NEW YORK (AP) – Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Rick Gosselin of Dallas Morning News:
RICK GOSSELIN (Dallas Morning News)
1. Green Bay – Packers chased perfection last season with no defense; used first six draft picks on defensive players to give Aaron Rodgers help.
2. Houston – Texans claimed first division title and playoff berth in 2011; if they can get healthy seasons from QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson, this season should be much, much better.
3. New England – Patriots still have Belichick and Brady so no matter what else changes, Pats remain Super Bowl contender.
4. New Orleans – Saints may have $100 million QB (Drew Brees), but it remains to be seen how much play-caller (Sean Payton) will be missed.
5. Philadelphia – Eagles were only team in NFL to rank in the top 10 in both offense and defense a year ago.
6. New York Giants – September, October, November and December don’t seem to matter to Giants. January and February do.
7. Detroit – Lions should have running game to complement passing of Matthew Stafford with return from injuries of Jahvid Best, Mikel Leshoure.
8. Baltimore – Absence of injured LB Terrell Suggs will hurt AFC’s best pass rush.
9. San Francisco – Jim Harbaugh worked miracles as rookie coach, but 49ers won’t be sneaking up on anyone this season.
10. Atlanta – Wait continues on QBs Matt Ryan of Falcons and Joe Flacco of Ravens to elevate their teams from playoff to Super Bowl contenders.
11. Pittsburgh – With departure of offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, look for Steelers to strike better offensive balance.
12. San Diego – If Philip Rivers can minimize turnovers, Chargers will again contend for Super Bowl; his 25 in 2011 took San Diego out of contention.
13. Chicago – Bears have reunited dynamic passing combo of Jay Cutler and WR Brandon Marshall.
14. Cincinnati – Departure of Carson Palmer signaled shift in emphasis from offense to defense; Bengals fielded top 10 defense in `11 and added one of college football’s top CBs in Dre Kirkpatrick.
15. Denver – Peyton Manning changing horses this fall. After having been shoved off his colt, he climbed aboard a bronco; he’s also giving up indoors for great outdoors.
16. Dallas – Cowboys installed major upgrades in secondary in cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne, but Tony Romo is really going to miss WR Laurent Robinson.
17. New York Jets – Arrival of Tim Tebow makes messy QB situation even messier.
18. Carolina – With Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart and now Mike Tolbert, Panthers should have best rushing attack in NFL.
19. Oakland – Carson Palmer had offseason to learn about offense and teammates, knowing, of course, he can always hand off to Darren McFadden. A little dose of defense, and Raiders can contend for playoff spot.
20. Kansas City – Chiefs have problem: worst quarterbacking in AFC West with Matt Cassel going against Rivers, Manning and Palmer.
21. Buffalo – Bills now have pass rush in free-agent signees Mario Williams and Mark Anderson.
22. Tennessee – Titans invested 2011 first-round pick in QB Jake Locker. Time to start playing him.
23. Washington – Mike Shanahan finally has QB in rookie Robert Griffin III. His style resembles Steve Young and John Elway, who both won Super Bowls with Shanahan calling plays.
24. Seattle – Marshawn Lynch needed help and Seahawks hope gave it to him in QB Matt Flynn and TE Kellen Winslow Jr.
25. Arizona – Team’s best player is WR Larry Fitzgerald. But he’s being held hostage by pedestrian quarterback play.
26. Tampa Bay – If Josh Freeman has bounce-back year, Bucs can bounce back while rebuilding under new coach Greg Schiano.
27. Minnesota – Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen are two of league’s best players at their positions. Problem is other 20 spots in starting lineup.
28. St. Louis – Rams have blue chip coach (Jeff Fisher) and quarterback (Sam Bradford), but a whole lot of rebuilding still ahead.
29. Jacksonville – Maurice Jones-Drew gives Jaguars chance to run ball every Sunday, which gives them chance to control clock. That gives Jaguars chance to win some games.
30. Miami – Dolphins drafted QB Ryan Tannehill in first round, but traded away best receiver (Brandon Marshall). Where’s the blueprint?
31. Cleveland – Browns will go with rookie quarterback (Brandon Weeden). That spells trouble for Cleveland in division with two of three best defenses and a third in top 10.
32. Indianapolis – Colts also will go with rookie quarterback: Andrew Luck. But this former champion has been gutted and Luck will be running for his life.
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