Evaluate Your Team at Midseason

[Ned_Merrill]

Seahawks

Record: 4-4

> 2 games behind Cardinals for NFCW lead, with 2 games against them remaining
> 1-1 NFCW games
> 4-3 NFC games
> 2 losses were to unbeaten teams
> 0 wins over teams with 500+ WP
> +27 Point Differential

My Grade: B-

Given their schedule, their OL, and the loss of Dan Quinn to Atlanta, I think they are about where they should be. Winning just one of those close losses would have put them in a whole different light. I am hopeful for the Playoffs, but they will have to win the Division, most likely.

Teams I WAY Over-Estimated before the Season
DET
BAL
MIA

Teams I WAY Under-Estimated before the Season
GBY
MIN
CIN

 

[Wamu]

This damn team is in their 17th consecutive year of rebuilding. And the only thing they do right on a regular basis is make poor decisions on Draft Day.

 

[cdumler7]

The Broncos have pretty much a whole new staff teaching a brand new system on both sides of the ball. I honestly though they would be closer to 5-3 than 7-1 right now. I did not expect their defense to be the best in the NFL through the first 8 games of the season. So right now I have to give this team an A as they have surpassed expectations. I would also throw in that Manning is finally looking more like his old self so I think that bodes well if the defense can bounce back from their worst performance of the season this past week.

 

[boltfan72]

CHARGERS

The good: The worst season in 13 years may cause LA to decide to rescind their invite.
The bad: They beat the only two teams currently ahead of them in the draft order, so they lose those tiebreakers.

 

[Tharvot]

Browns

Record: 2-7

> Last in the AFC North and actually last in the entire AFC

My Grade: F

I expected them to be bad and they have been. Best case scenario, I could have seen them maybe squeak out another 2-3 wins by this point in the season and be 4-5 or 5-4. With their remaining schedule, I could see them winning another 1-2 games...or none at all.

Most disappointing thing about this season has been their complete inability to run the football and their poor defense. They rank 2nd to last in rushing yards per game with a dismal 82 rushing ypg and only have 2 rushing tds on the season. On the flip side, they are the absolute worst in the NFL in run defense and near the bottom of the league in both total ypg and points per game defensively.

For a team that was going to struggle on offense and have to rely on a stout defense to keep them in games...its not been turning out as hoped/expected so far.

At this point, I only hope they don't fire every one of their coaches. Part of the franchise's problem has been incredible coaching turnover.

 

[Rock Strongo]

4 michelin stars
A+ rating
10/10

 

[Wamu]

4 michelin stars
A+ rating
10/10

Your #'s seem deflated.

 

[Carnzo]

New England Patriots
Concerned with the health of what's left of the line.
Hoping Mr White can succeed as the "next man up" as running back.
Otherwise all is groovy.

 

[Dude]

New England Patriots
Concerned with the health of what's left of the line.
Hoping Mr White can succeed as the "next man up" as running back.
Otherwise all is groovy.

Good post, the in-shambles O-line is performing at the bare minimum, so game plan has been adjusted for Brady to get rid of the ball within 2, 3 seconds tops. This is one of the reasons we see so many short slants and stuff. It works. Sad to see Lewis gone, he added excitement to the team. They still have a decent stable back there so Pats should be ok.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

I'd give my Seahawks a C+... Defensive meltdown early on were baffling, but they appear to be cleaning things up as they go... I expected a rough start with this young O-line and tough schedule... But I didn't expect defensive meltdowns and lack of communication late in games ... That, I didn't see coming... I still feel confident this will be the #1 defense again by the end of the year... Were 2nd behind Denver right now in total defense

 

[Broncos6482]

New England Patriots
Concerned with the health of what's left of the line.
Hoping Mr White can succeed as the "next man up" as running back.
Otherwise all is groovy.

The line definitely has to be a concern with Denver coming up on the schedule. Even though the Colts beat us and the defense had an awful game, they still managed to destroy Luck. They can't allow Brady to be hit like that.

 

[Dude]

Your #'s seem deflated.

Rock must be rolling run flat tires

 

[Clayton]

Not sure how to rank the Rams. They've given away a couple of games (Steelers, Vikings), stolen one (Cards) and had a game they tried to give away and then managed to steal it (Seahawks). One game Foles totally imploded (Packers), one game they got gashed badly in the run game (Redskins) and 2 games they dominated (Browns, Niners)

I'd give them a C- mostly due to the fact that they are seriously banged up right now. If they were healthy, itd be somewhere around a B+

 

[Dude]

Having said that, I would give them an A, because of the completely focused way they are playing. Next man up, have to remember they started the year without some key players who have returned, and now other key players are done for the year. Pats know how to shuffle their bag of goodies and keep the team high strung.

 

[GNG]

DALLAS COWBOYS...

With Romo ... A+

Without Romo ... D-

 

[Carnzo]

DALLAS COWBOYS...

With Romo ... A+

Without Romo ... D-

Devastating injuries

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Chiefs

Record: 3-5

> In the AFC WC "hunt" with a H2H win over Houston and Pitt.
> 0-1 AFCW
> 2-2 AFC games
> 4 Losses are to teams well over .500 in the Vikes, Packers, Broncos, and the undefeated Bengals.
> 3 Losses are to NFC teams.
> 0 wins over teams with 500+ WP
> +13 Point Differential... best among below .500 teams (15th, overall)

My Grade: D-; the only reason it is not an F is because of how weak the AFC field is.

While many will point to the schedule, many also remember 4th quarter leads being blown in bizarre fashion against the Broncos and Bears. The field goal parade in Cincinnati also was a source of frustration. This team might be talented on paper at several positions, but it's likely limited to being a nuisance to teams seeking a WC- such as Oakland. I am not particularly optimistic for the playoffs, but I would be less than shocked to see them go on a run to 8-8 with how weak the schedule is going to be in the 2nd half. Underachieving, and not finishing is what will do this team in.

Teams I WAY Over-Estimated before the Season
BAL
MIA
Indy


Teams I WAY Under-Estimated before the Season
Buffalo (yes, Buffalo)
Minny's defense.
CIN

 

[Dude]

DALLAS COWBOYS...

With Romo ... A+

Without Romo ... D-

Dunno about A+ but the Cowboys would be a lot better this year without the injuries. Some teams are playing much better ball than Dallas this year, with middle-of-the-pack QBs. Imagine if MVP could be given to a player that is sidelined on account of injury. That would turn the NFL on its head.

 

[Dude]

Not sure how to rank the Rams. They've given away a couple of games (Steelers, Vikings), stolen one (Cards) and had a game they tried to give away and then managed to steal it (Seahawks). One game Foles totally imploded (Packers), one game they got gashed badly in the run game (Redskins) and 2 games they dominated (Browns, Niners)

I'd give them a C- mostly due to the fact that they are seriously banged up right now. If they were healthy, itd be somewhere around a B+

That's what I was thinking. You need to take injuries out of the equation because all teams have important ones. Injuries could be a considered a constant in this equation. Perhaps the final result could be adjusted depending on the impact of specific injuries to a team, so better to judge teams with injury as a constant for all teams.

 

[Clayton]

That's what I was thinking. You need to take injuries out of the equation because all teams have important ones. Injuries could be a considered a constant in this equation. Perhaps the final result could be adjusted depending on the impact of specific injuries to a team, so better to judge teams with injury as a constant for all teams.

Not all injuries are created equal. The difference between a team's 6th best offensive lineman and 8th best offensive lineman is probably notable. The difference between a team's 3rd best CB/WR and 5th best CB/WR is probably pretty big, too.

One of the reasons for my low(ish) grade on the Rams is that they had a good quarter or so against the Steelers without Big Ben and a good quarter or so against the Vikings without Bridgewater. Not being able to seal the deal there is a lot worse than whatever something like point differential could tell me. This was a year that was prime for a 10-12 win Rams team and its looking closer to 7-9.