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Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Clifton Brown of Sporting News: Week 4 CLIFTON BROWN (Sporting News) 1. Houston Texans - It takes more than losing a piece of his ear to deter Matt Schaub, or this team. 2. New York Giants - At Carolina, the Giants showed the familiar capability of rising to another level. 3. Atlanta Falcons - Off the field, they're having some problems. On the field, they're on fire. 4. San Francisco 49ers - Performance at Vikings looked like a rare letdown under Jim Harbaugh. 5. Baltimore Ravens - What an inspirational performance by Torrey Smith. This team has never been more capable offensively. 6. Green Bay Packers - I don't consider that a loss Monday night, and still consider the Packers one of the league's better teams. 7. Arizona Cardinals - With this ferocious defense, the Cardinals are a threat to win NFC West. 8. New England Patriots - Despite two tough losses and shaky secondary, don't bet against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick winning the AFC East. 9. Chicago Bears - So much of this team's fate depends on whether they get the good Jay Cutler, or the bad Cutler. 10. Seattle Seahawks - Monday night was a gift, but an outstanding defensive performance made it possible. 11. Minnesota Vikings - They are a surprising 2-1, and Christian Ponder's improvement is paying huge dividends. 12. Denver Broncos - Considering the tough schedule, a 1-2 start is no reason to panic. 13. Dallas Cowboys - Performance against Bucs was not pretty, but nothing wrong with ugly wins. 14. Cincinnati Bengals - The defense is still a question mark, but the offense is more explosive. 15. San Diego Chargers - Loss to Falcons was a setback. How they fare against Texans will show us even more. 16. Detroit Lions - They could easily be 0-3, and they could be in trouble in a tough division. 17. Pittsburgh Steelers - Their bye comes at a good team. They need to get healthy in a hurry. 18. New Orleans Saints - Expect them to play better eventually, but stick a fork in their playoff chances. 19. Philadelphia Eagles - Michael Vick is too careless, and the offensive line is too porous. Turnovers may not stop. 20. Buffalo Bills - Have looked much better since their opener, but they need a healthy C. J. Spiller. 21. New York Jets - Hard to quantify how much the loss of Darrelle Revis will hurt. My guess is that it will hurt a lot. 22. Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton's performance and attitude need 23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Greg Schiano has improved this team's toughness, but finishing games remains issue. 24. Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III is the real deal. The Redskins' defense is a real problem. 25. Kansas City Chiefs - Getting first win could spark them, and Jamaal Charles is definitely back. 26. Tennessee Titans - Jake Locker may be ready to show why he won the starting job. 27. Miami Dolphins - Dan Carpenter's missed field goals ruined what would have been a nice Week 3 win. 28. St. Louis Rams - Better play from quarterback Sam Bradford is a must for this team. 29. Oakland Raiders - Darren McFadden topping the 100-yard mark is a good sign. 30. Jacksonville Jaguars - Maurice Jones-Drew is looking better each week, which should help Blaine Gabbert. 31. Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck is in the same boat as RG III. Needs stronger supporting cast. 32. Cleveland Browns - When Trent Richardson is shut down, they struggle offensively. --- Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL |