Peter King Sept 29 2008

Only for Football Fans

Posted: Monday September 29, 2008 8:59AM; Updated: Tuesday September 30, 2008 3:19PM
Peter King Peter King >
MONDAY MORNING QB
One quarter through the 2008 season, NFL continues to surprise

Story Highlights

* Comparing 2007 division winners to 2008 current leaders
* A new leader in the Fine 15; handing out weekly awards
* Roy Williams to the Cowboys? Maybe, and more things I think

Trent Edwards and the Bills have a 1 1/2-game lead on the Patriots in the AFC East.
Trent Edwards and the Bills have a 1 1/2-game lead on the Patriots in the AFC East.
Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.''
-- Spanish philosopher/poet/novelist George Santayana, 1906

NEW YORK -- The NFL at the quarter mark teaches us one thing, and it's the same thing the league teaches us every year but we always refuse to learn.

Check out the eight division winners in 2007, and how they compare to the leaders after the fourth Sunday of the 2008 season:

AFC East: 2007 winner, New England; 2008 leader, Buffalo.

AFC North: Pittsburgh; Baltimore.

AFC South: Indianapolis; Tennessee.

AFC West: San Diego; Denver.

NFC East: Dallas; N.Y. Giants.

NFC North: Green Bay; Green Bay/Chicago (tied).

NFC South: Tampa Bay; Carolina/Tampa Bay (tied).

NFC West: Seattle; Arizona/San Francisco (tied).

Six of the eight divisions this morning are led by different teams than the ones that won divisions last year. That could go down to five tonight, if Pittsburgh beats Baltimore and regains the lead in the AFC North, but you get the point. The story of the NFL's first quarter -- superpowers New England and Indianapolis falling back to the pack -- is a stunner, but it's really no different than any other year in the recent history of the league.

This is the statistic that tells the story of the NFL better than any in the free-agency era, which began in 1993: In the past 15 seasons, 66 of the 100 division winners have been different than the season before. There's never been a year when less than half of the division winners changed. Not once. Yet, when we all picked the league a month ago, who had Buffalo over New England? Tennessee over Indy? Not me. Not many.

That's not to say it's going to end up that way, but when you realize that the league has had, on average, just two repeat winners per season over the last 10 years, you realize there's nothing fluky about what we're seeing. It's why TV ratings are up double-digits without Tom Brady, why the Dallas-Philly Week 3 Monday-nighter had the highest rating of a cable program ever. We don't know what's going to happen -- either from week to week or year to year. There's something enticing about that.

So the world is right where it belongs. I know it seems like the season just started five minutes ago, but 23 teams have finished a fourth of their schedule. How the NFL stands at the quarter point:

The best team: New York Giants. Somewhere in between the Cowboys giving up 37 points to the Eagles and 381 yards to the Redskins -- both at home -- and listening to Terrell Owens complain last night that he's not getting the ball enough, I came to realize the team with the best talent is not the best team. At least not now.

The Giants have retained the hunger of a team on the verge of winning a Super Bowl -- not of a team that just won one. In training camp, Justin Tuck told me the defensive linemen were sitting around at the team's Super Bowl party in Phoenix, three hours after the game last February, all talking about winning another one instead of how they were going to celebrate this one. The Giants are deep at running back and wide receiver (even with the Plaxico Burress fireworks), have a workmanlike and versatile offensive line, are surviving the losses of Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora and are maturing in the secondary.

Will they win again? If they don't get a big injury on defense, and if Eli Manning continues his steady climb as a passer and leader, the answer is yes.

The best team we don't appreciate: Tennessee. I love a team that knows what it is. I love coaches who know who they are. Most of all, I love teams unafraid to admit their mistakes.

Tennessee has had three picks in the top half of the first round in the past seven years -- Albert Haynesworth, Pacman Jones and Vince Young. They've worked hard to make all three contributing members of the team. With Haynesworth, it's working; after the Andre Gurode stomping incident two seasons ago and some other maturity issues, he's emerged as the best defensive player in the NFL this year. The patient hands of coach Jeff Fisher, line coach Jim Washburn and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, in tandem, have been vital in Haynesworth's rise.

Pacman was an idiot in Tennessee and had to be dumped. Stupid draft pick, but at least the Titans realized it -- maybe too late, but they realized it. Vince Young? Square peg, round hole. As my buddy Andy Friedland at NBC said last night as we put Football Night in America to bed, "Imagine how good the Titans would be if they'd picked Jay Cutler instead of Vince Young three years ago.'' Young three. Cutler 11. Now look at them.

And the Titans should have known Cutler fit them better than Young. (I don't care what Fisher or anyone there will ever tell me -- I'll always believe this was a Bud Adams idea, picking the University of Texas kid so the owner could have a trophy quarterback, instead of choosing the best quarterback for the kind of offenses his coaches want to run.)

Having said all that, I think Fisher is smart enough to know he's got a potential Super Bowl team if he just puts a smart game-manager with a good arm under center. Thus we have Kerry Collins, who might be writing one of the best scripts of the season. Young's a concern, but not for this year, unless Collins gets hurt. One more thing: Any team that gives up 11.5 points a game is going to be in every game through January.

MVP of the Quarter: Trent Edwards, QB, Buffalo. My MVP is tied for 12th in touchdown passes with four, 10th in passing yards with 930 and 10th in passer rating at 93.5. But the Bills are 4-0, and the difference is an efficient quarterback who, like all the great ones, plays better when the game's on the line than any other time of the game.

The Bills trailed 16-10 at Jacksonville in the fourth quarter, and Edwards threw a beautiful rainbow to James Hardy in the corner of the end zone to win it. The Bills trailed Oakland by nine with six minutes left, and Edwards led scoring drives to win it. The Bills trailed St. Louis by eight at the half Sunday, and Buffalo put up 25 points in the last 30 minutes to rout the Rams. He's got the steady-handed Brady cool about him, too.

Offensive Player of the Quarter: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans. You can't play quarterback better than Brees is. I don't know how a quarterback two inches taller than Doug Flutie is playing every week like Dan Fouts, but he is. Brees has put up 343, 216, 421 and 363 passing yards in New Orleans' four games, and he's completing 72 percent of his throws. You're mad I'm giving this to a pilot of a 2-2 team? Well, Brees wasn't on the field when Cutler and Jason Campbell shredded his D.

Defensive Player of the Quarter: Albert Haynesworth, DT, Tennessee. Started the month with two sacks of David Garrard in a 17-10 beatdown of the Jags. Finished the month with two sacks in the 30-17 win over Minnesota. Haynesworth's constant disruption of the middle of the line creates quasi-chaos and collapses offensive game plans every week.

Rookie of the Quarter: Eddie Royal, WR, Denver. "Best receiver in the draft,'' said Mike Shanahan a couple of weeks ago, and if this pace keeps up -- with 27 catches, he's on schedule for 108 receptions, and he just might get there with Cutler throwing to him -- he'll be the perfect complement to Brandon Marshall.

Here's how much the Broncos think of Royal: With the San Diego game on the line in Week 2, they called for him to run a crossing route as Cutler's second option on the play, and Cutler went to him. On the ensuing two-point conversion pass, Denver called the same play -- and Royal shook off the coverage and caught Cutler's winning pass.

Coach of the Year: Jim Zorn, Washington. Think back to when he was picked. "Snyder's a loon!'' you thought. Well, you might still think that, but you can't argue with the results. For the first time in four years, Campbell finally looks like the long-term answer at quarterback, and Zorn's tutelage is a big reason. For the second time in 11 years, Washington won at Dallas. And for the first time in ages, Washingtonians aren't looking for Joe Gibbs to ride in on his white horse to save the season.

Executive of the Quarter: Thomas Dimitroff, GM, Atlanta. He gave the coaching job to a guy who looks and sounds more like a Cub Scout Pack leader than an NFL head coach, but Mike Smith has been smart and steady-handed for a young team. He went against the grain to overpay and select a left tackle (Sam Baker) too high in the draft, but that move is working out. He may have overpaid a running back who'd never been a regular (Michael Turner); Turner leads the NFL with 422 rushing yards. He supported playing a rookie quarterback (Matt Ryan); we'll see how that goes, but the kid, personality-wise, has a lot of Peyton Manning-maturity in him. A very good early run for a man who likes to barbeque tofu, not ribeyes. I'm serious about that.

Team That's Overcome the Most: Seattle. Perhaps a plague would be worse. Or a smallpox epidemic. But the one thing you don't want to be right now is a Seattle Seahawks receiver. If you are, you need to buy lots of insurance. Right now.

"At some point,'' sympathetic Denver coach Shanahan said the other day, "you just have to look up at the sky and say, 'Why?' '' Seattle's strange journey at wide receiver caused the team to bring back wayward former first-round pick Koren Robinson -- who, fittingly, strained a quad a day after signing his contract -- and trade a 2009 fifth-round pick to Denver for Keary Colbert. Speaking of Colbert, after watching him for a few days, coach Mike Holmgren told me: "The guy looks fantastic.'' Fantastic? "It's all relative,'' he said. "Right now, he looks like Jerry Rice.''

That's it for the first quarter. I can't wait to see what the next three quarters -- and overtime, hopefully -- bring.

(Agree or disagree with King's choices for awards four weeks into the season? Share your thoughts here.)

Posted: Monday September 29, 2008 8:59AM; Updated: Tuesday September 30, 2008 3:19PM
Peter King Peter King >
MONDAY MORNING QB
MMQB (cont.)
Kerry Collins has thrown one interception in three starts for the 4-0 Titans this season.
Kerry Collins has thrown one interception in three starts for the 4-0 Titans this season.
Doug Benc/Getty Images
The Fine Fifteen

1. New York Giants (3-0). G-men ascend to the throne while sitting on their thrones. Bye week. It'll be interesting to see if Domenik Hixon can be Plaxico Burress for one game, and if Burress can sweep aside his personal crappola to try to get the Giants to another Super Bowl.

2. Dallas (3-1). I am sure this is a misprint. After scoring a touchdown in the Cowboys' first three games of the year, rookie Felix Jones was not listed as a rusher or receiver Sunday against the Redskins. I'm sure there's been some mistake. What genius would carve out a game plan without Felix Jones' name in it?

3. Tennessee (4-0). The Titans keep growing on me. They punish you, first of all, and they don't beat themselves now that Kerry Collins is under center. "Vince needs to sit behind a good veteran quarterback for a while and watch,'' Jeff Fisher told me a couple of weeks ago. "He's never had a chance to do that.''

I think he's going to have quite a long chance to do that now.

4. Washington (3-1). After opening night, I thought there'd be a better chance this team would be ranked 32nd than fourth by the end of September.

5. Buffalo (4-0). I don't know what Sunday's game means. The pathetic Rams got 380 yards on the unbeaten Bills. The Bills kept St. Louis scoreless for the final 43 minutes. Trent Edwards was an efficient 15-of-25. Edwards threw a pick and got sacked four times. The details aren't as important as the win. We all know that. I just don't know what this game means.

6. Philadelphia (2-2). I'm not going to let one failed goal-line plunge -- without Brian Westbrook in the lineup -- cause me to grade the Eagles down very much.

7. Pittsburgh (2-1). I expect the Steelers to introduce Joe Flacco to road life in the AFC North rather brutishly tonight.

8. Tampa Bay (3-1). As much as the Brian Griese 67-pass performance in the win at Chicago last week was a good fairy tale, I expect Jon Gruden double-barreled action in the bullpen at any time, now that Griese's thrown six interceptions in the last eight quarters. Garcia threw four last season.

9. Carolina (3-1).Steve Smith is a marvelous talent. I noted from the AP dispatch from the Panthers-Falcons game that Smith gave the ball he scored his touchdown against Atlanta with to Ken Lucas, the teammate he sucker-punched eight weeks ago. "He has done everything a man can ever do for forgiveness,'' Lucas said.

10. New England (2-1). Some words of tribute for recently retired Troy Brown. In an era of diva receivers, Brown was John Stockton. No credit, please; let it all go to the team, because in football, team is all that matters. That was Troy Brown, for years. That's why Bill Belichick kept him even when he had more talented receivers -- and younger receivers who might have been better on special teams -- than Brown.

His 557 catches rank first in Patriots history, and he's the best two-way player in franchise annals too, having played defensive back part time for his last four seasons. In 2006, he held Donald Driver to one catch in a game against Green Bay when he was forced to play lots of cornerback because of injuries -- and because he was pretty good at it.

"It was a privilege and an honor to coach Troy Brown,'' Belichick said, and if you know Belichick's regard for Brown, you know that's an understatement.

11. (tie) Chicago (2-2). Every game comes down to the end. Every game leaves viewers with welts.

(tie) Green Bay (2-2). I won't know what to think about the Packers long-term or short-term until Aaron Rodgers (possible separated shoulder) gets out of the MRI tube today in Green Bay.

13. Jacksonville (2-2). Was that David Garrard looking like the 2007 David Garrard on Sunday, running with abandon and throwing precisely?

14. Indianapolis (1-2). The next six weeks: at Houston, Baltimore, at Green Bay, at Tennessee, New England, at Pittsburgh. That's not a schedule that gets teams back into playoff contention. Most teams, anyway.

15. (tie) Baltimore (2-0). Ravens have Steelers on the road and Titans at home in the next seven days. They're going to be wishing they still had their bye to look forward to.

(tie) San Diego (2-2). You tell me where to put a team that beats the Jets by 900 points, then trails the Raiders 15-0 at the half. I don't know.

(tie) Denver (3-1). This defense is more than an Achilles heel. It's more like a sinkhole. Giving up 370 yards to Damon Huard and the Kansas City Chiefs. Surrendering Larry Johnson's biggest rushing day since the 2005 season. Unless Jay Cutler can play about nine perfect games over the next 13 weeks, Denver's going to be an endangered playoff species.
Quote of the Week I

"I told Mike Shanahan, 'You got a hell of a football team. But we were better today, podnah.' ''
-- Kansas City coach Herm Edwards, after the previously winless Chiefs defeated the previously unbeaten Broncos 33-19.
Quote of the Week II

"It was such a bad pick, I thought Al Davis made it.''
-- Chris Rock, on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius Radio, on John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate.

Such a good line, Rock thought; I'm going to repeat it on Larry King Live. And he did.
Quote of the Week III

"The scene at the Allen Park practice facility is sort of surreal. A parade of fans has been driving by all morning, honking their horns and waving Lions flags as if they've been liberated.''
-- Dave Birkett, Lions beat man for the Oakland (Mich.) Press, in an Internet posting last Wednesday morning, shortly after the team announced Matt Millen had been fired as club president.

Posted: Monday September 29, 2008 8:59AM; Updated: Tuesday September 30, 2008 3:19PM
Peter King Peter King >
MONDAY MORNING QB
MMQB (cont.)
Larry Johnson's big day carried the Chiefs to their first victory and handed the Broncos their first loss.
Larry Johnson's big day carried the Chiefs to their first victory and handed the Broncos their first loss.
G Newman Lowrance/Getty Images
The Award Section

Offensive Players of the Week

Brett Favre, QB, New York Jets. Favre had played 282 games in the NFL before Sunday. Three times he'd thrown five touchdown passes in a game. But he'd never thrown six in a game -- until one of the weirder games he'd been a part of was contested at his new home field Sunday.

Favre threw no touchdown passes in the first and third quarters. He threw three touchdown passes in the second and fourth. For the game, he was 24-of-34 for 289 yards, with the six scores and one interception. "I don't think it's time for anyone to start printing playoff tickets yet,'' he said after the game, but let's be honest. The Jets stunk big-time the last two weeks, and they looked like serious playoff contenders Sunday, and much of that is because Favre, week by week, is getting more in sync with his receivers.

Larry Johnson, RB, Kansas City. Most of us geniuses in the media wrote off Johnson last year, and even last summer. But here's the most interesting thing the 28-year-old Johnson told me after the game: "Nothing hurts.'' His 28-carry, 198-yard, two-touchdown performance was indicative of a couple of things. One: He has his power and quickness back after a 2007 foot injury. Two: He was running against Denver. "People everywhere doubted I still have it,'' he said. "But I do.'' We see.

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Derrick Brooks, LB, Tampa Bay. All the homework -- the endless, weekly, daily, hourly homework -- done by Brooks over the years culminates sometimes in the kind of game he had against the Packers on Sunday. Specifically, let's examine the first three defensive plays of the second quarter, plays that should go in the Brooks' career time capsule.

Brooks lay in wait, near running back Brandon Jackson, and came away with an Aaron Rodgers pass after it was bobbled. Play two: Ryan Grant tried to go around right end, Brooks burst through the line, and plowed through Grant; loss of six. Play three: A coiled Brooks waited for another short Rodgers pass, leaped and batted it away. Later in the game, in the third quarter, he ramrodded the ball out of Grant's grasp on a running play, and safety Jermaine Phillips picked it up and ran it 38 yards for a touchdown. "You practice a long time for hits like that,'' Brooks said of his hit on Grant.

That was a vintage Brooks performance: three tackles, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two passes defended.

Chicago defensive front. For its classic goal-line stand against Philadelphia on Sunday night. I don't know if Kyle Orton is ever going to be the Bears long-term answer at QB, but until he is, the Bears are going to have to be led by their rock-ribbed front seven. Against the Eagles with five minutes to go, Chicago had to make three stops from the 1. In order, fullback Tony Hunt, Correll Buckhalter and Buckhalter again could never get through the navy blue-jersied swarm of Bears.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Matt Bryant, K, Tampa Bay. A day after Bryant buried his three-month-old son, Tryson, in Texas, Hollywood entered Raymond James Stadium. With the Packers on top 21-20, Bryant booted his third field goal of the day, the game-winner, from 24 yards out with 2:26 left in the game, then looked to the sky and wiped his eyes. "I didn't think it was very fair for his life to end ... so short ... This was the best way for me to go out and honor him,'' Bryant said.

Montel Owens, FB, Jacksonville. Is it my imagination, or did Houston fall for a fake punt play, WHEN THERE WAS NO PUNTER ON THE FIELD, and allowed Owens to rumble 41 yards for a touchdown? Owens made a couple of nice moves and bulled his way downfield.

Coach of the Week

Jim Zorn, head coach, Washington. And not only for entering the lair of the best team in football, Dallas, and coming away with a mentally and physically tough 26-24 victory. But for replacing a legend, Joe Gibbs, whose departure last January prompted tears all over Redskins Nation. For installing a new offense for an offense weary of new offenses. For not panicking after a ridiculous debacle in the season-opening loss at the Giants. And for playing 16 quarters, so far, without an offensive turnover.

For a team adjusting to a new offense, that's a sign of tremendous progress. And since the first game, when Campbell struggled mightily against the Giants, he's played very well. On Sunday, Washington went toe to toe with the Cowboys, and what some 'Skins fans feared would be a finessy offense is most certainly not soft. Washington out-rushed the Cowboys 161 yards to 44.
Stat of the Week I

The stat is a record: 4-12. That's the average Lions season in the seven-and-a-quarter years Matt Millen ran the franchise. "There's a weight lifted off all of our shoulders,'' said one Lions insider Sunday night. "It's like Matt became our trademark. It wasn't a Lion on the side of our helmet anymore, it was Matt's face. And our fans just couldn't stand it.''

Millen's Detroit legacy will include more than his record -- a shocking 4.3 wins per year -- but a succession of misery in the first round. It was all downhill after his first pick ever, which probably was Millen's best. Jeff Backus is a serviceable, borderline Pro Bowl left tackle. If Calvin Johnson becomes a big star, he'll overtake Backus, but for now, Johnson's stuck in the muck and mire of a horrible team.

One more Millen note: I'll never forget being in the Cowboys draft room before the 2002 draft. The phone rang, and Jerry Jones picked it up, and it was Millen, desperately trying to unload the third pick in the draft. Jones had no interest. "I couldn't give it away,'' Millen said years later. "That's the problem with picking high these days -- if you don't want the pick, there's not much you can do about it.''

High first-round picks have become anchors, not lifelines. There's too much risk involved in the picks. Whereas 20 years ago, high picks were sought-after gems, now you've got to use the pick, often on a player you don't love, and almost always you feel is not worth the $8 million or so per year it costs.
Stat of the Week II

Adam Dunn's home-run totals in the last four major-league seasons: 40, 40, 40, 40.

Posted: Monday September 29, 2008 8:59AM; Updated: Tuesday September 30, 2008 3:19PM
Peter King Peter King >
MONDAY MORNING QB
MMQB (cont.)
Derrick Brooks picked off a pass in the Bucs' 30-21 win over the Packers on Sunday.
Derrick Brooks picked off a pass in the Bucs' 30-21 win over the Packers on Sunday.
AP
What I Learned About Football This Week That I Didn't Know Last Week

Derrick Brooks not only is not finished, but at 35, and with a bad hamstring, he's suddenly vital to the Tampa defense.

A year ago, in an effort to conserve him, the Bucs stopped playing Brooks on every down. Last Tuesday, on his off-day, Brooks spent nine hours at the Bucs' facility. Four hours were spent on stimulating and treating the hamstring, five on film study of a quarterback he hadn't played before, Aaron Rodgers.

"Actually, I spent Tuesday looking at 2007 tape, when Brett [Favre] was still there,'' Brooks said last night. "I wanted to see exactly what they were doing on offense, so I could compare it to the first three games this year. When I did that, I learned the system is exactly the same, they've just changed the quarterback. I learned we had to prepare for the system, not the personnel.''

Tampa Bay has always been able to rely on Brooks' sideline-to-sideline play in the middle of the defense; now the Bucs have a bona fide pass-rusher and defensive end who can drop in coverage, Gaines Adams, who dropped about 10 yards deep to make the interception that locked up Sunday's win over the Packers. Watch for Brooks down the stretch. If his injury allows him to remain the instinctive player he's always been, Tampa will be a serious threat.
Good Guy of the Week

Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner.

Karen Crouse of the New York Times wrote a good feature on Warner in last Friday's paper, with a prescient story as the lead. Seems that Warner, wife, Brenda, and one or more of the Warner children have a practice the night before football games. They sit at their table in a restaurant, look over the dining room, and pick out one family. Warner then informs the wait staff that, anonymously, he'd like the dinner tab of that family of strangers added to his.

Crouse wrote the Warners have been doing this for several years "as a way of instilling in their children the joy of giving,'' and quoted Warner thusly: "We want our kids to grow up knowing that because of football we are so blessed.''

Just another reason why you can never say enough good things about Kurt Warner.
Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me

"Big win today, Eric,'' I said to Eric Mangini a little after 6 last night. "But it's not the biggest event of your day. You know what's bigger?''

"Sure do,'' he said. "It's the season premiere of Family Guy. ''

Bingo!

In no particular order, Mangini is a big fan of The Office, The Office (British version), CurbYour Enthusiasm and Extras. Sense of humor: wry.
Enjoyable/Aggravating Travel Note of the Week

Not mine. Mangini's.

"I love New Jersey,'' he said on his drive home Sunday. "I just love New Jersey. So much less traffic than we're used to. The land, the schools, the towns, the deer ...''

The deer?

"My kids never saw deer before we moved here,'' he said.

I smell a call from Gov. Jon Corzine's office, and a commercial with the Mangini family petting a deer at the new Florham Park facility, with not a car in sight.
The Way We Were

Tom Nalen vs. Mick Tingelhoff.

Two terrific centers, overshadowed by teammates: Tingelhoff was overshadowed by a cadre of Minnesota stars (Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Alan Page and later Ron Yary), as was Nalen in Denver (John Elway, Rod Smith, Terrell Davis and later Champ Bailey). Both had tackles on their line for parts of their careers -- Gary Zimmerman with Denver, Yary in Minnesota -- make the Hall of Fame.

Underappreciated by history: No center in history has been named first-team All-Pro more than Tingelhoff (five times), while Nalen is a five-time Pro Bowler with two All-Pro nods. Yet, Tingelhoff hasn't gotten into the Pro Football of Fame, and it's likely Nalen will struggle to get in as well.

Both ironmen: Tingelhoff has the never-matched-for-an-offensive-lineman streak of 259 straight regular- and postseason games played, while Nalen played every regular- and postseason game for 10 of his 15 years and 201 games in all.

Slightly undersized: Tingelhoff at 237 pounds, Nalen at 286. Both with the same team: Tingelhoff for 17 years, Nalen for 15. And both came out of the shadows, Tingelhoff as an undrafted free-agent from Nebraska, Nalen as a seventh-round pick who spent much of his first year on the Denver practice squad.

Nalen was put on injured-reserve last week by the Broncos with a knee injury, likely ending his career. No one will ever know him, because he rarely spoke to the press. The Broncos, I believe in a weird, off-putting, stupid tradition started by Zimmerman, enforce a policy of anonymity for their offensive linemen. And last week, I approached two coaches who have mentored him over the years. One wouldn't talk, out of respect to Nalen. The other talked, but insisted his name not be used. "Tom wouldn't want anybody to say anything about him anyway,'' the former Bronco coach said.

"I don't know much about Tingelhoff except the name,'' the coach said, "but it sounds like he had a lot in common with Tom. Tom would not leave the field. He wouldn't miss a play. He shared one quality with John Elway and Terrell Davis: When the [stuff] hit the fan, he'd be the strong one. He'd take that line on his back and steady it. He is, by far, the toughest player I ever coached. He's got to go down as one of the best centers of all time.''

Nalen and Tingelhoff were heady players, both quiet off the field. The job of a center -- then and now -- was to make the line calls and adjustments just before the snap of the ball, then block ferociously at the snap. Nalen was probably more of a plowhorse than Tingelhoff, who occasionally could get overpowered. But Bud Grant always credited Tingelhoff with being a great pass-blocking center, able to keep bodies off the diminutive Tarkenton.

Posted: Monday September 29, 2008 8:59AM; Updated: Tuesday September 30, 2008 3:19PM
Peter King Peter King >
MONDAY MORNING QB
MMQB (cont.)
Lions wide receiver Roy Williams has been vocal about his displeasure in Detroit.
Lions wide receiver Roy Williams has been vocal about his displeasure in Detroit.
Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
Ten Things I Think I Think

1. I think these are my quick-hit thoughts of Week Four:

a. Warren, Warren, Warren. Let's not go big-dogging the cast at Dancing With the Stars. This will likely be the first and the last time I quote the gossip site TMZ.com, but it reported thusly on Warren Sapp, who had a surprisingly nimble debut on the show last week: "If voting were up to the cast and crew of DWTS, we're told Warren Sapp would be the first to go. Our spies at DWTS tell TMZ Sapp's big head and man-diva attitude are causing problems. We're told he talks down to everybody ... yells at people and consistently walks out of rehearsals with partner Kym Johnson.''

b. Great piece by Chris Berman, re: the closing of Shea Stadium, that featured him sitting with his dad in the same upper-deck seats they used to share for Jets' games in the '60s and '70s.

c. How is Vince Young ever going to get his job back?

d.Kerry Collins reminds me of Phil Simms in this way: I remember Simms saying when he retired, how bummed out he was because he wasn't going to be able to play football anymore. "Just when no defense could ever throw anything at me to confuse me, it was time to retire," Simms said. Collins has it figured out. Now he just has to survive long enough to make the Titans a January contender.

e. What a perfect throw by Matt Schaub, the pump-fake-then-touchdown strike to Steve Slaton. Schaub, despite the loss, might have saved his job Sunday.

f. Adrian Peterson is the best back in football. But LaDainian Tomlinson is not washed up.

g. Get your blazer pressed for that first press conference in Oakland, James Lofton.

h. Imagine the bitterness of one of the four NFC East teams, home for New Year's, out of the playoffs. Imagine if enough of them knock each other off all year, and only one, or two, make the playoffs.

i. The Rams were outscored 25-0 in the second half.

j. The Raiders were outscored 25-3 in the fourth quarter.

k. Notice a common we-got-outcoached theme there?

l. I know you notice that, but neither Lane Kiffin nor Scott Linehan coach or play defense.

2. I think I'm hearing that Vince Young is rebuffing Kerry Collins' attempts to be a mentor. What a waste. Collins has seen too much, and he's a selfless person at this stage of his career. Whoever's advising Young should tell him Collins would be a smart addition to his inner circle.

3. I think if Matt Millen had stayed in Detroit, and the Lions continued to nosedive, chances would have been better than 50-50 that Roy Williams would have been dealt to Dallas for a first-round pick before the Oct. 14 trading deadline.

Now? Depends whether Lions interim GM Martin Mayhew and club executive VP Tom Lewand want to try to sign Williams long-term or add a low first-rounder to the mix of whoever ends up running the franchise. The correct decision, unquestionably, would be to add the first-round pick. Even though it might be the 32nd pick in the draft, you're better off getting quality youth than you are to pay sick money to a player who doesn't want to be there.

By the way, adding Williams for the final 11 weeks of the season would cost Dallas only $2.4 million in salary -- a pretty small sum for possible Super Bowl insurance.

4. I think, after watching ANOTHER direct snap to a non-quarterback (this time, fullback Montel Owens of the Jaguars) resulting in a touchdown run, I have no idea why every team in football doesn't put a package in its game plan every week to take advantage of slow-to-react defenses.

5. I think there's one thing you can be sure of, all you Raiders fans: Your head coach wants to get fired. Lane Kiffin doesn't even talk to his owner or, most days, to his defensive staff.

Coaches preach staying the course, which is admirable, but when it gets to the desperado stage Kiffin is at, I believe he wishes the firing would come quickly so he can move on.

6. I think if I had a spare spot on my fantasy team, I'd claim Ryan Torain, injured rookie Denver running back. Just do it. You'll thank me when you win your league.

7. I think this is what I liked about Week 4:

a. Any special-teams coach will tell you the toughest thing to do when it comes to kick-blocking is bursting through the crowded house over the center -- with two guards tight to the center, making sure the line is held -- and whacking down the field-goal. Kris Jenkins of the Jets did jut that against Arizona.

b. Laveranues Coles and Brett Favre seem to be getting along well after a month

c. Devin Hester changes everything about Chicago's offense.

d. DeSean Jackson changes everything about Philadelphia's offense.

e. The Bears have to be thrilled they didn't trade Alex Brown. He was the key cog on that goal-line stand.

f. "We've got our swagger back,'' Derek Anderson said over the cell last night. You got a win, Derek. I see no swagger.

g. Laveranues Coles didn't have three touchdowns in a game. He had three in 15 minutes. "There's been some things said about me not being happy about [Favre] coming here. Not true. I've been doing nothing but trying to get on the same page with Brett since he's been here.''

8. I think this is what I didn't like about Week Four:

a. Very bad day at the office for Kurt Warner. Talk about telegraphing a pass. He stared a hole through receivers and lost two fumbles, leading to 24 Jets points.

b. If it's possible to throw for 472 yards and have a bad day, Warner just did.

c. How on God's green earth does Mike Carey allow Turk McBride to take two full steps into Jay Cutler -- after Cutler threw the ball -- and spear him in the back?

d. The Jets' cheerleaders outfits are the worst I have ever seen.

e. Denver allowed a rusher to run for 198 yards (Larry Johnson) and a passer to complete 75 percent (the immortal Damon Huard). More scotch tape needed on D, Broncs.

f. The Rams are in full uprising mode.

g. Carson Palmer is worried about his elbow. Marvin Lewis told me last night it's 70-30 Palmer will play at Dallas next week (now there's a reward for you), but the inflammation in there did not go down over the weekend.

h. Staying on the East Coast or flying home between games will be debated by Cardinal brass in the wake of Arizona's 56-35 loss at the Jets, but it's totally meaningless. Kurt Warner doesn't get stripped or throw interceptions because he slept in Virginia for five nights instead of his own bed.

i. I know Jets safety Eric Smith will get fined for the helmet-to-helmet hit on Anquan Boldin, and I support the league trying to make the game safer. But it's impossible for a player to avoid another player when both are in full flight trying to make a play.

9. I think the Scott Linehan firing this morning won't be brutal. It'll be merciful.

10. I think the text message of the night was this, from Brett Favre, after I messaged a post-game congrats on his six touchdowns: "Great. I hope I leave something here other than stats.''
Who I Like Tonight, and I Mean Tony Kornheiser

Steelers 16, Ravens 13. I don't care who the back is, now that Willie Parker is down for the week. Rashard Mendenhall had better run it early and often, even if he has three or four negative carries in the first couple of drives. If Ben Roethlisberger takes many more beatings like last week in Philly, he'll turn into Cliff Stoudt.

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