Gridiron grades — Titans are this teacher's pet; but 5 put the 'F' in NFL

The 2008 NFL season is pretty much at its midway point as 26 of the 32 teams have played exactly half their games.

That can mean only one thing. It's time for Professor Aragon (that's me) to hand out midterm grades for each team. I'm not basing these grades entirely on records, so the unbeaten Titans don't automatically get an A. But let's not get crazy and say that they don't deserve one.

While handing out passing and failing marks, I'm taking into account how teams have dealt with injuries, how they've performed in comparison to preseason expectations, and of course, how many games they've actually won.

Here's how the self-professed professor sees how each team has fared:

• The A student:

The Titans: They don't provide a bunch of highlight-reel plays each week. But who cares? They feature a bone-crushing defense, productive running game and a quarterback who manages the game. You can't help but wonder if their lack of firepower in their passing game will haunt them at some point, but for now, there's no one better.

• The not-quite Titans, but still good A-minus students:

The Giants: I don't care what anyone says, I'd take Eli Manning as my quarterback over his brother.

The Patriots: They are ugly to watch, but to be 5-3 after losing Tom Brady eight minutes into the season is impressive. Their spying technology must be improved. Just kidding, Patriots fans.

The Cardinals: Every year, they seem to be the sleeper pick to make some noise during the NFL season. Well, this year they're actually doing it.

The Panthers: They are back to what made them successful for most of the decade: a good defense, a solid running game and outbursts by former Ute Steve Smith.

The Falcons: I like this team. We might need proof of quarterback Matt Ryan's age because he certainly doesn't play like a rookie. This team is the real deal and could make a playoff run.

The Dolphins: A team that's nearly as big of a surprise as the Falcons. They play hard every week, have a good game manager at quarterback and brought back the Wildcat. An all-around impressive first half for Miami.

• The they just need some polishing to get a better grade by the end of the season B-plus students: