NFL Thoughts after Week 8

Well here we are at the half way point of the NFL season and I am already tired of writing about the Rams.  Lets not look back at last week, but lest look back at the first half of the season and grade the Rams thus far, talk a little bit about the Browns and Dolphins for some of my fans out there ;)

RAMS TALK:

Lets start with the offense, that has been disappointing to say the least as they are the 25th ranked passing offense and the 18th ranked running offense. 

QB: Sam Bradford has shown some signs of promise, but for the most part has been only able to lead the team to the redzone and not the END zone.  When Danny "Queen" Amendola went down, Bradford lost his confidence in the passing game.  He needs to gain that confidence back.  And could the Rams please quit calling roll out passes for him.  He can't hit the broad side of the barn on those roll outs.  The second half will determine if Bradford is truly a franchise QB for the Rams.
GRADE: D+

RB:  Steven "Stiff" Jackson has pretty much been a stiff this year.  He dances too much looking for a hole, he losses his cool and creates phantom groin injuries and has a very average 3.7 YPC.  Its time for Jackson to move on, or the Rams to look for a replacement.  A pleasant surprise has been Daryl Richardson, with a 5.4 YPC average, he is quick and makes quick decisions to hit the holes and take it up field.  His size will limit him to carrying the full load throughout entire game.
GRADE: C-

WR: Man the Rams need some big time talent here.  You look around the league and see other QBs having good years and you look at their WRs and you go Ah HA!  Amendola is a sure handed WR, but more like a Welker.  The others "Debbie" Gibson and "Code Red" Kendricks are average at best.  Chris Givens however has shown he as the speed as advertised and is becoming a deep threat, when the line can give Bradford enough time to hit him.
GRADE: C

OL: The O-line once again has battled through some injury issues and has not given Bradford enough time and has been sacked 23 times this year.  The running game has been up and down and many times the running backs have to make the first guy miss in the back field. This has been one of the main reasons so many trips to the redzone have ended in FGs
GRADE: D

DL: The defensive line has been probably the highlight of the team as Robert Quinn (7 sacks) and Chris Long (4 sacks) anchor that line.  They have punished QBs in the first half of the season and should continue this trend going into the second half.  Give them more rest please offense and they could get even better.
GRADE: B+

LB: Laurinaitis leads this decent core of LBs along with McIntosh and Dunbar.  They all are sure tacklers and have the defense ranked in the upper half of the league in Rush defense. 
GRADE: B

Secondary: Rookie CB Jenkins has shown signs of greatness in some games and is becoming a shut down corner.  Finnegan is just that kind of player that will get under your skin and irritate you all game long.  He has 3 INTs and has created many personal fouls on the opponents, an attitude that Fisher and Finnegan have brought to this Ram team that they haven't experienced in a long time.
GRADE: C

Special Teams: Greg "The Leg" Zuerlein started out on fire, not missing anything and hitting from 50+ and 60 yards.  Then he missed 3 in a row in Miami.  He is still a great kicker and is just a rookie.  He has the leg and could kick from 70 yards for sure, but he needs to stay accurate.  Johnny Hekker has been a great punter thus far and has really flipped the field posistions in many situations. 
GRADE: B+

The schedule gets harder in the second half with games at division rivals 49ers, Seahawks, and Cardinals, plus trips to Buffalo in December, and Tampa Bay.  They only have 3 home games rest of the year.  6-10 if lucky.

As for the Browns, just a few words for you Brownie fans out there.  Trent Richardson is a BEEEAAASSSTTTT! (as Michael Irvin would put it). Richardson has 6 TDs thus far already this season and even though he only has a 3.7 YPC he certainly isn't easy to bring down.  If it wasn't for the O-line porous blocking he might be in the top 10 RBs in the NFL.  Weeden is playing fair even though his TD-INT ratio is 9-10 he seems mature in the pocket.  He should considering he is a 30 year old rookie after an 8 year college career.  2-1 in the last 3 games.  Still have to play Steelers twice, Ravens this week, and a trip to Denver in December. 

The Dolphins are a surprising 4-3 and competing for the East Division Title (although I am sure Patriots will start to pull away in the second half of season).  A 3rd ranked run defense is a main reason for this.  Hell they could be 6-1 had they won those back to back OT losses to the Jets and Cardinals.  Tannehill might be the guy if he can stay healthy and Reggie Bush seems to have found a second life in southern Florida.  Their schedule isn't all that tough to finish the year with home games against Titans, Seahawks, Bills and Jags, all could be wins. 

So there we go, out of the three teams mentioned here only the Dolphins appear to have a shot at the playoffs.  On another note I think the AFC better look out for the Denver Broncos!  Manning is completely hitting his stride and looking really good.  Last Sunday Night they looked absolutely great.  Could it be another Brady vs Manning AFC Championship Game?  Texans might have something to say about that....