By Zack Cimini

Now that we’re halfway past the regular season things are unfolding for divisional races. Based upon watching NFL games most should know the top ten teams. See where your team falls even if you’re team isn’t looking like a playoff contender. From here on out which teams will fade out of the playoff picture with a poor losing streak? Which will rise out of the ashes and pop up in the wild card race?

1. New England- Weekly they’re grabbing wins and playing great football. How does Bellicheck do it every year?
2. Pittsburgh- Since Big Ben’s returned the ground game has stalled a bit. There’s no denying that this team will stay in the top five all year.
3. NY Jets- After a bye week you’d expect a hell of a lot better performance. Looks like the Jets to the Packers lightly.
4. Baltimore Ravens- We know the veterans on this team appreciated the week off.
5. Indianapolis Colts- Nice solid win against the Texans.
6. NY Giants- Even with a bye week they look more and more like the best team in the NFC.
7. Atlanta Falcons- As long as injuries don’t strike them, they’re looking like a playoff bye week contender.
8. Houston Texans- Looking like they’re going to slip the second half of the year. Once again.
9. Green Bay Packers- We didn’t think the Packers had the defense to match their offense.
10. New Orleans Saints- It wasn’t the offensive juggernaut were use to, but in the fourth quarter they made the big plays.

11. Tennessee Titans- Sitting at 5-3, their bye week awaits. It’s going to be a dog fight finish for them. In the end we think they’ll be one of the last teams knocked out of playoff contention.
12. Kansas City Chiefs- Winning with their quarterback struggling to throw 100 yards.
13. Oakland Raiders- Shhhh, Oakland’s thinking playoffs.
14. Philadelphia Eagles- The back and forth rotation at quarterback switches back to the legs and arms of Mike Vick.
15.  Miami Dolphins- 4-0 on the road. Miami will need to figure out their red zone offense woes if they want to get on an accrued win streak.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Two years from now Josh Freeman will be a Pro Bowler.
17. San Diego Chargers- They’re back to where they love to be. In a hole that they’ll try and dig themselves out for the next six weeks.
18. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford refuses to make mistakes. How much longer will he be able to go before they begin to happen?
19. Washington Redskins- A loss isn’t supposed to start your team on a downward dive. Donovan McNabb’s kept his mouth shut all year with horrible surrounding talent offensively. Now he has to play with the same worries as in years past.
20. Minnesota Vikings- One more loss and Favre’s reign and career is likely over.
Best of The Rest

21. Chicago Bears
22. Seattle Seahawks
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
24. Dallas Cowboys
25. Cincinnati Bengals
26. San Francisco 49ers
27. Denver Broncos
28. Arizona Cardinals
29. Cleveland Browns
30. Detroit Lions
31. Buffalo Bills
32. Carolina Panthers

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Cowboys fans were not going to sugar coat your team anymore. Everyone saw in front of a national Monday Night audience that there is no hope. Put your hopes in a basket with the San Francisco 49ers, cause the hopes now shift to landing a top draft pick. The NFL isn’t clearing up at all in the NFC, but the AFC is rounding into shape. Teams are continuing to win and create separation in their divisions. Will that last remains to be seen. Here is a look at our updated rankings.

1. Pittsburgh- Miami hurt themselves countless times by not capitalizing in the redzone. Pittsburgh did what they do best and that’s win close games.

2. New York Jets- No NY Jets got into trouble off the field during a bye week. Is Rex Ryan finally getting his team under control off the field?

3. New England- San Diego did what they typically do, and waited until the fourth quarter to decide to play. New England is winning now but needs to find a running game or a slip is inevitable.

4. Baltimore Ravens- The defense is going to need to play more disguised coverages with their weak cornerbacks. Fitzpatrick completely tore them apart and did it with total control. Joe Flacco needs to round back into form for the Ravens to be contenders playoff time.

5. Indianapolis Colts- Usually when teams have a bye week it allows players to recoup and rest from minor injuries. Too bad for the Colts they’ve been plagued and decimated by injuries that are season long.

6. NY Giants- Turning the ball over like a college football team and still winning decidedly. They’re becoming a lethal team more and more by the week.

7. Houston Texans- The almighty rematch against the Colts. On paper the Texans should be better. We’ll see what happens when they step onto the field Sunday.

8. Atlanta Falcons- Michael Turner and Roddy White are playing at a top five level in their respective positions. Squandering a three touchdown lead in less than a quarter was numbing. They did get the win though.

9. Tennessee Titans- The Titans were a handoff away from being down an insurmountable lead late in the third quarter. The turnover created by their defense sparked some energy into Kerry Collins and his arm. Once that happened the Kenny Britt show lasted for a quarter and a half. The air attack to setup Chris Johnson might be the new route to take.

10. Green Bay Packers- A gutsy performance and win on both sides of the ball. The team laid a lot on the field and you have to wonder how much in the tank is left. Two overtime losses and that game can take their toll. They still have two more games to play before their bye week.

11. New Orleans Saints- Like Eminem stated in his infamous song,. Saints fans are asking, “Can the real Drew Brees please stand up? It’s like he has been hit by the zapper in honey I shrunk the kids. We all knew he was a short quarterback. It just seems like more balls are being batted down, and that he is having a harder time recognizing disguised zone coverages.

12. Philadelphia Eagles- Time to switch quarterbacks again. Mike Vick was ready to go Sunday but Reid wanted to wait until after the bye week. He’ll make the announcement before this weekend on Vick. His deep ball and legs are too vital upsides over Kevin Kolb.

13. Kansas City Chiefs- Charles, Jones, and McCluster. It’s going to be rather difficult for teams to figure that tandem out. The defense did get roughed up a tad against the pass, especially in the first half against Jacksonville.

14. Oakland Raiders- Whew! Oakland’s back. As the Chargers and Broncos fade, it looks like the division will be in the hands of either Oakland or Kansas City.

15. Washington Redskins- Sunday’s display offensively by McNabb might have been one of his worst performances in some odd years. He needs to regroup and play to the talent around him. He may expect individuals to be able to do something he wants, but the talent just isn’t near what he had in Philadelphia. If they’re going to win it’s going to be from a ball control style of offense, and their defense holding teams in check.

Best of the Rest

16. Miami Dolphins
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
18. Minnesota Vikings
19. Seattle Seahawks
20. Chicago Bears
21. San Diego Chargers
22. Dallas Cowboys
23. St. Louis Rams
24. Denver Broncos
25. Cincinnati Bengals
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
27. Cleveland Browns
28. Arizona Cardinals
29. Carolina Panthers
30. Detroit Lions
31. Buffalo Bills
32. San Francisco 49ers

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Were getting almost to the mid point of the season. The past few weeks we’ve witnessed the teams that jumped out the gates come back to reality. The Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Bears have all dipped. Surfacing to the fore front as teams that will likely get bye weeks are only in the AFC. Pittsburgh and the Jets are playing fantastic football and look like the only clear cut teams that will solidify playoff berths. In the NFC it’s wide open. Divisions will likely flip upside down before years end with the current outlook. Track your teams and see where they fall in this weeks rankings.

1. Pittsburgh- For his first game back Big Ben brought some zeal and normalcy back to the lowest ranked passing offense in the NFL.
2. New York Jets- Sanchez threw some poor throws Sunday and was bailed out on fourth down. Great teams find ways to win and the Jets are looking mighty strong.
3. New England- Were not sold that they’re going to be able to do it in the playoffs. They’ve got a rhythm with their offense that’s just clicking well.
4. New Orleans- It was only a matter of time before this team re-awoke. Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas should be back within weeks.
5. Baltimore Ravens- Blowing a ten point lead in the fourth quarter cancels out their Steelers win. That type of loss just can’t happen to a team expecting to go deep in the playoffs.
6. New York Giants- They’re being overlooked as everyone assumed they were headed for disaster with their early season rust. Don’t look now but the Giants are rolling.
7. Indianapolis Colts- Peyton and the Colts squeaked out yet another ugly win.
8. Houston Texans- Two improbable fourth quarter rallies have the Texans at 4-2 instead of 2-4. They’ve got to find some consistency to their play to stay in the tough AFC playoff race.
9. Atlanta Falcons- Every team has had their ugly outing thus far this season. This past week was the Falcons. They’ll regroup.
10. Philadelphia Eagles- The play of their quarterbacks seems like a good thing, but will likely cause some in-house issues once Mike Vick is 100 percent.
11. Minnesota Vikings- The probability of the Vikings rolling off a four or five game win streak is looking pretty good.
12. Tennessee Titans- Here’s a team that is actually living more off their defense than their offense. The big games from Vince Young haven’t happened, and Chris Johnson’s had to earn every yard.
13. Green Bay Packers- Two straight overtime losses spells trouble.
14. Miami Dolphins- Gaining a victory either over the Pats or Jets would have the Dolphins in prime divisional shape. They’re a solid team but likely not playoff bound.
15. Chicago Bears- Fading quicker than the transition from fall to winter in Chicago.
16. Washington Redskins- Sixteenth bodes them perfectly. They’ll be right at 8-8 when the years done.
17. San Diego Chargers- When will they ever play a whole season up to the caliber of their potential?
18. Dallas Cowboys- A below .500 year is not acceptable for Mike Singletary and the 49ers. If it happens in Dallas who knows how closed door meetings will be.
19. Denver Broncos- An extremely tough game to lose. That’s what happens when you have no running game to close out victories.
20. St. Louis Rams- They’ve got a true quarterback. That’s saying something to around eight to twelve teams that absolutely don’t.
21. Kansas City Chiefs- They had two backs rush for nearly 100 yards each and faulted. Reason why is under center. Matt Cassel should be a backup.

Best of the rest
22. Arizona Cardinals
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Jacksonville Jaguars
26. Oakland Raiders
27. Seattle Seahawks
28. San Francisco 49ers
29. Detroit Lions
30. Cleveland Browns
31. Buffalo Bills
32. Carolina Panthers

Joe Lopat, Zack Cimini, and Jabbar Harris return once again to talk football hot topics, as well as their usual fantasy football segments. They’ll tell you who to start/sit and provide spread picks for week seven.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

No undefeated teams left in we’re barely a month into the season. The parity of the NFL is at an all time high. Each week underdogs are covering at a much higher rate than years past. Adjustments will be made in Vegas and also on the field. Injuries are beginning to take their toll for some teams. How will they fend off the bug? Other teams off to rough starts will have opportunities to dig themselves out. There are no run away teams in either conference. It’s going to be a season long process to see which teams can gain proper momentum heading into the playoffs.

Rankings

1. Pittsburgh Steelers- Big Ben is back. This is a team that should gain steam and easily secure a home field advantage slot.
2. New York Jets- There’s no arguing the growth of quarterback Mark Sanchez. Talent is surrounding him and he took his offseason workouts and study sessions to a veteran level.
3. Atlanta Falcons- Quietly they’re 4-1. Matt Ryan’s getting back into the rhythm we saw a few years ago and the defense is playing solid. With the Saints playing sluggish and showing no signs of hope this could be the Falcons year.
4. Baltimore Ravens- If the veterans on this defense can stay healthy, Baltimore will fight neck and neck with the Steelers for the top seed.
5. Indianapolis Colts- They play defense in Indianapolis? Since when.
6. New Orleans- Still the defending champs and as bad as they’ve played they’re 3-2.
7. New England Patriots- Were all curious to see how the Patriots offense clicks without the deep threat of Moss out there.
8. Green Bay Packers- Injuries have mounted up. Aaron Rodgers may have to try to do it all with his arm comparable to the way Marino had to always.
9. Houston Texans- Fans are worried that they’re tinkering near .500 after their start. This is a pivotal point for the Texans to play above their talent and finally get over the .500 hurdle at seasons end.
10. Chicago Bears- You just can see that three to four game skid happening.
11. New York Giants- Just two weeks ago Tom Coughlin was on his usual proverbial hot seat. Coughlin constantly dodges it and got his team two quality wins. This team could shake up the NFC like they did out of nowhere a few years ago.
12. San Diego Chargers- At some point the Chargers need to settle their offensive game plans down and grind it out with their talent. They’re trying to do too much offensively which has led to careless turnovers and set their defense up to fail.
13. Tennessee Titans- This may be the highest the Titans get in our rankings for the rest of the season. We do not see Chris Johnson making it through the year with the amount of carries and hits he is taking. A year ago he was burning defenders, this year he is getting the yardage but they are of the power back angle.
14. Minnesota Vikings- Randy Moss, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, and Shiancoe. 1st seed or 6th seed at the end of week 17, no one wants to draw up those defensive assignments.
15. Dallas Cowboys- Mistake free football just is not a phrase in Dallas.
16. Washington Redskins- Mr. McNabb deserves the most praise of any player thus far this year. The way he is playing and delivering with the cast he has is truly amazing.
17. Philadelphia Eagles- The biggest difference maker can be tossed back and forth between Vick and Kolb. The true playmaker has been LeSean McCoy. He had a tough rookie year last season but has grown tremendously and been the catalyst of the Eagles offense.
18. Denver Broncos- Who would of pictured Kyle Orton of all people growing and maturing as a quarterback throughout his career? There may not be more of a jaw dropping turn around from a quarterback over the past fifteen years.
19. Kansas City Chiefs- If the Chiefs were not winning, Matt Cassel being benched would have been retested like last year. He is a serviceable quarterback that is proving incapable of providing a spark under center of the Chiefs.
20. Miami Dolphins- How will they bounce back after their bye week to the loss they had on national television?
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Winning games in the final minutes constantly does not make us a believer. They’re growing but need to upgrade at running back to become a playoff team.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars- All the Jaguars are doing now is teasing their fans. They’re a missed 58 yard field goal and a quarter of football against the Bills from being 3-2 to 1-4.
23. Oakland Raiders- When can the Raiders have two healthy backs in Michael Bush and Darren McFadden? They could suddenly have the best duel backfield and trade bait on their hands.
24. Cincinnati Bengals- We’ve been saying it for a good year that Carson Palmer’s career is spiraling downward. His play has become of backup quarterback caliber. Will the denouncement and change at quarterback happen this year?
25. Arizona Cardinals- Someone is going to win this division. Four of the teams in it are ranked 25th or lower in our rankings. If Arizona believes Max Hall is their guy than there will truly be a 7-9 division winner.
26. Seattle Seahawks- Trading for Marshawn Lynch gives them a true number one back that can be the offsetting difference maker in an extremely weak division.
27. Detroit Lions- They’ve been in so many tight games all year. It was good to see them pull one out. Shaun Hill may have earned himself another look as a starter with the way he has played in Stafford’s absence.
28. San Francisco- They’ve only played one game in their division. If this team approaches their division with the outlook of going 5-0, a turnaround could happen. It’s not an impossibility to envision them going at least 4-1 in the rest of their divisional games.
29. Cleveland Browns- Down to their third quarterback. How bad did Jake Delhomme hurt his ankle….goodness.
30. St. Louis Rams- Poor Sam Bradford. As most rookies would working with third stringers and practice squad teammates, he gets to throw to those caliber of players in live games.
31. Buffalo Bills- Fitzpatrick’s attempting his all on a weekly basis. Buffalo’s just at a rock bottom point for a franchise.
32. Carolina Panthers- It’s getting real ugly out in Charlotte. Their starting quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, and number one receiver, Brandon LaFell, this past week were the teams second and third round choices this year. Bye Bye, John Fox.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Things are beginning to shape up into proper form. After week three there are only three undefeated teams left. Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and the Chicago Bears. This season is shaping up to be a typical roller coaster year. It’s only three games in so there is a lot of room for teams to climb and get themselves back into the fold.

Listen in on this weeks podcast to prepare you for week fours games. The podcast will be uploaded Wednesday night at 10 PM, PST.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers- The Steelers are showing Big Ben that he better be 100 percent committed here forward. No one is indispensable.
2. Indianapolis Colts- Regular season play has never been the Colts down fall. They’re like a college basketball team that steam rolls through but plays beneath their abilities once tourney time comes.
3. Chicago Bears- Only 3-0 NFC team left. Can Cutler keep them rolling or will he hit a wall?
4. New Orleans Saints- Could easily be 1-2 or even 0-3. They’ve got some work to do or they could be in for a division title fight with Atlanta. If the Saints do not get home field edge in the playoffs, they’re a totally different team.
5. New York Jets- Offense has some rhythm to it. The signing of LT is being under played but he is outdoing Shonne Greene by a large margin currently.
6. Green Bay Packers- Tough Monday Night loss, but no one’s too worried on where their season is headed. If Aaron Rodgers is healthy there is no ceiling to what this team can do.
7. New England Patriots- Brady is lasering and zipping throws familiar to his style a few years ago. Resigning Moss may be a good idea if you’re in the Patriot front office.
8. Houston Texans- Had a tough opponent in a must win game. Their offense was limited which was a shock.
9. Baltimore Ravens- Defense is not dominating the way were use to. That means the offense will have more of a burden than in years past. The tools are in place to win offensively. Flacco will have to show his growth to keep the Ravens thriving in a tough conference.
10. Minnesota Vikings- An ugly ugly win. Favre will have his ace back soon in Sidney Rice. Hopefully they can be one game above .500 at that point.
11. Tennessee Titans- This team is very suspect. New York basically handed this past weeks win to the Titans. Chris Johnson’s getting a ton of carries early on this season. Too many and they’ll wear him down for the stretch run. We’ve seen over carries leak over to running backs performances the next season.
12. Dallas Cowboys- An 0-2 start and everyone panicked. Dallas will be fine and make they’re early rust dissipate.
13. Philadelphia Eagles- Is Vick playing at an MVP level? The offensive line is playing poorly and will have to get better for this team to be a serious contender.
14. Kansas City Chiefs- 3-0 but were still not buying the Chiefs.
15. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan looked the best he has in probably a full seasons games worth.
16. Miami Dolphins- The defense has to tackle better and limit big plays over the middle, especially at home.
17. Cincinnati Bengals- Carson Palmer seems to have hit the Jake Delhomme wall. His vision and throws down the field look third string caliber.
18. San Diego Chargers- Front office is destroying a team that had promise.
19. Washington Redskins- The talent is just not around McNabb. Heading to Philly for a blowout type setup game has to have McNabb ticked.
20. Denver Broncos- Game management inside the red zone was atrocious by the Broncos. The coaching staff made too many blunders that ultimately cost them an opportunity for a win.

Best of the Rest
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
22. Arizona Cardinals
23. Seattle Seahawks
24. NY Giants
25. Oakland Raiders
26. San Francisco 49ers
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
28. St. Louis Rams
29. Detroit Lions
30. Cleveland Browns
31. Buffalo Bills
32. Carolina Panthers

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com
Ring the alarm. Loud annoying ringing is taking place for a lot of 0-2 teams. The 2-0 teams usually get over hyped after their performances and settle back down to preseason expectations. Will those patterns continue in 2010? Things better happen for Mr. Phillips in Dallas or he’ll be the first coach canned. By the looks of it he is losing the locker room by the day.

Here’s a gander at our week two team rankings.

1. New Orleans Saints- Winning a tad bit uglier than Super Bowl champions do.
2. Indianapolis Colts- Manning just doesn’t slow down
3. Green Bay Packers- Breathing down the Saints neck as the elite of the NFC.
4. Houston Texans- Come back win down seventeen was that win that may finally get them over the .500 hump
5. Pittsburgh Steelers- Incredible team performances from the Steelers.
6. New York Jets- One solid start for Sanchez doesn’t change non believers into believers. Even Rob Johnson had a few good starts in his days.
7.  Chicago Bears- Can Cutler sustain the ability of game management series to series?
8.  New England Patriots- Bumpy roads ahead in New England. Should host a home wild card game
9. Baltimore Ravens- They brought the weapons in for Flacco and he delivered the some Jake Plummer type numbers.
10.  Miami Dolphins- The Dolphins have that look that opposing teams don’t want to face in early January.
11. Minnesota Vikings- The NFC’s weak enough for the Vikings to finish 10-6 or 9-7 and make the playoffs. We’ve seen enough teams with that type of record enter the wild card and catch heat in the playoffs.
12. San Diego Chargers- Rivers is firing away but another below par season from his team and we envision a blow up in San Diego. Maybe on the Cutler type level.

Best of the Rest

13. Tennessee Titans
14. Washington Redskins
15. Cincinnati Bengals
16. Philadelphia Eagles
17. Dallas Cowboys
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Kansas City Chiefs
20. Denver Broncos
21. NY Giants
22. San Francisco 49ers
23. Atlanta Falcons
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
25. Arizona Cardinals
26. Seattle Seahawks
27. Oakland Raiders
28. Detroit Lions
29. Cleveland Browns
30. Buffalo Bills
31. Carolina Panthers
32. St. Louis Rams