Mid-Season Review: Part 1

The Inscrutable Drama Kings Division has never seen such, well, division. There are three clear cut playoff teams and it’s only week nine. Can Ante Up or Tiiite End Jammers put up a fight in the second half of the season? Time will tell!

Chunky Monkeys (7-1)
While the Monkeys have already suffered their first loss of the season (WK2, to Gang Green), they are well on their way to another regular season championship. Despite a slow start by last year’s MVP, LaDainian Tomlinson, the Monkeys have scored over 100 points in every game but one. They recorded an outrageous 156 points in WK 7 and easily lead the league in points scored. The draft day trade for Antonio Gates has paid dividends as he’s averaging a cool 15.7 points per game. Peyton Manning has proven to be as consistent as expected and now that LDT is starting to find his stride, the Monkeys might have another gear for the second half of the season. Areas of concern include Larry Johnson’s slow start but Terrell Owens and Anquan Boldin (who’s hurt yet again) are picking up the slack. The Monkeys can pretty much start preparing themselves for the playoffs as they could hit cruise control and still manage home field advantage.

DirteeByrdeez (6-2)
After trading away potential MVPs Tom Brady and Randy Moss, the Dirty Birds find themselves doing better than they have in many years. The receiving corps has really stepped up behind sensation Braylon Edwards (19 pt avg), Plaxico Burress (17 avg), and Larry Fitzgerald (11 avg). Add in recent acquisition Wes Welker and the Birds are flying high. Then again, they have to because the two starting running backs, Steven Jackson and Rudi Johnson, have been terrible. Thank god for first round pick Adrian Peterson, who has given the Birds’ offensive an explosive running game. With the steady Matt Hasselbeck at the helm, the Birds are having the best season they’ve had in quite some time. Can they keep it up with SJax and Rudi hobbling and ineffective?

Buffy (4-4)
After opening the season with a three point win over Ante Up and then a 163 point explosion in WK2, Buffy was looking like a world beater. Then reality set in as they failed to score 100 points again until this week’s victory. Buffy is at an even 0.500 and is certainly not bereft of talent but the simple fact of the matter is that Buffy is less explosive than in years past. Torry Holt, Laveranues Coles, and Joey Galloway are all having steady seasons with a few 20+ games. Running backs Travis Henry and Marion Barber have been sharing time in the backfield with some success. Willie Parker has been steady with the yards but has only scored two touchdowns. Aside from one 53 point explosion, QB Carson Palmer has only been average this season. With a balanced team, Buffy should be able to grind it out and lock up a playoff spot this season.

Ante Up (1-7)
After a winning seven games last season, Ante Up will be hard pressed to match their win total from 2006. With just one win so far, the playoffs might already be out of reach for Jae’s team. While Reggie Wayne has stepped up in Marvin Harrison’s absence with 16 points per game, Donald Driver, Santonio Holmes, and Chris Chambers have been very inconsistent. Jae’s hoping that Roddy White can step in for some quality time but the bigger problem maybe at quarterback where Jon Kitna has hit an extreme cold streak after starting off the season on fire. Early on, it looked like Edgerrin James was back to star status but he’s proven to be up and down again during the last five weeks. Only RB Brian Westbrook has been dependable for Jae but he’s also missed two games already. Can Ante Up pull it together for a much needed winning streak?

Tiiite End Jammers (1-7)
After going 7-6 and making the playoffs last season, Lei’s team has hit rock bottom. Aside from the spectacular play of Tony Romo (27 avg) and Joseph Addai (20 pts per), this team is looking thinner than thin. WRs Marvin Harrison and Javon Walker have been injured and ineffective. Their backups Deion Branch, Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram, and Patrick Crayton are hardly worth playing. There is no passing game here. While Clinton Portis has been grinding it out, he’s been below double-digits four times in the last five weeks. Making things worse is that Lei has faced the toughest schedule by far this season, as every opponent has passed the century mark against them this season. The one time the Jammers scored 101 points, the Monkeys slapped them down with 123 points. Hopefully Lei’s team will face an easier road the second half of the season as Harrison and Walker add something to the aerial attack.