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As we dive further into the second half of the 2017 NFL season, the top teams are beginning to establish themselves. When I watch them, I'm reminded of something I learned from my dad way back when I was a kid on the sidelines.

My father learned this from Bill Parcells, and I remember hearing him say it 15 years ago. I heard the same kind of thing during my time working for the New England Patriots. It goes like this: Fast teams get slower as the year goes on; big teams don't get smaller.

All of the best teams this season—like the Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers—have one thing in common. They have size. They have size in the trenches, and they have big, physical linebackers.

Having a fast defense or an athletic offensive line has its advantages. Late in the season when the weather turns bad—or, more importantly, in the postseason—these advantages can shrink. The advantage of size stays. It allows teams to beat you up in the run game, control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and hammer down on opposing ball-carriers. This is how the best teams impose their will on the opposition.

As we head into Week 12, here's how I view all 32 teams.