This week’s America Loves Countdown® series splits the countdown into two lists of five. One list is for the five NFL teams whom I think will be improved in 2007, and the other list is for the five teams who I think will be worse than they were in 2006. Keep in mind that this is a very early prediction. We haven’t hit the draft yet and free agency is just ramping up, but with so many teams making personnel changes and with general trends forming in the NFL these past few years, I think these picks are fairly solid. Then again, I could very well regret writing this come next January! I guess we’ll have to just wait and see, but for right now, here is the list.

NFL Teams Who Will Be Better in 2007

Tennessee Titans
If there is a lesson to be learned from recent NFL seasons, it is this: beware of the team who finished last year with a full head of steam. The Titans were already taking the league by storm last year. Had they not dropped their first five games, they would have posed a serious threat in the AFC playoffs. Their young QB and their coach are proven winners. Expect big things from them in 2007.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Much of Pittsburgh’s success or failure will ride on Mike Tomlin’s abilities to adjust to head coaching, but he has good players as well as proven assistants. On the field, Ben Roethlisberger should be able to pull out of his 2006 funk, assuming he doesn’t have any more motorcycle accidents or emergency appendectomies. The Steelers are better than 8-8, and I think (and hope) that they will prove that next season.

San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers beat division champ Seattle twice last season, have a top running back in Frank Gore, possess an up-and-coming QB, and are making strides to get better on defense. There is also this intangible: San Francisco has the stigma of being one of the very few teams (along with Pittsburgh, Dallas, Miami, and Denver) who never stay down too long. It’s only a matter of time before this proud franchise reclaims its spot as one of football’s best teams.

New England Patriots
They are the Patriots. They are always good. Tom Brady alone makes the team one of the best in the NFL each and every year. But this year they have lots of cap space. That means that they may actually be able to give Brady someone to throw to. They already made a huge splash in free agency by signing Adalius Thomas.

Arizona Cardinals
Ken Wishenhunt is a smart coach. He’s got a promising young QB, two amazing receivers, and a star runner on offense. I just can’t see him screwing this up. The Cardinals are poised to come out of nowhere just like the Bengals did a few years ago. Let’s just hope for their sake that it doesn’t lead to the entire team getting thrown into prison.

Honorable Mentions:

• Miami Dolphins: New coach + no pressure of being the Super Bowl favorites = good things for the fish.
• Detroit Lions: Only because they couldn’t get any worse? Could they??

NFL Teams Who Will Be Worse in 2007

Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens had a great run last season, but the problem is that everyone is now one year older. I just don’t see them repeating as AFC North champs, especially if the Steelers can thrive under Mike Tomlin and the Bengals can stay out of prison for more than a few weeks. They will still field a competitive team, but I think their championship window has closed as quickly as it opened. That being said, never count Steve McNair out.

New Orleans Saints
Call this one a total hunch, because there is no hard data to back it up. I just don’t see them advancing to the NFC Championship Game again. Can Drew Brees really reproduce the season he had in 2006, especially if some other teams in his conference actually step up and cross the magical 10-win mark? (which in the minor league NFC gets you the #2 seed!). I’d bet no on that. They can still make a playoff run, but I don’t think they will contend for the NFC’s annual Super Bowl Loser spot.

Seattle Seahawks
The ONLY reason this team squeaked into the playoffs in 2006 is because their division was beyond weak. However, that is all going to change next season. The Cardinals and 49ers will be better as noted above, and the Rams still have a decent team as well. All of this will kill Seattle’s chances to return to the playoffs. But it will probably still be the referees’ fault.

Dallas Cowboys
Wade Phillips? Bill Parcells quits and you hire Wade Phillips?! I can’t say enough bad things about that guy. He made perhaps the dumbest coaching decision ever when he benched Doug Flutie in the 1999 AFC Playoffs. And now you are asking the guy to work with an offensive coordinator whom he didn’t choose and a wide receiver who is impossible to deal with. Nice going, Jerry Jones. Way to screw up success yet again.

San Diego Chargers
I hate to admit this, but maybe Archie Manning was right not to let his son play for the Chargers. What is that franchise doing? After going 14-2, they completely melted down in the playoffs. Then they retained Marty Schottenheimer, watched all his assistants land jobs elsewhere, and then fired him after every other good head coaching candidate was taken. If that wasn’t bad enough, they named Norv Turner – a guy who made the playoffs ONCE in nine seasons of being a head coach – as Marty’s replacement! What an unbelievable comedy of errors.

Honorable Mentions:

• New York Giants: This franchise is very close to complete turmoil.
• Atlanta Falcons: Disclaimer – if they finally figure out that Michael Vick is a complete loser and sit him on the bench, then I retract this one.