Sportswriter for Montgomery Media
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The Dream Team is a bit too much for me to handle, but so is giving the Cincinnati Bengals the rights to Andrew Luck before he even hires an agent or plays his senior season at Stanford.
Every team has some hopes of winning the Super Bowl this season because as cliche as it is, everyone starts Week 1 at 0-0. While some arguments for teams sound like a stretch I am still able to state my case for all 32 teams winning the Super Bowl.
Here is why the Bengals and Panthers could even shock the universe.
Carolina Panthers - Behind Jon Beason and Charles Johnson the defense has the ability to cause havoc on a weekly basis. Can Newton makes about one or two plays a week with his feet and does a great job turning around and handing off to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The Panthers find themselves in low scoring games, but they find themselves on top of the NFC.
Miami Dolphins - Coach Tony Soprano has always put out a solid defense and that will continue. But with the head of Brandon Marshall back on straight Chad Henne does not have to always make a perfect throw for B-Marsh to come down with it. Daniel Thomas is just enough to keep defenses guessing.
Washington Redskins - The zone blocking installed by the Shanahans takes form of the Broncos during the Terrell Davis days. While no one will ever suggest Tim Hightower, Ryan Torain, or Roy Helu are future hall of famers they combine to have season that leaves them as the top rushing team in 2011.
San Francisco 49ers - It's crazy how much health and consistency make a big difference. For the first time Alex Smith, Frank Gore and Vernon Davis play all 16 games and it makes a giant difference. They start off strong, first year head coach Jim Harbaugh makes all the right decisions and by the end of the year we finally see the Michael Crabtree we all expected to see.
Seattle Seahawks - Sure, there are some new faces, but the win over the Saints in the playoffs has the vibe in the locker room at its highest since 2007. Tavaris Jackson and Sidney Rice have come over from Minnesota and give them the vertical needed to easily win the NFC West and make noise in the playoffs.
Minnesota Vikings - Donavann McNabb has a renaissance year and with Adrian Peterson in the backfield the Vikes has one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. The continue to be the top run stopping unit and give the Packers and the NFC at Mac-5's 5th NFC championship game.
Tennessee Titans - The best thing to happen to the Titans was NOT paying Chris Johnson. The former 2,000 yard rusher and ECU Pirate plays to get paid and just goes bananas. He takes the pressure off Matt Hasslebeck and the defense. He nearly single-handedly makes them the team to beat.
Oakland Raiders - The Raiders have made strides in the right direction over the last few years and going 6-0 in the AFC West last year was just the latest exhibit of being a few wins away from the playoffs. Darren McFadden continues to improve this year and the Black Hole finally has some to really paint their face about.
Jacksonville Jaguars - The biggest problems for the Jaguars last year was their defense and they sured that up by adding Paul Posluszny to bring 100 plus tackles to town. The injury question to Maurice Jones-Drew subside and the save his legs by letting Rashad Jennings run the rock a little. The tandem torches defenses all season long.
Cleveland Browns - Colt McCoy has gone from a serviceable game managing to a playmaker. For any team that thought they could pack the box and stop Peyton Hillis would only be exploided by receivers Greg Little, Brian Robiskie and Josh Cribbs.
Chicago Bears - There will question is Jay Cutler would ever become the top their signal caller that Denver saw glimpses of in his first few years in the leagues. There will questions whether Roy Williams could reutrn to his dominant Detroit days and stop dropping passes. Both quiet the critics in 2011.
Arizona Cardinals - The Cards new they were a quarterback away from returning to the Super Bowl last year, but never found Kurt Warner's replacement. Anything is better than Max Hall and Derek Anderson, but Kevin Kolb's emergence has them back where they left off in 2009.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The talk of Tampa takes the next step as the up-and-coming trio of Freeman-Blount-Williams explode. They all earn pro-bowl bids and carry the Bucs to first in the competitive NFC South and in the Super Bowl its the defense that shows their talent.
St. Louis Rams - At times last year it looked like the Rams were one weapon away from expliding and running away with the NFC West. The addition of Mike Sims-Walker was a sneaky steal and he helps Bradford live up his first overall pick expectations.
Kansas City Chiefs - The Chiefs had a strong 2010 season putting the formula together that adds up to success. A second year with the same game plan bodes well to taking steps toward a championship.
Green Bay Packers - The defending champions have a target stamped on their back, but they have the talent to brush off that pressure. Aaron Rodgers should only continue his excellence and with all the pieces remaining why should anyone think they won't repeat?
Dallas Cowboys - The offense took off once Jason Garrett grabbed the head coaching gig and that was with On Kitna under center. Tony Romo is back, Dez Bryant is now a proven beast out wide and the Cowboys are ready to return to the postseason.
Indianapolis Colts - Just when people think Peyton Manning is going to miss a few games with injury and take a step back in his hall of fame career is the year that he wins MVP and picks up his second Super Bowl title.
Houston Texans - The offense is already feared, but the addition of Jonathan Joseph in the secondary solves the biggest problem in 2010. Now that teams cannot go crazy in the air, Texans will find themselves as one of the most dynamic teams in football.
New Orleans Saints - The Saints were good a season ago, but they were great when they had a running game teams had to account for. Along as Drew Brees is there they will have the ability to pass the ball, but with Pierre Thomas healthy and rookie Mark Ingram in the backfield they will be back to their Super Bowl caliber style.
Baltimore Ravens - Ed Reed and Ray Lewis return for another season a dominant play making defense, but its the play of Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs that will help them return to their 2000 form. And Joe Flacco is better than Trent Dilfer.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Everyone returns from a loss in the Super Bowl hungry. The offense live has improved and Mike Wallace has taken measures to become an elite receiver in the NFL. Big Ben has the players around him to win his third Super Bowl and nearly solidify his spot in Canton already.
New England Patriots - If going 14-2 could not get the job done, bring in Chad Ochocinco for MVP Tom Brady should help. The Pats just know how to get team players out of the worst guys, so Albert Haynesworth will once again show why the Redskins originally thought it was a good idea to give him 100 million.
Atlanta Falcons - The addition of Julio Jones to an already potent offense opens up the field for Matt Ryan and it takes the Dirty Birds to new heights. The playoff experience he now owns also just adds to Falcon's ability to bring home the Lombardi Trophy.
San Diego Chargers - All Philip Rivers needs to have the best year of his career is Vincent Jackson for a full season and Ryan Mathews to understand the game speed of the NFL. Now that's complete Norv Turner might finally have the personnel to get his first ring.
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