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Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Smith

The Falcons have a new coach (Mike Smith), a mostly new roster and a refurbished Georgia Dome. But, according to our preseason power rankings, they're still one of the NFL's worst teams. They're rated No. 32 (dead last) and no one from our panel ranked them better than No. 29.

I ranked Atlanta No. 31, even though I think Smith is going to be an excellent coach and I like a lot of the moves the Falcons made in the offseason. But you can't immediately heal the wounds inflicted by Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino and it takes time to overhaul a roster after getting rid of the likes of Warrick Dunn, Alge Crumpler and DeAngelo Hall.

Running back Michael Turner will help the offense a lot and Matt Ryan will be a good quarterback -- at some point. But it's going to take some time for Ryan and the Falcons to become contenders.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Seahawks ranked ninth in our NFL power rankings, but at least one voter thinks the Cardinals will overtake them in the NFC West this season. Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. ranked the Seahawks 17th, four spots behind Arizona, in balloting. The nine other panelists ranked Seattle higher than they ranked any of its division rivals. I ranked the Seahawks eighth.

Seattle has issues, no question. Its offensive line has crumbled over the last two seasons. Its top receivers are injured, aging or unhappy. The Seahawks no longer have a dominant running back (although Julius Jones expects to prove otherwise). Continuity on the offensive staff took a hit when Jim Zorn, Stump Mitchell and Nolan Cromwell took jobs elsewhere. And we can't yet know whether John Carlson will restore respectability at tight end.

Hiring Mike Solari should help the offensive line, and coach Mike Holmgren has proven his offense can function without great receivers. No Seattle receiver has played in a Pro Bowl since Holmgren took over as head coach in 1999.

I've been tempted to knock down Seattle a notch or two in past seasons, but recent history has become a reliable indicator in picking this division's winner. Seattle also has the defensive speed to harass opposing passers, particularly at Qwest Field. No other team in the league can line up with 2008 Pro Bowl starters at defensive end, linebacker and cornerback. Throw in a Pro Bowl quarterback and Seattle remains the logical choice to claim a fifth consecutive NFC West title.

ESPN.com Voter Seahawks Rank Cardinals Rank Rams Rank 49ers Rank NFC West Rank (avg.) Mike Sando 8 16 19 27 17.50 Paul Kuharsky 10 17 21 29 19.25 Kevin Seifert 6 16 27 28 19.25 Pat Yasinskas 8 17 27 26 19.50 Bill Williamson 8 16 31 23 19.50 John Clayton 7 24 20 28 19.75 Jeremy Green 9 21 24 28 20.50 Matt Williamson 17 13 28 28 21.50 Matt Mosley 11 18 29 28 21.50 James Walker 9 25 26 31 22.75 Team Rank (avg.) 9.3 18.3 25.2 27.6 20.1

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The NFC West fared worse on average than any division in our latest NFL power rankings. After placing the Seahawks among the top 10, most voters viewed Arizona and St. Louis with skepticism. They gave the 49ers virtually no shot at contending.

Counting all 40 votes for NFC West teams, the 10 panelists produced a 20.1 average ranking for teams in the division. The NFC East led all divisions with a 9.53 average ranking, followed by the AFC South (10.4), AFC North (15.7), NFC North (18.23), AFC East (18.35), NFC South (19.65) and AFC West (20.03).

I ranked NFC West teams at 17.5 on average, higher than any panelist. My ratings for the Seahawks, Cardinals and 49ers were consistent with how other panelists saw those teams. Some panelists ranked those teams higher than I ranked them. But no panelist ranked the Rams higher than my No. 19 ranking. I'll get into the reasoning a bit later.

Reading the chart: The second through fifth columns show how ESPN.com panelists ranked each team in the division. The final column shows how each panelist ranked NFC West teams on average. The chart is sorted in order of highest average ranking for the division. Each team's column includes two shaded cells. Red shading highlights out the team's highest ranking. Yellow shading highlights the team's lowest ranking.

The NFL Live crew debates the surprises on the power rankings list.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

I liked the way James Walker evaluated the AFC North in our power rankings so much, I'm going to borrow it and make it my own here on the AFC South patrol. Thanks, James.

Houston Texans

Kuharsky's vote: No. 20

Cumulative vote: No. 19

Why: The Texans got votes at No. 15 from Matt Mosley and Matt Williamson, but I think the general feeling is in line with mine -- while Houston can be solid, the other three teams in the division push it out of the top 16 and playoff range. I think the Texans are on a good course, that the new run-game scheme may be just what they need and that their stars haven't approached their peak. Still, they could play better and fare worse than last season's 8-8 based on the competition and their tough, early schedule.

Indianapolis Colts

Kuharsky's vote: No. 4

Cumulative vote: No. 2

Why: The consensus is the Colts will be atop the division again. They got one first-place vote from Pat Yasinskas, one second-place vote, five thirds and three fourths. My fourth-place vote had less to do with Indianapolis and more to do with three other teams I like better right now -- the Patriots, Chargers and Giants. I suspect the Colts' health won't be as big an issue by opening day. Their big question is about their ability to match 2006's playoff performance.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kuharsky's vote: No. 6

Cumulative vote: No. 5

Why: The panel is very high on the Jaguars and I'm right in line with them. It seems we're all believers in David Garrard, the youth push at defensive end and the revamped receiving corps, though the news about Jerry Porter missing camp after hamstring surgery came out after we voted. Mike Sando and Kevin Seifert are picking Jacksonville to unseat the Colts in the AFC South, with third- and second-place votes respectively.

Tennessee Titans

Kuharsky's vote: No. 14

Cumulative vote: No. 14

Why: I lined up with the group here, though Tennessee got votes ranging from 10th (Sando and Bill Williamson) to 20th (Jeremy Green). I think the Titans could be a playoff team again provided Albert Haynesworth is in place, LenDale White holds up and Vince Young progresses under Mike Heimerdinger. But they have a lot of question mark guys who all need to provide positive answers simultaneously -- Jevon Kearse and the rookie defensive linemen, Justin McCareins and the receivers, top draft pick Chris Johnson and the new left guard (probably Eugene Amano).

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Cardinals are 17th in our power rankings, which sounds about right (I voted them 16th). Matt Leinart is back in the starting role, but we still don't know what that means. Will he become better than Kurt Warner, or will he become another first-round disappointment at the position?

Leinart tossed two touchdown passes with four interceptions in his five starts last season. The Cardinals pushed him to improve his mechanics and prove himself as a student of the game. Coach Ken Whisenhunt says Leinart has impressed on both fronts. We need to see more.

The Cardinals won three of Leinart's five starts in 2007, but Kurt Warner was the more effective quarterback in two of those victories.

Arizona's No. 17 ranking reflects uncertainties at quarterback and elsewhere. The defense will need aging pass rushers Bert Berry and Chike Okeafor to bounce back from injury-shortened seasons. The team also lost a potential defensive playmaker when Calvin Pace signed with the Jets.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert 

From an NFC North perspective, the most telling nugget within ESPN.com's July power rankings is that 80 percent of the voters considered Green Bay the team to beat. Not necessarily surprising, just revealing.

ESPN.com's voting took place long after the Packers' standoff began with quarterback Brett Favre, and seems to reflect a pretty rational view: Even without Favre, the Packers have a young, athletic and deep roster. Their offense is well-suited for a quarterback transition, with a deep crew of receivers and running backs, and Aaron Rodgers has taken an ideal path in terms of quarterback development. A return by Favre, unlikely as it might be, certainly wouldn't hurt the Packers' competitiveness.

By ESPN.com's preseason reckoning, the NFC North will send two teams to the playoffs -- the Packers and Minnesota Vikings. A slew of offseason additions in Minnesota inspired a pair of voters to place the Vikings ahead of the Packers in the overall rankings. In general, however, the Vikings will have to demonstrate that their new toys -- receiver Bernard Berrian and defensive end Jared Allen, chief among them -- can assimilate quickly into the program.

That thought process meshes with my general feeling about the Vikings: Everything looks good on paper, but it's only fair to be cautioned by the multiple examples of teams that fall short of expectations generated by high-profile veteran additions. (Hello,Washington Redskins .) Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. The Vikings might have the division's highest upside, but they have some significant work to do in training camp to realize their potential.

Call me crazy, but I ranked the Detroit Lions (24) ahead of the Chicago Bears (25), albeit by the slimmest of margins. (That ranking was the Lions' highest overall). The general consensus was the other way around, but in some cases that might have been based on the Lions' longstanding history. I'm not exactly predicting a playoff run for the Lions, but I think they made a good philosophical choice in abandoning their pass-happy offense and taking steps to balance it out. I also have some faith that coach Rod Marinelli will get his defense worked out in Year Three.

The Bears ended up ranked No. 25 overall, mostly because their quarterback position is unsettled amid the possibility that they might have no good options at the game's most important position. Their best skill players are tight ends Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen, with gaping holes at both receiver positions. The Bears' defense is stocked with proven veterans, but the unsettled contract situation of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher doesn't portend well for team chemistry.

These rankings are based purely on projections, of course, and are more than open to debate. Like most of my fellow bloggers, I'll be over at SportsNation on Monday for an hour-long chat starting at 1 p.m. CT. We can break it down further over there.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Power Ranking Team Highest Vote Lowest Vote Disparity 20 Carolina 11 27 16 27 Oakland 19 32 13 17 Arizona 13 25 12 26 St. Louis 19 31 12 9 Seattle 6 17 11 13 Philadelphia 9 19 10 14 Tennessee 10 20 10 16 Washington 13 23 10 19 Houston 15 25 10 21 Baltimore 16 26 10 11 Minnesota 7 16 9 18 Buffalo 15 24 9 22 Denver 18 27 9 23 NY Jets 18 27 9 25 Chicago 21 30 9 8 Green Bay 5 13 8 12 New Orleans 8 16 8 28 San Francisco 23 31 8 6 NY Giants 1 8 7 10 Cleveland 8 14 6 15 Tampa Bay 12 18 6 24 Cincinnati 20 26 6 29 Detroit 24 30 6 30 Kansas City 25 31 6 3 San Diego 2 6 4 4 Dallas 2 6 4 5 Jacksonville 2 6 4 7 Pittsburgh 6 10 4 2 Indianapolis 1 4 3 31 Miami 29 32 3 32 Atlanta 29 32 3 1 New England 1 3 2

The Panthers were a tough team to figure in ESPN.com's latest power rankings, published today.

John Clayton ranked Carolina 11th, higher than any of the 10 panelists. James Walker ranked the Panthers 27th, lower than any panelist. No team in the league generated as large a disparity among panelists.

The Patriots generated near-unanimity. Eight voters ranked them first overall. No voter ranked them lower than third. No team produced a smaller disparity between high and low votes.

Seattle, Green Bay and the Giants produced the most disparate results among teams ranked in the top 10.

• Seifert ranked the Seahawks sixth. Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. ranked them 17th.
• Clayton ranked the Packers fifth. I ranked them 13th.
• Bill Williamson ranked the Giants first. Clayton and Seifert ranked them eighth. 

Panelists produced more consistent results for Baltimore than they did when ESPN.com released its first 2008 power rankings in May. The disparity shrunk from 15 spots, a league high, to 10 spots.

Voters pegged Baltimore between 16th (Walker) and 26th (Bill Williamson) this time. The earlier disparity reflected a No. 13 ranking (Matt Mosley) and a No. 28 ranking (Yasinskas). Mosley dropped the Ravens to 22nd. Yasinskas raised them to 21st.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

Our preseason power rankings are out today, and our panelists are expecting the Colts to win the AFC South for the sixth consecutive year.

Indianapolis practices Friday and will be without Peyton Manning (knee), Marvin Harrison (knee), Dwight Freeney (foot) and Tyjuan Hagler (torn pectoral). Bob Sanders (shoulder) is also a bit of a question mark.

But all indications are that Manning, Harrison, Freeney and Sanders will be on the field Sept. 7 when the Colts host the Chicago Bears in a rematch of the Super Bowl that capped the 2006 season.

While many of us think the Jaguars (fifth in the rankings) are a quality team poised for another playoff run, we're deferring to the champs at the outset.

The votes are broken down by Mike Sando here.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley 

	Scott Boehm/Getty Images
	New Redskin Jason Taylor should signifigantly upgrade Washington's front four.

Now that you've had time to digest our latest ESPN.com power rankings, it's time to talk about making changes. In one day, the Redskins lost a key starter on defense, but then replaced him with one of the top pass-rushers in the game. Phillip Daniels is certainly a nice player, but replacing him in the lineup with Jason Taylor is a significant upgrade.

Linebacker London Fletcher has become the heart and soul of the Redskins' defense, but the team could definitely use more veteran leadership. In our previous rankings, the Redskins had shown up as No. 14 overall. In the two months since, they dropped two spots to 16th.

I think a lot of experts are still skeptical about quarterback Jason Campbell's future, and that's understandable. Backup Todd Collins led last year's improbable playoff run, so it's natural to reserve judgment on Campbell until he's displayed some consistency.

Still, I already thought the Redskins had a chance to be a factor in one of the toughest divisions in the league. If I had to vote again this morning, I would have the Redskins at No. 12 or 13. I'd still have them as the fourth-best team in the NFC East, but they're gaining on the Eagles, a team that's on the verge of having a bounce-back season.

I guarantee that the Cowboys, Giants and Eagles took notice to Sunday's trade. Despite all the offseason drama, Taylor remains one of the most respected players in the game. He'll turn 34 in September, but being in a new environment should give him more energy and focus.

How quickly can he make the transition from dance shape to football shape? I think it will take at least two weeks in training camp before he feels comfortable, but it's not something Redskins fans should be overly worried about.

Given their situation on the defensive line, the Redskins would be wise to take it slow with Taylor. There's no reason he should try to play in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 3. He'll probably play at least a half in the third preseason game before resting up for the opener.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Patriots easily held onto the top spot in our second NFL power rankings of the offseason. Eight of 10 panelists ranked the Patriots first. Bill Williamson ranked the Patriots second because he thinks the top spot should go to the Super Bowl winner. Pat Yasinskas knocked the Patriots down to third, behind Indianapolis and San Diego.

The chart reveals how each of the 10 panelists ranked the teams. The first column shows where each team ranked overall. The last column shows the average of each team's rankings.

Red shading shows the highest ranking each team received. Yellow shading shows the lowest ranking each team received. For example, James Walker and Matt Mosley provided the Cowboys' highest rankings (second). Bill Williamson, Yasinskas and I provided the Cowboys' lowest rankings (sixth).

NFL power rankings: How each panelist voted Rank Team John Clayton Matt Mosley Jeremy Green Paul Kuharsky Matt Williamson Mike Sando Kevin Seifert James Walker Bill Williamson Pat Yasinskas Avg. Rank 1 Patriots 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 1.3 2 Colts 3 3 3 4 2 4 3 4 3 1 3.0 3 Chargers 2 6 2 2 3 2 4 3 4 2 3.0 4 Cowboys 4 2 4 5 4 6 5 2 6 6 4.4 5 Jaguars 6 5 5 6 5 3 2 5 5 4 4.6 6 Giants 8 4 7 3 6 5 8 7 1 5 5.4 7 Steelers 10 9 8 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7.5 8 Packers 5 12 6 9 8 13 9 11 9 9 9.1 9 Seahawks 7 11 9 10 17 8 6 9 8 8 9.3 10 Browns 9 8 11 13 14 11 11 8 11 12 10.8 11 Vikings 13 7 12 11 11 15 10 10 12 16 11.7 12 Saints 14 16 10 8 9 12 12 15 15 10 12.1 13 Eagles 12 10 14 12 10 9 14 12 19 11 12.3 14 Titans 18 14 20 14 16 10 15 14 10 13 14.4 15 Bucs 15 17 18 15 12 17 13 17 14 15 15.3 16 Redskins 16 13 13 16 20 14 23 13 13 19 16.0 17 Cardinals 24 18 21 17 13 16 16 25 16 17 18.3 18 Bills 17 19 15 18 19 20 19 20 18 24 18.9 19 Texans 23 15 16 20 15 24 20 21 17 25 19.6 20 Panthers 11 21 17 25 24 22 17 27 22 14 20.0 21 Ravens 22 22 23 22 21 18 18 16 26 21 20.9 22 Broncos 27 20 27 24 18 23 21 23 21 20 22.4 23 Jets 25 24 22 19 27 21 26 18 25 18 22.5 24 Bengals 26 23 25 26 22 26 22 24 20 22 23.6 25 Bears 21 26 26 23 23 25 25 22 30 23 24.4 26 Rams 20 29 24 21 28 19 27 26 31 27 25.2 27 Raiders 19 32 19 28 25 28 29 19 27 29 25.5 28 49ers 28 28 28 29 28 27 28 31 23 26 27.6 29 Lions 30 27 30 30 26 29 24 29 24 28 27.7 30 Chiefs 31 25 31 27 31 30 31 28 28 30 29.2 31 Dolphins 29 31 29 32 30 32 30 30 32 32 30.7 32 Falcons 32 30 32 31 32 31 32 32 29 31 31.2

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas.

	Chris Keane/Icon SMI
	Panthers QB Jake Delhomme's recovery from Tommy John surgery will play a major role in the team's chances this season.

When it came time to do our preseason power rankings, no team drew greater differences of opinion than the Carolina Panthers. They ended up ranked No. 20.

John Clayton voted the Panthers No. 11 and I had them at No. 14 and second in the NFC South. But Clayton and I were the exceptions and I think the rest of the panelists sold the Panthers short.

Six voters put the Panthers in the 20s and they were rated as low as 27. I can understand some of the skepticism. The Panthers are coming off a losing season and they didn't do anything dramatic in free agency.

But I think Carolina can be a playoff team, with some contingencies attached. Jake Delhomme's elbow has to stay strong and Julius Peppers has to rebound from a slump in 2007. If those two things happen, Carolina could even challenge New Orleans for the NFC South title.

Sure, it's an assumption to say Delhomme will be better than ever after having Tommy John surgery. But indications are, he might be. I've talked to him this offseason and he's thrilled with how his rehab has gone. Delhomme says his arm is stronger than ever and admitted the elbow was bothering him for several seasons before it fell apart. His presence alone should be worth at least a couple more wins and, if Peppers can get back to double-digit sacks, a questionable defensive line will be respectable.

Throw in the fact John Fox is a solid coach, the offensive line should be much better than last year and rookie running back Jonathan Stewart looks like a young Stephen Davis and Carolina could work its way into the top 10 before all is said and done.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas.

Our preseason power rankings are out today and the Saints are the top-rated team in the NFC South. They're No. 12 overall and I easily can see New Orleans cracking the top 10. I put them No. 10 on my ballot and think they can go even higher.

The Saints have one of the best offenses in football, mainly because Drew Brees is one of the league's smartest and most efficient quarterbacks. Sure, it would help if running back Reggie Bush can step up in his third year, but the Saints are in good shape at all the other skill positions.

If the additions of linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis can bring the defense to the middle of the pack, the Saints won't be just the best team in the NFC South. They could be a Super Bowl contender.

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

A local radio reporter asked Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell what he thought of the Raiders' low ranking in ESPN.com's recent power rankings. The reporter never specifically told Russell where the Raiders were ranked.

But he didn't have to.

"Hopefully, we can do better than 26," Russell responded, smiling.

And these guys say they don't read what's written about them.

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

I thought there was one last power ranking to explain. I had the New York Giants ranked No. 1. In our power rankings, the Giants are tied No. 5 with Jacksonville. I was the only person in the panel to pick the Giants No. 1. Here is my reasoning for the choice: They are the Super Bowl champion.

Every year, I start the champions in the top spot. That's just way it is. The perks don't end with the parade and the ring ceremony. The champion has to start No. 1.

Are the Giants the best team in the NFL? Maybe not, but we didn't expect them to win three road playoff games and then beat the 18-0 Patriots, did we? The Giants deserve to be champions and on May 12, they deserve to be No. 1 in my power rankings.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Bills qualify as a potential surprise team based on factors John Clayton outlines here.

The case he makes is compelling enough for me to acknowledge that my No. 25 ranking for Buffalo is probably selling the Bills short. Even though I ranked the Jets and Dolphins among the bottom 13 teams in the league, both could improve quite a bit this season, in which case the Bills' schedule becomes a little tougher.

In the end, I had enough questions about the quarterback situation to hold back. Trent Edwards finished his rookie season with seven touchdowns, eight interceptions and 12 sacks in 10 games (nine starts). His road becomes tougher as opponents make adjustments based on what they saw from him in 2007.

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

You know a team is lousy when you rank it No. 28 and worry that you may have over ranked it. Our power rankings have the Kansas City Chiefs' ranked No. 30. That may be the right place for them.

The Chiefs just aren't going to be very good, the way we see it now. In 2009 or 2010, this could be a competitive team again. The future is bright after a fabulous 2008 draft. But, heading into this season, the Chiefs are young everywhere, especially at quarterback where Brodie Croyle is no sure thing.

There are just too many question marks to rank the Chiefs, the worst team in a weak division, higher than in the lower echelon of the league.

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

Our power rankings place Oakland No. 26. I ranked the Raiders at No. 27. This is consistent for a team that went 4-12 last season and has won a league-low 19 games in the past five seasons.

Yes, the Raiders have picked up some exciting new names and spent a ton of money. But to expect Oakland to shoot up the rankings because they added Darren McFadden and Javon Walker to the offense would be naïve. This team still has major issues on both lines and quarterback JaMarcus Russell has yet to prove he can be a capable NFL starter. So, the Raiders are ranked in the right place for now.

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

Our power rankings place Denver No. 23. I placed the Broncos at No. 21. Thus, I agree with the panel that this team really isn't a playoff contender as we sit now.

The Broncos will have to prove themselves before they move up. Denver was 7-9 last season and didn't have a great offseason. It lost kicker Jason Elam, one of the most clutch kickers in the NFL, and its two best offensive players, quarterback Jay Cutler and receiver Brandon Marshall are dealing with medical issues.

To place Denver higher than No. 21, in my opinion, would have been a reach. We'll wait and see on this team without many expectations.

 

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

Over the course of the next few hours, I will explain why I picked the AFC West teams, teams I cover for ESPN.com, in the spots I did in our NFL power rankings. I will go from the top team down and in the AFC West it is a fast and hard slide down the rankings.

We start with San Diego. In the power rankings, we have the Chargers ranked No. 3. I ranked them No. 4. It's no slight to the Chargers. Anytime, anyone picks a team in the top five, it means the thought is 'this can be a Super Bowl team' and there's no doubt, I think the Chargers can be a Super Bowl team.

I was at San Diego's minicamp May 2-4 and this team is as loaded on the field as it is on paper. I often rank on the past in my preseason polls. Why? Because it is all we have to look at. Once the season starts, we have previous games to gage. On May 12, all we have is previous seasons. I thought the Giants, Patriots and Colts (even though San Diego beat them in the playoffs) had better overall seasons last season and they didn't do anything drastic in the offseason to become a lesser threat. So, the Chargers are fourth in my book. Again, it's No. 4 with a bullet.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

We calculated power rankings by averaging the rankings of each voter. This produced a couple of ties, which editors broke. The chart below shows how each voter ranked each team, and how the numbers averaged out. John Clayton, Matt Mosley, Jeremy Green, Keith Kidd, James Walker, Bill Williamson, Pat Yasinskas and I submitted votes.

I've shaded the highest rankings for each team in red. The lowest rankings for each team are shaded in yellow. The shading makes it easier to see which voters were highest and lowest on each team. As noted, Baltimore generated the widest disparity. 

I've put the rankings into an Excel spreadsheet that also shows how each voter ranked teams on a division-by-division basis.

We can then see that James Walker ranked NFC East teams higher than any other voter, at about No. 7 overall on average (all four teams between third and 11th overall).

We see that I ranked NFC West teams higher than any voter, largely because I ranked the Rams seven spots higher than any other voter, at No. 19.

We see that Pat Yasinskas ranked NFC South teams higher, on average, than any other voter, largely because he ranked the Saints sixth.

We see that Yasinskas and John Clayton ranked AFC North teams lower than the other voters, presumably because those teams play some rugged schedules.

Note: Six teams tied for three spots when rankings were averaged. Editors broke the ties. The official rankings made the Jaguars fifth and the Giants sixth; the Packers 10th and the Saints 11th; and the Bengals 24th and the Bears 25th.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

No team generated more disparate opinions than Baltimore in our first NFL power rankings for 2008.

One voter ranked the Ravens 13th. Another ranked them 28th. I had them 23rd without knowing quite what to do with them. Have they solved their quarterback situation? No one knows.

The Giants also generated conflicting opinions. One voter ranked them first overall with a nod toward their Super Bowl title. Another voter ranked them 10th. They were fifth on two ballots, including mine, and sixth overall in the rankings.

Meanwhile, voters were pretty much convinced that Atlanta would finish near the very bottom. The Falcons landed 31st or 32nd on every ballot. At the top, three teams drew top-five rankings from every voter: New England, Indianapolis and San Diego.

Miami fell between 25th and 32nd. Two of us ranked the Dolphins last, including me. The thought was that the Dolphins, despite upgrading their roster, might have to re-learn how to win a game.

New England, Indianapolis and the Giants received first-place votes. Four voters ranked San Diego second (I was among them). Dallas led the way in third-place votes with four of them. I was the only voter to rank the Jaguars as high as third, but no one else had them lower than sixth.

Green Bay and New Orleans also proved tough to figure. Both teams ranked as high as sixth and as low as 15th, depending on the voter. I had the Packers 13th and the Saints 14th.

Note: The above rankings are based on strict averages. These averages produced ties in some cases. I notice that editors broke those ties as they saw fit. For example, Green Bay and New Orleans averaged 10.75 in our rankings. Editors made Green Bay 10th and New Orleans 11th. Cincinnati and Chicago tied for 24th with a 23.375 average. Editors made Cincinnati the 24th-ranked team and Chicago the 25th-ranked team. I calculated disparities without breaking the ties. That is why you see two teams ranked 10th and two ranked 24th in the chart.

Update: The Giants and Jaguars also tied (for fifth). Editors made the Jaguars fifth and the Giants sixth.

 

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Now that we've had a free agency period and a draft, releasing the ESPN.com Power Rankings is the next logical step. I've spent the morning analyzing the rankings through several different formulas. Here are a few of my findings:

• I know a Super Bowl title doesn't always translate into a high ESPN.com ranking, but the Giants were playing like an elite team at the end of last season. Yes, we're unsure about Michael Strahan and some departures at linebacker, but New York is still stacked at all the skill positions on offense and I for one don't think the return of Jeremy Shockey is a negative. Six is too low for this team.

• Pat Yasinskas coming out in favor of the Saints may have influenced the voters in a big way. If you watched them play last season -- and I did in person four times -- a No. 11 ranking seems too high. I think the addition Sedrick Ellis and reinforcements at linebacker will immediately make this a better team, but there are still too many questions on offense. I'm hearing rumblings that the Saints think a bulked up Reggie Bush can carry the ball 20 times per game. That sounds like a bad idea to me. You have to hope Sean Payton has a better plan than that.

• The Ravens were a tough team to watch in '07, but I think No. 22 is too low for them. The under-the-radar Fabian Washington trade and the drafting of quarterback Joe Flacco makes them a better team. Did they reach on Flacco? Not if they truly think he's their franchise quarterback and couldn't afford to let him get away. And plus, they'd already held up the Jaguars for half their draft.

• I think Mike Martz will help pump life into the 49ers' offense. And with one of the most talented young linebacking corps in football, the defense is poised to have a nice season. Quarterback Alex Smith will be the key. If Martz can do for him what he's done for quarterbacks such as Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger and Jon Kitna, the 49ers have a chance to be a middle-of-the-pack team. And having the most underrated offensive line coach in football, George Warhop, doesn't hurt their cause.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Our 2008 power rankings have made their debut without much regard for West Coast teams.

NFC West teams averaged a league-worst 20.3 overall ranking in voting by eight staffers (the AFC West was close behind at about 20.2). Meanwhile, teams from the NFC East averaged a 9.2 overall ranking, best in the league. THe AFC South (11.0) wasn't far behind.

The 49ers (27th) and Rams (28th) made the NFC West the only division with two teams ranked in the bottom six of the league. And this was despite the No. 19 ranking I gave the Rams -- a ranking that qualifies as a charitable contribution when held against the votes of my colleagues. No other voter listed the Rams higher higher than 26th on his ballot (another glass of that Rams Kool-Aid, please, and thanks for asking).

My thinking on the Rams goes like this:

• They have a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback, which separates them from just about every other team ranked among the bottom 10;
• We can trace their 3-13 record from last season directly to a long list of injuries along the offensive line;
• It's unlikely an offensive line would suffer that many injuries two seasons in a row;
• The Rams' defense was respectable for most of last season, and the improvement should continue as long as depth at linebacker holds up.

Of course, all bets are off if Orlando Pace succumbs to another injury. Pace missed 15 starts last season and eight in 2006, so perhaps the odds are against him.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

While your regular host, Matt Mosley, is flying back to Dallas from the Monday night game, I'll take the opportunity to further the discussion on power rankings. As someone who once held a vote in the college poll, I can say it's far easier putting these together in the NFL. It's just so much easier to see the teams play in person and on the DVR.

My rankings match Mosley's rankings at the top. Our first eight are the same. He made Tampa Bay eighth and Seattle ninth. I had it the other way around just because Seattle won the head-to-head meeting 20-6, but that was back in the opener, so it's close. I put San Diego in the 12th spot. He has the Chargers 16th. I don't downgrade the Chargers much for losing to the Jaguars on the road. The game was competitive, and Jacksonville has a good team. There's no shame in losing to that team when David Garrard is in the lineup.

Matt has the Broncos in the 18th spot. I moved up Denver to No. 14. The Broncos seem to have recovered their edge. They appeared dead when I saw them against Green Bay, but it was premature of me to write that the Broncos' season had been reduced to a chance to let Cutler develop. They've been better than that in the last couple weeks.

I might have dropped Buffalo too far in moving them down to No. 25, but I really think New England could have scored 70-plus points in that game. I can't say the Patriots could have done that to their other opponents. Giving up 56 to a team that sits its quarterback for most of the fourth quarter is tough. I'll move Buffalo back up the board if the Bills bounce back this week.

San Francisco replaced Miami as my last-ranked team. The 49ers have been worse (arguably) during their eight-game slide than the Dolphins have been in opening 0-10. I've seen San Francisco play multiple times and it's just confounding. Rookie Joe Staley has probably been the 49ers' most consistent offensive lineman. Their receivers drop passes. Their coach and quarterback can't agree on injuries. The 49ers have been pretty good on defense, but that offense is the worst in the league right now by just about any measure.