http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7736750/
On the rise:
1. Vikings. Trading Moss was viewed by some as addition by subtraction because Moss had become more distraction than attraction. Coach Mike Tice doesn't buy into that convenient rationalization, saying there is no way the Vikings can hope to replace his constant big-play threat.
However, few coaches are more excited than Tice about the transformation of his team. The defense was rebuilt with as many as six new starters. The offense substituted the fastest big receiver in the draft, Troy Williamson, for Moss.
Defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell added former Buffalo players Pat Williams to play nose tackle and Sam Cowart to play middle linebacker. Williams allows the Vikings' best defensive lineman, Kevin Williams, to move to a more disruptive role away from double teams.
The Vikings also signed Washington cornerback Fred Smoot to pair with another Cottrell disciple, Antoine Winfield, and brought in free safety Darren Sharper from rival Green Bay. Linebacker Napoleon Harris, obtained in the Moss trade, will start and the second first-round draft pick, defensive end Erasmus James, will play opposite last year's top pick, Kenechi Udeze, as the Vikings try to rekindle the days of the Purple People Eaters.
With former Baltimore No. 1 pick Travis Taylor also joining the receiver corps, quarterback Daunte Culpepper won't be lonely. All in all, an impressive haul.
2. Arizona Cardinals. Teams that are down are forced to make changes, and coach Dennis Green isn't afraid of change. He plugged in four rookies last season and could start his first five draft choices this year: cornerback Antrel Rolle, running back J.J. Arrington, cornerback Eric Green, linebacker Darryl Blackstock and guard Elton Brown.
Add the acquisitions of veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, tackle Oliver Ross, pass rusher Chike Okeafor and linebacker linebacker Orlando Huff and it's no wonder the Cards think they can win the NFC West.
3. Baltimore Ravens. Unfairly stripped of Terrell Owens last offseason because of an NFL mistake in prematurely denying his free agency, the Ravens rebounded in a big way by signing the most prolific wide receiver of last season, Tennessee free agent Derrick Mason, and drafting the most polished receiver in college, Oklahoma's Mark Clayton.
The Ravens also added Titans' cornerback Samari Rolle and Steelers' guard Keydrick Vincent and drafted fast pass rusher Dan Cody and huge tackle Adam Terry.
4. Miami Dolphins. New coach Nick Saban has ground to cover, but so far the patchwork looks good. Hiring offensive coordinator Scott Linehan from Minnesota might be the biggest addition. If Vikings' backup quarterback Gus Frerotte can still play, all the better.
Saban signed adequate free-agent starters Kevin Carter, Vonnie Holliday, Stockar McDougle, Tebucky Jones and Mario Edwards and added three potential starters in the draft, running back Ronnie Brown, pass rusher Matt Roth and linebacker Channing Crowder.
5. Dallas Cowboys. Bill Parcells is in year three of his latest experiment and he wasn't fooled by the 10-6 surprise of year one when his defense finished No. 1. Last season, it gave up 405 points, so Parcells drafted a whole slew of players more suited to his favored 3-4 look: pass rushing linebackers Demarcus Ware and Kevin Burnett and big ends Marcus Spears and Chris Canty.
Parcells believes he can resurrect quarterback Drew Bledsoe and patch up the offensive line. He drafted Marion Barber and signed free agent Anthony Thomas to help Julius Jones run the ball.
6. Kansas City Chiefs. Still reviving their defense, the Chiefs landed Miami cornerback Patrick Surtain in a draft trade to play alongside new starters from front to back: end Carlos Hall, linebacker Kendrell Bell and safety Sammy Knight. Then they made active linebacker Derrick Johnson their top draft pick. Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham is happy.
7. Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles couldn't duplicate last offseason's splash of signing Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse, but their draft haul was a clinic in how the rich get richer.
They had 13 picks, most of anyone, and parlayed the bounty into 11 players. The first seven are considered legitimate potential starters: defensive tackle Mike Patterson, receiver Reggie Brown, linebacker Matt McCoy, running back Ryan Moats, safety Sean Consideine, offensive tackle Todd Herremans, and defensive end Trent Cole. And if they can't start for the Eagles, they could fetch more draft picks for the future.
Also on the rise: Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets.
On the fall:
1. Redskins. Gibbs' first draft choice last year, safety Sean Taylor, is balking over offseason responsibilities. The defense finished first in the NFC, then lost top tackler Antonio Pierce and cornerback Fred Smoot. Former top pick LaVar Arrington is complaining about treatment during an injury. Top receiver Lavernues Coles, who cost a first-round pick in 2003 as a restricted free agent from the Jets, complained about Gibbs' offense and was traded back to New York for Santana Moss, who isn't as good.
The Redskins wheeled and dealed in the draft to get an extra first-round pick and took Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell, who is a project and probably won't play until after Gibbs leaves.
2. St. Louis Rams. After losing a starting defensive end for the second year in a row with Bryce Fisher following Grant Wistrom to Seattle, the Rams are trying to revamp their defense again by adding linebackers Dexter Coakley and Chris Claiborne from teams that discarded them and moving their top tackler, Pisa Tinoisamoa, to safety, where they also had to draft three players among their top five just to fill the roster.
They needed a right tackle to replace malcontent Kyle Turley and were forced to settle for a left tackle, Alex Barron, considered a boom-or-bust prospect.
3. Green Bay Packers. In desperate need of defensive help, the Packers hired their third coordinator in three years in Jim Bates, but provided him with little more than retreads and draft projections.
Bates claims he has better raw material than he had in Miami, an opinion
that may haunt him. Drafting quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an unexpected
no-brainer that could eventually turn the offseason into a resounding success. For now, watch out below.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars. Drafting big, fast Matt Jones in the first round and hoping he can switch from quarterback to receiver would have been a bold move for the New England Patriots. For the Jaguars, it was a risky gamble. They need help now and aren't likely to get it from run-of-the-mill free agent defensive linemen Reggie Hayward, Martin Chase, Marcellus Wiley and Tony Williams.
5. Denver Broncos. They hired four defensive linemen from the Browns-Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, Michael Myers and Ebenezer Ekuban. The Browns finished 32d against the run. In the draft, the Broncos traded out of the first round, reached for three defensive backs, then scored the biggest surprise by taking running back Maurice Clarett in the third round. Wait til next year.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers. They lost offensive line starters Oliver Ross and Keydrick Vincent, receiver Plaxico Burress and linebacker Kendrell Bell. They signed second-tier receiver Cedric Wilson from San Francisco, but could have landed a keeper in drafting top tight end Heath Miller to give Ben Roethlisberger another big target.
7. New England Patriots. Yes, the Patriots must fall sooner or later because what goes up must come down. Coach Bill Belichick lost coordinators Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis and still hasn't replaced Weis. Linebacker Tedy Bruschi probably isn't going to play anymore following a post-Super Bowl stroke. Roman Phifer, Troy Brown, David Patten and probably Ty Law are gone.
In free agency, they signed cornerback Duane Starks, kick returner Tim Dwight, receiver David Terrell, linebacker Monty Beisel, cornerback Chad Scott and quarterback Doug Flutie. In the draft, they added a couple blockers to protect the franchise, Tom Brady, realizing that maybe nothing else matters.
Also on the fall: Tennessee Titans.
Teams on the rise
These guys are ****ing backups ... 
How do you miss a guy that hasn't been there for three years? Gimmie a break ... 
Linear Mode
