1. Once again, Arizona is the team to beat in the NFC West, and not because Kurt Warner is throwing for a zillion yards. Nope, this time it's because the Cards are doing what they did not a year ago -- winning on the road. They're 3-0 there, including two in the Eastern Time Zone.
2. Great, now the league is serious about putting a team in London. Anybody think it might be a good idea first to get serious about putting a team in L.A.?
3. San Francisco coach Mike Singletary said he will do "what's best for the team" with his starting quarterback. OK, then, start Alex Smith. You just added the franchise wide receiver. So give him a quarterback who can get him the ball.
4. The difference with New England the past month is not Tom Brady. It's Wes Welker. Since returning from a knee injury, Welker has 34 catches in four games -- including 10 in each of the past two starts. Oh, yeah, he also has four TDs since coming back. Welker is Brady's security blanket, and without him Brady and the Patriots offense aren't the same.
5. The next two games will tell us how far Cincinnati goes, with the Bengals facing Baltimore at home and Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh. Let's say they lose both. They still look good as a wild card, and here's why: After Pittsburgh they draw, in order, Oakland, Cleveland and Detroit: opponents with a combined record of 4-16. At worst, they're 8-4 after 12 games.
6. The NFL loves to talk about how close some of its games have been, and I understand. But now it's time to talk about Blowout Sunday. There were six games where 28 or more points decided the outcome, and that's a testament to the disparity in this league. When the haves (Indianapolis, New England, Green Bay) meet the have-nots (St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Cleveland) it's ugly.
7. It was a good week for Tom Cable. First, he wasn't charged by the Napa district attorney's office. Then he had the guts (smarts?) to bench JaMarcus Russell.
8. Make that two wrecks in one week for Cleveland's Eric Wright.
9. Now I know why Cincinnati's Cedric Benson reportedly didn't want to be drafted by the Bears. I have never, ever, ever, seen a more disgraceful performance by a Chicago defense that didn't include Milton Bradley.
10. Let's hear it for Josh Cribbs. Given the chance to blame Cleveland's latest blowout on the flu that swept through the team, Cribbs took the high road and passed. "You can't make excuses," he said. "We played some bad football." That's a big 10-4, Josh. Bad enough the Browns didn't score an offensive touchdown. Browns fans are used to that by now. But no sacks of Aaron Rodgers? This is a guy who was dumped a league-record 25 times entering the game, for crying out loud. And the Browns can't put a hand on him? Remind me why it was such a good idea to hire Eric Mangini.
11. When you're talking accurate quarterbacks, you start the conversation with Peyton Manning. Rewind the videotape of his touchdown pass to Dallas Clark, and you'll know why.
12. Shame on Todd Haley. I know his team won only once, but that's no excuse to go brain dead on us. How else do you explain Haley's decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 at his own 41 late in the first quarter? The Chiefs were down by only seven. But go he did, calling a quarterback sneak, and it blew up on him. Haley should fire his play caller. Oh, wait a minute, he did.
13. Now, more than ever, the Carolina Panthers need to wake up to the reality of Jake Delhomme. He no longer gets you to the next level, and, yes, those 13 interceptions convinced me. Add them to last year's finale, and Delhomme has 18 interceptions in his past seven starts. Read the tea leaves, Carolina: It's time to draft your next quarterback.
14. Miami has itself to blame for blowing a 24-3 lead, but you can't blame the Dolphins if they're irked with officials. They spotted New Orleans a score, and follow me here. On the last play of the first half, Marques Colston makes a catch and stretches for the end zone ... with a touchdown called. Only it wasn't a touchdown, and because the Saints were out of timeouts, that would have been the half. But now there's a replay review, the clock stops and the Saints get one more snap. Touchdown. If the right call had been made, they would've been in the locker room, but, hey, that's no excuse for blowing a 21-point lead.
15. LaDainian Tomlinson isn't LaDainian Tomlinson anymore, and those eight carries inside the Chiefs 5 are the proof. He didn't score once. But I'd like to see what would happen if there were actually a hole to run through. Man, the Chargers offensive line is brutal.
Sez them ... or Rapid Reporters' Rewind
From Eric Gilmore in Oakland ... There is no quarterback controversy in Oakland. After Sunday's 38-0 loss, Tom Cable said JaMarcus Russell would remain his quarterback. Still, by benching Russell on Sunday, he sent a message that the guy isn't above sitting down. "For the first time," Cable said, "I thought he was really out of sorts early in the game."
From Josh Katzowitz in Cincinnati ... You can't blame former Chicago running back Cedric Benson for staring down his ex-teammates as the clock wound down. "That was an emotional moment," he said. "A small part of me just couldn't resist going over there and showing emotion."
From Jim McCurdy in Houston ... One more fumble makes it four for the season for Houston's Steve Slaton.
From Carter Gaddis in London ... If there were any doubts about how closely Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris and GM Mark Domenik are linked, they ended when Morris consulted Domenik on the wisdom of inserting Freeman in Sunday's game. The team has tried to protect the 21-year-old rookie, but an 0-7 record entering the bye gives them an ideal opportunity to turn the offense over to him.
Five things I like
1. Sports Illustrated: The Football Book Expanded Edition. It's not a good coffee table book. It's a magnificent one. My all-time favorite is The Pros: A Documentary of Professional Football in America, with scores of illustrations and black-and-white photos by Robert Riger. I bought it as a kid and cherished it as I grew older. Anyone who grew up a Unitas fan would. But there are Unitas photos here, too, as well as plenty of others of players past and present -- with some of the best color photos I've seen anywhere, which is what you would expect from Sports Illustrated. If you follow pro football, you'll want this book.
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| The Bucs do a smart thing by letting QB Josh Freeman play. (US Presswire) |
3. Tampa Bay finally turning to Josh Freeman. It's about time, guys. Someone must have had a conviction about him to make him a first-round draft pick, and I would hope it's coach Raheem Morris. So play him and play him now. What do you have to lose?
4. The Dallas pass rush. Before Sunday, Matt Ryan had been sacked twice -- both in the Falcons' first game. That means he went the next four without getting dumped. So what happens against the Cowboys? He gets sacked four times, or twice his season total, including two by DeMarcus Ware.
5. Steven Jackson's effort. Don't fault the Rams running back for that 0-7 start. Granted, he doesn't have a touchdown, but he does have three 100-yard games and gains 4.4 yards per carry. Any idea how difficult that is when you're the center of every opponent's attention?
Five things I don't
1. The Vikings throwing on second and third downs after driving to the Pittsburgh 1 late in the third period. When you have Adrian Peterson and need 1 yard, you don't throw to the end zone. Not only did the Vikings do it twice, when they failed, they settled for a field goal. Crazy.
2. The Yankees and Giants playing at the same time. The only guy in the greater New York area who was grateful was Tom Coughlin. The Yankees took the heat off him and his listless club for the second successive weekend.
3. Mark Sanchez eating a hot dog during the fourth quarter of the Jets' shredding of Oakland. Sanchez apologized for it later, but, c'mon, Mark, you must be smarter than that. It's one thing for Barry Switzer to do it at the Pro Bowl; it's another for someone to try it during a regular-season game ... and a rookie, no less. Headline writers don't need more material than they already have, Mark.
4. Khalif Barnes against Calvin Pace. It's the worst mismatch since Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley. Pace started the game by sacking JaMarcus Russell and forcing a fumble; then separated Russell's replacement, Bruce Gradkowski, from the ball on the first series of the second half. He finished with seven tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles.
5. Any regular-season game in England. It's a competitive disadvantage to the home team. Of course, any game anywhere is a competitive disadvantage for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Just asking but ...
• Will the real San Diego Chargers please stand up?
• What next for JaMarcus Russell?
• How did Kevin Boss hold on after that Antrel Rolle head shot?
• Does Trent Edwards ever get his job back?
• Is Miles Austin for real?
Significant numbers
• 0 -- Rushing touchdowns for Kansas City this season
• 2 -- Percy Harvin touchdown returns this season
• 5 -- Michael Crabtree touches
• 17 -- New Orleans takeaways, five under last season's total
• 634 -- Yards rushing by the New York Jets the past two games
• 1,036 -- New England yards the past two games
• 2-7 -- Chicago's road record the past nine games
• 3-0 -- Dallas after byes under Wade Phillips
• 82-7 -- New York's teams vs. Oakland
My top five
1. Indianapolis
2. New Orleans
3. Denver
4. Pittsburgh
5. Minnesota
My bottom five
32. St. Louis
31. Tampa Bay
30. Cleveland
29. Tennessee
28. Detroit
Next weekend's three best games
New York Giants at Philadelphia ... Best Philly show since Todd, the Hooters and Hall and Oates played the Spectrum.
Minnesota at Green Bay ... Homecoming week for Brett Favre.
Denver at Baltimore ... The Big D is in Denver, not Charm City.
caseystengal 
