With the NFL season getting closer to official training camps and the start of the preseason, let’s take a look at how the top teams in the league stack up heading into the year.

10. Houston Texans:
The Miami Dolphins are also on the cusp of breaking into the Top 10, though the Texans may be in a better overall position. The Texans’ quarterback, Matt Schaub, is already good and getting better and the AFC South isn’t terribly difficult outside of the Indianapolis Colts. This appears to be the year the Texans finally break into the playoffs.

9. New York Jets:
Most seem to have already put the Jets among the elite teams in the league. Though they very well could get there, they still are relying on a second-year quarterback in Mark Sanchez and may find it difficult to duplicate their strong playoff run from last season. The Jets are going to be good for a while, but it’s up for debate whether or not they’re truly ready to reach the expectations surrounding them this season.

8. New England Patriots:
Most seem to be counting out the Pats for this year, which is a dangerous thing to do. I have major questions about their defense and whether or not receiver Wes Welker can come back from his knee injury, but they still have Tom Brady, who should be even better in 2010; though Brady was strong in 2009, another year away from the knee injury will make him even more effective. With Randy Moss playing in a contract year, I won’t be surprised at all to see the Pats making a serious playoff run in the AFC.

7. Green Bay Packers:
Not only does QB Aaron Rodgers sell plenty of NFL tickets but he’s also turned the Packers into one of the most dangerous teams in the league. The Pack won 11 games last season with significant holes on the offensive line and the unit was upgraded in the offseason. The Packers are going to be a dangerous team for a while.

6. San Diego Chargers:
I’m not sure how the Chargers will stack up against the other top-tier teams in the league, but they also don’t have a lot of competition in the AFC West. The Chargers should be able to put away the division fairly early – without or without left tackle Marcus McNeil and wideout Vincent Jackson – but issues in the secondary could keep them from reaching the upper echelon.

5. Baltimore Ravens:
The Ravens were a lot closer to the top of Cialis the league than most people realized last season. With one of the top point differentials in the league in 2009, even higher than division winner Cincinnati, the Ravens have a well-balanced team with a good young quarterback in Joe Flacco. New addition Anquan Boldin is also a difference maker and Ray Rice is on the verge of establishing himself as one of the top backs in the league. All things considered, the Ravens are a dark horse to win the Super Bowl.

4. Minnesota Vikings:
Assuming Brett Favre comes back, the Vikings should be in the running to challenge for a championship. Without him, they may not even be a Top 10 team. Having said that, the Vikings still have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball and star running back Adrian Peterson has something to prove after Chris Johnson’s breakout season in 2009. I wouldn’t want to be an opposing linebacker.

3. Dallas Cowboys:
Now that quarterback Tony Romo and the Cowboys finally won a playoff game last year, Dallas seems to be on the rise heading into 2010. Romo has even more weapons now with rookie Dez Bryant and they bring back another big, talented offensive line to go with a strong platoon of running backs. On defense, they have a few noteworthy playmakers, which should be enough for the ‘Boys to win the division and make some noise in the playoffs.

2. Indianapolis Colts:
The Colts need to get the running game going at some point, but Indy is still a very good team. If they can get safety Bob Sanders back in the lineup for most of the games, the Colts could very well even be the best team in the league, thanks in no small part to their all-world signal caller Peyton Manning. Even without a consistent running game in 2009, the Colts still were very hard to stop and largely cruised to the Super Bowl.

1. New Orleans Saints:
It all starts with quarterback in the NFL and Drew Brees is at the very peak of his career. Peyton Manning is probably the most historically noteworthy player in the league, but Brees has more offensive weapons – particularly in the running game – and the Saints are all but unstoppable. After winning the Super Bowl, it’s hard to put anyone else at the top of the league for now.

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Category: Recreation and Leisure/Sports/Football
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