Two months ago, amid a backdrop of post-convention political posturing, replacement-official rationalizing and rookie-quarterback ratification, I tried to see the future, "Hot Tub Time Machine"-style.

[Related: NFL All-Midseason Team: Matt Ryan, J.J. Watt lead way]

Alas, as with all such fortune-telling endeavors, it was a fiasco waiting to happen. While some of my predictions (the New Orleans Saints' struggles, Matt Cassel's benching, the Baltimore Ravens' transition to an offense-driven team) proved to be spot-on, others missed the mark more blatantly than one of Tim Tebow's passes — wait, bad analogy. Put it this way: From writing that we won't see the real Peyton Manning until 2013, to picking the Bills to make the playoffs, to forecasting big things for the Eagles' "Wide Nine," there are a few calls I'd like to have back.

Now, at the unofficial midpoint of the 2012 season, it's time to make some halftime adjustments. And while I know this is a game I can't

Read More »from Halftime adjustments: Eight new predictions for the remainder of the 2012 NFL season

Ron Rivera returned to Charlotte on Sunday night feeling refreshed and hopeful, a potential reprieve from forced relocation firmly in his sights. Having guided the Carolina Panthers to a 21-13 victory over the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field earlier that afternoon, a triumph that ended the visiting team's five-game losing streak, Rivera emerged from an extended run of frustration with some much-needed validation.

In a business in which success is often fleeting and job security seems to fluctuate with every chest bump and mini-slump, Rivera knows the score: As much as the second-year coach is convinced that the Panthers are buying into his teachings and evolving into a highly competitive ensemble, there's no guarantee they'll have enough days like Sunday to ensure he'll remain beyond this season.

Ron Rivera (L) greets Mike Shanahan after Sunday's game. (AP)For that matter, veteran coach Mike Shanahan — the two-time Super Bowl winner whose team Rivera's defeated on Sunday — can't be 100-percent certain that he's on solid footing, Read More »from Morning Rush: Panthers' Ron Rivera, several others playing for jobs in second half of season

If things go poorly for Norv Turner on Thursday night in San Diego, he reportedly could be unemployed Friday. And if Turner gets pink-slipped while A.J. Smith continues on as the Chargers' general manager, I'm going to question the wisdom of team president Dean Spanos – all day, every day.

Turner, who on Monday told reporters he was coaching "on a week-to-week basis," may be fighting for his job when the 3-4 Chargers host the 1-6 Kansas City Chiefs at Qualcomm Stadium. San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Kevin Acee told profootballtalk.com on Thursday that a Chargers loss could trigger Turner's immediate departure, with special-teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia taking over as interim coach.

Norv Turner (L) with Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel following September's game in K.C. (AP)That would be a terrible idea, on many levels. Globally, going interim is seldom a wise course of action – I'll get to that a bit later. And in this specific case, scapegoating Turner for Smith's sins would be downright preposterous.

For starters, the roster assembled in recent years by Smith

Read More »from If Chargers make mistake of firing Norv Turner now, GM A.J. Smith must go, too

As a premier player for the NFL's only undefeated team – and one in the midst of what may be the least-hyped 7-0 start in league history – Roddy White would love to get in touch with his inner Rodney Dangerfield and tell you the Atlanta Falcons don't get any respect.

White, however, completely understands why the Falcons have yet to generate comparisons to the 1972 Miami Dolphins, or even the 2011 New York Giants. During its impressive, five-year run under the leadership of general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith, Atlanta has face-planted in the postseason like Katy Perry covered in cake frosting.

Roddy White is tackled in the first half by Philly's Nnamdi Asomugha. (AP)"We're off to a good start, but until we finish strong, we're just a big question mark," the Pro Bowl receiver said in a phone interview after the Falcons' 30-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. "We can be 7-0, 10-0, whatever – but until we get into the playoffs and win, we're just regular-season warriors."

It's tough to argue with White's

Read More »from Falcons' Roddy White: 'We're just regular-season warriors' until achieving success in playoffs

DENVER – When Peyton Manning talks about his football mortality, acknowledging his physical shortcomings and scoffing at the notion that he plays as he did in his prime, it all makes perfect sense. He is 36, coming off four neck surgeries and a lost 2011 season, and he's struggling to get in sync with new teammates in a new city as the clock on his career mercilessly ticks away.

Yet while I may have politely nodded in agreement Sunday night as Manning, in a hallway outside the Denver Broncos' locker room at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, told me, "I can't do the same things I used to do, and I'm learning to adjust," my head hurt from the twisted logic.

Peyton Manning throws a pass for a TD against the Saints in the third quarter. (AP)After joining 76,832 fans and a national TV audience in watching Manning toy with the New Orleans Saints in the Broncos' 34-14 victory, it's tough to reconcile the decline of a once-mighty quarterback with the magnificent mastery we're witnessing on a weekly basis.

In a virtuoso performance that left Denver (4-3)

Read More »from Morning Rush: Peyton Manning as early MVP favorite? Broncos' QB not buying it

Brady Quinn spent the Kansas City Chiefs' bye weekend alone at his house in South Florida, cleaning up a giant mess. Leaking fluid, courtesy of a backed-up air-conditioning unit, had infiltrated his garage, which doubles as a weight room. Quinn, instead of working out fresh off his first NFL start in three seasons, was bailing out. He tried very hard not to view the situation as a metaphor.

When Quinn returned to Kansas City, he was still a backup quarterback – but not for long. On Monday morning, Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel called the former first-round draft pick into his office and delivered some unexpected news: Quinn, who'd filled in for the injured Matt Cassel the previous Sunday, had officially displaced him as the team's starter.

Brady Quinn throws a pass as tackle Eric Winston blocks vs. the Bucs. (AP)"It was pretty surprising, to be honest with you,” Quinn said earlier this week. “We were competing over the bye week, but Matt got most of the reps. So I was surprised, but excited about it, for my career.”

Quinn, who turns 28 on

Read More »from Lost in Tebowmania a year ago, Brady Quinn gets chance to turn around the Chiefs

As the loudest, most conspicuous Cam Newton defender of 2011 – not to mention one of the most productive passers in pro football history – Hall of Famer Warren Moon has a fair amount of credibility when it comes to critiquing the Carolina Panthers' struggling second-year quarterback.

After Panthers owner Jerry Richardson reacted to the team's 1-5 start by firing longtime general manager Marty Hurney on Monday, plenty of fingers were pointed at Newton – who has followed up his record-setting rookie season with a baffling sophomore slump.

Cowboys LB Dan Connor (top) and FS Gerald Sensabaugh tackle Cam Newton on Sunday. (AP)While Moon believes placing the bulk of the blame on Newton for the franchise's struggles is a stretch, he does feel that criticisms of the young player's demeanor have been valid and believes it's an issue that must be addressed.

"The big thing with him is he doesn't like losing," Moon said Monday. "He doesn't handle it very well. I don't see anything wrong with that; it's OK not to like losing. You just can't show it as

Read More »from Hall of Famer says criticism of Cam Newton's demeanor is valid, but believes race is a factor

Throughout their 11-year history, the Houston Texans have been a team desperate for exposure. The media friendly organization made life easy for reporters while habitually coming up short on the football field – until last season, when the Texans finally broke through and reached the playoffs.

In 2012, Houston came out hotter than "Modern Family" at the Emmys – until last Sunday night, when the Green Bay Packers ransacked Reliant Stadium and rolled to a lopsided victory over the mistake-prone home team on national television.

At that point, it was fair to ask whether the Texans had been exposed.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco is sacked by Texans OLB Connor Barwin in the first quarter. (AP)On Sunday, we got our answer, and it was delivered in ruthless and resounding fashion. The Texans, in dismembering the Baltimore Ravens 43-13, made it clear to 71,708 fans at Reliant and a football-watching nation that they are the team to beat in the AFC, and that their face-plant against the Pack was likely an aberration.

Or to put it another way, while borrowing from the

Read More »from Morning Rush: Texans laying down the 'Law' while taking the upper hand in AFC