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At the halfway point in the season, most teams will now have an idea of where their season is headed and how they’d like it to end: whether that be pushing for the playoffs or simply avoiding the dreaded winless season. Some teams aren’t where they expected to be thanks to disappointing stars, while others have been propelled to the top by great performances from unexpected sources. In this short series, I’ll suggest one over-achieving player who will need to “keep it up” and one under-performer who needs to “pick it up” for each team, by region, starting with the East.
AFC East:
Buffalo Bills
Keep it up: Kiko Alonso,LB – The rookie has wasted no time at all adapting to life in the pros, as he’s slid straight into the middle of the Bill’s D without missing a beat, and has been one of the best linebackers in coverage and against the run so far this year.
Pick it up: Passing blocking, OL – The Bills have played 3 QBs so far this year and none has impressed. This is most likely because they’ve been hit a combined 71 times by opposing players, comfortably the most in the league.
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Miami Dolphins
Keep it up: Chris Clemons, S – Miami has had great play from their corners this year, but this has been at least in part thanks to great help over the top from Clemons, who has allowed just 50% of passes thrown his way to be completed.
Pick it up: Mike Wallace, WR – Miami made its offseason splash by spending on the former Steelers playmaker. He’s been ok, but for that money they’d have been hoping for more than 13 yards per catch and 1 TD.
New England Patriots
Keep it up: Aqib Talib, CB – The former 1st round pick has always had potential, but a combination of disappointing play and off the field issues left him unwanted by all but New England. This year it’s finally come together for Talib, who looks like a true shutdown corner.
Pick it up: Young Wide Receivers – Tom Brady hasn’t been at his best for sure, and it’s never wise to ask too much of rookies. Nonetheless WR duo of Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson both rank in the top 5 in the league in drops, with a combined 13 to only 49 catches. This needs to improve.
New York Jets
Keep it up: Damon Harrison, NT – An undrafted free agent in 2012, who never saw the field in his first year, little could have been expected of 350lb Harrison before training camp. Nonetheless, he won the starting Nose Tackle job and has been a force against the run all year.
Pick it up: Chris Ivory/Bilal Powell, RB – Geno Smith has been bad, but he’s a rookie 2nd round QB (never a good thing), with no weapons to throw to (what were they expecting?). The Jets are meant to be a “ground and pound” team. They need to average more than the 3.5 yards per carry these two have.
NFC East
CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 10: Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants after throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears on October 10, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants 27-21. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
Dallas Cowboys
Keep it up: Tony Romo, QB – Romo gets a lot of stick for anything that goes wrong in Dallas, so he should get some credit now. He’s having yet another great season with a QB rating above 100, and can’t be blamed for the problems on the other side of the ball.
Pick it up: Demarcus Ware, OLB – Ware was ranked 6th in the NFL top 100. He has struggled somewhat with injuries, but nonetheless needs to make more of an impact than he has if the Cowboys are to win the wide-open division.
New York Giants
Keep it up: Linval Joseph/Cullen Jenkins, DT – The Giants D has been stingy against the run giving up just 3.6 yards per carry, and the numbers have been even better up the middle, where a strong defensive tackle rotation has made up for a lack of push from the outside.
Pick it up: Eli Manning, QB – Another big name, big price player who isn’t getting it done. Manning is on pace for 20 TDs and 30 INTs this year, while accounting for nearly 17% of the Giants salary cap (bear in mind there are 21 other starters and 52 other players on the roster). It’s really no surprise that the Giants are struggling.
Philadelphia Eagles
Keep it up: Bennie Logan, NT – With 6 tackles and 2 sacks, Logan has performed well enough in limited opportunities, but will be leaned upon much more heavily with Isaac Sopoaga traded to the Patriots. Like the Giants, the Eagles’ run defense has been a surprising strength, and will need to stay that way.
Pick it up: Brent Celek/Zach Ertz/James Casey, TE – The 3 tight ends have combined for only 30 catches so far. With no one yet showing signs of steeping as a no.2 WR behind the explosive DeSean Jackson, whoever is under centre for the Eagles will need one of these 3 to step up.
Washington Redskins
Keep it up: DeAngelo Hall, CB – Hall has been a good cover corner on a bad team this year: he’s tied for 7th in the league in passes broken up and has 3 INTs, a forced fumble and a fumble recovered. Even more impressive is that he’s turned 2 of those interceptions and the fumble recovery into 3 TDs, which gives him more TDs than all but 2 offensive players.
Pick it up: Robert Griffin III, QB – This one feels a bit harsh. He has returned miraculously fast from a serious knee injury to be out this year, and that’s bound to hurt his running production. But it’s his play from the pocket that’s disappointed me. He’s been less aggressive, less accurate and less efficient, leading to a drop in QB rating of over 20 points from his rookie year. Step it up.
