Gettin' Trendy: Sleepers, surprises and flops come out in camp

Tony Romo has yet to prove he's able to carry a team to the next level. David Stluka/Getty Images

Every year about this time, you can count on trendy NFL predictions making the training-camp rounds. You could practically set your calendar to them, like the swallows returning to Capistrano. If NFL training camps are in full-swing, it must be time to pick some NFL sleepers, surprises and flops.

After all, who doesn't want to be trendy? Why Doc Martens, when you can slip on some Toms? Why post something on MySpace when you can Tweet? So let's separate fact from fiction and sift through the trendiest picks circulating this summer. Which ones have wings? And which won't fly?

The trendy pick: A Cowboys Super Bowl run?

Why this pick makes sense:
This is a classic case of addition and subtraction. No more Terrell Owens. No more Jessica. No more tabloid headlines.

No more kinder, gentler, pushover Wade Phillips, either. Phillips promised to wield a heavier stick and hold players more accountable on the field and off, after coming thisclose to getting fired last season. Thus far, Phillips is sticking to the plan and players acknowledge seeing a much tougher coach in camp.

And we haven't even mentioned Adam "Pacman" Jones and Tank Johnson yet. They got the boot, too.

It could only lead to better things, including in the standings. Personal discord often leads to locker-room discord. And if the Cowboys ever wondered exactly where the line was for Drama Overload, the 2008 season crossed it.

This summer, players and coaches are talking and playing football. Pretty much only football. Let's not forget that with or without T.O., Tank and Pacman, the Cowboys remain one of the most talented teams in the league.

Romo has been working hard on passing technique and protecting the ball, and Felix Jones is emerging as a spectacular talent.

Sure, the Cowboys may always teeter on the brink of some kind of neurosis, simply because they are Jerry Jones' Cowboys and drama is part of the business plan.

But they were the most under-achieving team in the NFL a year ago. With clearer heads, a harder-working and determined Romo and Phillips taking more charge of discipline, things could get a lot better.

Why it may not fly:
T.O. was a pain, all right. He was also a pain for defenses, even with bouts of the drops and his production falling off significantly. He commanded attention and Romo will miss him. Do you really think Roy Williams will offer the same kinds of threat?

As for Romo, did his penchant for making the big flub at the most inopportune times leave with T.O. and Jessica? It's hard to believe those distractions caused Romo to make big mistakes. He has yet to prove he can carry a team to the next level.

Still, the biggest hurdle to overcome remains Wade Phillips' job status. At the first sign of trouble, after the first two-game skid, the rumors are sure to start. There is no distraction quite like a coaching change. It's not a matter of if, but when names like Mike Shanahan, Bill Cowher or Brian Billick begin to surface.

How long will the players really respect Phillips' tough-guy stance, too? After 30 years of being the same kind of guy, coaching the same kind of way, could anyone expect Phillips to change? Hardly.

Oh, yeah, a couple other reasons it may not fly: the Eagles and the Giants.

So will it happen?
Not likely. The Cowboys should be better and have first-rate talent, but even if everything goes swimmingly, it would be hard to pass the Giants and Eagles. With Phillips looking over his shoulder, it will be impossible.

The trendy pick: The Chargers (for the 9,786th time), could win it all

Why this pick makes sense:
If there was a Trendy Pick Lifetime Achievement award, it would bear the San Diego Chargers' name. Year after year, the Chargers are everyone's pick to go ahead and finally take the last step. Year after year, they fail.

As a famous former President from southern California would say, well, there you go again.

It's true. With Shawne Merriman returning healthy, a tremendous quarterback in Philip Rivers looking better than ever, a balanced offense, a healthy defense and LaDainian Tomlinson starving for a ring, here go the Chargers. Again.

Usually, the Chargers find a way to get full reading so many press clippings. Several factors point to a different end to this story. Foremost, the franchise player, Tomlinson, is now 30. That's a magic number for NFL players. It's that time when they look back at what they have and haven't accomplished, and come to significant decisions.

Tomlinson seems to have "the look" in training camp this year. He is determined to do anything to get that elusive ring, similar to the John Elway look after so many times falling short.

The Chargers are healthier, too, than they've been in a couple of years. And in a division they should easily win, getting some rest and a bye come playoff time could make a world of difference.

Why it may not fly:
Norv Turner is the head coach. Some would say that alone makes a Super Bowl run impossible.

Turner infamously has taken more than one team to terrific starts and high hopes, only to see them deflated. He is a brilliant play-caller who has yet to be a strong leader for an organization.

Unfair? Not really. The Chargers certainly could make injuries an excuse for the dismal end to the 2008 season. But the fact remains that since Marty Schottenheimer was ousted after a 14-2 season, Turner's Chargers have slipped to 11-5, then 8-8.

And what about the clock on the wall? Time is undefeated. Tomlinson may have a chip on his shoulder in hopes of proving critics wrong, but he is 30. That doesn't change. And Merriman broke down last year. He's not old, but he's been suspended for steroids and steroid-users have been known to break down much more easily.

The Chargers also have serious questions to answer along the offensive line and in the secondary, where time is catching up as well. They should have enough to win the division, but against better competition another disappointment could loom.

So, will it happen?
Yes. This time, yes. The Chargers could finally get over the hump. Ultimately, players make the biggest difference, and while the Steelers, Patriots and Colts are deservedly favored, San Diego's talent takes a backseat to no one.