The NFL season is starting to come together.

I don't mean that in the figurative sense, either. I mean it literally. In other sports, the good teams separate themselves from the poorer teams as the season goes along. Not in football. In the NFL, as the season winds through the middle section, all that means is that the teams become even more bunched together. A team that's No. 9 like Pittsburgh can suddenly find itself at No. 2 one week later. And yes, the top spot should they beat the Eagles this weekend. Meanwhile, a bevy of so-called "good" teams fell this past weekend, including New England, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Jacksonville, Denver, and Baltimore. Of course, some of those teams' "goodness" is debatable but it's still strange for so many quality playoff contenders to fall all at once. It tells us that one of two things is true. Either 1) I was completely wrong about who is good and bad. 2) We're entering the parity portion of our season. Since my ego won't allow me to acknowledge option #1 as a viable possibility, we'll (for argument's sake) go with #2.

Sure, there will be our outliers (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New England, San Francisco, Oakland, Miami, etc). But on any given Sunday (hmm, that'd make a good movie title), we know that once again the old theory is holding true that most anyone can beat most anyone else. I try not to let it affect placement on this list TOO much, because this is more of a long-term projection with some recent historical perspective rather than a short-term placement based solely on what happened the week before. Knee-jerk reactions aren't the best response to something surprising happening. Just the same, you don't want to completely disregard what may be the beginning of a trend (Chiefs' resurgence, Colts' defensive ineptitude, etc.). I try to steer clear of overreaction, as I've mentioned in the past, but sometimes I'll keep a team down or up for far too long simply because I don't want to overreact. But then by the time I DO react, it seems like a gigantic jump. Well, I feel that's the best way to do it. Make a team show you something. Anyone can look good at any time (Miami over Saint Louis, anyone?). The important thing is consistently competing and/or finding a way to get it done in the end.

On to the mailbag…

Ok, I'm going to have to assume that a lot of mailmen were either kidnapped or called in sick this week. But one letter with some relevance came through.

Dee B from Duluth, MN wants to know: "Why is everybody always so down on the Vikings? True we have never won the Super Bowl but we've been there 4 times and we usually make the playoffs. I'd say you should not be giving Mike Tice, who by the way is THE lowest-paid coach in the NFL, the finger! Do you really need a "whipping boy" team that badly? A lot of the defense has been hurt for the season. I just happen to think we might make it all the way to the Super Bowl again this year."

First off, I never thought John Gotti should have had you killed. It was nice to see you resurface on The Sopranos last year. As for the question, just so the masses know, Dee B and I have resolved the miscommunication. I just wanted to reprint this to let people know that I hold Mike Tice in high regard as a motivator and a better coach than people give him credit for. My comment about "giving Tice the finger" was simply to illustrate my frustration as a fantasy owner with the misinformation about how much Randy Moss was going to play two weeks ago. While the Vikings looked downright pathetic in losing to the Giants, I'm not ready to write them off yet. They are a very different team with Moss in there, one that can still be a major force in the NFC playoff picture before it is all said and done.

[For those not in the "mobster know", DiB was the nickname of one of John Gotti's "associates" back when he was in New York. And alive. The character of DiB in the movie 'Gotti' was played by Frank Vincent, who starred in last season's Sopranos as Phil Leotardo. Hey, speaking of The Sopranos, did you know that Junior Soprano's character is supposed to live in Belleville, New Jersey? And did you know that yours truly lives in Belleville, New Jersey? Yup, just about the highlight of all of our weeks is whenever Junior mentions his home on Watsessing Avenue. Good stuff. Your mafia entertainment history lessons of the day, courtesy of your neighborhood fantasy football writer.]

Future questions/comments/rants should be sent to: [email protected]. Please be sure to include your name and hometown/home state so I can properly credit you in the article.

Rank…Team……...W/L…(Last week)

1. Philadelphia Eagles 7-0 (2)
   Their hold on the top spot could be tenuous, pending this week's outcome. But they're here now.



2. Pittsburgh Steelers 6-1 (9)
   They made a huge leap (+7). This week could be even bigger, even though it's only 1 spot..



3. New England Patriots 6-1 (1)
   Ok, Mike Martz, Halloween's over. You can take the Bill Belichik mask off now.



4. New York Jets 6-1 (7)
   They STILL haven't beaten a top team besides SD, but I can't argue with 6-1.



5. Indianapolis Colts 4-3 (3)
   "The one thing keeping Manning from the Super Bowl. Ken?" "Defense". "Right…Pick again."



6. Minnesota Vikings 5-2 (4)
   I said the Moss injury wouldn't kill Culpepper's stats, but would hurt the team. It looks like both.



7. Jacksonville Jaguars 5-3 (5)
   If Leftwich is forced to miss any time, watch Garrard play extremely well in his stead.



8. Atlanta Falcons 6-2 (11)
   "Peerless Price, meet End Zone…End Zone, Peerless Price."



9. Seattle Seahawks 4-3 (10)
   No truth to the rumor that Brian Blades and Steve Largent will be starting at WR this week.



10. Denver Broncos 5-3 (6)
    I'm seeing some disturbing trends defensively, and now Lynch is out for an extended period.



11. Baltimore Ravens 4-3 (8)
    Lewis' return will help immeasurably. Ogden's eventual return will help more.



12. New York Giants 5-2 (12)
    Non- Barber owners everywhere are begging for the "Mike Cloud as goal line back" era.



13. San Diego Chargers 5-3 (13)
    This Charger team will not fold like other early-season overachieving ones did in recent years.



14. Saint Louis Rams 4-3 (14)
    The Rams are a team that nobody thinks is all that great yet nobody wants to meet in January.



15. Green Bay Packers 4-4 (15)
    Seriously, it just wouldn't feel right if the Packers didn't get back into the thick of things.



16. Houston Texans 4-3 (17)
    Losses are all against over-.500 teams. Entering a brutal stretch, but if they can win a couple…



17. Kansas City Chiefs 3-4 (20)
    People are suddenly talking playoffs. But don't forget, this defense still gave up 35 last week.



18. Dallas Cowboys 3-4 (19)
    In the NFC, 3-4 puts you in position for a playoff run at least. Does Dallas have it in them?



19. Detroit Lions 4-3 (16)
    If Kevin Jones was just a little more of a factor in the offense, they could be a playoff team.



20. Cleveland Browns 3-4 (18)
    This is a team that seems destined for that 7-9 or 8-8 type season.



21. Tennessee Titans 3-5 (24)
    Bye week comes at a much-needed time. If anyone can regroup his team, it's Jeff Fisher.



22. New Orleans Saints 3-4 (21)
    The team isn't very good already, and now their best player (Deuce) is struggling? Bad news.



23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-5 (22)
    Griese could be another of those guys who are counted out too soon. Let's keep an eye on this.



24. Buffalo Bills 2-5 (28)
    Let's just pretend I didn't tell everyone McGahee would be a non-factor this year, ok?



25. Cincinnati Bengals 2-5 (23)
    I say again, see what a difference Peter Warrick makes?



26. Carolina Panthers 1-6 (25)
    It's almost unfair how many injuries this team has had to endure.



27. Oakland Raiders 2-6 (26)
    I'm fair with all teams, but as a Raider-hater, I can't say I'm upset by where they stand.



28. Washington Redskins 2-5 (27)
    PLUG: Check out my Profit article this week to see what I think of the Skins.



29. Chicago Bears 2-5 (31)
    Grossman's injury ended any hope of this year meaning a thing for Bears fans.



30. Arizona Cardinals 2-5 (30)
    A loss this week drops them to the bottom spot.



31. San Francisco 49ers 1-6 (29)
    Dorothy, I don't think we're in 1988 anymore.



32. Miami Dolphins 1-7 (32)
    My favorite player all-time (Seau) is done for the year and possibly career. Here's to a legend.

Super Shufflers Of the Week (+)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers +7….They are officially a Super Bowl candidate with a rookie quarterback. Wow. Think about that. Then Wow again.



2. Buffalo Bills +4….Sure, it's more a product of teams around them losing, but at least this week showed that they aren't amongst the absolute dregs, regardless of W/L record.



3. New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans (tie) +3….Jets were already legit, but didn't get due credit until now…Falcons move up by virtue of teams around them losing too much…Chiefs are interesting because of explosiveness, but I'm not ready to call them a contender yet…Titans were low on my list all year, but I acknowledge that they at least have the personnel for an in-season turnaround.

Plungers Of the Week (-)

1. Denver Broncos -4….They're losing games that they should absolutely win. Not a good sign.



2. Baltimore Ravens -3….This should be merely an aberration, because this team is far too good defensively/running the ball (a.k.a., keys to victory) to remain struggling.



3. Seven teams tied at -2….No need to clutter anything up here; a 2-spot drop isn't significant.