Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens have nine playoff trips and two Super Bowls in 17 seasons in Baltimore. Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens have nine playoff trips and two Super Bowls in 17 seasons in Baltimore. Matthew Emmons/USA Today Perhaps it has gone a tad underappreciated, but the sea change in NFL front offices the past two years has been almost staggering. Veteran personnel decision-makers like Bill Polian, Jerry Angelo, Al Davis, A.J. Smith, Marty Hurney, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum and Billy Devaney are no longer running teams, while fresh faces like Chicagos Phil Emery, Indianapolis Ryan Grigson, St. Louis Les Snead, Oaklands Reggie McKenzie, Jacksonvilles David Caldwell, Kansas Citys John Dorsey, Tennessees Ruston Webster, the Jets John Idzik, San Diegos Tom Telesco, Carolinas David Gettleman, and Arizonas Steve Keim are getting their first opportunities as general managers. Like never before, its a new day in the NFL in terms of a new breed of club executives. All told, 15 of the leagues 32 teams have undergone some sort of significant change in the front office flow chart just since the close of the 2011 season, and two other teams (Miami and Tampa Bay) fired head coaches but retained their GMs during that span, at least altering the top-level decision-making tandem that had been in place. With so much rampant turnover, continuity is in short supply and roughly half the leagues front offices are in the formative stages of compiling their track record of results. But that didnt stop us from attempting to power rank the 12 best front offices as free agency opens and the personnel acquisition season begins in earnest. With so many new GM/head coaching combinations in place, identifying the most successful (and thus, stable) front offices is fairly straightforward, via the process of elimination. There are owners such as Jerry Jones and Mike Brown, who act as their own GMs in Dallas and Cincinnati, respectively, but other than those exceptions, the list of men who are long-time veterans at calling the personnel shots for their clubs is down to New England coach Bill Belichick and Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome, with Pittsburghs well-respected general manager Kevin Colbert being part of the collaborative decision-making process the Steelers are known for, and New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis sharing authority with head coach Sean Payton. For the purposes of our NFL front office power rankings, we communicated with current club executives and veteran agents to get a cross section of opinion on the personnel work of those currently in power. Heres my take on the 12 best in the business, with assorted observations and insight: 12. New Orleans I can make two very divergent cases when it comes to the Saints. First, theres the big picture view: Compare where the club is today compared to pre-2006, when GM Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton first joined forces. There is no comparison. The franchise has enjoyed a playoff-run glory era, and won its first Super Bowl title, after the 2009 season. During that time, the Saints on the personnel front have been superb at discovering unsung talents like Marques Colston (seventh round) and Pierre Thomas (undrafted), and made their share of smart free-agent signings (see Drew Brees and Darren Sproles). But there is another side to the story. They cant seem to fix their historically bad defense, first-round draft choices like Sedrick Ellis (2008), Patrick Robinson (2010) and Mark Ingram (2011) have lacked impact-player production, and the bottom line is that New Orleans has underachieved since winning the Super Bowl, with just one playoff victory in the past three seasons despite owning one of the games three best quarterbacks. And then theres the whole bounty scandal, with both Loomis and Payton receiving league suspensions in 2012, which at least has to be accounted for in some respect. On balance, the Saints are a top 12 front office, but just barely, and teams like Cincinnati, Minnesota and St. Louis have done better work more recently. 11. Denver The Broncos probably deserve inclusion on this list for last offseasons stellar quarterback work alone. Denver football czar John Elway was smart enough -- and tough-skinned enough -- to realize he had a wildly popular but limited starter in Tim Tebow, and he dared to set about upgrading the position in the face of a potential fan revolt. Actually, once the Broncos let it be known they were all-in on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, most Denver fans forgot they ever knew what a Tebow was. And as it turns out, what a masterstroke it was, with Elway and the Broncos hitting all the right buttons in their smart and aggressive pursuit of No. 18. As for the rest of the roster, its a bit early to judge Elways and head coach John Foxs track record. Sure, the Von Miller pick (No. 2 in 2011) was a beauty, but it was also a no-brainer. Miller had cant-miss written on his forehead. Two playoff trips in two years together speak volumes, but Elway and Fox didnt pick Ryan Clady, Elvis Dumervil, Demaryius Thomas or Eric Decker, or trade for Champ Bailey way back when. Those talents all came to Denver in the Josh McDaniels or Mike Shanahan eras. Elway and Co. are off to a strong start, and arguably Manning makes Super Bowl dreams possible, but most of the pieces were already in place. That cant be held against them, but it also should be mentioned as part of equation in the Mile High City. 10. Houston After perennially playing the role of the NFLs biggest tease for a number of years, the Texans have established themselves as an upper tier franchise in the past two seasons, winning 22 regular season games and two more in the playoffs. And the front office headed by GM Rick Smith has had plenty to do with that ascension, drafting shrewdly, finding overlooked talent like running back Arian Foster in the collegiate free agent pool, and making the 2007 trade for quarterback Matt Schaub that helped set up the franchises current playoff run. Give the Texans high marks for knowing who they are and what theyre after. Like most successful teams, they draft players that fit what they do, be it their 3-4 defense or their zone running scheme and blocking style. The draft has brought talents like J.J. Watt, Brooks Reed, Brian Cushing and Connor Barwin in recent years -- not to mention rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, who kept the teams 2011 playoff drive alive when Schaub and backup Matt Leinart went down -- and Smith has been unafraid to let stars like Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans go once their value in the Texans system peaked. Houston still doesnt have enough on offense to unseat the top powers in the AFC, but the Texans are built smartly and for the long haul, and their window should not close any time soon 9. Pittsburgh As rules go, this one is easy to follow: Any franchise that has not endured consecutive playoff-less seasons since 1999-2000 deserves automatic inclusion among the top 12 best front office operations in the league. Thats the neighborhood the Steelers have lived in the dozen years from 2001-2012 -- with five AFC title game trips and three Super Bowl berths in that span -- and thats why they start every season as a threat to win it all. Good coaching and a consistent approach by GM Kevin Colbert to the franchises personnel philosophy are the hallmarks of the Steelers. That said, the switch from Bruce Arians to Todd Haley at offensive coordinator didnt exactly pan out in 2012, and Pittsburgh seems to annually have salary cap issues that require contract restructuring and the eventual loss of some talented players. This years expected departure of receiver Mike Wallace and the cap release of outside linebacker James Harrison are just two of the latest examples. Some within the league believe this will eventually catch up to Pittsburgh, and that a serious downturn is nearly inevitable. You cant re-do deals forever. Eventually the piper must be paid. Age and a salary squeeze might be closing in on the Steelers. 8. Indianapolis There are those who believe the Colts have a lucky horseshoe lodged up their you-know-what. Need a quarterback? Well, you just take your medicine for a year and then go out and select a Peyton Manning or an Andrew Luck. Thats how that works. At least in Indy. Granted, Luck was a bit of fortuity. But he wasnt the only piece the Colts and rookie general manager Grigson got right in 2012. Grigsons first draft was a grand slam on offense, with six legitimate contributors, including Luck, tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, receivers T.Y. Hilton and LaVon Brazill and running back Vick Ballard. GALLERY: Biggest one-season turnarounds After making the playoffs 11 times in the 14-season Bill Polian-Peyton Manning era, the Colts may keep the good times rolling for years to come with the Grigson-Luck tandem. Maybe the tougher schedule gets Indy in 2013, or maybe the Colts wont have the same Chuck Pagano-inspired motivation to draw on next season. But last years 11-5 finish after the 2-14 debacle of 2011 was the story of the year in the NFL, and it wasnt so much a turnaround as it was the resumption of the natural order of things in Indianapolis. Somebodys doing something very right in the front office. 7. San Francisco Its hard to overestimate the instant impact of the two-year Jim Harbaugh coaching era in San Francisco, but the reality is he has brought forth production from a cupboard that was pretty well-stocked when he got there. The 49ers have an embarrassment of riches in some ways -- there were 15 former first-round picks on the 2012 roster, with nine of those first-rounders being homegrown. General manager Trent Baalke, who worked in the teams personnel department from 2008-2010, deserves plenty of credit, but so too does former 49ers GM Scot McCloughan, who was fired in March 2010. Eleven of San Franciscos 22 starters last season were acquired when McCloughan ran the front office, including Pro Bowl picks Patrick Willis, Frank Gore, Dashon Goldson, Joe Staley and Justin Smith. So too were Vernon Davis, Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree. Baalkes 2011 draft class has its own cache, as does his 2011 free-agent signings of Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner and David Akers. In summary, a ton of talent has been amassed in San Francisco, but it only started bearing real fruit once Harbaugh and Baalke assumed power in early 2011. After years of losing and directionless drift, the 49ers are again winning big. Read More: sportsillustrated.cnn/nfl/news/20130312/nfl-free-agents-front-offices/#ixzz2k0mG8qc Matthew Emmons/USA Today Perhaps it has gone a tad underappreciated, but the sea change in NFL front offices the past two years has been almost staggering. Veteran personnel decision-makers like Bill Polian, Jerry Angelo, Al Davis, A.J. Smith, Marty Hurney, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum and Billy Devaney are no longer running teams, while fresh faces like Chicagos Phil Emery, Indianapolis Ryan Grigson, St. Louis Les Snead, Oaklands Reggie McKenzie, Jacksonvilles David Caldwell, Kansas Citys John Dorsey, Tennessees Ruston Webster, the Jets John Idzik, San Diegos Tom Telesco, Carolinas David Gettleman, and Arizonas Steve Keim are getting their first opportunities as general managers. Like never before, its a new day in the NFL in terms of a new breed of club executives. All told, 15 of the leagues 32 teams have undergone some sort of significant change in the front office flow chart just since the close of the 2011 season, and two other teams (Miami and Tampa Bay) fired head coaches but retained their GMs during that span, at least altering the top-level decision-making tandem that had been in place. With so much rampant turnover, continuity is in short supply and roughly half the leagues front offices are in the formative stages of compiling their track record of results. But that didnt stop us from attempting to power rank the 12 best front offices as free agency opens and the personnel acquisition season begins in earnest. With so many new GM/head coaching combinations in place, identifying the most successful (and thus, stable) front offices is fairly straightforward, via the process of elimination. There are owners such as Jerry Jones and Mike Brown, who act as their own GMs in Dallas and Cincinnati, respectively, but other than those exceptions, the list of men who are long-time veterans at calling the personnel shots for their clubs is down to New England coach Bill Belichick and Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome, with Pittsburghs well-respected general manager Kevin Colbert being part of the collaborative decision-making process the Steelers are known for, and New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis sharing authority with head coach Sean Payton. For the purposes of our NFL front office power rankings, we communicated with current club executives and veteran agents to get a cross section of opinion on the personnel work of those currently in power. Heres my take on the 12 best in the business, with assorted observations and insight: 12. New Orleans I can make two very divergent cases when it comes to the Saints. First, theres the big picture view: Compare where the club is today compared to pre-2006, when GM Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton first joined forces. There is no comparison. The franchise has enjoyed a playoff-run glory era, and won its first Super Bowl title, after the 2009 season. During that time, the Saints on the personnel front have been superb at discovering unsung talents like Marques Colston (seventh round) and Pierre Thomas (undrafted), and made their share of smart free-agent signings (see Drew Brees and Darren Sproles). But there is another side to the story. They cant seem to fix their historically bad defense, first-round draft choices like Sedrick Ellis (2008), Patrick Robinson (2010) and Mark Ingram (2011) have lacked impact-player production, and the bottom line is that New Orleans has underachieved since winning the Super Bowl, with just one playoff victory in the past three seasons despite owning one of the games three best quarterbacks. And then theres the whole bounty scandal, with both Loomis and Payton receiving league suspensions in 2012, which at least has to be accounted for in some respect. On balance, the Saints are a top 12 front office, but just barely, and teams like Cincinnati, Minnesota and St. Louis have done better work more recently. 11. Denver The Broncos probably deserve inclusion on this list for last offseasons stellar quarterback work alone. Denver football czar John Elway was smart enough -- and tough-skinned enough -- to realize he had a wildly popular but limited starter in Tim Tebow, and he dared to set about upgrading the position in the face of a potential fan revolt. Actually, once the Broncos let it be known they were all-in on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, most Denver fans forgot they ever knew what a Tebow was. And as it turns out, what a masterstroke it was, with Elway and the Broncos hitting all the right buttons in their smart and aggressive pursuit of No. 18. As for the rest of the roster, its a bit early to judge Elways and head coach John Foxs track record. Sure, the Von Miller pick (No. 2 in 2011) was a beauty, but it was also a no-brainer. Miller had cant-miss written on his forehead. Two playoff trips in two years together speak volumes, but Elway and Fox didnt pick Ryan Clady, Elvis Dumervil, Demaryius Thomas or Eric Decker, or trade for Champ Bailey way back when. Those talents all came to Denver in the Josh McDaniels or Mike Shanahan eras. Elway and Co. are off to a strong start, and arguably Manning makes Super Bowl dreams possible, but most of the pieces were already in place. That cant be held against them, but it also should be mentioned as part of equation in the Mile High City. 10. Houston After perennially playing the role of the NFLs biggest tease for a number of years, the Texans have established themselves as an upper tier franchise in the past two seasons, winning 22 regular season games and two more in the playoffs. And the front office headed by GM Rick Smith has had plenty to do with that ascension, drafting shrewdly, finding overlooked talent like running back Arian Foster in the collegiate free agent pool, and making the 2007 trade for quarterback Matt Schaub that helped set up the franchises current playoff run. Give the Texans high marks for knowing who they are and what theyre after. Like most successful teams, they draft players that fit what they do, be it their 3-4 defense or their zone running scheme and blocking style. The draft has brought talents like J.J. Watt, Brooks Reed, Brian Cushing and Connor Barwin in recent years -- not to mention rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, who kept the teams 2011 playoff drive alive when Schaub and backup Matt Leinart went down -- and Smith has been unafraid to let stars like Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans go once their value in the Texans system peaked. Houston still doesnt have enough on offense to unseat the top powers in the AFC, but the Texans are built smartly and for the long haul, and their window should not close any time soon 9. Pittsburgh As rules go, this one is easy to follow: Any franchise that has not endured consecutive playoff-less seasons since 1999-2000 deserves automatic inclusion among the top 12 best front office operations in the league. Thats the neighborhood the Steelers have lived in the dozen years from 2001-2012 -- with five AFC title game trips and three Super Bowl berths in that span -- and thats why they start every season as a threat to win it all. Good coaching and a consistent approach by GM Kevin Colbert to the franchises personnel philosophy are the hallmarks of the Steelers. That said, the switch from Bruce Arians to Todd Haley at offensive coordinator didnt exactly pan out in 2012, and Pittsburgh seems to annually have salary cap issues that require contract restructuring and the eventual loss of some talented players. This years expected departure of receiver Mike Wallace and the cap release of outside linebacker James Harrison are just two of the latest examples. Some within the league believe this will eventually catch up to Pittsburgh, and that a serious downturn is nearly inevitable. You cant re-do deals forever. Eventually the piper must be paid. Age and a salary squeeze might be closing in on the Steelers. 8. Indianapolis There are those who believe the Colts have a lucky horseshoe lodged up their you-know-what. Need a quarterback? Well, you just take your medicine for a year and then go out and select a Peyton Manning or an Andrew Luck. Thats how that works. At least in Indy. Granted, Luck was a bit of fortuity. But he wasnt the only piece the Colts and rookie general manager Grigson got right in 2012. Grigsons first draft was a grand slam on offense, with six legitimate contributors, including Luck, tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, receivers T.Y. Hilton and LaVon Brazill and running back Vick Ballard. GALLERY: Biggest one-season turnarounds After making the playoffs 11 times in the 14-season Bill Polian-Peyton Manning era, the Colts may keep the good times rolling for years to come with the Grigson-Luck tandem. Maybe the tougher schedule gets Indy in 2013, or maybe the Colts wont have the same Chuck Pagano-inspired motivation to draw on next season. But last years 11-5 finish after the 2-14 debacle of 2011 was the story of the year in the NFL, and it wasnt so much a turnaround as it was the resumption of the natural order of things in Indianapolis. Somebodys doing something very right in the front office. 7. San Francisco Its hard to overestimate the instant impact of the two-year Jim Harbaugh coaching era in San Francisco, but the reality is he has brought forth production from a cupboard that was pretty well-stocked when he got there. The 49ers have an embarrassment of riches in some ways -- there were 15 former first-round picks on the 2012 roster, with nine of those first-rounders being homegrown. General manager Trent Baalke, who worked in the teams personnel department from 2008-2010, deserves plenty of credit, but so too does former 49ers GM Scot McCloughan, who was fired in March 2010. Eleven of San Franciscos 22 starters last season were acquired when McCloughan ran the front office, including Pro Bowl picks Patrick Willis, Frank Gore, Dashon Goldson, Joe Staley and Justin Smith. So too were Vernon Davis, Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree. Baalkes 2011 draft class has its own cache, as does his 2011 free-agent signings of Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner and David Akers. In summary, a ton of talent has been amassed in San Francisco, but it only started bearing real fruit once Harbaugh and Baalke assumed power in early 2011. After years of losing and directionless drift, the 49ers are again winning big. Read More: sportsillustrated.cnn/nfl/news/20130312/nfl-free-agents-front-offices/#ixzz2k0mG8qcL Enlarge font Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens have nine playoff trips and two Super Bowls in 17 seasons in Baltimore. Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens have nine playoff trips and two Super Bowls in 17 seasons in Baltimore. Matthew Emmons/USA Today Perhaps it has gone a tad underappreciated, but the sea change in NFL front offices the past two years has been almost staggering. Veteran personnel decision-makers like Bill Polian, Jerry Angelo, Al Davis, A.J. Smith, Marty Hurney, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum and Billy Devaney are no longer running teams, while fresh faces like Chicagos Phil Emery, Indianapolis Ryan Grigson, St. Louis Les Snead, Oaklands Reggie McKenzie, Jacksonvilles David Caldwell, Kansas Citys John Dorsey, Tennessees Ruston Webster, the Jets John Idzik, San Diegos Tom Telesco, Carolinas David Gettleman, and Arizonas Steve Keim are getting their first opportunities as general managers. Like never before, its a new day in the NFL in terms of a new breed of club executives. All told, 15 of the leagues 32 teams have undergone some sort of significant change in the front office flow chart just since the close of the 2011 season, and two other teams (Miami and Tampa Bay) fired head coaches but retained their GMs during that span, at least altering the top-level decision-making tandem that had been in place. With so much rampant turnover, continuity is in short supply and roughly half the leagues front offices are in the formative stages of compiling their track record of results. But that didnt stop us from attempting to power rank the 12 best front offices as free agency opens and the personnel acquisition season begins in earnest. With so many new GM/head coaching combinations in place, identifying the most successful (and thus, stable) front offices is fairly straightforward, via the process of elimination. There are owners such as Jerry Jones and Mike Brown, who act as their own GMs in Dallas and Cincinnati, respectively, but other than those exceptions, the list of men who are long-time veterans at calling the personnel shots for their clubs is down to New England coach Bill Belichick and Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome, with Pittsburghs well-respected general manager Kevin Colbert being part of the collaborative decision-making process the Steelers are known for, and New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis sharing authority with head coach Sean Payton. For the purposes of our NFL front office power rankings, we communicated with current club executives and veteran agents to get a cross section of opinion on the personnel work of those currently in power. Heres my take on the 12 best in the business, with assorted observations and insight: 12. New Orleans I can make two very divergent cases when it comes to the Saints. First, theres the big picture view: Compare where the club is today compared to pre-2006, when GM Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton first joined forces. There is no comparison. The franchise has enjoyed a playoff-run glory era, and won its first Super Bowl title, after the 2009 season. During that time, the Saints on the personnel front have been superb at discovering unsung talents like Marques Colston (seventh round) and Pierre Thomas (undrafted), and made their share of smart free-agent signings (see Drew Brees and Darren Sproles). But there is another side to the story. They cant seem to fix their historically bad defense, first-round draft choices like Sedrick Ellis (2008), Patrick Robinson (2010) and Mark Ingram (2011) have lacked impact-player production, and the bottom line is that New Orleans has underachieved since winning the Super Bowl, with just one playoff victory in the past three seasons despite owning one of the games three best quarterbacks. And then theres the whole bounty scandal, with both Loomis and Payton receiving league suspensions in 2012, which at least has to be accounted for in some respect. On balance, the Saints are a top 12 front office, but just barely, and teams like Cincinnati, Minnesota and St. Louis have done better work more recently. 11. Denver The Broncos probably deserve inclusion on this list for last offseasons stellar quarterback work alone. Denver football czar John Elway was smart enough -- and tough-skinned enough -- to realize he had a wildly popular but limited starter in Tim Tebow, and he dared to set about upgrading the position in the face of a potential fan revolt. Actually, once the Broncos let it be known they were all-in on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, most Denver fans forgot they ever knew what a Tebow was. And as it turns out, what a masterstroke it was, with Elway and the Broncos hitting all the right buttons in their smart and aggressive pursuit of No. 18. As for the rest of the roster, its a bit early to judge Elways and head coach John Foxs track record. Sure, the Von Miller pick (No. 2 in 2011) was a beauty, but it was also a no-brainer. Miller had cant-miss written on his forehead. Two playoff trips in two years together speak volumes, but Elway and Fox didnt pick Ryan Clady, Elvis Dumervil, Demaryius Thomas or Eric Decker, or trade for Champ Bailey way back when. Those talents all came to Denver in the Josh McDaniels or Mike Shanahan eras. Elway and Co. are off to a strong start, and arguably Manning makes Super Bowl dreams possible, but most of the pieces were already in place. That cant be held against them, but it also should be mentioned as part of equation in the Mile High City. 10. Houston After perennially playing the role of the NFLs biggest tease for a number of years, the Texans have established themselves as an upper tier franchise in the past two seasons, winning 22 regular season games and two more in the playoffs. And the front office headed by GM Rick Smith has had plenty to do with that ascension, drafting shrewdly, finding overlooked talent like running back Arian Foster in the collegiate free agent pool, and making the 2007 trade for quarterback Matt Schaub that helped set up the franchises current playoff run. Give the Texans high marks for knowing who they are and what theyre after. Like most successful teams, they draft players that fit what they do, be it their 3-4 defense or their zone running scheme and blocking style. The draft has brought talents like J.J. Watt, Brooks Reed, Brian Cushing and Connor Barwin in recent years -- not to mention rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, who kept the teams 2011 playoff drive alive when Schaub and backup Matt Leinart went down -- and Smith has been unafraid to let stars like Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans go once their value in the Texans system peaked. Houston still doesnt have enough on offense to unseat the top powers in the AFC, but the Texans are built smartly and for the long haul, and their window should not close any time soon 9. Pittsburgh As rules go, this one is easy to follow: Any franchise that has not endured consecutive playoff-less seasons since 1999-2000 deserves automatic inclusion among the top 12 best front office operations in the league. Thats the neighborhood the Steelers have lived in the dozen years from 2001-2012 -- with five AFC title game trips and three Super Bowl berths in that span -- and thats why they start every season as a threat to win it all. Good coaching and a consistent approach by GM Kevin Colbert to the franchises personnel philosophy are the hallmarks of the Steelers. That said, the switch from Bruce Arians to Todd Haley at offensive coordinator didnt exactly pan out in 2012, and Pittsburgh seems to annually have salary cap issues that require contract restructuring and the eventual loss of some talented players. This years expected departure of receiver Mike Wallace and the cap release of outside linebacker James Harrison are just two of the latest examples. Some within the league believe this will eventually catch up to Pittsburgh, and that a serious downturn is nearly inevitable. You cant re-do deals forever. Eventually the piper must be paid. Age and a salary squeeze might be closing in on the Steelers. 8. Indianapolis There are those who believe the Colts have a lucky horseshoe lodged up their you-know-what. Need a quarterback? Well, you just take your medicine for a year and then go out and select a Peyton Manning or an Andrew Luck. Thats how that works. At least in Indy. Granted, Luck was a bit of fortuity. But he wasnt the only piece the Colts and rookie general manager Grigson got right in 2012. Grigsons first draft was a grand slam on offense, with six legitimate contributors, including Luck, tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, receivers T.Y. Hilton and LaVon Brazill and running back Vick Ballard. GALLERY: Biggest one-season turnarounds After making the playoffs 11 times in the 14-season Bill Polian-Peyton Manning era, the Colts may keep the good times rolling for years to come with the Grigson-Luck tandem. Maybe the tougher schedule gets Indy in 2013, or maybe the Colts wont have the same Chuck Pagano-inspired motivation to draw on next season. But last years 11-5 finish after the 2-14 debacle of 2011 was the story of the year in the NFL, and it wasnt so much a turnaround as it was the resumption of the natural order of things in Indianapolis. Somebodys doing something very right in the front office. 7. San Francisco Its hard to overestimate the instant impact of the two-year Jim Harbaugh coaching era in San Francisco, but the reality is he has brought forth production from a cupboard that was pretty well-stocked when he got there. The 49ers have an embarrassment of riches in some ways -- there were 15 former first-round picks on the 2012 roster, with nine of those first-rounders being homegrown. General manager Trent Baalke, who worked in the teams personnel department from 2008-2010, deserves plenty of credit, but so too does former 49ers GM Scot McCloughan, who was fired in March 2010. Eleven of San Franciscos 22 starters last season were acquired when McCloughan ran the front office, including Pro Bowl picks Patrick Willis, Frank Gore, Dashon Goldson, Joe Staley and Justin Smith. So too were Vernon Davis, Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree. Baalkes 2011 draft class has its own cache, as does his 2011 free-agent signings of Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner and David Akers. In summary, a ton of talent has been amassed in San Francisco, but it only started bearing real fruit once Harbaugh and Baalke assumed power in early 2011. After years of losing and directionless drift, the 49ers are again winning big. 6. Atlanta There are plenty of things that command admiration and respect about the first-class program Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith have built in their five years on the job: Theres the way they work so seamlessly together; the risks theyre willing to take to improve (see Julio Jones draft-day trade in 2011), and Atlantas unprecedented era of success from 2008 on -- a 56-24 regular-season record and four playoff trips in five years. For a franchise that had never even had consecutive winning seasons before these guys arrived, these are the salad days in Atlanta. Peria Jerry in 2009 aside, Atlanta has drafted pretty well and had more hits than misses via trades (Tony Gonzalez and Asante Samuel) or free agency (Matt Bryant and Michael Turner good; Ray Edwards and Dunta Robinson not so much). It also speaks volumes that teams keep raiding the Falcons front office for a new GM of their own (David Caldwell in Jacksonville and Les Snead in St. Louis the past two years). But, and theres always a but with the Falcons, playoff success has to have some role in the equation, and thats where I cant quite make the case for Atlanta cracking the top five just yet. The Falcons are just 1-4 in the postseason, and they came darn close to blowing even that victory in last seasons divisional round at home against Seattle. Get that fixed and therell be nothing left not to like. Read More: sportsillustrated.cnn/nfl/news/20130312/nfl-free-agents-front-offices/#ixzz2k0nMfF5p
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 22:11:45 +0000
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