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We don't wish ill on anyone. Actually, that's not true, but we don't wish ill on anyone relevant to this discussion. Nevertheless, injuries happen, and as we've seen time and again -- Tom Brady last season, Alex Rodriguez early in the MLB season and Alex Ovechkin in recent weeks, to name just a few -- they sometimes happen to the biggest of stars.

And so it was that the populace of Cleveland found itself holding its breath after LeBron James injured his wrist on a dunk against the Wizards. There's little reason at the moment to think it's a long-term issue, but it makes us wonder. Which team would take the biggest hit if it lost its star for an extended period?

• Your Rankings: Which superstar would be the biggest loss for his team?

“

That's what you get for dunking the ball so hard down by 17 to the Wizards. Why was he dunking like that? You're down 17 lay the ball up dont dunk where many of things can go wrong on a fast break where the nearest wizard player was on the bench.

” -- ravenisthebest7

“

Lebron's MRI showed positive for having won zero championships.

” -- treelocX

• Your Rankings: Who are the leading candidates for NFL MVP?
• Chats: Chris Mortensen wrap | Matt Williamson, 12 ET | Mel Kiper, 1 ET

Should we offer a moment of silence for fantasy football owners coming to the realization that Saints safety Darren Sharper has scored more touchdowns this season than Steven Jackson, Brandon Jacobs or Anquan Boldin?

The Saints are just outside the top 10 in total defense at the moment, which is kind of remarkable when you think about how often their opponents have the whole field to work with after yet another Saints touchdown and yet another Saints kickoff. Sharper may not be the sole reason for the success, given that he shares the field with guys like Charles Grant and Jonathan Vilma, but as a newcomer with a league-best six interceptions and three touchdowns, he's becoming the face of it.

When push comes to shove, 67 percent of SportsNation prefers a great defense to a great offense. But are you ready to give a guy like Sharper MVP consideration?

• Vote: Whose performance meant more: Brady's, Brees', or Sanchez's?
• Chat: Gary Horton recaps Sunday and previews Monday Night Football, 4 ET.

Bear with us for just one minute, but we've always wanted to use this phrase:

Out on the frozen tundra of Gillette Stadium, the Patriots brought a blizzard to bear against the hapless Titans.

OK, we're good. Maybe the field in Foxboro was more slushy than frozen, but the part about the Titans being hapless? Totally true. How else would you describe a team that let up five passing touchdowns in one quarter and couldn't manage even a field goal on offense? It's not a good week in Tennessee, but the fans in New England are having flashbacks to 2007. It's a long way from Brady's jitters against the Jets, which had so many in the Bay State concerned (although the Jets suddenly have problems of their own).

Of course, Drew Brees may have had an even better day. Though he didn't set any records, Brees threw for four touchdowns against a team that's nearly the polar opposite of the Titans. For one, until the Giants met up with the Saints on Sunday, they had won all their games. Might Brees' performance be more impressive than Brady's, given that the Titans have practically given up? All we know is that for all Brady and Brees' heroics, Matt Schaub leads the league in touchdowns. Weird game, football.

• Your MVP Watch: Which players are in your top 5 after the first four weeks?
• Wednesday chat wraps: Chris Mortensen | Matt Williamson | Fran Tarkenton

Save for the Falcons, Eagles, Cardinals and Panthers, NFL teams are already a quarter of the way through the regular season. Most places, that means an opportunity for fans to take stock of what they've seen and set expectations for the remaining 12 games. In St. Louis, where the Rams have been voted the worst of the worst four weeks running, we don't recommend diverting your attention from the Cardinals. (Or the Blues, for that matter. In fact, if the Saint Louis Billikens have any halfway decent post players, you might just want to skip ahead to basketball season).

Through just a quarter of the season, we've already seen three teams trade the top spot in SportsNation's Power Rankings -- not to mention 15 teams ranked somewhere in the top 10 at some point. And as good as Drew Brees has been, his Saints have cracked the top 2 just once. Just imagine how messy this would be in the BCS.

“

NFC East is a hugely overrated conference at the moment. The Redskins and Cowboys appear to be actively bad teams; and both the Eagles and Giants have question marks as to the health of key players.

” -- MNRyan55

“

The fact is, the Jets won't even be a part of the play-off picture, so why are we even bothering with them now. The AFC will come down to the Colts, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens and probably the Chargers and the NFC will most likely come down to the Saints, Giants, Vikings, Bears, Eagles and Packers.

” -- MadMax1018

Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd promise not to retire from "SportsNation" TV only to return on a rival network.

Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. and midnight ET.

Note: Broadcast voting results as of this afternoon (ET).

If you were a Packers fan, how would you feel about Brett Favre?
Numerous fans have voiced their internal conflict about one of the franchise's all-time greats. Now he returns with their hated rival. Is there middle ground?

Are NFL quarterbacks overprotected?
"[Tom] Brady is good enough to make his own plays," linebacker Ray Lewis said after the Ravens were penalized for roughing the passer on two Pats' TD drives.

Would you give up a portion of your salary to hire an awesome underling?
Saints coach Sean Payton reportedly gave up $250,000 of his salary so the team could sign defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Which is the best 4-0 team in the NFL?
The Broncos have allowed 26 points. Colts QB Peyton Manning has 1,336 yards passing. Giants WR Steve Smith has 411 yards receiving. And who can stop the Saints?

What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

Can you imagine checking your voice mail and hearing you have one new message from Jets coach Rex Ryan? We can't either -- but it happened! In a 70-second message Ryan sent out to all Jets season-ticket holders (which you can listen to on the left), Ryan pleaded for the Meadowlands' most faithful to "help him out" and to "make it miserable for Brady & Co." at the Patriots-Jets game.

Will reaching out to the fans help rile up the Meadowlands enough to end the Jets' eight-game losing streak at home against the Pats? Or will Ryan's phone frenzy only motivate the Patriots that much more? Vote below -- then share your thoughts.

• Rate the coaches: Do you approve or disapprove of Ryan's and Belichick's coaching heading into Week 2?

• Week 2 fan previews and picks: Feldman9000 | ryanvcu
• Join: NFL Trash Talkin Group | New York Jets Fan Club

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning came through with just enough big moments in Week 1 to lead their respective teams to victory, but at the moment, is Drew Brees the NFL's best quarterback?

If there was a time for Brees to make his move, it's probably right after throwing six touchdown passes, a record for Week 1, against the still-woeful Lions. But we somehow were still a little surprised to see the Saints signal-caller surge to the No. 1 spot in SportsNation's quarterback rankings yesterday. Brees has been posting big numbers for a long time now, and yet, as recently as March, he earned just more than 5,000 first-place rankings from SportsNation -- Brady and Manning each received more than 34,000.

Hey, if Roger Federer can lose a U.S. Open and Tiger Woods can take the collar in major events, perhaps anything is possible. Maybe Brees really is the best passer in the world.

• 68 percent of SN would rather give Brees a six-year contract than Philip Rivers.
• Your Rankings: Yeah, but where do JaMarcus Russell and Trent Edwards rank?
• Chat: Former Patriot Troy Brown, 1:30 ET | Hall of Fame QB Len Dawson, 3 ET

“

Even though we still have the worst history of any major professional sports franchise; The Saints are in a new era and I think Brees may get us to a SuperBowl. I loved how the Saints overcame a blocked kick, 2 long returns, an int, and two fumbles. Who Dat!

” -- njhaines

“

Brees is a monster & I hate the Chargers but definitely think they would've had a SB ring by now as well w/him..

” -- blair771999

In the NFL, 16-0 seasons are as rare as they come. But with Tom Brady at the helm (and a supporting cast that makes fantasy owners drool), that kind of improbable season becomes just a little more probable.

With Brady going down because of a knee injury in 2008, will 2009 be a repeat of the 2007 season? Perhaps an even bigger question: Could the 2009 Patriots have a scarier offense than the booming 2007 Patriots' offense? (Cue 31 NFL teams shuddering.)

Vote below.

• Your Rankings: Who are the best No. 2 quarterbacks in the NFL?

Kansas City fans weary of watching the likes of Steve Bono, Damon Huard or Tyler Thigpen take snaps at quarterback might have hoped the Chiefs had the next Tom Brady on their hands when they traded for Matt Cassel after last season. Odds are Cassel isn't quite the Tom Terrific impersonator Chiefs fans had in mind.

A year after Brady's injury in Week 1 opened the door for Cassel's emergence in New England, it's the latter who will reportedly miss at least the Chiefs' opener with a strained MCL.

• In July, 74 percent of SN said Cassel would get the Chiefs to the playoffs eventually.
• And even now, 64 percent of voters say the Chiefs made the right call getting Cassel.

That optimism aside, "Football Scientist" KC Joyner sounded the warning bell more than a month ago, when Cassel was healthy, about limitations of the Chiefs' new quarterback.

KC Chuck (Utah)

Do the Chiefs even have a chance to be somewhat better this year? Though ... could it get any worse?

KC Joyner

They have a collection of really talented young players, so getting better is almost a certainty. One issue could be at QB. Cassel was quite mediocre at vertical passing last year, and now he doesn't have Moss to throw to. If he can't turn that around, it will hinder this [offense] and make Chiefs fans question why Kansas City didn't stick with Tyler Thigpen. Full July 23 wrap.

Not that Cassel's old team is without its own quarterback issue. Brady went down hard after a hit from Albert Haynesworth on Friday night (in a preseason collision of contracts worth roughly the gross domestic product of Kiribati). More than half of SportsNation still expects Brady to start every game this season, and he better. Only extended members of the Walter family and a few others think the Patriots could make the playoffs with Andrew Walter at quarterback.

• Vote: Does any AFC West team have the QB to challenge the Chargers?

“

What are the Pats doing? They really think that if Brady where to get hurt again they will be able to match last season's record of 11-5 with Hoyer or Walter as the main QB? They are really brave or really sure that Brady will remain fine all year.

” -- wsopstud