Part 1|2|3
I’ve got my personnel evaluator’s hat on, and this week I am ranking each NFL
team in terms of its combined skill-position talent. Here are my rankings of the
NFL’s middle 10 teams in skill-position talent:
11. Miami Dolphins — The Falcons
barely beat out the Dolphins in my rankings for the No 10 spot on this list. Dan Marino
isn’t what he once was, but he’s still one of the NFL’s better
quarterbacks. His numbers figure to decline this season as Miami tries to increase its
running productivity. Thus, the true measure of Marino this season won’t be in his
stats but in his ability to win close games in the crunch when the passing game becomes
more essential. Who’s going to emerge as the Dolphins’ No. 1 rusher this season?
Flip a coin. I think they’ll do it by committee. I wouldn’t be surprised to see
Karim Abdul-Jabbar start out the year as the main man and do a decent but unspectacular
job and eventually get passed up by J.J. Johnson or Cecil Collins (or both). By the end of
the year, look for Miami to have a very solid running game. The Dolphins’ ranking is
based on Tony Martin being available to them this season. If he is not, I think their
receivers will be very solid but unspectacular (in which case Marino needs to act like an
all-time great and make them look even better than they are).
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12. Arizona Cardinals — Jake
Plummer is the real thing. He’s going to be a big-time star before his career is
complete. Frank Sanders and Rob Moore form an excellent (and a bit underrated) 1-2 punch
at wide receiver. Adrian Murrell will never be a superstar, but he can get you 1,000 yards
on the ground.
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13. Tennessee Titans — At first
glance, the Titans would seem to be a candidate to rank higher. Right now, though, they
are a collection of very talented players who haven’t accomplished as much as you
might expect. (That said, I do think it’s just a matter of time before they put it
all together and become a scary good offense.) Eddie George keeps posting very good
numbers, but he still hasn’t become a dominant running back. Steve McNair has the
talent to become a superstar, but while he has shown steady improvement, he still
hasn’t put it all together yet. Yancey Thigpen and Kevin Dyson posted disappointing
numbers last year, although I expect a big jump in production from both of them this year.
Frank Wycheck is a nice pass-catching threat.
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14. Washington Redskins — There
is potential here but not much in the way of sure-fire answers. I think Brad Johnson will
be a nice NFL quarterback, but he still has to do it. I also think that this is the year
that Michael Westbrook explodes on the NFL, but he, too, still has to do it. The winner of
the Skip Hicks-Stephen Davis battle will post nice numbers at running back, but they still
have to do it. Stephen Alexander has a nice rookie campaign, but he still has to do it
over time.
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15. Seattle Seahawks — I think RB
Ricky Watters still has plenty of gas left in his tank. WR Joey Galloway is a big-time
star who should only get better with Mike Holmgren as head coach. The QB position drags
the Seahawks’ overall skill-position grade down. Jon Kitna has potential (especially
given the fact that he will be working in the Holmgren system), but he is so raw that you
can’t give him too high of a grade at the moment. That said, I believe he will do
just fine down the road.
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16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — RBs
Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott complement each other wonderfully. I have a high opinion of
WR Reidel Anthony, and although he will not post monster numbers in this type of offense,
I think he will continue to get better and better. If he can stay healthy, Bert Emanuel
can be a solid performer. The key, of course, is quarterback. If Trent Dilfer can become
the player everyone expected when he was drafted, the Buccaneers can challenge for a Super
Bowl in a couple of seasons. The jury remains very much out on Dilfer. The Buccaneers do
have very good depth now at the QB position in the event Dilfer can’t get it done.
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17. St. Louis Rams — If Isaac Bruce
can stay healthy, I think he and rookie Torry Holt will terrorize opposing defenses for
years to come. RB Marshall Faulk obviously is an elite back, but I want to see if he will
be hungry or become too satisfied. I like Trent Green a little bit more than many of my
peers, but even I have to admit that it remains to be seen if he can go from solid
overachiever to the kind of quarterback who can win games. I suspect that he will be good
enough to take advantage of all the skill-position talent around him but will never be a
guy who can carry an offense.
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18. Kansas City Chiefs —
Adequate everywhere. Spectacular nowhere. I have never been that high on Elvis Grbac.
He’s not a bum, but I don’t think he will ever be a special quarterback.
Personally, I think he makes a great backup but an iffy starter. This is a make-or-break
season for him. Bam Morris isn’t going to make you jump out of your seat with
excitement, but he should post solid numbers behind a great offensive line. TE Tony
Gonzalez is the one player who could become spectacular, but he’s not there yet.
Derrick Alexander came on like gangbusters the second half of last season, so he bears
watching. I think he’ll be good but not great this year. Andre Rison isn’t what
he once was, but can still provide a spark here and there.
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19. Pittsburgh Steelers —
Jerome Bettis is still one of the top 8-10 running backs in the NFL. Mark Bruener is a
very underrated tight end. The wide receivers are very unproven, although I find Hines
Ward and Troy Edwards to be very interesting prospects. The $64,000 question is whether
Kordell Stewart can rebound from a terrible season. I think that Stewart will eventually
become an excellent NFL quarterback, but I now believe it will take longer than I
originally anticipated.
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20. New England Patriots — If
Robert Edwards hadn’t gotten hurt, the Patriots would be a top-10 team in
skill-position talent. After all, Drew Bledsoe is a very good quarterback, Ben Coates is
one of the top two or three tight ends in the NFL, and Terry Glenn is a game-breaker when
healthy (which isn’t often enough). Unless rookie Kevin Faulk can really produce in a
big way, though, the running game could struggle mightily. Faulk has talent, and I
don’t rule out the possibility of him rushing for 1,000 yards, but it’s not like
the guy was a first-round pick. If Faulk can’t get the job done, it would be a huge
upset if any of the other candidates became big-time producers. I think Faulk makes or
breaks the Patriots’ season.
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Next: The back of the pack in
skill-position talent |
