Others Receiving Votes
Maybe it is the fact that during COVID-19 quarantine time I’ve been playing come NCAA Football 13 on my old PlayStation 3, but I felt compelled to include some “Others Receiving Votes.” Some teams that seemed on the cusp of a list like this but for one reason or another were left off.
The first such team is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Obviously with the additions of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and then in the draft players like Tristian Wirfs and Antonie Winfield Jr. this is a talented roster at the top. But the issue is depth. While the other teams listed have solid options behind the starters, the Buccaneers are a bit thinner behind the first unit at a variety of positions, from the offensive line to the secondary to the front seven on defense.
The Arizona Cardinals are close as well. They solid starters on both side of the football, particularly on offense with the addition of DeAndre Hopkins, but you could see how things could go south on them with the loss of a few key players. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a similar vein. They were in playoff contention last year without Ben Roethlisberger, which speaks to their depth and talent as a team, but should he go down there are big questions about Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph. If Big Ben does suffer another injury, expect Mike Tomlin’s first phone call to be to Cam Newton.
Finally, the Indianapolis Colts. In the wake of Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement the team faltered, but adding Philip Rivers will help shore up their offense, as will rookie Michael Pittman Jr., which will allow Parris Campbell to slide inside to the slot, a role that fits him well. The Colts added two new names in the secondary in Xavier Rhodes and T.J. Carrie, giving them depth in that area as well.