Week 8 Review of the NFL

As I did last year during Week 8 of the 2010 season, it’s time to see how all 32 NFL teams are doing at the half way point of the season. It’s part of a segment I do on twitter after the Sunday Night game is over called, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ in the NFL. Some teams are good, some are bad and there are those that shouldn’t be mentioned. Lets see where your team(s) ended up this year.

The Good

Green Bay Packers 7-0

Aaron Rodgers is on fire. The defense is beginning to pick up the pace and play much better of late. I don’t expect them to win more than 13 games to end the season, but it is to be expected that the Packers will be the team to beat going into the playoffs.

Detroit Lions 6-2

A bit of a hiccup losing two straight at home, but they are pretty good away from Detroit. That bodes well for a young team that will most likely be playing on the road for most of the playoffs. That’s assuming they make the playoffs which I believe they will.

San Francisco 49ers 6-1

Jim Harbaugh is doing what I thought was the impossible and that is have Alex Smith look like a serviceable quarterback. Time has run out on him living up to being the number overall selection, but with the help of RB Frank Gore and a fantastic defense already in place the 49ers are in a perfect position to be the second seed in the NFC.

New Orleans Saints 5-3

I keep scratching my head with the Saints, but as long as Drew Brees keeps throwing touchdown passes and if they can consistently run the ball. New Orleans will make a strong push towards the playoffs and another division title.

New York Giants 5-2

Tom Coughlin is off to another good start, but has to keep the Giants from making too many mistakes down the stretch like in years past. If the Giants and QB Eli Manning can keep from doing that, then New York will have two teams making the playoffs this year.

Houston Texans 5-3

I believe that the Texans would have been at this point even if Peyton Manning was able to play for the Colts this year. However, we can’t overlook that and say that the Texans would be leading the division right now. Matt Schaub is doing a great job without WR Andre Johnson the last few games and RB Arian Foster is the real deal.

Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2

Injuries are beginning to mount for the defending AFC champions, but Ben Roethlisberger is playing great of late. The Steelers defense is still playing at a high level, mainly because Troy Polamalu is still roaming around the field.

Cincinnati Bengals 5-2

I can’t see the Bengals making a push for the playoffs when Pittsburgh and Baltimore have more established offensive players in place. I can’t take anything away from what rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have been doing this year. And Cincinnati’s defense is among the best in the NFL.

Baltimore Ravens 5-2

Even with the sometimes anemic offense the Ravens defense is what makes them contenders year in and year out. Joe Flacco will have to play better if the Ravens are to keep pace with Pittsburgh and the resurgent Bengals.

Buffalo Bills 5-2

The surprise of the NFL is causing turnovers on defense and making the most of their opportunities on offense. Ryan Fitzpatrick has a new contract and with RB Fred Jackson playing like a franchise back the Bills will be tough to contain the rest of the season.

New England Patriots 5-2

They seem to be a flawed team, but Tom Brady is still playing at an elite level and Bill Belichick has a way of making the most out of nothing which is what his defense is. If the Patriots can consistently run the ball the rest of the season they might be able to keep their defense off the field.

The Bad

New York Jets 4-3

The defense has been okay, but if the offense could pick up the pace the Jets will be all right. The Jets pride themselves on being a smash mouth football team, but haven’t shown it in the running game. LaDainian Tomlinson seems to have gotten old overnight and Shonn Greene will probably never live up to his potential. If the opposite happens the Jets will compete for a Super Bowl.

Cleveland Browns 3-4

Even with the absence of their best player in RB Peyton Hillis the Browns remain competitive. Their defense is playing at a high level and QB Colt McCoy is developing nicely even without a consistent running game to back him up.

Tennessee Titans 4-3

The defense is okay at times, but the real success of the Titans rests with QB Matt Hasselbeck. He has had a lot of success in the NFL, but he will need RB Chris Johnson to improve on his 2.8 yards per carry average. He appears to not have anymore motivation after getting his contract.

Kansas City Chiefs 4-3

They could easily be at the top, but a horrible start puts them here. They are starting to play better now. They found a running game with Jackie Battle getting a chance to play. Matt Cassel still has Dwayne Bowe and last years 1st round pick Jon Baldwin to throw to. This could be a good season in Kansas City after all.

San Diego Chargers 4-3

First things first they have to fix whatever is wrong with QB Philip Rivers. He leads the league in turnovers and even with all the talent around him he isn’t throwing the ball with confidence. The defense isn’t playing up to their standards either, but that’s to be expected with San Diego’s history.

Oakland Raiders 4-3

Time will tell if Carson Palmer will pan out in Oakland, but as of now losing Jason Campbell will hurt the Raiders. Even worse is if Darren McFadden is out for an extended period of time with a foot injury. The defense is playing great, but they have to score points to win games.

Philadelphia Eagles 3-4

They are starting to heat up at the right time. Overall they are not an elite team, but their pass rush and defense is what will save them. Only the best rushing teams in the league can beat them. Or the Green Bay Packers. Either way their success lies with Michael Vick.

Dallas Cowboys 3-4

Their confidence levels are like the stock market. Really high one week and falling off the map the next. They really aren’t a good overall team, but when your entire division is full of teams that play inconsistently every week then Dallas does have a chance to make the playoffs.

Washington Redskins 3-4

They were atop the NFC East at one point this season, but it’s now turning into a disaster. Rex Grossman has been benched and John Beck doesn’t look any better. They have lost their best running back and tight end for the season and WR Santana Moss will be out for a while. Their only saving grace is their defense, but even that has its flaws.

Chicago Bears 4-3

Matt Forte is doing everything except playing defense for the Bears. Jay Cutler still doesn’t have enough time to throw the ball. Teams for some reason are still kicking the ball to Devin Hester too. Chicago has too many flaws, but they could make it to the playoffs, surprisingly.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-3

They are slowly coming apart. They have no running game to keep Josh Freeman from being blitzed all day long. The defense has been up and down all year long. With a resurgent Atlanta coming back and New Orleans staying on top the Bucs don’t have much time left to make a move.

Atlanta Falcons 4-3

The Falcons defense is playing better and so is Matt Ryan. They’re giving the ball to Michael Turner who is their workhorse. Tony Gonzalez looks rejuvenated, but they will need Julio Jones back sooner rather than later with defenses doubling Roddy White.

The Ugly

St. Louis Rams 1-6

Losing Danny Amendola has hurt Sam Bradford’s production. Amendola was his security blanket last year. Also Bradford isn’t getting enough protection from his offensive line. However, if Steven Jackson continues to play well and stay healthy then the Rams might just be able to salvage this season.

Arizona Cardinals 1-6

Kevin Kolb seems to have fooled everyone. Arizona expected great things from Kolb, but a lackluster offensive line and injuries to Beanie Wells have left Kolb defenseless against the pass rush. If the Cardinals can get 3 more wins this season then it will be a success considering their problems.

Seattle Seahawks 2-5

It amazes me that Seattle even has two wins this season. They have no running game. The quarterback situation is puzzling. And the defense is not living up to its standards of the past. They were the worst football team to make the playoffs last year, but that was with a decent quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck.

Carolina Panthers 2-6

They should be encouraged with the progress that QB Cam Newton is making. They should be discouraged about the way the defense is playing though. Carolina has been in some close games this year, but the defense has let them down. Also DeAngelo Williams is getting paid big money for what, only 1 touchdown.

Minnesota Vikings 2-6

The Donovan McNabb experiment didn’t last as long as Leslie Frazier would’ve liked, but they have a good looking quarterback in Christian Ponder. So long as Adrian Peterson can continue to produce at a high level it will only help Ponder’s progression.

Denver Broncos 2-5

The Tim Tebow experiment will probably get worse. There isn’t much for the Broncos to cheer about. I’m sure the Broncos will get at least two more wins, but they will be looking to draft Andrew Luck if Tebow continues to falter.

Indianapolis Colts 0-8

Disaster has happened like we all expected with the absence of Peyton Manning. We just didn’t expect the entire team to fold. It’s to be expected that the Colts will probably revamp a lot of areas next year, but the question will remain with the health of Manning next year.

Jacksonville Jaguars 2-6

Blaine Gabbert was thrown into the fire way too early. The offensive line isn’t doing its job and Maurice Jones-Drew can’t do everything for the Jaguars. All of a sudden they have no one to catch the ball anymore. It might finally be the end of the Jack Del Rio era in Jacksonville.

Miami Dolphins 0-7

They have remained competitive unlike some teams in this category. They probably won’t have a winless season, but will probably come close to it. 1-2 wins is likely. They have no quarterback and no running game. The defense is their only saving grace and one of them is having a war of words with Reggie Bush in the media.

Week 7 Review of the NFL

Worst weekend, ever

Yeah it pretty much was. I would rather have been working than watching those crappy games. That’s how bad it was. Let me remind you of what was perhaps the worst weekend of football I have ever seen. Houston beat Tennessee 41-7. Texans RB Arian Foster out-gained the entire Titans team. Chicago beat Tampa Bay 24-18 in London. Did anyone even notice? San Diego choked away a 21-10 halftime lead to the New York Jets eventually losing 27-21. For some reason Chargers TE Randy McMichael thinks that his team does in fact choke games away because he gave no credit to the Jets for beating his team. Crazy huh? Cleveland and Seattle actually played against each other and the final was 6-3. I won’t even bother telling you who won. Washington and Arizona look like polar opposites of what they were supposed to be at the beginning of the season as they were both blown out. The Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams combined for 7 points in their blow-out losses. Indianapolis lost 62-7 on Sunday night. Please stop putting the Colts in primetime this year. Take them off. And Baltimore and Jacksonville were apart of perhaps the worst Monday Night Football game I have ever seen. Bring Hank Williams Jr. back for your intro song ESPN. Because that would have been the only thing worth watching with that debacle. If you think I’m wrong in my summary, please try and tell me. I know you’re wrong, but if it’s worth your time I’m willing to listen.

Tim Tebow’s triumphant return to Miami

I left out Tim Tebow’s victory in Miami at the top because I wanted to tackle this topic separately. I did defend Tebow in the ‘Week 5 Review‘ mainly because I’m willing to give him a chance to prove himself. I still believe he can have success, but I don’t think it will be in Denver. The new staff and management in Denver didn’t draft him, but the fans think he’s their only hope. Sorry to be a realist, but he’s not ‘Obi-Wan Kanobi’ Broncos fans. He won a road game. That’s great. Am I going to yell and scream that he is the real deal after that one game? No. He beat a winless team in the Miami Dolphins. Which I will say that after blowing a 15 point lead with 7 minutes left to play, they are winless for a reason. To top it off it was on a day in which Dolphins owner Stephen Ross honored the 2008 national champion Florida Gators team at halftime. That entire stadium was full of Florida Gators fans and they are of course Tim Tebow fans. If he didn’t win that game something is definitely wrong with him. Either way it was a nice win, but do the same thing at home against a better opponent. Namely the Detroit Lions. Win that game and then I will send R2-D2 to bring you in.

Who wants Andrew Luck?

There are three viable candidates that will have a shot at drafting Stanford QB Andrew Luck next year. They are the St. Louis Rams, the Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins. Now I know what you’re thinking. The Rams and Colts already have quarterbacks. Yes, the Rams already used a number one pick on QB Sam Bradford. I agree that there is no way they draft Andrew Luck, but they sure could use that pick to jam whoever needs him as their quarterback. The Colts are interesting though. They certainly would love to have Peyton Manning back as does the rest of the NFL. The Colts are awful without the guy. Plain and simple. Could they draft Luck as the heir apparent to Manning? Yes they absolutely could if Manning has no chance of playing again. They can also do what the Rams will probably do and that’s trade the pick to rebuild for another title run with Manning. It’s a win-win for Indianapolis. Miami desperately needs Andrew Luck. They have struggled for so many years to find a replacement for Dan Marino. Miami has passed on quarterbacks in the past that could have helped, but Luck is one of a kind. You can’t pass on him. Miami would be screwed if either St. Louis or Indianapolis beat them out for the number one pick. They would have to give up so much to get that pick, especially if the Colts get it. Like I said earlier the Colts could draft Luck. Miami better play it safe and just lose every single game. Who wouldn’t want to see another 0-16 season?

Week 6 Review of the NFL

A new rivalry has started

I won’t delve into the aftermath of the Jim Harbaugh v Jim Schwartz nonsense. Because that’s really what it was. I found myself arguing with my Dad over who was more at fault and the next day the logical conclusion was it was both of their faults. Case closed. Unfortunately that incident took away from what was probably one of the best games of the season. Who would have thought that coming into this season that during Week 6 the Detroit Lions would be undefeated hosting the 4-1 San Francisco 49ers? Not me and I’m a Niners fan. I’m seeing what is perhaps one of best all-around teams in the league in Detroit and a new head coach changing the culture in San Francisco literally overnight. Alex Smith after so many different head coaches and offensive coordinators is starting to look like a good quarterback. Do I think that will continue? History tells me know, but I’m willing to give him another chance. This doesn’t mean the season will come crashing down for the Lions, but that they need to get back to the drawing board. The 49ers figured out how to keep Calvin Johnson out of the endzone and to keep QB Matthew Stafford in check from the second quarter on. Sadly a great game was taking a back seat to a stupid coaches brouhaha.

Did Sean Payton’s absence affect the Saints?

It’s a legitimate question, but I don’t think it mattered. If it wasn’t Drew Brees at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints then yes I would say that Sean Payton being unable to coach due to a torn MCL and broken tibia had an affect on the game. If we’re going to consider Drew Brees one of the top five quarterbacks in this league then we have to assume that he can call a game without Sean Payton being in his head or yelling at him from the sideline. The way it looks right now is that Brees is suffering from the turnover bug and he will need to snap out of it fast. Yes, the Saints nearly beat their division rival Tampa Bay, but you can’t throw a pick when you’re about to score what would’ve been the game winning touchdown. Where is the running game? If I’m not mistaken didn’t the 49ers last week rush for over 200 yards on the same Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Why wasn’t that in the gameplan? They ran the ball 20 times for only 70 yards. That has to change if the Saints are going to be considered contenders like I still think they are this season.

Has Jason Garrett lost faith in Tony Romo?

I have to ask this question. If you saw the way the Cowboys were playing at the end of their game against the New England Patriots you would’ve thought the same thing. Dallas was winning by 3 points. Their defense was doing a great job against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Play to your strength, but at the same time don’t play to not lose the game. Take a chance on first down by throwing the ball. That is unless Tony Romo is your quarterback. That is no slight against him, but I’m just wondering what Jason Garrett was doing there? If you’re doing to protect him from further scrutiny don’t. You should know that as the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys you’re going to be criticized for anything and everything. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t in ‘Big D.’ Making the Patriots use two of their timeouts is good and all, but you left 2:30 on the clock with one timeout and the 2-minute warning for Tom Brady. Once again I’m talking about the Cowboys and the only reason I am is because I’m just so confused. It appears Cowboys fans are too because whatever owner Jerry Jones is talking about isn’t what everyone is watching.

Week 5 Review of the NFL

“Just Win Baby”

Yes, that’s what the Oakland Raiders did this past Sunday. With the passing of owner Al Davis the entire NFL community has a heavy heart. This was one of the few franchises that has been tied to one man for most of its existence. You can look at his passing in two ways. One is to say that he is one of the most innovative and outspoken owners ever in any sport. And two, it was either his way or nobody’s way. He has butted heads with so many people that it’s hard to keep track. From head coaches to commissioners and even to city leaders. One thing is for certain that it was fitting that the Oakland Raiders won that game against the Houston Texans. Houston had the advantage playing at home and have better players at key positions. However, there was motivation on the Raiders side to just win one for Al and that’s just what they did.

Timmy has arrived

For far too long there was rumbles about starting Tim Tebow in Denver. I’m not going to bash and critique Tim’s quarterback prowess unlike some, mainly Merril Hoge, who isn’t even a quarterback to begin with. I am going to say that it was unwise to think that Tim Tebow would have done better than Kyle Orton through the first 5 games. He’s learning a new system in only his second year. The coaching staff obviously doesn’t think much of him because they didn’t draft him and John Elway isn’t going to risk everything he’s trying to build on one guy. Granted when Tebow entered the game in the second half against the San Diego Chargers the entire team transformed. They nearly beat the Chargers, but I’m not going to say that it was entirely because of Tebow because it wasn’t. This issue is finally coming to an end with him being named the starting quarterback in Denver, but if the Broncos don’t win another game while Tebow is the starter who will they turn to then? I think he can be a good quarterback, but only under a staff that believes they can win with him.

Now is not the time to panic

Everyone in New York and Philadelphia are up in arms about their respective teams. New York Jets fans to be more specific there. Both are off to slow starts, but it’s only Week 5 folks. Calm down. Lets take a look at the Jets brutal road schedule the last 3 games. At Oakland, at Baltimore and at New England. Not one team in the league could go 3-0 on the road against those teams. Not one. The Jets however went 0-3, but you can’t count them out just yet. They have been a second half team as their history shows under head coach Rex Ryan. They play Miami and San Diego at home going into their bye week so be thankful for that. The Eagles with all those expectations that everyone stupidly put on them have bit them in the butt. The only loss that the Eagles were totally dominated in was against the New York Giants and that was without Michael Vick for most of that game. Now Vick’s turnovers haven’t helped, but they play at Washington which is a winnable game. Who expects the Redskins to stay in first place, honestly? If they win that game going into their bye week they play at home against Dallas, Chicago and Arizona the next three weeks. All the groaning will go away with wins in those games. Atlanta is fortunate that they play in Atlanta. Mainly because no one is paying attention. They were supposed to be atop the NFC, but are wallowing near the bottom. Playing Carolina at home should be the wake up call they need for their next game. But if they continue to disappoint they will be scrutinized a lot more towards the end of the season when everyone will wonder, ‘What happened to the Falcons? Weren’t they supposed to be good?’

Week 4 Review of the NFL

So, you were saying about Calvin Johnson

I didn’t actually hear anything about Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s comments about Calvin Johnson until after the Lions had come back to beat Dallas. Well, I suppose Ryan is eating a lot of crow since Sunday. First of all, isn’t Jason Garrett the head coach of the Cowboys? And second, why would Rob Ryan say something so stupid? Basically he said that Calvin Johnson isn’t good enough to be the 3rd receiver on the Cowboys. Excuse me? Besides the fact that Tony Romo threw two interceptions for touchdowns to get the Lions back into the game. Calvin Johnson did catch two touchdown passes against your porous defense Robby. If Jason Garrett is the head coach of the Cowboys, he will keep Rob Ryan in check and keep him away from the media. So far the Cowboys have been decent defensively, but have looked really bad for long stretches of their games. Thankfully the Cowboys are going into their bye week, but it might also be a bad thing having to think about giving up that lead to the Detroit Lions. I would think Rob would have learned something from his brother Rex about what not to say to the media before a game. Rex would never have said that.

Surprise! We’re 3-1

Yes, the Buffalo Bills are 3-1, but I’m going to focus on the other 3-1 teams that we didn’t expect to be in this position during the season. The other surprise in the AFC is the Tennessee Titans. First year head coach Mike Munchak has a pretty good defense in place, but I didn’t expect them to be as good throwing the ball with QB Matt Hasselbeck. That’s no slight against Hasselbeck, but being in a new system I thought it would be a tough process with hardly any time in training camp to get up to speed. That and not having RB Chris Johnson up until the week before the season started. Johnson hasn’t been playing well, but Hasselbeck is throwing them into contention. The Washington Redskins are atop the NFC East. The main reason is because of their defense. They actually are playing to their strengths which is rushing the passer and taking away the run. QB Rex Grossman is doing enough to score points for the Redskins and they have three capable running backs to keep some balance in their offense. Will this last? Probably not, but it isn’t far fetched to think they can finish with a .500 record. Lastly my San Francisco 49ers are also 3-1. They could be 4-0, but I won’t get into that discussion. They’ve beaten Seattle and Cincinnati. You could argue those are teams they should beat. But not many had them beating let alone coming back to beat the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Head coach Jim Harbaugh is going about it the right way. Not trying to be too complex with the offense, but rather wearing out opponents with the running game and making the most of opponents mistakes. The 49ers defense isn’t elite, but they are getting there. I’ve said it for years that if they can get a quarterback the 49ers will be a threat every season.

Who will be the first to lose their job?

Lets go through the candidates. The Indianapolis Colts are 0-4, but I don’t see GM Bill Polian and owner Jim Irsay firing Jim Caldwell. Peyton Manning’s injury has deflated this entire team. There should be a one year grace period for that. The St. Louis Rams are 0-4. Head coach Steve Spagnuolo is dealing with the same thing the Colts are. The injury bug has affected this team dramatically on offense. I don’t see the Rams taking Spags’ out after all that has happened. The Minnesota Vikings are 0-4. Leslie Frazier is getting his first chance to be a head coach in the NFL. He did a good job last year after Brad Childress was fired. That alone will give Frazier a one year period to get things right. However, if the Vikings finish with the worst record in the league, it will be hard to justify keeping him when Andrew Luck is available and you already drafted a quarterback this past year. If the Arizona Cardinals finish with a 6-10 record or worse this season there will be talk of Ken Whisenhunt being on the chopping block. I don’t think it will happen since he did get the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl appearance just a few years ago. Andy Reid is safe unless there is a total collapse this season with the Eagles. Jack Del Rio will most likely be on his way out when the season is over. However the Jaguars have surprised many in the past under Del Rio. Todd Haley could be gone in Kansas City if the Chiefs continue to meltdown during the season. The only one I see being fired soon is Tony Sparano in Miami. The Dolphins haven’t won a home game since November 14 of last year. They’ve lost 9 of their last 10 home games. All signs are pointing to his dismissal before this season ends.