In studying why the National Football Conference has gone "south" in the first three weeks of the season, the symptoms seem to point to depth.

Depth charts have become misnomers. Most teams lack depth. They may build up in one or two positions, but others remain thin in case of injury. That's the NFL in the salary-cap era, and it's compounded by the expansion to 32 teams.

Taking 62 players, including practice squanders, out of the pool of stretched talent has had an impact. Teams already are complaining about how well the Texans are doing in their first season, and they should start to jump toward contention next year with the addition of 15 draft choices. The Texans will have depth next year.

	The Eagles have survived the offseason move that allowed Trotter (54) to join Washington.

As it was last year with the Patriots emerging from the pack as a surprise team, it's becoming more and more apparent that this is a changing league, changing for the good of all the fans and for worse for general managers and coaches.

For hours upon end, I've stared at depth charts and standings trying to figure what's going on. The NFC, for example, has elite teams, top players and great managers. An argument can be made that the Saints might be the NFC's best team after three weeks. They won the three toughest opening games in recent NFL history and have set themselves up for a possible top seed because they really have only three tough games in the final 13, all three at home.

The Saints revamped the roster, trading away or releasing big-name stars, but they bounced back with a roster that's younger, faster and deeper, particularly on the offensive line, than a year ago. For that, general manager Randy Mueller lost his job. Bizarre.

Still, the rest of the NFC is down. The Eagles are the next best team, but the loss of defensive tackle Hollis Thomas to injury and middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter to free agency leaves them one injury from disaster in the run game. Their gamble is that they are better served with Levon Kirkland and Barry Gardner than putting all their money to Trotter.

The rest of the teams at the top of the NFC are troubled. The Bears lost a little of their defensive swagger with the injuries to defensive linemen Phillip Daniels and Ted Washington and cornerback R.W. McQuarters. The Packers defense isn't tackling well and they got thinner this week with injuries to two former first-rounders -- defensive end Vonnie Holliday and safety Antuan Edwards. The 49ers have to resort to rookies on the offensive line after losing guard Dave Fiore for the season with a knee injury. The Rams and Bucs are ridiculously thin on the offensive line. The Packers aren't that much different.

If anything, the conditions of the offensive line might dictate the NFC race. The deep-seeded problem with the Rams is their offensive line. In three games against good front-four defensive linemen, the Rams offensive front five was manhandled. The constant hits on Kurt Warner in each series have caused his inconsistency even though his completion percentage is better than a year ago.

The Bucs entered the season with four different starters on their offensive line, but it's the line that could ultimately bring the offense crashing. Tough guard Kerry Jenkins is considering playing this week despite a slightly cracked bone in his leg and they need him. Right tackle Kenyatta Walker is out for a month, and Cornell Green has to handle the position for the next month. He was a third-string offensive tackle for the Dolphins.

General managers can't afford to whine about the realities of how thin rosters are, but it is interesting to note how some teams have adjusted their thinking to do different things.

"The system is set up so that you can't stockpile talent for a long period of time," Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi said. "If you lose two offensive linemen to injury, there really isn't anything you can do."

The Giants gambled on a strategy that might work, but if it works, the answer lies in the skills of the offensive line coach. Thin positions require great coaching, and the Giants have a great one in Jim McNally. McNally shunned the options of signing cheap veterans and went with a young group of unknowns -- Rich Seubert, Jason Whittle, Chris Bober and Mike Rosenthal on a line with former first-rounder Luke Petitgout. The Giants survived the first three games with a 2-1 record and good performances from quarterback Kerry Collins.

Center Dusty Zeigler is getting healthier and may be able to contribute in the next few weeks now that his microfracture repaired knee is better.

Chargers offensive line coach Hudson Houck, who did wonders with the Cowboys offensive line, may have to pull miracles in San Diego. The Chargers lost center Cory Raymer for the season, and Houck is going with his second rookie, undrafted center Jason Ball. Ball will play next to rookie second-rounder Toniu Fonoti.

One of the reasons that the AFC has an edge over the NFC is that some of the coaches have succeeded with some bold, risky gambles.

Here are a few examples: