Following up my midseason college football report a few weeks ago, this week I focus on the professionals in the NFL with some quick thoughts on each team as they hit the halfway point.
AFC East
The New England Patriots lead the division with a 5-2 record, and quarterback Tom Brady has regained his old form after missing all of last season with an ACL tear.
The New York Jets, who have a rookie head coach in Rex Ryan and a rookie quarterback, Mark Sanchez, have been inconsistent. While they have been very impressive in some games, they have also looked lost and mistake prone in others.
The Buffalo Bills continue their tradition of yearly underachievement with a 3-5 record. Quarterback Trent Edwards is injured and big off-season free agent signing Terrell Owens has been virtually a non-factor.
Rounding out the division, the Miami Dolphins have continued to completely confuse their opponents with their elusive Wildcat Offense, but have not show up in some games and have blown some big leads. Quarterback Chad Pennington is also out for the season with a shoulder injury.
AFC North
This is where we see one of the biggest surprise teams of the year. The Cincinnati Bengals have rebounded well from their 4-11-1 record in 2008 to be tied for first in the division. Running back Cedric Benson has blossomed into a fine player after being left for dead in Chicago because of maturity and behavioral issues.
Tied with the Bengals are the defending Super Bowl champs from Pittsburgh. The Steelers got off to a rough start this year losing safety Troy Polamalu, but they have rebounded with some impressive defensive performances recently.
The Baltimore Ravens have shown substantial improvements in their offense under second year quarterback Joe Flacco. A rough three game losing streak in the middle of October, however, sent them into third place in the division.
Lastly, the Cleveland Browns have distinguished themselves as one of the worst teams on and off the field this season. Cleveland has still failed to resolve its quarterback issues, and Head Coach Eric Mangini and owner Randy Lerner have been taking plenty of heat from the fans and media.
AFC South
Heading down south, Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts continue to look dominant as they always do. They hit the halfway point with an undefeated 7-0 record and the leagues number one ranked defense.
The Houston Texans are two games over .500 for the first time in the history of the franchise. Quarterback Matt Schaub has played superbly thanks to receiver Andre Johnson.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are trying to rebound from a disappointing season in 2008, but have failed to really make a whole lot of noise in the division. Now, the Jags are hearing rumors of ownership relocating the team because of poor ticket sales.
Finishing off the division is the basement-dwelling Tennessee Titans, who have fallen from glory after going 13-3 last season. The Titans are 1-6, the team ranks close to last in defense, and they have played most of the season with aging 36-year old quarterback Kerry Collins.
AFC West
Rookie head coach Josh McDaniels has led the Denver Broncos to the top of the AFC West even after trading franchise quarterback Jay Cutler to the Bears over the off-season.
The San Diego Chargers sit below Denver at 4-3. Although they are a game over .500, the Chargers have not beaten a team with a winning record yet, and they have failed to really impress anybody so far.
The Oakland Raiders continue their reputation as one of the most completely mismanaged teams in all of pro sports. Their coach, Tom Cable, has faced rumors of assault charges for much of the season after allegedly breaking an assistant’s jaw in the preseason. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell is a complete nightmare for the franchise. He has looked lost in every game this season.
The Kansas City Chiefs have not fared very well at 1-6. The Chiefs are inexperienced and have had to deal with issues surrounding running back Larry Johnson, who used homophobic slurs on his Twitter account in reference to head coach Todd Haley.
NFC East
The Dallas Cowboys self-destructed last year, but have been playing very well behind quarterback Tony Romo over the last couple of weeks after starting the season.
The Philadelphia Eagles are currently tied with the Cowboys for first in the division, which can be attributed largely to the big-play capabilities of receivers DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and running back LeSean McCoy.
The New York Giants feasted on some very weak competition in the first five games of the season. However, they have been complete no-shows when facing decent teams, and have limped to the halfway point at 5-3.
Sitting at the bottom of the division is Washington, whose head coach, Jim Zorn, will all but surely lose his job at the end of the season. Quarterback Jason Campbell and the offense have failed to show significant progress, and owner Daniel Snyder is becoming increasingly impatient.
NFC North
Dominating the NFC North right now is a team led by the ageless wonder at quarterback, Brett Favre. Favre has led the Minnesota Vikings to a 7-1 record with the help of an outstanding defense and speedsters Adrian Petersen and Percy Harvin scoring points on offense.
In a tie for second behind the Vikings are Favre’s old team, the Green
Bay Packers, and the Chicago Bears. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is in his second season as the starter for Packers, and although the team is currently tied for second, Rodgers failed to lead his team to victory in either game against the Vikings (the two games Green Bay fans wanted most). The Chicago Bears figured they had found the missing piece on offense when they traded for quarterback Jay Cutler in the off-season. After losing linebacker and team leader Brian Urlacher in the opening game, however, the Bears have not really developed any sort of consistency.
Last year, the Detroit Lions became the first team to go 0-16 in the regular season and so have improved to an extent. However, the Lions are still miles away from being a competitive NFL franchise, as years of failed draft picks and poor front office management have crippled the team extensively.
NFC South
The New Orleans Saints (7-0) have played outstanding so far thanks to quarterback Drew Brees, who is having an MVP-type season.
The Atlanta Falcons have tried to build on a great season last year, but currently sit at second place with a 4-3 record. The Falcons have lost three close games this season, all to the league’s best teams. Tight end Tony Gonzalez and receiver Roddy White have played exceptionally for Atlanta.
The Carolina Panthers started 0-3 this season largely because of quarterback Jake Delhomme leading the league in turnovers. The Panthers have rebounded recently, however, by winning three of their last four. Carolina currently sits third in the division thanks in large part to running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.
The only winless team in the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is plain and simple awful. The team has no quarterback, is ranked close to last in the league in both offense and defense, and is already on their third quarterback of the year.
NFC West
Last season’s Super Bowl runner-ups, the Arizona Cardinals, sit atop a rather mediocre division. Quarterback Kurt Warner continues to dispel the rumors about his age affecting him, and he has been a great team leader both on and off the field.
The San Francisco 49ers sit right behind the Cardinals in the division. San Fran recently switched their quarterback to Alex Smith in the hopes he will be able to jump start the passing game and get the team back in the winning form they showed early this season.
Behind the Niners are the Seattle Seahawks, who have been pretty good so far as long as quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is in the starting lineup. Hasselbeck has had a nagging rib injury that has limited his playing time this season. As a result, Seattle sits in third place with a sub par 2-5 record.
Lastly, the St. Louis Rams are another team that is in complete disarray. Their record is 1-6 and their only win is over the equally awful Lions. Like many teams, the Rams have had quarterback issues and lack a big-time playmaker on offense.
