jellydonut's NFL MEGA POST

[jellydonut25]

Two more weeks down, one full quarter of the NFL season, and here's how things look to me:

1.) Seattle Seahawks - I hate to knock Denver down even though they haven't lost, but Seattle now has two pretty impressive road wins and that win against San Fran is solid too.
2.) Denver Broncos - Still dominant. Peyton is great.
3.) New Orleans Saints - Good win on Monday vs. Miami, I still like my Broncos/Saints Super Bowl.
4.) New England Patriots - Ugh. I hate that they're this high, but 4-0 with all their injuries is too impressive to ignore.
5.) Kansas City Chiefs - I'm not overwhelmingly impressed by them thus far, but I don't really think any of the 3-1 teams deserve to be above them.
6.) Chicago Bears - I think that was an anomaly this week. If you look at the beginning of the game vs the end, Chicago just put themselves into too big of a hole too early on to climb out. They'll be good the rest of the way, I think.
7.) Indianapolis Colts - It's quite possible I was wrong about this team. They look good.
8.) Miami Dolphins - That was a beat down last night, but that was also one of the toughest teams they'll play all year.
9.) Baltimore Ravens - If you look at that game against the Bills, they had 5 turnovers and had a chance to win. Flacco won't throw 5 picks every week.
10.) Houston Texans - It's not time to hit the panic button YET, their losses are to good teams...but Matt Schaub WILL keep this team from being able to compete for a Super Bowl
11.) Detroit Lions - If they didn't have the worst coach in football, I'd probably think they were a GOOD team.
12.) San Francisco 49ers - They beat the Rams and we're all supposed to be impressed? Not yet.
13.) Green Bay Packers - Tough to figure out where to put them with a bye as early as they had it. It came at the right time for them, though, they needed it.
14.) Cincinnati Bengals - Bad loss this week, but chalk it up to the unpredictability of divisional games. Things get tougher this week though with the Patriots.
15.) Cleveland Browns - Rolling at the moment, and probably due for another win this week, as the home team wins like 90% of Thursday Night games.
16.) San Diego Chargers - Not a terribly impressive win, considering how bad the NFC East is...that loss against Houston is still a black eye
17.) Dallas Cowboys - The best of a bad bunch in the NFC East. They've got a playoff spot locked up by default, it seems.
18.) Buffalo Bills - Who knows what to think with this team? Horrible loss to the Jets, solid win against the Ravens...they're better than I expected by far, but still not ready to step up and play with the big boys on a week to week basis.
19.) Carolina Panthers - Unlike Green Bay, I think the bye came at a bad time for these guys, they had just gotten a win, and then boom, they hit a week off.
20.) Atlanta Falcons - They're in trouble. They need to get healthy pronto.
21.) Arizona Cardinals - One week, this team looks improved with Palmer being able to actually throw some balls to their WRs, the next week, they look sloppy..who knows? I think they are trying to outlast some injuries
22.) Washington Redskins - Bye week comes at a good time for them. They can rest up, get healthy, and maybe build on that win.
23.) Tennessee Titans - a 3-1 team so low? Yeah. Jake Locker is going to miss the next 4 weeks minimum, and Ryan FItzpatrick will be the QB. I've seen that one before, for a few years with the Bills. It doesn't end well.
24.) St. Louis Rams - So much for turning the corner. This team is still bad.
25.) New York Jets - they're laughably coached and have a major lack of talent.
26.) Oakland Raiders - Just when you think it might be time to start thinking about them as an NFL franchise, they lose their QB, and now McFadden too.
27.) Philadelphia Eagles - Things are turning south in a hurry. Their defense is bad, and DeSean Jackson is coming back to Earth.
28.) Minnesota Vikings - If only they could play Pittsburgh every week, right?
29.) Pittsburgh Steelers - Bell will make them better, but their O-line and D will hold them down for the foreseeable future.
30.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - They hate their QB, their coach is a moron, and Dough Martin is STRUGGLING.
31.) New York Giants - Awful
32.) Jacksonville Jaguars - I'm convinced they'd lose to Alabama, Oregon, and Clemson. Blaine Gabbert is a JOKE.

[Russzilla]

[O.Supreme]

[jellydonut25]

UGH. Just when this team gives me a SLIVER (and I mean a SLIVER) of hope, it gets torn away faster than I can use it to pick the food from betwixt my teeth.

EJ was looking good today. Sure his stats aren't flashy, but he had two potential TDs taken off by Browns penalties, which then became 1-yd rushing TDs. He was finding and hitting the open receivers, and we were getting some decent drives against one of the league's top defenses.

And then he doesn't just run out of bounds when he gets that first down and boom: the game is over.

A lot of people will criticize (and already are criticizing) the Bills for having a backup as incapable as Jeff Tuel, but the reality is that he's our third stringer. Kevin Kolb went down in the preseason. No team in this entire league will have any measure of success with their 3rd string QB.

This game had the chance to be the Bills' dominant performance, to show that while they may not be ready to run with the big dogs, they are better than the average muck...and then the injuries stacked up. Down to our last healthy bodies in the secondary, Stevie Johnson out, CJ Spiller gimped, and then EJ Manuel.

Ugh. I hope he gets healthy FAST, because I can't stomach watching Jeff Tuel.

[Russzilla]

[Russzilla]

Some really juicy matchups this Sunday in the NFL.

Saints at Bears
Patriots at Bengals
Lions at Packers
Seahawks at Colts
Broncos at Cowboys
Texans at Niners
Chiefs at Titans

As much as I would like to say that my Cowboys and Patriots are going to win this weekend, sadly, I just can't. While I do think the Boys will give the Broncos a fight, I think they'll come up short in the end. As for my Pats, this is one of the two other games I thought they would lose. (at Falcons, at Bengals) I think it will be a close game, and they're certainly capable of winning, but I think the Bengals will win this one. (I had planned on going to this game before I broke my ankle too ) Losing Wilfork will also prove to be huuuuuuge also for this team in the end.

[Reaper G]

[jellydonut25]

[Russzilla]

[Russzilla]

I hope Peyton Manning tears a new one into Jim Irsay's Colts this Sunday night.

[jellydonut25]

So, we're now six weeks in and here's how it all shakes out in my humble opinion:
1.) Denver Broncos - I knocked them down because Seattle had impressed with some road victories, but those road victories for the 'hawks look a touch less impressive now than they did. Denver is where it's at. They look unstoppable.
2.) Seattle Seahawks - They lost a close one to a better-than-I-expected Indy team, and other than that, have looked unstoppable.
3.) New Orleans Saints - So they lost last-second on the road against a very good New England team...BFD. This team is GOOD.
4.) Kansas City Chiefs - It's hard to not put them at #2, but I want to see them play against a couple of good teams eventually. Beating Oakland and the Giants and stuff is just what you're supposed to do.
5.) New England Patriots - I'd probably have them higher than the Saints if that game was in New Orleans. You could flip-flop this spot with the Saints though and I wouldn't argue.
6.) Chicago Bears - I told you that loss to Detroit was an anomaly. They did lose to the Saints, but took care of business on a short week. With 10 days to prepare for a bad Redskins team and then a bye, this team won't be losing any time soon.
7.) Indianapolis Colts - Like Chicago's loss to the Lions, I think that their most recent loss was an anomaly. They've got some quality wins, and will likely take their (mediocre) division.
8.) Cincinnati Bengals - Beating New England is impressive, not sure how I feel about eking one out against a Bills team with so many injuries, but we'll chalk that up to it being a road game.
9.) San Francisco 49ers - I don't know that I'm impressed just yet...but I can't think of anyone who really looks better right now.
10.) Detroit Lions - I bet they'd like a do-over against Green Bay RIGHT NOW, with all those injuries the Pack is running up.
11.) Green Bay - They'd be in my top 10 no-contest if not for the injuries. It's hard to know what they'll do without Cobb for 8 weeks. My fantasy team is crying.
12.) Dallas Cowboys - They're more than likely a playoff team, so I don't want to put them too low, but DAM that defense is BAD.
13.) Miami Dolphins - Not sure what to think of this team, following 2 straight losses, but they were against 2 good teams, so we'll see.
14.) Baltimore Ravens - Who knows what to think with this team? One week, they're blowing somebody out, the next week, they lose to the Bills...fans have to be even more confused than I.
15.) San Diego Chargers - Another roller-coaster of a team. They could potentially be in the playoff mix come season's end, though.
16.) St. Louis Rams - I don't want to over-credit this team, but they MIGHT be getting things on track after a shaky start. Bradford MAY be turning into what they wanted him to be.
17.) Philadelphia Eagles - They're not really good or anything, but they have a chance to take the division lead coming up soon.
18.) Arizona Cardinals - I guess we could look at my Rams comments here...kinda sorta. This team has issues, but they win the games they're supposed to, generally speaking.
19.) Carolina Panthers - I can't get a read on this team, thus they go towards the middle-ish.
20.) Tennessee Titans - They might have gone a little higher if I heard anything about Locker coming back any time soon. Fitzpatrick sucks.
21.) Buffalo Bills - A little high? More than likely. Chalk it up to being a homer, but this team refuses to quit no matter how many injuries they rack up, no matter how far behind they get, and no matter what goes against them...if I were a middle-level contender (like San Diego, or something) I wouldn't want this team on my schedule.
22.) Houston Texans - I only put the Bills higher because I truly Bill-ieve that were they to play right now, Buffalo would come out victorious. This team has MASSIVE problems and could slip another couple spots in these rankings before things get remotely better...but there are a lot of crap-tacular teams out there right now.
23.) New York Jets - I haven't been impressed with a single thing this team has done. They beat a Tampa team that gave them the game, a Buffalo team that allowed 297 pass yards against ONE defensive back, and a truly awful Falcons team. Wait until they play some decent teams, they'll be exposed as awful.
24.) Cleveland Browns - Came crashing back to Earth, and I think the fall will continue. The loss of Hoyer is probably for the best, though...at least now they'll draft a QB instead of pinning their hopes on a backup-caliber guy.
25.) Pittsburgh Steelers - They've got Big Ben. I guess any time you have a guy like that, you're not totally worthless.
26.) Oakland Raiders - They suck, but at least they try.
27.)Atlanta Falcons - Wow. Who would have thought they'd be THIS bad?
28.) Washington Redskins - I thought they'd get it back on track this week. They didn't. Things will continue to be bad for them.
29.) Minnesota Vikings - I guess we could say, "at least they're TRYING" but at this point, maybe they should STOP trying and bottom-out to try to draft a QB (and maybe some WR help)
30.) New York Giants - They'll get a win eventually. I think they still have Washington left on their schedule, after all.
31.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Give them credit for cutting their best QB mid-season because they didn't like his attitude. Laugh at them for knowing they could potentially go 0-16.
32.) Jacksonville Jaguars - "Could potentially go 0-16"? I'll be shocked if this team wins a game. If they don't win when Arizona comes to town in a few weeks, 0-16 is nearly definite.

Boy...every team from 25 on down SUCKS. I know my Bills are in that area in terms of record, but they are playing far better football than any of those teams. That's my hope for the rest of the year though...play really well, lose a lot. Give me some hope for next year, get a good draft pick.

[Russzilla]

[jellydonut25]

Couple of big deaths in the football world this weekend...

Bum Phillips, head coach of the Houston Oilers during the Love Ya Blue era when Earl Campbell was tearing it up and father of Wade Phillips, current defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans passed away at the age of 90.

and

Bud Adams, founder of the Houston Oilers, original AFL owner, current Tennessee Titans owner, senior owner (in terms of years as owner) of the NFL (ahead of Ralph Wilson by a couple months), and notorious flipper-of-the-double-bird at a group of Bills fans, also passed away at the age of 90.

I can't say either impacted me much. I don't remember Love Ya Blue, and whenever I hear the name Bud Adams all I can think of is this:


but both were important pieces of NFL history.

[Russzilla]

[jellydonut25]

How is it a good idea to move a team from one of the country's biggest cities and a HUGE football town, to Nashville? Nobody in Houston likes Bud Adams and he never made any friends in Buffalo with his classless behavior. Ev n worse, he held onto the naming rights for the Oilers which let's face it is the PERFECT nickname for a Houston based team, and it's a shame they had to settle for being the Texans. A mediocre nickname at best.

[Russzilla]

[jellydonut25]

Week 8, roughly halfway through the season. Here's my shakedown:

1.) Denver Broncos - Their only loss is to a team that has been really good.
2.) Kansas City Chiefs - Hate to put an undefeated team at this point in the season anywhere but #1, but call me when they beat somebody talented. They have yet to play a team that's even .500. They could go on a three (or even four) game skid after their bye when it's Denver, San Diego, Denver, Washington.
3.) New Orleans Saints - Only loss is on the road to a good team at the last second. That's promising. The defense can be a little troubling. I wonder what the final against Buffalo would have looked like had the Bills' O been clicking at all...
4.) Seattle Seahawks - Props to winning, and on the road, but that O-line might get Wilson killed.
5.) Cincinnati Bengals - Throwaway the loss to the Browns as an inter-divisional aberration, and you've got what could prove to be the AFC's second-best team by the year's end.
6.) Indianapolis Colts - That Chargers loss may prove to be less embarrassing that I originally thought, but that Dolphins loss is proving MORE embarrassing than I originally thought. Nevertheless, this looks to be FAR AND AWAY the best team in the AFC South, and you have to give them props for beating the Broncos.
7.) San Francisco 49ers - I still have yet to see anything particularly impressive from this team, but they are winning convincingly against weaker competition, and that's what good teams are supposed to do. Fairly easy sledding for them the rest of the way will likely find them in the playoffs (I originally thought they'd lose to Green Bay, Seattle, Houston, and another game to start the season, and be in trouble at 4-4 right now).
8.) Green Bay Packers - When Rodgers is at his best, this team makes it look easy. Now armed with a rushing attack, they could be straight-up terrifying when they get some of their WRs back.
9.) Detroit Lions - That was a statement win on Sunday. This isn't the same old, never-turn-the-corner-Lions. They have a bye and then Chicago. They could put themselves in a GREAT position with a win there.
10.) New England Patriots - firmly in control in the AFC East, but so what? Lots of teams could feed on the fodder of their schedule, and look a lot better while doing it.
11.) Chicago Bears - Coming off a bye, they have Green Bay and Detroit. That's a rough-go, but two wins could have them in control. The AFC North is interesting as hell.
12.) San Diego Chargers - With the way the rest of the AFC is playing, the West could get both Wild Cards.
13.) Carolina Panthers - This team has a chance here to make a name for themselves, and more than that, the Playoffs.
14.) Dallas Cowboys - If you've seen a Giants or Eagles game, you'll know why I still think this is a playoff team...and they will get a home playoff game as well.
15.) Arizona Cardinals - They can beat on the weaker guys, but can't hang with the big boys. Typical .500 team.
16.) Tennessee Titans - With Jake Locker back, this team could have a chance. It's certainly better than their odds with Fitzpatrick playing.
17.) Baltimore Ravens - A loss to the Browns or Bengals in the next two weeks probably ends their season. Maybe not mathematically, but it'd be a rough climb into contention from there.
18.) Buffalo Bills - If you saw the first half of the game last week, you'll understand why they're this high. EJ might come back this week, but even if he doesn't, they have a CHANCE against a Chiefs team that has been living on the edge for weeks. Then it's the bye, and then the easiest 6-game stretch I could imagine: Steelers, Jets, Falcons, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Dolphins. This team could win 5 of their next 7 pretty easily.
19.) New York Jets - I don't like putting them this high, but they did beat the Pats...but they play Drew Brees next. Ouch.
20.) Miami Dolphins - Four straight losses is sending them crashing back to Earth after a decent showing to start the season. Cincinnati this week could make it 5 straight.
21.) St. Louis Rams - Tough fight they put up last night. Defense and a potential emergence of a decent running attack could make this team competitive the rest of the way, though they won't win much.
22.) Oakland Raiders - Terrelle Pryor looks solid, McFadden shows some explosiveness at times. They need to get better at FINISHING though. Trying to run out the clock is not a strong suit.
23.) Cleveland Browns - Jason Campbell is my most recent "never had a fair shake" guy, so I like what he brings to the table, but this team doesn't really seem to want to win.
24.) Houston Texans - I guess it's not technically over yet. Must-win on Sunday night though. Case Keenum has potential to be the answer they've been looking for...
25.) Washington Redskins - Outclassed and outcoached by Denver, but at least they try.
26.) Pittsburgh Steelers - The loss to Oakland is the end of their season, imho. Earliest time in recent memory, too.
27.) Atlanta Falcons - The season is over, but if/when they get Roddy White back, they won't be a cakewalk.
28.) Philadelphia Eagles - Better than their record, the QB injuries are taking their toll, though.
29.) New York Giants - Yes they are winning, but have you actually watched them play at all? It's a joke. Players look like they want out.
30.) Minnesota Vikings - They've got a win. No shame in tanking it the rest of the way in order to get a QB.
31.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Will they get a win? Their schedule is pretty fierce the rest of the way.
32.) Jacksonville Jaguars - That game in two weeks against Arizona looms large as their last chance to get a win, though two games against the Texans could (hopefully) be their chance to end the career of Gary Kubiak.


You might say I have the Bills too high, as I have all year....but I've been watching this team, and a lot of the teams with the same record as them, and they look like one of the better middle-of-the-road teams. As I've said before, I wouldn't want to be a mid-level contender (Miami, the Jets) with Buffalo left on my schedule. The defense is fierce and the offense will be vastly improved upon the return of Manuel. If they can sneak a win against Kansas City this week, I'm gonna be all jacked up.

[O.Supreme]

I'm truly looking forward to the 49ers/Saints game on Nov 17th. I agree the Niners have had a relatively soft schedule, (only winning against two 500 or better teams thus far) but there's no way for the NFL to predict who will be good/not good and it is a regular rotation of in division, in conference, and inter-conference play, (despite what conspiracy theorists think ) , and dont forget, Seattle has nearly an identical schedule. But for the past two years, the Niners have had a statement game that made people wake up and show that they are for real. In 2011 it was in week six when they handed the 5-0 Lions their first loss of the Season in Detroit. Last year it when they went and beat the Patriots at home in December (something that had not been done in 5 years previously...) . I think a win in New Orleans is going to be very tough, but if they do pull it off, then I think/hope people will start to take them seriously. This game actually excites me much more than the Seattle rematch in December, which is in S.F. and I have little doubt the 49ers will win barring injury.

[Hybrid Gojira]

As a Bengals fan, I'd place them around that 5-6 spot as well. I love our defense, but sometimes it has felt like we've relied on them too heavily to win games this year. Last week we put up some points...hoping that continues.

[jellydonut25]

[O.Supreme]

Oh, I know you are a knowledgable fan jelly- But year after year I see comments from people (mostly on sports sites) about how certain teams always seem to benefit from an easy schedule as if it was an NFL conspiracy or something...

[Hybrid Gojira]

Fans say crazy stuff like that all the time. Show the same play to two opposing fans and one will try to say it was clean and the other will ask why a flag wasn't thrown. Not every fan is objective. :/

[Russzilla]

It's gonna be an interesting second half of the season. Looks like the battle for home field advantage will come down to Seattle and New Orleans. Which would be a great match up in an NFC Championship game. The only question is will it be in Seattle or New Orleans? (where both are virtually unbeatable most times) As for my Cowboys, a 4-4 record at the halfway point, where if it weren't for the defense, they would be at least 7-1, or maybe even 8-0. As Bill Parcells always said, you are what your record says you are.

[jellydonut25]

[O.Supreme]

There may be something to that... I dunno... I think Thursday night football is messed up anyway. I know its all about extra money, but either they should have every team play their TH night game after a Bye, or both be in the same time zone to limit travel. If Detroit & Dallas (or whoever) still want to play on Thanksgiving because of tradition -Fine- thats on them, but dont mess up every others teams schedule because of it. Also Monday night games are supposeddly what schedulers "think" might be the best game of the week (I know its an over simplification but...) In the past two years there have been a lot of REALLY Bad Monday night games, something that if "known" wouldn't happen. I would wonder what would happen if the NFL ever proposed a flex schedule for Monday nights...