AP Pro32 ballot from Gosselin

NEW YORK (AP)

Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Rick Gosselin of Dallas Morning News:

RICK GOSSELIN (Dallas Morning News)

1. Green Bay - Packers chased perfection last season with no defense; used first six draft picks on defensive players to give Aaron Rodgers help.

2. Houston - Texans claimed first division title and playoff berth in 2011; if they can get healthy seasons from QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson, this season should be much, much better.

3. New England - Patriots still have Belichick and Brady so no matter what else changes, Pats remain Super Bowl contender.

4. New Orleans - Saints may have $100 million QB (Drew Brees), but it remains to be seen how much play-caller (Sean Payton) will be missed.

5. Philadelphia - Eagles were only team in NFL to rank in the top 10 in both offense and defense a year ago.

6. New York Giants - September, October, November and December don't seem to matter to Giants. January and February do.

7. Detroit - Lions should have running game to complement passing of Matthew Stafford with return from injuries of Jahvid Best, Mikel Leshoure.

8. Baltimore - Absence of injured LB Terrell Suggs will hurt AFC's best pass rush.

9. San Francisco - Jim Harbaugh worked miracles as rookie coach, but 49ers won't be sneaking up on anyone this season.

10. Atlanta - Wait continues on QBs Matt Ryan of Falcons and Joe Flacco of Ravens to elevate their teams from playoff to Super Bowl contenders.

11. Pittsburgh - With departure of offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, look for Steelers to strike better offensive balance.

12. San Diego - If Philip Rivers can minimize turnovers, Chargers will again contend for Super Bowl; his 25 in 2011 took San Diego out of contention.

13. Chicago - Bears have reunited dynamic passing combo of Jay Cutler and WR Brandon Marshall.

14. Cincinnati - Departure of Carson Palmer signaled shift in emphasis from offense to defense; Bengals fielded top 10 defense in `11 and added one of college football's top CBs in Dre Kirkpatrick.

15. Denver - Peyton Manning changing horses this fall. After having been shoved off his colt, he climbed aboard a bronco; he's also giving up indoors for great outdoors.

16. Dallas - Cowboys installed major upgrades in secondary in cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne, but Tony Romo is really going to miss WR Laurent Robinson.

17. New York Jets - Arrival of Tim Tebow makes messy QB situation even messier.

18. Carolina - With Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart and now Mike Tolbert, Panthers should have best rushing attack in NFL.

19. Oakland - Carson Palmer had offseason to learn about offense and teammates, knowing, of course, he can always hand off to Darren McFadden. A little dose of defense, and Raiders can contend for playoff spot.

20. Kansas City - Chiefs have problem: worst quarterbacking in AFC West with Matt Cassel going against Rivers, Manning and Palmer.

21. Buffalo - Bills now have pass rush in free-agent signees Mario Williams and Mark Anderson.

22. Tennessee - Titans invested 2011 first-round pick in QB Jake Locker. Time to start playing him.

23. Washington - Mike Shanahan finally has QB in rookie Robert Griffin III. His style resembles Steve Young and John Elway, who both won Super Bowls with Shanahan calling plays.

24. Seattle - Marshawn Lynch needed help and Seahawks hope gave it to him in QB Matt Flynn and TE Kellen Winslow Jr.

25. Arizona - Team's best player is WR Larry Fitzgerald. But he's being held hostage by pedestrian quarterback play.

26. Tampa Bay - If Josh Freeman has bounce-back year, Bucs can bounce back while rebuilding under new coach Greg Schiano.

27. Minnesota - Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen are two of league's best players at their positions. Problem is other 20 spots in starting lineup.

28. St. Louis - Rams have blue chip coach (Jeff Fisher) and quarterback (Sam Bradford), but a whole lot of rebuilding still ahead.

29. Jacksonville - Maurice Jones-Drew gives Jaguars chance to run ball every Sunday, which gives them chance to control clock. That gives Jaguars chance to win some games.

30. Miami - Dolphins drafted QB Ryan Tannehill in first round, but traded away best receiver (Brandon Marshall). Where's the blueprint?

31. Cleveland - Browns will go with rookie quarterback (Brandon Weeden). That spells trouble for Cleveland in division with two of three best defenses and a third in top 10.

32. Indianapolis - Colts also will go with rookie quarterback: Andrew Luck. But this former champion has been gutted and Luck will be running for his life.

---

Online: http://bigstory.ap.org/NFL-Pro32 and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL