O.K., Now What? (and Current Make-Up Rankings of the AFC)

So time is of the essence here at SWF as I have less than a month to pick my NFL team and 14 remain in the hunt. The plan all along has been to get to a head-to-head style playoff here at the end of the season, and that's still the goal. To do that, however, we've got to a) cut some teams and b) establish some seeding.

With that in mind, here's the plan. We're going to follow the big-boys style of playoffs, with teams going head to head this week in a loser-goes-home elimination. Here's the problem - the NFL uses a 12 team playoff with 6 teams in each conference. We've got 14 teams remaining, and only 5 of those are in the NFC. So, with that in mind, I've got a decision to make. I can either a) eliminate 3 AFC teams and then pick a "wildcard" from the NFC or b) eliminate 2 AFC teams and send the lowest scoring NFC team to the AFC bracket or c) eliminate 3 AFC teams and then bring back from the dead the eliminated team with the highest voting total in the poll to the right, which as it stands now would be the *gulp* Detroit Lions...What do you think? I'll leave this open for discussion as of now...

Regardless, the teams also need to be seeded and I've still got 2 unscored categories. So, since time is short, I'm only scoring the 14 remaining teams in those categories for now (who knows, maybe I'll score the others just for fun later on). So with that in mind, onto the "Current Team Makeup"...

Current Team Make-Up AFC

Time's getting short here and the seedings need to be determined, so my words may be few here. Basically, this category ranks the teams on a 20 point scale based on how much I like the current team, from the coach to the players to the direction management has it heading, it's all fair game. See, I can pick a team based on every other category, but if I can't stand the current team, how is this supposed to stick? So onward we go...

Baltimore Ravens - 2 or 3 years ago, the Ravens bomb this category. Now? They're immensely more likable. Ray Rice is a stud, Ray Lewis is almost out the door, and Michael Oher almost made me cry during The Blindside. Not to mention their numerous Alabama ties between GM Ozzie Newsome, Leron McClain, and Jarrett Johnson.

16/20

Buffalo Bills - It's not Buffalo's fault that they're basically in television purgatory, but that's a tough team to follow from miles away. Without a coach or much of a QB, the team is in a little disarray. Of course, there's T.O., but does anyone really think he's a fixture here. Just not a roster I get overly excited about, but if they hire Bill Cowher I reserve the right to adjust this score.

5/20

Denver Broncos - Coach McDaniels has made himself the face of the team for better or worse. Who knows if Brandon Marshall sticks around and Kyle Orten isn't the flashiest QB in the league. It's tough to make a call on these guys this early considering the roller coaster year 1 was.

10/20

Indianapolis Colts - Honestly, the Colts makeup is dominated by one former Tennessee quarterback. He's the face of the franchise and that's not changing any time soon. Can an Alabama fan/alum hang his hat on a former Vol? Even if his commercials are pretty funny and at times the guy is pretty likable? Tough call.

8/20

Kansas City Chiefs - Another team in Year 1 of a new coach, new QB, as well as a new GM, so it's tough to draw too clear of a picture. They showed some life toward the end of the year, but they're definitely a team that's going to lose it's share of games over the next couple of years.

10/20

Miami Dolphins - I know they didn't make the playoffs and maybe their Wildcat attack was a flash in the pan, but I like these guys. How can you not love Tony Sporano and his sunglasses? If everyone is back healthy next year, they're going to be fun to watch, and how can you not love a team that has a partnership with Jimmy Buffet?

13/20

Pittsburgh Steelers - The Steelers have the coolest coach in the NFL and one of my favorite players in Troy Polamalu. You have to feel pretty good about the stability of everything with the Rooneys in charge.

15/20

San Diego Chargers - I don't tell many people this, but I like Phillip Rivers. Sure, he grew up about 30 minutes from me, but that's not the only reason. I like him for the very reason most people can't stand him. He's a little cocky and he runs his mouth a little much, but isn't it a little more fun when it's a QB doing that than a WR? On the other hand, I dislike few players more than Shawne Merriman (for a variety of reasons). I'd say LT is the tie-breaker, but I think we've just about seen the last of him.

11/20

Tennessee Titans - How can you not love Chris Johnson? Assuming that the Vince Young of the last half of the season is the one we get next year, that's a promising backfield. Jeff Fisher is likable and a true professional, even if he is a little too conservative from time to time.

12/20