Chicago still the favorite in the NFC

So who will be the flavor of the week in the NFC this coming week? Will it be the Cowboys with their magical spitting receiver Terrell Owens or will it be the New Orleans Saints and their phenom rookie Reggie Bush?

Listening to the experts talking about the NFC this year is like listening to a fickle 16-year-old girl choosing a different boyfriend each week, each time singing the praises of her new superstud while he?s popular then dismissing him like a leper the next week after he develops a pimple on his cheek.

As I recall, it was just over a month ago that the Chicago Bears were a reincarnation of the 1985 ?Super Bowl Shuffle? team with Rex Grossman playing the part of Jim McMahon, with a Steel Curtain Defense that could not be penetrated. Then came the Dolphins who did their own version of 1985 when Dan Marino and the Dolphins ruined the Bears? undefeated season, knocking off the Bears. Not long later the press dismantled the Bears as quickly as they built them, diminishing one-time MVP candidate Rex Grossman to Rick Mirer status, opening saying the Bears wouldn?t be able to get it done due to lack of offense. Sure hope no one tells the 2000 Ravens and Trent Dilfer that defense alone can win a championship.

Then, three weeks ago, the press ? fresh off their breakup with the Bears ? found them a new date, anointing the Cowboys as the NFC?s top dog. That is, until they hosted the Saints and had their hats handed to them in the game of the week. And, using the old ?to be the man, you have to beat the man? adage, the silver slipper was slipped onto the foot of Drew Brees and the Saints ? for a week that is, until they went marching out against the Washington Redskins and lost in their home dome to one of the worst teams in the league.

Here we are with just two weeks to go and the press is actively looking for someone to anoint going into the playoffs. The preseason darling Carolina Panthers probably won?t even make the playoffs. The AFC is totally different where everyone agrees the San Diego Chargers are the best team followed in the distance by the Colts.

So, who should the press anoint front-runner in the NFC? Well, seeing I?m a member of the press, I?m getting out the anointing oil and pouring on the helmet with the big ?C? on it. Despite struggling against a team like the Bucs last week, the Bears have already clinched a bye and the chances are the road to the Super Bowl will go through what will, by then barring Al Gore being completely right, a very cold Chicago where defense will rule.

The biggest problem with the Cowboys and Saints, who are the obvious bridesmaids in the NFC, is that they are inconsistent. They are great one week and bad the next. Then you have Seattle, which isn?t even in yet, the defending NFC champs, who is yet to even attain mid-season form given their injury problems. As for wildcards, the mediocre records of the Eagles and Giants would bring a reasonable person to believe there?s no way they can win the three consecutive games to make it to the Super Bowl.

If you require a front-runner in the NFC, the only logical choice right now is the Bears. Of course, the way things have shaped up, I could be writing this on the same day they could get run out of Detroit by Matt Millen?s woeful Lions.