The NFL preseason mercifully concluded on Thursday night. I watched an inordinate amount of the preseason action, enough that I saw every team but one (Carolina) play at least one full game.

It’s dangerous to try and extrapolate too much information from the preseason. The best example of that is the team closest to my heart, the Detroit Lions. The Lions tore through the preseason with a 4-0 in 2008, looking polished, precise and hungry. Yet once the games started counting, they didn’t win a single one. 

With that rainy cloud hanging overhead, here are eight things I think I learned from this preseason.

1. Tom Brady is a Golden God. His Patriots' receiving corps is almost embarrassingly thin. Danny Amendola, a guy who nearly died on the field when his collarbone shattered and almost severed a major blood vessel, is the only proven commodity. Two undrafted rookies will start in wideout Kenbrell Thompkins and tight end Zach Sudfeld. No matter; Brady looked very sharp, save a couple of sputtering drives against a curiously inspired Lions' defense. If Brady throws for over 4500 yards and 30 touchdowns with these guys as his targets, there is no question Tom Brady is one of the three greatest QBs in NFL history. I would not bet against him.

2. The Houston Texans are not settling on their laurels. There is a tangible edge to the defense even though JJ Watt didn’t play. Rookie safety DJ Swearinger is the kind of intimidating presence that makes receivers hesitate across the middle. He clearly doesn’t care if he gets flagged. Brian Cushing looks recovered from his knee injury. The receivers look sharper, including the apparently ageless Andre Johnson. Backup RB Ben Tate eases the concern about Arian Foster’s increasingly balky legs. Heading into the preseason I was concerned that this team could fall back in 2013, but those fears are largely relieved now.

3. The bottom of the AFC is awful. The four weakest rosters in the NFL are all in the AFC, and it showed during preseason. San Diego, Oakland, the New York Jets, and Buffalo are all going to draft in the top six next May. These Raiders could very well challenge those historically inept ’08 Lions for a winless season.

The common denominator? None of these teams has a quarterback. That might be news to folks who haven’t watched a lot of Philip Rivers the last two years, but he’s just not a quarterback capable of making those around him better anymore. Given what little is around, or especially in front of him, it’s going to be a long year for the Chargers, but least they play the Raiders twice.

4. I can’t tell you how well the Chicago Bears are going to fare, but I can confidently tell you that if they struggle it will not be Jay Cutler’s fault. New head coach Marc Trestman has upped the tempo and runs a passing offense that makes quicker decisions despite having more options. That is tailor made for Cutler, and his preseason performance indicates the custom suit wears well on his shoulders. I’m generally bearish on the Bears this year for a variety of reasons, including the wide receivers not named Brandon Marshall. But as long as they can keep Jay Cutler upright he’s going to be a real bear of a challenge for opposing defenses.

5. The Cleveland Browns are not going to be fun to play in 2013. Their offensive and defensive lines are both very talented. Even with first round pick Barkevious Mingo potentially sidelined for some time with a lung injury, new defensive coordinator Ray Horton’s unit is going to aggressively attack with a deep stable of speedy, physical horses. Offensively, I pity the defense that has to try and blunt the brute force attack of Trent Richardson running behind Joe Thomas, Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz. If the Brandon Weeden that showed up against Detroit and St. Louis carries over, these Browns could very well crash the playoffs in a historically weak AFC. Alas, he was terrible against the Colts, one of the teams they need to surpass to make that happen.

6. One of the best parts of preseason is that we get to experience local broadcasts for the games instead of the national feeds. While that’s a negative in some cases (Cleveland and Washington come to mind), most crews are really entertaining to experience. The Cardinals might not be a very good football team but their preseason telecasts were eminently entertaining. The self-loathing broadcasts of the Raiders crew probably made Al Davis spin in his silver casket, but it made for great television. I wish the NFL would allow us to pick and choose the audio feeds for the games during the regular season. The less Gus Johnson and Jon Gruden in my ears, the better.

7. My Detroit Lions could very well have the most improved defense in the country. The defensive line should be one of the top three in the league, and the safety duo of Glover Quin and Louis Delmas immensely upgrades the back end. Last season the defense failed to hold five separate fourth quarter leads of at least a touchdown. They’ve still got some warts--the linebackers are truly awful in coverage--but expect much bigger and better things from the Detroit defense in 2013.

8. The roster is still not very deep or talented, but if preseason is any indication the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be a much improved team this year. New head coach Gus Bradley has infused the team with attitude and energy. In watching a couple of their games, they remind me of a college team with the competitive atmosphere. That makes sense, as Bradley comes from Seattle and that’s how Seahawks coach Pete Carroll runs that organization. I saw real improvement from Blaine Gabbert at quarterback too. They’re at least a year away from competing for the playoffs, but the Jaguars are not a joke anymore. Give credit to flamboyant owner Shahid Khan and his whip-smart son Tony for bucking tradition and doing things their way.