Midseason Gleanings

Suddenly football's a Brees for the Chargers.

Drew Brees has the San Diego Chargers tied with the Broncos atop the AFC West. The Chargers are 5-3 and rekindling memories of the Air Coryell days of the 1970s out by the beach.

Brees is a surprise star on a surprise team. He's one of the stories of the NFL as it hits the midseason.

However, he is a star in the making for some other team. In what could develop into a strange story, the fourth-year player could possibly be starting a great run as an effective NFL quarterback.

It just probably won't happen in San Diego. Brees is keeping the position warm for Philip Rivers, the No. 4 pick in the NFL draft. Rivers, a highly touted rookie, probably will take over next season.

Brees' situation is nothing new. It happens all the time as veterans babysit the quarterback spot while a promising youngster hatches. Jon Kitna did it for the Bengals last season, and Kurt Warner is doing it with the Giants this year.

However, both Kitna and Warner are veteran in the journeyman stages of their careers.

San Diego has to go with Rivers, who they committed their future to. There's no reason to think Rivers won't be a strong player in future years.

But Brees -- who has been as hot as any quarterback for the past month -- also has a future.

Obviously, he will be traded, and the Chargers should get a load for him. But in the meantime, he is leading San Diego an unlikely playoff push.

Shaky ground?

Two weeks ago, many NFL observers considered Indianapolis as the best team in the NFL. The Colts had won five straight after losing the season opener at New England, despite outplaying the Patriots most of the game.

Indy was a serious Super Bowl threat, but now is in danger of missing the playoffs altogether.

In a perfect example of how cruel a NFL slate can be, the Colts are treading water at 5-3 after big losses to Jacksonville and Kansas City, facing a big game against the Vikings on Monday night.

With half their season over, the Colts are fighting the same demons they did last year when they finally died the AFC championship game. Indianapolis has all the offense you can handle, but its defense is still a sieve as was evident against Kansas City.

As the season matures, the lack of defense could kill Indianapolis. The past two weeks may have just been the beginning of the Colts' sudden fall.

Giant of an MVP candidate

While Daunte Culpepper has been putting up ungodly numbers (until last week) and Terrell Owens is proving to be a difference in Philadelphia, one player who may be worthy of MVP talk is Giants tailback Tiki Barber.

The veteran has been under the radar his entire career as far as his overall talents go. Sure, Barber has benefited from the Big Apple spotlight when it comes to being a lovable twin (brother Ronde plays cornerback for Tampa Bay) and an all-around good fella, but his football skills have been overlooked.

They can't be anymore. Barber has been one of the best players in the NFL this season.

He has bounced back from a fumbled-filled 2003 to be a top back, and is a major reason for the Giants' renaissance.

A veteran, durable back, Barber could become a serious MVP threat if the Giants keep winning. Remember, playing in New York never hurts if your playing well.

So by the time this season is over, Barber may be known more than having a funny name a brother who looks just like him.

Rookie of the Year Lock

The most amazing story of the first two months of the NFL season keeps going.

Ben Roesthlisberger continues to amaze veteran NFL watchers. The kid is a star and he's just a rookie. A rookie quarterback, for that matter.

Future star quarterbacks have looked silly in their maiden season in the past.

Who can forget John Elway lining up behind a guard as a rookie? Or Peyton Manning seemingly throwing an incompletion, interception or getting sacked every play in his rookie season.

What Roethlisberger is doing is equally unforgettable. The kid is lighting up the NFL.

Forget the Jaguars' lucky horseshoe September or the Patriots' streak or the Donovan McNabb-Terrell Owens show in Philadelphia. Roesthlisberger has been the star of the NFL season thus far.

The Miami of Ohio star is a startling 5-0 and is a primary season why the Steelers, who ended the Patriots' 21-game win streak on Sunday, are 6-1 and the surprise leaders of the AFC North Division.

Not much was expected of the Steelers, who decided to make a turn for the future when they selected Roethlisberger -- the third quarterback drafted after the Giants ended up with Eli Manning (the No. 1 pick) and the Chargers got Philip Rivers (No. 4). Not much was expected from Roethlisberger, either.

He's a rookie, after all.

Veteran Tommy Maddox was supposed to be the bridge this season for the Steelers as Roethlisberger learned the system and prepared to take over next season, but Roethlisberger was forced into action in the third week when the Steelers were 1-1 and Maddox got hurt.

Sorry, Tommy, but the bridge has been crossed and is closed for business.

This is Roethlisberger's job for however long he wants it. Terry Bradshaw may have reappeared in Pittsburgh.

Roethlisberger is tied for the second most victories by a rookie quarterback and is two wins off the record. If his first four starts are any indication, he will crush the record.

This guy is no rookie. In addition to being a physical specimen with a cannon arm, he is smooth and fluid. He runs an offense like he's 30 years old.

It usually takes a quarterback six seasons to be completely comfortable. It took Roesthlisberger about six quarters to find a comfort zone.

In addition to being accurate and being a strong field general, Roesthlisberger does the little things well. When he's sacked, he protects the ball and goes down. When his receivers are covered, he throws the ball away.

It takes most quarterback years to get a handle on the nuances of the position. But Roethlisberger is already there.

Houston, we have a tough schedule problem

One team to keep an eye on for the AFC wild-card race is the Houston Texans. It will be an easy job. We'll know after the next two weeks whether it will be a worthy endeavor or not.

The Texans (4-3) are growing and maturing before our eyes.

Dom Capers' team is also entering the teeth of its schedule. Houston handled Jacksonville last Sunday, but now ventures on treacherous trips to Denver and Indianapolis on back-to-back weeks.

Houston is not an easy out these days. The offense is becoming solid as the pass-catch combination of David Carr and Andre Johnson is growing into a legitimate threat.

This team is no longer an expansion team. It's a future stalwart.

K.C. can still be OK

Speaking of AFC wild-card long shots, don't lock the door on the Kansas City Chiefs quite yet.

The key is in the lock, but the dead bolt hasn't clicked yet. The Chiefs showed us who they are supposed to be with high-powered wins over the Falcons and Colts.

Kansas City has a heartbeat. At 3-4, it will still take a major turnaround to get back into the competitive AFC wild-card hunt and to overcome AFC West division leader Denver.

Realistically, the Chiefs will have to go 7-2 the rest of the way to have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. With their shoddy defense, that may be too much to ask of Dick Vermeil's team.

However, the Chiefs can be as dominating offensively as any team. They were the Chiefs of the first part of 2003 when they ran everyone off the field to start 9-0.

That's the team why thought the Chiefs would be all season. Once won't be enough. However, it is enough to remind us this can be as dangerous as any team in the NFL.

R.I.P. Raiders - Just Survive, Baby

San Diego officially helped the Raiders hit rock bottom. Chargers quarterback Drew Brees had his best game as a pro completing 22 of 25 passes for 281 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-12 win in front of mostly Raiders fans in San Diego.

The end officially came once new Chargers receiver Keenan McCardell caught a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Brees found McCardell alone in the middle of the end zone without a Raider defender within 10 yards, which proved that Oakland can't defend an average quarterback and a receiver who missed most of the season as a holdout in Tampa.

Oakland hasn't showed up on the road in a year and a half and Al Davis has to find a way to get his team focused on the rest of the schedule.

Brunell the bust

Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell is the year's biggest bust. In an era of a "faith-based" presidency, I suppose there was some weird evangelical sense in the extremely devout and born-again Joe Gibbs insisting on acquiring the extremely devout and born-again Brunell when he rode into foggy bottom, accompanied by Gideon's trumpets.

But just as the faith-based Bush is the biggest presidential disaster of my life - and I date all the way back to Harry S Truman - the Redskins' faith-based offense is disasterous and at this point in the season less successful than the very secular but equally disappointing Steve Spurrier.

Brunell was handpicked by coach Joe Gibbs to lead the Redskins to the playoffs and was rewarded with a 7-year, $43-million contract which included a $8.5-million signing bonus. And that was for an old and gimpy-kneed quarterback. Had he been younger and healthier, would he have gotten Peyton Manning sized contract? He constantly runs off the field shaking his head after making mistakes and clearly is not the answer. Washington owner Daniel Snyder has amply demonstrated that he has no clue when it comes to spending money on free agents and I don't look for Brunell to make it past year two in Washington.