I was recently asked this question by a fellow NFL fan and sportswriter Ivette, the FemmeFan (www.femmefan.com) and I figured that I had better answer it, because it is of pressing necessity, and I thought my readers would enjoy it.

FemmeFan asks: “Zim, The NFL regular season is at the midway point. At the start of the season the AFC dominated ESPN's Power Rankings with the NFC looking like a weak sister with the exception of the Saints. Now NFC teams hold four of the top five spots. #1 Packers, #2 Broncos, #3 Eagles, #4 Saints, #5 Niners. There's still a whole lot of football left to play and injuries most certainly will have an impact on the end results, but what teams do you rank in the top five, and are you ready and willing to pick the Super Bowl teams at this juncture?”

So, as a bit of a collaboration effort, let me present to you “Zim and FemmeFan’s Mid-Season Report”

First up, Ivette, the FemmeFan’s responseÖ

I have learned to ignore all the so-called experts when it comes to predicting success and failure in the NFL. I truly believe that if I gathered a group of four year olds, and let them pick team names out of a hat, they would do as well, if not better than these guys and they’d have a whole lot more fun doing it.

SuperZim is right when he states that Power Rankings are simply a way for sports writers to earn their paychecks. There is just so much you can write about Terrell Owens and his Sharpie, and now he’s smartened up and is boycotting the media. Na-na-na-na! Pro football is simply a great game to watch. But once the games end we must rely on the soap opera dramas that develop from Sunday to Sunday to keep our wonder lust alive.

Who says men don’t like to dish the dirt? Just ask any avid football fan about the opposing team and you’ll get a lesson in trash-talking the likes of which even an episode of As the World Turns can’t rival. Tune into any sport talk show and get a load of the venom the macho men fans spew on a daily basis. *&%$ Jim Rome in the Jungle? Who gave him the keys to the Kingdom?

But, I’m ranting now.

Most “experts’ are sold on the Packers as the number one team, at least this week. But, that could change momentarily. I don’t agree. Yes they’ve overcome adversity, but there are eight weeks left and Brett is gimping around. Their division stinks this year so the Pack is likely to take the division. I’ll give the Pack the number two spot, but I see cracks in their cheese-heads especially if Brett takes another hit on the knee, and do you think opposing defenses haven’t noticed? I love you Brett, but shave why don’t ya? You look like you’ve got cooties.

I rank the Broncos as the number one team in the league. Their Achilles heel may be Brian Griese, but now that the team has developed confidence in him (Romo says he left because Griese couldn’t take him to the Super Bowl, hah) the only thing that will stop him is injury. The Broncos are the best overall team right now with the best coach in football, Mike Shanahan. I can’t wait to watch them play against the Raiders on MNF, Bronco fans can get pretty down and dirty, too, remember the snowball incident?

The Niners and the Chargers are tied in the number 3 spot. The Niners’ two losses were against excellent teams, Denver and the Saints. I think the Niners are improving with every game and peaking at the right time. Once some of their injured players return, (Zach Bronson and Jamie Winborn) their defensive problems should disappear. Andre Carter and Julian Peterson are starting to make plays and the “O” line is opening gaping holes for the run game. Add to the mix the improvement shown recently on offense, with Garcia playing exciting, mistake-free football, and Terrell Owens terrorizing defenses and they are a force to be reckoned with. The Niners should be able to control their destiny with the only foreseeable bumps in the road the games against the Pack and the Eagles.

The Chargers earn the number three spot tie mainly because they have developed a great running game to go along with their excellent defense. Their young quarterback; Drew Brees is being protected and is being well coached by Marty Schottenheimer. The AFC West is a tough division and the team that wins that division likely will go to the Super Bowl.

The Number four spot belongs to the Eagles. I agree with SuperZim, the fate of the Eagles rests on the feet and arms of Donovan McNabb. The Eagles division is a cakewalk and they should have no trouble winning it. I’m not completely convinced, however, they have what it takes to go deep into the playoffs.

The Saints and the Bucs are tied for fifth place. The Saints are exciting on offense, while the Bucs are exciting (if that’s possible) on defense. Since these teams play in the same division, and the Falcons are hot on their heels, one of these teams might miss the playoffs, which is too bad.

For a while I was visualizing the Raiders and the Bucs meeting in the Super Bowl. Wouldn’t that have been a kick in the ass? The former Raiders coach (Jon Gruden) and his now-famous smirks and F-bombs staring down his old Silver and Black players on the other side of the field? Classic. But that is clearly not going to happen, the Raiders are doing their annual death gurgle.

Don’t go out and place any bets on these predictions. NFL predictions are as risky as the stock market. Just ask Rams fans.

As Yogi Berra says, “It ain’t over til it’s over”. It clearly could be déjà vu all over again.

***

Next up, Zim’s responseÖ

With the season now halfway home, which by the way is really depressing, I must admit that things are shaping up a whole lot differently then I, or anyone else, for that matter, expected them to.

First off, no Rams. Second off, the Pats are struggling. Thirdly, some supposed superstars are playing like anything but.

But, as I have always said, this is why we all watch, and love the NFL.

Now, onto the matter at hand, who do I have ranked as the top five teams in the NFL? Well, to be quite honest, I have always strayed from power rankings, because they are a big part of the sportswriting regurgitation that we see all too much of. But I think that this time I will accommodate you guys, my readers, with who I like and where I rank em.

So here goes...

#1 - Packers (7-1) - Ok, so no question here right? The Pack have won 6 in a row and are riding the feel good Brett Fav-ruh story as far as it will take them. But that is not all that got them here. Strong play from Ahman Green, Donald Driver has helped ease the burden on Fav-ruh. Also, their defense has really stepped it up, they have been ravaged by injuries, but through it all they have maintained a bend-don't-break scheme and have kept the Packers in games. What do I see for their second half? Well, the pessimist in me has to see them stumble here and there coming in, but I really think they will be the top seed in the NFL when all is said and done. (Final record prediction: 13-3)

(By the way, in case you haven’t noticed, I refuse to spell Brett Fav-ruh's name correctly. I spell it how it sounds when you say it for the first time ever. "How about that Brett Fav-ruh? From the Packers?" See what I mean? Anyway, I digress...)

#2 - Broncos (6-2) - Clearly the class of the AFC. Their convincing win over the other AFC contender, the Chargers, proved that undoubtedly. They are really a complete team, and the only way I see them stumbling, is if Brian Griese starts playing poorly again. By the way, does anyone remember that near benching Griese went through? Yeah, me either. It seems like a long time ago doesn’t it? I think that the Broncos will "keep on keepin on" for the second half, but I am leery of them stumbling with the Chargers again, possibly one of the Oakland games and that Arizona one has peaked my interest. They will not finish as the top seed, but will make the playoffs. (Final record prediction: 11-5)

#3 - Chargers (6-2) - Ok, so they got blown up by the lowly Jets in week 9. I am a firm believer that a good team is allowed a mulligan during the season, and that game was it. The Chargers fell in love with themselves a little bit that week, and their performance clearly showed that. I do see some bumps in the road for this squad, but look for them to get back to winning games they way they did in their first 7 games, and finish as the top seed in the AFC. (Final record prediction: 12-4)

#4 - 49ers (6-2) - I like the Niners here folks, and that isn’t just because I am a die-hard fan of them. The 49ers are really looking strong and I think the defense will find its rhythm in the next couple weeks to match the offense. Look for this team to finish the season strong, and win the NFC West to make the playoffs. (Final record prediction: 12-4)

#5 - Eagles (6-2) - The Eagles get this nod because of one man. Donny McNabb. This cat has literally carried this squad to its 6-2 record, which is also why they are not ranked higher. Two or three bad games from McNabb equals two or three bad losses for the Eagles. Also, they have problems scoring touchdowns these days, and unless they start converting more in the red zone, they could lose to teams like the 49ers, Rams or even Redskins. Look for the Eagles to stumble a bit coming in, but since their division is fairly weak, they will still win the NFC East. (Final record prediction: 11-5)

Those teams just missing the cut?

#6 - Saints - Defense is too poor right now. Playing in tough division.

#7 - Bucs - Need to find an offense.

#8 - Falcons - Relying too much on Vick right now, could hurt them in the long run.

#9 - Steelers - I am not a Tommy Maddu"XFL" believer. They will fall hard in the second half.

#10 - Pats - Unless they can run the ball, they will not go far in the playoffs, if they even make them that is.

So there you have it, my first ever Power Rankings thoughts, and looking back on it, it does seem just like the rest of them out there, so don’t expect any more of these from me in the near future. That is, unless, someone starts paying me to do them, then I will become an advocate for such informative and entertaining columns.

Now, to finish up, who do I like in the SuperBowl? Well, from a purely objective point of view, I think that we can expect to see the Packers vs. the Chargers. I will make that prediction right now. Teams like the Niners, Pats, Saints, and Chiefs will contend for the big game, but I can see Brett Fav-ruh leading the Pack to the show this season, winning it in style, and riding off into the sunset.

Until Next Time...