoiding hits by escaping the pocket while under pressure. His size and elusiveness in the pocket has been a key to his career because the offensive line hasn't been terribly consistent over the past few years. His ability to play through injuries is really valuable.

Rashard Mendenhall tore his ACL in the last game of the season, and he won't be available until sometime later in the years, if at all. Isaac Redman will take his place as the starter, and I don't know what to expect from him on a full-time basis. He and Jonathan Dwyer can be a fine duo. They can also turn out to be a complete disaster.

Mike Wallace is going to end his holdout and will probably report to camp tomorrow. Let's write him off for at least the first half of the season because people never do well coming out of a holdout, especially this late in camp and he won't get to practice for too long, and won't get into a preseason game. He's also at great risk to get himself injured. Antonio Brown will definitely fill his shoes pretty nicely. After him, there's Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery. Sanders is a young talent who has enough ability to step up into a bigger role. Cotchery is a reliable veteran with good hands. There isn't any depth after these four guys. Or three guys because I know and you know that Wallace will have a lost season.

Heath Miller is a good pass catching tight end who also happens to be a major factor in terms of blocking. He'll be more involved in the offense this year. Leonard Pope isn't great, but he's a good second option at the TE position.

First round pick David DeCastro was supposed to come in and provide an immediate boost to this line. Well, his ACL and MCL had other ideas. Now they'll have to use the motley crew of replacements who did a nice job for them last year, but there are possible issues with consistency. Fellow rookie Mike Adams is a good addition at the left tackle position. Willie Colon is really good when he's on the field. Will Willie be on the field? Time will tell. There's obviously Maurkice Pouncey, who is one of the best centers in the NFL. The position vacated by DeCastro could be the death of this offensive line, and this offense.

Defense
I see a real lack of a pass rush on this roster, especially with two of the key linemen coming off injuries. ACL alert! Third torn anterior cruciate ligament that I have mentioned so far. Casey Hampton will most likely miss some time at the beginning of the year due to his ACL. On top of that, he's 34, and I have questions as to whether or not he can hold up throughout the season. Brett Keisel and Da Beard will have to take a back seat to Cameron Heyward in 2012. The second year defensive end needs to develop. Keisel will end up playing a lot due to the futility of Ziggy Hood. Keisel will get hurt.

The bulk of the sacks on this team will be generated from the linebackers. Lamarr Woodley was dealing with a lingering injury and still ended up terrorizing quarterbacks. James Harrison is old, much like a lot of other defensive players. He's fine, but age will catch up to him. Lawrence Timmons turned in a productive 2011 campaign while Larry Foote isn't very good at this point in his career. Young players Sean Spence, Stevenson Sylvester, and Jason Worilds will be very important for this season and for the future.

Ike Taylor and Keenan Lewis are the cornerbacks. While Taylor was very good last season, he will always be remember for being victimized by Tim Tebow in the playoffs. Just a bad game, so he's still fine. Lewis was horrific last year when he was on the field. The safeties are both very good with good histories. Polamalu has concussion problems, while Ryan Clark is aging quickly.

Special Teams
Shaun Suisham isn't consistent at all and there is no telling how he will do this coming season. Punter Jeremy Kapinos was alright last year, but he could have been better. Antonio Brown is a very good return man, but I'm afraid that his new offensive role will scare the Steelers away from using him on returns too often.

9-7, 2nd in AFC North

Weekly Awards 8/27/12

Best Player in Baseball- Mike Trout until further notice. In other words, for the next 15 years.
D'oh!- The Dodgers in 3 years when they realize how much money they are paying Adrian Gonzalez.
Right Tackle of the Week- Austin Howard belongs in the Hall of Fame. That is, if Wayne Hunter was considered a good blocker. Either way, Howard didn't get lifted up and thrown like Wayne Hunter, so he's an automatic improvement.
Jets Touchdown of the Week- Oh wait!
Impressive Minor Leaguer of the Week- Both Tyler Skaggs and Collin McHugh made their major league debuts last week, and both were extremely impressive. Unlike McHugh, Skaggs has always been a highly touted prospect. Also unlike McHugh, Skaggs was not sent down to the minors before ever appearing in another game. I've already talked about McHugh, but Skaggs is a five pitch pitcher with great movement. He has command of the strike zone, and won't overpower hitters, but he won't get touched up too often.
Amar'e Stoudemire/JaVale McGee Stupid Act of the Week- The Jets get this for not trying to use their stupid Tebow package in a game situation. While everyone knows that it won't work, it's best if they at least see what it looks like at game speed. Instead, the organization wants to act like they're running a covert operation in which no one can know anything about that package. Not like Tebow did the same thing last year. As if Tony Sparano didn't run that in Miami. They also need this award for treating Tim Tebow like a starter. All first-team players and Tim Tebow will not play in the preseason finale. Stupid.
Fix Your Bullpen- Last chance before the waiver deadline! Come on Metsies! Hopefully someone will give up a reliever that is under contract for next year for the return of either Scott Hairston or Andres Torres, both of whom are on waivers.
Skip Bayless Annoying Analyst Award- He basically said on national TV (I'm paraphrasing): "Tim Tebow is terrible unless his receivers are wide open and people aren't trying to defend him." I love him.
Birthday of the Day- Ghanaian National Team midfielder Sulley Muntari turns 28 today. Shout out to Darren McFadden. Also to his fantasy owners that will be in tears by Week 6.
Mike Trout Award- Trout.
NL Version of Mike Trout- Drew is cooling off a little bit now. With that comes the complete downward spiral of his team.

32 in 32: Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions

Read the introduction here
Read the Falcons preview here
Pittsburgh Steelers tomorrow

2011 Record: 10-6

Key Acquisitions: Ryan Broyles, Jacob Lacey, Riley Reiff
Key Departures: Bobby Carpenter, Chris Harris, Eric Wright

Matthew Stafford had one of the best seasons in the history of football. Of course, it came in the same year that Tom Brady and Drew Brees had (in terms of passing yards) the two best seasons in football history. He was finally able to stay healthy for a full season, and he definitely gave Detroit a breath of fresh air. Offensively, this team is very talented, even with an anemic running game. The reason for this, that Calvin Johnson guy. He's alright.While the offense could be one of the best in football, the back end of the defend is  not very good, and that could be the death of them this year. Their schedule this year is very tough, especially because they have to play both the Packers and the Bears twice, and the NFC is much better. If they can put it all together, and stay disciplined on and off the field, they have put themselves in position to be in playoff contention this year.

Offense
Stafford was amazing last year. He had the 5th most passing yards by any one quarterback in a season in the single of football. That's extremely impressive. Would have gotten a lot more attention if the seasons ranked 1 and 2 on that list didn't happen in the same year. The guy who got to 6th on that list last year won a Super Bowl. I don't think Stafford is going to be that amazing this year, but he's a great quarterback. He has great chemistry with Calvin Johnson, and the fact that the Lions made the playoffs without a reliable running game is a testament to Stafford's ability.

Speaking of those running backs, Detroit has three talented backs on their roster. Unfortunately, all three of them were injured at some point in 2011. Mikel Leshoure missed all of his rookie season with an Achilles tear, and Jahvid Best joined him on IR in November due to concussion issues. Kevin Smith even got hurt after taking over for Best. Best was very good at the start of his rookie season, but whether it be turf toe or concussions, he hasn't been fully healthy since 2010. If he is at full strength, along with Leshoure and Smith, this rushing attack can be very good. However, that's a huge if.

Calvin Johnson is too good for words, but let me try. He has sprinter speed, he's really tall, and has great hands. He can also jump really high. He's also a good route runner. Yeah, need anything else? Titus Young will most likely emerge as the #2 target as the season goes along after his pretty good rookie campaign. For now, Nate Burleson will be the one lining up across from Megatron, and he's always been a very solid receiver. He's not going to hurt this team as the second option. Kasim Osgood can be good when he doesn't play much, and he won't be needed to do much of anything on this team, which is great for them. He's a disaster if his role is too big. Ryan Broyles has the most receptions in the history of FBS (or Division I) college football. He tore his ACL in November, so he can't be on the field to begin the year, but he's contribute pretty nicely when he is ready.

Both Tony Scheffler and Brandon Pettigrew are complete tight ends. Both are great blockers and have great hands, creating a great 1-2 punch. Neither of them will be considered elite in the Tight End Renaissance (see: Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham), but they're both very good.

The offensive line will be a very important to this team's success because of Stafford's past injury troubles. I think that they can handle that challenge. Rookie tackle Riley Reiff will be a massive upgrade over Gosder Cherilus on the right side. Jeff Backus can struggle in pass protection, but he's a good run blocker. The guards are good, and the center Dominic Raiola is getting older and is definitely showing signs of slowing down.          

Defense
The defensive line is arguably the best in football. The ends Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch form a great duo. They combined for 19 sacks in 2011, and when they weren't bringing down the QB, they were constantly applying pressure. Ndamukong Suh is a menace on the inside, and he's always causing havoc in the pass rush. He draws extra attention, freeing up Avril and Vanden Bosch to attack. There's is also Nick Fairley who is chock full of talent, but he just needs to put it all together. Lawrence Jackson and Willie Young are also good pass rushers. Opposing signal callers will be deathly afraid to play against the Lions. If they aren't they should be. The line will struggle to stop the run as they did last year, which is why they have Sammie Lee Hill and Corey Williams.

The linebacking corps is very solid. Justin Durant was pretty good at stopping the run last year, while DeAndre Levy took a major step back last year. He wasn't very good, but was much better in previous seasons. Stephen Tulloch is an all-around linebacker, but he's best at making tackles. He has had at least 92 tackles each of the past three seasons.

Jacob Lacey is a fine corner, and should be a capable replacement for Eric Wright, who was pretty bad last year. Chris Houston and Aaron Berry are both solid corners, but nothing spectacular. They both make some terrible plays, contributing to what was a terrible pass defense last season. Louis Delmas will provide a much needed boost to this secondary. He was dearly missed at the end of the year.

Special Teams
Jason Hanson has been a reliable kicker despite being so old. He never ceases to amaze me, being 42 years old now. I guess you can be old if you just need to swing your leg once in a while. Punter Ryan Donahue was miserable last year, and Ben Graham will most likely steal the starting gig away him. Stefan Logan wasn't terrible in the return game last year.

10-6, 3rd in NFC North

32 in 32: Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons

Read the introduction here
Read the Bengals preview here
Detroit Lions tomorrow

2011 Record: 10-6

Key Acquisitions: Peter Konz, Asante Samuel
Key Departures: Curtis Lofton, Ovie Mughelli, Mike Peterson, James Sanders, Eric Weems

Oh the Falcons. Picked them to go to the Super Bowl last year. They went up to New York and put together a stinker of an offensive performance, ending their season way before it should have ended. They never lose at home, so that's an automatic 8 wins right there, and this is this team's year. The Saints are going to be diminished after losing their coach for the season (NFL coaches have a huge impact on their teams) and the Panthers and Buccaneers are on the rise, but not at playoff level just yet. They'll win the division, but with their conference being so strong, they really can't afford to underachieve again. Matt Ryan has never won a playoff game, and he definitely is talented enough to do so. While Michael Turner, Roddy White, and Tony Gonzalez are getting older, offensively this team is really talented. That's part of the reason why I feel the window is closing, age. The defense was solid last year, and while they lost Curtis Lofton, they've vastly improved their secondary.

Offense
Matt Ryan is a very good quarterback. There are a bunch of people who will look at his lack of a playoff win and make the case that he's not good, but of course, those people are entirely wrong. He knows how to lead this team to wins, and with the receiving corps that he has, scoring points won't be that hard.

Michael Turner is now 30 years old. That's an ominous sign. This is probably the last year of productivity for him because he is a running back. He led the NFC in rushing last season, and I don't expect him to slow down this year. Usually when RBs reach this age, they have another good year before they fall flat. He's going to be as good as usual, but he could possibly slow down a little bit at the end of the year.

Roddy White is now nearing the end of his prime. He knows how to catch the ball. Well, sort of. He should get a lot more receptions than he does. He had a major issue with drops last year, even though he was able to get 100 receptions. He's still elite, but he really needs to iron out that issue. Julio Jones is going to have his breakout season this year. All cornerbacks released a joint statement: "Oh God no!!!" Jones has all the physical abilities to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and he's probably going to make that leap this year. He looked great as the season wore on after being seemingly non-existent at the start of the year. After these two, Harry Douglas is a very good slot receivers. He'll be the beneficiary of the extra attention paid to White and Jones.

Tony Gonzalez came back despite turning 36 in February. He's one of the best pass catchers ever, regardless of position, and he was still really productive in 2011. He's getting older but it seems that he won't ever stop catching passes. He had 80 last year, which seems completely ridiculous for a 35 year old, but I expect that from him by now.

The offensive line is very solid. Left tackle is the only glaring weakness, as neither Sam Baker nor Will Svitek were any good last year. Being Ryan's blind side, that's a concern, but the rest of the line is very good. Tyson Clabo and Todd McClure are both very proven veterans.

Defense
The Ray Edwards signing looked to be a major bust last season, and they really need him to step it up and be the pass rusher that the Falcons paid big bucks for. John Abraham is still producing, but he's pretty old at 34, and everyone is just waiting for age to hit him. He's still a very skilled pass rusher until then. The defensive tackles are both very good, even though Corey Peters isn't a good pass rusher.

Sean Weatherspoon was beyond impressive last year, and he's only going to get better. He could be one of the best outside linebackers in the NFL by the end of the year. He is a tackling machine. Speaking of tackling machines, the departure of Curtis Lofton is really going to hurt. It hurts even more than he went to the Saints. Weatherspoon and Akeem Dent will have to pick up the slack in his absence.

It was really hard to complete passes against Asante Samuel last year even though he was unhappy and probably wasn't playing as hard as he's capable of. It was even tougher for passes to be caught on Brent Grimes. This cornerback tandem is going to be really good. Dunta Robinson will be a package corner, and he's pretty good so his new role will maximize his talents. The safeties aren't terrible, but Thomas DeCoud isn't great.

Special Teams
Matt Bryant has been an elite kicker in recent seasons, and he's probably going to continue that trend. Matt Bosher was terrible last year, but he was only a rookie and he'll get better. Losing Eric Weems is a blow, and now the Rodgers boys; James and Jacquizz (brothers, but not twins) are going to be competing for that job.

10-6, 1st in NFC South

Mets Rookies and Cherington the Genius

I've had just about no time to do any writing this week, so there are some things that I need to say, starting off with the Mets and their rookie starting pitchers:

Matt Harvey pitched a gem on Wednesday against the Rockies, and while it wasn't like the dominance of his start against the Reds, he pitched very well. His fastball was working, and by working, I mean fast. His average velocity was at 95, and I remember him reaching all the way up to 98 MPH. He did what Matt Harvey does best, he threw a lot of fastballs. 76.5% of his pitches were heaters, and it was hard to hit them. He and Kelly Shoppach did a great job of pitch selection. He got ahead in the count very often, and from there he did a great job of not giving the batters anything to hit. Once he had them in a hole, he was able to throw his curveball and his slider into the dirt, and he got a lot of strikeouts from chased pitches. All of his four pitches were very good throughout his start.

I did not get to watch Collin McHugh's major league debut, but by all accounts it was great. He has a very effective curve and gets his strikeouts more by finesse than power. His fastball averaged 89.7 MPH, but he still got 9 strikeouts. If this is really how good he is, the Mets pitching staff for the next 10 years is shaping up pretty nicely; Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey, Collin McHugh, Jonathan Niese, Mike Pelfrey/Dillon Gee. Obviously Dickey and Santana will be there for the first few years, but not much longer after that.

Okay, I love Ben Cherington. He just made one of the smartest moves in baseball history. He recognizes that his team is going nowhere this season (except down) and he lit a stick of dynamite to his team without jeopardizing their future. He cleared a giant load of salary, allowing for a lot of flexibility in the offseason to improve this roster and in particular, the pitching staff. Trading Josh Beckett was a no-brainer because he was not working at all in Boston. He's the Jason Bay of the Red Sox at this point. Adrian Gonzalez is playing very well, but he's not even close to living up to his astronomical contract. Carl Crawford had an atrocious season in 2011, and was playing well when he returned from injury this year, until of course he had to get Tommy John surgery. He may not come back until 2014, or at least late in 2013. The pitching staff of this team is terrible, and once they use their extra money to improve that, they could be in contention next season. Remember that Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and David Ortiz are all still on this roster.

32 in 32: Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals

Read the introduction here
Read the Titans preview here
Atlanta Falcons tomorrow

2011 Record: 9-7

Key Acquisitions: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Dre Kirkpatrick, Terrence Newman, Mohamed Sanu, Devon Still, Travelle Wharton, Kevin Zeitler
Key Departures: Cedric Benson, Andre Caldwell, Chris Crocker, Keith Rivers, Frostee Rucker, Jerome Simpson, Bobbie Williams

This team was reasonably surprising last year, even though people knew that the defense would be very good. Andy Dalton was much better than expected. Everyone knew that he would be good eventually, but the chemistry that he quickly fostered with A.J. Green was amazing. Green is a great receiver who whose combination of size and speed makes him a special talent. In terms of weapons this offense is very thin outside of Green. Defensively they have lost a few players, but should still be very good. They have a tougher schedule than last year. Dalton struggled near the end of last year, and he's probably going to be affected by the classic sophmore slump, so I expect him to take a step back. Those issues combined will lead the this team missing the playoffs. It wouldn't surprise me if they do get into the postseason because the AFC is not as deep as usual.

Offense
Andy Dalton's accuracy as a passer is a major asset to this team. He becomes much more erratic as the passes are deeper, which is why A.J. Green is so valuable. Throw it anywhere near Green's tall frame, he has a chance to catch it. Outside of that, Dalton is a great QB to move the ball down the field using short passes.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis is a fine running back who looked much better than he actually is because of the New England offense. He's an average runner who won't really make great plays unless the offensive line creates giant holes for him. This offensive line will consistently give him a lot of daylight.

I've already talked enough about A.J. Green, but other than him, the receivers on this team are not very good. It looks like Brandon Tate is going to be the #2 receiver, and he's another Pats castoff and he hasn't done much of anything in his career as a wide receiver. Mohamed Sanu was chosen in the 3rd round of this year's draft, and he's going to have to play a pivotal role on this roster. There is absolutely no depth here.

Jermaine Gresham and Donald Lee form a pretty nice combination at the tight end position. Gresham is a real weapon while Lee has shown that he has pretty good hands.

Travelle Wharton and Kevin Zeitler will be new starters on this pretty good offensive line. Wharton has always been a solid blocker, while Zeitler, a rookie whose main job is to be better than Bobbie Williams. Williams is a really good blocker, but at his advanced age, it's hard to maintain his success over the 16 game season. The rest of the line consists of returning starters Kyle Cook, Andre Smith, and Andrew Whitworth. All are fine at what they do, nothing spectacular, but in the NFL it's hard to find an offensive line with 5 guys that are at least average.

Defense
Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson showed last year that they could consistently apply pressure to the opposing offense. Both are very good young pass rushers. Geno Atkins led to team in sacks at the defensive tackle position, which does not happen very often. He's a rock in the middle who has the athleticism to get after the quarterback. He also terrorizes running backs consistently. Domata Peko is a very good defensive tackle in his own right. His strength is stopping the run, but he attracts extra attention from pass blockers because of his size. It would help this front seven if Keith Rivers was still with the team, but he could never stay healthy, so trading him was a reasonable decision. Rey Maualuga is an above average linebacker who does a lot on defense. Thomas Howard and Manny Lawson both did well last year.

It will be very hard to throw on this team anywhere near the sidelines. The corners are not only very top heavy, this is a very deep position. Leon Hall is a really good corner, but he is coming off of an Achilles injury and it is not certain whether or not he can play (and if so, how effectively) this year. They went out and drafted athletic Dre Kirkpatrick in the first round this year who happens to be compared to Antonio Cromartie a lot (which is a very good thing, but only when on the field. Outside of that...I think he wants to avoid those parallels). Nate Clements and Terrence Newman are aging veterans who have had success in their careers with Clements playing as good as usual last season. Jason Allen isn't very good, but as the 4th corner, he's a good option. Pac-Man Jones is still on this roster in case you forgot. The middle of the field seems to be much weaker. Reggie Nelson is fine, but Taylor Mays is the real problem. As the strong safety, it doesn't help if he can't really cover receivers that well. He has a tendency to be burned in the passing game.

Special Teams
Mike Nugent somehow found a way to be consistent all of a sudden after struggling with just that during his career. I'm not sure whether or not he can continue to be as sure-footed as last year. Ken Huber wasn't very good last year. Brandon Tate has done well in the kick return game in the past.

7-9, 3rd in AFC North

32 in 32: Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans

Read the introduction here
Read the Bears preview here
Cincinnati Bengals tomorrow

2011 Record: 9-7

Key Acquisitions: Zach Brown, Steve Hutchinson, Kamerion Wimbley
Key Departures: Cortland Finnegan, Daniel Graham, William Hayes, Chris Hope, Jason Jones

I picked this team to make the playoffs last year and nobody believed in them. I was nearly right and this team is basically the same as last year, but they will take a step back for one reason: Jake Locker. I do think that picking Locker was the best option for the future of the team, and they need to stick with him throughout the season. Chris Johnson is going to be much better this year, because nobody loses all of their talent in one year. Unless his name is Jason Bay. Kenny Britt has health problems along with legal issues, but he'll be good when he plays this year. The defense looks solid even though they lack a threatening pass rush. This team is young and impressive, but until Locker has a full season under his belt, I'm not ready to launch them into the playoffs just yet.

Offense
I am a huge fan of Locker, but he needs to go through the usual trials and tribulations of a young quarterback. While he has Matthew Hasselbeck to mentor him as he did last year, but there he hasn't had enough time. Aaron Rodgers had three years behind Favre, but one year on the bench won't do the trick. I think he's really good, but not just yet. Hasselbeck is a smart guy and probably a really good mentor, but Locker will be inconsistent, like a normal QB with minimal or no experience. He'll show improvement as the season wears on however.

CJ2K's holdout is the biggest reason why he was a complete failure in 2011. Missing all of training camps, especially with the lockout, was a terrible decision by him. He got better as the season wore one because he was starting to regain his form. He'll be in playing shape right from the get-go to start this season, so he'll be fine. He's too fast to be as terrible as he was last season.

As I said before, Kenny Britt will most likely be suspended for the beginning of the season, but he's a dynamic deep threat who knows how to use his size to his advantage. Nate Washington filled in for Britt last year as the #1 receiver and was surprisingly very good. I don't think anyone expected him to have much success as the top guy. Damian Williams has been inconsistent throughout his career, but he has shown flashes of brilliance. Kendall Wright is really fast and could have a very big impact on this team. He most likely won't get as much attention as someone with his skill level should, and he'll be a major deep threat.

Jared Cook was very good last year, and it seemed that the flashes of greatness that he had shown in previous seasons were signs of future success.

The offensive line is very, very good. Steve Hutchinson is a great left guard, and has been one of the best at his position for a very long time. Chris Johnson will fall in love with the holes created by Hutchinson. Michael Roos is a very good tackle, and so is his counterpart David Stewart, who is coming off of an injury riddled 2011 campaign, but he's healthy now and will be fine.

Defense
Derrick Morgan will be much better than he was last year because he's healthier. He'll attempt to form a very good pass rushing duo with Kamerion Wimbley. The team as a whole was terrible at getting after the QB last year, and while they added something in Wimbley, I'm not sure whether or not it is enough. Akeem Ayers and Colin McCarthy are both good young players. This is each of their second seasons, and both very fine last year. Will Witherspoon is a veteran linebacker who will do a nice job on the outside, as he has his whole career.

Cortland Finnegan is gone. Fortunately for Tennessee, Alterraun Verner and Jason McCourty are both nice cornerbacks. Nothing spectacular, but they will do a very good job of slowing down receivers. Michael Griffin is a really good safety who is a black hole in the middle when he is at his best. He really knows how to force all plays to be down the sidelines, and with those two corners there, that will be hard for an offense to consistently do.

Special Teams
Rob Bironas will have another typical Rob Bironas season. He's going to be a really good kicker and he won't miss much of anything. There will be a few games that he wins for them by kicking so many field goals. Brett Kern was amazing at the beginning of his career, but he tailed off last year. Marc Mariani is an improving young return man who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2010. He has shown the ability to take it to the house.

8-8, 2nd in the AFC South

32 in 32: Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

Read the introduction here
Read the Chargers preview here
Tennessee Titans tomorrow

2011 Record: 8-8

Key Acquisitions: Michael Bush, Geno Hayes, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Shea McClellin, Chilo Rachal, Eric Weems
Key Departures: Marion Barber, Corey Graham, Brandon Meriweather, Amobi Okoye

What if. What if Culter and Forte had not gone down late last year? The answer is, they would have made the playoffs and most likely won at least a game. Cutler is much better than people give him credit for, and Matt Forte is coming off of a career year. I'm not a big believer at all in the "contract year" stupidity. He's very good. Nothing to do with playing for a contract. The Brandon Marshall trade was an epic coup. The offensive line doesn't look great, but Mike Tice just happens to take mediocre lines and make them good. He's an elite offensive line coach. Being the Chicago Bears, the defense is very solid. They were surprisingly low ranking last year. They ranked 17th, but I definitely see that number getting much lower this year. This is a "sexy" pick this year and there's good reason for that. They actually could win the division because of the lack of defense on the Packers.

Offense
Jay Cutler is just like Tony Romo. Neither of them get nearly enough credit for what they do. Cutler is a really good passer, and he actually is a leader unlike what some people think. He unfairly gets criticized for his body language and what happened in the 2010 NFC Championship Game against the Packers when he got hurt and left the game. I don't know what it is about him, but people enjoy piling on him. You need to respect his talent.

Matt Forte is a great running back. He was really good before last year, and he was even better last year. I expect him to sustain his performance this year at an elite level. The Bears have two legitimate backups for him. Michael Bush is a great running back who along with Forte will form a very hard duo to stop in the red zone. Bush should have signed somewhere else to be a starter because he has that kind of talent. Kahlil Bell was very good in limited action last year to replace Forte when he went down.

I love the Brandon Marshall pickup. He had amazing chemistry with Jay Cutler in Denver, and Cutler was the one who helped launch Marshall to stardom. Marshall also helped Cutler play better too. I expect Marshall too pick it up this year. He hasn't played with a quarterback as good as Cutler since he played with Cutler. Marshall was great last year but he's going to be even better. Earl Bennett was pretty good last year, and I expect him to breakout with Brandon Marhsall seeing a lot of attention on the opposite side of him. Alshon Jeffery looks to be a really good receiving option. Dane Sanzenbacher and Rashied Davis are both fine receivers.

Roberto Garza is a really good center who should provide a lot of time for Cutler to pass. Gabe Carimi was considered to be a really tackle coming out of college, and it seems like he's going to be a very good blocker. J'Marcus Webb did better as the season wore on, until the last game of the season, when he was decimated. Neither Chilo Rachal or Lance Louis is great, but working with Mike Tice never hurts an offensive lineman.

Defense
That Julius Peppers guy is advancing in age, but the one talent that he will always have is his ability to get sacks. He knows how to get it done in the pass rush. Israel Idonije is moving to defensive tackle to make room for Shea McClellin on the end. Idonije is a very good run defender. Henry Melton will be playing next to Idonije and had a great season getting after the QB, forming a nice combination with Idonije this year.  McClellin is very good at rushing the QB, so with him and Peppers, the line looks to be very scary for the guy under center.

Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs are getting older. Does it look like it? At all? Urlacher has been elite for seemingly the past eternity and he will always play at a high level. He's not stopping. He's the NFC version of Ray Lewis. You're just waiting for Father Time to catch up with him, and it never happens. Lance Briggs isn't slowing down either. Two defensive leaders who are about as smart as any defensive players that I have watched.

The safeties look to be very sketchy. Chris Conte is only in his second year, and while he played really well last year, he's not getting any help from Major Wright. Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman manned the corners pretty well in 2011, and it was very hard to get any big plays down the sidelines against the Bears. D.J. Moore is a nice defensive back to have in nickel and dime coverages.

Special Teams
Adam Podlesh wasn't a very good punter last year, but he wasn't terrible. Chicago really expects him to step it up and so do I. Robbie Gould is always a good kicker. He's been consistent for this team. Devin Hester is the best return man in NFL history. Period.

11-5, 2nd in NFC North

32 in 32: San Diego Chargers

San Diego Chargers

San Diego Chargers (Powder Blue!)

Read the introduction here
Read the Raiders preview here
Chicago Bears tomorrow

2011 Record: 8-8

Key Acquisitions: Atari Bigby, Ronnie Brown, Aubrayo Franklin, Rex Hadnot, Melvin Ingram, Jarret Johnson, Le'Ron McClain, Robert Meachem, Roscoe Parrish, Kendall Reyes, Eddie Royal, Michael Spurlock, Demorrio Williams
Key Departures: Luis Castillo, Patrick Crayton, Kris Dielman, Tommie Harris, Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill

Phillip Rivers had a down year. He was not 100% healthy, though he refuses to admit that. There's no way that the man was at full strength. He's obviously going to turn it around. Ryan Mathews is going to be hurt for the beginning of the year, and his health has been a constant issue throughout his career. Unfortunately, they lost Mike Tolbert to the Panthers. The depth of the wide receiver group is very good. Offensively, this team is pretty set, especially if Mathews stays on the field for most of the season. Defensively, this team has a little bit of talent, but I can see that being a complete disaster like is was last year. The only issue with the Chargers is that they always start the season slowly, and end on a hot streak. It's been a major problem ever since Norv Turner became the coach, no consistency in terms of performance. Turner isn't a very good coach, and I fully expect this team to underachieve once again. Just because they always do that. Every single year.

Offense
Phillip Rivers is one of the best QBs in the league (I have him at 6) even though he was bad last year. He still got himself a lot of yards, but the interception totals were very unnerving. He'll bounce back. I don't even have doubts about that.

Ryan Mathews is really good. I felt that he would make the jump to an elite running back this year, and he still might, but I'm afraid that he'll be sidelined a lot during the rest of his time in the NFL. His young career has been littered with injuries and it's probably going to continue. He'll most likely begin playing sometime in September, and he'll be a shot in the arm for this team. Ronnie Brown will have to hold it down in his absence, but he's been virtually non-existent for a while. He was a non factor last year with the Eagles, but I think he'll be at least serviceable in San Diego.

Losing Vincent Jackson is more insignificant than you would think. I'm not a fan on his. I am however a fan of Malcolm Floyd as a #2 receiver, but not as the top guy. Vincent Brown's broken ankle is a blow, but the other guys are pretty good. Robert Meachem and Roscoe Parrish have both had success over throughout their careers as speedy weapons downfield. Neither of them have ever, nor will be asked to play on every down. Eddie Royal was very good in Denver, when he was not hurt. I think he'll prove to be a very good pickup for this team.

Antonio Gates is consistently a great tight end, when he's on the field. The problem is no one knows whether or not he will be on the field. It looks like he's at full strength right now, but don't expect that to last very long.

The offensive line has a couple of holes. Jeromey Clary and Rex Hadnot are both disasters. Both are probably going to be starting for this team. Clary rivals Wayne Hunter when it comes to pure ineptitude, but I still give Hunter the edge. Outside of those guys, the line is pretty good. Nick Hardwick is a great center, who didn't allow a sack last year. Jared Gaither is a really good tackle, but it would help if he can stay healthy. That helps.

Defense
The defensive line has nobody that can consistently apply pressure to the quarterback. Jaques Cesaire and Antonio Garay are pedestrian at their respective positions, and this line isn't going to scare anybody. Especially when they send the 3 man rush. Unless they are being blocked by Wayne Hunter. Melvin Ingram looks to improve the terrible pass rush. He's going to make an immediate impact as a threat in pass defense. Jarrett Johnson is a good run defender, while Shaun Phillips is a very good pass rusher. He wasn't at his best last year, but he'll form a nice duo with Ingram. Takeo Spikes is still in the NFL. Yeah, I know right. He's a non-factor at this point, but he did have a very good career. The production just isn't consistent anymore.

The secondary is going to be bad. It was terrible last year, and it will be terrible again. Quentin Jammer is old and getting slower, and both he and Antoine Cason aren't very good at coverage. Atari Bigby is a mediocre at best safety. Eric Weddle is the one who will carry the burden of the mistakes made by the corners and Bigby. He's really good, but I don't know if leaving it all to him is fair.

Special Teams
In 2010, the Chargers were the only team that I have ever seen miss the playoffs because of their special teams. They kept getting punts blocked (especially by the Raiders) and missing kicks and giving up big returns. It was pure hilarity to watch, but torture for all fans of the Bolts. Nick Novak and Nate Kaeding will battle for the kicker job. Novak did well when Kaeding went down last year, and they might decide to continue with him. Mike Scifres is an elite punter. He knows how to back a team up against their own endzone. Michael Spurlock and Eddie Royal will be the ones returning kicks. Royal is a dynamic punt returner who had some success doing it in Denver. He's a terrible receiver and okay kick returner. He'll have his moments.

8-8, 3rd in AFC West

32 in 32: Oakland Raiders

Oakland Raiders

Read the introduction here
Read the Jets preview here
San Diego Chargers tomorrow

2011 Record: 8-8

Key Acquisitions: Ronald Bartell, Tony Bergstrom, Mike Goodson, Patrick Lee, Owen Schmitt, Shawntae Spencer, Dave Tollefson
Key Departures: Kevin Boss, Michael Bush, Bruce Campbell, Quentin Groves, John Henderson, Chris Johnson, Jarvis Moss, Stanford Routt, Lito Sheppard

The Raiders. Oh the Raiders. Talk about a revolving door of coaches. Nobody has been able to establish a culture or a system with this team over the past decade. Lack of continuity continues with Dennis Allen taking over the team. This comes after Hue Jackson helped to fix this offense, but that doesn't count because it's the Raiders. Carson Palmer was not very good last year. Darren McFadden isn't ever healthy. The offense looks very bad on paper. The defense doesn't look great either. If this isn't bad enough, their division is in for a big year. Peyton Manning is now in their division. That's an automatic two losses. Peyton Manning.

Offense
Carson Palmer is average. He hasn't been very good since his injury problems started to arise. He was absolutely terrible last year, but that was because he missed all of camp and the beginning of the season due to his "holdout" (if you would call it that).

McFadden is really good. Unfortunately for the city of Oakland, he's also really hurt all the time. I was reading in Sports Illustrated, that if he played 16 games each of the past 3 years, he would have ranked no lower than third in the league (projections based on his yardage in the games that he did play). Now they've lost Michael Bush, who is a starter on most teams (the Bears bid the most for him as some sort of strategy to guilt Matt Forte into signing a contract). No, I would not trust Mike Goodson to carry the load when Darren gets hurt.

This wide receiving group is three deep. The three aren't stars either. Being that they are on the Raiders, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford, and Denarius Moore are fast. None of them are great at route running or simply catching the football. Moore may be the exception though. He should be the #1 receiver after his surprisingly stellar performance last year.

Khalif Barnes is very bad at pass blocking, but he's an exceptional run blocker. For a team that is expected to run the ball a lot anyway, he's very good to have. Stefen Wisniewski had a very good year last yea, earning All-Rookie Team honors. Jared Veldheer is a very good young tackle. He's well on his way to Pro Bowl level.

Defense
The defensive line looks very solid. They have two monsters in the middle in Tommy Kelly and Richard Seymour. Seymour is getting up there in age and I'm not sure if he's going to have the same production that has been expected of him throughout his career. I have to problems with Lamarr Houston, Desmond Bryant, Dave Tollefson, nor Matt Shaughnessy. None of them are amazing, but they're not going to be terrible. Houston did show the ability to pressure the quarterback last year. The same can be said with Tollefson.

The risk factor with the rest of the defense is scary. Rolando McClain is the only reliable guy in this group, and he might miss some time due to a possible suspension. Draft bust Aaron Curry has to be a starter on this team, and even after he was traded to the Raiders, was not very good. When McClain is out, the burden will be on a fourth round pick, Miles Burris. This will probably be a completely disastrous unit.

Safties Michael Huff and Tyvon Branch are very good, but this team will be very vulnerable to the big play down the sidelines. It seems as if they don't care to keep their good players, allowing both Nnamdi Asomugha and Stanford Routt to walk in each of the past two offseasons. Ronald Bartell and Shawntae Spencer will have to step in and man the corners, something that neither of them are great at.

Special Teams
The best special teams unit in the NFL. Sebastian Janikowski is such a great kicker. Sea Bass has the most powerful leg that I have seen on a kicker. Not only is his leg powerful, it's pretty accurate. He makes seemingly impossible field goals with ease. Shane Lechler is a real master at pinning his opponents deep inside their own territory. He's one of the best punters of all time. Yeah, I said it, he's a great punter. Amazing punter. Punter. I should rank the best punters of all time. Lechler would be near the top of the list. Jacoby Ford is a really good punt returner with elite speed. He had some big returns last year.

4-12, 4th in AFC West