Is this Parity? And Other Insights from Week 5 in the NFL

Is this parity? The New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams, and Miami Dolphins are a combined 0-14. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts are a combined 15-0!! Agreeably, many teams are finding their way to the middle, but how different is this scenario than other sports? Clearly, the undefeated Cowboys, Pats, and Colts are Super Bowl contenders, while the Saints, Rams, and Dolphins are already on the clock...



Here are some other insights on week 5 in the NFL season:

• What a difference an offense makes? RB Sammy Morris, formerly the guy who could not handle even a partial load for the Miami Dolphins last season, has now rushed for back-to-back 100 yard games for the Pats. He will likely share time with Maroney, when the youngster returns from injury, but you should ride the Morris train while you can.

• Look who is the new number one receiver? Due to injuries to wide outs, Tight End Owen Daniels and WR Bobby Engram have been elevated to #1 receiver status. Keep them in mind as quality fill-ins as we enter the month of bye-week mania.

• Is that really Kurt Warner back under center? Despite attempts to keep the former two-time NFL MVP down, Warner has emerged as the new starting QB for the Cards. Although it took a big injury to Leinart to officially elevate Warner, Warner's recent success showed that his time was coming. The Cards O-line has been holding up well, so as long as Warner has time to throw, he will be a quality option. If he doesn't have time to throw, he will soon find his immobile self sitting next to Drew Bledsoe on the "what happened to us?" bench.

• Trent Edwards is just ok. While some are pointing to the next great QB controversy (Edwards afterall was tabbed "great" by QB guru Bill Walsh), he is more likely to follow in the footsteps of rookie QB's Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski, who started off with great games as rookies and then fell to mediocre once defenses had time to figure them out.

• Is there a Running back in the House? In only 5 weeks, Tampa Bay has managed to lose starting RB Cadillac Williams, and solid backup Michael Pittman, to injuries. With 3rd stringer Earnest Graham now left to grab the starting carries, the team was looking at signing Kevin Barlow and Ciatrick Fason for depth. Yikes! Eventually, the team signed Goal-line vulture Zack Crockett for depth, leaving the starting load to Graham.

• The Giants pulled off a great win against the Jets on Sunday. Brandon Jacobs returned and rushed for 100 yards on 20 carries. Now 3-2, and with the next few games against the likes of Atlanta, San Fran, and Miami, the G-Men could realistically go into their bye week with a record of 6-2. Not bad for a team that started 0-2 and could help but give up 30 points a game...

• Were the Dolphins really haggling for weeks over QB vet Trent Green? With another concussion last week and an 0-5 start, we may begin seeing rookie John Beck get some PT.

• Jason Campbell has big upside. Campbell put up a great game for the Redskins on Sunday. Despite suiting up without number one receiver Santana Moss, Campbell looked like a polished QB in the pocket. Remember, this is the leader of that Auburn team that went 11-0 and got screwed by the BCS. He is quickly becoming a great field general for the Skins.