NFL First Quarter Report: The Winners, The Losers and The Raiders

With the bye weeks already starting, my quarter report might seem to be a week late. My excuse is that I wanted to wait until all 32 teams played their first four games, but we all know what excuses are like.

The Indianapolis Colts have seamlessly transitioned from Tony Dungy to Jim Caldwell. Peyton Manning being a coach on the field and Dwight Freeney having six sacks in five games makes both sides of the ball very strong. Manning, Freeney and great draft picks have been the constants of the Colts. This year's first round pick, Donald Brown, looks like a real stud.

The Colts are the best of the A teams (insert BA Baracus joke here) and here are the others:

The Giants, Saints, Vikings and Broncos.

The surprise here are the Denver Broncos as they has a turmoil filled off-season. Josh McDaniels has been very solid and Kyle Orton has been a great game manager.

The AFC North has three B teams in The Steelers, the Bengals and the Ravens. Pittsburgh has dominated all five games they have played. Losses to the Bears and the Bengals came as they missed a few plays on offense and their defense couldn't hold leads. The Bengals could be 5-0 if not for the Immaculate Deflection against the Broncos.

That play by Brandon Stokley is the only play from the first five weeks to have a name.

The other B teams are the Bears, Eagles, Patriots, and Falcons.

The surprise here are the Bengals. Carson Palmer is back from his injuries and leading his team like an elite QB.

The C teams still have a chance at making the playoffs. The Chargers and Cowboys both have great talent and coordinators acting as their head coaches in Norv Turner and Wade Phillips. A combination that led to average first quarter of the seasons for both teams. The Packers have looked better on defense this season and should still push the Vikings and Bears for the NFC North. The Texans and Jaguars have both looked good and bad, a true sign of mediocrity.

The top three teams in the NFC West are the 49ers, Cardinals and Seahawks and all three have looked good at times and bad at times. It could be a three team race all year long with the first to become consistent becoming the team to beat.

I like to watch the Dolphins because I love the Wildcat. It is not a gimmick when Ronnie Brown is getting the snap. A tough schedule has Miami at 2-3 but they are still close to the Patriots and Jets.

Washington is a mess right now. John Riggins is still classic and that is bad news for Jim Zorn. Unlike the Colts, who have built from within, Washington's owner Dan Snyder has brought in talent through the free agent market. Except for the quarterback position, where they have stuck with draft pick Jason Campbell despite his lack of growth as the leader of the team.

So while the Colts and Peyton Manning have been a playoff team since the late '90s, Washington is now a D team in danger of failing.

My pick to win the NFC South, Carolina, is a D team along with Detroit.

Kansas City is heading in the right direction but their loos to the Raiders makes them the worst failing team so far. The Rams might be more pathetic but they haven't played the Raiders.

My team the Browns are failing; in fact, their win over the Bills set the NFL back 15 years. Derek Anderson completed two passes and their best player was the punter.

The other F teams are the Bills, Titans and Buccaneers. Here is the excitement for these teams:

Bills-TO's 185 game catch streak is over and Dick Jauron might be fired. Titans-Vince Young might play. Buccaneers-Josh Freeman might play.

And then there are the Raiders. A team that has played one good half of football this season. The team looks like they haven't practiced together in months. JaMarcus Russell wasn't just a first round pick, he was the first pick of the draft and he is having trouble completing passes.

The Raiders aren't just failing, they are making the NFL a 31 team league.