AP Pro32 ballot from Judge
NEW YORK (AP) -- Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Clark Judge of CBSSports.com: CLARK JUDGE (CBSSports.com) 1. New York Giants - Last time I checked, they hadn't lost a game since Super Bowl. 2. Green Bay Packers - Learned hard way last year that defense still matters. 3. New England Patriots - Better, deeper than team that went to Super Bowl last year. 4. San Francisco 49ers - Defense returns intact; makes 49ers automatic Super Bowl contender. 5. Houston Texans - Will win division easily; healthy Matt Schaub makes Texans Super Bowl worthy. 6. Philadelphia Eagles - Eagles are loaded. Now the question: What happens if/when Michael Vick is hurt? 7. Chicago Bears - Bears are covered at positions that cost them playoff shot in 2011. 8. Pittsburgh Steelers - Much depends on Haley/Roethlisberger relationship, but history tells us when Steelers miss out on division title almost always bounce back. 9. Atlanta Falcons - Bountygate gives Falcons an opening. Now, can Matt Ryan win a playoff game? 10. Baltimore Ravens - Not sure why, but have a feeling Ravens might be sliding backward. 11. Denver Broncos - So Peyton Manning clears first hurdle. Now comes Pittsburgh in Game One. Uh-oh. 12. New Orleans Saints - Saints still have ton of talent, plus Drew Brees. No Sean Payton will keep them down. 13. Cincinnati Bengals - Look at Bengals' early schedule. I'd be shocked if they're not 5-1 after 6 weeks. 14. San Diego Chargers - Defense should improve, but Jared Gaither issues make me nervous about these guys. 15. Detroit Lions - William Ford's comments aside, think Lions are third-best team in NFC North. 16. Dallas Cowboys - Forget the Giants. It's time Dallas ''beats somebody's else's (butt),'' as Jerry Jones would put it. 17. Kansas City Chiefs - Chiefs trendy pick, but not sold on Romeo Crennel as coach ... yet. 18. Buffalo Bills - Bills made all right offseason moves, but still play second to Pats in division. 19. Tennessee Titans - Jake Locker plus revitalized Chris Johnson could make these guys dangerous. 20. Seattle Seahawks - I'm nervous about anyone who starts a 5-11 rookie at quarterback. 21. New York Jets - Forget Tebow-Sanchez, could be defense-offense war if Jets can't find end zone. 22. Carolina Panthers - Yeah, Cam Newton is sensational. But can he win? Guess we're about to find out. 23. Oakland Raiders - Raiders have right idea, but will take at least a year for these guys to break through. 24. Washington Redskins - Yes, 'Skins have RG3, but they also have fourth-best team in NFC East. 25. Arizona Cardinals - Everything just right, except for QB and OL ... which means everything is not OK. 26. Miami Dolphins - Not enough playmakers on offense plus rookie quarterback equals another long season. 27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - I'll be honest: I don't know which Josh Freeman shows up. 28. St. Louis Rams - Jeff Fisher makes Rams better, but this is no overnight fix. 29. Jacksonville Jaguars - MJD holdout the first in series of headaches for team in search of an identity. 30. Indianapolis Colts - Colts will put points on board. Unfortunately, opponents may put up more. 31. Minnesota Vikings - I don't know how these guys survive in NFC North. 32. Cleveland Browns - Lots of changes coming here, but most are a year away. In the meantime ... ugh. --- Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL
