These aren't your grandfather's power rankings. What? Your grandfather is afraid of computers? OK, but they aren't your father's power rankings, either. None of this "the Super Bowl champion has to be ranked first throughout the offseason" bullcrap. The beauty of power rankings is that they're meaningless, arbitrary, subjective and not based solely on wins and losses.

And let's face it: the Giants are good, but they only won nine games during the 2011 regular season. They got hot at the right time and won it all. But it's a new year now, and the G-men haven't exactly dominated the offseason. So if I'm going to rank teams based partly on what's happened in March, April and May, there's no way a nine-win team that did little to bolster its roster is going to lead the way -- especially when you consider that only one NFL team has successfully defended its title this century.

Nope. I'm probably going to regret this in t-minus 150 days, but I'm leading with the NFL's most talented team on paper. And honestly, I don't even think it's that close. Does that mean I'm predicting this team will win it all in 2012? No, because too many factors will be emerge between now and next February. But if I had to pick a roster to ride with tomorrow, it'd probably be this one.

1. Philadelphia Eagles: The 2011 offseason champs dramatically improved the defense in both free agency and the draft. And this year, they'll have a full offseason to mesh.

2. Green Bay Packers: Well, they were 15-1 last year....

3. New England Patriots: Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower might immediately improve the defense on a team that won 13 games in 2011.

4. Houston Texans: Cap constraints caused them to incur losses on both sides of the ball, but it's nothing this roster can't handle. And you'd have to think they'll have better luck with health in 2012.

5. San Francisco 49ers: Alex Smith is gonna have more weapons. But he's still Alex Smith. We'll see.

6. New York Giants: They had a decent draft, aside from first-rounder David Wilson, but the defending champs lost some quality players in free agency and signed pretty much nobody. Plus, the rest of the NFC East got better.

7. Detroit Lions: Only getting better, but I really wish they brought in some corners to cover guys like Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Brandon Marshall, and whoever the hell plays for Minnesota nowadays.

8. Denver Broncos: If Peyton Manning can stay healthy and Denver's defense can deliver an encore performance, they're the best team in the AFC West.

9. Kansas City Chiefs: People, they made a playoff push last year without Matt Cassel, Jamaal Charles, Tony Moeaki and Eric Berry! Not thrilled with the Dontari Poe pick, but love what they did in free agency with Stanford Routt, Peyton Hillis and Eric Winston.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers: With the Steelers continuing to fall back to the pack, the AFC North will be very wide open in 2012.

11. Baltimore Ravens: I have my doubts about the speed at which Terrell Suggs can return to form.

12. Chicago Bears: Remember the path they were on before injuries derailed them last year? They're healthy now, and they've only gotten better. That said, why do they keep ignoring the offensive line?

13. Dallas Cowboys: The secondary could be a strength now, and the pass rush was never the main problem. Plus, the offense is only going to get better.

14. Atlanta Falcons: Boringest offseason in the league. We saw them lose Curtis Lofton and draft six guys no one's ever heard of. Default favorite in the NFC South, but beware the Panthers.

15. Cincinnati Bengals: A fairly average team had an above average draft and replaced their mediocre running back with an average one in free agency. For that, they're graded as "slightly above average" in my books. Expect them to battle though.

16. Seattle Seahawks: The defense could be great and they've bolstered the offensive line. It all falls on Matt Flynn now.

Kansas City Chiefs: B

The only part of the Chiefs' draft I truly didn't like was their selection of Dontari Poe at 11th overall. Poe was a bit of a wildcard going into the draft, with his draft stock fluctuating wildly between the end of the first round and the top 10. The Chiefs brought in two additional offensive linemen with their 2nd and 3rd round selections, beefing up a unit that looks to be very solid in 2012.

The Chiefs' draft lacked the flash of some of the other teams drafting near the top end, but they got solid value for their picks. While I don't personally like Poe as a top 15 pick, there are a lot of guys out there that think he can be dominant in the NFL. That pick could come to define this year's draft for the Chiefs.

San Diego Chargers: B

Like the Chiefs before them, I penalized the Chargers significantly for their first round pick of Melvin Ingram with the 18th overall pick. Shea McClellin would have been, in my mind, better suited to give the Chargers a pass rusher coming from the linebacking corps instead of as a down lineman.

The Chargers continued their defensive trend, taking DT Kendall Reyes in the 2nd round and SS Brandon Taylor in the 3rd round. Those 3 defensive players at the top of the Chargers' draft class should form the core component of their defense for many years to come. Overall, a solid draft for the Chargers. They definitely didn't waste this year's draft.

Denver Broncos: A-

The Broncos had a stout start to their draft. They brought in DT Derek Wolfe with their first pick (4th pick of the 2nd round), and QB Brock Osweiler followed later in the 2nd round. I love the Osweiler pick, because he'll have plenty of time to study with and around Peyton Manning. Really, there's no better position for a rookie quarterback to be in than studying under Peyton Manning.

Ronnie Hillman, an RB, rounded out the Broncos' first three picks. He's a guy that'll get in the game as a situational runner, and the added depth at RB will be much appreciated by Manning and head coach John Fox. This was one of the most well-rounded draft classes, and the Broncos did a great job in putting it together.

Oakland Raiders: Incomplete

The Raiders get an "incomplete" grade because of their personnel department's failures in the past. The Raiders' first pick came on the 32nd pick of the 3rd round. That's just not the way to build a football team in the NFL, and I don't think it's even fair to the new regime to grade their draft class at all. If the criteria for grading is how many starters/core players they likely produced, they'd get an "F," so we'll just leave them with the incomplete grade. To be fair, they likely picked up a handful of fringe players that could make a difference somewhere down the line, but I think it's safe to say this is the forgotten draft class of Oakland.

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At the very least, Junior Seau's death might be a watershed moment for the way the NFL helps players transition to the next phase of their lives. 

At the very most, the tragic incident might be a watershed moment for the way the league's coaches, players and -- maybe most importantly -- fans feel about the impact of head trauma on the game at all levels. 

I know that Seau's fans, friends, former teammates and family want to focus on mourning at this early stage, but the ramifications of a 12-time Pro Bowler and potential first-ballot Hall of Famer apparently shooting himself dead at 43 could be massive. 

Take another future Hall of Famer, Kurt Warner, who told the Dan Patrick Show this morning that, at this point, the thought of his own sons playing football scares him. 

"They both have the dream, like dad, to play in the NFL," Warner said. "When you hear things like the bounty and when you understand the size, the speed, the violence of the game, and you couple that with Junior Seau and was that a [ramification] of all the years playing … it's a scary thing for me."

Warner, a man who made millions and gained legendary status playing football, said that he'd prefer his kids not play the game.

How sad is that?

But more importantly, how many American parents will follow? Considering the fate of men like Dave Duerson and Junior Seau -- both of whom are only the defining examples of the potential downfalls of playing a sport in which smashing heads is part and parcel -- I'd have to imagine that the NFL fears a crisis at the grassroots level, which in less than a generation could lead to a seemingly infallible pro sports league losing its luster from a variety of standpoints (marketability, depth of talent pool, TV viewership, you name it).

It came in the first sentence of one of the most shocking and important press releases the NFL had ever issued: "A lengthy investigation by the NFL’s security department has disclosed that between 22 and 27 defensive players on the New Orleans Saints, as well as at least one assistant coach, maintained a “bounty” program funded primarily by players in violation of NFL rules during the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons."

That 1,050-word document, sprung on unsuspecting football fans on a dull Friday afternoon, detailed exactly how the Saints were dirtier than, I dunno, a potent combination of John Edwards, Ke$ha and Capone.

The investigation, the league said, "included the review of approximately 18,000 documents totaling more than 50,000 pages, interviews of a wide range of individuals and the use of outside forensic experts to verify the authenticity of key documents." Further, it added that, again, "between 22 and 27 defensive players contributed funds to the pool over the course of three NFL seasons."

And yet on Wednesday, only four of those players were punished for the roles they played in the pay-for-performance program in New Orleans. Assuming the Saints don't make the playoffs this season, and assuming nothing changes on appeal, that quartet will be forced to miss a combined 31 games. That number could grow as high as 35, as alleged ringleader Jonathan Vilma is out for the entire year, including the playoffs.

Further evidence is likely forthcoming when appeals are filed, but the league's case against all four players, and especially Vilma, appears to be quite strong. "Multiple independent sources" claim the team's defensive captain helped former defensive coordinator-turned-pariah Gregg Williams establish and fund the bounty program. Those sources also have him putting thousands of dollars on heads belonging to future Hall of Famers Brett Favre and Kurt Warner.

As for the three other guilty parties: Scott Fujita (now with the Browns) and Will Smith get three and four games, respectively, for pledging large sums of money as cash rewards for "cart-offs" and "knockouts." Smith probably gets the extra game due to the fact that he allegedly helped Williams organize the fund during his run as defensive captain. Finally, Anthony Hargrove (now with the Packers) loses eight games for a) his participation, and b) "actively [obstructing] the league’s 2010 investigation into the program by being untruthful to investigators."

The league office claimed to have evidence that as many as 23 other players were involved in the shenanigans, and yet they're only frying the four biggest fish.

Cleveland Browns: C

I've said multiple times throughout this week that I just don't like the Browns first two picks, but if you missed it, I'll restate my argument. Trent Richardson is solid, but he wasn't worth a top 5 pick, and taking a quarterback is not what the Browns needed. They need someone to come in and help Colt McCoy succeed, not somebody to come in and replace him altogether.

The Browns recovered somewhat in my eyes with their 2nd and and 3rd round picks of T Mitchell Schwartz and DT John Hughes respectively, but their first round kills what should have been the best part of their draft. That's why the Browns earned just a "C."

Cincinnati Bengals: A-

The Bengals had 5 picks in the first 3 rounds, and I loved 4 of the 5 picks. The only one I wasn't sold on was DT Brandon Thompson, but the consensus is that Thompson is a solid pick as well.

The only real reason I didn't give the Bengals an "A" was that I don't know if Dre Kirkpatrick can be an elite cornerback in the NFL. He can definitely start, but he never had the "wow" factor in college. All in all, the Bengals had one of the best perceived drafts in 2012, and it should help build up what I believe is a quickly rising team.

Pittsburgh Steelers: B

The Steelers didn't draft for glamour this season, they just drafted solid players through and through. It wasn't a special draft for them, but it was focused on building up their core group of players, and I think they succeeded in that regard perfectly.

David DeCastro, the Steelers' first round pick, will be able to jump in as a starter on that offensive line immediately. Ben Roethlisberger hangs onto the ball too long, and the Steelers have to deal with that by giving him more time in the pocket. Any added time DeCastro provides makes the Steelers' offense far more dangerous. They should remain near the top of the division, and conference, once again in 2012.

Baltimore Ravens: B

The Ravens traded out of the first round, but they were still able to get Courtney Upshaw, a guy many thought would easily be a 1st round pick, but his draft stock tumbled over the past couple of weeks. Make no mistake about it, the Ravens are glad to snag upshaw with just a 2nd round pick.

The rest of the Ravens' draft focused on non-premium positions that will continue to strengthen the Ravens' core group of players as they make an effort to stay atop the AFC North. They'll have a tough time doing that, even with a solid draft, because the Steelers are always after them, and the Bengals have quickly built one of the best young teams in the league.

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Indianapolis Colts: B+

The Indianapolis Colts came into the draft knowing exactly who their selection would be. Essentially, there was only ever two potential picks that the Colts would make, and they stuck with the early consensus pick, taking Andrew Luck and anointing him as their next franchise quarterback.

After picking Luck, Ryan Grigson went to work, trying to give Luck some weapons to work with in an effort to ensure his success as a rookie. Those weapons included TE Coby Fleener who is also from Stanford, TE Dwayne Allen, WR T.Y. Hilton, and WR LaVon Brazill.

The Colts have a lot of young pieces on their team, but they all revolve around Andrew Luck. His level of success will determine how successful the above mentioned draftees will be in the NFL which is why I only gave the Colts a B+. You may say that Andrew Luck was the obvious pick for the Colts, but that doesn't change the fact that he was the right pick. The only major downside to Grigson's inaugural draft is that it puts all of the Colts' eggs in the Andrew Luck basket. There's a lot riding on Luck's success in Indianapolis.

Jacksonville Jaguars: A-

Using baseball terms, the Jaguars hit a homerun, a triple, and a solid double with their first three picks of the 2012 draft. The Jaguars sacrificed their 4th round selection to move up two spots in the first round to snag Justin Blackmon, the first true #1 receiver they've had in Jacksonville since the days of Jimmy Smith. That pick should allow Blaine Gabbert to spread the ball around to his other receivers as well as Blackmon, leading to more success from the Jaguars' passing attack.

From there, the Jaguars drafted DE Andre Branch in the second round and P Bryan Anger in the 3rd round. Branch is a pass rusher that the Jaguars will put to work immediately. The hope is that he's the final piece in what could be one of the better defensive units in the NFL. Bryan Anger is a pick the Jaguars have caught a lot of flak over, but I really like the pick. Taking a punter is a safer pick than taking virtually any other position in the draft, and if he can indeed change field position as well as many think he can, he's definitely worth a 3rd round pick.

Sad news to report in the NFL. TMZ and various media outlets are reporting that former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau has been found dead in his home in Oceanside, Calif.

According to the TMZ report, police are investigating a shooting, according to several of their law enforcement sources. According to those same sources Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.

Seau played for 20 seasons in the NFL, 13 of those with the San Diego Chargers.

Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowler and 6-time First-Team All-Pro, was selected fifth overall in the 1990 NFL draft after an outstanding collegiate career at USC. He played with the San Diego Chargers through the 2002 season, spent 2003-2005 with the Miami Dolphins, and then signed with the New England Patriots in time for the 2006 season. In New England's perfect regular season of 2007, he played in all 16 games and started four. Seau first retires after that season, only to come back and play in 2008 and 2009 before finally leaving the NFL for good.

"I'm going to go surf," he told Showtime upon his January, 2010 retirement announcement. Whatever happens, I can say, honestly say, that that probably was my last game."

Seau is the eighth member of the Chargers 1994 Super Bowl team to pass. We will keep you updated on this story as more news is confirmed.

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Today the NFL handed down its long anticipated punishments of Saints players involved in "bountygate." As was widely believed, Jonathan Vilma was the player hit heaviest, getting a one year suspension. Here's exactly how the suspensions break down.

• LB Jonathan Vilma is suspended for 2012 NFL season, effective immediately.
• LB Scott Fujita (now with the Browns) is suspended without pay for the first 3 games of the 2012 season.
• DE Anthony Hargrove (now with the Packers) is suspended without pay for the first 8 games of the 2012 season.
• DE Will Smith is suspended without pay for the first 4 games of the 2012 season.

It's still unclear whether the players will appeal their punishments, but they have only three days to do so.

The most peculiar thing about the suspensions handed down today was the timing. This round of suspensions was expected well before the draft, and the timing hurts the teams those players are now part of. It's possible that Roger Goodell didn't want the Browns, Packers, and especially the Saints to know those players' fates before the draft. Maybe there's some other reasons for the delay, but it certainly hasn't been made clear yet. That's just my speculation though.

The next major question to be answered in the "bountygate" saga is whether the NFLPA will go to bat for the suspended players, or will the NFLPA shy away from any appeals that could come in the next 3 days. I would expect Vilma and Hargrove to appeal their suspensions, although considering Roger Goodell's track record with disciplinary action, I wouldn't be too hopeful if I was one of those players. As for the NFLPA, it's probably wiser for them to just stay away from any appeals that may follow these suspensions.

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Chicago Bears: C+

The Bears met one of their most important needs before the draft began by reuniting Jay Cutler with wideout Brandon Marshall thanks to a trade with the Miami Dolphins. With Marshall in the fold, wide receiver went from a near "must have" to a "would be nice to have," especially if Johnny Knox is misses some or much of the regular season. Beyond receiver, more quality bodies on the offensive line looked like a priority, as did potentially a starting defensive end, and better defensive back depth.

The result of Phil Emery's first draft was a bunch of "ifs." First-round pick Shea McClellin could nail down the starting defensive end spot opposite Julius Peppers if he adjusts to playing defensive end full-time and holds up okay in run defense. Second-round pick Alshon Jeffery could be another big-target for Culter if he keeps his weight closer to 215 than 250. Third-round pick Brandon Hardin could be a big-time safety if the shoulder injury that cost him all of the 2011 season doesn't provide any lingering effects.

If, if, if. The uncertain fates of the top three picks emphasize the deep uncertainty inherent in grading a draft before any of the players have a chance to play. It's possible all three could become stars and also possible none is in the NFL in five years. Bet on one stud, one starter, and one scrub, in which case the fate of this class rests as much on the long-term contributions of late-round corners Isaiah Frey and Greg McCoy as much on the early players.

Detroit Lions: B+

The Detroit Lions were in an interesting position heading into the draft. An unexpected playoff appearance in 2011 came largely on the strength of Matt Stafford's over 5,000 passing yards. The conventional wisdom was the Lions needed a better running game and more importantly better top-end defensive talent. After all, a shaky secondary shredded by the Saints in the postseason lost perhaps its best player in Eric Wright.

The Lions instead chose to buttress their explosive offense with their first two picks then add bodies and more bodies to the defensive back seven in the rest of the draft. First-round pick Riley Reiff should be either an upgrade on Gosder Cherilus at right tackle or Jeff Backus's long-term replacement at left tackle, or perhaps the former immediately and the latter after a year or two. Second-round pick Ryan Broyles is coming off an ACL injury, but projects as the long-term replacement for Nate Burleson.

Beyond that, it was defense, defense, defense. Third-round corner Dwight Bentley will probably contribute as a rookie, while fifth-rounder Chris Greenwood has athletic upside. Broyles' fellow Oklahoma Sooners linebackers Ronnell and Travis Lewis should provide immediate special teams contributions, while Ronnell has long-term starting potential. Later-round defensive players, especially in the secondary, are more of a risk, so the Lions are probably counting on at least one corner and at least one linebacker to develop into a long-term starter. They'll probably get it, but it's not guaranteed.

According to the Associated Press the St. Louis Rams have submitted plans to upgrade the Edward Jones Dome, a key step to making sure the team doesn’t leave town.

The team turned in its counterproposal on Tuesday, declining to release details. The plan was given to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, the operator of the dome that announced its own plan in February. The CVC said it will begin the review process, but spokeswoman Donna Andrews declined further comment.

The Rams can legally break its 30-year lease after the 2014 season if the dome is not deemed to be among the top tier of NFL stadiums.

The rejected CVC plan included $124 million in improvements, featuring a massive scoreboard measuring 96 feet long, new club seats, windows to add natural light and even a 50,000-square-foot attachment with a “Geek Suite” area for electronic buffs and fantasy football players.

But the CVC plan called for the team to pay 52 percent of the cost, or about $64.5 million Taxpayers in St. Louis city and county would have been asked to pick up the rest of the cost or some $60 million.

The Rams offered no details on why the plan was rejected.

Under the lease, the two sides now have until June 15 to try and reach an agreement. Otherwise, arbitration begins. The arbitration process could last through the end of the year.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke has been non-committal about the team’s future in St. Louis if the dome is not upgraded, creating concern that St. Louis could lose an NFL team for the second time in a quarter of a century. The football Cardinals left for Arizona after the 1987 season in large part because of stadium issues. Owner Bill Bidwill wanted a stadium of his own rather than sharing Busch Stadium with baseball’s Cardinals.

Former Rams owner Georgia Frontiere brought the team from Los Angeles to her hometown of St. Louis prior to the 1995 season. The dome, built with taxpayer funds, opened that season. Frontiere died in 2008 and Kroenke, who had a 40 percent share, bought the remaining stake from her children.

Since the dome opened, several NFL teams have opened new open-air or retractable-roof stadiums. The St. Louis stadium is smaller than many and lacks some of their amenities.

The lease has built-in intervals when the team can break the lease if the dome is not deemed to be among the top 25 percent of all 32 NFL stadiums based on various criteria. The next interval is 2014.

There is concern in St. Louis that Kroenke could move the team back to Los Angeles. Kroenke, a real estate mogul whose wife is a Wal-Mart heir, is a Missouri native but has ties to California, too. He owns an estate in Malibu, Calif., and recently made an unsuccessful bid to purchase baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers.

The dome was financed largely with taxpayer money — $256 million in bonds repaid by the state of Missouri and St. Louis city and county in a 30-year debt that will total $720 million.

The CVC is a public agency, though the lease says the CVC and the Rams can keep some information confidential except under certain circumstances — such as when the law or NFL policies require information to be released, or if all parties give permission to making information public. It wasn’t clear if that provision conflicts with the Missouri Sunshine Law, which requires governments and public agencies to keep most records and meetings open to public view.

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