NFL Power Rankings: Pre-training camp edition

8. Indianapolis Colts

It would seem that a team with an elite young QB coming off a division title and a playoff win would be a prime team to make a jump up to the elite Super Bowl contenders. However, the Colts seem more like a team treading water than building for a championship run. The Trent Richardson trade really hurt the Colts. In my opinion, they would have been much better served just keeping Donald Brown and drafting a bigger impact player with their first round draft pick. I still like the Colts to win their division, but I think they need another offseason before they’ll be armed enough to compete with the best of the best.

7. Chicago Bears

This may be a little higher ranking for the Bears than you’ll see in other NFL Power Rankings, but I believe that the Bears will take another step forward this season. The Bears have developed one of the best offenses in the entire league and unless Jay Cutler gets injured again this season I can only see them getting better. On the defensive side of the ball the Bears committed big time to rebuilding their defensive line. The additions of free agents Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston, and Willie Young, along with draft picks Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton should help reinforce what was a major weakness last season.

6. New England Patriots

The bottom line with the Patriots is that until they prove otherwise, the combination of Tom Brady at QB and Bill Belichick at head coach still puts the Patriots in the conversation of best teams in the NFL. That having been said, I really don’t understand the Patriots refusal to provide their aging Hall of Fame QB with talented playmakers on offense. The two teams directly ahead of the Pats in these rankings have committed to loading up their skill position players for their elite QBs. That’s the reason the Pats find themselves just outside the best of the best despite some key additions on defense.