Here are my Starter Grades for AFC East teams. If you are picking your fantasy sports teams this weekend you’ll want to have a look at these ratings.

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SF CH-7 SF Gabbert has not been good but injuries to the run game has not helped.

3-8 5-6 D played well last week but has not been at all consistent.

SF has to win a game like this against a struggling team.

CH CH has won 3 of 4 recent games including a big win over GB. Cutler has been better

Cutler has been better & the run game has emerged.

But the real reason is an improved D that has finally mastered the Fox D system.

JK TN-2 JK Bortles is getting better. He had an outstanding game vs TN 2 weeks ago.

4-7 2-9 The D is 29th in ppg. But JK has won 2 of the last 3 games.

TN Mariota has struggled badly. O is 30th in scoring & 26th in pass yards.

The D has gotten better despite a lack of talent. That has a lot to do with the mind of Dick LeBeau.

Because of a loss to CL, TN holds the 1st overall pick as of now.

HO BF-3 HO Hoyer is playing solid FB with passer rating of 94.4 (15TDS 5x)

6-5 5-6 The D has been outstanding in the 4 game win streak. The key has been the D backfield’s multiple coverages.

DC Romeo Crenell has made adjustments to the scheme that have helped the D.

D has given up 38 pts in the last 18 quarters.

BF Taylor has been good. Despite injuries to the RBS, BF is 5th in rushing.

The D has been solid vs the run (14th) but has given up a ton of pass yards (22nd)

It will take Ryan a draft or 2 to get the D backfield up to the front 7.

BA MI-4.5 BA Flacco has had an off year for him but BA is still 10th in pass yards.

4-7 4-7 The pass rush has suffered from the loss of Suggs & issues in the D Backfield (24th v pass)

BA has 20 on IR. They will be much better next year.

MI Tannehill has been a disappointment so far. MI is 1-4 in the last 5 games & is 27th in scoring at 20.5 ppg.

The big additions on the D line have not resulted in better D. MI is 32nd v run & 27th in ppg.

There will be a total house cleaning at the end of the season.

CR-7 NO CR Newton has been much better in the recent games. But the run game (4th) has been the key to the O.

11-0 4-7 Newton is 29th in pass yards at 209.8.

The D has been outstanding. It is 3rd in ppg (18.6).

NO Despite the O fire sale the pass game has been solid (3rd 304ypg).

The run game has been a disappointment at 96ypg.

Firing DC Ryan has not helped. D is 32nd in ppg.

SE MN pk SE Wilson has been completing 76% in the last 2 games. The difference is the O line is getting better.

6-5 8-3 Experts have been down on Wilson but SE O is 8th in ppg.

TE Willson takes over for Graham. He is big & athletic.

The D backfield has not been up to previous years.

MN Bridgewater is continuing to grow as a QB. MN is 31st in passing due to having Peterson at RB.

Bridgewater is making critical throws. When D has shut down AP, Bridgewater comes through.

The D has been a huge story. It is 2nd in ppg but need to stop the run better against SE.

AZ-5.5 ST AZ Palmer continues to play outstanding FB. O is 1st in ppg (32.3) & yds (410).

9-2 4-7 Run game has suffered from injuries but still ranks 12th.

D has been solid but O has carried the team. Pass D has stood up to a lot of throws from teams behind in the game.

ST The O is the problem. 4 losses it has scored 51 pts. O is 31st in scoring at just 16.9 ppg.

The Keenum experiment is over. Foles is back but neither is a starting quality QB.

Gurley was outstanding early but has been stopped in recent games.

D has been solid but TOS have put it in bad field position.

AT TB-2 AT Ryan is late making decisions & trying to do too much. He has multiple picks in 5 games.

6-5 5-6 I wonder if he is hurt. Problems on the O line & injuries to the run game have added to the issue.

Since wk 6 AT has turned the ball over on 24% of their possessions. Scoring 16 ppg since wk 6.

RB Freeman should be back but will he be 100%? W White has been hurt. AT needs a 2nd weapon.

D is playing better but can not overcome bad field position due to TOS. 8Th v pass 21st v run

TB Winston has been growing at QB but still makes bad decisions & throws picks.

Martin has been inconsistent in recent weeks gaining 235y vs PH but only 63 vs DA.

The D has struggled but Lovie has yet to get Tampa 2 guys type players. 25Th in ppg.

NJ-2 NG NJ Fitzpatrick has played OK & HC Boles has done a great job with the team.

6-5 5-6 NJ is 7th in ppg but part of that has been due to D scores. 14Th in ypg

D has been good but not dominant. 9Th in ppg 3rd ypg 1st rypg

NG O line lost G Schwartz. Not good vs one of the best D lines in the league.

Eli throws picks more often if he gets pressured. But O is 5th in ppg.

D has been a huge problem. 22Nd in ppg 32nd in ypg.

DV-4 SD DV Osweiler will start again. He may start the rest of the season because Manning has 9 TDS & 17 picks.

9-2 3-8 He runs the O that Kubiac wants. Manning does not. Run game has been decent but inconsistent. 17Th

D has been solid 4th in ppg 1st in ypg & pass ypg.

Ware is back and could really help the pass rush. That will make life for Rivers hard.

SD Rivers has carried the team but struggles to get in the endzone. 6Th in ypg & 2nd in pass ypg but 19th in ppg.

Run game has not come around. Is Yeldon another Alabama RB bust?

D has already moved to LA. 30Th in ppg

KC-3 OK KC Smith has 7TDS & 0 picks in the 5 game win streak. O has not turned the ball over in those games.

6-5 5-6 D has come on as well. Pass rush has gotten better but could be without OLB Houston the rest of the year.

KC has the easiest remaining schedule & may get into the wild card.

OK Del Rio has the team coming on but KC will be a tough assignment.

Carr has been decent but he still hates pressure up the middle. KC’s pressure comes off the edge.

O is 11th in ppg & 8th in pass ypg.

D is better vs run than pass. Del Rio will get more quality D players soon.

PH NE-9.5 PH Sam Bradford is back. But will he continue to give the ball away like he has this season?

4-7 10-1 The other issue is can PH run the ball against the NE D?

D has given up 45 pts in each of the last 2 games. They just don’t get enough rest.

They have also been hurt by turnovers by the O. Field position is a sore subject in the D meeting room.

As Chip Kelly loses more games the heat on him is bound to increase. This is the city that booed Santa.

NE Brady & Belichick are not happy about the loss at DV. That spells trouble for the PH D.

Without all the NE weapons Brady will depend on no names to catch his passes.

The D has been outstanding. The loss last week was not the fault of the D.

IN PT-7 IN Hasselbeck is likely to start for IN this week. He is 4-0 and playing much better than Luck.

6-5 6-5 He will have to do it all because there is no run game.

PT Roethlisberger is likely to play this week. That is critical if PT is to get into the playoffs.

PT is 8th in rushing. IN has not been able to stop the run at all. They are giving up 115 ypg rushing.

PT D is switching CB positions. That is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

PT D is 30th in passing yards allowed.

DA WA-4 DA Cassel is they guy now that Romo is out for the year. Jones has no one to blame but himself for losing this year.

3-8 5-6 Run game is 11th in the league which was a surprise but O is 29th in ppg.

D has been better than expected 18th in ppg 7th in pass ypg.

WA 21st in PPG, 20th in ppg allowed 5-6 and they lead the division? Welcome to the NFC Least.

Cousins has been decent which is a great surprise. O 21st in ppg 19th in pass ypg.

Run game is inconsistent. Morris has 482y but just 3.6 ypatt

D can’t stop the run but is 20th in ppg.

CN-9.5 CL CN After 2 losses CN seems to have gotten its act together again at ST.

9-2 2-9 The HO loss was on the O but the D gave up 34 pts to AZ.

CL CL can’t run at all. Is it the O line or the RBS? YES.

D has been abysmal & ST have been worse.

QB 14 Dalton, Andy 11/2 5 McCarron, AJ 14/5

Dalton is the opposite of a vampire. He turns to dust in the dark not the sun. 1pm He will be fine.

He has thrown 23TDS & just 6 Picks & has a pass rating of 105.3

He is allergic to a pass rush. That too should be no problem because CL doesn’t own one.

LWR 18 Green, AJ 11/1 19 Tate, Brandon W/NE 15 Alford, Mario 15/7

RWR 12 Sanu, Mohamed 12/3 82 Jones, Marvin 12/5

TE 85 Eifert, Tyler 13/1 81 Kroft, Tyler 15/3

TE/H-B 89 Hewitt, Ryan CF14 87 Uzomah, CJ 15/5

Green is as good as any WR in the league. It might be an idea to double him since Haden is out.

Sanu has speed but less reliable hands than AJ. Jones is better than Sanu in my opinion.

Eifert has become a force in the red zone & on 3rd down. Hewitt is a blocker with OK hands.

Given the struggles of CL DBS, this could be a blowout early.

RB 32 Hill, Jeremy 14/2 25 Bernard, Giovani 13/2 30 Peerman, Cedric W/Det 33 Burkhead, Rex 13/6

Hill is a power runner but can fumble. Bernard is a pass catcher & reliable runner.

LT 77 WHITWORTH, ANDREW 06/2 70 Ogbuehi, Cedric 15/1

LG 65 Boling, Clint 11/4 74 Fisher, Jake 15/2

C 61 Bodine, Russell 14/4 60 Johnson, TJ 13/7

RG 68 Zeitler, Kevin 12/1 73 WINSTON, ERIC SF14

RT 71 Smith, Andre 09/1 73 WINSTON, ERIC SF14

Whitworth has been outstanding. Smith has been in & out of the lineup but Winston is a solid RT.

C Bodine & RG Zeitler are average at best but LG Boling is very good.

CL got no pressure on Dalton in the last game. The D rolled over & died in the 4th Q giving up 14 pts.

LDE 96 Dunlap, Carlos 10/2 99 Hunt, Margus 13/2

NT 94 PEKO, DOMATA 06/4 92 SIMS, PAT U/Oak

RDT 97 Atkins, Geno 10/4 98 Thompson, Brandon 12/3 91 Hardison, Marcus 15/4

RDE 90 Johnson, Michael CC/TB 95 GILBERRY, WALLACE SF12 93 Clarke, Will 14/3

Atkins is the best DT in the league. He makes everyone else on the D better.

CL O line will struggle unless they double Atkins on every play.

Johnson is back. He & Dunlap are the pass rushers.

SLB 50 HAWK, AJ CC/GB 59 Lamur, Emmanuel CF12 49 Carter, Chris SF14

MLB 58 Maualuga, Rey 09/2 57 Rey, Vincent CF10

WLB 55 Burfict, Vontaze CF12 57 Rey, Vincent CF10 47 Dawson, Paul 15/3

Burfict has been hurt a lot this year. He is the blitzer of the group. When he is healthy he comes 30% of the time.

Hawk has been better in CN than in GB. He is in a D that better fits his talent. He is primarily a run stuffer.

Maualuga struggles to cover TES or RBS in coverage. He too is solid vs the run.

LCB 27 Kirkpatrick, Dre 12/1 26 Shaw, Josh 15/4

SS 43 Iloka, George 12/5 36 Williams, Shawn 13/3

FS 20 NELSON, REGGIE T/Jax 40 Smith, Derron 15/6

RCB 29 HALL, LEON 07/1 37 Lewis-Harris, Chris CF12 24 JONES, ADAM SF10

Hall & Jones are the best CBS but Jones has been hurt this year.

Kirkpatrick is just OK but both S are solid.

CL Who plays QB? Davis did very well & Bengals ate Manziel as an entree.

CL O 28th ppg 26th T yards 11th Pass y 31st Rush Y

D 31st PPG 30th T Yards 25th Pass y 31st Rush Y

CN O 4th PPG 7th Yards 12th Pass y 9th rush y

D 1st PPG 15th Yards 17th Pass y 13th Rush Y

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10.       Which AFC team will get the first pick in the 2014 draft.  The choices are Oakland, Jacksonville and Buffalo.

9.         Will the new system of HC Rob Chudzinski make QB Brandon Weeden an NFL quality starter?

8.         Will QB Ryan Tannehill improve enough to help the Dolphins challenge for a playoff spot?

7.         How much will HC Andy Reid and QB Alex Smith improve the Chiefs’ record?

6.         Will the Colts get back into the playoffs?

5.         Can the Bengals get enough out of QB Andy Dalton to do deep in the playoffs?

4.         Will the Steelers be able to run the ball?  The top back Le’Veon Bell has a Lisfranc injury the line is below average.

3.         How effective with the Ravens be on offense?  Most are more concerned about the Ravens’ defense but it will be fine.

2.         How much will the loss of his key targets hurt QB Tom Brady and the Pats offense?

1.         Will the Broncos get enough pass rush to go deep in the playoffs?

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent.  He has also published several novels on .

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Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com and was a senior writer for .  He has also published several novels on and a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/.

He edits .  

In college ball last week I went 5-3 bring my total to 17-9. Before you laugh at that remember I pick the toughest games not the best bets.

In the pros I went 1 and 1 with a push and the Giants/Cowboys to be determined.

College football:

#1 Oklahoma 27 #11 Missouri 36 – Missu put up 16 points in the 4th quarter to beat the Sooners for the first time since Moses was a teenager. The Sooners were the third team in 3 weeks to be knocked off after becoming #1. Missu is not a super power type team and could well lose against Nebraska next week.

UCLA 13 #2 Oregon 60 – The Ducks totally dominated a very up and down UCLA team. This past Thursday they were down–way down. If the Ducks can get a win next week at USC, they could well end up in the BCS Championship game. The only other tough teams they will face will be #15 Arizona and Oregon State.

#6 LSU 17 #4 Auburn 24 – Auburn got by one of the two toughest games they will face this year. They have won 3 games over ranked teams in the last 5 weeks. The one roadblock they have on their schedule is at Alabama in the last game of the regular season. The SEC West has crushed the East all year so the SEC Championship game probably against South Carolina should not be a problem. I believe at this point Alabama wins at home against the Tigers.

#13 Wisconsin 31 #15 Iowa 30 – The Iowa coaching staff had a brain cramp that cost them the win. They were in field-goal range but after a time out QB Stanzi scrambled for a first down on 4th and 1. Rather than setting up a spike in the time out, the coaching staff called their final TO. Then rather than throwing the ball away, Stanzi got rushed and flipped it to his RB who was caught in bounds as the clock ran out. Had they spiked the ball after the scramble, they would have had a shot at a FG. Wisconsin probably will not lose again and must hope the Hawkeyes beat Michigan State to get a share of the Big 10 title.

#16 Nebraska 51 #14 Oklahoma State 41 – Like Alabama, Nebraska looks like the team to beat in the Big 12 North if they can beat Missouri next week at home. The OSU Cowboys put up a good fight but just did not have the speed to keep up with the Huskers.

Washington 14 #18 Arizona 44 – The Arizona D was solid against Washington. Husky QB Locker struggled to find anyone open and was 17-29 for just 183 and 1 TD. In my opinion Locker is not a top QB prospect. Arizona has a tough schedule ahead that includes Oregon, USC, and Stanford.

NFL:

The Browns came up with a great win. Check out my column on NFLDraftDog.com on the team page.

Check out the NFL News, Notes and Rumors on NFLDraftDog.com.

TOP 5 NFL TEAMS

1 Jets – They are 5-0 since a 1 point loss to the Ravens. They are #4 in both scoring and points against.

2 Steelers – They are also 4-1 and survived the suspension of Roethlisberger losing only to the Ravens.

3 Ravens – Only the Pats beat them. They beat themselves against the Bengals.

4 Patriots – They are playing better than their talent. When the young guys on D get more experience they will move up.

5 Falcons – I had to have at least 1 NFC team.

BOTTOM 5

5 Broncos – When you give up 59 points to the Raiders, what do you expect?

4 Lions – This team is going in the right direction. They have talent and need to get it up to speed.

3 49ers – This team just is a mess. Nobody could get them to play much better.

2 Panthers – This team has nothing except a good coach and they will let him go at the end of the year.

1 Bills – “With the first pick in the 2011 NFL draft the Bills select…”

That’s what I think. Tell me what you think.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for and edits https://fryingpansports.com. His first non-fiction work is at the publisher now and he has also published several novels on and edits .

Best comment of the month:

Frederic Bernotas on What did we learn from week 2 in College Football?

After all this it is possible that the Wolverines will get into the Big 10 season with 4 wins, although subsequently, exactly what after that? Conference competition breaks along with The Hoosier’s formidable offense. Subsequently Michigan visits Michigan State, Iowa and visits to State College Pa. to face the Nittany Lions. Multiple issues in between these days and the finish of the season, so you’ll forgive me if I’m a little more cautious about making proclamations about this team and this year.

Frederic, your caution is wise. The Blue were 4-0 last year going into the Big 10 season and won only 1 more game the rest of the way.

Updates on previous columns:

Pro Football Niblets and Fantasy tips

I would like to thank my readers for not skewering me on my Pro Best bets. We will try to do a little better from now on. At least the Fantasy pickups were good. The Eagles have named Vick as their starter from now on, Ram WR Clayton remains hot and Packer RB Jackson has a nice upside.

In Dallas, things are continuing to heat up. After the interstate rivalry against the Texans this week, the team has a bye. If the Boys don’t win this week, it will almost certainly be bye-bye to HC Phillips.

What did we learn from week 2 in College Football?

Texas, Penn State, Wisconsin and Florida continue to struggle. What we saw last week was not a fluke.

Niblets fresh from the cob:

Announcement: Starting in October, the Digital Sport Network will debut on Cleveland.com.

This will be the best sports programing on the Internet and the list of personalities includes Chuck Booms who had the top show on Fox Sports Radio, Bud Shaw from the Plain Dealer, and Harry Petsanis from SportsTalk radio. I will be appearing on the broadcast talking about the Browns and the NFL 2011 draft. I will let you know when I will be on.

The NFL QB carrousel continues to spin.

Beside Vick, 7 QBs that rode the bench in Game 1 will start for their teams. The most notable is the Panthers deciding to bench QB Moore in favor of rookie Jimmy Clausen. Not that it makes any difference but Buffalo has benched QB Edwards in favor of Fitzpatrick. In another insignificant move, the Raiders will start Gradkowski over Campbell for whom they traded.

Best Bets in the Pros:

3 Colts -3 vs Broncos – The Colt O is too much for the Broncos.

2 Falcons +5.5 vs. Saints The Saints are on a short week and traveling again.

1 Pats -12.5 vs Bills – Fitzpatrick will be begging the coach to put Edwards back in at half time.

That’s what I think. Tell me what you think.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for and edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels on

and edits .