Peter King Week 3 2008 Sept 22

For NFL Football Fans Only

Posted: Monday September 22, 2008 7:00AM; Updated: Monday September 22, 2008 12:27PM
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MONDAY MORNING QB
Griese, Pennington embrace the present in memorable Sunday wins

Story Highlights

* Three NFC East teams lead the Fine Fifteen rankings
* The impact of the Tom Brady injury on TV ratings
* PSLs, Tony Romo, Sgt. McGuire and more things I think

Brian Griese's final numbers on Sunday: 38-of-67, 407 yards, two TDs and three INTs.
Brian Griese's final numbers on Sunday: 38-of-67, 407 yards, two TDs and three INTs.
Scott Boehm/Getty Images

NEW YORK -- If you like football, and you like football players, you've got to be happy for two people this morning, regardless of your rooting interests: Brian Griese and Chad Pennington.

Griese's like Mongo in Blazing Saddles.' You know, "Mongo just pawn in game of life.'' Since 2002, he's bounced from Denver to Miami to Tampa Bay to Chicago and back to Tampa Bay, where he was the innocent bystander in the Jon Gruden/Brett Favre/Jeff Garcia merry-go-round this summer and just won the starting job 12 days ago.

I doubt he'll be ceding his seat anytime soon, not after Sunday's ridiculously improbable 27-24 overtime win at Chicago. All Griese did was throw 22 straight passes in the last seven minutes of regulation to bring the Bucs back from a 24-14 deficit, then lead a 90-yard OT drive to win it. Along the way, he attempted the second-most passes -- 67 -- ever thrown in an NFL game.

Griese threw 11 passes in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. His dad, Bob, threw 11 passes all day in quarterbacking Miami to a victory 35 years ago in Super Bowl VII.

When Pennington was last a big news item, he was getting unceremoniously dumped by the Jets to make room forFavre. That was a little more than six weeks ago, and we assumed he'd have a nice little half-season or so playing in Miami, keeping the seat warm for quarterback-of-the-future Chad Henne before becoming Henne's mentor for a couple of years.

A funny thing happened on the way to the rocking chair. Pennington completed 17-of-20 passes in Foxboro (he'd been 2-6 in this Pennington personal house of horrors before Sunday) in one of the most interesting schematic charades in recent history as the Dolphins stunned New England 38-13.

They hang onto their first lives in this league. When Griese called Sunday evening from the team bus on the way to O'Hare, a 303 area code showed up. Denver. And when Pennington checked in from the Dolphins' charter before it left Providence, 516 was the prefix. Long Island.

What I liked about them Sunday: They both sounded euphoric. Griese's 33, a tad laconic, and Pennington's 32 and will never be a Favre-like quote machine. It's not like they're on their last football legs, but both are smart enough to realize they may not have many more days like this in football. Ever. Griese's got the ultimate bottom-line head coach looking over his shoulder; if he bombs next week, Gruden will be motioning for Garcia to warm up in the bullpen. And Pennington knows he can't hold off Henne forever. But Sunday night wasn't time for thinking about the future. They were loving the now too much.

Griese: "Early in the third quarter, I came off the field after we had a drive stall and Jon said, 'We can't run the football. I need you to go out and win this game.' I said, fine, if you want me to throw it every play, I will. We just couldn't run it at all. I never expected a day like today. None of us did. We wanted to run it because that's the kind of team we are. But Chicago's good, real good, against the run.

"It helped us to go to the no-huddle in the fourth quarter and overtime. We're down 10 with about five minutes left and went hurry-up, and we got a field goal. Then we got the ball back, went to our two-minute drill, scored a touchdown and got to overtime. We didn't run it right away, but then we figured we'd go back to it, just to get back in a rhythm and give us a good tempo -- and to prevent them from substituting and blitzing much. It worked.

"In a game like this, you really have to persevere. I threw three interceptions today. I really made a couple of bad decisions. But after you've thrown three picks, you've got to have supreme confidence in yourself to make some of the throws I did. And I was confident. Part of being in this league for 11 years is you don't get rattled by that. On one play today, they brought a blitz from the weak side and ran a twist up front against us. I had to hold the ball a little longer than I wanted to, and stand there and face the fire and take the hit I knew was coming, just so I could throw the ball to a spot down the field. I had to throw it a little earlier than I wanted, before [Alex Smith] was out of his cut. But it worked. I was able to bring us down the field and make some plays to help us win.

"At this point in my career it's so fun, so rewarding. I feel no pressure. I'm just out there playing. You know, forget about all the things fans might think -- like I want to show Chicago they made a mistake by trading me. It's not about that. It's about playing against guys you really like, being down 10 late in the game and making enough plays to get your team back in the game. There's a lot to be said for perseverance, not only in football but in life. You've got to hang in there, no matter what the environment is around you, and if you do, good things have a chance to happen.''

Pennington: "The last two weeks we've really had some good practices. But Wednesday we show up, get the game plan for the Patriots, and it's one of those grinding practices. We're not very good. It's probably 100 degrees, and we're making a few mistakes, and we don't look good.

"The coaches put the option-type plays in [with Ronnie Brown taking the shotgun snap, the QB split wide right and Ricky Williams or a wideout coming into the backfield from being flanked out to get a handoff or to fake it] and we worked on them. When you play New England, you can't just line up two backs and run the ball at them. They're too smart for that. They've seen it all. To run it on them, you've got to create some space somewhere. Give them a different look. Get them back on their heels. Then when Ronnie tried to throw that little option pass, the first time he did it, he shot it into the ground. It was awful. But he [completed] it when it counted.

"Our attitude was, 'Who says we can't go up there and win? Why not?' Coach [Tony] Sparano keeps telling us, 'Believe in the hard work. Believe in the preparation. It's not a matter of if it'll work; it's a matter of when.' And he was right.

"It's still a whirlwind for me. When I got released by the Jets and came in here, I didn't have time to think about much of anything. The day I got here, I had to start memorizing practice scripts. The way the year has gone so far, a day like today, it's pretty special.''

Posted: Monday September 22, 2008 7:00AM; Updated: Monday September 22, 2008 12:27PM
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MONDAY MORNING QB
MMQB cont.
Felix Jones is averaging 8.2 yards per carry through the Cowboys' first three games.
Felix Jones is averaging 8.2 yards per carry through the Cowboys' first three games.
Icon SMI
The Fine 15

1. Dallas (3-0). Before the draft, Dallas director of college scouting Tom Ciskowski told those inside the walls at Valley Ranch -- and I paraphrase here -- to not be so smitten with Darren McFadden; that Felix Jones, the swifter Arkansas back, would be the better change-of-pace runner for the Cowboys. And boy, after three games, was Ciskowski ever right. Jones' 60-yard TD scamper Sunday night was the difference-maker in the win over Green Bay.

2. Philadelphia (2-1). Two different defenses. The Eagle D had zero pass-rush in Dallas and allowed 41 points in the Monday nighter. On Sunday, the Eagles smelled blood in the water (with Ben Roethlisberger and his separated shoulder the reason), blitzed on practically every passing down and held the Steelers to six points.

3. New York Giants (3-0). "Don't give me that flat stuff,'' Tom Coughlin said after a flat-looking Giants performance in the overtime win over the Bengals. Say this about the G-men: They had enough offense in overtime to drive down the field when they had to.

4. Green Bay (2-1). Did you see the jump pass from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings, with Rodgers twisted to the right and throwing it way off-balance? As we sat in the green room near the studio at the Football Night in America set, Cris Collinsworth blurted out: "That's Favrian!'' Too bad the Packers defense wasn't Reggie White-ian last night.

5. Pittsburgh (2-1). How can Roethlisberger last 16 games after getting hit as much as he has been through the first three?

6. Tennessee (3-0). Why do I have Tennessee 6 and Denver 7? Simple. The Broncos allowed 32 points Sunday. The Titans have allowed 29 this season.

7. Denver (3-0). They may not win the Super Bowl. They will, however, lead the NFL in excitement.

8. Buffalo (3-0). Aren't you starting to get the feeling that Trent Edwards is going to be a top 10 quarterback for a long time? I am.

9. Tampa Bay (2-1). The final 23 plays of the fourth quarter for the Bucs: passes.

10. New England (2-1). The other day, Miami linebacker Joey Porter, in discussing rookie quarterback Matt Cassel of the Patriots, said of the Dolphins' defensive game plan for Cassel: "You throw the kitchen sink at him, and that's what we're going to do.'' The results of said kitchen sink being tossed at Cassel were pretty great; the Pats lost by 25.

Now, with the bye week coming up, the question is whether New England will try to persuade Vinny Testaverde to come out of retirement at 44, or look elsewhere for quarterback help. Cassel looked really bad ...

And so you ask me: Why are the Pats 10th in the Fine 15? Two reasons. They've got the bye coming up, and I think they're smart enough to figure out what went so horribly wrong. Second, they've gone 2-1 without Tom Brady, including a well-managed win on the road at the Jets in Week 2. One horrible day in the NFL doesn't amount to a whole lot.

11. Jacksonville (1-2). Finally got the running game going. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew had 45 carries between them as the Jags controlled the clock for 42 minutes. Taylor had 121 yards, Jones-Drew 107.

12. Indianapolis (1-2). Imagine if Peyton Manning hadn't pulled the rabbit out of the Metrodome hat last week. The sky would be falling right about now.

13. Baltimore (2-0). Didn't see a lot of the rout of the Browns, but what I did see of the Baltimore defense was smothering. Baltimore's opponent passer rating is 26. It's a rule in the Ray Lewis era that every tackle the Ravens make has to hurt a lot.

14. Minnesota (1-2). Good call, Brad Childress, switching quarterbacks to try to save the season.

15. San Diego (0-2). Week 17, Denver at San Diego. My guess is Mike Pereira will not assign Ed Hochuli to officiate the game. Just a guess.
What I Learned About Football This Week That I Didn't Know Last Week

Mike Shanahan hasn't called the offensive plays in Denver for nine years.

Admit it: That surprises you. It stunned me when I learned about it Saturday in Denver. He gave it up after the Broncos started 0-4 in 1999. Gary Kubiak held the responsibility the longest, before becoming Houston's coach in 2006. Now it's up to 32-year-old quarterback coach Jeremy Bates, who calls the plays into quarterback Jay Cutler's headset, with Shanahan having the option to overrule him. He rarely does. Shanahan might make a play call or trump Bates' call two or three times a game.

The game plan is a collaborative effort between offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, who is responsible for run plays and protections, and Bates, who draws up the passes. Shanahan makes some suggestions during the week while the game plan is being formulated, but it's mostly a Dennison/Bates production. Dennison and Bates also come up with the "First 18,'' Denver's version of the old Bill Walsh "First 15,'' when the first 18 offensive snaps of the game are set in stone (except if a third-and-inches call, for instance, has to be made).

Dennison and Bates figure out which run plays and pass plays will work best each week against the defense they're playing, then list them by down-and-distance, print them on a laminated play sheet, and call the plays from that sheet on game day. Bates makes the calls, a heavy responsibility for such a young coach. But it's a natural fit. Bates is the one meeting with Cutler all week and finding out what plays he thinks are the best fit for that week's opponent. It makes sense that the coach communicating with Cutler most one-on-one during the week is the one calling the plays into his helmet during games.

Posted: Monday September 22, 2008 7:00AM; Updated: Monday September 22, 2008 12:27PM
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MONDAY MORNING QB
MMQB cont.
Direct snaps to Ronnie Brown, combined with play-action fakes to Ricky Williams, helped Miami keep New England on its heels.
Direct snaps to Ronnie Brown, combined with play-action fakes to Ricky Williams, helped Miami keep New England on its heels.
Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
Quote of the Week I

"You've got to take your hats off to the Dolphins. I've been watching football for a long time, and I've never seen a Miami Dolphins team having all these gadgets.'' -- New England wideout Randy Moss.
Quote of the Week II

"Gramatica declined to talk about his big miss, darting out of the locker room without even showering.''
-- The Associated Press dispatch, written by Denver-based Arnie Stapleton, on New Orleans kicker Martin Gramatica's missed 43-yard field goal that ensured Denver's 34-32 victory over the Saints at Invesco Field on Sunday.
Quote of the Week III

"From this point forward, you should be clear on the following point: Any conduct that unnecessarily risks the safety of other players has no role in the game of football and will be disciplined at increased levels, including on a first offense. Playing by the rules shows respect for your fellow players. No one wants to see unnecessary injuries.''
--NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, in a memo to all teams and players the other day, informing them that he will ratchet up the penalties for things like helmet-to-helmet hits. He backed it up by suspending Tampa Bay defensive back Elbert Mack for one game after Mack launched himself into Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan hitting Ryan helmet-to-helmet. Goodell didn't reduce the suspension on appeal.

To be clear on this, the NFL doesn't just mean helmet-to-helmet hits on the quarterback will be penalized. It's for every player and every position, and every kind of hit the league rules out of the realm of normal contact. That takes in a wide swath, and you can bet players will be howling over it.
Stat of the Week

A couple of weeks ago, brilliant columnists like me talked about how much the game would miss Tom Brady. The game does miss Brady's class and greatness and star power, but the fans, apparently, have moved on. Either that or the NFL is the best league in history at creating new stars and new stories. Or both.

Let's examine the TV ratings for two football games: New England at the Jets on Sept. 9, 2007, and New England at the Jets on Sept. 14, 2008. Both games were played at 4:15 p.m. Brady played in the first one and missed the second.

Now, naysayers will say: The second game had Brett Favre in it. He's as big an attraction as Brady. Bigger, maybe. Maybe. But what I would say is this: The first game was the rematch of the 2006 wild-card matchup at Foxboro, and the season-opener, and how can you get more fired-up about a game than that? I do think having Favre in the game would add juice for the New York market, because he's still a player of far more fascination than Chad Pennington for the locals; and I'm sure Favre ratcheted up interest nationally a bit, because the Jets with Favre are going to be a bigger attraction than the Jets with anyone.

The comparative ratings follow. The first number is the rating -- the percentage of all households in the market tuned into the game. The second number is the share -- the percentage of all households watching TV that had the Jets-Pats game on.

I am reminded of what Bill Parcells once told a young rising star named Drew Bledsoe, to try to keep Bledsoe from getting a big head: The fans root for the uniform, not the player. And to think there was an appreciable rise in ratings the first game without Brady seems to prove that more than ever.

My theory: The Patriots were such a steamroller last year, and this year there's a little more drama every Sunday; that may make up for the allure of watching one of the best quarterbacks of this era. Think back 10 days. The country -- and the northeast, certainly -- thought the Patriots had fallen back to the pack in the NFL, and the Jet game was the first major test to see if that was true. Adding Favre to the game would significantly juice the local rating in New York, and would be a motivation to watch nationally too. Those are the two things I think made the ratings go way up.
Stat of the Week II

At 5:14 p.m. ET on Sept. 21, on their 28th offensive possession of the season, the St. Louis Rams invaded the red zone of an opponent for the first time this season.
Stat of the Week III

Ohio and Missouri are 0-12. Cincinnati, Cleveland, St. Louis and Kansas City, I mean, in a combo platter.
Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me

For a single seat to the final game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night, StubHub had a ticket between the dugout and home plate, lower level, for sale at $12,348.
Enjoyable/Aggravating Travel Note of the Week

All you Westins out there that charge for things like health club use and don't value your frequent-stayers? Check out the Marriott Denver City Center.

The health club is free, with 24-hour-a-day cardio equipment and gym along with pool usage 18 hours a day. Free water, free cold towels in a mini-fridge for post-workout comfort, mini-TVs on all the cardio equipment. Not enough elliptical trainers, but that's a fight we travelers will never win, even in places where you pay to use the gym.

My summers at Courtyards and Fairfield Inns in the training-camp towns of America have built me up to some big status at Marriotts, so I have the good fortune to get the breakfast deal at the room on the high floor, with CNN on the TV and a nice buffet laid out, gratis. Special K and Granola mixed, with lowfat milk, topped by a banana, with fresh-brewed Starbucks House Blend and one of the very few times I'll check out the Wall Street Journal. Why? Because it's there.

Last Friday there was a great story headlined "Wall Street's Ills Seep Into Everyday Lives,'' with a quote from a 56-year-old Chicagoan Bradford Roth, who refused to look at his retirement account this week. "The less you know,'' the story quoted Roth as saying, "the better you feel.'' Exactly. I don't have the heart to look at anything my wife and I have saved since finishing paying for eight years at Tufts and Colgate, because I know it'll make me sick.

The point is, that's a heck of a full-service hotel.
The Way We Were

Hines Ward vs. Bill Dudley.

From one Steeler to another, Ward and Dudley have much in common. Dudley is one of the most versatile players of all time. Ward is one of the most versatile players of his time.

In post-war 1946, Dudley, a 5-foot-10, 182-pound halfback-defensive back, led the NFL in rushing, interceptions and punt returns. He played nine war-interrupted seasons, moving from Pittsburgh to Detroit to Washington, and when he retired, one of the problems in judging his legacy is he had a sort of a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none label. "People just didn't know what he was,'' said Pro Football Hall of Fame VP and historian Joe Horrigan.

Well, I'll tell you what he was -- an all-around player who, along with Sammy Baugh and Chuck Bednarik, should be in a separate Hall of Fame wing for all the ways he impacted the game. Dudley scored nine ways. He threw for a touchdown, ran for a touchdown, caught a pass for a touchdown, recovered a fumble and ran for a touchdown, returned a punt for a touchdown, returned a kick for a touchdown, returned an interception for a touchdown, kicked an extra point and kicked a field goal. Digest that.

Ward, an inch taller than Dudley, isn't as accomplished across the board, obviously. No player in the last 50 years has been. But Ward is 28th on the all-time receptions list with 734, has run the ball 55 times in his career (many on quirky Cowher-era trick plays), returned nine punts and kickoffs, and had 42 special-teams tackles.

He's even a threat to pass, having been a college quarterback at Georgia, and is among the top blocking receivers in the game. At 32, he is still Ben Roethlisberger's go-to guy, leading the Steelers in reception with 15 -- five more than first-round prize Santonio Holmes.

Asked once if he wished he was known as a franchise receiver rather than a gritty possession receiver, Ward responded the way Dudley would have. "I just want to be known as a good football player,'' he said.

Posted: Monday September 22, 2008 7:00AM; Updated: Monday September 22, 2008 12:27PM
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MONDAY MORNING QB
MMQB cont.
To go with his interception, Barrett Ruud led the Bucs with seven tackles Sunday.
To go with his interception, Barrett Ruud led the Bucs with seven tackles Sunday.
Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
The Awards Section

Offensive Player of the Week

Miami RB Ronnie Brown. He didn't have a game against New England. He had a career. The Patriots have been alive since 1960, and no running back had ever rushed for four touchdowns in a game against them -- until Brown did it Sunday. Brown, taking advantage of a smart offensive scheme that featured multiple direct snaps from center to him, threw a touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano out of the shotgun formation, with Pennington playing wide receiver as a decoy. "I think we caught 'em off guard a little bit,'' Brown said. Brown finished with 17 carries for 113 yards, along with the touchdown pass.

Defensive Players of the Week

Tampa Bay LB Barrett Ruud. He's one of the three or four best young middle/inside linebackers in the game today, but no matter how long he plays and how many great days he has in this game, Ruud will never make a better play than the one he made to rob the Bears of a touchdown in the first half at Soldier Field Sunday.

Running stride for stride with Bears running back Matt Forte, Ruud watched as Kyle Orton's pass settled into Forte's hands. Ruud punched the ball free as he stumbled backward, then clutched at it once; it fell toward the ground, and as he fell to the ground, he grabbed the ball three inches from the ground and signaled to the back judge he had the ball. All in about two seconds. An amazing play. For the day, Ruud led the Bucs with seven tackles and added two passes defensed.

Philadelphia DE Juqua Parker. I could pick almost any Eagle after their nine-sack burial of Roethlisberger. Parker had 2.5 sacks, five tackles (two of them for loss), a forced fumble, a pass batted down and four quarterback hits. That's a career day for the man formerly known as Juqua Thomas. He changed his name in April to honor his late father, whose last name was Parker.

Miami LB Joey Porter. Three sacks, a forced fumble, three tackles for loss among six overall tackles, and a whole lot of backing up of his big midweek words. Porter and the Miami front seven made life miserable for Matt Cassel for three hours.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Philadelphia P Sav Rocca. The stats looked modest -- five punts, 44.4-yard average -- but his net was 43.4 yards (meaning only five return yards) and he boomed a punt 75 yards in the air in the second half that pinned the Steelers; he punted from his own one and it landed at the Steeler 25, giving him credit for a 64-yard punt. His next punt was 54 yards to the Pittsburgh 6. His last was 37 yards to the Pittsburgh 7. "You don't very often talk about a punter being a weapon, but he was tonight,'' said Andy Reid.

Coaches of the Week

Minnesota coach Brad Childress. You've got to hand it to Childress. He was ripped in some circles for a panic move, pulling Tarvaris Jackson after only two games -- and after an entire offseason of planning for Jackson to take the reins. But Childress called Jackson into his office last Tuesday, saw a player who was afraid of making mistakes (something Jackson admitted to him], and decided to pull the trigger in favor of vet Gus Frerotte.

"You've got to have the mentality of a serial killer at quarterback sometimes,'' Childress told me Saturday. Maybe coldblooded would have been a wiser choice of words, but you get the point: You can't be skittish in the job, and that's what the Vikes saw in Jackson in the last couple of weeks. In any case, Childress went to Frerotte, and he gave the Vikings a steady-handed 16-of-28 performance in a 20-10 season-resuscitating win.

Miami quarterback coach David Lee and offensive coordinator Dan Henning. You had to see the Miami game plan to believe it. According to Ronnie Brown, Lee, in his previous job as an Arkansas offensive assistant last year, used the funky single-wing stuff with the direct handoffs, and he incorporated it into the Miami game plan this week, with Ronnie Brown taking the shotgun snaps and Pennington at wide receiver. On Sunday, they ran it eight times, by my count.

Henning's got the reputation of a play-calling dinosaur, but the 66-year-old coaching vet drew up an imaginative one at New England and incorporated this oddball formation, with the direct snaps to Brown in the shotgun, one of which he used to throw an option pass from Brown to Anthony Fasano for a touchdown. Henning also had enough movement in the pocket for Pennington to make sure the Patriots couldn't always aim for one spot in their pass-rush.

Goat of the Week

Kansas City QB Tyler Thigpen. Through 19 minutes of the Chief debacle at Atlanta, Thigpen was one of 10 ... for minus-one yard, with an interception. And three minutes later, he threw another pick. How'd you like to be Herm Edwards this morning, convene a meeting of the coaching staff, and wonder aloud: "We got anybody to play quarterback the last 13 weeks?''

Thigpen, skittish and ill-prepared, looked like a lost sheep against a team in the same sort of rebuilding mode (though much further along, obviously) and finished 14-of-36 for 128 yards, with one touchdown, three picks and a fumble.

Posted: Monday September 22, 2008 7:00AM; Updated: Monday September 22, 2008 12:27PM
Peter King Peter King >
MONDAY MORNING QB
MMQB cont.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers fell to 2-1 with a 27-16 loss to the Cowboys at Lambeau.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers fell to 2-1 with a 27-16 loss to the Cowboys at Lambeau.
David Stluka/Getty Images
Ten Things I Think I Think

1. I think these are my quick-hit thoughts of Week 3:

a. I'm really getting to hate these Personal Seat Licenses. I can see making fans pay $2,000, maybe even $5,000, for the right to control a prime seat. Maybe. But what the Jets are doing with their 2,100 best seats in the place -- putting them up for auction -- is particularly distasteful.

Imagine having had one of the best seats in the house for the past 35 years, and having paid through some of the really tough days (like the 4-28 Rich Kotite era), and now you're being asked to go into an auction with who-knows-who of the corporate and ticket-scalping world. And if you choose not to buy a PSL, you're relegated to who-knows-where in the upper deck. There's just something distasteful about the concept of PSLs, particularly the ultra-expensive ones that gouge the most loyal of fans.

b. How awkward, and bottom-line business, is this? The Packers Pro Shop at Lambeau Field is still selling Brett Favre Packer jerseys.

c. However much money Coors Light is paying Jim Mora, it's not enough. He's a gem in those commercials.

d. Now Brian Billick, that's another matter. Here's the thing I don't get: Billick's had some of the best press conference sound bites in NFL history. Why play the ones that aren't funny?

e. Brett Favre to ESPN's Ed Werder, last Thursday, on the Pack's strong two-game start: "When they have 16 good ones, then call me.'' Mike McCarthy heard that. Aaron Rodgers, too.

f. Navy 23, Rutgers 21. The bloom is most certainly off the Greg Schiano rose. Talk about a team in desperate need of a quarterback.

g. Tony Romo's too careless with the ball when the play breaks down in the pocket. Happened in the end zone Monday night, and happened on a fumble that almost took them out of field-goal range late in the first half against the Pack.

h. If you see Kurt Warner at the Tyson's Corner Center mall today, tomorrow, or any day this week, don't do a double-take. The Cards, with a game yesterday at FedEx and this week at the Meadowlands against the Jets, are staying on the East Coast in a Tyson's Corner hotel through Saturday morning, practicing at Catholic University in D.C. Wednesday through Friday, then taking the train north to Newark on Saturday for the game in New Jersey Sunday.

i. Very nice of the NFL, Houston owner Bob McNair and Chevron to plunk down the first $1.25 million of a hurricane-relief fund, with the goal of $2 million to help victims of Ike.

j. The four first-time coaches -- Mike Smith (Atlanta), John Harbaugh (Baltimore), Tony Sparano (Miami) and Jim Zorn (Washington) -- are a combined 7-4.

2. I think Boys Will Be Boys, Jeff Pearlman's new book about the Dallas Cowboys in their glory days, and their decline from them, should not be dismissed as the rantings of a jaded sportswriter. Pearlman, obviously, has hit several nerves, and I applaud him for it.

Pearlman writes that Michael Irvin, incensed that tackle Everett McIver, in mid-haircut, would not leave a barber chair at training camp in 1998 so Irvin could get his haircut first, stabbed McIver in the neck. McIver was rushed to the hospital and survived, but not without losing a lot of blood. Irvin's silence on the charge has been deafening. I asked a Cowboy who played on that team if the story was true. "Absolutely,'' the Cowboy said. "I'm surprised it was kept quiet over the years.''

Pearlman writes in great detail about the White House, the house of ill repute Dallas players owned and managed near Valley Ranch, and he lampoons Deion Sanders, quoting Dallas corner Kevin Smith thusly: "When Deion came in, something changed for the worse. Guys who should have been studying football on a Wednesday at 12 o'clock were focused on other things. Deion was such a freaky athlete that he could shake one leg and be ready to cover anyone. But the guys following his lead weren't nearly as talented.'

In the first defensive team meeting Sanders attended, Pearlman writes, Sanders put his feet up on a table, and when defensive coordinator Dave Campo asked him to break down a play, Sanders said, "Hey, coach. I got that dude right there. Wherever he goes, I go. All that Cover Two stuff you're talking about -- y'all work that out.''

Pearlman writes that Troy Aikman was disgusted by Sanders. And Barry Switzer, too. He also notes that Switzer's liquor tab during the week of the Pittsburgh-Dallas Super Bowl in Arizona was $100,000. That's a heck of an example to set, Barry. What a great hire.

3. I think we're still waiting for your television fastball, Warren Sapp.

4. I think one reason you won't see the Rams going out and throwing huge money at, say, Ron Wolf to fix and run the franchise is that this regime is hesitant to spend a lot of money to install a new regime for another owner. I keep hearing the Rams will be sold by year's end. If you're Wolf, and even if you wanted to get back in the game, why would you go somewhere where you don't know who's going to be your boss on New Year's Day? By the way, I agree with Tiki Barber on NBC: Jim Fassel makes a lot of sense as interim coach. Dick Vermeil probably makes more. I don't see either Jim Haslett or Al Saunders having the juice inside the organization to get the job.

5. I think this is what I liked about Week 3:

a. Jay Ratliff, Dallas' continuously underrated nose tackle, is off to a terrific start.

b. Speaking of underrated defensive linemen, watch Alex Brown play.

c. No guard in the NFL had a better day than Miami's Justin Smiley, who had three crushing blocks on three of the four Ronnie Brown touchdown runs.

d. Gaines Adams made about as athletic a play as a defensive end can make, picking off a bad pass by Kyle Orton and running it back all the way for a touchdown -- twisting to the pylon to just barely make it in at the goal line.

e. Michael Bumpus was so proud of his first NFL touchdown -- a diving 10-yard strike from Matt Hasselbeck in the first quarter against St. Louis -- that he wouldn't let the ball go as he walked around the locker room after the game. Good story. From the seventh round to the practice squad to -- out of desperation -- the active roster because of six wideout injuries with the Seahawks. (More about the plague of Seattle receiver injuries, and surviving it, in MMQB Tuesday Edition.)

f. Julius Jones is a different runner than he was last year in Dallas. A better runner. He looks more desperate.

g. There aren't many middle linebackers stopping the run better than Philly's Stewart Bradley

h. What a pretty throw from JaMarcus Russell to Johnnie Lee Higgins late in the game at Buffalo, a throw that covered 84 yards and should have been the clincher for the Raiders.

i. Clutch, clutch kick by Josh Scobee, the 51-yard field goal to put the dagger in Indy, 23-21. No pressure there, Josh. Just your team's season on the line.

j. The NFC East is 10-2.

6. I think this is what I didn't like about Week 3:

a. Chicago's tight ends are killing the offense. Last week it was two fumbles by Greg Olsen. This week, a dropped pass at the Tampa one by Desmond Clark.

b. The Rams have lost three games by an average of 29 points.

c. The Saints have had two come-back-to-haunt-you losses.

d. Can the Lions keep losing decisively and convince themselves they're still just fine? How?

e. Back to the drawing board at quarterback, Bears.

f. Matt Schaub is shell-shocked, from what I can see. His line isn't doing him any favors through eight quarters.

g. The Raiders have played 83 regular-season games since going to the Super Bowl. They've won 20 of them.

h. And the Chiefs are worse.

i. Another miserable day for Derek Anderson (14-of-27, 25 yards, one touchdown, three picks), and if Brady Quinn hadn't looked so shaky in the preseason, I'm sure the Browns would be thinking of making a switch Sunday at Cincinnati.

7. I think I haven't spoken to many people whose predictions are in very good shape three weeks into the season, what with five of the favored AFC picks (New England, Indy, Jacksonville, Cleveland and San Diego) in relative disarray, a combined 4-10. "The worst thing you can do this time of year is look at a team's record. Watch and see how they're playing,'' Mike Shanahan said the other day, and he's right -- to a degree. The problem with some of the best teams in the preseason is that they're showing signs of falling out of the race before the races gets to the quarter-pole.

8. I think, based on a conversation I had with Brandon Marshall Saturday, that I'd be very surprised if he were found guilty of anything -- or settled the case involving battery of a former girlfriend by admitting anything other than his innocence. Now, of course, a man is going to profess his innocence, but I learned a few things about the case from Marshall and others in Denver that lead me to believe the case doesn't have much merit.

I don't think the NFL will bring further discipline against Marshall unless he's found guilty of something, so my expectation is that he'll be around to chase the all-time record for catches in a season (143). Marshall has 24 -- and he's only played two games so far.

9. I think the best thing about the Eagles is they can win games in a variety of ways. They can stop the run -- 13 carries, 20 yards for Willie Parker Sunday -- and they can still blitz when defensive coordinator Jim Johnson feels like it. It sounds like Brian Westbrook might miss a week with his ankle strain (MRI to come today), but I don't doubt Donovan McNabb's ability to stand in against a pounding Chicago defense Sunday night and pull out a win.

10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. You've got to hand it to the Rays. Gutsy team, very good middle and short relief, good defense. And how do all those teams that gave up on Carlos Pena feel about Mr. Clutch now?

b. Joe Maddon can really manage.

c. This is when you know it's not your year: Brewers 2, Reds 1, bottom of the sixth, Saturday, CC Sabathia pitching on three days' rest. Bases loaded, two out -- and there would have been three had Prince Fielder handled a routine bunt without erring.

The Reds, short on the bench (how, by the way, are you short on the bench in September with all the minor-league callups?), send up pitcher Micah Owings to pinch-hit for the shortstop. Owings is a good hitter for a pitcher, evidently, but he steps in the bucket noticeably. Here comes a Sabathia fastball, Owings steps straight at the shortstop and dumps one off the end of the bat over first base, eight feet fair. Two runs score. The final: Reds 4, Brewers 3.

d. I really want to see Burn After Reading.

e. And Body of Lies.

f. Coffeenerdness: Not much of a Starbucks pastry guy -- though my physique would suggest otherwise -- but can't you do better than the paperweightish Top Pot doughnuts? There are 480 calories in a Top Pot glazed, 200 in a Krispy Kreme glazed.

g. Now that's what I call information you just can't live without. I've just given everyone a license to go out and feel good about eating 2.4 Krispy Kremes. It's the same as eating one doughnut of another brand!

h. What a great job by ESPN's E60 show the other night, illustrating how the new Yankee Stadium was ramrodded through the political process and will leave a toll of poor citizens from the Bronx in its wake. I don't know how you could watch that segment and be excited about going to the new stadium, when so many kids are being displaced from the only good park they had in mid-Bronx. Just shameful.

i. I will be shocked if K-Rod is on any team but the Mets next year. How can the Mets not sign him, even if it's for $18 million a year, or some such number? This is the second straight year the bullpen has ruined the Mets' season, and they're moving into a new stadium, charging fans absurd prices for tickets. Those fans won't settle for Brian Fuentes.

j. Not sure what ad agency put out that G2 Derek Jeter commercial, in which he walks through the city, but it's amazing how one of the most charismatic athletes of our time can be made to look boring.

k. They don't grow them much braver than Emma Pacifico.

l. I doubt many in our military deserve leave more than Army First Sgt. Mike McGuire, who is deep into his second long tour in Iraq, overseeing a platoon of men hunting Improvised Explosive Devices on the most dangerous roads in the country. I am so pleased he'll be coming home to the States -- to Missouri, his home, and then to a ceremony in western Pennsylvania honoring the memory of fallen comrade Allan Bevington, and then to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to visit a wounded man in his platoon, Nick Koulchar.

McGuire e-mailed the other day to say: "Getting out of here next week. Last time I was home was when I saw you at the game [a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium in the summer of 2005]. How about KURT WARNER? Yes, I knew he could do it again. I hope he keeps it up, not to prove people wrong, but to show how good he really is and for himself. He is fun to watch. Everyone here is eating their words now, You know everyone has 'grocery boy' jokes about him, but not me. He is the real deal. And the Bills. Remember me telling you the Bills were turning the corner? They have. Big time. Talk to you soon. Mike.'' Which brings me to ...
Good Guys of the Week

Washington owner Dan Snyder, St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger.

The Rams, Mike McGuire's favorite team, aren't home when McGuire will be in St. Louis, but Snyder and Bulger stepped up to take care of that. Snyder will host McGuire, wife Pam, and the brother of the wounded Koulchar at the Rams-Redskins game Oct. 12. And Bulger, whose foundation provides care and R&R for American troops, will host McGuire at Rams Park.

You think those things don't mean a lot? McGuire, like so many of our soldiers, lives for the NFL, plans his week around it, talks endlessly about it out on patrol. And for the owner of the Redskins and the quarterback of his favorite team to take the time and effort to recognize him ... it's something McGuire will remember for the rest of his life.
Who I Like Tonight, and I Mean Tony Kornheiser

San Diego 29, New York Jets 20.

This is what's at stake for the Chargers: If they lose, they're 0-3, in effect, 3.5 games behind Denver, and staring down the barrel of a brutal 15-day stretch starting Oct. 12 -- New England at home, Buffalo on the road and New Orleans in London. However, I take issue with the Mike Tirico voiceover that ESPN played 63,423 times over the weekend.

"It's a must-win game for the Chargers,'' Tirico said in the promo for this game. You can't call this a must-win, not with Oakland and Miami the next two weeks. If the Chargers are 2-3 going into that Pats-Bills-Saints stretch, they certainly could be playing meaningful football in December.

On the Jets' side, I pointed out in my picks this week that they're not using Favre yet the way they should. Last year, New York called pass plays on 56 percent of the offensive snaps; this year it's 50-50 run-pass. That's got to change, particularly with such a good pair of deep threats in Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles.

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