NFL Regular Season 2011: Quick Takes

 The NFL 2011 regular season is almost over and it is worth looking back at an interesting 4 months after the prolonged labor lockout.Here are my quick takes.

• As a Patriots fan, I am thrilled with my team making it to the playoffs as the #1 seed in the AFC. That said, our secondary sucks. If the Pats were to go up against the Packers or Saints, I could see Rodgers/Brees put up 50 points. It will be interesting to see how far the Patriots go on the strength of their offense.
• Keeping with the AFC East, the Jets are bad and don't deserve a playoff spot. Given how inconsistent they are, they deserve the spend the rest of the winter at home. There are 6 or more better teams than the Jets. And for once, can Ryan shut up and get him team to just play. As I typed that, Sanchez just threw an INT in the red zone.
• The Saints are outright scary on offense. And Jimmy Graham is incredible. And to think we are witnessing a year when two fantastic young TEs in Graham and Gronkowski are having marquee years.
• Something tells me that the Packers are not going to repeat.
• Matt Stafford is good. And not as hyped as many other QBs. One to watch out for.
• Do the Colts really suck so much without one player- Manning?. Leads me to think they need more than just Luck. And I am not really sold on Luck until he shows NFL chops.
• 49ers are the revelation of the season. I don't expect them to win it all but they definitely put the league on notice. Great first season for Harbaugh.
• The Ravens and Steelers are in equal proportion, scary good and pretty unpredictable. They could stumble out of the gate in the playoffs or go all the way. Capable of both in equal measure.
• I was never sold on Tebow mania. But it is a credit to the man's resilience to pull off all those 4th quarter comebacks. And I have a lot of respect for his manners, professionalism and charity.
• Between Brees, Rodgers, Brady and to a lesser degree rookie sensation Newton and Stafford, we just witnessed one of the best QB years in a while. And we didn't have Peyton Manning for the entire season. Wow!
• As good as Brees, Rodgers, Brady and Stafford are- their defenses are pretty average. This will be the year the either validates or repudiates the claim that defenses win games, especially the more important ones.
• One more on the Patriots- did you pause to wonder that Belichick for all his genius is a defensive coordinator with a lousy defense for quite a few years now and its the offense that shoulders the team.
• Will the real Cowboys and Giants stand up please?
• How does Mike Shanahan get to keep his job for so long?
• Overachievers of the year: Broncos, Patriots (have you seen their defense?), Texans and Lions.
• Underachievers of the year: Eagles, Giants, Chargers (will they ever get it together?).
• Feel Good Story of the Year: Detroit Lions. From being one of the worst ever NFL teams for a long time, by a margin, they came back to make a trip to the playoffs.
• Feel Bad Story of the Year: Philadelphia Eagles. Were they a victim of hype or did they just not put things together until the later half of the season?. For a team predicted to win the Superbowl, a big fall from grace. But there is hope for 2012.
• "They deserved what they got" of the year: NY Jets.