I was somewhere around Effingham when the drugs began to take hold.

You know, Claritin, the allergy medicine.

Outside Effingham, Illinois.

That's when I noticed the strong scent of manure coming through the rental car's a/c vents, the plethora of "squashed bug juice" on the windshield, and the 326 billionth cornstalk  along Interstate 57 that I was passing.

Anyone who's ever driven through the Midwest on a summer evening knows what I'm talking about.

Now that my head was clear, it suddenly occured to me that "this is it." This scent, this aura, is middle America. Tough and productive.

It also dawned on me that this gritty, smelly, down-in-the-dirt attitude is not only what has made this "America's Heartland" for nearly two centuries, but it's also what the Chicago Bears have represented for more than 80 years. That hard-nosed, grind-it-out, midwest work ethic.

Well, the Midwest isn't about to change anytime soon, but the Bears will be totally different.

Oh, the defense that has always been there will still be there, but get ready to talk about the Chicago Bears offense. Or should I say, get ready to talk about the Chicago Bears offense -- in a good way.

In the minds of many, the Bears made it to the Super Bowl last season in spite of their offense. They have a good chance to get back there this season, in part because of it...or at least what it has the potential to be.

Head coach Lovie Smith, and QB Rex Grossman were barely able to contain their genuine enthusiasm for the weapons the Bears now possess on the "forgotten" side of the ball in Chicago.

Of course, it all starts with Grossman.

There seems to be real reason to be excited about where he is today, compared to the end of last season when he appeared to be a shell-shocked young QB overwhelmed by his severely up and down play and the legtimate questions that brought to a team that had a chance to win it all. Smith likes to remind you that it was Grossman's first full season as a starter. That he had 7 games where his passer rating topped 100. That despite his ups and downs, he still lead the team to the No. 2 scoring offense in the league. Now, he feels with that experience, he will only get better.

My sense in watching Grossman, and talking with him in training camp, is that he is a bit different this time around. He still has the arm that shows you why coaches fall in love with him, and he still has that care-free spirit, which is why teammates love him. But he does seem to be a little more cautious of what he's saying to the media, while at the same time he seems to have found a comfort zone in who he is as a person, and how he needs to run this offense.

"I definitely think that's a good assessment, a good way to put it", Smith said. "He went through all that outside stuff last year and knows that the team was solidly behind him -- and still is. There's NO controversy at quarterback. That's why I think he's just more comfortable. Plus, (from a football standpoint) he knows the system."

"Oh, I'm much more comfortable", Grossman emphasized."Being that way, I see things better (on the field) and I can make quicker decisions."

That quicker decision-making should lead to fewer mistakes. It was the hesitancy and lack of recognition that often got him into trouble last year. Poor mechanics at times didn't help.

New QBs coach Pep Hamilton is set to work on that part. "As soon as he got here, he took Rex and said, 'let's get to work on those mechanics,'" Smith added when talking about Hamilton. "He got it going right away." And you can see the difference.

Now, Grossman has yet to face an opposing pass rush, or a defense designed to exploit his weaknesses. But the new Chicago Hope is that this offense will now be the one doing the exploiting.

Other than the hopefully improved Grossman, Pro Bowl KR Devin Hester has been added to the offense, and looks impressive every time he touches the ball. Following the cue from the Saints' use of Reggie Bush, the idea is to get the ball in Hester's hands and let him go.

Hester will line up at WR, but don't look for him to just take off down the field looking for a deep pass. Whether it's a quick WR screen, a "hot read" quick pass over to his side, a reverse, a quick slant route, whatever it takes to give him a chance to use the speed and moves that allowed him to take back an NFL-record six returns (plus one on the opening kickoff in the Super Bowl) for touchdowns in his rookie season.

And Hester may not be the biggest difference maker on the Bears offense.

Rookie first round pick TE Greg Olson has caught everything thrown his way. He's got the speed of a receiver and the body of a blocking TE. He's Jeremy Shockey without the attitude.  Don't forget, they already had a fairly good TE in Desmond Clark.

Throw in deep threat Bernard Berrian having "taken his game to another level," according to Smith, along with the return of WR Mark Bradley to full health for the first time in two years and the always-reliable Muhsin Muhammad, and this passing game is suddenly pretty potent.

As one Bears official put it, "we had the 2nd-ranked (scoring) offense last year, and now we've added a Todd Heap-type at tight end, and a Reggie Bush-type at wideout".

The only question I have about the Bears O will be the play of Cedric Benson now that he will be "the man" with Thomas Jones taking his 1,200 rushing yards to the Jets. I'm not sure that either backup -- Adrian Peterson (the one from Georgia Southern) or 5-foot-7 rookie Garrett Wolfe -- is ready to be the second half of a dynamic duo in the backfield.

But you know what? If the Chicago's other weapons play like they're expected to, opposing defenses will be so spread out trying to cover everybody that Benson and company will easily be able to run at will.

So it's easy to see why the Bears finally feel that their O is now Grade A. It's also easy to see why they are probably still the class of the NFC.

All this and not a word about how that defense may be even better than it was in '06.

Yes, indeed, it looks like a new day is dawning in the heartland. The Chicago Bears could be a frightening team on both sides of the ball.

Next Stop: St. Louis Rams

If there's a hotter place in America to have training camp than Jackson, Mississippi, then let the Saints know.

The team held two practices Tuesday, the second began at 4:20 p.m., when the temperature was 95-degrees, with a heat index of 102. Oh yeah, the offense was wearing all black.

And you know what? It's about to get hotter.....in football terms, that is.

"We know that this year we're the hunted, everybody's gonna be coming after us," said Deuce McAllister.

What a difference a year makes.

This time last August, the Saints were coming off a 3-13 season, had a first time head coach in Sean Payton and expectations that... well, there weren't any.

But after advancing all the way to the NFC Championship Game last season they come into 2007 as the team to beat in the conference in the eyes of many.

Payton said, "I told the team, we want those expectations on us, that's what we all are in this for."

Yet at the same time, at the recommendation of assistant head coach Joe Vitt, Payton began the camp focus last month by having a New Orleans style funeral to bury all of the success of last season. He wants the guys to understand that this is a brand new year.

"Expectations are great and all that," McAllister told me, "but now it's up to us to go out and prove it. We found out last year that expectations don't mean a thing."

Payton thinks that his team really does understand that the past is the past, in large part because in his eyes he has the "right kind of guys."

The proof came in what happened after practice in the Mississippi heat. Reggie Bush and Duece McAllister were among the last players to leave the practice field. Drew Brees was the last player to walk off. You certainly don't get any sense that this team is complacent.

"It's up to us veterans to lead the young guys," McAllister said. "The young guys have to either follow, or move on. I have been close before in the playoffs to having some success, and I don't want to slide back to 3-13 (after tasting success this time).

What is also evident is that the Saints are not only a more talented team than they were this time last year, they're a more talented team than the one that lost the title game in Chicago.

Even though they return 21 of the 22 starters from the NFC Championship game, Payton and GM Mickey Loomis have brought in a good mix of veterans and youngsters to create more depth, and more competition.

As if the returnees, aren't scary enough on offense, they expect to be even better. Last season both McAllister and Brees were coming off major surgery while also playing in a new offense. Bush, despite all his flash, was still just a rookie. So was WR Marques Colston. Now all are more comfortable in the system, and look it.

During the portion of practice where it's 11-on-11, Brees began by going 6-for-6, hitting 6-different receivers. The only thing that ended the streak was when he hit receiver Devery Henderson for what would have been a completion, but cornerback Fred Thomas stripped the ball before Henderson got "two feet down, and made a football move", as the officials would say.

"Brees has been spectacular" Payton told me. "The ball never hits the ground. Last year at this time, he was just trying to get his timing back"

Not that that held him back since Brees went on to lead the NFC in passing yards and passer rating, while helping New Orleans to the No. 1 overall offensive ranking in the NFL.

And now they've added a pass receiving tight end in former 49er Eric Johnson, along with first-round wideout Robert Meachem, who seemed to show no ill effects of his off-season knee surgery.

The bottom line is this offense can be frightening. The hope is that the defense doesn't cause Payton nightmares.

It wasn't exactly through smoke and mirrors that the Saints got it done in '06. Defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs did a fine job. Yet, that squad didn't make Saints fans forget the days of the "Dome Patrol" when Pat Swilling, Rickey Jackson, and Sam Mills ruled. That said, they finished 11th in total defense.

Even if they don't beat out incumbent starters, pickups like cornerback Jason David (Colts),  free safety Kevin Kaesviharn (Bengals), and rookie corner Usama Young (third-round pick) add depth to the secondary. Same for new linebackers Brian Simmons (Bengals) and Dhani Jones (Eagles).

The Saints have a stud pass rusher at one end in Will Smith, and Charles Grant is solid at the other. They know that with the exception of Smith, they don't have a STAR on defense, but they're fine with that. Just like they're good with being "the hunted."

Don't look now folks, but this Saints team is for real. Real good. Expectations are great along the Bayou, and with good reason. I will be surprised if they don't go far again this season.

Next Stop: Chicago Bears.

Maybe it makes some sort of cosmic sense that the Dallas Cowboys are back to holding training camp in San Antonio. Of course, the Alamo City is home of the NBA champion Spurs. And the last time the Cowboys held camp here, back in 2003, the Spurs were also champs of the NBA.

I mean, that's where the Cowboys are trying to get back to, that championship level.

But, hold on.

"Everybody wants to talk about 11 or 12 wins," new head coach Wade Phillips told me, "but we're not an elite team -- not yet, at least."

In part, that's why I find the Cowboys to be one of the most intriguing squads in the National Football League. They could wind up being an elite team, or it could quickly go the other way.

I think the Cowboys could do anything from win the Super Bowl, to finish 7-9, or 8-8. With this team, and nothing's a given.

It's been 12-years since Dallas won its last Super Bowl. They haven't won a playoff game since then, and have but one double digit win season since '98.

All that was supposed to change when Bill Parcells came to town, but after four seasons, nada.

Now, in fairness, Parcells took over a team that was coming off three consecutive 5-11 campaigns. The cupboard is a lot more stocked for Phillips, the man who's replaced him.

"When Bill got here, the team was here (hand raised to about his waist), now it's here (hand at neck level). It's up to us to take it up to that next level," Phillips said.

Moving up to that next level will most likely hinge on whether or not quarterback Tony Romo can take it up a notch in his first full season as "the man."

You know the story with Romo: The former free agent finally gets his chance last year, and it was a tale of two seasons for him.

He came out the gate as a winner in four of his first five starts. In his final five, he was 2-3 with six touchdowns and 12 turnovers.

"Romo's got to find a way to be more consistent," one player told me in the "duh" comment of the day.

That said, his teammates still believe firmly that Romo can be the guy. Why not? With him in charge, the team did score its most points in a season since that Super Bowl year.

As Phillips put it, "We've got talent on offense....we've got two good running backs (Julius Jones and Marion Barber), three good receivers (WRs Terrell Owens, and Terry Glenn, along with TE Jason Witten), our offensive line is huge."

The point is that Romo doesn't have to do it all on his own.

The only personnel change the Cowboys have made on offense is bringing in Leonard Davis, who was the second player taken in the '01 draft behind Michael Vick, to play right guard. Davis played all over the line during his years in Arizona, but is probably a better fit at guard than the left tackle spot the Cards had him in under Denny Green.

Where the Cowboys think Romo will benefit is in the support around him off the field. Former Cowboy Jason Garrett was brought in to be the new offensive coordinator. Wade Wilson, another ex-Cowboy, is the QB Coach. And Brad Johnson is the new # 2 QB.

While keeping the running game the same, Garrett has totally changed the passing system. But it's one that Romo is familiar with. Garrett learned it under Saints head coach Sean Payton when he was Garrett's offensive coordinator with the Giants. Payton then brought the system to Dallas where Romo began to learn it as a rookie, before it changed a bit last year with Payton's departure.

So while it will be different, it's not a system that's totally new to Romo.

Despite Romo's late season struggles, the real problem in Big D was how little the D played, ranked 20th of the 32 teams in points allowed.

That's where Phillips comes in.

In his last six stops as an NFL head coach or defensive coordinator, Phillips has taken over a team with a losing record the year before he got there and guided them to the playoffs in his first season -- mostly on the strength of eight top 10 defensive finishes.

Let's see what he can do in Dallas while keeping nine of the 11 starters from last year's struggling unit.

"We're just wiping the slate clean, (we're) gonna teach them an entirely new defense," said Phillips. Not worried about trying to ease the transition by keeping some of the old in with the new, he said with a smile, "There was a reason I was brought in here."

Phillips really lights up when he talks about defensive play and schemes. His take is that his system finds out what a guy does best, and then plays to that strength, rather than worrying about fitting a guy in to what he teaches. Adapt to the players, instead of making the players adapt.

A prime example would be what he plans to do with linebacker DeMarcus Ware.

Ware is on the verge of being a breakout star in the league. But while watching tape of last year, Phillips noted that opposing offenses would often dictate where he would play because the Cowboys lined him up according to the offensive formation. This season, Ware's job will simply be "rush the passer," said Phillips. The plan is to allow him to play in different spots on both sides of the defense so that offenses no longer know what's coming. It's the same design that allowed Shawne Merriman to become a beast playing in this same defense under Phillips for the previous three seasons.

There's no question around the league about how talented Ware is. It's the rest of the Dallas defense that people wonder about.

Yes, strong safety Roy Williams has been moved closer to the line of scrimmage where his play excels, and his responsibilities in pass coverage have been drastically reduced, simply because he wasn't very good at them. Free safety Ken Hamlin was brought over from Seattle, becoming the seventh guy to start beside Williams in the last three seasons. With veteran linebacker Greg Ellis in street clothes with a foot injury, first-round pick Anthony Spencer looks ready to take over at times, and at other times, he looks like a rookie in his second week of training camp.

Small moves, yeah, but moves Phillips thinks will make a difference.

But what if all this re-jiggering of the pieces simply doesn't work because the talent really isn't there? The Cowboys have spent their last eight No. 1 draft picks all on defensive players, but the results are yet to show.

If that trend keeps going, the Super Bowl years may continue to feel like another century to Cowboy fans.

But if Phillips is right, and he has been before, then the Cowboys could once again be the shining star of the NFL.

It could really go either way.

A QUICK SIDEBAR

Now that I've been to six NFL camps in the first week of my tour, I just wanted to mention to you how much fun this has been been for me.

Know that I have seen the hundreds of comments that you've posted following my blogging tour across the league and I thoroughly enjoy the input. After a full day of travel, watching practices, and talking to players and coaches (my life is tough, huh), I get back to the hotel a bit tired, but take to tapping on the keyboard to share with you what I've seen and heard.

Considering how late it is in the day, I often wonder if it makes any sense but then I see that it doesn't have to. You guys just take the ball and run with it. That team, that division, becomes a hot topic on the message boards.

Your passion proves what I tell folks all the time. NFL fans are the most passionate of any sport. They are the one group that truly cares about what goes on around the entire league, not just with the hometown team.

Thanks for your dedication. Thanks for your passion. Keep it up folks.

Next Stop: New Orleans

"The first day of camp, we walk into the cafeteria, and there on the TV, the NFL Network is showing the hilight film of the '05 Steelers team that won the Super Bowl. That clinched it for a lot of guys, because they thought, 'That's where we want to get, and now we've got the guys here, who got them there.' "

New Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt told me that story when I met him on Friday during my stop at Cards camp in Flagstaff.

He believes that that's the reason that his team has worked so hard to get to where they are to start training camp, and hopes that it continues into the regular season.

What is noticeably different when you are around this team this year, is that there seems to be more focus, the guys are working harder, and they are definitely in better shape than previous Cardinal teams I've seen over the years.

What is similar is that they start another year with expectations that "this year couldl be the year."  How many times have we heard that from or about this organization? This time, though, I think there's some truth to it.

I believed that under Denny Green, the Arizona Cardinals were a soft football team. Mentally and physically.

It wasn't just the blown leads like the infamous 20-point one at home to the Bears in that Monday Night game, nor the fact that players like Bertrand Berry at times were forced to openly and publicly question teammates' commitment.

It was the simple fact that when you watched them play, you often saw a team that looked like it wasn't trying late in ballgames. Or worse, yet, that was in the midst of chaos.

Even though they have yet to take a snap -- not even in a preseason game -- you get the sense that that won't be the case with this group this year.

Look, everywhere there's a new coach, the players all talk about how the new atmosphere is "good" ... how "things seem to be headed in the right direction." To me, the difference in Arizona is that the players can back up their statements about regime change with cold, hard facts about WHY things are better.

Talk privately with players and they will tell you about the previous coaching staff having big-time arguments in the locker room DURING GAMES! About the lack of accountability some players had, and were allowed to get away with. That is no longer the case.

Now that they believe some of the off-field things have been put to rest, it's all about football.

And all about the fact that this team is full of guys who WANT to win. What they've been looking for is someone to show them HOW to win.

At the skill positions on offense, it's hard to argue against Pro Bowlers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald at WRs, Edgerrin James in the backfield, and Matt Leinart under center.

The only member of that group who has yet to prove how good he can be is Leinart.

In his second season, his first as the starter from day one, Leinart seems ready to do just that.

While shooting promos with us for Fox NFL Sunday this summer, Leinart told me that the offensive system Whisenhunt has installed is more akin to what he had success with at USC, that he's more comfortable in it.

But what impresses me the most about Leinart isn't just what he does on the field. It's not even what he does off the field. It's the fact that Leinart has "IT."  You can't define "IT," but when you're around "IT," you know "IT," and Leinart has plenty of ..."IT!"

"What makes Matt special is that guys not only like him, but guys believe in him ... that's not the case with every quarterback," Whisenhunt said. "He just has that abiltiy (to pull guys together)."

Whisenhunt will also quickly point out that Leinart is still just a second-year guy. That he has things to work on, like reading defenses better, or mechanical issues that most QBs are still working on at this early stage. But he believes that Leinart is also ahead of where most of those young guys are at this point ... and remember, Whisenhunt was Ben Roethlisberger's offensive coordinator his first three years in the league ... including his Super Bowl season in year two.

Now Roethlisberger and the Steelers had a lot to more to work with in that season than the Cards have.

There are still questions about the offensive line with RG Duece Lutui (who's down nearly 40 pounds this off-season) being the only starter returning in the same position as last season. Then again, as offensively that line played, that's probably a good thing.

They still don't have a receiving threat at tight end, but Whisenhunt wants to install more of a power game like he had in Pittsburgh, so a blocking tight end is really more important to this offense, and to getting the real Edgerrin back.

By the way, with all this talk about about a power running game, don't think that Whisenhunt, who will be calling plays, plans to forget about Boldin and Fitzgerald. His hope is to get leads early by putting the ball in the air and taking shots deep down the field, and THEN being able to run out the clock on the ground.

"Our mentality has to be that we get to the fourth quarter with the advantage, and then it's our time to wear teams down," Whisenhunt told me.

You get the feeling that if anyone can get it going on offense, and make that happen, it's Whisenhunt and Asst. Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Russ Grimm.

To me, the biggest issue facing Arizona will be the play of its defense.

Statistically, the Cards dropped from 8th in the NFL in '05 all the way down to 30th last year.

They come back with essentially the same pieces, but many will be in different places.

First, the team will switch from a 4-3 to a version of the 3-4. Guys like Chike Okeafor and Bertrand Berry will play more hybrid DE/LB roles than standard DEs as in the past. Darnell Dockett, who was a DT, technically becomes a DE as part of a three-man front, but the real change is that he will switch sides from the right to the left.

Whisenhunt, who kept Defensive Coordinator Clancy Pendergast from the previous staff because, he said, "Clancy had success here a couple of years ago," asked Pendergast to evaluate the players on that side of the ball as individuals. See what they were good at, and where they would best fit in as players, rather than trying to take guys and fit them into a "system" first.

The result was that they felt they had talent, but much of that talent wasn't in the right places.

That remains to be seen.

The bottom line is that the Arizona Cardinals should be a better disciplined, tougher team come the regular season.

Does that make them a winning team?

I'm not sure that the talent is there, particularly on the defensive side -- ESPECIALLY not in the secondary -- to say that they will win now.

They will however be a more competitive team.

The competition in the NFC West has also stepped it up, so it may be even tougher for them to make it out of the division this year, but at least I think the Arizona Cardinals are at least headed in the right direction.

FINALLY!

Next Stop: Dallas Cowboys 

When the sun is out and the skies are clear, there may not be a more beautiful place in America than the Seattle area.

So imagine being immersed in the beauty of a sunny, nearly 80-degree morning surrounded by the tall trees at the Seahawks practice facility in Kirkland, Washington. That's when the sonic boom of an F-18 Hornet flying above catches your attention. You look up and see a Blue Angel passing by. About 20 seconds later you see two more Blue Angels headed in the same direction.

Now, I know that they weren't performing a show or anything, but it just seems odd to see Blue Angels flying over, but not in perfect formation. Sort of like everything was out of sync.

That's kinda how it felt to watch the Seattle Seahawks last season.

"I wouldn't disagree with that assessment" was the response I got from Coach Mike Holmgren when I brought up the lack of synchronicity his Seahawks seemed to display all last season, no matter who was in the lineup.

Injuries were the obvious place to look when trying to find the reasons for the team's struggles, but it was a lot more than that.

The biggest difference between the team's play in its Super Bowl season of '05, and last year's (other than the injuries) was the poor play of their defense ... particularly their pass rush and secondary.

Hence, that's where the upgrades for this year's team begin.

Seattle used its top three draft picks on defensive players and its top three free-agent signings were all on that side of the ball as well in DE Patrick Kerney, and safeties Deon Grant and Brian Russell.

"Our safeties are the best group we've had here in Seattle with Grant and Russell starting, (Michael) Boulware -- and don't forget (Mike) Green. I think we're going to be pretty good."

"In fact," Holmgren went on to tell me, "I think that this is the best defense I've had, period."

WOW!

Now, that may seem like a bunch of coach-speak, but believe this: I've never known Mike Holmgren to be anything other than brutally honest when it comes to assessing the strengths and weaknesses of his ballclub. And you know what?  If I'm totally honest in looking at his current defense, I find it hard to disagree.

The 'Hawks were already set for years to come at linebacker, with Lofa Tatupu (two pro bowls in two seasons), Julian Peterson ( '06 pro bowler in his debut season with Seattle) and Leroy Hill.

The rest of the defense was the mystery, and it looks to me like large chunks of that mystery have been solved.

At cornerback, instead of having to play guys signed off the street like they did in last year's playoff game at Chicago, Marcus Trufant is back. I think Trufant and Kelly Jennings have the makings of a good cornerback tandem. Throw in Grant and Russell, who are two of the smarter players in the league -- and actually more athletic than they're given credit for -- and the secondary looks solid.

The addition of Patrick Kerney at LDE can't be understated. Kerney told me that this defense fits his abilities better than the one he excelled  in in Atlanta, because it allows him to react when he recognizes something, rather than being forced to do what the defense calls for, no matter what you see.

Kerney is fully recovered from surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. In fact, he says that had Atlanta been able to go deep into the postseason last year, he would have been medically cleared to play by then.

Kerney, Chuck Darby, Marcus Tubbs and Bryce Fisher are a good, if not great, front four. They are symbolic of this entire Seahawk team. Good, not great.

But you know what, those TEAMS are the ones that wind up going far, because they play as a TEAM rather than a bunch of stars.

That's how it was for Seattle in '05 when they rode the best record in the NFC all the way to the Super Bowl. Despite being injured and  "out of sync" in '06 they still managed to win the West, and took the Bears to OT on the road in a playoff game before falling a field goal short of going back to the NFC Championship Game.

Still, San Francisco is the sexy pick by many to win this much improved division this season. Holmgren says "thank you!"

"Everyone's made my job easy. I've been telling these players that 'everyone thinks you guys are done, you're too old, the 49ers are the best team in the division'. Oh yeah, I've been using it big time," Holmgren told me.

"We know that people don't respect what we do," said Shaun Alexander. "It's like the year we went to the Super Bowl, everybody was talking about how Steve Smith was gonna kill us in the (NFC Championship) game. Even going back to the Redskins game, no one believed that we could do it. So we know. We just blow it off and know that if we do what we're capable of doing, nobody can mess with us."

By the way, Alexander told me this not long after literally skipping around the practice field on that foot that everyone was so concerned about a couple of weeks ago. Everyone except Alexander, that is.

Alexander's healthy again, and even looks to be in the best shape I've seen him in. Matt Hasselbeck is too.

Having those two back would take care of most offensive issues, but not all.

Everyone I've spoken with seems to think that the offensive line will be fine with youngsters LG Rob Sims, and C Chris Spencer taking over from day one. I've been told that WR D.J. Hackett has been catching everything thrown his way as he tries to fend off Nate Burleson. The winner in that battle will be the starter opposite Deion Branch, the other will drop all the way to the No. 4 receiver (Bobby Engram is solidly third).  Marcus Pollard's skills at TE fit perfectly in this offense, but coming off hamstring problems at the age of 35, he's not a given.

Seattle can't rely on kicker Josh Brown winning four games in the last minute or OT as he did last season, either.

Look, I truly believe that San Fran, St. Louis and Arizona will make it a tougher challenge for Seattle to win this division for a fourth straight year, but they're improvement doesn't mean that the Hawks are headed the other way. The window may be getting smaller on Seattle, but it's definitely still open.

Like every team in the NFL, Seattle has to avoid key injuries to have hope. If they do, this team is still poised to make a run at a second Super Bowl run in three years.

Next Stop: Arizona Cardinals