Comparing 2009 Final Rankings to 2008

This shows who improved the most, and who went backwards according to my strength formula. As bad as the Seahawks were, they were essentially just as bad as the year before. Note that SF made the largest gain in the division, and there’s reason to expect that to continue.

9 of the 15 most improved teams made the playoffs this season. Only Baltimore (#17) and Philadelphia (#21) made the playoffs as a statistically worse team than they were the previous year. What does that tell us? It’s not enough to be a good team. You must be a BETTER team.