One of the advantages of writing about sports is that I rarely have to write about the state of national or local politics. It's an area that is largely out of the way, but occasionally, the topic rears its head, most commonly in stadium situations.

When the Florida legislature failed to give citizens of the Miami area the opportunity to vote on a hotel tax to fund improvements to Sun Life Stadium, we could practically hear Miami's chances of hosting a Super Bowl in the near future swirling around the bowl. Without improvements to Sun Life Stadium, the Dolphins won't be playing host to a Super Bowl.

Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins isn't pulling any punches voicing his displeasure about the legislature's failure to act.

"Speaker Weatherford did far more than just deny the people of Miami Dade the right to vote on an issue critical to the future of our local economy," Ross said in a statement. "The Speaker singlehandedly put the future of Super Bowls and other big events at risk for Miami Dade and for all of Florida.  He put politics before the people and the 4,000 jobs this project would have created for Miami Dade, and that is just wrong."

"He gave me and many others his word that this legislation would go to the floor of the House for a vote, where I know, and he knows, we had the votes to win by a margin as large as we did in the Senate," Ross said. "It’s hard to understand why he would stop an election already in process and disenfranchise the 40,000 people who have already voted.  I can only assume he felt it was in his political interest to do so.  Time will tell if that is the case, but I am certain this decision will follow Speaker Weatherford for many years to come."

Whether or not this will come back to haunt Speaker Weatherford is yet to be seen, but we do know this. There are a lot of people that aren't happy with Florida's legislature, and Stephen Ross is leading that group.

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Houston Texans, RISING: The Texans are rising, but only barely. They have added some very useful pieces in both free agency and the draft. The young infusion of talent, as well as the veteran presence of Ed Reed, should help the defense play quicker. All in all, the Texans are still the kings of the AFC South, and they're on par with the AFC's best.

Indianapolis Colts, FLAT: The Colts were hyper-aggressive in free agency, paying too much for too little. Gosder Cherilus, for instance, will be an instant starter for the Colts, but they didn't need to spend $5.5 million for his services in 2013. On the other hand, the Colts have added talent in the offseason, and they should be a better team this season than last. The conflict leads me to believe that they'll be a better team, but their record may not show it, considering how much they overachieved a season ago.

Tennessee Titans, SLOWLY RISING: I hesitate to say that the Titans are "rising." They play in a division in which the Colts are back to playing acceptable football, and the Texans are one of the best teams in the league. The Titans added some blocking for Jake Locker in the first round of the draft, and they followed that selection by taking wide receiver Justin Hunter in the second round, giving Locker and additional target. The Titans, much like the Colts, haven't gotten worse this offseason, but I wonder whether that improvement will translate in their record.

Jacksonville Jaguars, RISING: The Jaguars are definitely making a move in the right direction under new GM David Caldwell, but then again, it would be very difficult to make a move in a worse direction after the Gene Smith era mercifully ended. The Jaguars sured up their pass protection with Luke Joeckel. The Jags also addressed their quarterback needs in undrafted free agency. It wasn't a noisy draft by the Jaguars, but definitely solid moves. They still have a long way to go, however.

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Washington Redskins, DOWN: The Redskins addressed some of their needs, but they didn't do anything in the draft to help keep their young star, Robert Griffin III, safe. If he gets banged up again, we'll be looking back at the draft wondering why the Redskins didn't spend the farm protecting one of the most electric players in football.

New York Giants, UP: Giants beefed up both sides of the ball with additions to both their lines. In addition, they nabbed Ryan Nassib for a cheap fourth round pick. That provides some insurance and an understudy for Eli Manning. It wasn't a home run draft for the Giants, but the word "solid" comes to mind.

Dallas Cowboys, TANKING: The Cowboys spent their early picks of the draft adding players to positions of strength. While the weapons they added will benefit Tony Romo, the rest of the team, and its fanbase, have to feel neglected by what has to be called a poor draft.

Philadelphia Eagles, UP: The Eagles got a very good tackle to start their draft off, but the real story-line move was the Eagles trading with Jacksonville to move to the top of the fourth round, using the pick on former USC quarterback Matt Barkley. Barkley won't play much for some time, but the thought is he'll provide insurance for Vick in a similar way Nassib will for Eli Manning. In addition, the Eagles added some players that should turn into core players. The future looks good in Philly.

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Chris Polian, son of former Colts GM Bill Polian, has officially been hired by the Jaguars as their new director of pro personnel. The hiring shouldn't be surprising, considering that David Caldwell worked for Bill Polian and Chris Polian in Indianapolis from 1998 to 2007 before moving to Atlanta. In Atlanta, Caldwell helped Chris Polian find employment, and now, Caldwell is helping again.

Chris Polian succeeded his father in Indianapolis as the Colts' general manager from 2009 to 2011 before both father and son were canned by Jim Irsay following a disastrous year without their star quarterback Peyton Manning.

While Bill Polian was instrumental in building the Colts' roster around Peyton Manning, his son Chris never really left much of a mark in terms of solid draft picks. It's largely because of shoddy drafts that the Colts fell to pieces without Peyton Manning.

Despite not making a name for himself with draft picks, Chris Polian has developed quite the reputation of being a jerk, especially among blogger types. The Polians were notoriously crappy to the media, but bloggers weren't even treated as legitimate carriers of information.

Fortunately for everyone, we probably won't be hearing from Chris Polian in the near future. His position isn't one that will put him in contact with the media very often, and we'll be able to find out if he's a good evaluator of talent or rode his last name to the top of Indianapolis' personnel department.

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New England Patriots, FLAT: The Patriots had a quiet draft. While they did address positions of need, they also failed to make any standout selections. That combined with no first round talent coming in means that the Patriots stock is simply flat. That's okay though, a flat stock at the top of the division isn't a bad thing.

Miami Dolphins, UP: The move to trade up for defensive end Dion Jordan will be debated until statistics give us a good answer as to whether it was a good pick or not. Regardless of the merits of the trade, Jordan will improve the Dolphins defensive front. A defensive heavy draft should give the Dolphins a respectable unit to compliment the offense. For the first time in a long time, the Dolphins have a clear path in front of them.

New York Jets, DOWN: If the Jets start Mark Sanchez, the selection of Geno Smith is a wasted high pick that could have been better spent on an impact player. If Geno Smith starts, it means that the Jets dumped a lot of wasted money into Mark Sanchez. That's the definition of a lose, lose scenario. On the bright side, Tim Tebow won't be a distraction any more, at least for the Jets.

Buffalo Bills, FREE FALLING: The Bills' answer to their quarterback woes is supposed to be E.J. Manuel, a guy that shouldn't have been picked in the first round. The Bills did draft wide receiver Robert Woods in the second round to help Manuel out, but Buffalo is not the place to try to develop a raw passer. They needed a guy ready to get going at full speed day one, and that's not what they got. Hello fourth place in the East!

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The debate over HGH testing is nothing new. Both the NFL and NFLPA claim that testing is needed, yet there remains no testing procedure in the NFL.

An anonymous NFC player, described as a "starter," told Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that ten to fifteen players use HGH on every team.

"It's like clockwork nowadays," the player told Dunne. "Not tested and it's easy to get. Nowadays, dude? In 2013? (Expletive) yeah. I'm just being real."

The NFL did have a response to the estimate of ten to fifteen players using HGH on each team.

"It's a guess," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told Around the League. "No one knows the extent of use because the union has blocked our agreement to test for HGH for two years and counting."

The NFL and the NFLPA will continue to quarrel back and forth about the terms of testing for HGH, and it's a real shame that the two bodies can't come to an agreement. The NFLPA may be trying to protect its members, but the NFL has the moral high ground in this case. If the goal is to ensure the integrity of the game is preserved, whatever that means, the NFLPA has to let the NFL test for HGH use. However, we all know that the NFL is a money driven league, and as long as HGH testing could hurt players' bank accounts, the NFLPA won't let up.

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Right after the Super Bowl, we gave you our view of the top 10 teams in the league and juxtaposed those thoughts with the Las Vegas odds that had already been released for next year's Super Bowl. Now, we have a chance to update our rankings with free agency and the draft complete, and it just so happens that the sharks in Vegas have some fresh odds as well.

Here's a look at the 10 teams that should be considered the best in the league right now:

1. Denver Broncos (Vegas odds: 15-to-2, 2nd in NFL): Wasn't thrilled with what they did in the draft, but even with the Elvis Dumervil debacle the Broncos got much better this offseason. That's scary. Their odds increased slightly from 8-to-1.

2. San Francisco 49ers (6-to-1, 1st): Add Anquan Boldin to that team, as well as a ton of draft picks for depth, and this is what you get. Their odds increased from 7-to-1.

3. New England Patriots (8-to-1, 3rd): I don't think going from Wes Welker to Danny Amendola hurts, but it definitely doesn't feel like they got better. Their odds dropped from 6-to-1.

4. Seattle Seahawks (9-to-1, 4th): Love the addition of Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Antoine Winfield to the defense. Plus, Percy Harvin. Their odds shot up from 12-to-1.

5. Green Bay Packers (12-to-1, 5th): Green Bay jumps ahead of Baltimore after the Ravens were crushed by free agency. But the odds actually dropped from 10-to-1.

6. Cincinnati Bengals (35-to-1, 16th): Cincy had a real nice draft and held it down in free agency. Really feeling these guys. Strangely, their odds dropped from 30-to-1.

7. Atlanta Falcons (12-to-1, 5th): Vegas thinks Atlanta's chances are the same as Green Bay's. After the Falcons had a tough go in free agency, I don't buy that. Their odds increased from 16-to-1.

8. Chicago Bears (20-to-1, 11th): When healthy, the Bears are one of the best teams in this league. They had a good run in free agency and a solid draft. Their odds increased substantially from 30-to-1.

9. Houston Texans (18-to-1, 7th): Love the defense, but something about Houston just doesn't do it for me. Maybe DeAndre Hopkins will change things. Their odds dropped from 10-to-1.

10. Washington Redskins (28-to-1, 13th): They edge out their division rivals because they survived free agency and had a nice draft and Robert Griffin III is on the right track thus far. Their odds increased from 30-to-1.

The rest of the odds (via Rich Tandler):

New Orleans Saints 18/1 

Baltimore Ravens 20/1 

New York Giants 20/1 

Pittsburgh Steelers 25/1 

Dallas Cowboys 28/1 

Philadelphia Eagles 30/1 

Indianapolis Colts 35/1 

Detroit Lions 40/1 

Miami Dolphins 40/1 

Minnesota Vikings 40/1 

San Diego Chargers 40/1 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 40/1 

Carolina Panthers 50/1 

Kansas City Chiefs 50/1 

St. Louis Rams 60/1 

Cleveland Browns 75/1 

New York Jets 75/1 

Arizona Cardinals 100/1 

Buffalo Bills 100/1 

Oakland Raiders 100/1 

Tennessee Titans 100/1 

Jacksonville Jaguars 200/1

Now that the draft is in our rearview mirrors, we can start looking forward to training camp, preseason games, and finally, real football. There are a number of teams in full-blown rebuild mode, but there exists another tier of team that is trying to hang on and get into the playoffs. These are the teams that are on the brink of a complete overhaul.

5) San Diego Chargers

Sure, the Chargers now have a new front office and a new coaching staff, but the roster still resembles the old Chargers that were chronically guilty of underachieving. After this season's debacle, and yes, that's a prediction, that new front office may begin rebuilding the team from the ground up.

4) Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers moved on from the John Fox era by drafting Cam Newton and hiring Ron Rivera. In there first season together, there was some great promise, but last year saw the Panthers showing little progression, and Cam Newton's production leveled off. If the Panthers don't begin showing that they're headed in the right direction this season, look for a change in the coaching staff after 2013.

3) Tennessee Titans

Last season was rough for the Titans and their fans. Mike Munchak's second season as the Titans' top man fell flat, and quarterback-of-the-future Jake Locker looked overwhelmed by the speed of the NFL most of the time. The Titans managed just six wins in a relatively weak division. With little reason for optimism, it's not a stretch to believe that the Titans will be considering their options at quarterback and head coach after the 2013 season.

2) New York Jets

Be honest, we all knew the Jets would be high on this list. When a team "blows it up," the rebuild process should commence. The problem is that the Jets only blew up the front office, leaving Rex Ryan and Co. in tact. The Jaguars tried in inverse of that when they hired Mike Mularkey without getting a new front office, and that worked out really well. The Jets still don't know how to handle adversity. The positive point here is that their biggest distraction, Tim Tebow, is now gone, but the Jets have proven time and time again that they can create their own distractions if they get board.

1) Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones. That name has become synonymous with "narcissist" over the past decade. While Jason Garrett probably isn't the right coach for the job in Dallas, Jerry Jones certainly isn't the right man to be making personnel decisions. Following yet another seemingly poor draft haul, the Cowboys seem set for another disappointing finish. 8-8 won't be enough for Garrett to keep his job in 2013, but something tells me 8-8 is the Cowboys' best case scenario. Look for Jones to be on the hunt for a new coach once again after the end of the season.

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Since the Jets released Tim Tebow yesterday, there's been some talk around the NFL community that another team may be willing to pick up Tebow if he's willing to play a different position such as fullback or tight end. Now, it seems, the Jets never considered changing his position, viewing him as a quarterback to till the end.

On "Mike and Mike in the Morning," Jets general manager John Idzik was asked if the Jets had been considering moving Tebow to a different position. His response was rather surprising.

"No, we didn’t. Tim, while I was here, he was slated as a quarterback."

And that's it. Two short sentences explaining the Jets' logic, or lack thereof, in the release of Tim Tebow. He wasn't given an opportunity to compete, he wasn't given an opportunity to change positions, and ultimately, he wasn't given an opportunity to play with the Jets.

Now to be fair, the Jets surely had great plans for Tebow, but they never panned out. Les Carpenter of Yahoo Sports went so far as to accuse the Jets of sabotaging Tebow's post-New York job options. That's not why the Jets waited to release Tebow. They were able to acquire Geno Smith, eliminating a need to keep Tim Tebow. It's that simple.

With his interview on "Mike and Mike," Idzik gave us a little glimpse into the Jets' logic. You may not agree with it, but something tells me getting rid of Tebow was as much about limiting distractions moving forward as it was about releasing a quarterback that never really played much in the first place.

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Just prior to David Caldwell being hired as the Jaguars' general manager, it was reported by a certain four letter (E**N) that it was virtually a certainty that the Jaguars would be bringing in Tim Tebow. That rumor didn't last long after Caldwell was hired. He made it unquestionably clear that the Jaguars weren't interested.

"I can't imagine a scenario where he would be a Jacksonville Jaguar," Caldwell said at a press conference after being hired. That sentiment appears to continue, with Shahid Khan's spokesman telling USA Today's Jonny Saraceno, "The Jacksonville Jaguars’ plans do not include Tim Tebow."

To this point, the Jaguars have handled Tim Tebow rumors in the best possible manner. Instead of beating around the bush, the Jaguars have shut down all Tebow rumors since Caldwell took over as general manager. Considering that Shahid Khan and the Jaguars were very interested in Tebow when he went on the trade market last offseason, it seems that Khan is embracing his new GM's philosophy and staying away from the hometown guy.

It's still unclear whether Tebow will find a home with an NFL roster, but if he does, it seems likely he'll have to give up the quarterback position or he'll find himself in a different league altogether.

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