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The 2012 NFL season is upon us, and Doug Franz ranks all 32 teams heading into Week 1.

1) New England Patriots: No matter how much they work, young QBs like Locker and Skelton won't stop the Pats from being 2-0 before a showdown at Baltimore.

2) Green Bay Packers: 15-1 just doesn't go away; brutal beginning schedule will shake my confidence early but the Packers will be back on top by the end.

3) Baltimore Ravens: Flacco ran no-huddle in college and now has Peyton's former coach to help him run it.

4) New York Giants: I have no idea what to do with this team.

5)San Francisco 49ers: I think Harbaugh is a jerk; I think Harbaugh is a great coach.

6) Denver Broncos: First easy game is against Tampa Bay, the problem is that's in December.

7) Pittsburgh Steelers: O-line is a bigger issue than Haley or Wallace.

8) Houston Texans: Excellent chance to start 4-1; still think releasing Eric Winston was a terrible mistake.

9) Cincinnati Bengals: Good news: all the tough opponents are at home. Bad news: December.

10) Chicago Bears: The opener against Indy isn't a must-win but it could get ugly quick if they don't take care of business in Week 1.

11) San Diego Chargers: Underestimate this team and they'll be 5-1 before the bye.

12) New Orleans Saints: Who knows? Are they a 12-4 team or a rudderless ship?

13) Philadelphia Eagles: Middle of the pack because I don't believe in Vick's ability to stay healthy...big schedule break with tougher games at home.

14) Atlanta Falcons: Missed their championship window by never addressing the defense.

15) Detroit Lions: Only two home games from September 10 through November 17.

16) Kansas City Chiefs: Tell me their record after five weeks & I'll tell you if they're a contender or pretender because the start is all against good teams with question marks...vs Atlanta, at Buffalo, at New Orleans, vs. San Diego, vs. Baltimore

17) Buffalo Bills: Wonderful personnel decisions in the offseason, manageable beginning schedule and done w/ New England for the year by Week 10 could mean playoffs.

18) Dallas Cowboys: Only one road game from Nov 12th to Dec 29th...Question is will they still be relevant by then to take advantage. I say no.

19) Tennessee Titans: Not a bad team but vs. New England, @ San Diego, vs. Detroit & at Houston is too tough for young team.

20) Oakland Raiders: I still can't believe how dumb the Carson Palmer trade was.

21) Carolina Panthers: I'd really like to know how healthy their running game will be before I make predictions...out of the last 6 weeks, only 2 division games and neither are against Tampa Bay, so a fast start is a must.

22) Arizona Cardinals: Must be top seven in rushing attempts, 3.9 yards/carry, and at least +5 in turnovers or this is a six-win team.

23) New York Jets: Can't wait to hear all of Rex Ryan's excuses throughout the season.

24) Seattle Seahawks: I don't believe in Pete Carroll...schedule sets up to start 2-5 or 1-6 in their first seven games.

25) Washington Redskins: Three of first four games and two of last three are on the road...asking a lot of RG3 to handle his emotions in emotional New Orleans to start the season.

26) St. Louis Rams: If Janoris Jenkins has more interceptions than kids during the season, this could be a playoff team.

27) Indianapolis Colts: Great schedule for a young team with two tough games out of the first seven plus a bye week mixed in...This is not a playoff team but they will be much better than "experts" think.

28) Minnesota Vikings: Still love the way they manipulated the draft but Matt Kalil can only protect Ponder, he can't make him good.

29) Miami Dolphins: Will dominate the ACC and easily win the Orange Bowl (wait, this is an NFL team?)

30) Jacksonville Jaguars: Handled the MJD hold-out beautifully but won't be able to do the same to the season.

31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The state of the NFL in Florida is not very impressive.

32) Cleveland Browns: Assuming this is the last year of Mike Holmgren, so it will also be the last year Cleveland sees a "3" followed by a "2" in the power poll.

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    Steve H. wrote...
    Carolina's running game??
    The stat last night in the Giants vs. Cowboys game was that the Giants were last in running last year...yet turns out they are champs. I doubt the running game of the Panthers is going to make or break them.
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