San Francisco 49ers, RISING: The 49ers walked away from April's draft with eleven players, six of which should be solid players for years to come. Their later picks could prove to be worthy of selection too, it's just too early to make any sort of judgment on picks, especially late round picks. In addition, the 49ers added Anquan Boldin for next to nothing in the offseason. The 49ers aren't going anywhere soon. They'll remain near the top of NFC again in 2013.

Seattle Seahawks, FALLING: The Seahawks selected an unimpressive draft crop this offseason. In addition, they lost their insurance at the quarterback position. The Seahawks aren't exactly free falling, but with a whole offseason to get ready for Russell Wilson, it's not unlikely that Wilson will suffer a bit of sophomore slump.

St. Louis Rams, FLAT: It's hard to imagine the Rams being much better than last season, even with the addition of a blockbuster draft pick such as Tavon Austin. The Rams' draft gave fans some reason for optimism, but in a tough division, this won't be their year to make it back to the postseason.

Arizona Cardinals, FLAT: The Cardinals drafted a solid group of players, but they still lack a quarterback to lead the franchise forward. Overall, their talent is improving, but you can't win in the NFL without a passer that can make plays with his arm. That's what the Cardinals are lacking, and it'll keep them from winning more games than they did a season ago.

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Forbes says so, anyway. Despite the fact Tebow is now unemployed after throwing just eight passes with the New York Jets in 2012, he's landed in the top spot on their annual list of the country's most influential athletes. 

Here are the results (found influential by __%):

1. Tebow (29)
2. Michael Phelps (25)
3. Usain Bolt (23)
4. Derek Jeter (22)
5. Peyton Manning (21)
6. Drew Brees (21)
7. Gabby Douglas (19)
8. Aaron Rodgers (19)
9. LeBron James (18)
10. David Beckham (18)

From Forbes:

A unique set of QB strengths and weaknesses and an affinity for wearing his Christian faith on his sleeve combine to make Tebow a compelling public figure, even as an NFL backup. Whether or not he’s able to remain deeply ingrained in the public consciousness without eventually getting more time on the field remains to be seen. But for now, Tebow, he of 2.2 million Twitter followers, is still the man people talk about.

It's amazing to me that Tebow has remained so relevant to sports fans and non-sports fans despite becoming an afterthought on the field. ESPN has played a role, because simply being an outgoing Christian isn't enough. Lots of average pro athletes are outspoken when it comes to their religious beliefs. 

Eventually, Tebowmania will begin to fade, but that trade to the media capital of the world extended his reign as America's most popular athlete. 

Terrell Owens hasn't played a down of football in the NFL since the 2010 season, yet he somehow believes there's still a place in the league for him to fit in. He also seems to believe that place is with the New England Patriots, a team that will once again featured in early season Super Bowl discussions. The problem for Owens is that the Patriots aren't looking for distractions. They're looking for players that will help them get back to the Super Bowl, and that's not a mold Terrell Owens fits.

"I think that's a no-brainer," Owens told Blind Side Football of his desire to join the Patriots "You look at what they've done over the years. Under the tutelage of Tom and Coach Belichick, I think the sky would be the limit in terms of what I'd be able to do. Considering my body of work and my history of playing the game."

There are few players to ever play the game that match Terrell Owens, and I'm not talking about his talent. His ego is unmatched in contemporary sports. When asked by Blind Side Football about Owens' behavior both on and off the field if he were to be signed by a team this offseason, Owens dropped this gem on us.

"Well I mean off the field speaks for itself, I don't have any problems off the field. On the field, I feel like I have a lot to offer as far as my experience as I said earlier. At this stage of my career, I feel that a lot of guys could learn just as I did throughout my career in my younger years. Personally, I still learned from a lot of guys as I played the game. I never felt like I knew everything there was about playing the receiver position. Because every receiver has different abilities: to get off the line, to run routes. So I could take a little something from different receivers' routes and the way they play the game and apply it to my game. So, I'm always looking for something different that can be applicable to my skill-set."

Yeah, Owens' off the field behavior speaks for itself. He's a distraction that no team wants, and that's why he's still not on an NFL team.

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Denver Broncos, FLAT: Although the Broncos didn't add any blockbuster picks in the draft, the addition of Wes Welker should add an extra weapon to the Broncos offense. The  Broncos are still the kings of the AFC West, and they're still going to be included in any preseason Super Bowl talk, so we'll label them as just flat lining.

San Diego Chargers, SLIGHTLY RISING: The Chargers are in the midst of starting over without a full-blown rebuild. That can work, especially because there are solid pieces in place, but the Chargers also need to be thinking about the future. That should include finding an understudy for Philip Rivers.

Oakland Raiders, FLAT: The Raiders didn't exactly miss in the draft, but they didn't exactly hit a home run either. The Raiders have seemingly found a starting quarterback in Matt Flynn. It will take more than one season for the Raiders' new regime to pick up the pieces left by the old regime.

Kansas City Chiefs, RISING: The Chiefs added Andy Reid as their new head coach this offseason, and it's given the Chiefs a new sense of optimism. Still, outside of Eric Fishers, the Chiefs draft was only "meh," and it won't give the Chiefs a huge boost in talent. The addition of Alex Smith should be enough for the Chiefs to win considerably more games than in 2012, even though that's not saying a whole lot.

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Atlanta Falcons, RISING: The Falcons have had a high-powered offense for some time, but this year, they've focused on their defense. As well as adding a lot of young talent on defense, the Falcons lured Tony Gonzalez back for one more year. The Falcons will be a popular pick on the NFC side again in 2013.

Carolina Panthers, FLAT: The Panthers have had a quiet offseason, and they're still banking on Cam Newton's ability to win games. They're not in terrible shape, but they could have done more to help out their head coach and quarterback in what will be a decisive season. The big problem the Panthers have is that they still don't have enough offensive weapons, and that will likely prevent them from rising out of the middle of the pack.

New Orleans Saints, RISING: With just five draft picks, the Saints haven't changed much from last season. The big difference is that they'll have Sean Payton back, and with that, they'll regain stability. That's the only reason I mark them as "rising." Even with a questionable draft, Sean Payton is all the Saints needed.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, FALLING: A weak draft, questionable leadership and no hope means the Buccaneers will be camping out at the bottom of the NFC South this season. If, and only if, Josh Freeman can re-emerge as this teams leader, the Buccaneers could surprise a lot of people, including me.

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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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