Thursday, May 9, 2002

ProFootballWeekly.com asks editor-in-chief Ron Pollack for his thoughts on the hottest topics in football. 

Who will emerge as this year’s surprise teams?

In recent years, the teams that make it to the Super Bowl seem to come out of nowhere with great frequency. Here are some thoughts on some possible surprise teams around the league by division.

Pollack: In the AFC East, I was talking with an NFL insider recently who is very big on the New York Jets and really likes the moves they have made and thinks their new players are a really good fit for the system. He also likes Buffalo, not at the top of the division, but a little bit more than some people might think.

In the AFC North, I’m all over Cleveland. I think they are ready to make a huge jump. If they get off to a quick start, I think they will really catch fire. They are the type of team that if they get off to a slow start they may struggle, but with Butch Davis and the attitude that he brings to the team, if they can get off quickly, they could be a team that goes a long way. The NFL insider I was talking to really likes Baltimore. He was saying he thinks they could finish second in the AFC North. He thinks they still have something left and are going to be a lot better than people think. I personally don’t concur with that. I picked them to finish fourth, but that’s another person’s thought on the division.

In the AFC West, San Diego and Kansas City both look like teams that could surprise. I personally like San Diego. I think they are ready to make a big jump up. At the same time, with Oakland and Denver both being pretty solid teams, San Diego and Kansas City can be quality teams and still finish in fourth place. But I really think San Diego could fool some people.

In the NFC East, Dallas has surprise written all over them. If they just had a serviceable veteran at quarterback, I think they could go a really long way. The quarterback situation scares me a lot, but everything else on their roster is looking very good right now.

In the NFC South, an NFL insider I was talking with said he really likes New Orleans. He thinks they are going to jump up again and be better than last year. I am not in love with them. I picked them to finish second in the NFC South, but that’s as much because I don’t think Atlanta and Carolina are going to be that great.

In the NFC West, Seattle and Arizona are a couple of teams that a lot of people are picking for a possible jump. I think they might be improved, but I don’t necessary concur that they will be surprise teams just because I think St. Louis and San Francisco are so strong in the NFC West that I think Seattle and Arizona are still destined to finish third and fourth in that division.

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