NEW YORK (AP) – Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Clifton Brown of Sporting News:
CLIFTON BROWN (Sporting News)
1. New York Giants – Great clutch quarterback, superb pass rush, and motivated to prove they are better than last year’s 9-7 regular season.
2. New England – Hard to pick against consistency of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, and their defense should be improved.
3. Green Bay – Best team during 2011 regular season, and Aaron Rodgers is special quarterback.
4. San Francisco – Defense will be hard-hitting and solid again, while offense should have more pop.
5. Houston – A threat to reach first Super Bowl if Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and Arian Foster can stay healthy.
6. Baltimore – Ravens keep knocking on door, and if defensive stars are healthy in January, they could break through.
7. New Orleans – Yes, bounty scandal will be hard to overcome, but Drew Brees won’t let Saints fall that far.
8. Pittsburgh – Advancing age of defense is concern, but Ben Roethlisberger will keep Steelers a playoff team.
9. Detroit – Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson give Lions firepower to score on anyone. Should return to playoffs.
10. Denver – Peyton Manning will bring out best in receivers, and defense gets after quarterbacks.
11. Chicago – Bears will have better luck with injuries, and Brandon Marshall makes passing attack more explosive.
12. Atlanta – We know Falcons can win in regular season. Need to prove they can handle postseason.
13. Philadelphia – Andy Reid teams don’t have back-to-back bad years, but Michael Vick’s health remains key.
14. Dallas – Secondary is improved, they have playmakers, but still not sold on Cowboys delivering in clutch.
15. Cincinnati – Plenty of young talent led by Andy Dalton, but worried about running game and secondary.
16. San Diego – Philip Rivers should have bounce-back year, but team’s Super Bowl window has closed.
17. Buffalo – Really like team’s offseason moves, but Ryan Fitzpatrick needs to be more consistent.
18. Carolina – No sophomore slump for Cam Newton. However, Panthers are still at least a year from postseason play.
19. New York Jets – Mark Sanchez-Tim Tebow dynamic will produce plenty of headlines, but not enough wins.
20. Tennessee – This may be year Jake Locker takes over, but it’s not year for Titans to make major move.
21. Kansas City – A healthy Jamaal Charles will improve offense, but Matt Cassel will only take Chiefs so far.
22. Seattle – Even if Matt Flynn is an upgrade at quarterback, offensive line and receivers remain issues.
23. Arizona – Is Kevin Kolb the guy, or John Skelton? We can’t be sure that either is good enough.
24. Washington – Robert Griffin III will bring plenty of excitement. Escaping NFC East basement won’t be easy.
25. Tampa Bay – Greg Schiano brings new attitude. However, this isn’t quick-fix situation.
26. Oakland – Not sure if Darren McFadden can stay healthy. Not sure if Carson Palmer is QB he used to be.
27. Miami – Dolphins hope Ryan Tannehill is their future, but present is about rebuilding.
28. Minnesota – Once again, Jared Allen’s sacks total should far exceed Vikings’ win total.
29. St. Louis – It will take more than one season for Jeff Fisher to right all that is wrong.
30. Cleveland – Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson will improve offense, just not enough to escape AFC North cellar.
31. Indianapolis – Andrew Luck will become great NFL quarterback, but it will take time for Colts to build a great team.
32. Jacksonville – New owner and a new coach will not equal instant success.
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