Prisco's power Rankings--Rams 17

[RamWraith]

Power Rankings: Champs start '07 right where they left off

By Pete Prisco




Updated May 8

Did you ever think Peyton Manning could win a Super Bowl and not be much of a story the following spring?

Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to their first Super Bowl victory, getting the giant monkey off his back, and yet nobody is talking much about the Colts.

It's the New England Patriots and all their moves.

It's the San Diego Chargers and their coaching changeover.

It's the Baltimore Ravens and their new runner, Willis McGahee.

It's the Denver Broncos and their offseason moves.

Oh, by the way, the Colts are the defending champions.

Yet all you hear about the Colts is how much they've lost this offseason. The skeptics say they've suffered too many hits.

The reality is they are a better team than they were a year ago, which is why they are atop the latest CBS SportsLine.com Power Rankings.

Is that lunacy?

Not really. The two corners, Jason David and Nick Harper, were just OK players who were covered up in their Cover-2 scheme. They will be easily replaced by Marlin Jackson and Tim Jennings, or Kelvin Hayden, the player who had the fumble return for a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

No loss.

Weakside linebacker Cato June was a solid player, but if he was so good why didn't he get a multi-year deal from another team when he hit the market? Here's why? He's just OK.

That can be replaced.

As for the loss of backup running back Dominic Rhodes, that might be felt some but it should mean more carries for Joseph Addai, who is clearly a better runner. The Colts are considering bringing in a veteran backup, but as long as Addai is healthy they will be even better running the ball in 2007 than they were in 2006.

Then there's the addition of first-round pick Anthony Gonzalez. The Colts lacked a slot receiver last year when Brandon Stokley went down with an injury, which is why Gonzalez made sense. He will come in and immediately give Manning a speed threat inside.

In the playoff run they used Dallas Clark flexed wide in a lot of sets, but that won't be a necessity as much with Gonzalez.

So the offense should be better.

The defense might start off slow, but once the young corners get up to snuff that side will be fine, too.

That's why the Colts stay in the top spot in these Power Rankings. I considered moving the New England Patriots into the top spot, like everybody else has -- including Vegas linemakers -- but the thing that stopped me was I can't get the vision of 32 Colts second-half points in the title game out of my head.

Yes, the Patriots have added some nice offensive pieces and a couple of defensive additions that will help, but I still think there are flaws on that defense.

For that reason, the Colts come out of the draft as the team to beat.

After all, they are the Super Bowl champions.

Have you heard?

POWER RANKINGS
Current Team Previous
1 Colts · Trends 1
As long as Manning is throwing to those receivers, they are still the team to beat. The losses they've suffered are overrated.
2 Patriots · Trends 2
I love all the moves on offense, but have they really helped the defense all that much? That was the trouble spot in the loss to the Colts.
3 Chargers · Trends 3
This is a strong team that will be there in the end. But the big changes on the coaching staff could be felt. Chemistry is an issue.
4 Broncos · Trends 8
The big issue for the Broncos is what kind of jump Jay Cutler makes in his second season. If he makes a big one, they could be a deep playoff team.
5 Bears · Trends 5
When you play the style of football they do, the margin for error is small. Everything will have to go right for the Bears to be back in the Super Bowl. That rarely happens.
6 Ravens · Trends 4
We know the defense will be good, and McGahee will help the offense, but how much does Steve McNair have left?
7 Saints · Trends 6
They will again be explosive on offense, but for this team to get to the Super Bowl the defense has to be better. They've made some decent additions, but are they enough?
8 Eagles · Trends 7
If Donovan McNabb returns healthy with no problems, they are the team to beat in the NFC East. If not, they could be in for a long season.
9 Cowboys · Trends 13
Will the real Tony Romo step up? Is he the Romo who played lights out after taking over as starter or is he the Romo who struggled down the stretch?
10 Bengals · Trends 9
Have they done enough to improve their defense? With Carson Palmer another year removed from knee surgery, the offense should be even better.
11 Steelers · Trends 10
New coach Mike Tomlin inherits a good team, and you know they will play a tough brand of football, but can they shake off the 2006 Super hangover?
12 Jaguars · Trends 11
It's all on quarterback Byron Leftwich. If he's good, they can be a deep playoff team. If not, they'll struggle. The defense will be suffocating.
13 Cardinals · Trends 17
They've added a lot of good football players to a team that had talent to begin with. They just might be the best team in the NFC West.
14 Giants · Trends 14
It's all on Eli Manning. Either he goes to the next level or the Giants won't be in the playoffs again. Brandon Jacobs has to be good, too.
15 Seahawks · Trends 12
Their division is much tougher now, which will make it a lot tougher to get to the playoffs. They must have a healthy Matt Hasselbeck. It doesn't help that Shaun Alexander's foot is still problem.
16 Jets · Trends 15
They added two nice defensive pieces (Darrelle Revis and David Harris) in the draft and Thomas Jones will help the running game. This team might still be a year away from really being playoff-ready.
17 Rams · Trends 20
The key will be whether the defense improves. The addition of Adam Carriker will help. They have to stop the run better.
18 Falcons · Trends 21
New coach Bob Petrino has to make Mike Vick a better passer. If he does, and that's a huge if, they could be back in the playoffs.
19 ***** · Trends 25
They've made some nice moves in the offseason and could be a 9-7 team. I think this is a team that will really take off in 2008.
20 Bills · Trends 22
They made some strange moves this offseason, getting rid of some key players. But if J.P. Losman improves, they will improve as well.
21 Panthers · Trends 16
This seems like a team going in the wrong direction. If Jake Delhomme struggles early, David Carr will be in the lineup quickly.
22 Packers · Trends 23
There is some good, young talent on this team. But are they ready to take the next step as Brett Favre holds on for dear life?
23 Vikings · Trends 26
It's all about the quarterback here. Is Tarvaris Jackson ready to take over as the starter like Brad Childress think he is?
24 Dolphins · Trends 24
The million-dollar question remains who will be the quarterback. Until that is settled, this team has the look of a six-victory group.
25 Buccaneers · Trends 28
They've added some good football players, but now comes the tough part: Do the old guys hold on? Plus, they have to settle on a quarterback, and it should be Chris Simms.
26 Chiefs · Trends 18
Yet another team that has quarterback issues. Who will it be? Not only that, but the defense isn't exactly capable of carrying the team until the quarterback is settled.
27 Lions · Trends 30
Can Jon Kitna have another big year throwing the football? If he does, they will surprise a lot of teams and could be a .500 team. If not, Drew Stanton is waiting.
28 Redskins · Trends 29
They haven't done a lot to make this team better -- surprise, surprise, they didn't spend much -- and that will put a lot of pressure on Jason Campbell, now the full-time starter. Bill Cowher in 2008?
29 Titans · Trends 19
Vince Young played well, but not nearly as well as the hype. He may be forced to do even more, however, because this team hasn't made a lot of improvements and lost some key people.
30 Texans · Trends 27
Matt Schaub takes over as quarterback and now he will find out what David Carr learned: It's hard to win without more than one weapon.
31 Raiders · Trends 32
The defense could be suffocating, which means if JaMarcus Russell is what everyone thinks he can be, this can possibly be a .500 team.
32 Browns · Trends 31
There is some young talent on the team, but they are still a long ways away from competing for a playoff spot. Throw Brady Quinn in there and chalk it up as a learning year.

[laram0]

#17 is absurd! Other than the Colts, Pats and Chargers the rest of the teams are in a free for all.

We'll be at least top 10.

[AvengerRam]

I see the annual ritual of over-hyping the Cardinals has commenced.

[1st & Goal]

This is what someone does when they need to fill a few lines. There is not way at this point to know how each team is going to shake out. Still going to be some moves made by some teams, and who knows which player is the next to miss the season with a major injury.

[mikhal5569]

I personally think next year is going to be a wild one filled with a ton of upsets. I'm expecting a lot of the more ugh, "popular" teams to fall flat on their face's; Bears, Steelers, Giant's. Like IramO said, next year should be a free for all. Here's hoping the Rams come out on top.

[r8rh8rmike]

I see the annual ritual of over-hyping the Cardinals has commenced.

My thoughts exactly. You'd think a lesson would have been learned by now following year after year of having to say, "They are not who we thought they were".

[Varg6]

Power rankings are just as useless as mock drafts. They only serve one purpose...To create a reason to talk about football during the off-season. Half of the articles we'll get to read about football, or the rams for that matter will be meaningless or pointless until August...

[laram0]

Power rankings are just as useless as mock drafts. They only serve one purpose...To create a reason to talk about football during the off-season. Half of the articles we'll get to read about football, or the rams for that matter will be meaningless or pointless until August...

However, It's lots of fun beating this into the ground!

[RAMMAN68]

13 Cardinals · Trends 17
They've added a lot of good football players to a team that had talent to begin with. They just might be the best team in the NFC West.

Really, are they going there again. I ask, what talent?

[bruce4life]

they have good young young playmakers but they still have no leaders on that ballclub and no great guys in the trenches where it counts... levi brown 5th overall???? come on

[The Shredder]

I don't ever read anything Prisco writes. He's just too retarded and I'm surprised he still has a job to be honest. I can't believe he gets paid to write this crap.

[The Shredder]

The Bills are gonna be horrible and the Chiefs are lower than them when they made the playoffs last season? Thats kinda weird.

[ramsbruce]

13 Cardinals · Trends 17
They've added a lot of good football players to a team that had talent to begin with. They just might be the best team in the NFC West.

Really, are they going there again. I ask, what talent?

Sure the Cards have been overhyped the last few years, and until they fix that O Line I won't buy the hype, but let's be honest, they do have some talent. Fitz, Boldin, & Adrian Wilson are all real good talented players. There is no denying that.

[Keenum]

Right now that is where we deserve to be. We have to PROVE that our defense is going to be better (which I believe it will... better than many expect).

[Goldenfleece]

The Cardinals above the Seahawks and the Rams is just ridiculous. I don't think the Giants deserve to be that high either. Honestly, though, I'm not surprised at our ranking. Until our defense proves it can keep us in the game, even I wouldn't have us higher than about 13th (on paper).