Tuesday Morning Overreactions
Now that the season is slightly past the midway point, I figured it was time to check in and see how everyone is doing. So what follows are Sideshow's first annual slightly past midseason grades for all 32 teams in the NFL. Their current record will be followed by my preseason final record prediction for each team in parentheses.
AFC East
New England – 7-1 (11-5) – Advanced winning streak to record 21 games, before losing to Pittsburgh. Rebounded by trouncing the Rams. Injuries though may make second half of season interesting. A
N.Y. Jets – 6-2 (10-6) – Started with first ever 5-0 Record, before losing to Patriots. Team got help by rejuvenated Curtis Martin, but will be without Pennington for a few weeks. A-
Buffalo – 3-5 (8-8) – Have won 3 of 4, since losing first 4 games. Willis McGahee's emergence has taken some pressure off Drew Bledsoe and a bad OL. D+
Miami – 1-8 (5-11) – Other than one game against St. Louis nothing good to talk about in Miami. Tuesday Dave Wannstedt announced his resignation. F
AFC North
Pittsburgh – 7-1 (8-8) – Have just defeated the last two undefeated teams in the NFL. Led by rookie phenom Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers are the best team in the NFL. A+
Baltimore – 5-3 (9-7) – Outstanding defense has made up for lack of offense. Coaches don't seem to trust Boller to throw it anymore than 5 yards downfield. B-
Cincinnati – 3-5 (12-4) – Weak run defense seems to betray Marvin Lewis' genius. Carson Palmer has some fans wanting Jon Kitna back. C-
Cleveland – 3-5 (4-12) – Fans still want Davis to committ to just one RB. Team has had some close calls against teams like Philly, and Pittsburgh. C-
AFC South
Indianapolis – 5-3 (13-3) – Peyton is on track to break Marino's TD Record, but defense is ranked last in the NFL. Question for Indy is can their offense outscore their defenses surrenderings. B
Jacksonville – 5-3 (8-8) – Leftwich joined NFL's elite QB's by leading Jacksonville to 5 last minute victories. Eventually though the Jags will have to put an opponent away with more than 60 seconds on the clock. A-
Houston – 4-4 (7-9) – Won two consecutive games for first time in history this year, but team always seems to stumble when it's poised to possibly make the leap. B-
Tennessee – 3-5 (11-5) – Injuries finally catching up with Steve McNair, as Titans have faltered out of the gate, despite Chris Brown filling Eddie George's shoes. D+
AFC West
Denver – 6-3 (9-7) – Ruben Droughns seems to be adequate replacement for Clinton Portis, but fans seem to always wonder which Jake Plummer will show up each week. B
San Diego – 6-3 (4-12) – #4 overall draft pick Philip Rivers is glued to the pine as spurned QB Drew Brees has entered the MVP race as the master of the NFL's highest scoring offense. A-
Kansas City – 3-5 (10-6) – Team has moved itself back into contention after going 0-3 to start the season. However it may have been too big a whole to dig out of. C+
Oakland – 3-6 (4-12) – Team has just looked horrible all season. Kerry Collins has not been the spark fans expected as he throws more INT's than TD's. D
NFC East
Philadelphia – 7-1 (9-7) – Was last undefeated team in NFL at 7-0 before getting trounced by league's best team in Pittsburgh. A
N.Y. Giants – 5-3 (6-10) – Have responded to Tom Coughlin's challenges a lot quicker than expected, and now that they are winning doesn't seem to be anymore whining. Tiki Barber is midseason MVP. B+
Dallas – 3-5 (7-9) – Going seems to be tough in the Tuna's second season. Cowboys don't seem to have consistent running game. Maybe they wish they would have taken Stephen Jackson. C-
Washington – 3-5 (10-6) – Joe Gibbs is finding that the NFL is different than he remembers. Portis has shown flashes but hasn't turned into the back Washington needs. C-
NFC North
Minnesota – 5-3 (10-6) – Started out hot as Culpepper on pace to break Marino's yardage record, but injury to Moss showing that Vikings are a one dimensional offense. B
Detroit – 4-4 (6-10) – Ended record road losing streak by winning 3 consecutive road games. Roy Williams has been team MVP, for as he goes, so goes the Lions. B-
Green Bay – 4-4 (9-7) – Started slow out of the gate, going 1-4, but have won 3 straight. In same hole as Chiefs, and one wonders is it too deep? C+
Chicago – 3-5 (5-11) - Win at Lambeau in week 2 has helped fans, as they watch a bad team with major problems at QB. D+
NFC South
Atlanta – 6-2 (6-10) – Mike Vick has struggled in new West Coast Offense, but team is adapting well as a whole. A-
New Orleans – 3-5 (8-8) – Team continues to underperform under Jim Haslett. C-
Tampa Bay – 3-5 (5-11) – Bucs have a QB controversy between two Super Bowl winning Hall of Fame QB's sons. Instability in organization has led to poor performance on field. D+
Carolina – 1-7 (11-5) – Went from one of the best, to one of the worst. Seem to still be suffering from the Super Bowl hangover. F
NFC West
Seattle – 5-3 (11-5) – Started 3-0 before losing to an amazing comeback which seemed to affect team for 3 weeks. WR's drop too many balls for team to be a real contender. B-
St. Louis – 4-4 (13-3) – Most schizoid team in the league. Made amazing comeback against Seattle. But was responsible for Miami's only loss. Martz seems to want to be first 7-9 team to be in playoffs thanks to 6-0 division record. Currently 3-0 in division with big matchup against Seattle next week. C-
Arizona – 3-5 (4-12) – Have been in every game this year, and given many contenders heart attacks before losing. B-
San Francisco – 1-7 (3-13) – Have played closer than expected, but team doesn't have the ability to stay in games. Have had more internal turmoil in recent weeks. D
MidSeason MVP's
AFC: Drew Brees
NFC: Tiki Barber
Pop the Cork....
Well the Miami Dolphins must be huge Pittsburgh Steelers fans after the last two weeks. The Steelers followed up the streak ending victory against New England by trouncing the Philadelphia Eagles 27-3. The Steelers were led by a refurbished bus as Jerome Bettis ran for 149 yards in the victory. Rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger continued to play like a 6 year pro, instead of a 6 game pro.
We really shouldn't be surprised at the Steelers success this year. Coach Bill Cowher always seems to make his team competitive. Even though they'll suffer some down years, they are never down too long. Cowher has done an amazing job in Pittsburgh.
But the best part of the game was Hines Ward catching a TD pass and then mocking perennial head case Terrell Owens.
You don't love me anymore.....
Speaking of the Steelers beating up on the Eagles. During the game you could look to the sidelines and see Terrell Owens in QB Donovan McNabb's face screaming at him. As McNabb tried to walk away, Owens continued to stalk him and yell at him. After the game both McNabb, and Owens said that T.O. was simply trying to motivate McNabb. However to everyone else this looked extremely familiar to many a scene on the Sidelines of San Francisco the past few years. Methinketh the honeymoon hath endeth in Philly.
Duh dun da duh... CHARGE!
Okay So Eli Manning, after having spurned the Chargers with his spoiled attitude, is sitting on the bench in New York. Philip Rivers, who was supposed to be the savior because no one thought Drew Brees was good enough, is riding the pine in San Diego. The QB nobody wanted, Drew Brees, meanwhile is leading the NFL's highest scoring offense. Bree's is the league's second highest rated quarterback, and his Chargers are in playoff contention. The Chargers have scored 262 points this year, 13 points more than any other team.
Sideshow's Top 14
|
Rank (LW) |
Team |
Record |
Last Week's Results |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 (2) |
Pittsburgh |
7-1 |
Won 27-3 vs. Phi |
First team in history of NFL to defeat two undefeated teams in consecutive weeks. |
|
2 (3) |
New England |
7-1 |
Won 40-22 vs. StL |
Jumped back on winning wagon after loss to Steelers. |
|
3 (7) |
San Diego |
6-3 |
Won 43-17 vs. N.O. |
It might be a little too early for Brees to clear room in his trophy cabinet, but not by much. |
|
4 (9) |
Indianapolis |
5-3 |
Won 31-28 vs. Min |
This time Vanderjagt didn't mock opposing team before he attempted last second kick. |
|
5 (1) |
Philadelphia |
7-1 |
Lost 27-3 vs. Pit |
Last 2 teams have all shown chinks in armor. The bus just flattened that armor. |
|
6 (10) |
Atlanta |
6-2 |
Bye |
Week off to give Vick more time in West Coast Offense. |
|
7 (8) |
Jacksonville |
5-3 |
Bye |
Gut check time as team will be without Byron Leftwich for a couple weeks. |
|
8 (6) |
Minnesota |
5-3 |
Lost 31-28 vs. Ind |
Vikings eagerly anticipating Moss' return. |
|
9 (4) |
N.Y. Jets |
6-2 |
Lost 22-17 vs. Buf |
Would be ranked 8th except for loss of Pennington could be disastrous for Jets season. |
|
10 (12) |
Denver |
6-3 |
Won 31-13 vs. Hou |
Congratulations to Rod Smith who broke Denver Receptions, TD records. |
|
11 (5) |
N.Y. Giants |
5-3 |
Lost 28-21 vs. Chi |
14-0 lead turns into 28-21 defeat. |
|
12 (NR) |
Seattle |
5-3 |
Won 42-27 vs. S.F. |
Rematch next week against St. Louis could very well be for division. |
|
13 (NR) |
Baltimore |
5-3 |
Won 27-13 vs. Cle |
Avenged opening week loss to Browns. |
The Cellar Watch
|
Rank (LW) |
Team |
Record |
Last Week's Results |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
30 (30) |
Carolina |
1-7 |
Lost 27-24 vs. Oak |
Once again snatched defeat away at the end of the game. |
|
31 (31) |
Miami |
1-7 |
Lost 24-23 vs. Az |
Wannstedt era is officially over in Miami |
|
32 (32) |
San Francisco |
1-7 |
Lost 42-27 vs. Sea |
Started strong before folding in the second half. |