NFL logoAs the calendar turns and we prepare for the clocks to roll, the NFL picture is becoming clearer.
Two things have started to take shape, one as fundamentally true as blocking and tackling and the second a new trend in a league that has changed its rules to the point that its foremost principle could be compromised long-term.
Follow along.
The basic law of the NFL is that in the end you can't win consistently without good quarterback play. Yes, there are teams that have shaped deep and talented rosters around young and inexpensive quarterbacks with some success. But do not confuse inexpensive with inability.
The Seahawks, the class of the league, have the NFL's best roster, but Russell Wilson's value far exceeds his paycheck. The kid can play, and he showed it with a dynamic performance in Monday night's win over Washington. In fact, of the next generation of QB1s -- guys with less than five years in the league -- you could easily rank Wilson as the No. 2 quarterback behind future NFL face Andrew Luck.
That growing import of quarterback play -- and the league's ever-alternating rules to protect the signal callers and promote passing and scoring and highlights for its points-starving, highlight-hungry masses of fantasy aficionados -- will eat at the league's long-held goal of parity.
Sure, teams that landed franchise QBs could be counted on to be division contenders for a decade or more, but those true-franchise guys are becoming harder to spot and fewer in frequency because of the growing number of spread and system guys flinging it around fields on Saturdays.
And no amount of weighted schedules and salary-cap restrictions will allow teams with poor quarterback play to win over the long haul. Ask the Titans. Or the Bills. Or the Browns.
On to the Power Poll.
• 1. Seattle. The Seahawks are the clear cream of the NFL crop. We all know about the swarming Seattle defense that is as good as it was on its Super Bowl run last year, but the offense when Percy Harvin is healthy is dynamic.
• 2. Denver. Peyton Manning has 503 touchdown passes, joining Brett Favre (508) in the prestigious 500 Club. That's like having 750 MLB homers or scoring more than 35,000 career NBA points. In a world in which Manning turns up on almost every channel, we may actually have underplayed this. We'll get a chance to rectify that when he passes Favre sometime this month.
• 3. San Diego. Shhhhh, when did this happen? The Chargers are good and have a plus-70 scoring margin. And Philip Rivers is making a sneaky push to be in the NFL MVP conversation. (And, yes, we're just as surprised we typed that as you are to have read it.)
• 4. Dallas. The Cowboys offense has been sharp, but a jumpstarted defense without some of its biggest names from a year ago is what really has boosted the 'Boys to a 4-1 start. We believe you'll see one of the Tom Rinaldi tear-specials on Dallas linebacker Ronaldo McClain very soon.
• 5. Indianapolis. The league's best offense resides in Indy, with Andrew Luck shredding foes to post the most points (31.2) and passing yards (321.8) per game.
Bottom five (and see if you notice a QB trend of stinkiness)
• 28. New York Jets. How bad is the QB situation for the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets? The New York Daily News had coverage of Sunday's 31-0 loss to San Diego under the headline "Bring Back Tebow!" Ouch-standing.
• 29. Tampa Bay. Mike Glennon or Josh McCown. McCown or Glennon. Somewhere this is the quarterback corollary of rock and a bad place.
• 30. Tennessee Titans. Are we to the point where Jake Locker can get his own intro music like a professional wrestler? Suggestions on what that could be? Anyhoo, we would appreciate a "Locker Light" somewhere on the screen of Titans broadcasts, that way we'd know whether they have a chance and it's worth a look. Because we do know this: If Charlie Whitehurst is the answer, the question has to involve hair-care products.
• 31. Oakland. We think the Raiders may have found a kid who can spin it in Derek Carr. That said, the rest of the collection of pirates known once upon a time as the Silver and Black is as sleepy and hollow as the headless horseman.
• 32. Jacksonville. There are some things that are true to the universal order of the NFL. Manning being near the front. Jaguars on the bottom. Yep. You stay classy, Jacksonville.