Here’s a brief summary of the highlights and lowlights of Strat-O-Matic’s new football ratings:

 

ARIZONA

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         QB Warner may be the best passer, WR Fitzgerald the best No. 1 receiver, WR Boldin the best #2 receiver, and WR Breaston the best #3 receiver 

Oh No!            Opposing defenses will seldom need to guess Run

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         Good to Excellent run D forces fumbles

Oh No!            Very Poor pass D yields Long Gain on roll #4 on Short Pass with 3 Men

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         Arrington’s kickoff-return TD

Oh No!            Kickoff and punt coverage yield Long Gains

 

ATLANTA

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         There’s a strong OL, a strong running game, a solid QB – but the star card is SE Roddy White

Oh No!            Nothing major to complain about, but some would have hoped for even better ratings for RB Turner and QB Ryan

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         DRE Abraham’s (4*) 12 sacks

Oh No!            Takeaways will be rare; long drives will not

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         +4 penalty advantage … #2 PR Douglass’ TD on roll #3 … Elam’s FGs are 2-10 through the 32 yd line … superb punt coverage

Oh No!            Punts can be blocked

 

CAROLINA

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         RB Williams has LG right and wrong across the card at roll #2 … Backup RB Stewart would start for most teams … LT Gross (7/6) … SE Smith is a constant threat to burn defenses

Oh No!            When Smith is 2-tmd, passing attack is erratic

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         DRE Peppers (3*)12 / 6 vs. run; 6-rated MLB Beason and LCB Gamble

Oh No!            Interceptions will be rare

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         PK Kasay: 2-10 FG up to 32 yd line, 2-12 XP and 12 touchback chances

Oh No!            Punting: punts can be blocked and coverage yields a Long Gain

 

CHICAGO

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         Rookie HB Forte gets tough yards inside and has some breakaway runs

Oh No!            So-so QB Orton gets no help from his WRs

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         Good to Excellent run D especially tough Off Tackle

Oh No!            Poor pass D (and no 5s or 6s in secondary) always vulnerable to big plays

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         Manning’s kickoff-return TD is just the start: still 30 yds at roll #9

Oh No!            Hester’s return TDs are gone this year

 

DALLAS

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         QB Romo Flat and Short to TE Whitten, Long to Owens … Three 6-rated run blockers will help trio of complementary runners

Oh No!            A lot of big plays are coming back – see Special Teams below

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         Run D is among the best at forcing fumbles … Tremendous pass rush should pass D many times – if you risk the blitz often

Oh No!            Pass D card is embarrassing – many yards, few picks

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         #2 kickoff-returner Felix Jones’ TD … FG kicker Folk

Oh No!            -6 penalty disadvantage is a killer … so is the Long Gain on kickoff coverage for a team with only 3 touchback chances … punts can be blocked

 

DETROIT

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         FL Calvin Johnson is everything you can ask for

Oh No!            The weak OL will stop many drives

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         Lions pretty good at forcing fumbles

Oh No!            Worst-ever eight 0-rated starters, including all 4 DBs … Short Gain at 7 and 8 on Linebuck 0 LB

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         Hanson is the best at FG in the set: 2-10 thru 32 yd line, 2-7,11,12 thru 39

Oh No!            +46 is longest kickoff return; +27 is longest punt return

 

GREEN BAY

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         Defenses must fear QB Rodgers at any range … Big-time threat FL Greg Jennings makes Rodgers even better

Oh No!            Weak middle of the OL and sub-par RBs make the tough yards tougher

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         Three 6s in the secondary

Oh No!            Run D does not cause fumbles

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         Blackmon’s PR TD on roll #3

Oh No!            -3 penalty disadvantage

 

MINNESOTA

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         Tough to stop right or wrong, RB Peterson runs behind 6-rated run blockers at C, LG and LT and inspires fear on sweeps Wrong 

Oh No!            QB Frerotte’s horrible INTs, QB Jackson’s inaccuracy and a drop-prone receiving corps

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         Excellent run D is very stout: Top team card, plus three 6s on the DL … Right side pass rush with DE Allen (4*) 12 and DT K. Williams (10)

Oh No!            Long Gains on Long Pass 0 Men means FS might not be able to help Short Pass coverage that needs it

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         +4 penalty advantage … #2 punt returner Berrian’s TD on roll #3

Oh No!            Punting: blocked kick and long gain on coverage undermines Kluwe’s great distance … Only 2 touchback chances on kickoffs

 

NEW ORLEANS

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         Gun-slinging QB Brees has a great card and four 7-rated pass blockers on the OL … WR Henderson’s yardage is eye-popping, but the whole               receiver crew gets big yards, including the backs on Flat Passes

Oh No!            HB Bush is far more a receiver than a runner

 

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         Uh … well, MLB Vilma is a 5 (but the only 5 or 6 on the team)

Oh No!            Don’t ever move the 0-rated FS unless you like your DBs toasty

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         Bush’s punt-return TD on roll #3 … Pakulak’s punting

Oh No!            Long Gain on kickoff coverage

 

NEW YORK GIANTS

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         HB Jacobs gets the tough yards and has 17 changes for Short Gain or better Off Tackle Wrong … FB/HB Ward adds 14 such chances Off                                   Tackle … C O’Hara (7/6) and RG Snee (7/6) lead the best run-block OL … QB Manning makes this offense the best in the set           

Oh No!            Drops galore among the WRs

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         DLE Tuck is a 6 with (1*) 12 sacks

Oh No!            The run D causes no fumbles

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         +4 penalty advantage … Punting: Feagles’ yardage and superb coverage

Oh No!            Everything else is ordinary

 

PHILADELPHIA

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         Both OTs are 7 pass-blockers

Oh No!            Eagles’ difficulty getting the tough yards shows in poor run blocking

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         Excellent run D is stingy with yards and forces fumbles

Oh No!            The price for good secondary ratings (two 6s, two 5s) is a weak team-pass D card

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         Kickoff-returner Demps and punt-returner Jackson’s TDs

Oh No!            Punts can be blocked … kickoff coverage yields a Long Gain

 

ST. LOUIS

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         QB Bulger is very solid … LT Pace, healthy at last, yielded only 1 sack and is a 7 pass blocker

Oh No!            Other than Pace, weak pass-blocking … WRs are lackluster

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         FS Otogwe is a 6        

Oh No!            The team cards are the worst in the set, with no relief on pass or run. Example: Short Pass 3 Men: There are NO blank spaces for incompletions

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         Jones’ awesome punting (still 50 yds at roll #8) … Brown’s FG is 2-7 from 33-37 yd lines

Oh No!            Where is the real Dante Hall? (41 is his longest kickoff return)

 

SAN FRANCISCO

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         WR Bruce looks 10 years younger than his age

Oh No!            RB fumbles are 2-7, 11, 12 Right … OL is weak … QBs can’t throw deep

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         RILB Willis is a 6 and LILB Spikes is a 5

Oh No!            Run D causes no fumbles and pass D has few INTs

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         Rossum’s kickoff-return TD

Oh No!            Punts can be blocked

 

SEATTLE

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         LT Jones (7/6) is only thing spectacular, but there’s solid run and pass potential

Oh No!            RB ratings reflect Seahawks’ troubles getting tough yards

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         No explanation point warranted … But two of three LBs are 5s

Oh No!            It will take lucky rolls for this D to force turnovers

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         Mare’s all-around kicking: 11 touchbacks, 2-12 XP, strong FG range

Oh No!            Punting: blocks and a Long Gain on coverage

 

TAMPA BAY

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         Bucs can play ball-control better than most, with excellent Flat Pass yardage, solid run-blocking and steady ball carriers … WR Antonio                             Bryant is a legit deep threat

Oh No!            Other than Bryant, the big-play potential is sub-par

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         Something harder to come by: A decent pass D card for a team with decent DB ratings (three 5s)

Oh No!            The pass rush from the OLBs and DTs is basically non-existent

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         KR/PR Clifton Smith’s TDs, other strong gains on both return types

Oh No!            Bryant’s placekicking is shaky in all areas

 

WASHINGTON

Offense:

Oh Yeah!         With FB Sellers and LT Samuels (both 7/6) leading a strong run-blocking crew, it should be all good for RB Portis, who is strong inside and out,                   Right and Wrong         

Oh No!            QB Campbell is a running threat and seldom throws picks, but his Short Pass card is way below average

 

Defense:

Oh Yeah!         MLB Fletcher and FS Landry are 6s

Oh No!            Bad combo: Few sacks and almost no turnovers (no fumbles on D cards)

 

Special teams:

Oh Yeah!         Randle El’s punt-return TD

Oh No!            Punting: blocked punts and a Long Gain on coverage