Brooks breaks through to the winning side of the NFL

This season of the National Football League has proven to be one of the most exciting and interesting editions of gridiron action in recent memory, but that might depend upon which side of the win-loss column your favorite team frequents.

For instance, those who declare their allegiance to the defending Superbowl Champion New England Patriots are riding the wave of a 20-game unbeaten streak, and all of the accompanying bragging rights. The diehard fans of the Philadelphia Eagles are watching Terrell Owens provide the missing ingredient to their championship recipe, while the cross-state Pittsburgh Steelers thrill their hopeful on the arm of a strong-armed rookie quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger.

Though the 49ers’ faithful, the Bills’ brethren, and Kansas City’s collaborators may not share the same sentiments, they can all smile when they look to the southeastern corner of the mainland. One can always find comfort in knowing that they aren’t the worst team in the league.

For the orange and aqua clad patrons that enter Pro Player Stadium, this season has become one of wonder and disgust. First there’s the Rickey Williams fiasco, and then there is the incredible vacuum in the quarterback position. Hard to believe that a team in such disarray like the Miami Dolphins can still conceivably complete a second perfect season. At 0-6, the possibility still remains that the fish might well be remembered as the team that had 17-0 season in ’72 and an 0-16 in ’04.

One glance at this weekend’s upcoming games for seventh week of action in the National Football League will have the most seasoned prognosticators scratching their heads, but once again, William Hunter, John Blanco, Richard Brooks, Jennifer Lee, and Jimmy “Big Tuna” Sablan have returned to try their hands picking the winners.

While some of the issues in the league are cut and dry, a few are still wriggling around and looking for answers, such as: What kind of impact will Jerry Rice have upon the Seattle Seahawks? Do the J-E-T-S have a c-h-a-n-c-e to stay undefeated in New England? Can the Lions continue to remain competitive for an entire season? And what sort of cataclysmic event did I miss last week?

I didn’t notice airborne swine. I didn’t happen upon any peace accords being signed between cats and dogs in the paper. Nor did I see a chilly weather report on the Hades weather channel, but somehow “Big Daddy” Rich Brooks came from out of nowhere to rail off a 12-2 record to beat out the competition.

He’s still in last place with an overall tally of 34-38, but he even squashed the overall leader. Finishing with a respectable 10-4 was returning front-runner Will Hunter. He regained atop the field at 49-23 overall. Right behind him is Jennifer Lee, who slipped into second with a 9-5 to 48-24 overall. Making a claim for his spot at the top last week was Big Tuna. With an 11-3 card, the Tuna improved to 45-27, and inched ahead of John Blanco, who managed a 9-5 for an overall 44-28. John still has a 10 game lead over Rich, but with a slew of games remaining in the season, anything is possible.