By Ira Miller

Senior NFL Writer

The Sports Xchange/For Comcast.net

If you're waiting for coaches to learn their lesson about calling those ridiculous timeouts just before an opposing field-goal attempt at the end of a game, it looks like we could have a long wait.

Two weeks in a row, a coach guessed wrong. Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt and Oakland's Tom Cable called time out just as an opponent was preparing to attempt a game-tying field goal. Both times, the kick failed. And both times, given a reprieve, the kicker made the next one, which counted.

Unfortunately for those of us who think those timeouts are pointless, the Cardinals and Raiders both went on to win their games in overtime, so there were no repercussions.

This pattern started a year ago with Denver's Mike Shanahan, who got away with it when the opposing kicker made the first kick and missed the second. Other coaches last year did not always succeed. But it looks like the tactic will be with us for awhile, now that two coaches have gotten away with it even though they got it wrong.

On to five burning questions for the coming weekend, and, by the way, whatever became of the Cowboys' Super Bowl express?

5. What has gotten into the Chicago Bears?

A competent quarterback, that's what. The team that has been searching for a franchise quarterback for, oh, about a century, may have one - or at least a reasonable facsimile. Kyle Orton has been a smashing success for the Bears, who rank higher in the league on offense than they do on defense, and who can remember the last time that happened?

Without a real No. 1 receiver, Orton has managed to make himself one of the league's most proficient passers, leading a team that has averaged 28 points per game and scored 48 against Minnesota on Sunday. Granted, two special teams touchdowns helped win that one, but the key point is that Orton has been much more consistent than Rex Grossman ever was, especially in the last three games with a passer rating well above 100 and no interceptions.

4. Can St. Louis possibly win a division title after an in-season coaching change?

In the NFC West? Absolutely. The division is that bad, although the Rams still have a lot of ground to make up on the Arizona Cardinals. The good news for St. Louis is that the schedule will get much easier, and there are still two head-to-head meetings ahead with both the Cardinals and the 49ers.

Jim Haslett, who took over for Scott Linehan, has injected a shot of adrenalin into the team with his personality and his approach. Linehan was aloof; Haslett wants to include everybody in the organization and he is so enthusiastic you get the impression sometimes he still thinks he could play. He will be better in his second coaching job than his first, and remember, he was NFL coach of the year when he led the Saints to their first-ever postseason victory after the 2000 season.

3. Who's going to emerge as the best team in the NFC South?

As long as Jeff Garcia stays healthy, it will be Tampa Bay. Garcia is a perfect fit for coach Jon Gruden, the two of them both feisty battlers. Garcia gives defenses fits with his mobility, even at his age. The Bucs have good balance in their running game with two backs both averaging nearly five yards per carry, and they already have a big victory over the Panthers.

Of course, what always has driven Tampa Bay is its defense, and, although the names have changed, the Bucs seem to have made a nice transition on defense, infusing youth and still maintaining their strength. John Lynch and Warren Sapp are long gone and Derrick Brooks is nearing the end, but the Bucs still can win low-scoring games. The difference now is that they don't have to play low-scoring games, because the offense is pretty good.

2. Will Giants-Steelers be a preview of the Super Bowl?

Could be, but it's a long way from here to there. These look to be the best teams in their respective conferences, but they both have some problems; the Steelers have been hurt by injuries although their great depth at running back keeps showing up, and the Giants still can't get the kind of consistency they thought they would get from Eli Manning after his run through the playoffs a year ago.

This game, which matches two outstanding defenses, could be decided by the offensive lines, and the Giants have the edge there with a line that's as good as any in the league. Pittsburgh is No. 1 in the league against the pass and No. 2 against the run, however, and the Giants, despite their overall offensive output and good running game, have had difficulty scoring touchdowns in the red zone.

1. Will the idea of having a coach-in-waiting catch on in the NFL?

Not based on what's happening this year. Three teams - Seattle, Indianapolis and Dallas - either formally or informally have identified their next coach. All three teams lost over the weekend, and none of the three has lived up to expectations.

In Mike Holmgren's final season, the Seahawks have been hurt by injuries but their 1-5 record also includes three wretched defeats on the East Coast. Jim Mora will come from the defensive side to replace Holmgren in 2009, but the Seattle defense ranks 27th in the NFL.

Tony Dungy has not said how much longer he will coach the Colts, but many expect this to be his final season, and Jim Caldwell already has been identified as the successor. The Colts, who have won at least 12 games in five straight seasons, are 3-3 and facing a must-win game Monday night at 6-0 Tennessee.

And in Dallas, where Jason Garrett is the heir apparent to Wade Phillips, the Cowboys, who expected a run to the Super Bowl, are stumbling at 4-3 after starting 3-0 and, with quarterback Tony Romo injured, face a tough immediate schedule; their next three opponents are the Bucs, Giants and Redskins, a combined 15-5.

Maybe all of this would have happened without the succession plans in place, but you have to wonder how much of the problems the Seahawks, Colts and Cowboys have had is due to their pending coaching changes. NFL history is that coaches who plan to retire don't like to announce it before the season because they believe it's tougher to get the players' attention for a lame duck. Perhaps they have a point and, a lame duck with the next chief already on the premises, only makes it even more difficult.

Ira Miller is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the National Football League for more than three decades and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee. He is a national columnist for The Sports Xchange.