Position Ranking: Overall Offense
by Khaled Elsayed
4/8/2009
Having ranked the individual offensive units in previous articles, Khaled Elsayed turns his attention to that of who has the best overall offence. The explosiveness of New England? The power of Minnesota? The Peyton Manningness of Indianapolis? Without further ado...
32. Detroit Lions
Just about picking up last spot, the Lions can thank Calvin Johnson for at least keeping them within distance of some teams. The receiving situation is something to be upbeat about and the drafting of Brandon Pettigrew should help their blocking and receiving out, but even then this is an offence that needs a lot of work.
31. Cleveland Browns
A quite remarkable turnaround for a team last year who were expected to have one of the best offences in the league. Other than Joe Thomas, the highly touted line of 08 has fallen apart and with a messy quarterback situation coupled with question marks over who will be running and if Braylon Edwards has it in him to hold onto the ball things aren’t looking rosy in Ohio.
30. Oakland Raiders
This is very much a work in progress. The offence line is headache inducing and could do to Jamarcus Russell what a Texans o-line did for David Carr. The running game has potential, but when it comes to throwing the ball they don’t have any of the components you’re really looking for to establish a consistent and balanced attack.
29. San Francisco 49ers
An offence waiting for potential to kick in is an offence that is currently failing. Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree ... all high potential players, but all (other than Gore) have yet to prove anything in the NFL other than some edging closer towards the bust label. The offensive line has to be better than last year.
28. Kansas City Chiefs
The youth movement they’ve invested in means they should get better than last year, especially with the signing of Mike Goff. He’ll join an offensive line with a left tackle in Brandon Albert that flashed an ability to be a franchise tackle (not forgetting he was a guard in college). Matt Cassell should at least be solid, but then so was Tyler Thigpen and that got them picking 3rd in the draft.
27. Baltimore Ravens
They’d be a lot higher if it wasn’t for Derrick Mason retiring so there’s still time to turn this around. The strength of the Ravens lies in an offensive line that leaves a quarterback with enough time to make throws, and creates enough room in the running game. I’m pretty confident in saying their QB and running backs wouldn’t look nearly as good behind another line.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags are hoping a lot of pieces fall into place relatively quickly. Investing in tackles for the future was shrewd but may not pay immediate dividends, while we’ll need to see whether MJD can handle a starters load with such woeful support. David Garrard should rebound (not that he was that bad) after all of last year’s problems and if some of their players can play to their potential this could be a lot higher.
25. Buffalo Bills
An offensive line that has got worse and a quarterback that doesn’t seem to be improving. Sounds like a losing combination. They have players in the skill position but getting them the ball, and giving them the space to operate could prove extremely problematic.
24. Chicago Bears
Even signing Jay Cutler doesn’t solve the problems of the Bears. Matt Forte needs to do more as a runner, and his versatility may not be as valued to a more ambitious quarterback like Jay Cutler. The line is good, but it’s a very uninspiring receiving group that could leave Cutler looking towards his tight ends more than he is accustomed to. How will Cutler handle not having a big physical, Brandon Marshall type receiver to throw most of his balls to?
23. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks could be a surprise team to make their way to the playoffs, and their offence could be a big reason why. Matt Hasselbeck should be healthy, and when he’s healthy he’s one of the more accurate QB’s in the league. The receivers got a huge upgrade in TJ Houshmanzadeh and Julius Jones and TJ Duckett are good enough runners behind a line that isn’t as good as it was, but is still decent.
22. Houston Texans
The Texans are getting better, but the main problem remains their offensive line. Duane Brown needs to improve otherwise we’ll see Matt Schaub taking more hits which will increase the chances of him missing time which seems inevitable behind a good offensive line. It’s a shame since he’s smart enough to just throw the ball in the general direction of Andre Johnson and hope for the best ... and that’s fun to watch.
21. St Louis Rams
Investing in their offensive line this off season should greatly improve a pretty impotent Rams offence and take some pressure of Mark Bulger and hopefully help him return to the form he was displaying a couple of years ago. Steven Jackson is primed to break out to another level ... but then how many times has that been said only for him to pick up an injury?
20. New York Jets
The Jets have plenty of pieces in place but there’s something missing ... namely a quarterback. Whoever starts it’s unlikely they’ll be able to get this offence firing the way it needs to, which is a shame because with as good an offensive line as they have they’re not too far away from being one of the better offences in the league. Perhaps Sanchez pulls a Flacco, but as inexperienced as he is, don’t bet on it.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Everyone seems willing to write the Bucs off, but at the very least they have good runners running behind a good (if inconsistent) offensive line. McCown looks like the starter and he’s a better option than the statue that is Byron Leftwich, if only that we get to finally see what he can do. Here’s a clue, throw it to Antonio Bryant and at Kellen Winslow.
18. Denver Broncos
A few months ago they probably would have been top ten but then Josh McDaniels happened. You don’t get rid of your franchise QB and replace him with Kyle Orton without feeling a hit. It will be surprising if this team doesn’t give up more sacks than last year, and as surprising if McDaniels can implement a system which maximies the effectiveness of runners like Shanahan was constantly able to.
17. Carolina Panthers
This team is hampered by Jake Delhomme. No way around it. He looks good at times, but then he’s the kind of quarterback that can throw games away. If they had a more consistent QB they’d be a top 5 unit with how well they run the ball and possibly the most dynamic receiver in the NFL.
16. Cincinnati Bengals
If Carson Palmer is back to being Carson Palmer the Bengals passing attack could get back to being somewhere near as good as it was a couple of years back. The running game is less convincing and relying on Cedric Benson is risky business. Massive potential on this unit, but there isn’t an offence with as many character concerns.
15. Dallas Cowboys
Losing TO hurts this offence almost as much as Jessica Simpson has seemed to hurt Romo’s game. Now she’s gone maybe we’ll see the Romo that took the league by storm. Plenty of talent but father time is knocking on the door of some key positions on this offence and they’ll need to stop the degeneration of their play if they’re to play better than this ranking.
14. New York Giants
They can still run the ball well, and they still give their quarterback plenty of time, but their quarterback has never developed into the player they hoped he would be and now without his top weapons he’s looking even more lost. For this offence to be better, Eli Manning needs to step up and he needs his receivers to follow suit.
13. Miami Dolphins
Ignoring the fad that is the wildcat the Dolphins turned a quite pedestrian offence into something that was pretty effective. It should only get better as the players get more familiar, and Ronnie Brown has a season away from injuries under his belt. Chad Pennington is a worry, but if he can be as safe with the ball as he was last year then this offence will continue to be effective.
12. Minnesota Vikings
If you’re the Vikings you almost wish the NFL would outlaw passing because when it comes down to running these guys are the kings. A unit built to run block and one of the greatest running backs of the modern era, at times they’re practically unstoppable. But they need a QB who can at least take some pressure off the running game and avoid putting more pressure on it. Not sure if they have that.
11. Indianapolis Colts
Make no mistake about it the Colts are only this high because of the brilliance of Peyton Manning. To say they have an offensive line that struggles would be an understatement, and much improvement is needed otherwise it could be another case of Manning needing another MVP type season to keep their playoff streak alive.
10. Washington Redskins
Much like the Vikings the Skins have a good rushing unit, but will be needing Jason Campbell to expand upon his ability to take care of the ball (for the most part) and start making the most of Santana Moss and the 2008 draftees they picked up. Until that happens, this offence will be solid but nothing more.
9. Tennessee Titans
They’ve made moves to improve their passing game, but the feeling is their running game is already pretty good and with a young combination that plays to each others strengths is only going to get better. I’m unconvinced as to how long Kerry Collins will be serviceable and whether with a less impressive defence and more asked out of the offence they simply won’t have the answers to these questions.
8. Arizona Cardinals
Explosive as they are the Cardinals need to get more from their running game before they can challenge the top offences. As it is they are being carried by a passing attack that is hard, but not impossible to stop and Kurt Warner shouldn’t be able to absorb the punishment he took last year. They’ll hope that Beanie Wells can get something behind an offensive line where the excuses about inexperience are starting to wear thin.
7. Green Bay Packers
In a disappointing year at least the Packers can be happy with the fact that Aaron Rodgers displayed toughness and all the abilities you look for in a franchise QB. Now if the running game can get back to what it was in 2007 and the offensive line can get it together this unit could be top 5. Still, there’s a reason why they’re if’s and not when’s.
6. New Orleans Saints
Much like the Cards, if only the Saints could muster a consistent running game. That said towards the end of last year there were some encouraging signs, and in Pierre Thomas they could have an every down back to focus their rushing attack around and take some of the pressure off Drew Brees. Look for them to be more balanced and more consistent this year.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers o-line is slightly inconsistent but it’s not as bad as people make it out to be, and they have the kind of skill players who may not fall on a ‘Best in the NFL’ list but who produce what is needed of them for this offence to work. They’re a machine that always seems to function and nothing looks like changing.
4. Atlanta Falcons
They could be even higher with a decent left side of their offensive line. They may have the best set of skill position players in the league, and it’s possible that Matt Ryan is only going to get better the more he plays which could be scary for the rest of the league.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles never seem to have stars on offence, but they always seem to have talent across the board. They’ve replaced ageing vets on the offensive line with young and talented players, and ensured that Donovan McNabb has enough toys to play with. One concern has to be the increasingly injured Brian Westbrook as he’s become almost irreplaceable in this offence.
2. San Diego Chargers
Even if LT doesn’t perform better than last year this team is on the verge of having a fantastic passing attack led by one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The line needs to get better for them to achieve this, but they have so many key positions in place that this offence should roll through the AFC West and most of the league.
1. New England Patriots
Any real surprise? If Brady came back as half the player he once was this would still be the offence to take above all others. A very good offensive line, a great set of receivers and rushers who can do a job ... this as good as an offence gets and there’s a few years left in them yet. We’ve yet to really feel a backlash following their defeat to the Giants ... what kind of records could we see go this year?
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