The "sudden" retirement of Derrick Mason from the Baltimore Ravens may prove to be a very painful blow to that team.  Mason has long been Baltimore's best wide out, and he developed a solid chemistry with rookie QB Joe Flacco last year.  Mason is the one player on the Ravens offense capable of stretching defenses; without him, that Ravens offense looks very pedestrian.

The Ravens have followed a very basic formula with varying degrees of success this decade.  They play stellar, opportunistic and physical defense first and foremost.  With players like Lewis and Reed, it's virtually impossible not to have a great defense.  On offense, they've gone through a litany of average or worse quarterbacks, and as a result their offense has been average to pathetic since 2000 - including their Super Bowl year.  Last year, elevating Joe Flacco to the starting QB position injected some excitement into the team and its fans because Flacco actually looked like a bona fide QB and not some bum dragged in off of the street. 

A major reason for Flacco's quick success was that he was on a very good team.  The Ravens running game was extremely tough, and they had a big, bruising offensive line to open the holes.  The Ravens could be conservative on offense because they knew that relying on their defense was always an option.  There was no need to get aggressive, especially throwing Flacco up into tough situations like asking him to win games with his arm in the face of brutal defenses.  That simply didn't happen.  However, Flacco was a very solid player, and that was in part because he had Mason as his key target.

Mason's speed and elusiveness forced defenses to account for him all of the time, and for some teams that meant a double-team.  That gave Flacco generally more time and space to see the field and deliver the ball.  Granted, the Ravens routes weren't all that complicated last year because of the usual rookie limitations.  But they were effective.  The loss of Mason cannot be overlooked, because now Flacco is left without a true number one receiver.  There are not that many teams in the NFL that can be constantly successful in the passing game without a true top receiver - ask Donovan McNabb.  Unless Mason is replaced, the Ravens offense can expect a long season of 8-man fronts and extreme pass pressure in obvious passing downs because there just won't be the weapons on the field that defenses have to respect.  This isn't to say that the Ravens will fail - but it will make succeeding more difficult. 

I think that by the time the season actually starts (a whole two months away...seems like forever!) most people will start to get down on Baltimore.  There are simply too many questions that need to be answered.  Will Rex Ryan's departure hurt the defense?  Can Flacco avoid a sophomore slump?  Can Mason be replaced - either internally or via a veteran free agent pickup?  Will the losses on defense hurt this team?  I think it's entirely possible that all of these questions will be answered positively, and if so then the Ravens are a Super Bowl contender.  Yet, I also think that many of these questions might end up being problematic, which drops Baltimore out of true Super Bowl contention and puts them more or less into simply playoff contention. 

My personal feeling is that the Ravens will struggle through the first 8 or so games, especially (and notably) on defense.  I think it will take the team some time to adjust to the new coach, his method of calling plays, and his timing of calling them.  But, being honest here, a Ravens defense that "struggles" will still be very good.  It's just that it won't be the same level of play that they've shown in the past couple of years.  I also think that the offense - unless it imports a solid veteran WR - may also have some early-season struggles.  That being said, I'm not entirely down on the Ravens.  I think there's enough talent on that team for them to be in the playoff hunt all year long.  I just wonder whether or not there's enough talent, and whether or not enough questions can be answered, to justify calling the Ravens a Super Bowl contender.

Once again, a "startup" professional football league hits the sports world.  This time, however, there's very little fanfare, and almost no publicity.  You have to look pretty long and hard to get any information regarding this little league.  It does have, however, a television contract with the cable channel Versus, and some ideas that may allow it to be a successful league.  The league's entire premise is an interesting one - essentially it will be a "minor league" football league.  That by itself may make allow it to succeed where other leagues have failed miserably.

The only league that successfully challenged the NFL was the AFL.  But, drawing parallels between that war won't work here.  The AFL was an 8-team league starting in major cities, and quickly drew interest before the days of the internet and access to instant information.  The USFL, born before the days of the internet as well, attempted to fight the NFL on a level playing field.  Ultimately they lost because summer football interested few people, and while it was a drain on talent for a year or two, it didn't get a serious football because no one took it all that seriously.  Finally, the XFL was a collosal failure because it was more of a gimmick from the word go than anything else.  The "He Hate Me" guy may be the enduring image of this league, although the over-field camera innovation was one quickly copied by the entire NFL.

The UFL is starting small, working diligently, and most importantly, making sure that they don't do anything to startle the 800-pound gorilla that is the NFL.  One thing is certain regarding the NFL - they attack vigorously anything it perceives to be a threat to its existence - or revenue flow.  The UFL won't do anything like that.  It won't attempt to do battle with the NFL on Sunday or Monday - where it would lose anyway.  It won't attempt to strip the NFL of its elite talent - which given the salary parameters of the league, it can't do anyway.  No, it's entire being is to be a "try out" place, where the coaches are all NFL-caliber, and the league office and teams are stocked with NFL-caliber or ex-NFL people.  The league is starting small, aiming high, but right to the self-imposed ceiling.  It won't attempt to go through that ceiling because if it does, it then becomes a challenger to the NFL, and that's not something the UFL can afford.  Now, or ever.

What the UFL will offer is professional-quality football between four current teams.  The players won't be widely known.  The draft won't be covered by the NFL Network, ESPN, FoxSports or any other national media outlet.  The league will get a few off-handed remarks here and there, perhaps only with its "inaugural championship" game, but otherwise it'll remain strictly minor league.  Which, if it plays its cards correctly, will satisfy a niche that has gone unfilled for a long time.

When it comes to the NFL, a "rags to riches" story is virtually unheard of.  It just doesn't happen - there is too much at stake to take a chance on a "maybe" guy and give him the time to flesh out his skills and make something of himself.  Kurt Warner is only the most famous of the rags to riches stories, and yes, they do occur, but not with any regular frequency.  It leaves borderline guys without any future prospects.

Let's say that you're a very talented athlete, but raw in many ways.  The NFL gives you a long, hard look, but for various reasons you're neither drafted nor offered a free agent shot at making the team.  Your football career is over.  Now, however, you are offered a shot at making a UFL team.  There, working with top coaches, you are given your opportunity.  Let's say that you are able to make an impression.  Now, you've gotten an opportunity to show the big market that you're capable of playing the game, that your perceived strengths are stronger than people thought, and your perceived weaknesses are not as bad.  You are now offered a free agent contract with the NFL, and if things work out...who knows?  The point is that without the UFL you don't get that opportunity.  So, if I were Chase Daniel or Harrell, I'd think long and hard about playing in the UFL if I got the opportunity.  It's not like I'm going to hitch onto an NFL team.  And maybe I never will; but without the UFL's existence, I'd never get a chance to prove that I'm capable of playing, reading and recognizing in NFL-type offenses and defenses. 

That's what will probably make the UFL a semi-successful league for some time to come.  If it takes off, and finds followers, and sees some promotions from the UFL to NFL, then you can bet that the UFL will find a wider following.  Some football-mad towns (or those large enough to support a team) will get expansion franchises.  It wouldn't one day surprise me to see a 16-team league and have some kind of transfer agreement in place between the UFL and NFL.  Imagine the fears that would subside in the NFL level - now you can theoretically take a supremely talented but exceptionally raw athlete and stick him in the minors for a year or two of seasoning.  He won't make NFL-level salaries, won't cost you more than whatever the UFL's limit is, and maybe even not cost you a cent if he's immediately designated for assignment in the UFL.  Either way, you have secured his rights should this player blossom into a true talent.  For that, you have incurred virtually no costs at all. 

When the 4-team league (San Fran, Vegas, NYC & Orlando) kick off their inaugural season, you can bet NFL brass will be watching with some level of interest.  It's a one or two-year tryout, this UFL.  If they succeed, do some good things, and show that it's capable of standing on its own and offer a way to build future talent, the NFL will get even more interested.  Just don't expect a lot of national attention here.  Even though this country is nuts about football, a minor-league game between Vegas and Orlando won't generate a ton of interest.  But it might generate enough; for the UFL, "enough interest" is the same as the NFL's "standard interest."  For the UFL, "enough" is truly enough.

Let's take a look at the Steelers 2009 schedule.

First off, the AFC North is slated to play the AFC West and NFC North this year.  They get a reasonably easy draw because the AFC West is definitely a down division.  The NFC North is respectable, Detroit notwithstanding.  Since the Steelers won their division in 2008, they also play the 2008 divison winners in the AFC East and South, meaning they get the Dolphins and Titans respectively.

As usual, the NFL likes to kick off its schedule with a prime-time special game.  In what will be a highly anticipated game, the Steelers play host to the Tennessee Titans in their season opener.  This ought to be an interesting game for both teams, as obviously both are going to want to start hot and stay that way, and so this represents a major game for both teams.  No one really likes to start with an "A Grade" game but it is what it is.

Overall, the schedule is pretty fair to Pittsburgh.  They have no West Coast trips this year - they host both San Diego and Oakland this year, and travel to Denver and KC.  Their bye week is mid-season - a double-edged sword (too late in case of injury but coming at a perfect time perhaps for early-season injuries??).  What's perhaps the most interesting element of their schedule is how the two Baltimore games are slated to be late-season games.  The NFL certainly has set its sights on playing up those two collasal games in their late-season schedule - theoretically forging even more interest in them assuming both teams have seasons as they hope.

If there's something to complain about, it's that the Steelers play 5 out of their final 9 games away from home.  Those trips include a MNF game at Denver, back-to-back road games at Kansas City then Baltimore, a Thursday night game in Cleveland and finally, a season-finale in Miami.  The Thursday nighter comes after a home game against Oakland - so in looking at the schedule one cannot really complain that the NFL hurt Pittsburgh by making the game before the TNF one a nasty battle.  Oakland games are usually entertaining, but unless the Raiders pull off a highly surprising season, this precursor to a TNF battle won't get a lot of attention.

I tend to grade games A through C - an A game meaning that it will get league-wide attention either because it pits two very, very good teams, or because there's some other element to it.  Pittsburgh has 4 "A" games this year - the season/home opener against Tennessee, the SNF game hosting the Chargers, and the two November/December Baltimore games.  By the way, Pit/Bal is always an "A" game in my opinion because of the bad blood/rivalry aspect to those games.  In my opinion, the Steelers have 5 "B" games.  Trips to Chicago, Denver and Miami, and home games against Minnesota and Green Bay make this list.  They are games that should be pretty competitive because the opposition is better.  That leaves our "C" games which are interesting only to the local teams playing the games - unless something unexpected happens.  I've ranked the four games against Cincy and Cleveland as "C" games because it doesn't seem at face value that either Cincy or Cleveland will be all that great this year.  The Cincy games, however, have the possibility of being upgraded assuming that the Bengals are the Bengals and not the Bungles.  One can only watch the season, however, before making that determination.  The other "C" games include the trip to Detroit, the trip to Kansas City and the home game against Oakland.

This is a far cry from last year's schedule, which was loaded with "A" games because of the nature of playing the NFC East and the AFC South.

Anyway, in my opinion the Steelers have a fair schedule.  It's not entirely their fault that the divisions they play this year are not considered very "sexy" by NFL people.  Sure, the NFC North will be competitive, and have good storylines, but is the NFC North the center of the football universe this year?  Not by a long-shot - and the AFC West will get some consideration for the NFL's worst division because of Oakland, rebuilding KC, and Denver's internal implosions.

Drafted first overall in the 2004 NFL Entry Draft, and subsequently traded to the Giants for their first-round selection Philip Rivers, these two players will forever be linked.  Later, in the 11th round, the Pittsburgh Steelers were drooling when Miami of Ohio QB Ben Roethlisberger fell into their laps.  And so, in the first 11 rounds, 3 QBs were chosen, and those 3 QBs will always have some measure of comparisons applied one against the other.

The paths these three QBs have taken to their respective starting roles are all vastly different.  In New York, Eli Manning was supposed to sit his rookie year and learn from the sidelines through watching the cagey veteran Kurt Warner lead his team.  Ben Roethlisberger was going to do the same thing in Pittsburgh, sitting behind NFL Comeback Player of the Year Tommy Maddox.  In San Diego, Rivers was slated to sit behind Drew Brees and learn.  Ah, how plans go awry.

In the 3rd game of the 2004 season, QB Tommy Maddox suffered an injury during a game against the Baltimore Ravens.  Roethlisberger was inserted and looked frankly like a rookie getting his first significant playing time against a top NFL defense - in other words he looked bad.  However, Maddox's injury was serious enough that Roethlisberger "earned" the starting slot by default.  The rest is now NFL history.  Roethlisberger rewrote the record books, beating several significant rookie year records previously held by Dan Marino.  One record - his 13 straight wins in his rookie year - is a record that I think may withstand the test of time forever.  However, to be fair to both Manning and Rivers, Roethlisberger took the reins on a very good football team.  His defense was among the best in the NFL, and the team's running game was also among the best.  Ben's role was easy - hand off to Jerome Bettis, and make the high-percentage passes that were obvious.  Make the first read.  When that failed...run like hell and give it a whirl.  For 13 amazing games, that tactic worked remarkably well.  When the dust settled, the Steelers ended their season with a sparkling 15-1 record, and the AFC's top spot.  Of course, in the AFC Championship Game, the saavy, veteran New England Patriots dismantled the Steelers offense primarily by forcing Ben to beat them - which he couldn't do.  So that was that. 

Eli Manning in New York watched for the first 9 games I think, and then as the Giants faced a losing season, inserted Eli into the starting role.  Manning's rookie campaign was more typically "rookie" than Ben's - he threw interceptions, had a poor passer rating, didn't complete many passes and frequently looked bad.  His "highlight" game that year was a rookie-year battle between his Giants and the Steelers - it was a game in which both QBs played very well and was a very entertaining game at that. 

Rivers didn't see the light of the starting lineup that year, and with Drew Brees having a spectacular year, some wondered whether or not he'd ever see the starting lineup.

It was in 2005 that the careers of these three players began to diverge.  Ben again led a veteran-heavy, defense-minded team into the playoffs, and this time they turned the tables in the playoffs and rode Ben's arm to several "upset" wins, and then into the Super Bowl.  In Super Bowl XL, Ben was nothing short of arguably the worst quarterback performance by a winner or loser in the big game.  However, the Steelers won the game, and Roethlisberger, in only his second year, was fitted for a Super Bowl ring.  Eli Manning faced tough conditions in New York - constant media attention, howls because of his poor to lackluster performance, and some internal criticism.  He was stoic, because he's that way about everything, all of the time.  But the fires burned.  Philip Rivers again rode the pine.

In 2006, changes began appearing in the careers of these three QBs.  Ben took a substantial step backwards - first almost getting killed in a motorcycle accident, then undergoing an emergency appendectomy, and he and his team had to deal with a long season marred by injury and a "will he or won't he" discussion regarding coach Bill Cowher.  In 2006, Manning led his Giants into the playoffs, but were scorched in their opening round game.  The upshot of that game was that long-time running back Tiki Barber retired, and Barber promptly criticized Eli Manning rather harshly.  Philip Rivers finally became the starter of the Chargers, and played well all season long, but didn't do anything to vault him into the upper echelon of QBs in the NFL.

2007 marked a huge turning point for all 3 QBs.  Ben had a stellar statistical year, earning over a 100.0 QB rating and would have easily been among the candidates for NFL MVP - only it was his bad luck to have that season in a year in which Tom Brady had arguably the best regular season by a quarterback in the history of the NFL.  Manning solidly took the reins in New York, and didn't falter down the stretch - instead beginning to play some of his best football as the air grew colder and the weather worse.  Rivers helped lead his Chargers into the playoffs, and played very well there even in the loss to the Patriots.  Ben, for all of his regular-season exploits, couldn't lift his team beyond his own mistakes (3 first-half INTs) or the team's raging injury problems (Willie Parker's broken leg) when the Steelers lost the Wild Card game against the Jags.  Manning, however, had a career post-season that ended with the Giants tremendous upset of the previously undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.  Four years had passed since these 3 players were drafted, and now 2 of them had rings.

Of course, last year, Ben led his Steelers to his second title, and the team's sixth overall.  Ben surged ahead of his draft-pack competitors in wins, and Super Bowl titles, but perhaps more importantly, showed that he's already among the game's most clutch performers.  Time after time, the Steelers rallied from fourth quarter deficits during the 2008 regular season to forge a victory, including a sensational 2-minute drive in the waning minutes of Super Bowl XLIII that iced that victory.  Eli Manning was steady but not spectacular as he led his Giants to a terrific season.  However, theirs crashed to earth when idiot WR Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg - without Plax, Manning found the passing game a lot more difficult.  The Giants kind of fell slowly apart, and eventually lost to the surging Eagles in the playoffs.  Rivers emerged as one of the game's most dangerous quarterbacks, earning sensational reviews as he had a great individual season.  However, the Chargers very iffy 8-8 (division winning) record left a lot to be desired.  The Chargers upset the Colts in their first playoff game in 2008, and then got pounded by the Steelers.  Two of Rivers' worst games in 2008 came in Pittsburgh against the Steelers, but that wasn't anything all that noteworthy - the 2008 Steelers defense made a lot of very good QBs look simply ordinary.

So where do we stand now?  Ben has two titles, and is now widely recognized as being an elite QB in the NFL.  When people debate the "top 5" QBs in the NFL, Ben is usually among that cadre.  It's hard to argue against 2 titles, one season in which he had a better than 100 QB rating, and earned over 50 wins in his first five seasons.  His "clutch" abilities are easily in the game's top 3.  Sure, his detractors point out that most of his wins were earned on the backs of great overall Steeler teams, but he did his part not to lose any of those games.  Plus, his detractors also point out his penchant for taking sacks; Ben himself admits to holding on to the ball too long, but this is a strange argument - he's always looking to make a play, and has total confidence that he can - and therefore, holding onto the ball for longer than usual is his best and surest way to making things happen.  If it wasn't for that, the 2008 Steelers wouldn't have beaten Baltimore in their last regular season game (the controversial TD pass to Holmes was one of Ben's signature "broken play" moves). 

Philip Rivers is probably the best pure "passing" quarterback of the three.  He has a fantastic deep ball, and his leadership skills, fiery personality and passion for the game makes him a tremendous leader on that team.  No Rivers-led team will quit on a game - his head would almost literally explode.  Rivers hasn't tasted the ultimate glory yet, but one has to think that his time is coming and that right soon.  It's Rivers' misfortune to have a poor head coach calling the shots, however.  The Chargers may win a title with Rivers leading the team, but it's highly unlikely in my opinion that they'll win anything with Turner calling the shots.  Still, as a QB, Rivers is probably on the outside of that "top 5" QB ranking...but sitting at 6th or 7th and rising rapidly.

Eli Manning has dual misfortunes of being the younger brother of the more famous Peyton Manning, and being constantly compared to both Ben and Philip Rivers.  He's never going to get to stand on his own unless he does something spectacular - like winning a second Super Bowl Title.  The thing about Eli is that sometimes he looks bad, but more often than not, even when he looks bad, he and his teams win games.  He's a solid QB - destined I think never to be an "elite" QB like Brady or his older brother, but never out of the picture entirely when discussing the game's best QBs.  Eli's the complete package at QB, however - leadership, passing ability, clutch playing.  With him, the Giants will never entirely be out of the playoff picture.  The Giants are also poised I think to compete solidly for the Super Bowl in the short-term future (2-3 years) and it's entirely possible that Eli Manning could slip a second Super Bowl ring onto his finger as well.

All in all, these 3 QBs will probably be the posters for NFL quarterbacks in the next 5-7 years.  Brady and Peyton will fall back into that "Hall of Fame" elite category, where nothing they do will generate any surprise - it's just that they'll be tremdendous all of the time.  But their careers are beginning to enter the twilight, while Eli, Ben and Philip are all entering their primes.  It will be a lot of fun to watch these 3 QBs, for whether as fans or detractors, it's impossible not to watch these three and recognize how talented they are.  The NFL seems to be in an era of simply amazing QBs right now - Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb - and pretty soon the NFL will be talking about Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers all in the same way.  With the amazing rookie starts that both Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan had, one can only hope that they, too, will continue their success.

Who are the most overrated players in the NFL right now?

5. Jay Cutler.  Physically, he's got all of the tools.  But one has to question both his head and maturity.  Maybe I'm not being entirely fair, but it seems to me that Cutler has a bit of Jeff George in him - million dollar arm, five-cent head.  He's going to have to play out of his mind to get people to forget the massive hissy fit he threw, and if he falters - especially in a division that's pretty equal among the top 3 teams - he's going to hear it.

4. Matt Cassel - This isn't entirely fair to put him here, but when you're earning Tom Brady-like money after only 1 season of above-average success, you're in danger of being overrated.  Add to it that Cassel is going to a team in rebuilding mode, with a new head coach, and a star running back that's prone to throwing his own hissy fits.  This may turn out to be a mistaken opinion, but right now it doesn't look that way.

3. Tony Romo - Romo probably has more detractors than supporters, even in Dallas, and possibly in his own locker room.  His "easy going" personality is far too much like Wade Phillips personality.  That's not a flattering comparison.  Romo's got an offense surrounding him that should be able to move the ball and score, but if he keeps killing his team at the end of the season then the hype machine that was Romo will turn on him.

2. Terrell Owens - no player has gotten more headlines for off-field activities than he.  I mean, the fact that he can't find a house in Buffalo makes the freaking news!  Too bad that doesn't translate into football performance.  Owens was beaten last year by well-designed defensive schemes, and wasn't able to simply beat the other guy.  He's always been known to have alligator arms at times.  Now, put him on an iffy team, with an iffy QB and coach, and the potential for outright destruction is there.

1. Brett Favre - look, Favre has a hall of fame career, and for a while was the most dangerous quarterback in the game.  No one was more electric.  But seeing as how he's over the hill and grasping at straws - almost transparent in his attempt to crow "I told you so" to Packers brass - puts him squarely atop this list.  Maybe the Vikings are better top to bottom than the Jets were last year, but Favre's injury wasn't his only problem.  He's a shell of his former self, and for that he's atop this list.

Teams in Transition

I think 3 teams bear extra attention this year, and not all together for great reasons.

3.  Arizona Cardinals.  If I was a Cards fan, I'd have lost my lunch several times over, chewed off every fingernail I had and begun working on my toes, and the damn season hasn't even started yet.  If there was ever a poster child franchise for "Super Bowl Hangover," Arizona seems to be it.  Starting with the maybe yes/maybe no with Warner and blossoming into the outright war between the franchise and Anquan Boldin, this team has all the elements in place to fall flat on its face.

2.  Seattle Seahawks.  Of the two teams that made pre-planned coaching changes, this one is going smoothly, and therefore the 'Hawks are in my opinion a team to watch.  I think that team totally believes that last year's 4-12 record was an anomoly.  They're better than that.  They have tools to be dangerous, and Matt Hasselbeck can be a deadly quarterback when things are clicking along.  Couple that with the impending implosion in Arizona, and it's not outside the realm of possibility that the 2009 NFC West Champs are the Seahawks.

1.  Indianapolis Colts.  Things have been all quiet on the Indy Front since Manning's public airing of frustration with the changing of the guard.  This could be treacherous for Indy.  The Titans, Jags and Texans are all making strides, and all 3 of those teams are building offenses and defenses designed to beat Manning's Colts.  Add to that the loss of Marvin Harrison, and a new head coach who's abilities truly aren't yet known, and one can more easily envision the growing dark cloud over Indy.  Does this mean they'll implode like the Cards?  No - that's not likely, not with Manning's singular talents.  But I think this is a somewhat weakened team, and therefore deserves closer inspection.

Teams missing 2008 playoff spots that will be in contention for 2009 playoff spots.

3.  Seattle Seahawks - see above.

2.  Cincinnati Bengals.  I have a weakness.  Every year since 2005 I've said that the Bengals look dangerous and they blow it.  But there's reason for more than mere outside hope this year.  The Bengals defense rose into the middle ranks last year - this after years of residing near the bottom.  If Palmer and 85 get on a roll, along with Coles and Benson, the Bengals offense will be a top flight unit.  And, if that defense at least matches what it did last year, then the Bengals have to be put into the playoff mix.

1.  New England Patriots.  Brady's back.  Need I say more?  He's going to have to find his 2007 form, though - there are now holes in the vaunted Pats defense that weren't there before.  That won't much matter in the end, however - Brady himself will guide the Pats to 1 or 2 more wins they didn't get last year, and that will be enough to get them into the postseason.

Honorable Mention - Bears, Packers, Cowboys

Teams making 2008 playoff spots in danger of losing out in 2009

3.  Minnesota Vikings.  With or without Favre, returning to the playoffs could be a tall order for this team.  Yes, they're great and dominant on defense, but having to play the AFC's two best, nastiest defenses (PIttsburgh and Baltimore) are tall orders.  The only good news is that the rest of their division has to do the same.  Still, without a true quarterback, few will respect the Vikings passing game and with other teams making more strides, and the NFC East looking top-to-bottom equally dangerous or more dangerous...making a spot will prove to be a daunting challenge.

2.  Miami Dolphins.  Say what you want, but a resurgent Brady puts the Dolphins in second place.  The AFC's "second tier" top teams are all likely better than Miami.  They're in some danger I think.

1. Arizona Cardinals.  I said my piece on them already.

QB Discussions

3 rookies were taken in the first round this year: Josh Freeman (TB), Mark Sanchez (NYJ) and Matt Stafford (DET).  I would expect virtually no success from any of these three this year.  Freeman's the rawest talent, but has arguably the best supporting cast behind him because fellow QB Byron Leftwich has gone through it all, and comes of a season in which he won a Super Bowl.  Sanchez I think could be interesting one day, but after only 1 year running USC's offense and exiting early as a junior may prove that he's not ready yet to run the offense.  The Lions may toss Stafford to the wolves, which could derail him completely.  If Stafford gets the nod, I cringe to think what Pittsburgh's and Baltimore's defenses will do to him.  It will hurt.

Philip Rivers is clearly entering the discussion of the game's best quarterbacks.  Not young QBs - not after 5 years in the league.  But purely among the game's best.  He's made strides every year, and last year had a great season.  The QB class of 1983 is widely regarded as the best ever with Marino, Kelly and Elway.  6 total QBs were taken.  Together, they amassed only a 2-9 Super Bowl record, however.  If Rivers gets to the Super Bowl - and for the fun of it, assume he wins - then not only would the 2004 QB class also have 3 QBs to get to the Super Bowl, but their combined SB record would only get better.  The 2004 Class is already 3-0!