Before my teaching career ended, I used to be a pretty hard grader. Surf the Internet and I'm sure you'll find at least one chemistry or physics student ripping me to pieces and bellyaching over getting a B or C in my class. Well, I subscribe to the late John Houseman's line from those old Smith-Barney ads: You have to earn it!
Anyway, since I'm a tough grader and don't subscribe to the philosophy of rampant grade inflation (i.e., the top score has to earn an A), I prefer to assign non-traditional grades at the mid-term point, sort of my version of "progress reports", or in the case of some teams, lack of progress reports.
So, in honor of that tried and true method of mysterious assessment, allow me to grade all 32 NFL teams according to the following: Pretty good, Okay, So-so, and Oy vez mir. For those of you so rigid in your need for letter grades, or for those Yiddish-impaired, Pretty good is the academic equivalent of B or better, Okay is equivalent for C or better, So-so is equivalent for D or better, and Oy vez mir is equivalent for students in serious need to drop the class and change their academic major.
But rest assured, my readers... it's really only the midpoint of the NFL season, everyone has now played nine games, and there's still seven more weeks to turn a season around or redeem yourself.
Pretty good teams:
I've never believed that anyone deserves an A at mid-term time. An A signifies excellence, and let's face it, no team has demonstrated true excellence until the season is completely over. So, let's work on the assumption that certain teams are playing very well but are still works in progress. As we've learned from seasons past, a team can be great the first half of a season and kick it up a higher level down the stretch, or that team can also experience an epic collapse. Who are our top teams so far this season? To start, look no further than the northeast extension of Amtrak's route: the New England Patriots and Team Chutzpah itself, the New York Jets. Both teams share league-best 7-2 records and have impressed in all three phases: offense, defense and special teams, albeit not always at the same time.
The Patriots were supposed to have a loaded passing attack, and they certainly do, with or without Randy Moss. Tom Brady seems to be in vintage 2007 form, and the running game even gets a boost with Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis and mighty mite Danny Woodhead. However, their young and rebuilt defense has shown signs of accelerated growth in victories against Miami, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. Just on the basis of their week four blow-out win in Miami, the special teams have impressed.
Do the Pats have some warts? Of course. The defense, as much as it's growing ahead of schedule, has had trouble at times stopping the run (week 9 in Cleveland) and does have some trouble with fourth-quarter leads (see week 1 vs Cincinnati and week 10 at Pittsburgh). Both the Jets and Cleveland have exposed the Pats defense for being a little soft when it comes to physical trench warfare.
As Rex Ryan said, "We're far from perfect, but we're 7-2, so we'll take it." The Jets have boasted for months about their Super Bowl XLV plans, and right now they sit atop the AFC East with the NFL's best record, albeit a record that could've easily been 9-0 or 4-5. The Jets have yet to perform on all cylinders, several of their wins aren't pretty, but they indeed find ways to win. What's most impressive about the Jets is their 5-0 record away from the new Meadowlands Stadium. Not counting last year's AFC title game loss to the Colts, the Jets haven't lost a road game since week 11 of last year in New England, exactly one year ago. Not only have the Jets been able to win on the road, they win the tough grinding games when the level of play isn't up to snuff (week 6 in Denver, week 9 in Detroit, week 10 in Cleveland).
While the defense isn't as dominant as a year ago, teams really don't pile up the yards or points much on it (the Jets lead the AFC in fewest points allowed). While the running game isn't the same ground and pound meat grinder it was last year, the Jets still rank in the NFL's top 5. The big bonus has been the development of quarterback Mark Sanchez. Last year's rookie mistakes and emotional roller coaster has graciaously grown into a more heady and steady playmaker. After only 12 TDs and 20 INTs last year, Sanchez has 12 TDs and only 6 INTs so far this season.
Is the Jet offense a polished work of beauty? It depends on the week. In week 1, the offense seemed afraid to challenge Baltimore's defense and lost 10-9. In week 8, the offense seemed too eager to challenge the winds and lost at home to Green Bay 9-0.
Other teams playing pretty good include the 7-2 Atlanta Falcons, and the 6-3 Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Green Bay Packers.
The Falcons are absolute beasts at home (5-0), but their defense needs every ounce of strength in order to hold onto tight wins against the Bucs and Ravens. The Steelers impressed greatly with their 3-1 start sans Ben Roethlisberger, but have dropped two of their last three at home to the Ravens and Patriots. The Steelers' weaknesses appear to be the kicking game and maintaining a healthy offensive line. The defense is generally solid, but overagressiveness and lack of composure have hurt at linebacker and in the defensive backfield.
The Ravens seem solid, but the passing attack has not been as prolific as expected with an inconsistent Joe Flacco at quarterback. The defense, once the cornerstone of this franchise, has shown signs of vulnerability, especially in their week 10 loss in Atlanta. The Eagles are perhaps one of the more pleasant surprises this season, given the instability at quarterback following the trade of Donovan McNabb to Washington. However, it's clear that when Michael Vick is healthy and physically able to display all of his talents inside and outside the pocket, the Eagles offense is flying high. Their week 10 performance in Washington (a 59-28 win) definitely makes us take notice of their offensive explosiveness. However, the key issue will remain Vick's health and consistency. The Eagles will go as far as he can take them. This does not appear to be the season for their defense to carry the team. The Eagles simply give up too many points, so every game is a scoring explosion.
No team has been more surprising that the Buccaneers, 3-13 a year ago. How have the Bucs done it? Opportunisitic defense and a young quarterback maturing week after week, Josh Freeman. Although the Bucs have taken their lumps in big losses to the Steelers and Saints, they've demonstrated an ability to come back and win games (week 10 in Arizona).
The defending champion Saints have been victims of being the hunted following a Super Bowl title as well as losing key players to injury (Reggie Bush and Darren Sharper). The Saints are also victims of the benefits and consequences of turnovers. Last year the Saints defense led the NFL in creating turnovers and turnover margin. This year the defense can't buy a turnover while Drew Brees tosses INTs in bunches (week 8 loss to Cleveland).
The Packers were the pre-season favorite of many, and somehow they remain one of the top NFC teams despite losing player after player due to injury. What has been most impressive is the defense keeping opponents in check while the offense does enough to win (week 8 win at the Jets). Aaron Rodgers is having another solid season at QB, even with an injury-decimated running game.
Okay teams:
Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, and St. Louis Rams.
At 6-3, the Colts aren't as dominating as years past, but considering the number of injuries they've absorbed at WR and on defense, one could argue a worser record for a lesser team. As long as the Colts still have Peyton Manning at QB, it's onward and upward towards January. However, something to worry about it the Colts' 1-2 record within the AFC South. Is it possible the Colts have slipped just enough for the 5-4 Titans and Jaguars to make things interesting down the stretch. Unlike past seasons, the Colts don't have their playoff berth sewn up yet, and there's a distinct possibility that one of more 11-5 or 12-4 teams could be on the outside looking in at this year's AFC playoff seeds.
The Titans have been very inconsistent on both offense and defense. The QB position is manned by the somewhat injured Vince Young and the more injured Kerry Collins. The passing game lacks cohesion and the recent acquisition of WR Randy Moss doesn't guarantee improvement. RB Chris Johnson still produces, but not at his record-setting 2009 pace. The Jaguars seem to benefiting from lucky bounces and catching certain teams at the right time (week 8 vs Dallas and week 10 vs Houston).
The 5-4 Dolphins are down to their third QB, Tyler Thigpen, after losing Chad Pennington and Chad Henne to injury. The offense seems to do just enough to put kicker Dan Carpenter in position to kick lots of field goals, but the Dolphins need touchdowns if they expect to keep within reach of the Patriots and Jets.
At 3-6, one must wonder why the Cleveland Browns earn an okay grade. However, if one looks at their quality wins (week 8 at New Orleans, week 9 vs New England) as well as how many close games they've lost (week 7 vs Pittsburgh, week 10 vs the Jets), one easily sees gradually budding fruits from head coach Eric Mangini's efforts. Their defense, guided by coordinator Rob Ryan, plays tough. The running game has finally found its combination of speed and battering ram strength in Peyton Hillis, and the Browns might finally have their genuine QB of the future in rookie Colt McCoy.
At 5-4, the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs are exceeding expectations with solid running games, aggressive defense, and no longer pathetic QB play. The Raiders are riding a 3-game winning streak for the first time since their super bowl season of 2002. Despite their 49-29 meltdown in Denver, the Chiefs have been competitive all season long, starting with their opening week win over San Diego.
This brings us to the Rip van Winkles of the NFL, the Chargers. At 4-5, San Diego appears to be waking up in time for their annual November-December hot streak. Is it possible again? Considering the Chargers are among the top-ranked teams in offense and defense, and QB Phillip Rivers is passing the ball at a record pace for yardage, it would seem the only team capable of stopping the Chargers are the Chargers themselves.
This leads to their special teams, and oy, it's nowhere near special so far this season. The Chargers commit too many stupid penalties and too many inopportune turnovers. Worse, the Chargers kickers lead the universe in kicks blocked. If the Chargers can straighten out all these self-destructive breakdowns, there's no reason why they can't overtake the Chiefs and Raiders for the AFC West title.
Looking at the NFC, only 4 teams deserve an okay grade: The 6-3 Giants, 6-3 Bears, 5-4 Seahawks, and 4-5 Rams. The Giants, Bears and Seahawks all lead their divisions, but none inspire confidence as the team to beat. The Giants have inconsistency issues (see week 10 loss to Dallas), commit too many turnovers, and often lose their cool at the worst time (see week 3 loss to the Titans). But for all the INTs, QB Eli Manning can definitely put points on the board with his receiving corps. The running game is usually solid with the tandem of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. And boy can the defense sack quarterbacks!
The Bears are just as Jekyl and Hyde as the Giants. The offense has the potential to put points on the scoreboard when QB Jay Cutler isn't throwing INTs, and the defense remains tough as long as key players (LB Brian Urlacher, DE Julius Peppers) stay healthy. Yes, the Bears beat the Packers back in week 3, but stunk up the joint in losses to the Giants (week 4), Seahawks (week 6) and Redskins (week 7), not to mention struggled to beat the Buffalo Bills in week 9.
The Seahawks are playing above expectations in this rebuilding year. Head coach Pete Carroll seems to have the team playing competitively in the weak NFC West (except for weeks 2, 4, 8 and 9 - big losses to the Broncos, Rams, Raiders and Giants). RB Leon Washington's having a wonderful comeback season, and even QB Matt Hasselbeck's playing well when healthy. Unfortunately, the Seahawks' roster is thin in terms of depth, and injuries have nicked several key players on offense. Because the NFC West is so weak and balanced in weakness, it's hard to anticipate the Seahawks getting stronger and holding onto first place.
This is why the Rams are such a delightful surprise. Already winning more games than the past two season combined, the Rams are young, aggressive, and energetic. The defense keeps things close and the offense continues to grow with QB Sam Bradford and diversify beyond RB Stephen Jackson. In a season with so much balance and mediocrity within the division, there's no reason not to think the young Rams have as much chance as the Seahawks, Cardinals or 49ers to take the title, even at 8-8.
So-so teams:
The 4-5 Houston Texans and Washington Redskins, and the 3-6 Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
Where to begin? Neither the Texans or Redskins have a defense. The Cardinals really don't have a quarterback. The 49ers couldn't figure out a way to win during the first 5 weeks, and the Vikings are a complete mess. Of all of these teams, the 49ers are actually the only one with a legitimate chance to still make the playoffs, simply because they have a more stable situation at QB. If the 49ers manage to come back and win the NFC West, they'll be the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs after an 0-5 start, and the first team to make the playoffs after a 1-6 start since the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals.
Oy vez mir teams:
The 3-6 Denver Broncos, 2-7 Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, and 1-8 Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers.
The Broncos, even with their 49-29 week 10 win over the Chiefs, simply have little going for them besides QB Kyle Orton. After last year's 6-0 start, the Broncos are 5-14, and it's clear head coach Jeff McDaniels is in over his head and not making many friends among opposing coaches.
The Bengals and Cowboys are perhaps the biggest flops of this season. The Bengals were predicted by many to contend for the AFC North title, and even more folks predicted the Cowboys to be the first-ever team to play a Super Bowl in its own stadium. Despite having the WR tandem of Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, the Bengals offense has been a scattershot mystery. The Cowboys took a solid punch at home in a week 2 loss to the Bears and never really recovered. Now the Cowboys are without QB Tony Romo and head coach Wade Phillips. Although the Cowboys could resurrect themselves with their week 10 win at the Giants, they're simply too far back to be a factor anymore in the NFC East or wild-card races.
On the bright side, the Lions are definitely a lot more entertaining and explosive on offense, and the Bills mostly keep close in their games, losing by 8 points or less to the Patriots, Dolphins, Ravens, Bears and Chiefs.
On the down side, the Lions haven't won on the road since George W. Bush's presidency, and the Panthers offense plays like a bunch of de-clawed kittens.
Teams to really keep an eye on:
AFC: Jets, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, Colts, Titans, Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers and Browns (spoiler)
NFC: Giants, Eagles, Packers, Bears, Saints, Bucs, Falcons, Rams, Seahawks and 49ers
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