Sorts of Sports

NFL Quarter Season Review (plus one week)

Hard to believe we are already 5 weeks in and a quarter of the way through the 2011 NFL season, but that's how things work in football. We are in the midst of what already is a record-breaking season in terms of total offense and comebacks. The NFL is on pace to see offensive numbers the likes of which have never been seen before. Most of it has to do with the new kickoff rule. Now that the kickoff has been moved up from the 30 to 35 yard line, balls are flying out of the back of the end zone and forcing teams to start from their own 20 yard line. This is giving offenses more yards to work with, and when you factor in that defensive backs can't touch a wide receiver after 5 yards, you can see why the NFL is having these monster numbers and stat lines.

No one was really sure how the 2011 NFL season would play out considering the lengthy lockout and lack of time teams had in training camp to gel. Teams with new head coaches figured to suffer the most. It's hard to implement a new coaching philosophy when you only have about a month to do it. Many assumed rookies would not make an impact because of the short time they had to practice and get acclimated to the pro game. As the great Chris Berman always says, "That's why they play the games."

Surprising Starts

If you told me that the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers would be a combined 13-2 and leading their respective divisions by Columbus Day before the season started, I would have given you the same look Brooke Burke gave Nancy Grace after Grace ripped a fart on Dancing with the Stars last week. Detroit was a sexy wild card pick to be a surprise team in 2011, but no one expected them to be undefeated through 5 weeks of football. The 49ers were expected to compete in the NFC west considering how bad the division is, but with a rookie head coach no one expected them to be this good this early in the season. Everyone knew the Bills had a dynamic offense, but their explosive start came out of left field and has surprised everyone.

The big question is: Can any one or all three of these teams continue their winning ways and be in contention for a playoff spot late in the season? The 49ers have the easiest path of these three teams. Playing in the NFC West has its perks. San Fran already holds a 2 game lead over Seattle (2-3), 3 game lead over Arizona (1-4), and 4 game lead over St. Louis (0-4). The Niners do have tough games remaining against Detroit, Washington, the Giants, Ravens, and Steelers. If they can manage 2 wins out of those 5 games and take care of business in the division, then they will be heading to the playoffs for the first time since the '02 season and host the game as well.

Detroit stands at a perfect 5-0. There is only one problem. The other undefeated team in the league resides in their division and are the defending Super Bowl champs. Detroit's road to the playoffs will go through Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood; which also happens to be Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. While the Lions have juiced up this year's mega-Thanksgiving day meeting with the Packers thanks to their hot start, they are still a young team that needs to take care of business and not have any let-downs. The Lions do not have an overly difficult remaining schedule, but they do have to play the Packers twice. The only other tough games are Atlanta, San Diego and the 49ers...all of which are at home. The Lions also have to travel to Soldier Field in Chicago in early November. Matthew Stafford and the Lions have proven they can rally back and win games after being down big early. That is the true measure of a good team in the NFL. If Detroit can prove they are a good road team, I don't see why they couldn't make the playoffs and even compete with Green Bay for the NFC North Crown.

The Buffalo Bills may be the team that fall off from this group. Although their wins over New England and Philly were extremely unexpected and impressive, they have to prove they can play at this level for an entire 16 game season. Buffalo has a grueling stretch of games in the upcoming 6 weeks. They play at the Giants, home to Washington, home to the Jets, at Dallas, at Miami, and at the Jets. If Buffalo can manage a 3-3 record in that stretch, then they have a shot at something special in 2011. It's becoming real difficult to play at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo's defense forced 8 combined interceptions from Tom Brady and Michael Vick. Buffalo has a great run game in Fred Jackson and he will be the key to their success if they want to accomplish big things this season. Until the Bills get one more signature win, I'm not ready to completely buy into them just yet.

Panic in Philly

Perhaps the biggest story of the first quarter of the season is the Eagles 1-4 start. The team has lost 4 consecutive games and Vince Young is looking like the biggest fool of them all after nicknaming this the "Dream Team" of the NFL. What has been the cause of this failure in Philly? You can only blame the coaching staff so much and to a certain extent. Sometimes players have to man up and take responsibility for their play on the field. For some reason this team has not gelled and is not buying what Andy Reid is selling. Many of the new faces on this team only got about a month of training camp due to the lockout. They may not be buying into Reid's philosophy.

Most of the blame should rest on the offensive line and the defense as a whole. The offensive line is not doing their job in protecting Michael Vick. He is taking more punishment than anyone can ever remember Vick taking. Eventually the injuries will pile up and someone will have to held accountable on the offensive line. As for the defense, it seems the trio of DRC, Asante Samuel, and Nnamdi is not working out. None of those guys wants to cover the slot or is very good in the slot and that is what's causing matchup nightmare. Let's also not forget Ja'Quai Parker for jumping offsides in Buffalo after Ryan Fitzpatrick's 11th hut. There are too many mental mistakes and the Eagles just need a win to stop the bleeding.

I don't like the Eagles chances of reaching the post-season after such a dreadful start, but the Giants, Cowboys, and Redskins have not been that impressive either. Well, maybe the Redskins have been a little impressive, but their QB is Rex Grossman after all. The Eagles still have many division games left so they should not be left for dead just yet.

Quarter-Season Awards

MVP: Aaron Rodgers, QB Green Bay

-There were many viable candidates for this award, but when you look at the numbers it's not even a race. Rodgers blows everyone away. His QB Rating stands at 122.9. He has 14 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions. His completion percentage is 71.7. Rodgers has seemingly improved his game from a season ago. The Packers are healthier than they were during their Super Bowl run. Don't be surprised if Green Bay reaches the big game again this season.

Honorable Mentions:

-Tom Brady, QB New England

-Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit

Offensive Player: Wes Welker, WR New England

-Wes Welker is on pace to shatter every single season receiving record in the NFL. The man is simply unstoppable and unconverable right now. He is on pace to have 1,000 receiving yards by mid-season. It truly is amazing that a man of his stature can be so dominant. Now if the Patriots could fix that defensive problem out...

Honorable Mentions:

-Steve Smith, WR Carolina

-Calvin Johnson, WR Detroit

-Darren McFadden, RB Oakland

Defensive Player: Jared Allen, DE, Minnesota

-Allen is back to his dominant ways even on a 1-4 football team. He leads the league with 8.5 sacks and even has an interception. He will be the key if the Vikings want to spark some kind of run in the upcoming weeks.

Coach: Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers

-Harbaugh should be credited for turning the mentality in San Fran around. If you watched closely after Justin Smith ran down Jeremy Maclin two weeks ago and caused the fumble that capped of a 49ers win, the entire sideline was jumping up and down and running to congratulate Smith. That's the sign of a team that is buying what the head coach is selling. Harbaugh has figured out a way to accentuate QB Alex Smith's strengths and use them to win games. Frank Gore is back to dominating in the running game. The Niners also boast a top defense. They've contained the run better than anyone in the league at this point. Winning starts at the top, and Harbaugh brought the perfect pedigree and winning mentality to a franchise that sorely needed it.

Honorable Mentions:

-Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions

-Chan Gailey, Buffalo Bills

-Hue Jackson, Oakland Raiders

Suck for Luck

The Andrew Luck sweepstakes will be a hotly contested one. The Colts are currently the worst team in the league at 0-5. Would the Colts draft Luck if they land the number one pick and groom him under Peyton Manning? It's an intriguing scenario and once to keep an eye on for the rest of the season. At 0-4, the Miami Dolphins just lost QB Chad Henne for the season. If I were a Dolphins fan, I'd root for my team to lose out for the rest of the season. The franchise has not had a steady QB since Dan Marino retired. Andrew Luck would be the breath of fresh air Miami has needed for a long time. The Rams are also 0-4 but already have their QB of the future in Sam Bradford. Other possible landing spots for Luck could be Jacksonville, Kansas City, Denver, Minnesota, Arizona, and Seattle.

Cam(e) to Play

Another surprise in the 2011 NFL Season has been the stellar play of rookie QB's. Cam Newton has been the leader of this revolution. Newton is 4th in the league in passing yards and set a rookie record by throwing for over 400 yards in his first two career starts. He has accounted for 12 of Carolina's 13 touchdowns this season either by rushing or throwing the ball. He has proven every one of us wrong right from Game 1. Newton's mobility and ability to make plays on the run has been the forefront of his early success. He also has a cannon arm. Although Carolina's record does not show it, the Panthers have been in every single game and that is thanks to Cam Newton. Andy Dalton and Blaine Gabbert have also shown they are capable of playing at a high level in the NFL. Dalton and his fellow rookie wide receiver A.J. Green will be the face of the Bengals for the next decade.

Looking forward to a great NFL season. Check back here after Week 8 for a mid-season review.