It’s amazing how time flies. We’re already beginning the 2nd half of our beloved NFL season,  So of course, it’s time to see how your favorite team fared midway through the 2011 season. Only, instead of giving actual grades, I’m breaking them up in categories. Same analysis as ESPN, but better because it’s not so formal. So without further ado…. the midseason report cards.

F*ck It, I’m On One!: Green Bay Packers

The Packers deserve a column of their own. As far as NFL class goes, there’s the Packers and then there’s everyone else. No one is touching them right now and to be honest, I don’t know who will. Aaron Rodgers is playing like he’s possessed right about now. I like Green Bay but the little hater in me says they need to sit their bragging asses down somewhere. No reason why I feel that way, I’m just a little green and tired of seeing them win.

They Are Who We Thought They Were:  Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots

The Steelers started out old and slow, but they’ve finally got the ball rolling. They’ve been on fire the past few weeks, and have picked up from last season, thanks to the emergence of guys like Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders. The Patriots make this list because they’re still a team of concern if they’re on your schedule, but they can’t stop a nose bleed (Bart Scott voice) so unless they figure out to stop good teams, they may be in trouble….

Well I’ll Be John Brown (c/o @DragonflyJonez): Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills

I dedicate this category to my Twitter buddy, who always uses this term at the right time and better than anybody I know. Most of us looked at contenders for 2011 and didn’t think about any of these teams, for a lot of reasons. New players, lockout hangover, inconsistent or not good in years past…. for whatever reason, unless you were a fan of these teams, they simply weren’t on your radar. Well I’ll be John Brown if they aren’t now. The Bengals are 5-2 with a Top 5 defense and have shown success with Andy Dalton and AJ Green. The 49ers changed their coaching staff and brought in Jim Harbaugh and have only lost one game so far, even giving Alex Smith some life. And the Bills, who had every bounce against them in 2010 despite playing hard, are finally getting the ball in their court. The Lions are probably the least bit shocking, since they finished 2010 strong. But it’s the Lions…. you still haven’t forgotten about 0-16 and Matt Stafford gets hurt if you blow on him hard enough. Alas, no bad karma and all teams are doing big things

They’re Good, BUT……..: Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, San Diego Chargers, Houston Texans, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons 

These teams have a winning record so they’re good based on record but we really have no idea what to expect for the 2nd half of the season. The Ravens have beaten quality opponents in Pittsburgh, Houston and the Jets, but have crapped the pot against teams they should have beaten in Tennessee and Jacksonville…… The Giants are decent, but their schedule the next 6 weeks is beyond brutal and one has to wonder will the injuries they have finally start to catch up….. The Chargers are actually starting out with a winning record for once, but QB Philip Rivers (my boo!) hasn’t looked like the Rivers of old, and fumbled control of the AFC West away last Monday night……. The Texans are good, but losing Mario Williams for the year and Andre Johnson for some time may hurt them in the long run…..The Jets have seemed to regress a little on defense, and Mark Sanchez not getting much help from his run game is an issue…..The Saints WERE in my “They are who we thought they were” column, but they lost to the Rams, The WINLESS ST. LOUIS RAMS, WITHOUT SAM BRADFORD! Yeah, they go down a notch after that one….. The Bucs have youth on their side, but their lopsided loss to San Francisco puts them in this category….. Atlanta always leaves me scratching my head at the end of their games. With all of the offensive weapons they have, I don’t see how they don’t put up 30 points easily, each week. They have some inexperience on defense that holds them to this category.

Ehhhhh……………..: Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans

It’s not that I don’t think these teams are good or can’t be good… it’s just that I couldn’t add them in the “They’re good but” category because they’ve done something not worthy of that category. The Bears’ offensive line blocks like Cutler stole their girl……The Eagles started out slow, and with the “Dream Team” talk prior to the season, expectations were above normal so their 3-4 record is underachieving at best… The Cowboys need a TV time out with the way they’ve played football lately. I thought they’d be better than this at this point. I haven;t totally written them off, tho. They have talent….. The Chiefs started off rough (remember Matt Cassel’s blow up with HC Todd Haley on the sidelines??), but they’ve rebounded well. It’s the AFC West so it’s hard to be impressed just yet…..The Raiders looked like they were gonna have a good season before Jason Campbell went down. Oakland traded their 2012 #1 pick and a conditional pick to Cincy for Carson Palmer, but all Palmer did was stink it up in his debut. He’s not the same QB he was before 2005 and quite frankly, I wonder if Al Davis came back from the dead to make one last WTF personnel decision… Despite Carolina’s record, I’m gonna put them in this column because I seriously believe they try hard each and every week, yet fall short. This team reminds me a lot of Buffalo’s team last season. They hang in there, but can’t get the “W” in the end. I can’t be mad at that. They should be added in my next group but I love their resilience. The Titans are here by default, because they have a good record. But Chris Johnson got paid and told the Titans, “Fcuk your couch”. He’s still holding out but we didn’t know until now. With Kenny Britt going down, that hurt big time for Tennessee. Good thing is, the AFC South could be a 2-man race, and they’re still in it.

“Insert Comment Here”: Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins

Face it- these teams’ style of play are boring and uninspiring more times than not (minus the Vikings the past 2 weeks. But that’s because Ponder now has the keys). Put yourself in my shoes…. What could you possibly say about any of these teams individually that doesn’t sound like the others in this group? Can’t figure it out? Me neither. So feel free to insert your own comment here.

Bad…. Real Bad Michael Jackson: Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos

I guess this group could be called the “Suck For Luck” lottery, but that’s unoriginal and overused at this point. These 4 teams stink and I’d bet my money on LSU or Alabama if they played any of these teams at this point. Probably the worst team of them all is Indy. Never have I seen a franchise fall so fast from one key player going down. That’s a direct reflection of the GM and ownership and it’s inexcusable. The Rams have some good pieces and aren’t AS bad as Indy (not saying much), but their defense isn’t that good, particularly their secondary (although they did hold NO to one offensive TD in Sunday’s win) and there isn’t a true #1 WR on the team. The Dolphins need a new makeover, period. Not only did you celebrate the FLORIDA GATORS championship in MIAMI HURRICANES-land, you let Tim Tebow beat you in the Final 5 minutes of the same game. Yeah, you suck, Miami…….. Speaking of Tebow, he is getting KILT in the media (yeah, I said it… not killed, but KILT!) on what most of us already knew: Great college player, lots of heart and passion, not going to translate into the NFL. It’s been a while since I’ve seen so much attention lay on one guy like this. Denver officially came into the Top 5 pick race as of Sunday.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick is probably one of the most serious head coaches in the NFL. Every now and then, Ol’ Hoodie decides to tell a joke which can be pretty hard to tell if he’s being facetious or not. This time, tho… reporters got the joke- or at least, I think it that’s what it was.

After practice this past weekend, the question was asked about newly acquired WR Chad Ochocinco, who is a big hit on Twitter and Facebook. Chad has been uncharacteristically quiet since being traded up north, leaving folks to ask about his social whereabouts.

Belichick’s answer was typical… very dry and borderline serious. But it was a joke under his standards. Hey coach, I don’t Myface or YearBook either, but I shole do love me some Twitter. Chad does, too, so don’t keep him away for too long.

Hey ladies and gents. I hope you’ve all enjoyed your holiday weekend as much as I did. I took the time to go tweetless this weekend (Shameless plug: Follow me on Twitter @theNFLchick). But in doing so, my brain was working non-stop with random thoughts about everything, from football to music to movies. While I could have tweeted my thoughts, I decided to collect them altogether and create a blog post, similar to Peter King’s 10 Things I Think I Think from his MMQB column. Hopefully it’s not TOO all over the place and you can enjoy (and understand) my thoughts.

Happy Birthday Al Davis!

How ironic is it that the Oakland Raiders owner shares the same birthday as America’s Declaration of Independence. While Al’s birth certificate says he turned 82, he looks as old as the 235 year-old document of our freedom from the British Empire. Al’s still here with us, and still running things in Oakland. Happy 235- excuse me-82nd birthday, Mr. Davis. Something tells me Skeletor will see a few more birthdays form now.

I’m On To You, SWV!

As I get older, I translate a lot of music that I listened to growing up, in a way that my immaturity didn’t allow me to before. This weekend, I learned that one of my favorite 90′s groups SWV (or Sisters With Voices) were great singers, but their biggest hits were always about chasing someone else’s man or was on some freaky ish to try and grab/keep one. Think about it…. “So Into You” and “You’re The One” were about men that were unavailable but they wanted to get with them anyway. “Downtown” was about freaky things you had to do to get some of their, “love”, while “Anything” explained that they would do just about anything to keep that [unavailable] man around. I had no idea how naive I was back then, but I’ve seen the light in 2011. I’m piecing the puzzle together. I’m on to you Coco, Taj and Le Le… I’m on to you……….

Transformers Was Great, But…………….

I love summer blockbusters. It’s part of the 19732836826 reasons why summer is one of the best seasons of all. Vacations, sundresses, cookouts and blockbuster movies all play a role into how awesome the summer season is. So when I went to see the 3rd installment of Transformers movie this holiday weekend, I wasn’t let down. It was excellent and definitely worth the $14.50 that was spent ( since when did movie tickets get so high before 6pm? 3-D my a$$!!). There’s just one problem: I’m an analytical maniac when it comes to movies and songs (see above for SWV analysis).

I usually pick out how parts of a movie make ZERO sense if it were a real life scenario. Now I know Transformers is from the old school cartoon (which, I’m proud to say I was an avid fan of the original back in the day. And don’t you dare judge my age), so of course logic goes out the door and this fictional tale is all about action. Aside from the fact that Shia LeBeouf should have died, I dunno…. 2 movies ago, I notice other things that just don’t quiet make sense.

For instance, Rosie Huntington- Whiteley (who portrays Carly, the girlfriend of LeBeouf in the movie) is beautiful without any question. But can someone tell me why was she beautiful the WHOLE DAMN MOVIE? Transformers was extremely messy.. lots of fire and destruction took place, yet Carly’s hair looked as good in the end as it did in the first scene she appeared in, early in the movie. While LeBeouf gets pretty dirty as the movie goes on, she’s still near perfect in the same duration. Her clothes looked clean, her hair was still in tact and oh… she was running full speed in Christian Louboutins for a good part of the movie. Now, I know what those shoes feel like. Man-made shoes are HARD on women’s feet. So you mean to tell me, she felt no need to kick her shoes off at any time once she knew she had to run for her everlasting life? Other than some dust on her cheek, she was almost flawless the entire movie. I know what you’re thinking.. it’s just a movie and you’re doing WAY too much right now… but this is how my brain operates. Pray for me, especially 10+ years down the road……..

The Awesomeness Of The 4th of July

Every year for the 4th, I go to my friend’s house for their annual cookout. At the end of the night, her family gets together and light up the fireworks for their own personal show. It’s become a tradition of sorts. So much, that the neighboring street now does fireworks of their own and the 2 streets have a “Fireworks battle”, going back and forth with who has the best fireworks display.

It’s pretty awesome (and illegal, since MD doesn’t sell most of the fireworks they had, but that’s not here nor there..), and it makes me appreciate my city a little bit more. If I had one day a year to love living in the city, this is the day. You don’t have to go downtown to see the big show, folks all around the area do their own shows. And in the process of doing that, friends come together, neighbors come together and communities come together. I know I sound preachy and you may not even buy what I’m saying but it’s true. Neighbors who barely speak to each other come out and talk about the fireworks beef and judge on who had the better display (which, by-the-way, my friend’s street lost BAD! The other street must’ve gotten their fireworks straight from the factory because I thought I was at Disney World). It’s a great chance to open lines of communication and getting to know the people you live by. And since going out on the 4th is becoming more and more dangerous, I look forward to kicking it around the neighborhood with my friends each and every year.

Reed vs Polamalu Debate

The NFL Network finally showed their final 10 players for their Top 100 NFL Players of 2011. Ed Reed went ahead of Troy Polamalu by 1 slot, going 5th overall. The ranking opened up a new Reed vs Polamalu debate that we’ve seen over the years. But this is where the debate should stop.

I’ve stated publicly that I’m not a big fan of the list. I believe that some players were ranked too high or too low or shouldn’t have been ranked at all. But one thing I think we need to realize is this: This list was ranked by their colleagues, other NFL players. Fans, analysts and coaches may think they have an idea, but none of us line up against these guys on Sundays. These guys see the players on the field, whether it be through tape or live action. Who better to rank our favorite NFL players than their peers?

I’ve said over and over, the Reed vs Polamalu debate is beyond stupid, mainly because they don’t play the same position and they both do different things for their respected squads. But let me say this: Just because one is more versatile or appears to physically do more than the other, doesn’t mean he’s better. I’ve seen a lot of debate about Troy being better because he does more, which is true. He lines up as a LB or in the defensive backfield. He always seems to be all over the field. But that in no way means that he’s more valuable or better than than Ed Reed. Reed changes the entire gameplan of a QB before he even steps on the field. Throws that QBs would make against other defenses,  now have to be thought about 3 times or more when the Ravens are the opponent with Ed Reed in the lineup. A lot of Reed’s game changing ability starts in the film room, with players try to find ways to play around him. That within itself is just as big as what he actually does on-the-field.

In the end, you could probably flip a coin either way on who should be ranked higher, but both are great players in their own right. Why debate about 2 guys who’s skills are so different they could actually coexist on the same team, if need be? Would you have a debate about a DT vs LB? If not, then the Reed/Polamalu debate is moot. Let it go. I’m talking to YOU, Ravens and Steelers fans!

Manning vs Brady

Final thought, and I’ll make it quick. Brady’s SB wins gets him the #1 spot hands down. He’s worthy of it because he’s pretty good in the QB dept…. damn good actually…. but I’ve seen Belichick win games without Tom Brady.. 10 of them in 2008 to be exact. I’d bet 3 years of my salary that that would NOT happen if Peyton Manning went down with a season ending injury. Manning on the Colts is irreplaceable. I can’t say the same for Brady. But rings talk and SB losses walk, so………………..

Jets head coach Rex Ryan hit the David Letterman Show this week. Ryan talks about the NFL lockout, his new book, “Play Like You Mean It”, why American football is the best  sport in the world and playing the Giants and the Patriots this upcoming season.

Ryan is a great coach and even better person to interview. Sometimes I think he talks a bit too much, but his mouth and attitude is nothing short of perfect for the Big Apple. Hopefully the lockout can be over by the time the season starts so the Jets can play my Ravens with no interruptions!

The NFL offseason has been busy already. While the NFLPA and the NFL try to get a new CBA deal, players must be bored out of their minds. They sure have been in the news a lot lately, and for all the wrong reasons. Patriots S Brandon Meriweather has become the new name in the headlines, for shooting two men.

The allegations says that Meriweather shot the men, one in the head, during a fight outside of a house party on Feb. 27th in Florida. Here are the details, according to Deadspin:

The trouble started at the Blue Jeans Lounge in Apokpa when a friend of Meriweather’s allegedly beat up a woman, according to [John] Morgan [attorney for the victims]. The woman’s brother arrived later with his own friend, and the conflagration shifted to a nearby party, where the brother soon got the better of Meriweather’s friend in a fight. That’s when Meriweather allegedly pulled out his gun and fired at the brother, grazing the man’s face and hitting the other victim in the head, according to Morgan.

No arrests have been made in the case, so these are all just speculation at this point. But boy, these are some allegations to have against you.

I’m not a fan of Meriweather the player. His vicious and unnecessary hit on Todd Heap last season will always pop in my mind when I hear his name. But I would never want to hear about a player shooting people, for whatever the reason may be. I’m sure Coach Belichick cannot be happy with this news, and I wouldn’t be surprised if folks have seen the last of Meriweather in a Patriots jersey.

We’ll see where this case goes. To be continued………………..

Patriots QB Tom Brady has a pretty awesome resume. He’s a 3-time Super Bowl winner, has a supermodel wife and an Uggs contract that instantly saw results when they announced him as the new spokesperson. But one thing I think it’s safe to say, he’ll never be, is a Dancing With The Stars finalist like his other NFL counterparts.

Brady was in Rio for their Carnival, rocking his new ponytail and some dance moves that he should have kept to himself. Brady is good at a lot of things. But a dancer is something he would never pass for…. EVER!

Keep your day job Tommy Boy… and I mean it!

New England Patriots LB Jerod Mayo partied last weekend, along with NFL friends Ray Rice (Ravens), Leigh Bodden (Patriots), Vernon Davis (49ers), Carlos Rogers (Redskins) and other NFL friends at Tuscana Lounge in Washington, DC.

The Hampton, VA native decided to stay somewhat close to home to ring in his 25th birthday. In addition to his NFL friends being there, Pepa from the hit group Salt-N-Pepa was there for the festivities as well.

Meyo has had a good career since being drafted by New England in 2008. He was the 2008 Defensive Rookie Of The Year and he was a reserve for the 2011 Pro Bowl, as well as being selected for the 2010 All-Pro Team. Notice there weren’t any Jets players there???? Oops, maybe he’s still bitter about that one and done playoff loss last January. Oh well…………

The first week of March is a grim one around the league. Teams start to trim the salary cap fat by releasing players. Usually, it’s either to get down to a decent salary cap number or to make room for other roster move. With the upcoming expiration of the CBA this week, however, it makes things harder for teams to upgrade their current rosters.

In any event, cuts still need to be made, and we’ve sen a few of them already. Here’s a few of the higher profile cuts we’ve seen so far:

Washington Redskins- RB Clinton Portis released

New York Jets- NT Kris Jenkins, LB, Vernon Gholston, LB Jason Taylor and OL Damien Woody released (although the Jets may be interested in bringing Jenkins back, who has missed 2 consecutive seasons with knee injuries)

Chicago Bears- DT Tommie Harris, LB Hunter Hillenmeyer and OL Kevin Shaffer released

New England Patriots- Expects to cut RT Nick Kaczur this week.

I’m sure we’ll hear about more cuts as the week goes on.

So my good friend Steelergurl (yes, we are friends even though we are frenemies come Saturday) asked me to take part in her video for this weekend’s picks for the Division round of the NFL Playoffs. I was more than happy to be a part of voicing who I think would win this weekend’s matchups (in case you were wondering, I’m at the 4:35 mark). Of course, she gives her picks as well, with other folks along the way. But she and I just so happen to be the cutest ones in the bunch (it’s true!).

With the 2010 Divisional Playoffs ready to kickoff this weekend, it’s hard to ignore that the top 4 teams remaining in the AFC are division rivals. The Ravens head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers, while the Jets head to snowy New England to face Brady and the Pats. Four teams that can’t stand each other, whether it be quietly or to publicly, looking to advance to the AFC Championship game. To say this may be one of the most exciting playoff weekends in football would be well deserved. But this is more than just a playoff game to these 4 teams. Way more.

There is a different energy lurking between the 2 rivals, and for different reasons. The Ravens and Steelers have become one of the top rivalries over the past decade, while the Jets and Patriots have a renewed spark after the hiring of Rex Ryan. How these two rivalries operate are a bit different.. but not far off from each other. Allow me to break it down.

Ravens/Steelers

This rivalry is the new wave rivalry of the NFL, compared to Packers/Bears and Redskins/Cowboys. The Ravens have only been around 15 years, but many believe that Baltimore inherited the rivalry when the team moved from Cleveland (a longer, more known rivalry) after the 1995 season. While the Ravens weren’t too good the first few years of existence, they picked up the pace once they won Super Bowl XXXV. The Steelers have the slight advantage over the Ravens, with a 13-9 record since 2000 (including the playoffs). What makes this rivalry special are the similarities between the 2 teams. Both are known for their strong defense and good running game, along with a very good front office and ownership. Both cities are labeled, “blue collar” and carry inferiority complexes. Add the fact that the 2 cities have a history of being sports rivals (the Steelers-Baltimore Colts battles in the 70s as well as the Pirates beating the O’s in the World Series) and you have a recipe for a great rivalry. There was a point in time where this rivalry was downright ugly. Remember the Ray Lewis/Joey Porter feud?

Over the past couple of years, the Ravens and Steelers have quietly stopped their verbal attack and simply taken it on the field. They all say they hate each other, but some say it’s not as much hatred as you think. Coach Harbaugh and Tomlin talk during pregames, and Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu admitted once before that they text each other. The mantra as of late has been, “We hate each other, but we respect each other”. And while Hines Ward and Terrell Suggs and found ways to keep it funky with the little things they still do and say to the media, the trash talking has been put aside to actions speaking louder, with the blood bath they lay out on the field and even 3 times a year.

Jets/Patriots

This rivalry, while an older one, has become a renewed rivalry thank to the likes of  Rex Ryan. These two cities flat out cannot stand each other. Red Sox Nation can’t stand the Yankees and vice versa. People from New York don’t like people from New England. It’s a power struggle between the 2 cities that has been trickled down to sports. And from the day Rex Ryan stepped foot on the Jets podium as their head coach, he continued the trend.

The Jets and Patriots have a much closer rivalry record than the Steelers/Ravens (they are 51-51-1 overall), but there are those who still find the term laughable when discussing the 2 teams. The Patriots have dominated the past decade and has won 8 times in a row before the 2009 season. Rex Ryan has never met a microphone he didn’t like, and his blunt approach towards the Patriots has trickled down to his players. Darrelle Revis has made comments about Pats players in the past, and most recently Antonio Cromartie said Eff Tom Brady. Even Ryan took some shots at the Patriots star player. Nevertheless, Belichick and company respond to the Jets antics with predictable, robotic answers that are too boring to quote. They do, however, respond out on the football field. Case in point, the last time these 2 teams played, the Patriots dismantled the Jets in the 45-3 rout. While Belichick loves to hit you where it REALLY hurts, Rex is a sound byte genius when it comes to the pregame antics.

Four teams, 2 rivals, 1 weekend. The rivalries are different, but not by much. This is what we’ve been waiting for. And I, for one, cannot wait! Thank God for rivalries!