Steelers owner Dan Rooney orchestrated a realignment that affected the least number of teams the most. Only 10 teams had to make moves into new or different divisions, and three certainly can't complain.

The Saints, Panthers and Falcons lost the 49ers and Rams in the NFC West. Considering that the Rams and 49ers are two of the elite NFC teams, that's not a bad thing for the three new members of the NFC South. An 11th team, Houston, is new as an expansion franchise, so whatever division it joins is new.

So the list of teams positively or negatively affected by realignment isn't vast. But there were some significant impacts.

Positively affected
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jon Gruden may have found heaven in the NFC South. After years of competing in the free spending, aggressive AFC West, Gruden comes to a division in transition, a transition that suddenly makes it easier to compete for homefield advantage. The Bucs are the most talented team with the easiest schedule in the NFC. Though the Packers may have a statistically easier schedule heading into the season (a .465 strength of schedule for the Packers versus the Bucs' .480), the Bucs only have to gear up for six games against teams with winning records. The Packers have eight. Their only true division challenger is the Saints. The Falcons are dependent on Michael Vicks' development to be a winner and that might not take place until next season. The Panthers are one of the least talented team in the NFL as they begin their rebuilding process. What also plays into the Bucs strength is that the NFC South will be a division to be more for running offenses than passing offenses because of offenses in Atlanta and Carolina, and the Bucs are solid against the run. If the Bucs stay healthy along with Gruden's improvement of the offense, the Bucs could be a 12 or 13-win team.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers didn't have to move from the old AFC Central, but losing the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars from their division lightens the load for the next few years. The Titans are usually one of the AFC's elite teams. The Steelers have always had problems playing the Jaguars on the road. Even though the Steelers play both teams once on the road, they are catching the Jaguars in a complete rebuilding year. Unless the Bengals reach their potential, the Steelers have to beat out the Browns to win the new AFC North. The Ravens capped out and are at the bottom of the AFC. The Steelers should match up well against the Bengals. At .458, the Steelers have the second easiest strength of schedule along with the fact that they face only five teams that had winning records last year. This year's schedule plus the talent on the team should be parlayed into a second consecutive chance to go to the AFC Championship game.

3. Indianapolis Colts: The AFC East has been tough for years. Usually, the division winner is so worn out competing against the rest of the division that they come out in no better shape than a wild-card team. In five of the past eight years, the AFC East winner has had to play in the first-round of the playoffs. The new AFC South isn't as deep as the East. The Texans are an expansion team that will be lucky to win three games. The Jaguars had a horrible pre-season and don't have as many good young players as Tom Coughlin had during their 1995 expansion year. The Colts will challenge the Titans for the division title but it's clearly a two-team race as opposed to the three- and four-team races of the AFC East. This is a division that features a lot of three-receiver offenses, but the Colts have the best offense in the division. It's a great move for the Colts.

4. New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons: Losing the 49ers and Rams from the old NFC West is a blessing. All three teams are revamping their defensive personnel. The Saints and Panthers have the bigger questions at cornerback, so going against the passing offenses of the 49ers and Rams aren't good things. The Saints should benefit the most of the three teams because they still have the talent to win between nine and 11 games. The Falcons could be a benefactor if Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense works well against the running offenses in the division. A solid defense will give the Falcons a chance to win a few close games if quarterback Michael Vick is ready to claim them.

Negatively Affected
1. Arizona Cardinals: The NFC East wasn't strong last year. It was the only division in football in which no team won more than five divsion games and no team won fewer than three division games. Every team had a chance, and the Cardinals had a chance to improve from six to seven victories. Had the Cardinals stayed in the division, they would have been competing with the Cowboys for the No. 2 seed behind Philadelphia. The NFC West is a mess for them. They enter without a pass rush trying to stop the Rams, 49ers and Seahawks. On paper, the Cardinals might be the fourth seed in the division although they will have a chance to move ahead of the Seahawks if they can win in Seattle the second week of the season. To their credit, the Cardinals are potent on offense. The question is how well their defense can do without a pass-rush to stop the NFC West teams.

2. Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks were becoming more competitive in the AFC West, traditionally a tough division. Their 5-3 division record last year was second only to the Raiders. They had sweeps against the Chiefs and Chargers. Now, they have to adjust to a division in which the Rams and 49ers are two of the better teams in the conference. Cornerbacks are going to be asked to be more aggressive at the line of scrimmage against receivers in this new division. The Rams and 49ers combined for 26 victories last year. The Seahawks will have to apply a pass-rush that wasn't present last season. Coach Mike Holmgren had been building to win the AFC West, which is a physical division. He'll need more finesse and speed in this transition to the NFC West.

3. St. Louis Rams: As good as the Rams are, it hasn't hurt that they played in the NFC West. For a while, the 49ers were down. After a Super Bowl year, the Falcons have been down. The Panthers haven't have had a winning season since 1996. The Saints have had one winning season since 1992. Life is tougher in the NFC West. The Cardinals may be a year or two away, but the 49ers have been building for three years to beat the Rams. They are getting closer, but maybe this will be the year that the Niners can salvage a split in the schedule. The Rams schedule is tougher than it has been in years. They face 10 games against teams with winning records. That wouldn't have happened had they not lost three former division foes to the NFC South.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.