Kickers and Defenses
August 23, 2006
Prior to the weekly rankings, here is the fifth in a series of pre-season rankings for the 2006 season. The schedule for the remaining positions would be:
Quarterbacks -- Friday, Aug. 18
Running Backs -- Saturday, Aug. 19
Wide Receivers -- Monday, Aug. 21
Tight Ends -- Tuesday, Aug. 22
Kickers and Defenses -- Wednesday, Aug. 23
Individual Defensive Players -- Thursday, Aug. 24
Kickers
1. Neil Rackers, ARI -- Rackers hit 95.2% of his field goals last season! He is No. 1 a bit by default this year, though. Adam Vinatieri's ankle injury, the Bengals' uncertainty with Carson Palmer's health and Jason Elam's age are enough negatives to give Rackers the top spot. Sure, he had a killer season last year, and will be kicking in a dome this season, but he will be overvalued in drafts. If the Cardinals are as improved on offense as they appear to be, they won't need Rackers as often. Still a great pick at the right value.
2. Shayne Graham, CIN -- If Palmer is not 100% at the start of the season, the offense may have trouble moving the ball and that would affect Graham's value a bit -- enough to keep him out of the No. 1 spot. Graham has improved from middle-of-the-road to elite PK over the last three seasons, during which time Graham hit at least 87% of his FGs. He will continue to improve.
3. Adam Vinatieri, IND -- Ranked No. 1 a week ago, there are a lot of rumors about the seriousness of his ankle injury. But, if he's 100% in Week One, he should return to the top spot, kicking indoors (where he's hit 90.7% of his attempts) for an offensive powerhouse.
4. Jason Elam, DEN -- Elam turned 36 this season, but remains one of the steadiest kickers in the game. He has ranked in the top 10 in scoring for the last nine years, although his accuracy rate dropped below 80% for the first time in three years last season.
5. Jay Feely, NYG -- Feeley hit 78.4% and 80% of his FGs in 2001-02 and responded with a 70.4% rate in 2003. He repeated his earlier success in 2004-05, so he will need to avoid repeating 2003 this season.
6. Josh Brown, SEA -- Brown is very accurate from long distance, but overall in his three seasons, his rate has gone from 73.3% to 92% to 72%. The improved Seahawk offense also cut into his FG opportunities.
7. David Akers, PHI -- Akers was a top-10 PK from 2000-04, hitting at least 82% of his FGs each year. Last year, he was injured and had his worst season of his career. He should bounce back this season.
8. John Kasay, CAR -- An original Carolina Panther, Kasay has anchored the position for the team. While he dipped below 80% on FG attempts for the first time in several years, he was perfect from inside the 40-yard-line. Health is always a concern for Kasay.
9. Mike Vanderjagt, DAL -- Vanderjagt moves to Dallas with one of the most accurate FG rates in history, as he's coming off the third 90+% rate of his career. He has virtually the same percentage indoors and outdoors, so the only reason for the drop is the comparatively pedestrian offense.
10. Jeff Reed, PIT -- The man who figured out Heinz Field came off another strong season, hitting on at least 82% of his FG attempts for the third time in four years, and was perfect within 40 yards last season.
11. Jeff Wilkins, STL -- After a career year in 2003, and a subsequent dropoff in 2004, he hit 87.1% of his kicks in 2005. He hasn't missed an extra point since 1998.
12. Lawrence Tynes, KC -- The Chiefs gave Tynes more FG opportunities in 2005 and he responded, improving his FG% from 73.9% to 81.8% from 2004. He's starting to get better from long range.
13. Matt Stover, BAL -- Stover has the longest active consecutive extra point streak in the NFL (413 in a row, from 1996). He has made at least 84% of his FGs for the last seven seasons. He also has attempted more FGs than PATs in six of the last seven seasons.
14. Nate Kaeding, SD -- Kaeding improved his accuracy rate from 80% to 87.5% in his two seasons in the NFL. He was perfect inside the 40.
15. Ryan Longwell, MIN -- Longwell hit at least 82.4% of his FG in three of his last four seasons in Green Bay -- now he kicks indoors in Minnesota.
16. Sebastian Janikowski, OAK
17. Olindo Mare, MIA
18. Josh Scobee, JAX
19. Jason Hanson, DET
20. John Carney, NO
21. John Hall, WAS
22. Kris Brown, HOU
23. Rian Lindell, BUF
24. Matt Bryant, TB
25. Phil Dawson, CLE
26. Mike Nugent, NYJ
27. Stephen Gostkowski, NE
28. Rob Bironas, TEN
29. Michael Koenen, ATL
30. Joe Nedney, SF
31. Robbie Gould, CHI
32. Dave Rayner, GB
Defenses
1. Chicago Bears -- The elite defense in the NFL. They allowed only 12.6 point per game last season and were among the league leaders in sacks and interceptions.
2. Carolina Panthers -- The Panthers were third in total defense -- need improved play by their LBs to remain strong.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers -- The Steelers ranked third in points allowed, third in sacks and fourth in total defense. Outside of Troy Polamalu, the secondary is their weak point.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- The Bucs ranked first in total defense, taking advantage of their experienced veterans.
5. Baltimore Ravens -- Injuries devastated the Ravens last year, but they still managed to finish tied for sixth in total defense and 10th in points allowed.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars -- The Jaguars were sixth in points allowed and tied for sixth in total defense, as well as tied for third in sacks with 47. A lot of stars, but lack depth.
7. Washington Redskins -- The Redskins turn to FAs Adam Archuleta and Andre Carter to improve this top-10 defense. Needs improvement in the pass rush.
8. Indianapolis Colts -- The Colts had a solid crew, having led the league in forced fumbles, while having finished second in points allowed, 11th in total defense, fifth in sacks and ninth in interceptions. Needs improvement against the run.
9. Seattle Seahawks -- The Seahawks were seventh in total defense, and fifth against the run. They also led the league in sacks while having finished ninth in points allowed.
10. Dallas Cowboys -- The Cowboys were 10th in total defense, thanks to a solid front seven, but average in sacks. They are very shallow in the secondary.
11. Philadelphia Eagles -- The Eagle defense was overused due to the troubles on offense. They ranked just 27th in total defense, despite having one of the best secondaries in the league. That ranking should greatly improve.
12. Miami Dolphins -- The Dolphins have a solid pass rush, but a weak secondary. They were second in the league in sacks, but ranked very low in interceptions.
13. Denver Broncos -- The Broncos return all their starters from a defense that finished in the top five in total points allowed. The defensive line play is spotty, though, taxing their very strong LB corps.
14. New York Giants -- The Giants have a great DL, and while its aging, they drafted a pair of good future replacements. However, they only finished 24th in total defense with a 27th-ranked pass defense.
15. Atlanta Falcons -- The Falcons were only 22nd in total defense, but they added John Abraham, Lawyer Milloy and Chris Crocker to the unit, giving them a chance to greatly improve.
16. New England Patriots
17. Cincinnati Bengals
18. San Diego Chargers
19. Buffalo Bills
20. Minnesota Vikings
21. Arizona Cardinals
22. Cleveland Browns
23. Kansas City Chiefs
24. New York Jets
25. Detroit Lions
26. Tennessee Titans
27. Green Bay Packers
28. St. Louis Rams
29. Houston Texans
30. Oakland Raiders
31. New Orleans Saints
32. San Francisco 49ers
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