My head is going to explode. I've waited to see some respect from the national media since the dawn of time.
ESPN.com's NFL pre-draft Power Rankings
March, 19, 2013
Mar 1911:55AM ETBy ESPN.com staff | ESPN.com Recommend3KTweet3KComments5K+EmailPrint2013 Power Rankings: Pre-Draft
The Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII. That's the good news.
The bad news for Baltimore is this: Many of the players who made the team's thrilling playoff run possible are no longer on the roster.
Emotional leader Ray Lewis retired, WR Anquan Boldin was traded, free-agent LBs Dannell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger took money elsewhere, and safety Bernard Pollard was released for cap purposes.
Sure, QB Joe Flacco signed a long-term contract, but that wasn't enough to keep our voters (ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, NFC East blogger Dan Graziano, AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley and NFC West blogger Mike Sando) from holding the champs down (No. 8) in our offseason hierarchy.
The Seattle Seahawks, fueled by their late 2012 surge and splashy free-agent signings, have claimed the top spot. The Denver Broncos, No. 1 in our previous installment and big free-agent winners (see Welker, Wes), are now No. 3. The busy Kansas City Chiefs (up eight spots) and New Orleans Saints (plus-seven) were the biggest movers overall.
How they voted | Analysis | Rank 'em | Bloggers | FAs who can shift NFL power
RANK TEAM/RECORD COMMENTS
1 Seahawks
11-5 High-risk, high-reward move for Percy Harvin got voters' attention. (Sando)
2 49ers
11-4-1 Two-time defending NFC West champs can restock with 14 draft choices. (Sando)
3 Broncos
13-3 The Elvis Dumervil debacle aside, the Broncos are winning free agency and giving Peyton Manning all he needs to succeed. (Fox)
4 Falcons
13-3 Steven Jackson joins Tony Gonzalez in quest to cap great career with a championship. (Sando)
5 Patriots
12-4 Danny Amendola for Wes Welker is an upgrade as long as the former Rams slot receiver can stay healthy. (Hensley)
6 Packers
11-5 They were prepared to lose Greg Jennings and can replace him as long as Aaron Rodgers is still in his prime. (Graziano)
7 Texans
12-4 Even though the Texans lost pass-rushers Mario Williams and Connor Barwin in the past two years, they still have enough rush thanks to J.J. Watt. (Clayton)
8 Ravens
10-6 The dismantling of the Super Bowl champs has been quick and swift. Six starters are already gone. (Hensley)
9 Colts
11-5 The Colts picked up five starters on defense in free agency and are looking for a few small parts for their offense. (Clayton)
10 Bengals
10-6 The Bengals haven't been aggressive in using that salary-cap room, but they've made it a priority to keep their own free agents. (Hensley)
11 Bears
10-6 They finally addressed the offensive line. Opinions abound with regard to how well they actually fixed it. (Graziano)
12 Saints
7-9 Saints will presumably pick up where they left off in 2011, as a good team. (Sando)
13 Redskins
10-6 No cap room to rebuild the defense, and no guarantee RG III and his knee will be ready for Week 1. (Graziano)
14 Giants
9-7 No eye-popping pickups, but no crushing losses either. No reason to think they can't go 9-7 again. (Graziano)
15 Rams
7-8-1 Rams have flexibility with two first-round picks after adding Jake Long. (Sando)
16 Steelers
8-8 Backups need to step up after the Steelers parted ways with Mike Wallace, James Harrison, Keenan Lewis, Rashard Mendenhall and Casey Hampton. (Hensley)
17 Vikings
10-6 Doubt they could have found a better way to replace Percy Harvin than by swiping Greg Jennings from a division rival. (Graziano)
18 Cowboys
8-8 The switch to a 4-3 scheme could help Sean Lee and Jay Ratliff thrive. But it needs safety support. (Graziano)
19 Dolphins
7-9 Miami spent $44 million in guaranteed money on Mike Wallace and Dannell Ellerbe. Let's see how much this investment pays off. (Hensley)
20 Panthers
7-9 Cam Newton finished strong last season, an encouraging sign for the Panthers. (Sando)
21 Buccaneers
7-9 Buccaneers seem just fine playing along with Darrelle Revis trade speculation. (Sando)
22 Lions
4-12 Busy, busy. Reggie Bush could give them what Jahvid Best's concussions never allowed him to. (Graziano)
23 Chargers
7-9 The Chargers have a new regime. Can new coach Mike McCoy get the most out of Philip Rivers? (Fox)
24 Chiefs
2-14 New coach. New general manager. New quarterback. New hope. That all should be worth six more wins. (Fox)
25 Browns
5-11 The Browns have spent a lot on defense by adding Paul Kruger and Desmond Bryant. Not sure how that improves the 24th-ranked scoring offense. (Hensley)
26 Eagles
4-12 Chip Kelly is working on rebuilding the defense, starting with the back end. Still a question mark at QB. (Graziano)
27 Titans
6-10 The Titans needed to be aggressive in free agency. Mike Munchak has to win or else. (Clayton)
28 Bills
6-10 New coach and now a new quarterback. The Ryan Fitzpatrick era is over after a disappointing 20 victories over four seasons. (Hensley)
29 Cardinals
5-11 Adding Drew Stanton made sense, but won't generate buzz around the Cards. (Sando)
30 Raiders
4-12 The Raiders still need to answer the most important question in football: What are they doing at quarterback? (Fox)
31 Jets
6-10 Welcome to the Rex-odus. Seven of the 22 starters from last year's 6-10 team are gone. (Hensley)
32 Jaguars
2-14 The Jags are moving slowly in free agency, but it still comes down to quarterback play to make them better. (Clayton)
ESPN.com's NFL pre-draft Power Rankings
March, 19, 2013
Mar 1911:55AM ETBy ESPN.com staff | ESPN.com Recommend3KTweet3KComments5K+EmailPrint2013 Power Rankings: Pre-Draft
The Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII. That's the good news.
The bad news for Baltimore is this: Many of the players who made the team's thrilling playoff run possible are no longer on the roster.
Emotional leader Ray Lewis retired, WR Anquan Boldin was traded, free-agent LBs Dannell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger took money elsewhere, and safety Bernard Pollard was released for cap purposes.
Sure, QB Joe Flacco signed a long-term contract, but that wasn't enough to keep our voters (ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, NFC East blogger Dan Graziano, AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley and NFC West blogger Mike Sando) from holding the champs down (No. 8) in our offseason hierarchy.
The Seattle Seahawks, fueled by their late 2012 surge and splashy free-agent signings, have claimed the top spot. The Denver Broncos, No. 1 in our previous installment and big free-agent winners (see Welker, Wes), are now No. 3. The busy Kansas City Chiefs (up eight spots) and New Orleans Saints (plus-seven) were the biggest movers overall.
How they voted | Analysis | Rank 'em | Bloggers | FAs who can shift NFL power
RANK TEAM/RECORD COMMENTS
1 Seahawks
11-5 High-risk, high-reward move for Percy Harvin got voters' attention. (Sando)
2 49ers
11-4-1 Two-time defending NFC West champs can restock with 14 draft choices. (Sando)
3 Broncos
13-3 The Elvis Dumervil debacle aside, the Broncos are winning free agency and giving Peyton Manning all he needs to succeed. (Fox)
4 Falcons
13-3 Steven Jackson joins Tony Gonzalez in quest to cap great career with a championship. (Sando)
5 Patriots
12-4 Danny Amendola for Wes Welker is an upgrade as long as the former Rams slot receiver can stay healthy. (Hensley)
6 Packers
11-5 They were prepared to lose Greg Jennings and can replace him as long as Aaron Rodgers is still in his prime. (Graziano)
7 Texans
12-4 Even though the Texans lost pass-rushers Mario Williams and Connor Barwin in the past two years, they still have enough rush thanks to J.J. Watt. (Clayton)
8 Ravens
10-6 The dismantling of the Super Bowl champs has been quick and swift. Six starters are already gone. (Hensley)
9 Colts
11-5 The Colts picked up five starters on defense in free agency and are looking for a few small parts for their offense. (Clayton)
10 Bengals
10-6 The Bengals haven't been aggressive in using that salary-cap room, but they've made it a priority to keep their own free agents. (Hensley)
11 Bears
10-6 They finally addressed the offensive line. Opinions abound with regard to how well they actually fixed it. (Graziano)
12 Saints
7-9 Saints will presumably pick up where they left off in 2011, as a good team. (Sando)
13 Redskins
10-6 No cap room to rebuild the defense, and no guarantee RG III and his knee will be ready for Week 1. (Graziano)
14 Giants
9-7 No eye-popping pickups, but no crushing losses either. No reason to think they can't go 9-7 again. (Graziano)
15 Rams
7-8-1 Rams have flexibility with two first-round picks after adding Jake Long. (Sando)
16 Steelers
8-8 Backups need to step up after the Steelers parted ways with Mike Wallace, James Harrison, Keenan Lewis, Rashard Mendenhall and Casey Hampton. (Hensley)
17 Vikings
10-6 Doubt they could have found a better way to replace Percy Harvin than by swiping Greg Jennings from a division rival. (Graziano)
18 Cowboys
8-8 The switch to a 4-3 scheme could help Sean Lee and Jay Ratliff thrive. But it needs safety support. (Graziano)
19 Dolphins
7-9 Miami spent $44 million in guaranteed money on Mike Wallace and Dannell Ellerbe. Let's see how much this investment pays off. (Hensley)
20 Panthers
7-9 Cam Newton finished strong last season, an encouraging sign for the Panthers. (Sando)
21 Buccaneers
7-9 Buccaneers seem just fine playing along with Darrelle Revis trade speculation. (Sando)
22 Lions
4-12 Busy, busy. Reggie Bush could give them what Jahvid Best's concussions never allowed him to. (Graziano)
23 Chargers
7-9 The Chargers have a new regime. Can new coach Mike McCoy get the most out of Philip Rivers? (Fox)
24 Chiefs
2-14 New coach. New general manager. New quarterback. New hope. That all should be worth six more wins. (Fox)
25 Browns
5-11 The Browns have spent a lot on defense by adding Paul Kruger and Desmond Bryant. Not sure how that improves the 24th-ranked scoring offense. (Hensley)
26 Eagles
4-12 Chip Kelly is working on rebuilding the defense, starting with the back end. Still a question mark at QB. (Graziano)
27 Titans
6-10 The Titans needed to be aggressive in free agency. Mike Munchak has to win or else. (Clayton)
28 Bills
6-10 New coach and now a new quarterback. The Ryan Fitzpatrick era is over after a disappointing 20 victories over four seasons. (Hensley)
29 Cardinals
5-11 Adding Drew Stanton made sense, but won't generate buzz around the Cards. (Sando)
30 Raiders
4-12 The Raiders still need to answer the most important question in football: What are they doing at quarterback? (Fox)
31 Jets
6-10 Welcome to the Rex-odus. Seven of the 22 starters from last year's 6-10 team are gone. (Hensley)
32 Jaguars
2-14 The Jags are moving slowly in free agency, but it still comes down to quarterback play to make them better. (Clayton)
