In my last post I gave you the criteria for an NFL team to be considered a sleeper. Every year a team comes out of leftfield to surprise everyone and make the playoffs. The fun part is trying to pick this year's sleeper team. Also, there can be more than one sleeper team in a year. Last year, we had three: Atlanta, Baltimore, and Miami. Here is my list of possible sleeper teams for 2009. Remember at least one of these teams will make the playoffs in 2009:
(I'll list in them reserve order of record from 2008)
9) Detroit Lions (0-16 in 2008): Obviously, the Lions should improve from their performance in 2008. It is hard to see the Lions win 9 or 10 games with a new Head Coach and a rookie QB. Don't count on the Lions as a 2009 Sleeper.
8) St. Louis Rams (2-14 in 2008): The Rams could be an intriguing sleeper pick because of these factors: Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger. I could see the Rams sneaking up on people because of a weak division, but I wouldn't trust them as a sleeper.
7) Kansas City Chiefs (2-14 in 2008): The Chiefs could become the consensus "Bandwagon Sleeper" by the time the season starts in September. They added Matt Cassell at QB and Todd Haley as their HC, so that should immediately jumpstart their offense. I don't know if they have enough talent to win 10 games, but they will be an interesting team to watch.
6) Cleveland (4-12 in 2008): The Browns look like they are in rebuilding mode as the Eric Mangini era kicks off. The key to their success will be at QB. Can you trust Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn? I don't think I can.
5) Seattle (4-12 in 2008): The Seahawks were dismantled by injuries last season. This team has the classic look of a team ready for a bounce back season. With Matt Hasselback healthy, I think you could look for some good results from this team in 2009.
NEXT POST: The Final Four Sleepers!
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