Power of Caring
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2. Green Bay 13-3
The Packers did a great job playing well down the stretch with impressive wins over Dallas at home and at Minnesota and Tampa Bay. The defense was not dominating, but the offense is still potent... balance depth, leadership and Lambeau Field are all great attributes, but the Packers have alot of free agents and some age on this team and they would like to upgrade their special teams. The Broncos were able to expose their biggest weakness in the Super Bowl ...the age and endurance of their defensive front 7. They will be back in 1998.

3. San Francisco 13-3
A very resilient 49er team... fought off several injuries, especially at WR to Jerry Rice to emerge... defense and a strong running game carried this team most of the season... veteran leadership and organizational stability are real keys to success... they find a way to win.

4. Pittsburgh 11-5
They continue to lose players to free agency, but always find new ones to take their place... typical Steeler team, lives and dies by run offense and tenacious attacking blitz defense ... great up front on both sides of ball and a game breaker at QB that can look bad or good, but finds a way to win...tough to beat at home... a team that totally reflects their head coach.

5. Kansas City 13-3
Surprise team of '97... twelve new starters, but chemistry and consistency were never a problem... great defense, big plays on special teams, average, but efficient, offense and great coaching led to success... not alot of big plays but these guys play hard and smart. Look for a power run game and "smash mouth" style of football to keep them on top in 1998.

6. Jacksonville 11-5
Great record in '97, but never seemed to be totally in sync... offense relied too much on passing game and run game never lived up to expectations, while defense struggled with injuries and didn't seem to dominate... must be a pretty good team if they can struggle and still finish 11-5... good organization, will only get better.

7. New England 10-6
Struggled much of the year to establish an identity as injuries and a new system slowed the progress of this football team ... lack of a run game made them almost one dimensional on offense and their defense played only adequate football until the last month when they really came on and began to dominate... a healthy Patriots team in '98 will be tough to beat.

8. NY Giants 10-5-1
Cinderella team of '97... one dimensional run game on offense with only adequate production at QB, but tenacious and efficient defense that produces alot of turnovers... this team capitalized on opportunities more than any in recent NFL memory... will only get better when Fassel's West Coast offense gets untracked.

9. Tampa Bay 10-6
Great coaching job by Tony Dungy to make perrennial losers into winners... solid run game on offense with marginal passing game and a QB that is more of a "caretaker" than big play guy... defense is young, quick and swarming, and established the tone for this team... a rising group of stars... stability & leadership will keep this team on track.

10. Minnesota 9-7
Almost a tale of two seasons... the Vikings of the 1st half of '97 that jumped out to a 8-2 mark were explosive on offense with a great balance of run and pass, but still struggled defensively and were in too many "track meets"... the Vikings of the 2nd half of the season that only won one of their last six games, struggled on offense and gave up too many big plays on defense.. however, some late season personnel changes seemed to give this team a lift and they still played hard, and with emotion, for their coach, Dennis Green.

11. Detroit 9-7
One of the most confusing NFL teams in recent years... loaded with offensive fire power, but very inconsistant with the exception of the incomparable Barry Sanders at RB... can score at will one week and look absolutely lethargic the next... defense steadily improved and was a major upgrade... from 1996 much more disciplined and structured football team and should stay competitive in the near future.

12. Miami 9-7
Philosophies will change after '97 in south Florida, as Jimmy Johnson seems to be committed to running the football, although the Dolphins were at the bottom of the league in '97... QB Dan Marino is still the best offensive player on this roster, but the run/pass philosophy will have to be ironed out... Miami must retool it's offense and add depth to it's young, aggressive defense that seems to get better with each game... this is an improving team, but it has not happened quite as fast as Johnson had envisioned.

13. NY Jets 9-7
Bill Parcells added to his legend as a great franchise builder and motivator when he took this 1-15 team of '96 to within one game of the playoffs in '97... they played solid and fundamental defense most of the season that kept them in games, but offensively they were really up and down and instability at the QB position and a running game that went "south" made them struggle... however, this is a team with alot more discipline than they had a year ago and there is no doubt that they will improve.

14. Washington 8-7-1
Redskins were up and down all year and injuries and instability at the QB position never allowed them to get in sync... defensively, they were saved by a great pair of DCs, but a horrible run defense let them down in many games... this is a pretty good football team and an excellent organization, but they don't quite seem to live up to expectations.

15. Seattle 8-8
This is a pretty talented young football team with a nice future, but it is up in the air who will be leading this organization in '98... they must solve the QB situation and add some key free agents and draft picks, but this is a group that is much closer to being a contender than most people realize... at 8-8, most considered the Seahawks to be a disappointment in '97.

16. Tennessee 8-8
A great run game and an improving young QB were the keys to success for this Oiler team that went through alot of off the field turmoil with their move to Tennessee... however, a defense that played awful in the first half of the season and then rallied late to become competitive made things interesting at the end... this is a pretty young football team that could make huge strides if they make the right off-season moves and get proper support from the fans in Tennessee.

17. Cincinnati 7-9
These Bengals were absolutely underachievers for much of the season until QB Boomer Esiason took over in the month of December and absolutely revitalized this group... even without their best WR Carl Pickens, they were explosive on offense and rookie RB Corey Dillon is a future star... defensively, they struggled and gave up alot of points, but in the last month of the season, they were a team that nobody wanted to play.

18. Carolina 7-9
This is a "rags to riches to rags" story... they built this team through veterans and free agency but got old in a hurry... too many breakdowns on defense and no big play capabilities of a year ago... offense was in turmoil, with instability by QB Collins and an up and down run game... good organization, but huge challenges in next couple of years to keep this team on track.

19. Atlanta 7-9
Hats off to Dan Reeves and staff... after a dismal start, they hung in there and played as good of football as anybody in the 2nd half of the season and they probably played a little better than their talent level indicates... great production out of their front 4 defensive that put tremendous pressure on the QB and a solid pass game led by QB Chris Chandler led to some successful Sundays... appear to be on the right track.

20. Dallas 6-10
Fell apart in last half of season... this is a team with alot of problems... they lack size up front on defense and they lack overall depth... must rebuild offensive line and they are a football team with alot of age... huge challenge for owner Jerry Jones, as this team is capable of totally falling apart, but never underestimate pride and a core of players that still know how to win.

21. Philadelphia 6-9-1
For most of the year, this appeared to be an undermanned Eagles' team that struggled on both sides of the ball, but still stayed competitive in almost every game...however, when QB Bobby Hoying took over late in the season, it finally gave the Eagles a spark and hope for the future... they still need to add alot of talent and depth to this group, but the front office is working very hard to upgrade facilities and provide the coaching staff with enough tools to get the job done.

22. Buffalo 6-10
The Bills finally hit the wall in '97 after being a contender for several years ... they are an aging, but very proud football team that played good defense most of the season, but on offense they really struggled at QB and they became a very one dimensional, predictable running type offense... they were horrible in the turnover differential category and the lack of field position and big plays haunted them for most of the year... there are big decisions to make for this franchise, but GM John Butler will keep this ship going in the right direction.

23. Baltimore 6-9-1
The '97 season started in Baltimore with expectations of a very powerful and explosive offense and a young defense that would probably struggle as they matured... the prospects for alot of wide open & high scoring games were realistic... however, this Ravens' football team shocked everybody as their offense never really got on track and their "potent" passing game was nowhere to be found ... when the Raven passing game went cold, they tried to rely on a ball control run game, but they simply didn't have the personnel to get it done ... as a result, there was alot of complaining and instability in this group... defensively, the Ravens got solid play out of their young players and although they struggled somewhat vs the pass, they actually did a decent job playing the run and defense was certainly not the reason this team struggled in the 2nd half of the season.

24. New Orleans 6-10
This team may have the worst personnel in the NFL and they are easily the worst offense in the league, but somewhere in all of their deficiencies, Mike Ditka managed to squeeze six wins out of this group, which borders on phenonemal... as predicted in the pre-season, PK Doug Brien was the real MVP of this franchise, as the offense finished last in most categories...defensively they did a nice job in all areas and they even led the NFL in sacks, although their turnover differential was terrible... Ditka will have to improve the athleticism and team speed of this group and he must solve major problems on offense to make them competitive and entertaining, but nobody can question their toughness and grittiness.

25. St. Louis 5-11
A 5-11 season wound up to be somewhat disappointing for this Rams' team... their young gifted players did not progress as expected and the RB saga of Lawrence Phillips seemed to distract this team and they never really got on track... they played fairly well on defense and were pretty opportunistic, but offensively there was no flow... QB Tony Banks will be big key in '98, as he looked better in the last month of the season than he had in some time... the talent level is decent here and Dick Vermeil & his coaching staff will push this group in '98 to achieve their potential.

26. Oakland 4-12
This is the most underachieving group in the NFL... these players flat out quit on head coach Joe Bugel and his staff latein the season and things are not happy in "Raider Land"...they have some superstars on offense and are capable of scoring from anywhere on the field, both through the air and on the ground and new QB Jeff George did every- thing that was expected of him... however on defense, the Raiders were awful... they finished last in the NFL in run defense, pass defense & yards allowed and simply never played with any consistancy all year, as was evidenced by the worst tackling of any group in the NFL.. the Raiders have an aging veteran team with huge salary cap problems and instability in the coaching staff... Owner Al Davis and Senior Assistant Bruce Allen have their hands full trying to get this thing turned around... it will be a very tough and challenging off-season. New Head Coach Jon Gruden has his hands full trying to revitalize this team.

27. Arizona 4-12
1997 was a terrible year for the Cardinals, as they were never really a factor in the division race and their problems were easy to identify... a total lack of a run game, a porous offensive line, no big plays or speed on the outside and a poor kicking game led to their downfall... they have a decent defense that faded a little bit in the latter part of the season, but there is hope on the horizon... rookie QB Jake Plummer, a local hero from his ASU days, provided a spark in the last half of the season and he gives the Cardinals something to build on... there are still huge needs and holes to fill, but because of Plummer's solid late year performances, there seems to be hope for the future for this struggling franchise.

28. Chicago 4-12
The Bears were saddled with injuries on both offense and defense and failure at the QB position, led by Rick Mirer, who cost them a #1 pick and wound up being almost a total bust in his first season in Chicago...veteran backup Eric Kramer provided some stability in the 2nd half of the season, but the Bears were already finished... they are a team that lacks some athleticism and overall team speed and they simply do not matchup well in the tough NFC Central... head coach Dave Wannstedt and staff have a big off-season on their hands and the first order of business may be to decide on what to do at the QB position.

29. San Diego 4-12
The Charger offense scored only 266 points in '97, while the defense gave up 425 points and that basically tells the story.. this offense was supposed to be somewhat potent under new head coach Kevin Gilbride, but complaints all season by players regarding their inability to pick up the system and too many mental mistakes led to the downfall of this unit... also, with injuries to veteran QB Stan Humphries and Jim Everett, the Chargers were forced to play with little used QB Craig Whelihan and it did not work out... the Chargers could not get the ball in the hands of their high profile players and defensively they did not put enough pressure on the QB and did not make enough big plays to carry this team...this offense must jump to the next level in '98 if the Chargers have a chance to be in the playoff picture.

30. Indianapolis 3-13
The Colts didn't waste any time in dumping head coach Lindy Infante & GM Bill Tobin, replacing Tobin with ex- Panther GM Bill Polian... this was a team that struggled all year and many of their problems can be traced to an offensive line that was young and inexperienced and provided no protection for the QB or blocking in the run game... they were an up and down group that flashed on occasions, but could never play with any consistency... however, with the #1 pick in the draft, they should be able to solve their QB problems and they should have a young player that they can build their future around.