By Jeff Chudnofsky – Staff Writer
First Tier
1) Chicago Bears- This defense is worth the reach.
2) Carolina Panthers- With a healthy Kris Jenkins and the newly acquired DT Maake Kemoeatu, look for an improved run defense.
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Monte Kiffin won’t disappoint.
4) Pittsburgh Steelers- The champs will benefit with two games versus Charlie Frye.
5) Baltimore Ravens- Haloti Ngata will allow Ray Lewis to roam free.
Second Tier
6) Atlanta Falcons- John Abraham joins an already stellar defensive line.
7) Miami Dolphins- Nick Saban can coach ‘em up with the best of them.
8) New York Giants-Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora will continue to rack up sacks and force turnovers.
9) Indianapolis Colts- Was 2005 an aberration, or will the Colts’ defensive backfield continue to improve?
10) Jacksonville Jaguars- The Jags are tough versus the run, but they need to force more turnovers.
Third Tier
11) Buffalo Bills- Fletcher and Spikes, Clements and McGee form great duos at their respective positions. Look for a rebound versus the run.
12)Seattle Seahawks- The ‘Hawks D will likely be playing with the lead and rack up sacks and ints.
13) Washington Redskins- Gregg Williams is one of the best coordinators around and inherits DE Andre Carter.
14) Denver Broncos- The only turnoff about Denver is the potent AFC West.
Fourth Tier
16) Arizona Cardinals- The Cards are quietly improving on defense.
17) Dallas Cowboys- Need to play better versus the pass.
18) Philadelphia Eagles- The Eagles still have plenty of talent and could prove to be a steal.
19) Cincinnati Bengals- Sam Adams should improve a poor run defense.
20) Minnesota Vikings- Expect ints, not shutouts
21) New England Patriots- Still plenty of leadership in New England, but can they stay healthy?
22) Detroit Lions- Rod Marinelli will change the attitude in Detroit.
Fifth Tier
23) New York Jets- Vilma should make everyone better around him.
24) Green Bay Packers- The A.J. Hawk era begins.
25) Tennessee Titans- Unless Pacman gets tossed in the ‘bing, the pass defense should improve.
26) St. Louis Rams- Very weak up front.
27) Cleveland Browns- Romeo Crennel is still missing a couple ingredients.
28) Kansas City Chiefs- KC will likely participate in plenty of shootouts.
29) Oakland Raiders- Huff will make an impact, but Oakland lacks depth in the trenches.
30) New Orleans Saints- Losing Darren Howard will hurt.
31) San Francisco 49ers- The corners are still awful.
32) Houston Texans- Mario Williams could pile up sacks, but the linebacking corps needs re-tooling.
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