For every champion, theres an inevitable dynasty question. In the case of the Seattle Seahawks, its actually a fair topic to discuss. Seattle was the best team in the NFL from beginning to end this season, and capped it with a dominant Super Bowl XLVIII win against Denver. The roster, thanks to some great drafting and some key free-agent moves, is probably the deepest in the NFL (although San Francisco is very close). It is one of the youngest in the league too. Seattle has another year before it has to rework quarterback Russell Wilsons contract, which gives them tremendous flexibility most other teams just dont have. All of that doesnt mean Seattle will win another title next season. Champions need to avoid complacency. All teams need to get a bit lucky to win it all, avoiding a key injury or going up against a hot team on the wrong day in the playoffs. The Seahawks still have to battle against the 49ers in their own division. Maybe wed be talking about San Francisco in this space had Colin Kaepernicks pass to Michael Crabtree been a few inches longer, and not picked off at the end of the NFC championship game. But right now, its impossible to put the Seahawks anywhere but the top spot in the way-too-early power rankings for the 2014 season. This list will change dramatically before next season begins. Well see who makes significant moves in free agency, gets a few key pieces in the draft or suffers any unexpected injuries. But this is a quick glimpse at which teams are set up best right after Super Bowl XLVIII to make a run at Super Bowl XLIX. Heres our initial power rankings of the season, and starting Friday well take an in-depth look at every teams offseason outlook, one per day starting with the Houston Texans and finishing with the Seattle Seahawks, leading us into the start of free agency on March 11: 32. Oakland Raiders They finished last season on such a bad note. They need to resign offensive tackle Jared Veldheer and defensive lineman Lamarr Houston, or there are even more holes to fill. The great news is theyre finally out of salary-cap prison, with a projected $63 million in cap space, according to Sportrac. Lets see how well they use it. 31. Jacksonville Jaguars The third pick should produce a much-needed quarterback. Thats a necessary step. They also have gobs of salary-cap space to fill some holes. 30. Washington Redskins A hard team to gauge considering we dont know what Robert Griffin III will look like another year removed from ACL surgery and with a new coaching staff. The roster was pretty depleted. And their No. 2 overall pick goes to St. Louis. But you know Daniel Snyder will spend that projected $23 million in cap space on someone. 29. Minnesota Vikings The offense wasnt good, the defense wasnt good, Jared Allen is a free agent and Adrian Peterson isnt going to be in his prime forever. Like many teams drafting in the top 10, getting the right quarterback will define their offseason grade. 28. New York Giants They could lose free agents Justin Tuck and Hakeem Nicks off a team that was legitimately bad in 2013. They have a great championship pedigree, but that doesnt give them a pass forever. 27. Cleveland Browns The coaching search was not all that comforting to Browns fans. But theyre positioned to improve tremendously in the draft (fourth, 26th and 35th overall picks), have a lot of salary-cap room and a manageable list of their own free agents (center Alex Mack and safety T.J. Ward are the top priorities). They could have a big offseason, but finding the right quarterback is obviously the key. 26. Buffalo Bills EJ Manuel needs an offseason of development. The defense was really good, though coordinator Mike Pettine left to take the Browns job. They had a nice draft in 2013, and another nice draft (starting with the ninth overall pick) might push them up. 25. Tennessee Titans They need to retain free-agent cornerback Alterraun Verner. Then figure out Chris Johnsons future and how much they like quarterback Jake Locker. They played well at times last season, but its still a team without an identity. 24. Atlanta Falcons They were a bit lucky in 2012 and a bit unlucky in 2013. Losing Tony Gonzalez hurts, but getting Julio Jones back helps. Should be better, but not back to that 2012 form. 23. New York Jets The 8-8 record was good, but the minus-97 scoring differential says this was not a great team. Continuity in the coaching staff should help, and Geno Smith could improve. But offensively, its time to finally get better. 22. Dallas Cowboys Somehow, they have the worst salary-cap situation in the NFL. Sportrac projects them to be $24 million over the cap. Thats a lot of money spent on a lot of 8-8 seasons. How are they going to get better? 21. Houston Texans They cant be as bad as they looked in 2013. A few months ago they were considered one of the NFLs best teams. There arent a lot of free-agent concerns other than running back Ben Tate, and obviously will get some help from the first pick of the draft. This will turn around fast. 20. Pittsburgh Steelers Well see if the move to bring back offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who wasnt always popular last season, works out well. Theyre projected to be about $10 million over the cap with some key free agents hitting the market (safety Ryan Clark, linebacker Jason Worilds, receiver Emmanuel Sanders among them) so any improvement will probably have to come from within. 19. Miami Dolphins There are some questions on both lines, and also the priority of re-signing free agent cornerback Brent Grimes. This wasnt a great team in 2013, but they have a good young quarterback and perhaps will be better without the off-field distractions. 18. Baltimore Ravens The defense was still good, but the offense was terrible. Maybe there are quick fixes to the running game, and can get a receiver or tight end in the middle of the first round. But those are hard to count on. 17. San Diego Chargers Its pretty amazing they went to the playoffs with a defense that wasnt very good. The offensive line still needs improvement too. To hold onto the 2013 gains, they need to make some moves. The problem is, they wont have a lot of cap space to do so. 16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers This is a good roster held back by horrible coaching. I like Mike Glennon. Doug Martin comes back. The coaching upgrade is enormous. The defense will be nasty under Lovie Smith. They dont have any key players who are slated to be free agents. Buy stock in this team now; theyre making a big jump. 15. Chicago Bears Can the defense be fixed? Henry Melton and Charles Tillman are free agents and Julius Peppers either needs to restructure his huge salary-cap number or he will be too. The young linebackers will be better in 2014 though. The good news is the offense will be among the NFLs best. 14. Detroit Lions A coaching change will unquestionably help. It will also help if Matthew Stafford dedicates himself to getting better. The cap situation says they wont be active in free agency, but its not like talent is the question with them. 13. Arizona Cardinals The Cardinals played really well last year. I dont trust their quarterback situation, and I can see the Rams passing them in the NFC West. But the defense is tough and maybe this is the year they find some answers for the offensive line and running game. 12. St. Louis Rams Im far from sold on Sam Bradford. But the rest of the roster is really good. The obstacles remain the same: Inconsistent quarterback play and a brutal division. But of the teams that might pull a 2013 Chiefs or Panthers and surprise everyone, Ill pick the Buccaneers and the Rams. St. Louis has two of the top 13 picks of the draft, remember. 11. Indianapolis Colts We saw in the playoffs that there are a surprising amount of holes for a division champ. The good news is theres more than $33 million in cap space, according to Sportrac, to fill some. Not having a first-round pick as a result of the increasingly ugly Trent Richardson deal really hurts. But ... Andrew Luck. 10. Kansas City Chiefs Well, the schedule cant possibly be that easy again. Re-signing offensive linemen Branden Albert and Geoff Schwartz is key. Example of a team that could be better in 2014 but have a worse record. A priority will be finding another weapon for Alex Smith. 9. Cincinnati Bengals The negativity about the playoff failures of Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis will linger. And losing both coordinators is a blow. But defensive tackle Geno Atkins return is enormous to a defense that was still strong without him. And theyre in a surprisingly good salary-cap situation. Still a really talented roster, just one that hasnt experienced any playoff success. 8. Philadelphia Eagles Obviously, a lot of reasons to be excited about this team. The priority, obviously, is upgrading the talent level on defense. Some immediate improvement at safety (and, on the offensive side, receiver) would make this team pretty intriguing. 7. Carolina Panthers Expectations will be enormous. They have a huge free agent in end Greg Hardy (hes one of eight starters who are free agents), not much salary-cap flexibility and huge holes and receiver and defensive back. Could take a step back. 6. Green Bay Packers Theyll be better with Aaron Rodgers healthy, of course. They are in good salary-cap position, but GM Ted Thompson is allergic to free agency. But if some recent defensive draft picks start paying off, we know the offense should be just fine, especially now that it has balance with offensive rookie of the year Eddie Lacy. 5. New Orleans Saints They showed last season theyre as strong as ever. Making Jimmy Graham happy is the key to the offseason. It wont be easy, considering Sportrac has them projected at more than $13 million over the cap, the second-worst situation in the NFL. 4. New England Patriots Give a 12-4 team Rob Gronkowski, Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo and others back, and you think theyll be worse? They do need to figure out a way to get free-agent cornerback Aqib Talib back. 3. Denver Broncos Dont freak out. It was one game. This is the same team that has earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC two straight years. And theyll get Von Miller and Ryan Clady back. The biggest question might be is if they pay up to retain free-agent receiver Eric Decker. Until we see some slippage in Peyton Mannings play, theyll be contenders. 2. San Francisco 49ers Richard Sherman was right, the NFC championship game was the Super Bowl. The NaVorro Bowman injury is a concern, but not enough to drop them. Itll be interesting to see how they handle free agents Anquan Boldin, Tarell Brown and Donte Whitner, especially since quarterback Colin Kaepernick is in line for an extension. 1. Seattle Seahawks There just arent many flaws. And youd assume that the offense gets much better with a full season from Percy Harvin, which is scary. - - - - - - - Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
Posted on: Thu, 06 Feb 2014 22:25:34 +0000
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