If the Balloon Boy ordeal taught us anything in the opening months of the NFL season, it's that you can't believe everything you see. Some of the results at the midway point are concrete, while others are just full of hot air.
There have been plenty of impressive offensive outings in the first half of the season, but which player would get your vote as the league's biggest breakout star on offence so far in 2009?
Nine weeks was enough time for Michael Crabtree to come to his senses, Brett Favre to exact revenge on the Green Bay Packers, Tom Brady to return to form, Josh McDaniels to prove there is life post-Cutler, and the Detroit Lions to win a game.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins are still nervously gripping their champagne bottles while watching two teams (Colts and Saints) pursue football's Holy Grail, a perfect season. On the other end of the spectrum, the Buccaneers (sporting their post-Halloween pumpkin orange uniforms), just one week ago, were the last club to escape the land of the winless.
Whether your team still has its balloon in the sky in hopes of securing a spot in the post-season, or if it has crashed to earth and is already looking towards the 2010 Draft, watching a player reach his potential or even exceed it is something that can happen to any fan base, and hopefully is happening to yours as we speak.
At quarterback, Matt Schaub of the Texans has overcome his history of injuries and is currently leading the league in passing yards with 2,653, adding 17 touchdowns to only six interceptions, and a 67.5 completion percentage.
Ravens signal caller Joe Flacco is avoiding the sophomore jinx and evolving into something special in his second year, helped along by the play of his rookie tackle Michael Oher. Their steady presence, combined with the emergence of Ray Rice, is giving Baltimore its most potent attack since...well, maybe ever.
Elsewhere in the AFC North, there haven't been many Hard Knocks in the Cin City this year, after the Bengals agreed to be the subject of the show of the same name. A big reason for that has been the running style of Cedric Benson. Apparently, reports of the death of Benson's career turned out to be a bit premature, as he is the NFL's second leading rusher through nine weeks. There's a sentence no one ever expected to write.
On the other side of the coin, "Fast" Willie Parker appears to just be Willie Parker these days. He's given way to Rashard Mendenhall who, despite being in Steelers' coach Mike Tomlin's doghouse earlier in the year, has capitalized on the opportunity.
After staring off slowly as they are known to do, the Chargers have rattled off three wins in a row, due in part to the stellar weekly play of Vincent Jackson, who has developed into one of the best wideouts in the league.
Playing with a pair of gunslingers in Brett Favre and Tony Romo, receivers Sidney Rice (Vikings) and Miles Austin (Cowboys) are positioning themselves as the number one options on their clubs in their third and fourth seasons, respectively.
In New York, Plaxico Burress is an afterthought as Steve Smith 2.0, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks have produced in the passing game for Eli Manning. Smith is currently a top five receiver on paper, while Manningham has become a reliable target and Nicks has shown a knack for finding the endzone.
Quickly becoming one of the deepest positions in the league, the elite tight end club is looking at adding a new member with Brent Celek's arrival. Not only has he given Donovan McNabb another weapon to work with, but he has given Eagles' head coach Andy Reid another reason to air the ball out even more.
So whether your fantasy team is dominating thanks to the unexpected play of a late round pick, or you're just happy to have an exciting new star on your favourite team, let us know who you think deserves the nod as the NFL's offensive breakout star of the first half.
Drop us a line (keep it between 25-200 words), include your name and city and maybe we'll post your answer. Send your email to NFL@tsn.ca. If you're the rapid reply type, hit the Your! Call button below.