Ty Ranks the 2017 NFL Teams: The "Rogue One Final Scene" Edition

We are now on day 7 of my 2017 NFL countdown. There are only 2 days left worth of teams. This is the best of the best. These are teams that have few flaws and could really make some noise in the postseason. These teams all have something great going for them, and if any one of them makes it to the Super Bowl I would not be shocked. Lets go.

At number 8 I have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This team is loaded on offense. They are really, really lethal. A lot of people have been comparing them to the Raiders, a la, a team that makes a very big jump this year. I see that, but I see a lot more of the Falcons in this team. As I already stated, they are lethal offensively. Jameis Winston, for as much as I may not like him, he is turning into a very, very good NFL QB. He is using his arm more, he is becoming a leader, and he is just having fun out there. As long as he can cut down on the turnovers, which I think he will, he is going to jump into that upper echelon of NFL QB's. He is really, really good. They have some of the best wide outs for Winston to throw to also. Mike Evans is amazing. He is tall, fast, can get separation and has excellent hands. The guy is un-guardable at times. He is the Bucs version of Julio Jones. They also went out and signed Desean Jackson this offseason. That was one of the better additions that I have seen in awhile. He is going to stretch the field for the Bucs, and he will also make it nearly impossible to double Evans. Jackson was a tremendous pickup. They also drafted OJ Howard late in the first round, and he was great in college. Go watch last year's title game and he was one of the best players on a field filled with great players. That was a hell of a pick. Doug Martin started to look like the Doug Martin from 2 years ago at the end of last year. If he can be 80 percent of that guy, that will open up things even more for this offense. They also have Jacquizz Rodgers, and he is an excellent change of pace back. The O-Line is legit too. The Bucs also have a decent, albeit inexperienced defense. I love Gerald McCoy. He is a tremendous run stopper and pass rusher. He is also the only reason to watch "Hard Knocks" too. He is great. Vernon Hargreaves can become a decent NFL corner. I know Brent Grimes got a slight injury in preseason, but he will be fine for the start of the year, and he is a solid veteran. Noah Spence has gotten better every year in the league, and now he looks like a legit pass rush specialist. Lavonte David is a solid linebacker. This team is pretty good everywhere, with the exception being the kicking game. The fact that I have to mention it should cause concern. They cut Roberto Aguayo, the guy they moved up to pick in the second round last year, and his replacement, Nick Folk, has not looked consistent at all. That could cost them a game or 2, and that would be brutal. I like this Bucs team, but they need to shore up that kicking game to be a real threat.

At number 7 I have the New York Giants. Odell Beckham Jr is a headache, but he is so talented, he is worth the headache. I know he had a scare in a recent preseason game due to a very dirty hit, but he is going to be okay. He is one of the top 3 or 4 receivers in the league. He is so good with the ball in his hands, and he makes some of the most amazing catches ever. Beckham is great. They also signed Brandon Marshall. I love this almost as much as the Jackson to the Bucs deal. Marshall is as solid as they come, and he will make it impossible for team to double him and Beckham. This was a very good move by both parties. Hell, even Sterling Shepard showed flashes last year. This receiving corps is good. They unfortunately have Eli Manning throwing the ball to them. Yes, he was the QB of 2 Super Bowl champs, but if this team had a solid star QB, they could have won 4 or 5 rings by now. Eli is way too inconsistent and throws way too many picks. He is fine, but these receivers deserve better. The running game is very bland. Shane Vereen is okay, but he is much better at catching the ball out of the backfield and making something happen. The Giants don't want to do that. Paul Perkins is another option, but he didn't do much with his shot last year. I like the pick of Evan Engram, but if they want him to be more than just a glorified tight end, he has excellent hands, but cannot block, they need to coach him up big time. The O-Line is fine. Where the Giants excel is defense. They have a stout defense. People are still joking about what Jason Pierre Paul did to his hand 2 years ago, but that guy is an excellent D-lineman. He is really good. Olivier Vernon is also a very good defensive end. The D-line is good. The secondary is better. Landon Collins is the consummate pro. The guy does everything right, and sometimes, he does it spectacularly. Janoris Jenkins, with all the off field stuff, is a very solid cover corner. Dominique Rodgers Cromartie is great too. Eli Apple is decent. Johnathan Casillas is a pretty good linebacker. Same with BJ Goodson. This defense is good. They can stop teams. What holds the Giants back is Eli and their head coach. They should have beaten Green Bay last year, but the Giants coach got outcoached by Mike McCarthy. That is insane. And Eli, how much does he have left? I don't know. The Giants receivers and defense will be enough o push them towards the playoffs.

At number 6 I have the Kansas City Chiefs. Okay, they do have a QB problem, but give Patrick Mahomes time. He seems like he will be a quality starter in the NFL. And until he is ready, they have Alex Smith. Smith may not be the best QB in the league, but he can manage a game and he will not blow many games for you. He has done that his entire tenure in Kansas City. Sure, they lost Jamaal Charles and Jeremy Maclin this offseason, but those departures will not sting so much. Charles couldn't stay healthy, and Maclin hasn't been the same since his rookie year. They do have Tyreek Hill. Hill is explosive, fast and can catch the ball. He does have off field issues and hopefully that won't rear its head this season because he is their best play maker. They also have Travis Kelce. He is a wannabe Gronk, but he is still solid. He is not Gronk, but he makes plays and is a reliable option at tight end. Don't sleep on Chris Conley either. He was awesome at Georgia, and now, he will get a full chance to start. Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware are more than capable of replacing Charles at running back. They can both run hard and get tough yards. The O-line is solid too. Where the Chiefs are dominant is their defense. Eric Berry is one of the best safeties in football, and one of the best stories too. He came back from cancer and was still an All Pro. That's amazing. Marcus Peters is one of the best young corners in the league. As far as their linebackers, 2 names, Justin Houston and Derrick Johnson. Those 2 guys are incredibly talented and they produce and can be counted on for doing a little bit of everything. Tamba Hali is also pretty good too. The D-line did lose Dontari Poe, but they will be okay. Also, with that line backing core, the D-line doesn't have to be too disruptive. The linebackers can clean up the mess. The Chiefs are a great defensive team and an average offensive team. What separates them from a similar team, the Vikings, their offense is much better. The Chiefs will win double digit games, but that division is really tough.

The final team for today, at number 5, the Atlanta Falcons. The Super Bowl runner uppers. They should have won that game. They led by 25 points in third quarter. What a heart wrenching defeat. How will they recover? I do not know. What I do know, they have a very solid team. Matt Ryan, the MVP last season, is back. He was amazing last year. He will not replicate the numbers he put up last year, but he is still a very, very good QB. He is near that elite level. The still have Julio Jones, the best receiver in the NFL. He is so much better than whoever may be considered the second best receiver. He has been better than advertised. He is so great. And Taylor Gabriel and Mohammed Sanu round out a pretty decent group of receivers. Devonta Freeman is a great running back. I still firmly believe that if they just kept feeding him the ball, they would have easily won the Super Bowl. Tevin Coleman is a solid second option at running back. And this is the type of offense where you could plug in anyone at tight end and they would deliver. The O-line is very good too. They can pass protect and run block. They are solid. The Falcons defense is good too. The secondary is decent, led by Desmond Trufant. The linebackers are stout, led by Deion Jones. The strength of the defense is the line. Adrian Clayborne has been reborn since he signed with the Falcons. He is awesome. I love the Takkarist McKinley pick. He is young and will come at you non stop all game long. Vic Beasley has proved almost everyone wrong and has been great since he was picked. They also got Dontari Poe on a one year deal. He is going to ball out for them this year. The major question is how they respond after last year's Super Bowl loss. That was brutal. Also, they replaced their offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan who left for the 49ers head coach job, with Steve Sarkisian. That may not be as smooth a transition as some expect. The Falcons should be good. Lets hope they don't have the typical Super Bowl hangover.

That's is for today, come back tomorrow for my final four teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once lost a game of Madden when he had a 48 point lead going into the 4th quarter. The head editor had the right cheat code that day.

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