NFC Mid-Season Report Card

The first half of the season is in the books and we have some suprises like the Broncos and Bengals, some standards like the Colts and Patriots and some downright shockers like the Titans! In this segment however we will break down all 16 NFC teams, give you what they are good at, what they are not so good at and finally how we see the rest of the season shaking out! Without further ado…

NFC East
Dallas Cowboys -
Good – The rise of Miles Austin is a pleasent surpise for the NFC East leading Cowboys. They have two very good receivers out on the edges and a very solid Tight End in Jason Whitten. The Cowboys also have a nice 1-2 punch in the running game with Marion Barber and Felix Jones. Tony Romo has all the tools and weapons to take this team deep into the playoffs. DeMarcus Ware is still one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
Bad – The Cowboys at times are inconsistant, especially on Offense. There are times where Romo isn’t exactly sharp and in those games the Cowboys struggle to get things going offensively. The secondary for the Boys has also been shoddy at times leaving them vulnerable to the big play!
The Grade & Prediction : B+ NFC East Champions. The Cowboys have enough talent and weapons to make the playoffs but if they have one bad game in the postseason, it’s a wrap!

Philadelphia Eagles
Good – The Eagles are a big play team on both offense and defense. They have blazing fast receivers and DeSean Jackson is only the 2nd player over the last 50 years to have TD’s of 50+ yards in 6 straight games. The Eagles have a nice balance at Running Back with Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy. The Defense still plays excellent in the back end led by Asante Samuel and they create tons of turnovers!
Bad – The Offensive Line is not good. When Jason Peters goes down, Donovan McNabb has been running for his life. They need to provide better pass protection especially when they face better teams. The playcalling and coaching decisions have also been questionable. Andy Reid throws the ball in situations when he should definitely run it and the FG against Dallas in the waining minutes of the game was simply a waste as the FG did absolutely nothing for them.
Grade & Prediction : B- Wildcard. The loss to the Raiders and Cowboys showed much about this Eagles team. The O-Line has issues and against solid Defenses in the Playoffs it could mean trouble. If they shore that up, they have enough talent to hang with anyone!

New York Giants
Good – The Giants front 7, particularly their front 4 is dominant. Bookends Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck are the best in the biz and when you can get pressure from the front four it helps the defensive playcalling. Offensively Eli Manning is proving that the loss of Plaxico Burress isn’t as bad as everyone thought. Steve Smith and Mario Manningham have stepped up and provide NY with a nice WR corps. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs still pound the rock well and the G-Men have enough Offense to win ball games.
Bad – The Giants secondary is really missing Kenny Phillips and the unit as a hole has been giving up way too many big plays. For the pressure that the front 7 creates you would think they would have it pretty easy but it’s been anything but. The Giants also need to prove they can beat good competition. They have lost 4 straight heading into the midway point and no team to lose 4 in a row has ever won the Super Bowl!
Grade & Prediction : C+ No Playoffs. The Giants started off on fire going undefeated off to a 5-0 start but are now 5-4 and falling like a rock in the ocean. They need to put a bandaid on it quick or 2009 will be the season of what if’s!

Washington Redskins
Good – The Redskins defense is solid. Newly added Albert Haynesworth has had some positive impact and with Rookie Brian Orakpo they have a nice group to build around. The LB’s are solid and the Secondary is very good, they have  the #1 ranked Pass Defense in the NFL…the D’ is playoff caliber. On offense, Clinton Portis is still a dangerous weapon…when healthy!
Bad – The offense on the whole is just not good. The playcalling has been striped from the Head Coach and that should tell you all you need to know. Jason Campbell is running for his life and now might be gunshy. The Wide Receivers lack a big target and Santana Moss isn’t exactly a number 1 receiver. The Offensive line is huge liability and needs shoring up. When you have former Redskin greats like Sonny Jurgensen and John Riggins critizing the Coaches and Ownership it’s a mess.
Grade & Prediction : D- No Playoffs - They would get an F but have managed to squeek out a couple of wins. They have no shot at the playoffs and the GM needs to focus on building the O-Line up to give his QB a chance to succeed.

NFC North
Chicago Bears
Good – The Bears have a new QB that has all the tools to be a superstar in the league unfortunately he hasn’t really shown it yet in Chicago. The Bears loss of Brian Urlacher for the season has hurt this team and it’s starting to show.
Bad – They are a middle of the road team both offensively (Ranked 15th) and Defensively (Ranked 18th). They don’t have a true #1 receiver and unfortunately Running Back Matt Forte is experiencing the Sophomore Slump! The Bears need to fortify the defense, the Offensive Line and the Wide Receiving corps to be a contender again.
Grade & Prediction : C- No Playoffs – For all the hype and excitement that came with Jay Cutler he hasn’t made this team a winner and probably won’t in 2009!

Minnesota Vikings
Good – Brett Favre has added an element to this team that it lacked and now they are a very complete offense. Percy Harvin is playing like a veteran and has to be one of the Mid Year favorites for Rookie of the Year. Adrian Peterson is the best in business and this is a tough team to beat. The Defense is solid led by Jared Allen who is a straight up beast!
Bad – Not too many negatives for the Vikings aside from the occasional lapse in Defensive assignments and giving up some big runs. They have no glaring weakness!
Grade & Prediction : A, NFC North Champions – Brett Favre has shown he still has plenty of magic left in that right arm and behind the legs of AP this team should go deep into the playoffs!

Green Bay Packers
Good – The Packers have a good young QB in Aaron Rodgers and they have the compliments around him at the skill positions to be successful. Ryan Grant is a good young back and Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are both solid Wide Outs. The Defense has good corners who play like the smart Veterans they are.
Bad – The Offensive Line is offensive! Aaron Rodgers has been running for his life so far in 2009 and is ranked at the top of league in QB sacks. When they face teams with talented rushers they are very vunerable. The Defense, conversely, doesn’t generate a huge amount of pressure as they Rank 29th in that catagory with 11 total sacks so far this year. You would expect more for a defense that is Ranked 4th in the NFL in yards allowed but 16th in points given up!
Grade & Prediction : C, No Playoffs – This team has the potential with their offense and solid D’ to get hot and make a run but right now they are 4-4 and need to pick it up to make the postseason in a Conference that is loaded with good teams.

Detroit Lions
Good – The young core of players that Detroit now has is a positive for the future but doesn’t really help right now. Matt Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Kevin Smith & Brandon Pettigrew is a solid core of young guys to build on. They have had a couple of solid drafts and the future looks bright.
Bad – They are young and are learning to play at the NFL level. They are still a few years away from competing for an NFC North crown and they still need some help on the Defensive Line. They rank near the bottom of the league in just about every catagory.
Grade & Prediction : F, No Playoffs – Right now the Lions have more issues than Sports Illustrated and need to learn to play at the NFL level. They make too many mistakes, miss too many assignments and will be picking high in the draft again in 2010!

NFC South
New Orleans Saints
Good – Pretty much everything! The Saints enter the halfway point undefeated and they are clicking on both Offense and Defense. They led the league in Interceptions and have averaged over 3 take aways a game for most of this season. Darren Sharper has found the fountain of youth and currently leads the league in INT’s with 7 and has taken 3 to the house! On offense, Drew Brees is having an MVP type season leading the Saints high octane offense. They run the ball well, Ranked 5th and pass the ball well, Ranked 4th. Overall they are the best Offense in the league with 426.9 Yards Per Game!
Bad – The Saints don’t really have much to pick on in this catagory but if we had to find some it would be that they do get behind early in games and force Brees and the O’ to play catch up. They also don’t Rush the passer exceptionally well. Currently they have 19 sacks which puts them right in the middle of the league.
Grade & Prediction : A+, NFC South Champions – The Saints are setting themselves up nicely for a bye week in January and are the favorite to win the NFC and head to the big show in Miami!

Atlanta Falcons
Good – Getting Tony Gonzalez was huge for this team and has made their offense extremely well rounded. With Michael Turner (who is now starting to show his ’08 form), Roddy White, Matt Ryan and Gonzalez the Dirty Birds have all the weapons on offense to get 10+ wins in 2009. They are currently 4-0 in ATL proving to be a tough out at home.
Bad – The pass defense! The Falcons currently Rank 27th in the NFL in Pass Defense and they need to shore that up if they want to defeat the Saints and challenge for a division crown. The other bugaboo for the Falcons is they haven’t really beaten any good competition. When they faced the Cowboys, Patriots and Saints – they lost! Their wins have all come against teams with losing records save the Bears who are 4-4…1-3 on the road doesn’t really impress either!
Grade & Prediction : C+, Wildcard – Right now they just can’t beat good teams and until they start winning on the road they may have a tough time making the postseason but with 2 winable games against the Bucs, 1 vs Carolina, 1 vs Buffalo – that’s 9 wins right there. If they can find a way to win one more 10 wins should get a wildcard in the NFC.

Carolina Panthers
Good – They still have one of the best 1-2 punch at Running Back in all the NFL and if they continue to play smashmouth football with their big O-Line they can grind out some wins heading into the Winter months. Julius Peppers and the D-Line is starting to find their groove and the Panthers play tough week in and week out. The Defense is currently ranked 6th in the NFL which is very solid!
Bad – The Quarterback position has been awful this year. Jake Delhomme is 29th in the NFL as far as QB rating with a 61.7 mark. His TD’s to INT ratio is not good…he has 5 TD’s and 13 Int’s which is a formula for disaster. Anyone who owns Steve Smith in their Fantasy League is often scratching their head wondering what is up! The one time All Pro has only 34 catches and 1 touchdown so far this year putting him on pace for 68 catches and 2 TD’s! Simply put, they have to get the passing Offense going to match the D’ and the Running Game!
Grade & Prediction : D, No Playoffs – The Panthers are playing better as of late and haven’t thrown in the towel yet! They have heart and John Fox has them playing with Passion. If they continue to run the ball and get Jake Delhomme to not turn it over than they can win some ballgames…just not enough to get into the postseason!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Good – Cadillac Williams, Kellen Winslow and Antonio Bryant add a nice dimension to this team. It’s really nice to the Caddy back out there playing after his injury plagued past! The Bucs have enough offense to win in the NFL and with Rookie Josh Freeman now under Center they should continue to grow but might take some lumps along the way.
Bad – The Defense has been awful especially in stopping the run. The Bucs rank 30th in Rush Defense and the most dissapointing aspect of the once mighty Bucs. They simply seem to find a way to lose when it appears like they were winning for most of the game. Let the rebuild begin!
Grade & Prediction : F, No Playoffs – The Bucs have enough weapons to sneak up on someone and play the spoiler role but that’s about it!

NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Good – Larry Fitzgerald, Larry Fitzgerald, Larry Fitzgerald! Ok, just kidding but we really like Fitz, he’s a beast and a nice guy who gave our website a plug so yeah…we like him! The Cardinals have been heating up heading into the Halfway point as evidenced by their domination of the Bears in Chicago in Week 9. Kurt Warner can get hot and really light it up like his 5 TD performance last week or he can be cold like his 2 INT performance in Week 3 vs the Colts. The Cards have a well rounded passing attack with Fitz and Boldin and have plenty of weapons to win the West.
Bad – They don’t even really try to run the ball as they Rank dead last in Rushing Attempts and therefor it’s not too shocking that they rank 31st in Rushing! Defensively they rank 21st and they don’t really wow you with Defense but they have the Linebackers and D’ Ends to sack the QB so when playing with a lead they have an advantage.
Grade & Prediction : B-, NFC West Champions – The Cards will dominate the West which doesn’t have any real threats to the Cards. They have the weapons and experience to get it done and once in the playoffs, ’08 showed us what they can do!

Seattle Seahawks
Good – The Defense has been solid so far in 2009 ranking 13th through 8 games. They have solid Cornerbacks and get after the QB where they rank 12th. Matt Hasselbeck has some weapons on Offense especially John Carlson who we think has the talent to be a Pro Bowl Tight End.
Bad – The Offense! Who would of thought that Matt Hasselbeck would have the Hawks ranking 21st in the league with T.J. Houshmandzadeh…who by the way isn’t the leading receiver in Seattle, that belongs to Nate Burleson! The Running game has been anything but spectacular ranking 30th in the league in Rushing and you know what they say it takes to win on the road…running and stopping the run, maybe that’s why they are 0-3 on the road!
Grade & Prediction : D, No Playoffs – The Hawks need to find a running game and to keep Matt Hasslebeck upright, the D’ is good but we forecast a 1st Round selection at RB coming in 2010!

San Francisco 49ers
Good – The Niners have finally gotten solid production out of Vernon Davis and he is looking like the 1st Round Pick that he was supposed to be. Mike Singletary has turned his career around by using a little tough love…”Can’t win with em’, Can’t do it”…that line still makes us laugh! Alex Smith is also starting to come around and show his ability and Michael Crabtree will be a great receiver in the future. There is also nothing not to like about Patrick Willis who is the best MLB in the game…sorry Ray Lewis, but the kid has taken over!
Bad – The Offense on the whole is bad. They are ranked 27th in the NFL, behind the RAMS! Frank Gore’s injury didn’t help but they had to bench Shawn Hill and honestly, aside from Gore and Davis they don’t have anyone on Offense that scares you…and how much can a TE scare you really? The Defense is ranked 19th, bottom half of the league and nothing special. They started off great but have faided fast, losing 4 straight.
Grade & Prediction : C-, No Playoffs – The Niners looked for real early and had us wondering if they are for real but time is the ultimate storyteller and see now that they are not a real contender for the postseason. We wonder how much that last second bomb by Brett Favre in Minnesota to steal a win effected this team?

St. Louis Rams
Good – Steven Jackson is still one of the best RB’s in the league and even though this team hasn’t been successful in 2009 they play with heart and passion as if they were playoff bound. We can respect that. Leonard Little is still one of the better D’- Ends in the NFL and James Laurinaitis is a very young but talented LB, add in Chris Long and they have some nice young players to build off of.
Bad – They Offense is very unspectacular. They don’t have one Wide Receiver that strikes fear in the heart of D’-Cordinators but they are young at that position for the most part. The most glaring stat – their team Differential is -144!!! Wowza! That means they aren’t scoring enough points or stopping enough Offenses.
Grade & Prediction – F, No Playoffs – Too many missed assignements by the Defense and Offensive Line, Steven Jackson can’t do it alone and this team will be picking early in the 2010 NFL Draft!