NFL: A look at the 2009-10 NFL season

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) warms up before playing against the Oakland Raiders in an NFL preseason football game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009.

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Best of the best

Offense

Quarterback » Tom Brady, New England Patriots » Assuming he's healthy, nobody reads defenses and makes adjustments on the fly like Brady does. He makes playing the position look easy.

Running back » Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings » His speed, power, explosiveness and elusiveness are unmatched. He's the perfect back in today's game.

Running back » Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons » Broke out in a huge way last season with the Falcons. Turner is a power back that can turn on the speed once he gets into the secondary. A lethal combination.

Wide Receiver » Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals » The most physical receiver in the league also has the best hands and runs the best routes. That makes up for his lack of blazing speed.

Wide Receiver » Andre Johnson, Houston Texans » Johnson's big, strong, fast and physical. Plus, he catches seemingly everything thrown his way. He's only going to get better.

Tight End » Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons » Will make a lot of lists when it comes to talking about who's the best tight end of all-time. Matt Ryan will love this guy.

Guard » Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota Vikings » Peterson loves to run behind Hutchinson, who's long been one of the best offensive linemen in the league. Also a proficient pass blocker.

Guard » Alan Faneca, New York Jets » Eight times he was a pro bowler. Five times an all-pro. Faneca almost defines the position. As a Pittsburgh Steeler, he won a Super Bowl opening holes for Jerome Bettis.

Center » Jeff Saturday, Indianapolis Colts » Peyton Manning trusts this guy with his career. Saturday is a big reason Manning has stayed upright for almost a decade.

Tackle » Walter Jones, Seattle Seahawks » Though currently hobbled by an injury, he has been one of the best offensive linemen in the league for years. He's the guy you want protecting your blindside if you're a quarterback.

Tackle » Leonard Davis, Dallas Cowboys » Personifies versatility as he's started on most of the positions along the offensive line. Davis has quick feet, a strong base and great size for his position at 6-6 335 pounds.

Defense

Linebacker » Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens » Has he lost a step? Maybe. Is he still one of the best? Absolutely. Lewis pursues and makes tackles across the field like no other.

Linebacker » DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys » Is a pass rushing demon. He's perhaps the best player in the league coming off the edge, which says a lot because there are a ton of great edge rushers.

Linebacker » Shawne Merriman, San Diego Chargers » If he returns from injury, this is the best all-around linebacker in the league. Merriman can do it all from rushing the quarterback, to playing the run, to playing in pass coverage.

Cornerback » Champ Bailey, Denver Broncos » You want respect? How about the fact that opposing quarterbacks rarely even look his way. Bailey is the definition of locking down one half of the field. He's one of the best of all-time.

Cornerback » Antonio Cromartie, San Diego Chargers » Has the longest play in NFL history, a 109 touchdown return of a missed field goal. He's also the most physical corner in the league, and a master at the bump and run.

Safety » Ed Reed, Baltimore Ravens » Just might be the best overall defensive player in the NFL. Reed can come up and play the run like a linebacker, and defend the pass like a corner.

Safety » Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers » Running backs and wide receivers fear this guy who is adept at taking your head off for venturing across the middle of the field. He's stunningly quick and athletic for a safety.

Defensive tackle » Albert Haynesworth, Washington Redskins » It takes two guys to block Haynesworth, who can rush the passer extremely well for a nosetackle. He'll make a big impact for the Redskins.

Defensive tackle » Kevin Williams, Minnesota Vikings » Anchors the best rushing defense in the league. Williams is tough, strong, explosive and versatile. He's, simply put, a beast.

Defensive end » Mario Williams, Houston Texans » It looks like the Texans knew what they were doing when they passed up Reggie Bush a few years ago. Williams is huge at 6-7, strong off the edge, but can also bullrush like a tackle. That makes him the best end in the league.

Defensive end » Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis Colts » His 4.4 speed makes him lethal on the edge. His lack of size makes him vulnerable when teams run at him, but he's almost unblockable man-to-man.

Kicker » Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts » May be the best clutch kicker in league history. Vinatieri's almost automatic when the game is on the line, and a big reason for the New England Patriots run of dominance early in the decade.

Punter » Rob Bironas, Tennessee Titans » Is close to supplanting Vinatieri as the best kicker. Bironas is solid at all phases of the game.

Tribune power rankings

No. 1 » New England Patriots » Brady is back and so are expectations

No. 2 » New Orleans Saints » That offense can score on anyone

No. 3 » Pittsburgh Steelers » Always one of the best

No. 4 » Philadelphia Eagles » Explosive on offense and defense

No. 5 » Minnesota Vikings » Farve, Peterson, great combination

No. 6 » Baltimore Ravens » Flacco will mature in year two

No. 7 » Indianapolis » Colts Haven't lost too much

No. 8 » Tennessee » Titans Has Vince lost it?

No. 9 » New York Giants » Chemistry issues in lockerroom?

No. 10 » Green Bay » Packers Rodgers breaking out

No. 11 » Chicago Bears » Cutler makes big impact

No. 12 » Atlanta Falcons » Ryan has offense around him

No. 13 » San Diego Chargers » Can LT return to form?

No. 14 » Arizona Cardinals » Fitzgerald among the best

No. 15 » Miami Dolphins » Wildcat secret out

No. 16 » Washington Redskins » Big year for Campbell, Zorn

No. 17 » Dallas Cowboys » Romo needs reality show

No. 18 » New York Jets » Sanchez stepping into huge spotlight

No. 19 » Jacksonville Jaguars » Facing local television blackout may be good thing

No. 20 » Buffalo Bills » T.O. only thing relevant

No. 21 » Denver Broncos » The mighty have fallen

No. 22 » San Francisco 49ers » Smith out of job for good?

No. 23 » Carolina Panthers » Gave Delhomme a raise? Seriously?

No. 24 » Cleveland Browns » Can Quinn do the job?

No. 25 » Cincinnati Bengals » Ochocinco now only a sideshow

No. 26 » Houston Texans » Johnson still a fantasy stud

No. 27 » Seattle Seahawks » May be underrated at this spot

No. 28 » St. Louis Rams » Can Jackson bounce back from sub par season?

No. 29 » Tampa Bay Buccaneers » Leftwich a starter again

No. 30 » Oakland Raiders » Where coaching assaults happen

No. 31 » Detroit Lions » Have nowhere to go but up....it starts in this TPR

No. 32 » Kansas City Chiefs » Reduced to giving journeyman quarterbacks franchise money

NFL notes

The Browns saga

The battle in Cleveland between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson persists as the two quarterbacks continue to vie to be named Eric Mangini's starter. Quinn seems like the logical choice, as he's been the steadier of the two signal callers, but Anderson's made big plays, has been surprisingly consistent and has made it a closer battle than the Browns coaching staff would've liked.

Rodgers looking good

Because of Aaron Rodgers, and his spectacular play during the preseason, the Green Bay fans have all but forgotten about Brett Favre on the field. Rodgers has been remarkable good this preseason, and is taking on the look of a quarterback ready to step into the ranks of the elite.

The AFC West

May be the worst division in football to the point where the San Diego Chargers have it all but locked up before the season even starts. The Raiders are having internal coaching brawls, the Broncos are wondering how Kyle Orton has even made it to the league and the Chiefs are quickly finding out that Matt Cassel won't stop them from the bottom of the pack.

Pressure, pressure, pressure

Perhaps no player enters the season with as much skepticism as Washington's Jason Campbell. The Redskins quarterback was the talk of trade rumors for the entire off-season and it's pretty widely known that he isn't Jim Zorn's guy. It's imperative that he, and the 'Skins, get off to a good start, or Campbell could find himself on the bench pretty quickly.

Vince Young

The Tennessee Titans coaching staff desperately wanted the former Texas star to play well enough during the preseason to cause a quarterback controversy with Kerry Collins. Instead, Young played horribly, entrenched Collins even further as the starter and has seemingly lost all confidence. Young's window on fulfilling his vast potential is rapidly closing, and it appears that he's running out of chances to do so as a Titan.

Primed for a breakthrough

TEAM » New Orleans Saints » This offense will remind you of the St. Louis Rams offense of the late 1990's -- sans the Marshall Faulk type all-purpose back, It's borderline unstoppable. That means if the defense can stop people -- just a little -- this team has as good a chance to win the NFC as any.

COACH » John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens » Harbaugh, 46, led the Ravens to the AFC title game last season, after Baltimore finished 5-11 the year before. The Ravens have always been known for their ferocious defense. Behind Harbaugh, however, this team is becoming offensively proficient as well.

PLAYER » Matt Forte, Chicago Bears » The second-year back out of Tulane can do it all. Run between the tackles, run on the edge and catch passes out of the backfield. In year two, Forte will only get better with the addition of a quarterback, Jay Cutler, that can actually throw the ball down the field.

Biggest offseason moves

TEAM » Minnesota Vikings » Yes, Brett Favre came out of retirement for seemingly the 97th time, but there's little doubt that -- if he stays healthy -- Favre can be the difference between being a borderline playoff team and a Super Bowl contender.

COACH » Eric Mangini, Cleveland Browns » If he can choose between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, and if he can get his defense to stop somebody, the Browns may just surprise a few people in the AFC

PLAYER » Terrell Owens, Buffalo Bills » The T.O. show just keeps on rolling. Not only does he provide the Bills with an elite receiver, he provides the media with daily fodder and the countdown to his inevitable yearly meltdown.

Five MVP candidates

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints » Brees put up MVP numbers last season, but the Saints weren't good enough to make him relevant in the conversation. With a similar season, and the expected team results, Brees will be more than relevant in 2009.

Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings » The best running back in the league, hands down. Peterson, with Brett Favre's contributions, will see running lanes he hasn't encountered since his days at Oklahoma. That translates to a career year.

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals » Provided Arizona as a team doesn't go into the tank, there isn't a cornerback in the NFL that can stop this guy one on one. He's going to put up numbers regardless.

Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts » He's got to be in the discussion because he's one of the best in the league at what he does. If Donald Brown can step up and provide a running game, Manning's got the receivers to make any team quiver in weekday meetings.

Tom Brady, New England Patriots » With Brady's return, the Pats can once again be dominant. That means, right or wrong, Brady will get all of the credit, and the ultimate credit will be the MVP trophy.

The Hot Seat

TEAM » Jacksonville Jaguars » It seems as if every season, the Jags are picked to do damage come postseason time, and every season, the Jags disappoint. Now, after jettisoning Fred Taylor, this team needs to produce. David Garrard's honeymoon with the fans and the organization is about over, and he needs to be the quarterback Jack Del Rio thought he could be when he cut Byron Leftwich two years ago.

COACH » Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings » Why do you think he got on his knees and begged Brett Favre to come out of retirement? Childress knows his job is on the line. He's got the team to win the NFC this season, that's the good news. The bad news? If this team falls short of expectations, he's going to be squarely on the chopping block.

PLAYER » Jason Campbell, Washington Redskins » Campbell, after management made repeated attempts to trade him in the off-season, has this year and this year alone to prove that he's a starting NFL quarterback. He's known for his calm under pressure. But he's also looked at as a guy that doesn't have the overall talent to lead a winner. He's got one year to shed that reputation.