Have to love the flexible schedule

The flexible schedule that was part of the deal between NFL and NBC is great. Simply great. Not only it allows NBC to have at least one entry in the Nielsens weekly ratings, it gives us an opportunity to watch two good teams play. Of course, the next week's matchup between Eagles and Colts is not the "optimal" one since McNabb is done for the season, but at least on the paper it sounds better than Packers vs. Seahawks on MNF.

The game between Chargers and Broncos was the best i could wish for this Sunday (since i love explosive offensive shootouts), and having LaDainian Tomlinson break quite a few league records never looks better than live in HD. He most probably is going to break the 30 TD / season barrier this year. It's interesting to note the following trend:

Up until 2000, only two-three players have crossed the 20 TD/season mark each decade. And suddenly, the current decade sees the explosion. First, Marshall Faulk does it twice, with 26 in 2000 and 21 in 2001. Then Priest Holmes does it twice, with 24 in 2002 and 27 in 2003. Last year, it's Shaun Alexander with 28. This year, Tomlinson already has 20 with 6 games to go... It can't be attributed only to the 16-game season (which was installed in 1978). Can it be that the defenses are weaker, or the offenses are more specialized? I know that the records are made to be broken, but at this pace we're looking at 30+ TD seasons becoming a normal thing?