By Ron Borges

Bill Parcells used to say there isn’t one NFL season there’s four, each month created new looks, new injuries and new problems for each team in the league to face. His point was that who you were after the first four weeks may not resemble who you become in the final four weeks.

Two of those four “seasons’’ are now behind the New England Patriots and nothing has changed for them. The same can’t be said for many of their peers, however.

Well, thus far they have no peers, so let’s change that. The same can’t be said for many of their pursuers. But at the season’s midpoint one story is the same every year. There are always surprises, always Cinderella stories and dark disappointments. Here’s a look at a half season of each.

FIVE BIGGEST SURPRISES WORTH TALKING ABOUT

1. NEW ORLEANS - After a Cinderfella season last year in which their play lifted not only their team but their entire city, the Saints suddenly became the Aints revisited this fall. New Orleans was a trendy pre-season choice to get to the Super Bowl but by the end of the first four weeks the Saints were 0-4 and barely seemed able to get to the Superdome for the next game. Fast forward four weeks and they’re 4-4 and arguably the hottest team in the NFL not playing in New England. This reversal came about because their offensive line finally stabilized in front of quarterback Drew Brees. Once it did, he began to use his many weapons and the Saints began to score points. New Orleans was averaging 10 points a game after four games. They’ve more than doubled that (21.6) in winning their last four. Who knows what’s next for them but they’re interesting again.

2. DETROIT – One can argue that if you lose as consistently as the Lions have since GM Matt Millen took over eventually the law of averages catches up with you and you beat somebody but 6-2 and three games ahead of the defending NFC champion Bears? Who’d a thunk that? They have a religious fanatic at quarterback in Jon Kitna, who believes God healed him from a concussion in time to get back into a game recently, but for a team that didn’t have a prayer for so long maybe they needed a guy who wears a cross on his baseball cap.

3. DEREK ANDERSON – Who is this guy? The Baltimore Ravens wish they knew, since they had him first and sure could use him now. Instead, Anderson has been an unlikely savior of the Cleveland Browns (and the job of head coach Romeo Crennel). The 6-6 Anderson has thrown 17 touchdown passes and stabilized a team in free fall earlier in the season. He’s ended the Brady Quinn Era before it began too if he keeps playing like this.

4. GREEN BAY – Thus far The Pack is back. More to the point, The Quarterback of The Pack is back. As long as Brett Favre continues to play as if it’s 1996, Green Bay will remain an unexpected force in the NFC North. When they failed to land Randy Moss because of a money dispute Favre was so angry he considered actually retiring instead of just threatening to as he’d done the past couple of seasons. He didn’t and he’s glad. Green Bay is a surprising 7-1 for a lot of reasons but they all begin with Favre. If he begins to show his age, they’ll end there, too.

5. RANDY MOSS – When he came to New England even the Patriots knew it was a gamble, hence the contract they made him sign which was easily bailed out of without serious cap consequences. Halfway through the season, opposing teams are the ones who have been paying the consequences. Moss has had a season in a half a season, catching 56 passes, scoring 13 TD and averaging 102.7 yards a game. Just think what he might do if Tom Brady didn’t have guys like Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Ben Watson to spread the ball around to?

THE FIVE FORGETABLES

1. CHICAGO – How do you go from NFC champion to troubled 3-5 also-ran? You don’t solve the offensive problems that you managed to skirt for a year because of a withering defense, that’s how. Proving they didn’t learn from the mistakes of others, the Bears followed the same route as the Ravens after they won the Super Bowl on the strength of a historically stingy defense and stood pat on offense. Result? Rex Grossman had to be benched, Brian Griese is beginning to show why he was on the bench behind Grossman and the Bears haven’t roared all season.

2. NEW YORK JETS – Eric Mangini has gone from ManGenius to Man Over Board in less than one year. His odd ways a year ago seemed to strike a chord with the Jets, who finished 10-6, made the playoffs and beat the Patriots once. But they got impatient and blew a wad on RB Thomas Jones while cheaping out on G Pete Kendall, which was the beginning of the end. Now they’re 1-8 and ManGenius’ ways – like playing classical music during practice to enhance learning – are now looked upon as maniacal. They changed QBs from Chad Pennington to Kellen Clemens. Only problem was QB wasn’t the biggest problem.

3. MIAMI DOLPHINS – This is what you get for drafting a kick returner with your No. 1 pick. The Dolphins’ front office and talent evaluation has been abominable for years and its finally caught up with them. Pity poor rookie head coach Cam Cameron, whose taking the brunt of a 0-8 start. Then again, Miami has a chance to go 0-16 the same year New England may break the NFL record set by the 17-0 Dolphins of 1972. That would at least take some heat off losing the record.

4. ST. LOUIS RAMS – Several years ago, club president John Shaw allowed a former club lawyer named Jay Zygmunt to take away the drafting responsibilities from then GM Charley Armey. Armey had only helped build the talent that sent the ’96 Pats to the Super Bowl and created the Greatest Show on Turf for Dick Vermeil, who admitted Armey did the drafting and free agent evaluations for him. The Rams haven’t drafted anyone worth a damn since. Now Armey’s in retirement in Arizona and Zygmunt and new coach Scott Linehan may be there prematurely themselves after a 0-8 start.

5. CINCINNATI BENGALS – You hire players without character and they won’t act out of character. Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis is getting what he deserved from a team with too many misfits, which is a record that is the worst in Cincinnati since before he got there. So much for rebuilding.

MID-SEASON PRO BOWL

OFFENSE

QB TOM BRADY

RB Adrian Peterson

RB Willie Parker

WR RANDY MOSS

WR T.J. Housmanzadah

TE Antonio Gates

T Chad Clifton

T Walter Jones

G LOGAN MANKENS

G Steve Hutchinson

C Andre Gurode

K Rob Bironas

KR Leon Washington

PR Roscoe Parrish

DEFENSE

DE Jared Allen

DE Aaron Kampman

DT Albert Haynesworth

DT Kevin Williams

OLB MIKE VRABEL

OLB Keith Bullock

MLB Patrick Willis

ILB Barrett Ruud

CB ASANTE SAMUEL

CB Leigh Bodden

S Sean Taylor

S Bob Sanders

P Shane Lechler

COACH: BILL BELICHICK – When your team is in position to clinch a playoff spot before Thanksgiving that’s about as effective a coaching job as a guy can do.

UNSUNG COACHING HERO OF THE SIDELINES: Herm Edwards – How has the team they gave him in Kansas City won four games?

ROOKIE OF THE HALF YEAR

OFFENSE: ADRIAN PETERSON RB Minnesota – No one else is even in second place. Peterson has already rushed for over 1,000 yards, including a league record 296 last week. He rushed for 253 yards in one half, which is half a season for many running backs. Now all he needs is for head coach Brad Childress to remember to give him the ball and he could break the single season record held by Jamal Lewis.

DEFENSE: PATRICK WILLIS LB 49ers – Some room for debate here as Amobi Okoye, who is barely old enough to vote, is lighting it up in Houston and despite the way he played against the Patriots LaRon Landry is a force in the Redskins’ secondary but how do you argue with a guy who’s leading the league in tackles? You don’t.

ANOTHER PLANET AWARD: TOM BRADY – If you’ve watched him you know why. If you haven’t you don’t care why.