We're coming up on Week 10 in the NFL. So I figured we'd take a look at each conference. The good, the bad, the surprises...
NFC East
At the beginning of the season, you could have flipped the standings as the Cowboys were projected to play in the Super Bowl, and the Giants were suppose to be the ones sitting on the couch watching the playoffs. Now, the Giants are one of the best teams in the NFL let alone the NFC. As for the rest of the NFC East, well it's certainly the most entertaining division, though NFC North comes in a close second. The Redskins are a mess. First, it was the Albert Haynesworth drama, and since he’s only played in five games this season, that drama isn’t over yet. But the more pressing issue is the Donovan McNabb doesn't know the two minute offense or the playbook, his cardiovascular health, and whatever excuse Mike Shanahan throws at us. Who knows what’s going on in Washington, all I do know is that they aren’t making the playoffs at .500. As for the Eagles, is it Kolb or Vick, Vick or Kolb? It changes daily. Andy Reid is in a conundrum, you trade your franchise QB because you have the future, and then the back-up ends up being better. If they can get this figured out they may have a chance of getting into the playoffs but the more pressing issue may be the lackluster defense.
NFC North
Oh where to begin with the NFC North? Should we start with the beginning, and whether or not Brett Favre was going to return to the Vikings or not? Or should we move onto the Favre/Sterger scandal, or should we move onto the daily updates on whether Favre will play or not, or maybe we should start with the Vikings trade back for Randy Moss, or maybe we should just stick to the catered food incident and eventual release of Moss. In a nutshell, the Vikings are a hot mess. The fact that they are 3-5 should surprise no one after that list of issues, and I didn’t even mention head coach Brad Childress in all this; he’s got his own set of problems that are affecting the team. But the most surprising team in the north has been the Detroit Lions. Okay, so the fact that they are last isn’t very surprising but they way they’ve played has been. The Lions aren’t giving up like they have in the past decade or so. They are currently 7th in points (25.4) and 8th in passing (247.8), but true to form, they are in the bottom ten for all defensive categories. They are on the right track though, drafting Ndamukong Suh, now only if they could get him to play one position.
NFC South
That dreaded Super Bowl hangover seems to have hit the Saints, hard. Up until last weeks win, they had been alternating wins and losses each week. They seem to be back on track though, with two straight wins but with losses to Arizona and Cleveland, who knows what’s going on in New Orleans. The Atlanta Falcons are quietly leading the south at 6-2, and with Carolina, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and Seattle still on the schedule, the Falcons could easily have home field throughout the playoffs.
NFC West
The NFC West is kind of up for grabs, with only two games separating the top team from the bottom, it suffices to say that a team coming out of the West won’t be competing in February. St. Louis and Seattle are tied at 4-4; for me, the more surprising team is St. Louis. They have a rookie QB in Sam Bradford who has been able to manage the offense, which is a far cry from the greatest show on turf a few years ago, but what has really helped the Rams has been their defense. It probably helps that Steve Spagnuolo is their head coach, the former defensive coordinator for the Giants and Eagles. As for Seattle, Pete Carroll's second go-around in the NFL has been mediocre at best. Some weeks they’ll put up 30, the next they can’t muster a touchdown. The West is a mess, clearly, but as bad as it is, I don’t think the 2-6 Niners are going to be making the playoffs, no matter what Mike Singletary thinks.
