Top 5 Super Bowl XLVIII Contenders

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5. Baltimore Ravens   2012 Regular Season: 10-6 2012 Post Season: Super Bowl Champions

            While history doesn’t typically favor previous Super Bowl contenders in being able to make a run at a second consecutive title, after a surprising display of heart and perseverance that was the hallmark of their Super Bowl run, the Ravens have a great shot at making it back to the big dance.  While this may be hard to believe considering their defense has been systematically picked apart since the start of free agency, remember that throughout most of the regular season the Ravens were able to overcome defensive adversity by allowing their offense to take over the helm.  If their superb performance in last year’s playoffs is any indication of how stellar this team can be during the regular season, then the odds of them winning the Lombardi trophy are not quite as farfetched as some may believe.

4. New England Patriots 2012 Regular Season: 12-4 2012 Post Season: Lost in AFC Championship

            As long as Tom Brady is at the crux of this powerhouse offense, you can never count the Patriots out as a potential contender.  While they have come up short in their last two appearances, since those disappointing and demoralizing loses, this team has incrementally improved on both sides of the ball.  Not only do they have an adequate secondary and a young imposing defensive front, but their ability to run the ball consistently and effectively has also improved drastically in the last couple of years.  The only disheartening aspect of this teams ability to make it back is the loss of the their go to slot receiver Wes Welker.  Over the past several years Tom Brady was able to develop a strong and reliable rapport with the highly touted receiver that has been quintessential to their regular season successes.  Still, the Patriots have been known for being able to effectively rebuild their offense and on top of that they still have arguably the best tight ends in the league in Hernandez and Gronkowski.

3.  San Francisco 49ers  2012 Regular Season: 11-4-1   Post Season: Lost in Super Bowl

This team is built to win championships.  Their offensive line alone is far and away one of the most versatile and consistent fronts currently in the NFL.  Couple that with a stellar set of receivers and reliable tight ends and it would seem that you would have all the necessary ingredients for a dominant NFC team.  However, the main concern that prevents the 49ers from being at the top of this list is their quarterback.  While this may seem extremely surprising given his innate talents in terms of running the read option, after watching the Super Bowl it is clear that even this dynamic offensive scheme has its weaknesses.  On top of that, teams across the NFL will have the entire off-season to study Kaepernick to make his fluid actions seem less unpredictably savvy.  However, if Kaepernick continues to build off his unexpected successes of last season, than he has the potential to be not only a confident and respected young quarterback, but also a future Super Bowl champion

2. Green Bay Packers 2012 Regular Season: 11-5 Post Season: Lost in Divisional Round

If you have one of the best quarterbacks in the league year in and year out, then chances are you will be a continual threat come post-season play.  Aaron Rodgers has more than proven that he is not only the best quarterback in the league but that he is clearly the face of this hopeful and passionate Green Bay Packers organizations.  While Rodgers’ individual accolades are nothing short of spectacular, the rest of teams isolated performances don’t quite meat this lofty standard.  The defensive front lacks complete consistency, and their running game, while improved, has never been a reliable component of how the Packers run their high-octane offensive attack.  If this team can fully utilize not just Aaron Rodgers, but also the other essential aspects that are required for a definitive championship run, then watch out folks because we’ll be in for a hell of a ride.

1. Atlanta Falcons 2012 Regular Season: 13-3 Post Season: Lost in NFC Championship

Offensively, this team has it all.  They have a superb quarterback in Matt Ryan along with two of the best and reliable wide outs in the league in Julio Jones and Roddy White.  On top of that, one of the most prolific and battle tested tight ends in the NFL (Tony Gonzalez) has decided to forgo retirement for one more year to come back and valiantly compete for a championship.  While the Falcons running game has been relatively non existent as of recently, that looks to change with the advent of their recent acquisition in Steven Jackson, a consistent 1,000 yard rusher who has at times single handedly carried the St. Louis Rams.  The only blemish that would prevent this team from reaching NFL stardom is a stifled and deflated defense that has failed to crack the top 20 in terms of effectiveness.  If the Falcons can address this issue by using its given draft picks effectively, then we could potentially be witnesses to one of the most complete and awe inspiring teams to enter 2013 NFL season.

Top 5 Free Agents That Should Have Been Retained

5. Steven Jackson   Position: RB   Former Team: St. Louis Rams   Current Team: Atlanta Falcons

After a much-improved 2012 Rams team went 7-8-1 and was able to beat the NFC Juggernaut San Francisco 49ers you would suspect that this team wouldn’t change their player dynamic all that much.  However, after losing Steven Jackson, one of the most formidable and explosive runners in the game, it would appear that this is not the case.  Combine that with the lose of Danny Amendola, who many claim is a underrated Wes Welker, and you have a Rams team that lacks any type of solidified identity.  However, there is still one ferocious running back to be added in free agency: Ahmad Bradshaw.  Not only did he rush for nearly the same amount of yards as Jackson (1,015 compared to Jackson’s 1,042) but he also managed to score more rushing touchdowns (6 compared to Jackson’s 4).  If the Rams can pick up this young and explosive running back, then they just might stand a chance of competing in the newly reinvigorated NFC West.

4. Shonn Greene    Position: RB   Former Team: New York Jets   Current Team Tennessee Titans

It looks like the Jets are in for a season of rebuilding.  Not only will the Jets lose arguably one of the best corners in the league and the crux of what held their defense together (Derelle Revis), but will also at the same time lose a key component of what kept their offense from being a complete joke.  Greene has been a consistent 1,000-yard rusher over the past two years and had a career high of 8 rushing touchdowns during the regular season.  While there are plenty of options at the running back position such as Ahmad Bradshaw, Peyton Hillis (Kansas City) or Felix Jones (Dallas Cowboys); none of these options garner the same prestige as Shonn Greene has been able to valiantly accomplish in the last two years. 

3.  Mike Wallace   Position: WR   Former Team: Pittsburgh Steelers   Current Team: Miami Dolphins

While some say the Dolphins overpaid for this prolific wide out (5 years, $60 million), all you have to do is see his overall production over the last few years to fully understand how dangerous of an offensive threat this man can be on the field.  While he admittedly had a lackluster season in terms of yardage (836 compared to 1,193 the year before) he was able to match his last season’s touchdown count with 8 individual scores throughout the regular season.  The Steelers may not be in complete turmoil as there are several efficient wide outs (Brandon Lloyd and Victor Cruz) up for grabs and have the potential to fill the void.  However, with the lose of the Steelers offensive powerhouse in running back Rashard Mendenhall, this team needs to make a decisive move before their team becomes an offensive enigma.

2. Dannell Ellerbe   Position: LB  Former Team: Baltimore Ravens  Current Team: Miami Dolphins

The Ravens defensive woes last season were nothing short of depressing.  Between injures to Terrell Suggs and future hall of famer Ray Lewis, all hope seemed to be lost in what appeared to be another disappointing season.  Until Ellerbe stepped up to the plate.  This defensive prodigy had over 69 individual tackles during the regular season combined with 4.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles that were crucial in keeping the Ravens post season hopes alive. Unfortunately, the heir to the proverbial throne that was left behind by Lewis still remains vacant.  Luckily, there are still a few solid linebackers left that have the potential and the overall experience to make this lose much more bearable.  Veterans such as Karlos Dansby (101 tackles) and Rey Maualuga (122 combined tackles) could be the efficient defensive leaders Baltimore needs at the linebacker position.

1. Wes Welker Position: WR   Former Team: New England Patriots   Current Team: Denver Broncos

Why and how the Patriots thought it was logical to release one of the best receivers in the league I’ll never understand.  In 5 out of his last 6 seasons he had over a thousand yards receiving while catching more than 5 touchdowns passes in 4 out of the last 6.  While Welker did have some critical drops at times, particularly against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game, at 31 years of age Welker had room to improve on these slight blemishes and has proved over the last several years that he is an overall reliable and quick slot receiver.  Not only is it a travesty that the Patriots lost this offensive juggernaut, but what makes this move even more palpable is the fact that he went to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos who are definitely looking to redeem themselves after a heartbreaking lose to the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.  The Patriots organization will be kicking themselves when they end up playing the Broncos in the AFC Championship game and once again end up losing a close one because Wes Welker will give the Broncos the slight edge needed to pull out a decisive victory.  At that point, all anyone will have to say is “we told you so.”

Manti Te’o: Scrub or a Potential Defensive Legend?

According to ESPN’s Todd McShay, in his mock draft he has Manti Te’o, the once hyped and respected linebacker out Notre Dame, going to the Baltimore Ravens as the 32^nd overall pick in the first round.

While some are willing to give Te’o a pass because of his undeniably consistent resume throughout his college career (aside from his atrocious performance at the BCS National Championship); between his questionable naivety when it came to his involvement with a fake love interest to his lack of physical prowess at the NFL Combine, it’s hard to justify why Manti Te’o should be allowed to join an organization that takes pride in maintaining a dominant defense.

Any opportunity of Manti Te’o garnering any sort of attention because of his intangible leadership qualities has gone out the window.  Worse still, whoever Te’o goes to in the draft will continuously ridicule him for his ill advised mistake which as a result could effect Te’o’s mental psyche in a negative way that prevents him from being a stand out defensive force.

While it can’t be denied that the Ravens need to bolster their defensive front with a reliable linebacker since the departure of future Hall-of-Famer Ray Lewis, the fact of the matter is that Baltimore already has numerous free agents that are not only proven successes at the same position, but are also young enough to build upon their triumphs to become even more reliable.

Instead, the Ravens need to focus on securing a dominant free safety as Ed Reed will most likely depart ways with this franchise due to lack of financial space in which to secure him.

Even if he were to remain a Raven come next season, at some point (sooner rather than later) this team is going to at least want a new defensive force that can hold down the secondary just as effectively if not better than Reed once he finally does retire.

Eventually, Manti Te’o may be able to endure the constant verbal bashings, and may even be able to overcome his recent athletic shortcomings and prove to be a severely underrated draft pick just like Ray Lewis was back in the 90’s. 

However, until Te’o is able to unquestionably and adamantly prove that he has what it takes to overcome the critics disappointing perception of his physical abilities while crafting a mental fortitude that doesn’t bring his character into question, he is not only a waste of a first round pick, but quite frankly, a waste of time.