The National Football League has had many dynasties throughout the course of its existence, starting with the Green Bay Packers of the 60s and ending with the Dallas Cowboys of the 90s. But that was the old NFL. Will the “new” NFL ever see another dynasty like the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 70s or the San Francisco 49ers of the 80s again?

No way. That is like saying the Cincinnati Bengals have a shot at winning the Super Bowl in the next 30 years. It’s just not going to happen. We might see the St. Louis Rams flirt with the concept of being a dynasty, but in this day-and-age of the salary cap and free agency, the chances of seeing another true dynasty are bleak.

Every year now we see a new team emerge as Super Bowl Champions. The Baltimore Ravens did it two years ago with a hard-hitting stingy defense, and last season it was the New England Patriots who finished the season victorious after suffering through a horrible season the year before.

The Ravens are a perfect example of the “new” NFL. Win the Super Bowl one year, make it to the playoffs the next and then fall off the face of the earth there after. Could the Patriots be next in line? I don’t think they’ll repeat as Super Bowl Champions, but I do expect them to defend their title better than the Ravens did.

So with the start of the season approaching, it is time to predict who will emerge as the NFL’s best team. It’s hard to pick a clear-cut favorite these days, so I’ve narrowed the possibilities down to four teams. Good luck choosing the winner.

The favorite has to be the St. Louis Rams. They have the best quarterback in the league in Kurt Warner and the best overall player with Marshall Faulk.

Then you have the Pittsburgh Steelers who are coming off one of its best seasons ever and returning almost all its starters. Not to mention they have the best overall defense in the league.

Another team from Pennsylvania that should give the Rams a run for its money is the Philadelphia Eagles. With a dominant defense and a young mobile quarterback in Donavon McNabb, the Eagles should have no problem returning to the NFC Championship game.

And finally the defending Super Bowl Champions the New England Patriots. How can you leave a team that lost the first game last season to the Cincinnati Bengals and still come back to win the Super Bowl, off of your list. You just can’t. They have earned the right to be on the list.

A couple of other teams that I believe have a good chance of being the next Patriots, are the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams have good quarterbacks and solid defenses, which should get them far in the league.

With all that said, the team that will be standing alone on the winners platform in San Diego, holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy high in the sky will be the Pittsburgh Steelers after they defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in the battle of Pennsylvania.