ESPN

• 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?

• Your Rankings: In its fifth season, how does the QB class of 2005 look?
• Your Power Rankings: Where do you have the 49ers this week?
• Blogger Chats: NFC North's Kevin Seifert, 2 ET | AFC North's James Walker, 4 ET

It's always easier to solve a problem if you start with what you know. And we know Adrian McPherson and Stefan LeFors are not the best quarterbacks selected in the 2005 draft. They may be better options at the position than JaMarcus Russell, but that's an entirely different problem.

Alex Smith's return to the starting lineup, on the heels of a quality relief appearance against the Texans, brings the class of 2005 back into focus. From surprise MVP candidates (Kyle Orton), big-money acquisitions (Matt Cassel) and the guy who pushed Brett Favre out of Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers) to a couple of guys fighting for starting snaps (Derek Anderson and Jason Campbell), it's not quite the class of 1983 but it's an interesting bunch.

After Smith lost out to Shaun Hill in the preseason, only 19 percent of SportsNation thought he would ever be a full-time NFL starter.

Sam (San Francisco, CA)

Thoughts on Alex Smith being named the Niners starter?

Gary Horton

I was really happy yesterday to see Smith get another chance. I really like him. Not only as a player, but people around him think highly of him and how he's handled the situation. The 49ers are last in the NFL for throwing to their WRs. For the most part, this passing game has been to RBs and TEs. That makes it easy to defend. Smith has the bigger arm than Shaun Hill. They now have Crabtree on the perimeter and they have the ability to really stretch the defense with Smith's arm strength and that opens up the run game. He's had a lot of time to study defenses and work on his weaknesses and I would like to think that this is not only a real positive for Smith but that it really opens up the 49ers offense. Full transcript.

Neither Michelle Beadle nor Colin Cowherd will be traded by the "SportsNation" TV producers before next week's deadline.

Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. and midnight ET.

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

Is there any downside to Adrian Peterson saying he wants "all the records"?
It's not like defenses don't have his number circled. The Vikings RB already has 481 yards and seven TDs this season (3,582 and 29 for his career).

Is Jimmy Clausen a legitimate Heisman candidate?
The Notre Dame quarterback has thrown for more than 300 yards in all but one game this season and 12 TDs to only two interceptions.

If all were interested, which coach would you most want to hire?
Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan all have rings. Would one of them turn around your woeful franchise or take your team to a title?

Are you offended by ads featuring scantily clad women?
Montreal Canadiens enforcer Georges Laraque has apologized for an alcohol ad in which he appears playing street hockey.

Should the Bears have gotten more out of Kyle Orton and Cedric Benson?
The ex-Bears quarterback is 5-0 in Denver. The ex-Bears RB leads the league in rushing. Does their success reflect poorly on their former team?

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.

• Wednesday Chats: Chris Mortensen, 11 ET | Matt Williamson, 12 ET | Mel Kiper, 1 ET

Why didn't AIG have this kind of foresight? As recounted in the Wall Street Journal, Fantasy Sports Insurance launched this year to offer fantasy football owners some peace of mind on their high-dollar investments. Drafted Adrian Peterson but worried about an injury ruining your season? Buy insurance on him and recoup your league fees if he gets hurt (although in Peterson's case, based on his chat with SportsNation, Frank Gore insurance would have been a better investment).

One of the only 50 stars the company offered to insure? Cedric Benson. The same guy who averaged 3.5 yards per carry last season while rushing for a career "best" 747 yards. Forget insurance; we're going to these guys for our draft cheat sheet next year.

Thanks in no small part to Benson, who has 487 rushing yards in five games, the Bengals are 4-1. But does that make him a better MVP pick than Carson Palmer, let alone Peterson, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning or other standouts?

Scott (Bakersfield, CA)

Which offseason add has helped their team more Dawkins or Sharper?

Gary Horton

That's almost a push. They are both great veteran players with tremendous leadership skills. Your first inclination might be to say Sharper because of his big plays and his instincts. He can turn around a game with those interceptions. My sources in Denver tell me Dawkins is like another coach on the field and is a huge part of the speed in which Denver has made the transition from a 43 to a 34. That may not show up in the box score, but it is a big factor in their success. Full transcript.

Random (Dude)

DO u have yourself on your fantasy team?

Adrian Peterson

Nope. Frank Gore. And Matt Forte. Full transcript.

Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd are tough enough to do "SportsNation" TV in the snow.

Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. and midnight ET.

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

Who has surprised you more so far?
Kyle Orton, starting for a new team, is 5-0 with 7 TD passes to 1 INT. New coach Josh McDaniels upset the Denver apple cart with surprising results.

Which team was more impressive in its LDS sweep?
The Angels outscored the Red Sox 9-1 in their first two games and then used a late-game comeback to sweep. The Yankees needed extra innings in Game 2.

Do the Dallas Cowboys need a head coaching change?
As coach of the Cowboys, Wade Phillips is 25-12, including an improbable overtime victory against the Chiefs on Sunday that has angry fans buzzing.

What should happen to throwback jerseys?
Is it time to return old uniform patterns and colors to retirement, or do you like seeing the variety of a team's history on display?

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.

• Your Rankings: Are Kyle Orton and Carson Palmer both in your top 10?
• Chat: Gary Horton recaps Sunday and previews Monday Night Football, 4 ET.

To their everlasting credit, SportsNation did prefer Kyle Orton to JaMarcus Russell when ranking NFL quarterbacks on the eve of the 2009 season. Then again, given the option, they probably would have ranked Vince Evans, Y.A. Tittle and Shane Falco ahead of Russell.

The Nation's No. 30 field general back in August, Orton earned his fifth star Sunday, throwing for more than 300 yards and two touchdowns in an upset win against the Patriots and Tom Brady, the guy voters ranked No. 1 two months ago.

But Orton, who wouldn't have an interception to his name if not for a pick by Randy Moss at the end of the first half Sunday, isn't the only quarterback with upward mobility. The Nation's fourth-ranked quarterback when the 2007 season began, Carson Palmer had slipped to No. 11 this preseason. But after another upset win for the Bengals this week, this time in Baltimore against the Ravens, is he once again top-5 material?

• 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

• Vote: Did Jay Cutler commit a serious foul in calling out Devin Hester?

Even for someone who went to a smart-kid school like Vanderbilt, Jay Cutler seems mighty eager to hand out grades. First, he seemed to assess Chicago fans as a "nine," compared to a mere "six" for Denver fans. Then on more of a pass-fail scale, he seemed ready to flunk new teammate Devin Hester in interception prevention after the receiver didn't save a preseason pick. All of this from a guy who seemed to get bent out of shape when the new Broncos regime didn't treat him like team valedictorian.

We're not saying it all adds up to a bad sign for fans in the Windy City, but, well, actually we kind of are saying that. Sure, Peyton Manning had his "idiot kicker" moment and Tom Brady occasionally is photographed holding goats, but Cutler's summer hasn't seemed the stuff of a calm, cool and collected franchise quarterback whom SportsNation recently ranked ahead of Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers, among others.

Should Bears fans be worried about their supposed savior?

• Rankings: Is Jay Cutler still among the NFL's top 10 quarterbacks?
• Drama aside, voters still think the Bears found a franchise quarterback with Cutler.
• Voters think Cutler is under more pressure to win than Broncos coach Josh McDaniels.

“

training camp's not even done and Cutler's at it again, throwing another teammate under the bus. as great as this guy is, he's EGO is even bigger.

” -- DaBOONDOCKS

“

I am not a Cutler fan, I would have preferred da Bears kept Kyle Orton. That being said, when I read the "critical" quote it seems to me that Cutler was critizing himself not Hester. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

” -- bob-edwards

“

Is this guy ever going to just shut his mouth and just play? Dude you are not the 2nd coming of Joe Montana or whatever, you are a QB that has a great arm, no leadership skills and cannot ever admit it when he's wrong. Him and T.O. should be on the same team.

” -- kobesux123

Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.

• Fireballr7: Saying it's too early to praise or condemn MLB players for play thus far, this blogger proceeds to do the former for some early success stories.
• chargerdom21: In arguably the longest blog in SportsNation history, the case is laid out, in extended detail, for what to expect from Chris Johnson, Steve Slaton and Matt Forte in fantasy football this season.
• ghostcasino: Some saw Shaq's NBA Finals tweeting as sarcasm; this blogger think it an olive branch to pave the way for a Hollywood comeback.
• Dozaone00: Finally able to spend some quality work time blogging again (let freedom reign!), a Jets fan breaks down what may happen with Sanchez and without Favre.
• PADR321: And the honeymoon is over. Offering a Philadelphia perspective so perfect you have to wonder if it's satire, a Phillies fan says it's time to forget the World Series title and get back to booing the bums.
• 3-indagame: Even Ron Zook had a longer grace period than this. At least one Broncos fan is already calling for Josh McDaniels to be fired.
• Robert Flores: The SportsCenter anchor is officially on the soccer bandwagon, which is why he's calling US Soccer "doughy soft" after the debacle against Brazil.
• More blogs: Check out all the SportsNation blogs.