THE CEDARSTREET SEER'S MIDSEASON REPORT

I cannot believe that this 2011 NFL season is halfway over! The games sure fly by when they are as fiercely contested as our Panthers have made them, which is a sea change over what we endured last year, and that feeling is MOST welcome, and while the losing sucks, knowing better days are ahead make swallerin’ the losses just a bit better. One thing I’ll note in this midseason report is the fact that there had been NO OTA’s due to the lockout, and as I had thought, teams that were not expected to win have made hay while the “contenders” had to struggle to return to a competitive level. These teams have given themselves a great advantage in playoff qualification and seeding as we go into the stretch run in a very entertaining season of football.

Here’s how the league stands this Saturday morning.

AFC DIVISION LEADERS
BUFFALO (5-2) NEW ENGLANDGLAND (5-2) HOUSTON (5-3) PISSBURGH (6-2) KANSAS CITY (4-3) SAN DIEGO (4-3) OAKLAND (4-3)

Two divisions are tied, the West has a THREE way logjam thanks to the inspired play of the suddenly relevant Chiefs! The schedule should be kind to the Bills AND the Pastry-Rots. I expect them to be in the mix for the rest of the year. Houston SHOULDN’T take their foot off of the petal – If they go 5-3 in the second half, that should be good enough to secure their very first division title and a home playoff game! The North should be a MOST exciting race! The Squeelers have a somewhat soft schedule with the NFC Worst games yet to play, but the surprising Bengals are a fangs-width behind. Although Kansas City finds itself in a statistical lead in the West, their remaining eight games are going to be brutal. Oakland has the best chance to pull ahead, and Chargers better get THEIR offense figured out, or they will be looking at another season that comes up just short.

AFC .500 OR ABOVE
CINCINNATI (5-2) BALTY-MOORE (5-2) NY JETS (4-3) TENNESSEE (4-3)
Of these four, I’d expect the Bengals, by virtue of their softer schedule, to have the chance to qualify for at least a wild card spot. If the Ravens don’t figure out their offensive inconsistencies, they’re going to be in trouble. Defense will be the only thing keeping Sexy Rexy’s mouth a’ flappin’ for the Jets, and I expect the Titans to put on a full fade. The rest of their schedule is a killer.


AFC ALIVE BY MATH ONLY

CLEVELANDLAND (3-4) DENVER (2-5) JACKSONVILLE (2-6)

Uh, no.

AFC SUCK FOR LUCK
INDIANAPOLIS (0-8) MIAMI (0-7)

I don’t see how either franchise avoids a total rehaul after the debris of this utter failure of a season is swept away, starting with the head coaches, and I’d suspect even Billy Polian should be held to some scrutiny after failing to come up with some kind of satisfactory contingency after losing Manning for the year. I don’t see a “sure win” on any game on these schedules, but the Colts DO play the Jaggy-whyers twice, while the Phish play the Deadskins in a couple of weeks. I hope Mr. Luck likes South Beach…

NFC DIVISION LEADERS
NY GIANTS (5-2) NEW ORLEANS (5-3) GREEN BAY (7-0) SAN FRANCISCO (6-1)

You could make a strong case for three of these teams continuing their hold on their respective divisions. For the Packers, it’s a foregone conclusion, their MAIN goal should be staying healthy for the post season and avoid taking all future opponents for granted. The Giants and Saints have to begin running the gauntlets of their division foes, but the Niners, thanks to the spectacular coaching job by the Stanford Miracle Man, are in cruise control, and are just about as much a lock to win their division as the Packers are.

NFC .500 OR ABOVE
TAMPA BAY (4-3) ATLANTA (4-3) CHICAGO (4-3)

I’m expecting to see the NFC South teams continue to fight, I fully expect the Bears to fade.

NFC STATISTICALLY ALIVE

PHILTHYDELPHIA (3-4) DALLAS (3-4) WARSHINGTOON (3-4) CAROLINA (2-6) MINI-SODA (2-6) SEATTLE (2-5)

I think both Philthy and Dallas, if they manage to split the gauntlet of their division, can be a factor. The Deadskins have shot their wad and will not. The Panthers and Vikings have enough offensive firepower to make their remaining games interesting, but woeful defensive shortcomings, and in particular for the Panthers, awful special teams, will make their role more of dangerous spoiler. Both Carolina and Mini-Soda are experiencing franchise salvation with the play of Cam Newton and Christian Ponder, respectively. Anything’s possible in this league, but we’ll see these two become far more relevant next year. With each successive game, Pete Carroll shows himself less and less an NFL coach. The Seahawsks are done.

NFC ON MATH SUPPORT
ST LOUIS (1-6) ARID-ZONA (1-6)

There isn’t a chance in hell either of these will be more than contestants in the “Suck for Luck” campaign, and they’ll even suck at doing that!


As far as the postseason forecast goes, I see New EnglandGland winning the East, Pissburgh seizing the North, Houston EASILY gaining the South, and The RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADAHS winning the division for the first time since early in the new century. The Bengals and Bills take the wild card spots.

When the conference championship game is finally over, the team with the best defense SHOULD be the one on top, but I just can’t, can’t CAN’T give that to the Bengals! Could I?

WHO DEY! WHO DEY! WHO DEY!!!

In the NFC, The Packers survive a late season surge by the Leos in the North, The Giants hold off Philthydelphia in the East, the Saints repel the Duckies and Sucky-neers in the South, and the Niners cruise to an improbable 12-4 finish. The Leos and Bucs secure the wild cards, and let’s get real, folks.
The Frozen Tundra in January? Who’s gonna survive that? The Cheese, that’s who.
And they’ll forever banish the imbecilic and overdone hero worship of that guy that wore #4 when Rogers and company overcome the WhoDeys in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI !

And our attention will turn once again to college basketball…

And I shall rant on…

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