Now that we’re at the halfway point of the 2010 NFL season it’s time to give a rundown of the standings and each NFC team’s performance so far this season.
Artwork: Gener De Vera
While the Cowboys started this season with Super Bowl expectations but now sit at 1-7 and have sent coach Wade packing, the Lions learned that a boy named Suh can’t kick extra points. Also in the NFC North Jay Cutler started out Brady-like but after returning to being Jay Cutler Bears punter Brad Maynard is becoming the team MVP.
NFC EAST
NY Giants (6-2): The Giants got off to a slow start, going 1-2 in their first three games, but bounced back by injuring every quarterback on the Bears roster over the past 50 years in week 4. They are currently on a five-game win streak and Eli Manning is still the Citizen Watch Co. Brand Ambassador.
Philadelphia Eagles (5-3): Andy Reid named Kevin Kolb the starter for game one. Kolb got hurt in game one, so Michael Vick went in. Vick impressed Reid and the fans and earned the starting spot over Kolb. Vick 2.0 is welcomed into the league while a healthy Kolb sits on the bench. Vick 2.0 gets hurt in game four and Kevin Kolb is once again named the starter. Andy Reid doesn’t like that, so now in week 10, Vick (back from injury) is the new starter.
Washington Redskins (4-4): Six out of the Redskins first seven games were decided by the last drive of the game. In week 1, they beat the Cowboys on a fluke play and were seen as one of the toughest defenses in the league. Fast-forward to week 10 and their defense is ranked 31st in opponents passing yards and Rex Grossman still sucks.
Dallas Cowboys (1-7): The Cowboys started this season with Super Bowl expectations and are now on an impressive five-game losing streak. Their most recent beating came at the hands of the Green Bay Packers, which ended up costing head coach Wade Philips his job and the team’s integrity. What makes matters worse is that the Cowboys can no longer place the blame on Flozell Adams.
NFC NORTH
Green Bay Packers (6-3): Ryan Grant got hurt in the first game and was replaced with a guy who nobody knew, except for fantasy owners. Turns out backup Brandon Jackson’s not half bad, but more importantly, Aaron Rodgers is just that good. Three points have decided all three of the Packers losses, and two of them went into overtime, which leaves Green Bay fans feeling pretty optimistic.
Chicago Bears (5-3): The Bears were, at one point, one of only three undefeated teams in the NFL, but then Jay Cutler remembered he was Jay Cutler and went back to his old bag o’ tricks. After starting the season in record style, Cutler turned the turbo off and became the target of ridicule and blame and the Bears have been on a steady slope of mediocrity ever since. Punter Brad Maynard still remains the team MVP.
Minnesota Vikings (3-5): Brett Favre comes back. Brett Favre throws picks. Brett Favre takes pics and then takes it back. Childress is mad, Favre is in trouble and the Vikings look like a modern soap opera while becoming the biggest train wreck in the NFL. Adrian Peterson is still good.
Detroit Lions (2-6): Surprise! Matthew Stafford got hurt in the first game. Who could have guessed? Needless to say, this injury crippled the team and plagued the season. Detroit fans are looking at another miserable year and, to top it off, a poorly coached one as well. Sidenote: Ndamukong Suh cannot replace an injured kicker.
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons (6-2): The Falcons are quietly becoming one of the best teams in the league. With Roddy White having a banner year and the defense smothering the run, the chances of a franchise record season are quickly becoming a reality for this team. Atlanta fans are just hoping that Michael Turner can stay healthy enough to last an entire season, or at least healthy enough to have more carries than backup Jason Snelling.
New Orleans Saints (6-3): Are the Saints good? Nobody knows. Has the Madden curse been broken? Nobody knows. All we know is that the Saints are not the same team as last year. Once Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas went down with injuries, the Saints offense hit a brick wall, and for some reason, so did their rush defense. Yet somehow, they are still winning and only one game out of first. Fun Fact: Colt McCoy and Max Hall are undefeated against the Saints.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-3): With the season only halfway over, the Bucs are already twice as good as last year. The college dude who punched that white guy that one time is now becoming the main running back (LeGarrette Blount). Mike Williams is putting his name on the Rookie of the Year ballot, and Josh Freeman is surprisingly average… and that’s a good thing.
Carolina Panthers (1-7): The Panthers attempted to bring in a boatload of young guys to spark the team, but they pretty much failed on all fronts. Their offense might be one of the worst that have ever played the game and Jimmy Clausen has done everything in his power to satisfy his skeptics. I guess it’s still better than playing at Notre Dame though. At least he gets to say hi to Steve Smith everyday.
NFC WEST
St. Louis Rams (4-4): With four wins, the Rams already have more victories than their last two seasons combined. Now that Bradford has cut down on his interceptions, things are finally starting to look good for St. Louis. But before fans start crowning Sammy as their savior, let’s remember that he is a rookie and the Rams are still the Rams.
Seattle Seahawks (4-4): The Seahawks were basically playing the first half of the season with their B-squad. Simply put, if you can name someone on their team, they were injured. The good news is that they are very consistent- they are terrible on all aspects of the ball. Nobody knows how they have won four games, not even Pete ‘the cheat’ Carroll.
Arizona Cardinals (3-5): Matt Leinart was named the starter for about 90 minutes until Derek Anderson replaced him. Which seemed like a good idea until Leinart was traded to the Texans and the undrafted backup, Max Hall, replaced an injured Anderson. Turns out the kid can beat the reigning Super Bowl champs, but no one else. So Anderson came back and started throwing to the Vikings and now anyone could pretty much start at QB for the Cardinals. Their special teams is good though.
San Francisco 49ers (2-6): Before the season started, coach Mike Singletary named Alex Smith the team captain and promised a big year out of the former number one pick. Well, we can pretty much just call Mr. Singletary a liar because Smith is no longer the starting quarterback and his offense has been anything but productive. The good news is that Singletary won’t have to make any more promises like that because he is probably going to lose his job. At least Frank Gore isn’t injured…
Used with permission of the author.
Logan Rhoades is a Los Angeles-based writer and contributor to Sports Climax. With an extensive knowledge of ESPN topics and celebrity gossip, he is known for mixing sports and pop culture to entertain his readers. Check out his blog and Follow him on Twitter @loganrhoades.
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