With 8 weeks in the books, here’s my take on all 32 NFL teams

MIKE KAYE

Mid-Season Coverage (or in case you’re the Bills, Bump and Run for your lives)

AFC EAST
BILLS- There is nothing to say about the Bills that has not been said about BP Gas. This is a spill terribleness on the NFL, however it is still making money from minimal ticket sales. Hey at least being awful got them Shawn Merriman for free…

DOLPHINS- Wishy-washy season to match their QB Chad Henne, who is probably the least productive touchdown scorer of the post-Marino era. I say this not because of stats but because with Brandon Marshall, an average QB (Jay Cutler) should have at least double the TD’s young Henne has.

JETS- Rex Ryan continues to run his mouth and the public seems to have lost interest. The team was shutout by the Packers but the defense continues to dominate even in losses. They are good just not as good as people predicted.

PATRIOTS- Best record in the league and the ship is sailing steady. Their season is going so well that they got a 3rd rounder from a now-doomed Vikings team for free. I hate the Pats and their fans but you guys should be enjoying yourselves about now.

AFC WEST
BRONCOS- Can you think of a more irrelevant team in a division that could be won by the University of Oregan right now? Josh McDaniels has career-go-getters like Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins, and Andre Goodman playing uninspired and it shows in games.

CHARGERS- How does such a good offensive and defensive team look so bad? They don’t have leadership or good special teams and Ryan Matthews has been unable to adjust to being “The Guy.” Norv Turner seems like a nice guy, I just don’t know if he is a winner.

CHIEFS- Probably the most exciting team to watch in the NFL. They got off to a quick start but their lack of grooming from an extremely overrated set of coordinators and a stubborn but somewhat loveable head coach is starting to show. There is honestly no reason they should be going to overtime and using up the whole extra period to beat the Bills.

RAIDERS- I told ya so. This team is ready to go. Jason Campbell has finally woken up and is looking like a leader. The defense is making noise with castaways Quinton Groves and Kamerion Wimbley and they don’t seem to be slowing down.

AFC NORTH
BENGALS- It’s great that Chad and T.O. are Facebook friends but other then 81, no one has been able to connect with Carson Palmer. Marvin Lewis is proving that being a head coach and a good guy is very hard. Mike Zimmer, a head coaching candidate has his defense playing well, but with a lacking offense, the team is kind of flat.

BROWNS- The Manginious is up to some good as players are playing well, they just have caught some tough breaks. They play in a tough division and are essentially doomed.

RAVENS- They are a good team not a great team. Flacco is wavy, the defense is smart but sometimes goes flat, and the offense is unable to take advantage of the defense’s hardwork. They are still Superbowl contenders and have a great coaching staff.

STEELERS- Won without Ben, winning with him. You can’t say enough about a team that has a winning record with Charlie Batch as a starter. They are more then scary and I think this division will come down to them and the purple Birds.

AFC SOUTH
COLTS- They are good but too inconsistent for a Peyton Manning team. After watching Peyton on Monday night, you can tell he runs the team. Injuries have effected the outcome of their record so far but the fact that Jim Caldwell is a mannequin when it comes to coaching makes me wonder if the loses aren’t just on him.

JAGUARS- Up and down, up and down. Garrard has a phenomenal game every three games which keeps him as the starter. Up until last week Mike Thomas made Mike Sim-Walker (the team’s number one receiver) look terrible as Thomas was doing everything he could to will the offense into success. The Cowboys made this team look like the 2007 Patriots and that is simply not the case. This team is a mid-level team at best and that’s being nice. The best thing for this team is to lose Garrard and Del Rio.

TEXANS- Same old, same old from Gary Kubiak and Co. They have the best WR in football, Schuab is a stats machine and Mario Williams is a Top 5 pass rusher and they are still lacking identity. They have the worst secondary, maybe ever.

TITANS- Scariest team in league. Young has come into his own, CJ keeps being CJ and when Kenny Britt is healthy and not getting into fights, he’s unbelievable. Now with Randy Moss in the mix, the AFC could be Tennessee’s for the taking.

NFC EAST
COWBOYS- The only thing that can come out of this season is a Top 5 pick. It’s a shame that such a talented group of players could be so miss managed. Time to let the heads roll and I think its time to see what Stephen McGee (QB from Texas A&M, 3rd round pick two years ago) has to offer.

GIANTS- Favorites for NFC Championship. They need to take advantage of Philly’s QB and CB issues and Dallas and Washington’s ineptness. Pass Rush is best in league once again and Ahmad Bradshaw is among the best RBs this year.

EAGLES- Mike Vick needs to handle his responsibility of starting QB the right way or it’s Kolb’s job. Lesean McCoy has made running the ball a surprising paramount for Andy Reid and it shows in the win-loss columns. The only real team that beats the Eagles in their games is themselves which could cost them a playoff berth.

REDSKINS- New coach, new team, same story for Donovan McNabb. This is the most poorly managed .500 team ever. When one thing goes right, something else epically fails. It is funny to watch if you are not a Skins fan.

NFC WEST
CARDINALS- Poor planning is the reason this team is irrelevant. They should have drafted Jimmy Claussen or traded for a veteran like Sage Rosenfels after Warner retired but the front office really dropped the ball. This season proves Larry Fitzgerald is a tad overrated and that the offense is nowhere near the strength of the team.

49ERS- I love Mike Singletary but he deserves to be fired. This team has been terrible this year and they should have gotten rid of Alex Smith years ago. I do like Troy Smith and I do see him surprising a lot of people under center.

RAMS- I was wrong about Bradford and if they can win 8 games, Spags will win coach of the year. This city and organization deserve to win games. Much like how the Lions deserve more credit, the Rams are running away with it. They have a mediocre group of young receivers but they are making it work. Chris Long has finally showed up and that is making the D come alive.

SEAHAWKS- Pete Carroll is crazy. I’ve heard of teams taking on the demeanor of their coach but this is nuts. They are honestly all over the place but at least they have a cool story in former first-round pick Mike Williams (USC). Where is Charlie Whitehurst?

NFC NORTH
BEARS- Just another team to burn a bridge with for Mike Martz. His offense makes no sense to current players, either because it’s too complicated or everyone is dumb. Cutler is an interception waiting to happen and they the defense can’t catch a break because of the good field positioning from the turnovers.

LIONS- They deserve a better record as they try harder then any other team. Schwartz has the team on the right track.

PACKERS- Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson make the defense tick but they have had to overcome numerous injuries. Aaron Rodgers look like himself but I think the bad O-line is starting to get to him.

VIKINGS- Ehh…Brad Childress is ruining the team from the inside and the players and fans are really suffering. Chilly is the coach version of Matt Millen at this point.

NFC SOUTH
BUCCANEERS- Good young team but I believe they will fizzle by season ended. Coaching will be a factor and that is not a strong suit for Raheem Morris and Co.

FALCONS- Good team that needs to learn to win on the road. They are way too reliant on turf but most turf teams are. They are the other NFC favorite.

PANTHERS- They are most then bad. When Jimmy Clausen gets benched for the same guy he overtook, then there’s a huge problem. John Fox is like the cast of Return of the Jedi, he doesn’t want to be there, he’s over the story and you can tell in the performance.

SAINTS– Not as good as people predicted, at this point wouldn’t be surprised if they missed the playoffs. You can’t coast on a Superbowl victory as all teams try to improve, and the Saints didn’t.

Photo: AP

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