FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Well, we have reached the halfway point of what has become a very (to say the least) interesting NFL Season, what with the chargers being .500, the bears fall from grace, the unexcepted resurgence of #4, Tom Bradys ridiculous numbers, spy gate and a running back for the ages, All Day A.P. You can never expect anything to go smoothly over the course of the year. So, without further ado, my top 10 storylines from the first 10 weeks in the NFL.

#10: How bout them Cowboys!

So far, the 'Boys are the class of the NFC (no disrespect to Green Bay) and look like the only team in the senior circuit that could have a shot at giving the 'Pats a run for their money ( we assume they'll be there come January). T.O. is happy in Big D and seems to be enjoying himself, not causing distractions and focusing on football more than himself (shocked? Me too) Romo looks like the real deal, and has so much fun playing the game ( I know you've heard it before but he looks like a young favre out there) and is leading his team to the top seed in the NFC. Wade Phillips was just the man to replace Tuna, with his player friendly approach and general enjoyment on the sidelines and seems to have his team excited to play every Sunday.

#9: Adrian Peterson.

Wow. What more can I say? This kids incredible, like ridiculously good. He has speed, power, agility, and isn't afraid of contact, very rare combo in a RB. I've heard many comparisons with this kid to great backs (sayers, sanders, brown) but if he can stay healthy (big but) and play maybe 7-9 years at a high level, I think we'll be comparing RB's in the future, not to brown or emmit but to A.D. He's That Good.

#8: Injuries.

Doesn't it seem like there is a crazy amount of injuries this year, or is it just me? Almost every team has had at least one significant injury this year (correct me if im wrong) and more teams than not have had a few. QB's are dropping like flies (Delhomme, Leinart, Smith, Schaub, Green) and some teams are relying on people signed off the street (Testeverde, Warner) to steer their ships, yeesh. Running Backs are also taking quite the beating this year, with multiple big name backs missing significant time his season ( Jackson, Cadillac, Brown, McAllister and now LJ) and its hurting not only there teams, but angry fantasy owners as well (me being one). Those are only offensive players, there's plenty of names on IR on the def. side as well ( Williams, Freeney, Jenkins, booger" McFarland) and im sure more will come in the weeks ahead. It just seems like a lot of players are aching this year, maybe not more than usual, but more big names than usual.

#7 Da Bears.

From Super Bowl contenders, to massive pretenders in the short span of 8 months. What happened? The defense just looks old now and aren't making the plays we are used to seeing from that vaunted D. Their QB play has been erratic at best (Grossman, Griese now Grossman) and no one is really a playmaker on either side of the ball ('cept Hester on ST). Benson looks like a bust after going 4th overall a few years back, their corners are getting torched almost every week, and nobody is making plays. Looks like Lovie is going to have some major needs to address this off-season, mainly at QB, if he hopes to get this club back into contention next year. Donovan anyone?

#6 Sub-par San Diego.

Going into the season almost everybody and their brother had the Chargers making a run to the super bowl, and with good reason. Coming of a 14-2 season, with the MVP in their backfield, an up and coming Phillip Rivers, Antonio Gates roaming the middle and a D that could put massive pressure on opposing QB's and stuff runners all day. Enter Norv Turner. This guy is NOT an NFL worthy head coach, and his past success ( or lack of) should have been evidence enough, but A.J Smith (GM) and the owners liked Norv personally and thought he had the tools to succeed with such a stacked team. Well, guess what, he's failing here just like he did every where else. Some people might not call their season a failure just yet, but when you go 14-2 the season before and now sit at 5-4 in the weak AFC west, with a roster THAT talented, I think your failing. He has time to turn it around and perhaps make some noise down the stretch, but I don't see Mr. Turner in SD past next year ( if that ).

Ill bring you #'S 5-1 by tommorrow, for now im off to class.