Staring down the barrel of a losing season, some front offices around the league are scrambling in the hopes of putting the necessary pieces of the puzzle together for the next season. They are putting these pieces together because they hope to turn around their franchise, or begin a new era after the residue of loss permeates through the air of the respective NFL community. This year I like the chances of the Browns, Raiders, Lions, Cowboys, and Broncos (in no particular order) to turn around their franchises due to moves they have already made, are going to make, or may potentially make, and I will tell you just why.

Cleveland Browns: Personnel is key when I think of the Browns. Former GM of the Eagles Tom Heckert is very successful in this industry and did not take the job in Cleveland simply to produce average results, Mike Holmgren now the team’s president has more football expertise than many I can think of. A new coaching regime beneath Pat Shurmur may have the ability to ignite these players. Yes, the Browns were (5-11) last season I know, but 2 of those wins came against the Patriots and the Saints, both in dominating fashion.  In defensive line-man Marcus Bernard the Browns may have the most dormant and underrated player currently in the league. With the 5^th overall pick in the draft the Browns could be poised to make some noise this season, if they hammer out their QB situation and take advantage of the draft and the offseason.

Oakland Raiders: Oakland has without a doubt been on an upward slope for the past 2 seasons, Tom Cable should still be the HC in Oakland, but I like what Hue Jackson brings to the table. The black hole is boasting an overly intimidating defense even if they are not able to hang on to Asomugha; Rolando McClain has all of the tools necessary to produce at an all-pro level in this league and seems to improve with each snap. I am a bit skeptical of the Richard Seymour $30 mil. deal although he does seem to be playing some of the best football of his career. Adding Rod Woodson to the staff in Oakland is something that the Raiders will surely not regret and may even help them keep Nnamdi. Not having a 1^st round draft pick in 2011 will hurt the Silver and Black, however given their recent history with 1^st rounder’s (excluding McClain and McFadden) I wouldn’t say its too much of an issue.

Detroit Lions: Some may call me crazy for this one, but I will place a provision on Detroit’s turn around. “If” and it’s a big “If”, the Lions are able to get some adequate pass protection for Matthew Stafford and keep him healthy, this team may be in for some success in 2011. Especially on the offensive side of the ball; Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Stefan Logan, and Jahvid Best round out one of the most talented young offensive cores in the league, in my opinion. Although they were only (6-10) the Lions truly were in contention to win most of their games, and had a few swiped from their hands (Eagles, Jets). Also amongst teams with a losing record the lions had the lowest point differential by far at (-7) 2^nd place was the Texans at (-39), this stat is one of the most overlooked in the game and essentially tells you how well a team matches up against the competition. (like a +/- rating in hockey). With the 13^th overall selection in 2011 I expect to see the Lions take an o-lineman to aid in said protection, perchance an early reach for prodigal G/C Mike Pouncey.

Dallas Cowboys: Out of this group, I see it as most likely that the Boys resurge to their normal selves in 2011. Jason Garett had, and now has, this team performing at an optimal level compared to how they performed for Wade Phillips. This team is once again hungry, and once again fired up to perform for their front office. We all know that America’s team does not lack the talent, with all of the star power on it’s roster it is simply a matter of attaining a congruent team chemistry. With the 9^th overall pick in this year’s draft Dallas is sure to add some more star power to their squad, a stellar move for the Boys (considering they don’t have any overwhelming needs) would be to draft a DE/OLB like J.J. Watt or Adrian Clayborn that could play along side Demarcus Ware and learn to terrorize the backfield from the best himself.

Denver Broncos: I would really love to justify this selection with two words, or one name: John Elway. But that’s not fair, so ill tell you why I actually believe the Broncos have the potential to turn it around. Riddled with inconsistencies the past few seasons Denver now has not just one, but two QBs that can play at the pro-level, that’s right, I said it Tim Tebow CAN play in the pros. Knowsean Moreno has the ability to become a star in this league if he can stay healthy, while on the outside Brandon Lloyd, Jabbar Gaffney, Demaryius Thomas and Eddie Royal consistently tear up opposing defenses. New Head coach John Fox is a defensive coach, and this is exactly what this team needs, as just noted it is not quite the offenses fault for its 2010 shortcomings. Losing 2009 sack leader Elvis Dumervil was a serious detriment to their team in 2010, his return (and a likely 2^nd overall defensive selection) means big things for this defense. I have faith that “John sqaured” (Fox and Elway) have the necessary skill set to turn this team around.

One team that I resisted to mention was the Minnesota Vikings, and Leslie Frazier is a big part of that decision. Although he had the squad playing better than it did with Childress, I am still not sure that they have enough in the oven to pull themselves out of the slumps of the NFC North. That is unless Auburns Cam Newton is still available with the 12^th overall selection. The aforementioned squads are my potential turn around teams for the 2011 season, so temper your expectations as these are not set in stone predictions.