12th's 5 Surprises So Far

[12thMan]

This Sunday will mark the mid-way point for the 2007 season, and while there are a few things that aren't terribly shocking (see undefeated Colts and Pats), there a few things that make you scratch your head and say, I didn't see that coming. This list could easily be 10 or 15 things long, but as is my custom, five works for me. In no particular order, I'd figure I'm going to give this a stab.

Adrian Peterson: At the beginning of the season, I went on the record saying he'll be an okay running back and it will take time for him to adjust to the NFL, blah, blah. Go figure, while Peterson hasn't rushed for a hundred yards in the past couple of weeks, there's little doubt he's the odds on favorite to win ROY, and shatter more records on the way. His combination of speed, raw power, and vision are astounding. If Minnesota ever finds a competent quarterback, you have to figure a guy like Peterson will give them a chance to be competative for a long time to come.

Devin Hester: I can't believe teams continously kick the ball his way. What's even more amazing is that he's still scoring touchdowns. I was expecting somewhat of letdown, well, at least a slowdown from Hester but he has already logged 3 touchdowns on returns and a nice one from scrimmage. The dude is just bad ass. Before it's all said and done, Hester could end up having an even better year this season. He's arguably the most exciting player in football.

Derek Anderson: I know, it's not a sexy pick, but with all the pre-season hype surrounding Brady Quinn, JaMarcus Russell, this guy and that guy, Mr. Anderson has put all the Quinn lovers on notice, he's not going away quitely and his performance will no doubt set an interesting controversy for 2008 - and we're not even there yet! Anderson has established himself as one of the up and coming stars in the NFL, and has a nice trio of receivers to boot in Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow II and Joe Jurevicius. Just to put Anderson's play in proper perspective, he's second only to the the venerable Tom Brady in touchdown passes this year. This kid might be the real deal.

Two Dark Horses: A slow start doesn't always translate to a lost season. Ask both the San Diego Chargers and The New York Giants. Early on they both appeared to be doomed and lost, but have turned the corner very nicely as of late. I commend both Tom Coughlin, who is oft on the hot seat in New York and, yes, Norv Turner for keeping guys from jumping ship when things got tight. With The Patriots and the Colts dominating headlines in the AFC, and Brette Favre and the NFL's love affair with Tony Romo getting the lion's share of attention in the NFC, these two teams are worth keeping an eye on. Good teams peak at the right time, and I wouldn't be surprised to find them both playing in the conference championship games this year. I'm sure Vegas has favored the Patriots and the Cowboys to go to the big dance, but let's not hand over that Lomardi trophy too quickly!

Two princes turned to frogs: Boy, wouldn't it nice if the NFL somehow gave you rollover credit from last year's success? Sorta like your cell phone company. But I guess Janet Jackson had it right when she scored the song "What Have You Done For Me Lately?". And no one knows it better than Eric Mangini and Sean Payton. Last season they were the darling new head coaches and candidates for coach of the year. "A trend toward younger coaches" is the phrase you constantly heard when people pointed to their team's success. This year, however, victories are tough to come by and both of their teams, well the Jets for sure, could miss the playoffs. Let's not get carried away, I think these guys will rebound eventually, but who would have thought the Saints and the Jets would have flopped like this? Not me. I suppose the real nugget of truth here is one year doesn't make anyone great, and two is a better measuring stick of how well someone is adjusting to be the head man.

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

I love 12th's 5 reasons or 5 things something happens and then smootsmack tried to steal it. For shame LOL!

[SmootSmack]

No stealing involved. 12thMan pays me a licensing fee for the "5 Things" threads. All mods own the rights to all non-mod created threads. Unless they suck (NFLNetwork I'm looking in your direction). Read the fine print

I will present my five surprises later tonight

[JWsleep]

I'd say another dark horse is the Chiefs--they looked weak at first, but are 4-3 and in first there.

For players, I'd also mention--Brett Favre. My god, where did he find that fountain of youth, and can he pass it along to some of our guys???

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

No stealing involved. 12thMan pays me a licensing fee for the "5 Things" threads. All mods own the rights to all non-mod created threads. Unless they suck (NFLNetwork I'm looking in your direction). Read the fine print

I will present my five surprises later tonight

can I lease the 5 disapointment threads?

[RobH4413]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

No stealing involved. 12thMan pays me a licensing fee for the "5 Things" threads. All mods own the rights to all non-mod created threads. Unless they suck (NFLNetwork I'm looking in your direction). Read the fine print

I will present my five surprises later tonight

Awesome.

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

No stealing involved. 12thMan pays me a licensing fee for the "5 Things" threads. All mods own the rights to all non-mod created threads. Unless they suck (NFLNetwork I'm looking in your direction). Read the fine print

I will present my five surprises later tonight

It is like waiting for Santa to come down the chimney. Except when he got stuck fat bastard

[12thMan]

Smootsmack, you're killing me man!