A group of NFL writers for ESPN.com have compiled their preseason NFL Power Rankings. Each week during the NFL season these writers rank the teams based on their performance up to that point during the season, it’s similar to College Football Poll System. They even issue a final poll after the end of the regular season.

Last season the New England Patriots came out on top at 16-0 followed by Indianapolis at 13-3 and Dallas was third at 13-3. So which team comes out on top in the preseason poll? Who’s the biggest gainer? The biggest loser? Well let’s take a look at the Top Ten.

The results are compilations of votes given by given by eight writers: John Clayton, Pat Yasinskas, Matt Mosley, Bill Williamson, James Walker and Mike Sando all of ESPN and Scouts, Inc.’s Jeremy Green and Keith Kidd.   

10.  Green Bay Packers

9.    Cleveland Browns

8.    Seattle Seahawks

7.    Pittsburgh Steelers

6.    New York Giants

5.    Jacksonville Jaguars

4.    Dallas Cowboys

3.   San Diego Chargers

2.   Indianapolis Colts

1.   New England Patriots

Once again most of the people who follow the league feel New England will be the top team. With the offense not missing a beat as Randy Moss returns to catch bombs from Tom Brady, Lawrence Maroney is a year older and wiser, Sammy Morris will be back from his injury, Wes Welker will be back to kill opponents in the slot and Kevin Faulk returns as the third down specialist. The only real question mark on offense is the line. Can they recover from their poor performance in Super Bowl XLII? We all remember how the Giants front dominated them do you think the rest of the NFL wasn’t watching? The problem for most of the league is they don’t have the talented front seven New York has, so many teams will not be able to duplicate that threat and that spells trouble for opposing defenses.

The defense was the biggest question mark in the offseason, especially the secondary and the linebacker corps only the line remained intact. The secondary and linebackers underwent some offseason change with free agent defections and cuts and will have new look in 2008 with some new signee’s like Fernando Bryant and Victor Hobson plus draft picks Jerod Mayo and Terrance Wheatley. There is always the possibility that Junior Seau will return as well. He has yet to make a decision and the longer it goes the better you feel about a return to Foxboro.

After New England, their archrival Indianapolis is second. The Colts always draft and spend free agent money wisely so you know they will be right there when it counts, San Diego will once again try to get over the hump and get past the Colts and Patriots to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

The top NFC teams on the list are the Dallas Cowboys who are ranked 4^th. Dallas has been a Super Bowl contender the last couple of seasons but playoff blunders in Seattle two years ago and a poor game against the Giants in Dallas this year have kept the Cowboys from advancing to the conference final.

The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants are ranked 6^th. The Giants will be hard pressed to repeat as Super Bowl champs never mind getting to the playoffs. They have been notoriously slow starters under Tom Coughlin and if they hadn’t gone on the playoff run they’d likely have been looking at new coach in training camp this summer.

Seattle is ranked 8^th in the poll and is the third best NFC team according to the experts. The Seahawks will have a new backfield with the release of Shaun Alexander and will be looking to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time in three seasons.

If you’re a Patriots fan, things look pretty favorable again for the club this season. I’m not saying they go 16-0 again, in fact after last season, I’d rather see them lose a game or two. I think head coach Bill Belichick is a master motivator and he does his best work after a loss. I think the players work harder after a loss as well, not that they didn’t work hard last year but each week you had more and more questions about being undefeated. No matter how much they say it didn’t affect them it had to have been a distraction. It was a season of distractions and the team handled them remarkably well. But with a loss or two it will be one distraction the team doesn’t need this season.

Here is a breakdown of how each writer voted for each team.

And a final note, Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe has a Q&A with Hobson, who comes to New England after five seasons with the New York Jets.