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Albert Breer | NFL.com
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100000 ... le=HP11_cp
Can the Rams go from cellar dweller to division champion? Sam Bradford and Jeff Fisher will give it a go.
The NFL proudly trumpets its playoff parity, with an average of five new teams making the postseason annually since 2000. Last season, six teams made the playoffs that didn't in 2010 -- Texans, Broncos, Bengals, 49ers, Giants and Lions. With that in mind, which five 2011 playoff teams won't be back and who will replace them?
Albert Breer: The Steelers and Broncos get pushed aside in the AFC, with the Bills and Chargers taking their spots. And the Lions, Saints and 49ers are out in the NFC, with the Eagles, Bears and Rams taking their places.
In the AFC, I love Pittsburgh's addition of Todd Haley and think Ben Roethlisberger takes a step forward this year, but Mike Wallace will need to acclimate, the running game will miss (a fully healthy) Rashard Mendenhall, and the defense is transitioning. With an easier schedule, the Bills edge out the Steelers for the second wild-card spot. The Broncos need a year to get right and will be nipped by a reloaded Chargers team with a determined Philip Rivers and a defense that has had Peyton Manning's number in the past.
In the ultracompetitive NFC, this year is the Lions' dip before a real championship contender emerges in 2013. A more complete team in Chicago (health permitting) will outdistance them for a wild card. The new coordinators bring new life to Atlanta, which slips past a New Orleans team that will miss Asshole Face. The rise of the Eagles in the East moves the Giants to a wild card and keeps the Saints out of the playoffs all together. And the 49ers' defense will be all it was in 2011, but the offense might lose its identity a bit with all the new toys. That will allow the reenergized Rams to sneak in as West champs at 9-7.
5 other writer's opinions --
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100000 ... le=HP11_cp
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100000 ... le=HP11_cp
Can the Rams go from cellar dweller to division champion? Sam Bradford and Jeff Fisher will give it a go.
The NFL proudly trumpets its playoff parity, with an average of five new teams making the postseason annually since 2000. Last season, six teams made the playoffs that didn't in 2010 -- Texans, Broncos, Bengals, 49ers, Giants and Lions. With that in mind, which five 2011 playoff teams won't be back and who will replace them?
Albert Breer: The Steelers and Broncos get pushed aside in the AFC, with the Bills and Chargers taking their spots. And the Lions, Saints and 49ers are out in the NFC, with the Eagles, Bears and Rams taking their places.
In the AFC, I love Pittsburgh's addition of Todd Haley and think Ben Roethlisberger takes a step forward this year, but Mike Wallace will need to acclimate, the running game will miss (a fully healthy) Rashard Mendenhall, and the defense is transitioning. With an easier schedule, the Bills edge out the Steelers for the second wild-card spot. The Broncos need a year to get right and will be nipped by a reloaded Chargers team with a determined Philip Rivers and a defense that has had Peyton Manning's number in the past.
In the ultracompetitive NFC, this year is the Lions' dip before a real championship contender emerges in 2013. A more complete team in Chicago (health permitting) will outdistance them for a wild card. The new coordinators bring new life to Atlanta, which slips past a New Orleans team that will miss Asshole Face. The rise of the Eagles in the East moves the Giants to a wild card and keeps the Saints out of the playoffs all together. And the 49ers' defense will be all it was in 2011, but the offense might lose its identity a bit with all the new toys. That will allow the reenergized Rams to sneak in as West champs at 9-7.
5 other writer's opinions --
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100000 ... le=HP11_cp
