FRONT ROW: It’s shaping up to be a terrific NFL season

SO MUCH FUN: It’s only six weeks old, but this NFL season might be the most enjoyable one we’ve seen in years.

Perhaps my viewpoint is influenced by the amazing 6-0 Denver Broncos, but I honestly believe we’re witnessing a season for the ages.

Consider the following:

Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are currently locked in the best MVP race we’ve seen since the NFL copped out and gave Brett Favre and Barry Sanders co-MVPs in 1997. Brees re-entered the conversation after torching the New York Giants (who had looked like the NFL’s best defense up until this week) to the tune of 369 yards and four touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Manning is having arguably his greatest season as a pro — even better than his jaw-dropping 2004 campaign (4,557 yards, 49 TDs, 121.1 QB rating). Without Tony Dungy or Marvin Harrison around, Manning is somehow playing at an even higher level. He is in absolute command of everything that happens with his offense, and he seems legitimately energized to be playing with these younger players — Donald Brown and Austin Collie, in particular.

Brees and Manning are must-see-TV for anyone interested in seeing greatness. NFL defenses are too good and too fast for guys to play this consistenly excellent, yet they continue to pull it off, week in and week out.

In addition, dark-horse candidates like Adrian Peterson, Brian Dawkins (yes, Brian Dawkins), Jared Allen, Ben Roethlisberger and even Brett Favre (though I remain dubious) will keep this race interesting all season long.

There are a mind-boggling number of terrible teams this year. While the Saints, Colts, Broncos and Vikings have been excellent this year, there have been many more teams that have been unspeakably bad.

This year, these teams have had the courtesy to be awful, but interesting at the same time. I mean, look at the train-wreck that’s happening in Washington, D.C.

After the Redskins lost to the equally terrible Kansas City Chiefs, coach/scapegoat Jim Zorn was publically embarrassed by his organization when GM Vinny Cerrato stripped him of his play-calling duties and handed them over to Sherman Lewis — a man who was out of football for the past five years.

If there’s anything better than watching teams succeed, it’s watching them fail in hilariously inept ways. Keep it up, Washington!

I already mentioned Favre, but I have to say I’m actually starting to enjoy the relentless media adoration in a sick, twisted way.

There’s no escaping the fact that Favre has been remarkable thus far and deserves praise for adapting his gun-slinging game for a more deliberate ball-control style, saving his big heaves for the big moments — like Sunday’s fourth-quater toss to Sidney Rice.

Favre’s success is a major indictment on Tavaris Jackson, though. All a quarterback needs to do in order to succeed in Minnesota is hand it to Adrian Peterson and wait for opposing defenses to stack eight or nine men in the box, then pick apart the secondary when it’s forced to go into single coverage. Easy, right?

The fact that Jackson couldn’t pull this off — and that Brad Childress kept using him — speaks volumes of his ability (or, lack thereof).

The Vikings definitely have the talent to make the Super Bowl, but Childress will likely keep that from happening. The way he managed the end of that game against the Baltimore Ravens was yet another example of why he might be the worst game manager in the NFL.

Had the Ravens hit that 40-yard field goal to win the game, Childress’ failures would be all anyone would be talking about this week.

OK, I promise I’ll keep this short, but I need a few sentences to revel in this Broncos’ season. Just humor me for a moment.

This is easily the most satisfying team Denver has put on the field since those two glorious Super Bowl seasons (1997-98). Kyle Orton is the perfect quarterback for this system, and had anyone watched his game tapes from his wonderful career at Purdue, they would’ve known that. Orton is at his best when he’s making quick reads and short throws, not when he’s airing it out.

Orton’s quarterback rating is 100.1 — much higher than any reasonable person could’ve expected. What’s Jay Cutler’s rating, you ask? It’s 86.9. How many interceptions has Kyle Orton thrown? Just one, and that was at the end of the half against the New England Patriots in a clear hail-mary type situation. How about Cutler? He has seven — tied for fourth in the NFL. I just high-fived myself.

What’s made this season so much fun is how ruthless the defense has been in the second half. After halftime, this much-maligned unit from a year ago has given up only 10 points. Ten!

The Dawkins acquisition has been incredible, and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has been a revelation. Him and Josh McDaniels seem to always make the perfect adjustments during the intermission — the kinds of adjustments the Broncos never seemed to make the last five years under Mike Shanahan.

Whatever happens over the next 10 games is gravy. Just watching the Broncos play with this much heart has been among the most fun I’ve had as a sports fan. Sometimes, it really can be worth it.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747