FLASHUPDATE WEEK 3 TEAM NOTES/Wednesday, 19 Sept. 2007
Compiled By FlashUpdate Editor Bob Harris
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ARIZONA CARDINALS
According to Associated Press sports writer Bob Baum, Edgerrin James hasn't looked this good running the football since he left Indianapolis. 
Working behind an inexperienced line, James had his best day as a Cardinal on Sunday. He gained 128 yards in 24 carries, including four consecutive rushes that set up the game-winning field goal in the 23-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. 
In two games, James has gained 220 yards in 50 tries, an average of 4.4 yards. As Baum noted, a 17-yard scoring run Sunday was James' longest in three seasons. 
"A couple of things about Edge," head coach Ken Whisenhunt said Monday. "No. 1, he's running very strong. He's getting a lot of yards after contact, which is very good for any back in the league. The second thing is his vision is very good. Edge is seeing things develop, he's hitting the right holes." 
Although James managed 1,159 yards last year -- his sixth 1,000-yard season, he needed a franchise-record 337 carries to do it, a career-low 3.4 yards per attempt. 
But this is a different team. Whisenhunt, who had been offensive coordinator of the Steelers, was hired to replace pass-happier predecessor Dennis Green. Whisenhunt brought along offensive line coach Russ Grimm. The new coaches wanted a tough team that knew it could run the ball. 
"All of a sudden we get coach Whiz and coach Grimm," James told Baum, "and everybody in this building that's kind of on the same page that I was on." 
The new offense had James usually running behind a fullback, something he hadn't done in the one-back offense of Indianapolis. Any concern about that was wasted, James said. 
"When everybody was saying that," he said, "it was just for entertainment purposes." 
He had, after all, run behind a fullback in college at Miami and in high school. 
That said, Arizona Republic staffer Kent Somers noted that James didn't always follow his fullback. Some of his biggest runs came on misdirection when fullback Terrelle Smith went one way and James went the other. Linebackers and safeties often key in on the fullback, and the plays were designed to fool them. 
Baum went on to note the 128 yards James gained Sunday were his most in 27 games, and he did it behind a line that included an undrafted rookie free agent at center in his first NFL start (Lyle Sendlein), a rookie first-round draft pick at right tackle (Levi Brown) and a second-year pro at right guard (Deuce Lutui). 
"I don't really buy into that young thing," James said. "Once you get to the NFL, you've got to grow up fast right then and there. In this business, you don't have time to grow. You've got to adjust to things fast. So I wasn't worried about them being young." 
It was the 53rd 100-yard game for the 29-year-old running back, eighth-most in NFL history. Two games into his ninth season, his career total stands at 10,605 yards. 
"All I'm doing is what I've always been doing," James said. "I was always outworking people, I've always out-studied people and made sure I put myself in position to have success. ..." 
One other note on the veteran back: The Sports Xchange pointed out on Monday, James was not caught for a loss on Sunday. He had only five such games last year. ... 
Other items of interest. ... According to East Valley Tribune staffer Scott Bordow, Matt Leinart rebounded from a sub-par performance against the 49ers by completing 23 of 37 passes for 299 yards against the Seahawks, with one touchdown and one interception. 
"I'm happy with the way I performed," Leinart said. "I bounced back." 
Whisenhunt said Leinart's improved play was due to hard work. He said Leinart put an "extremely large amount of work in for this game." 
The result: Leinart's footwork was better and so was his decision-making. Other than his third-quarter interception in which he never saw Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, it was hard to find fault with his performance. 
"He looked a lot better today," Whisenhunt said. "He answered the call. ... You could tell that he was more comfortable on the field. He was more decisive, he hung in there and made some big throws for us. We got on him for under-throwing the one interception, but other than that he played a good game." 
Bordow went on to suggest Whisenhunt's tough-love approach with Leinart seems to be paying dividends. 
Leinart responded to his poor outing against the 49ers -- 14 of 28 for 101 yards -- by spending more time at the Cardinals' facility than he ever has before a game. 
"It has to be that way every week," Leinart said. "This is my job. I have to be the first one at the facility and the last one out. ..." 
A year ago on Monday Night Football, in Arizona's memorable collapse against the Chicago Bears, Neil Rackers missed a 41-yard field goal from the left hash mark that would have won the game. 
On Sunday, from the same spot with one second left, he nailed it. 
After having a career year in 2005, Rackers slipped some, particularly on longer kicks last season. He missed six of seven from 50 yards or more. So Sunday's game-winner -- from 52 yards out (his longest of the season) -- was a nice change of pace. 
Earlier, he had a tremendous kick bounce off the left upright from 54 yards out; the kick was long enough to have made it from 60, at least. 
"I was really excited to get another opportunity from beyond 50, with the way it went last season (when he went 1-for-7 from 50-plus). 
"Luckily we got that, then a game winner." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Matt Leinart, Kurt Warner 
RB: Edgerrin James, Marcel Shipp, J.J. Arrington 
FB: Terrelle Smith 
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Bryant Johnson, Sean Morey, Steve Breaston, Jerheme Urban 
TE: Leonard Pope, Troy Bienemann, Tim Euhus 
PK: Neil Rackers 
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ATLANTA FALCONS
According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat writer Steve Wyche, Falcons players are trying to maintain some sense of hope, but just two games into the season tension is simmering. 
Following a 13-7 loss to host Jacksonville on Sunday, in which quarterback Joey Harrington was sacked seven times and the kicker missed two field goals, some players were wondering if this season's course has already been steered down a rebuilding path. 
There is so much work to be done that even with 14 games remaining, time might not be working in the Falcons' favor. The negative trends that have already developed have prompted concern about what this team might be able to accomplish. 
Said tight end Alge Crumpler: "0-2 early is not the place to be. We're going to fix it, as long as we can get through the week without killing each other." 
The frustration level stems mostly from the fact that the Falcons have scored just 10 points this season -- three fewer than the number of sacks they've allowed. 
"It's definitely concerning, there's no question about it," head coach Bobby Petrino said about his team's offensive shortcomings. "We felt like we had something there. I know the guys were excited with the way we ended the [first] half. We've got to get the ball in the end zone and score touchdowns -- and we can't miss field goals." 
Atlanta gained 82 yards on the ground -- 200 fewer than Tennessee rushed for a week earlier against the Jaguars. The leading rushing team in the NFL the past three years has a total of 178 yards on the ground this season. 
The inability to sustain a running game and protect the quarterback seems to point to problems along the offensive line, which is transitioning from a zone-blocking scheme in recent seasons. Players said they don't think that is necessarily the case. 
Still, Wyche noted the abundance of negative plays in the running and passing game has allowed teams to get after Harrington, whose record as an NFL starter dropped to 23-45. Petrino said the quarterback bears a lot of responsibility for the sacks because he continues to hold on to the ball too long when he's under pressure. 
"I think right now Joey is playing a little bit conservative, a little bit not to throw the interception," Petrino said. "Therefore it is causing him to hold the ball. He just needs to open it up more with confidence and play to go win the game." 
That might explain why Harrington suddenly has a new backup. Byron Leftwich, cut by Jacksonville in a surprise preseason move, signed with the Falcons on Tuesday. 
Leftwich's agent, Tom Condon, said the former first-round draft pick passed a physical, worked out for the team and signed a two-year, $7 million deal. The 27-year-old Leftwich is set to join the Falcons for Wednesday's practice. 
"First of all, I'm a football player and the last couple of weeks have been tough on me," said Leftwich, who was cut the week before the season by the Jaguars. "I appreciate the opportunity and I look forward to doing whatever I can to help our team." 
To clear a roster spot for Leftwich, the team released third-string quarterback Casey Bramlet, whose only professional experience came in Europe. 
"As I've said for some time, we've been looking to add a quarterback to the mix since D.J. Shockley's injury in the preseason," Petrino said. "Joey Harrington remains our starting quarterback and Chris Redman is still No. 2, but signing Byron Leftwich presented us a unique opportunity to add a veteran with tremendous experience to our quarterback group." 
It might be worth noting, that Leftwich wore jersey No. 7 through his collegiate career at Marshall and with the Jaguars. He won't wear it with the Falcons. 
That jersey number still belongs to indefinitely suspended quarterback Michael Vick, who remains on the roster while the team tries to collect $22 million in bonuses it paid to him while, according to his admission of guilt, he was engaged in an illegal dog-fighting operation. 
Leftwich is expected to participate in his first practice with the team today. 
Wyche believes Leftwich most likely won't be activated for Sunday's home opener against Carolina, but that could be the last time he won't be in uniform. Whatever the case, it's safe to assume his presence on the roster means it's only a matter of time before he starts pushing Harrington. ... 
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Falcons addressed another concern by re-signing veteran kicker Morten Andersen. 
In the past two weeks, Matt Prater has connected on only one-of-four field goals. He was released to clear a roster spot for Andersen. 
During his first 24 NFL seasons Andersen connected on 825 extra points and 540 field goals. 
Andersen kicked for the Falcons last season, but the team opted to go with Prater this season. However, Andersen lived near the Falcons training complex and as soon as Prater struggled Sunday for the second straight week. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... Warrick Dunn returned from preseason back surgery to play in the third exhibition game and open the season as the starter. After gaining 50 yards on 13 carries against the Jaguars, Dunn said he is feeling some of the effects of the procedure to fix a herniated disc. 
"I do need a few more games, a couple more games, just to be comfortable and be back in football shape," Dunn said. "I'm still grinding away. My legs feel good, but I'm not to where I want to be. I think in time I will be there. ..." 
In an attempt to get Jerious Norwood more touches and spice up the return game, Wyche reports the Falcons had the second-year player handle kickoff returns against Jacksonville. Norwood gained 44 yards on two returns. 
Adam Jennings, who returned kickoffs and punts against Minnesota, lined up to return a kickoff but it went out of the end zone. Jennings gained 3 yards on his lone punt return. 
And finally. ... In something of a surprise de-activation, rookie wide receiver Laurent Robinson was one of eight players inactive for the game. Robinson, who had three catches in Atlanta's loss to Minnesota, has tried to work through hamstring problems that have bothered him since training camp. He went through most drills during the week but was withheld from some work. His absence left Atlanta with four wide receivers. 
In a related note: Roddy White is the Falcons' leading receiver. White, a first-round pick in 2005, has eight catches for 110 yards. Michael Jenkins, a 2004 first-round pick, and Joe Horn, a 2007 free-agent acquisition, have combined for six catches for 76 yards. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Joey Harrington, Chris Redman, Byron Leftwich 
RB: Warrick Dunn, Jerious Norwood, Artose Pinner 
FB: Ovie Mughelli, Corey McIntyre 
WR: Joe Horn, Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Laurent Robinson, Adam Jennings 
TE: Alge Crumpler, Dwayne Blakley, Martrez Milner 
PK: Morten Andersen 
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BALTIMORE RAVENS
Head coach Brian Billick told reporters on Monday that Steve McNair is expected to be under center Sunday against the Cardinals. 
McNair, who missed his first start since joining the Ravens due to a groin pull, said before the team's win over the Jets that he almost ready to play last Sunday. "He felt like if he really had to go, he could have," Billick said. "It's encouraging that he should be able to go on Wednesday." 
When asked if he thought McNair would start this week, Billick replied: "That would be my expectation now based on how he felt Sunday." 
Plus, All-Pro offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden is apparently close to testing out his hyperextended left big toe, an injury that has nagged him since last December. Billick said that Ogden and tight end Daniel Wilcox (sprained right ankle), could return as soon as Wednesday's practice. 
Meanwhile, wide receiver Mark Clayton is nearly fully recovered from toe and ankle problems that have severely limited his mobility and production over the first two weeks. He caught a screen pass for a loss of one yard against the Jets. 
"The ankle was feeling pretty good, and then he got the toe," Billick said. "It's a double-whammy. Based on what we saw the other day, I think he's going to be ready to go. 
"Mark will be ready to reinsert himself into the rotation. I think he's as healthy as he's been since that first week against Philadelphia. ..." 
Although McNair will take back his starting job, Billick was quick to point out the maturity Kyle Boller showed Sunday. In his first start since January 2006, Boller was 23 of 35 for 185 yards and two touchdowns. 
"He conducted himself throughout the entire game in a way that I don't know if I've seen before," Billick said. "There were a couple of times when Kyle might have forced a ball in and maybe it would have been a big play, maybe it would have been a key turnover. But he recognized the situation and he operated the game very, very well." 
"Kyle just went out and did what he was supposed to do," wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "He played efficient football, and efficient football is often overlooked." 
As Baltimore Sun staffer Rick Maese noted on Monday, you could tell Boller was comfortable in there, a description no one would have used not long ago. And, Maese suggested, he should have been. For the first time in his career, he could scan the offensive huddle and notice a change in the talent around him. In his failed three-year tryout as the Ravens' starter, Boller never had a supporting cast like the one yesterday. 
The last time Boller started a game was at the end of the 2005 season, and not only did he look different yesterday, but the entire offense looked different. Boller was sacked 29 times in nine games in 2005. Yesterday, he wasn't sacked once. 
"I don't think I got hit one time," he said. 
He had a lot more receiving targets yesterday, which means a more varied offense. 
Boller's performance didn't spark a quarterback controversy, but it should quell criticism -- at least temporarily -- of the Ravens' recent decision to extend his contract. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... As the Sports Xchange noted, on the day when former Ravens running back Jamal Lewis rushed for over 200 yards, Willis McGahee got a little overshadowed in his best performance as a Raven. 
McGahee rushed 26 times for 97 yards. The most interesting stat was that McGahee made his first career touchdown catch. It came on a two-yard swing pass from Boller and helped give the Ravens a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. 
"I was like, 'Whatever you do, Willis, do not drop the ball, you will not get another chance like this,'" McGahee said later. 
"I was like, I've got to make the best of this," he said. "I'm starting to touch the ball a whole lot more in the passing game. That shows I have a lot of versatility out there. I can do whatever they want me to do when my number's called. ..." 
According to the Sun, wide receiver Demetrius Williams suffered a bruised arm late in Sunday's, but he said afterward that the arm was fine and that he intended to practice this week. Tight end Quinn Sypniewski had a sore neck. 
Rookie kick returner Yamon Figurs didn't take long to show his potential. On his first career kick return, Figurs broke off a 61-yard run and thought for awhile he was going for a touchdown. 
"Just learning right now," said Figurs, who later had a 16-yard punt return. "Building my confidence. ..." 
Matt Stover's streak of 11 consecutive field goals in the regular season (going back to last season) ended when he pushed a 46-yard attempt wide right late in the second quarter. ... 
And finally. ... Billick accused the Jets of using an "illegal" ploy to draw Baltimore offside during Sunday's game. Billick said Monday that the Jets' defense shouted out signals to intentionally throw off the Baltimore offense. Billick claimed the tactic led to the three illegal procedure penalties against the Ravens. 
"They did an outstanding job. I credit the New York Jets. Their defensive line and linebackers did a very, very effective job of illegally simulating the snap count," Billick said. "They did it the whole game long. It needs to be caught." 
Tackle Adam Terry bolted offside in the first and third quarters. Sypniewski jumped in the first quarter. 
"That's not an excuse by any stretch of the imagination. But it is illegal," Billick said. "Our guys have to deal with it. I don't know how to help my linemen with that because, you're in the heat of battle and you're calling the snap count, and the guy across from you is also calling a snap count -- which is illegal." 
In the wake of the Patriots-signal stealing/taping controversy, it would appear the team-on-team finger pointing is on. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Steve McNair, Kyle Boller, Troy Smith 
RB: Willis McGahee, Musa Smith, Mike Anderson 
FB: Le'Ron McClain. Justin Green 
WR: Mark Clayton, Derrick Mason, Demetrius Williams, Yamon Figurs, Devard Darling 
TE: Todd Heap, Daniel Wilcox, Quinn Sypniewski 
PK: Matt Stover, Rhys Lloyd 
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BUFFALO BILLS
Heading into their Week 3 divisional contest against the impressive Patriots, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle staffer Sal Maiorana believes the Bills offense is in crisis. 
According to Maiorana, everyone but rookie Marshawn Lynch looks tight for some reason. 
J.P. Losman has not been sharp, Lee Evans is being neutralized by double coverage, offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild doesn't seem to trust Losman and is calling plays too conservatively, and the Bills can't get anything established in their attack. 
Buffalo's combined 3 of 16 conversion rate on third-and-fourth down speaks volumes about where its offense stands at this early juncture. It can't convert big plays and it can't sustain drives to give reprieve to a battered defense. 
They had one first down in the first half of Sunday's one-sided loss to Pittsburgh. 
Overall, the offense has combined to produce two scores (a touchdown and a field goal), 23 first downs, including only one in the first half against Pittsburgh, and 407 yards net offense. 
How's that compare? Six NFL teams produced 407 yards or more on Sunday alone. 
A bigger problem might have been Losman's initial refusal to acknowledge he's part of the problem. 
As Democrat & Chronicle staffer Leo Roth advised readers, in his post-game news conference, "Losman blamed the coaches' conservative play calling, penalties by teammates (although there were only five), everybody but himself (he threw for a mere 154 yards on 25 attempts). 
Apparently, Losman's accuracy problems have nothing to do with why he's averaging 5.5 yards per attempt and that Evans has just four catches for 22 yards through the club's 0-2 start. 
"Every quarterback is going to want to open it up. And when you don't and you're not winning games, let's give it a shot," Losman said. "I feel I'm experienced enough and I have the tools to get it done." 
It's worth noting that after his post-game comments were widely reported early Monday, Losman found a new target for the problems later in the day: The media. 
"I know you guys are going to make stories and try to divide this team," Losman said referring to a crowd of reporters gathered around his locker. "And I told you guys yesterday, the main thing, the main key to this team right now is to not let people or anybody on this team divide us." 
According to Associated Press sports writer John Wawrow, Losman also used the opportunity to back off his previous complaints about the play-calling. 
"I just think that we probably need to open it up a little bit more in the beginning," Losman had said. "I think that we are back on our heels a little bit in the beginning. 
"Any time you start off 0-2, any time you only score three points in a game, something's happening. And together, as a team, we have to get better. ... Could I have played better yesterday? Of course. Everybody could've." 
Whatever the case, the poor start is a surprise for a unit that was supposed to be better this season, its second under Fairchild. The Bills also spent a combined $74 million to sign guard Derrick Dockery and tackle Langston Walker this offseason. 
According to Wawrow, head coach Dick Jauron wasn't kidding when, before the season started, he expressed concern the offense needed more time. 
What he didn't expect this early was fielding questions of whether to pull Losman. So far, Jauron said he doesn't have a timetable but also declined to say he hasn't ruled out a move. 
"Yeah, we'd take anybody out of a game if we thought it would help us win the game," Jauron said Monday. 
Jauron, however, stressed he still has confidence in Losman, while noting the entire offense needs to play better. 
"Certainly, we needed to perform better," Jauron said. "Whether it was the game plan as such, I don't know. When it goes wrong, it's just wrong. The blame lies in my lap and I'll take it." 
Following the game, Jauron had questioned Losman's performance. 
"It seemed like he missed some open receivers," Jauron said, noting that the line provided good protection. "We need to get the ball down the field and complete passes." 
Losman has completed two passes for 20 or more yards this season, compared to 11 in the final three games last season. And Losman has yet to regain the chemistry he had with Evans, who has just four catches for 22 yards this season. 
Losman took every snap last year, but the Bills drafting of Trent Edwards was proof they weren't entirely sold. And Edwards, whose passing touch and natural leadership in the preseason forced veteran Craig Nall to the curb, is certainly capable of forcing Losman out. 
Asked how many more games he'd go before considering a quarterback change, Jauron said: "I certainly wouldn't put a number on it." 
As Roth suggested, the mere fact he answered the question was telling. ... 
Also of interest. ... As noted above, Lynch has been the lone bright spot for the offense. After gaining 90 yards and a TD in his debut against Denver, he rushed for 64 against the Steelers and is averaging 4.2 yards per carry. 
He also had a 21-yard pass reception in Pittsburgh, but as the Sports Xchange suggests, the Bills need to start finding a way to incorporate him more in the passing game. "Clearly we have a good running back," Jauron said. "We have to get him the ball in more open spaces. He's very hard to tackle." 
Jauron won't get any arguments here. ... 
Also according to the Xchange, receiver Roscoe Parrish tied his career high with six receptions; the Bills need to continue getting the ball in his hands. ... 
And finally. ... Kevin Everett is showing some movement in both hands and greater strength in his leg muscles, further positive signs for the tight end following a life-threatening spinal-cord injury. 
"Kevin Everett remains medically stable in the intensive care unit, and continues to make daily improvement in his neurological status," Bills doctor John Marzo said Monday in a statement released by the team. 
Marzo provided his evaluation after the player was examined Sunday evening by Bills orthopedic surgeon Andrew Cappuccino. "Kevin demonstrated increased strength in the muscles of his legs," Marzo said. "In addition, he was able to show some movement in both hands." 
Marzo added that doctors are now beginning to focus on his neurological and muscular system rehabilitation -- a focus that clearly wasn't expected early last week. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: J.P. Losman, Trent Edwards 
RB: Marshawn Lynch, Anthony Thomas, Dwayne Wright, Fred Jackson, Josh Scobey 
FB/HB: Ryan Neufeld 
WR: Lee Evans, Peerless Price, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, Sam Aiken 
TE: Robert Royal, Michael Gaines, Matt Murphy 
PK: Rian Lindell 
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CAROLINA PANTHERS
After piling up 189 yards on the ground against the St. Louis Rams in Week 1, the Panthers managed 66 yards rushing in Sunday's loss to the Texans and, other than Steve Smith, the team had no answers on offense. 
"Offensively, we're just to up and down," Smith said. "The reason why? I can't tell you why. I could speculate, but there's no need to do that. Just too inconsistent." 
Carolina is now 3-10 all-time in home openers. 
The Panthers will look to get back on the right track next Sunday when they visit the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. In the meantime, Gaston Gazette staffer Steve Reed suggests there will be plenty of lessons as the Panthers go through film of the loss. 
Maybe then, they'll be able to find the answers they struggled for immediately after the game. 
"After we see this tape, we'll see what we've got to do," running back DeShaun Foster said. 
Although Foster and his teammates will wait for the tape, there were more than a few clues on the field. 
For starters, Foster, who ran for 94 yards against the Rams, was held to 22 yards on nine carries. You can't have that lack of consistency from your franchise backs. DeAngelo Williams had 31 yards on eight carries. The zone-blocking scheme didn't work on Sunday. 
In fact, aside from Smith's three touchdowns (he added a 74-yard catch in the fourth quarter), there were no bright spots. In a scene all-too similar to last season, the Panthers couldn't run the ball, gaining 66 yards on 18 carries. 
Foster and kick returner Nick Goings lost fumbles, Jake Delhomme was intercepted once. "Too many drops. Too many turnovers," head coach John Fox said. "Those are things that make it hard to win in the National Football League." 
Delhomme did complete 27 of 41 passes for 307 yards, but many of those numbers came long after the Panthers had fallen behind. 
"We never established anything," Delhomme said. "We're a rhythm football team. Running game, passing game, we do well when we get into some kind of rhythm." 
The Panthers did get into a rhythm Sunday. But as Reed noted, it just wasn't a good one. ... 
Smith's 74-yard touchdown catch -- during which he broke two tackles and ran from one sideline to the other -- cut the lead to 34-21 with 4:28 left. It gave Smith his 20th career 100-yard receiving game, but it was too late. 
By then most of the disgruntled fans had left. They booed loudly as Keary Colbert and Drew Carter -- receivers who were hoping to take pressure off Smith -- combined to drop at least four passes. 
Of his eight-catch, 153-yard, three-touchdown game, Smith said: "At the end (of the season), you look at statistics. Right now, we lost. So, 'Yay for me?' Nah. Offensively, we did not do a good job." 
For what it's worth. ... Colbert did not talk after the game, but Delhomme said the Panthers can't afford to keep dropping passes, calling them "frustrating." 
"I don't care about myself statistically and all that other stuff, but (the drops) are coming at the crucial times," Delhomme said. "It's hard to make plays in this league. The windows are very small. We need to capitalize on some big plays." 
With Colbert and Carter struggling, don't be surprised if rookie Dwayne Jarrett makes his regular-season NFL debut against the Falcons. ...Asked if Jarrett was getting close to being ready to contribute, Fox replied: "Well, if you're on the 53-man roster, you're close. We evaluate each guy each week." 
That said, Fox didn't sound like he was ready to bail on Colbert and Carter. 
"I don't think there was a problem with Drew dropping it last week," Fox said of the Week 1 victory in St. Louis. "I'd say (Sunday) is one day, and we've definitely got to work on it. I think they'd tell you the same thing. ..." 
According to Pro Football Weekly, the Panthers signed free-agent tight end Christian Fauria following their season-opening win over the Rams because they realized rookie Dante Rosario isn't quite ready to contribute in two TE-sets. 
Now the Panthers plan to pair Fauria, a 13-year veteran, and starter Jeff King, who caught six passes in Week 1 and four in Week 2, as they continue to try to emphasize the TE position in the passing game under new coordinator Jeff Davidson. 
And finally. ... After Goings returned five kickoffs for an average of 20.2 yards and fumbled one of them, Fox was asked why rookie Ryne Robinson, who returns punts, wasn't handling kickoffs as well Sunday. 
"We just made that move for this game," Fox said. "We'll evaluate it just like we do all positions. Each one of these things takes on its own personality; there's matchups. We'll see what Atlanta has and we'll make those decisions as we move forward." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Jake Delhomme, David Carr 
RB: DeShaun Foster, DeAngelo Williams, Nick Goings, Alex Haynes 
FB: Brad Hoover, Nick Goings 
WR: Steve Smith, Keary Colbert, Drew Carter, Dwayne Jarrett, Ryne Robinson 
TE: Jeff King, Christian Fauria, Donte Rosario 
PK: John Kasay 
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CHICAGO BEARS
As Chicago Sun-Times staffer Brad Biggs put it: "The Bears' first win of 2007 Sunday featured a solid performance by the defense, a Hall of Fame outing by the returner and -- what else? -- more problems on offense. ... 
"So much for the high-powered juggernaut that supposedly was so fortified in the draft it didn't need help in free agency. That bunch has yet to get the memo that the season has started." 
Indeed, after an uninspired effort in a 20-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bears will find out just how far they are from the teams to beat in the NFC when the Dallas Cowboys come calling Sunday night. 
Two Rex Grossman interceptions and a Bernard Berrian fumble against the Chiefs give the Bears seven turnovers in two games. Cedric Benson rushed for 101 yards on 24 carries but didn't consistently move the chains as the offense converted only three of 13 first downs. 
And maybe everything will change this week. 
Maybe Grossman will finally find the consistency the Bears have been craving. ... Or not. 
But with head coach Lovie Smith preaching patience, Grossman will certainly get the chance. 
"I don't think you make any calls based on what you've done after two games," Smith said on Monday. "I think you need to go into the first quarter (of the season) a little bit. I think from the first to the second game, hopefully, you can see some improvement then. It doesn't always work that way. We are taking steps. ... I say give us a little more time. Hopefully, it'll be this week." 
Patience might come a little easier had the team not gushed about their offense all summer. 
As Associated Press sports writer Andrew Seligman noted, their confidence was based on the belief that a veteran offensive line would continue to rank among the league's best, that Benson would show he's ready to carry the rushing load, and that Grossman would be more consistent. 
After all, he now had a full season as a starter, after being riddled by injuries, and a deep set of receivers. 
Veteran Muhsin Muhammad was coming off a solid season, and the speedy Berrian had a breakout year. Mark Bradley was healthy after missing five games with an ankle injury, and Devin Hester was in the mix. The Bears also had two pass-catching threats at tight end, with rookie Greg Olsen joining Desmond Clark. 
But visions of a more open offense remain just that -- visions. 
Muhammad, who has been bothered a bit by a sore ankle the past few weeks, has just two catches, although Smith insisted that has no bearing on his production. Bradley has not caught a pass. Olsen missed the first two games with a sprained knee but might be ready for this week's game against Dallas. 
"We're excited to finally get Greg Olsen," Smith said, before backing off slightly. "Maybe I jumped the a little bit there. Hopefully, we'll be able to get Greg Olsen going this week." 
There have been breakdowns on the line. Receivers have struggled to get open. And Grossman hasn't helped the cause. 
In the end, it all adds up to an offense that ranks 30th, and it helps explain why a team that tied for fourth in the NFL with a plus-eight turnover ratio last season has given the ball away seven times. Grossman has three interceptions and one touchdown to go with 305 yards. 
Certainly not what the Bears -- or Fantasy owners -- had in mind. 
"We're just not there," Smith said. "It's still early in the year. We made progress offensively this past week, getting our running game going. The next phase will be to bring the passing game along." 
Once again, Hester demonstrated what he's capable of with the ball in his hands, returning a punt 73 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to extend the lead to 14-0 and set up a field goal in the third with another impressive return. He also ran a kickoff back 95 yards to the end zone, only to have it negated by a holding penalty. 
The touchdown return was the seventh for Hester, who set an NFL record with six as a rookie and is now within one of Gale Sayers' team mark. 
"Devin Hester, the first game, didn't have the production he had returning kicks," Smith said. "Hopefully, we took a step with that." 
Now, he hopes the offense takes a similar step. I would suggest more liberal use of Hester on offense would help. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... Benson said his performance -- which included 85 yards after the initial hits -- against the Chiefs sent somewhat of a message after San Diego's Shaun Phillips questioned Benson's toughness last week. 
"I think today could have sent a statement," Benson said. "Yeah, no question." 
But as Sun-Times staffer Roman Modraowski suggested, it wasn't a very loud statement. 
Benson did average 4.2 yards on 24 carries, but his longest run was 13 yards. And he hasn't scored a touchdown this season. 
"I don't know," guard Ruben Brown said when asked if he thought Benson was much better than Week 1. "I'll have to look at the film to tell. ... 'I thought he did a better job. We had a few more runs for distance, so that makes me say yes. But we always could do better as a unit, even when we blow people out." 
It was that type of performance for Benson. The numbers suggest major improvement was made from his 42 yards and 2.2-yards-per-carry average in Week 1, but it wasn't a spectacular difference. 
"I didn't feel like I had a monkey on my back," Benson said. "I just put a lot on myself to improve at small things, and I think I did a good job of it. 
"It is good, though, to get 100 yards. It means a lot early in the season to finally get into your groove, get a good game, get 100 and get it out of the way. And I hope to keep those numbers up week in and week out." 
Left tackle John Tait said Benson's just warming up. 
"I think he got unfairly criticized last week," Tait said. "There were times today where they had more guys than we could block, and he showed what he can do. He's a good running back. He runs people over. It's just the beginning, the start of a good career." 
For what it's worth, Benson has outgained San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chiefs' Larry Johnson -- perhaps the league's two best runners -- in "head-to-head" matchups. 
"I don't look at it like that," Benson said with a smile. "Those guys were running up against a great defense. I wouldn't mind seeing what I can get against our defense. That would be pretty fun. 
"But when you go home and think back, it kind of feels good [to outrush those two]. ..." 
Last week Bradley expressed a desire to become a larger part of the Bears' offense. He'd better keep his fingers crossed. Addressing Bradley's situation Monday, Smith didn't exactly say getting Bradley on the field was a priority. 
Bradley saw little action Sunday and played only four snaps in the opener in San Diego. 
"I mean, Mark's our fifth receiver," Smith said. "It's hard to talk about where the fifth receiver fits in. No team in the country can talk about where the fifth receiver fits in. Mark's one of our guys who will dress. He'll get some occasional plays. And we'll go from there. 
"Right now we have to get in a position where we're taking care of one, two and three, and then possibly four before we get to [Bradley]." 
Nothing like publicly being put in your place. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, Kyle Orton 
RB: Cedric Benson, Adrian Peterson, Garrett Wolfe 
FB: Jason McKie, Lousaka Polite 
WR: Muhsin Muhammad, Bernard Berrian, Rashied Davis, Devin Hester, Mark Bradley, Mike Hass 
TE: Desmond Clark, Greg Olsen, John Gilmore 
PK: Robbie Gould 
=========================

=========================
CINCINNATI BENGALS
When Carson Palmer addressed media assembled after the Bengals' Week 1 win over the Ravens, he was effusive in his praise for the Bengals' defense. Finally, Palmer said, the defense proved it could win a game when the offense underperformed. 
How quickly the team's defensive impact changed fortunes. As Cincinnati Enquirer staffer Dustin Dow noted, this week the Bengals' defense effectively lost the game against the Browns -- in historic proportion. 
By losing 51-45, the Bengals allowed the Browns to tie a team record for touchdown passes (five) and score the most points as a team since 1989. 
Nevertheless, Palmer wasn't about to assign blame to the Bengals' defense Sunday. 
"It's not about that," Palmer said. "It's about wins and losses." 
Head coach Marvin Lewis was even less more demure assessing the defensive shortcomings. 
"I'm not going to try to explain it," Lewis said. "That's our business." 
And the truth is, from a Fantasy perspective, the worse Cincinnati's defense plays the more points the offense has to score. Look no further than the loss to Cleveland for evidence. 
Palmer was brilliant, throwing for 401 yards and six TDs. The scoring strikes went to four different receivers, even as the Browns double-teamed Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. 
Along the way, Johnson established a club record for career receiving yards. He finished Sunday's game with 7,229 career receiving yards, moving into first place. 
"It doesn't mean anything, really," Johnson said. "I respect records, but we did lose." 
Johnson and Houshmandzadeh have combined for 33 receptions for 423 yards and six touchdowns after two games. As of Monday afternoon, Johnson was the NFL receiving leader with 16 receptions for 304 yards and three TDs. ... 
Rudi Johnson ran for 118 yards, and the Bengals averaged 5.3 yards a carry, but Johnson lost a fumble in the first quarter. It was the second week in a row the normally sure-handed running back has coughed up a carry. ... 
Also worth noting, Chad Johnson, who recorded 209 receiving yards Sunday, scored two touchdowns, following through on his promise to jump into Cleveland's "Dawg Pound" fan section after the second one. Some fans threw beer on his jersey as he hung on the top of the wall dividing the stands from the field. 
"That was cool," Johnson said. ... 
Also rather cool was Glenn Holt's emergence as a legitimate third receivers. He made five catches for 52 yards. His fourth-quarter touchdown catch put the Bengals in position to make a comeback attempt in the final minutes. 
"I couldn't be happier for and more proud for Glenn," Palmer said. "He even got the snot knocked out of him a couple times." 
Holt's grip on the No. 3 spot seems firm -- certainly this week. 
Wide receiver Tab Perry's hamstring injury Sunday at Cleveland was the most serious of any suffered by the Bengals. "Not available," is how Lewis described Perry's status for the game Sunday at Seattle. The coach did suggest that Antonio Chatman could see some playing time this week with Perry out. ... 
Less cool would be the fact Cincinnati's special teams have given up 451 return yards in two weeks. 
"We've got to do better. We've got to run with better speed, we've got . . . get our pads down and use our pads better and we've got to tackle when we're there. We had three missed tackles with clean defenders in the hole, and we've got to make those tackles," Lewis said. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Rowe 
RB: Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Cliff Dawson 
FB: Jeremi Johnson 
WR: Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Glenn Holt, Skyler Green, Antonio Chatman, Tab Perry 
TE: Reginald Kelly, Daniel Coats 
PK: Shayne Graham 
=========================

=========================
CLEVELAND BROWNS
What quarterback controversy? Derek Anderson showed why he is Romeo Crennel's No. 1 choice, throwing for 328 yards and five touchdowns in Sunday's ginormous 51-45 win over the Bengals on Sunday. 
As Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Mary Kay Cabot noted, there were some boos after Anderson went three-and-out on his opening drive. Cabot went on to suggest the Brady Quinn chants were sure to follow soon. 
Instead, Anderson, the unknown player who gets no respect, put up points on nine of his next 13 possessions -- including five touchdown passes -- more than enough to quiet even the most strident critics. 
At least for a week. 
"The most proud moment for Derek has to be, you go out and go three-and-out, the stadium's restless, and then he comes back and throws five touchdown passes," said general manager Phil Savage, who traded his starting quarterback two days after the opener. 
"Nobody even asked about Brady Quinn in the press conference." 
Indeed, as Cabot noted, Anderson did his best Peyton Manning imitation -- and made fantasy darlings out of Joe Jurevicius, Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards. 
Jurevicius pulled in a pair of touchdown passes. Edwards posted career bests of eight catches and 146 yards. He caught two touchdown passes in a game for just the second time. Winslow turned in his first 100-yard game as a pro. 
Adding to the fun, Jamal Lewis, in his second game as a Brown, had the sixth-biggest rushing day in team history, 216 yards. In fact, as SI.com insider Peter King pointed out, in the first two games of the season, San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson has 68 rushing yards on 35 carries. 
In the first half of the fourth quarter Sunday, Lewis had 68 rushing yards on four carries. 
As Canton Repository staffer Steve Doerschuk put it: "After so much famine, this much feast. ..." 
And much of the credit clearly goes to Anderson. 
"Derek did an unbelievable job," said Jurevicius, who caught TD passes of 17 and 9 yards. "I wasn't liking it when he was getting booed early. We've got to believe in everybody we have. 
"Obviously we believe in the guy and I think everybody else needs to realize he's a legitimate quarterback. For [Anderson] to come out there and shun the criticism that he's heard for a long time now, and to go out and throw as many TDs as he did and lead the offense up and down the field, hats off to Derek." 
Anderson, thanks in no small part to his strong arm, showed an uncanny knack for throwing over the middle, especially to his tight ends. It's where Winslow got most of his yards, including the 25-yarder for a TD. 
"He's got a gun," said Winslow. "He was awesome. But I think the main thing is we did a good job of protecting him." 
"Derek was phenomenal today," said Edwards. "He's a guy that we have an infinite amount of confidence in, and we talked to him all during the week. He knows that. He has our support and he realized within himself that he had the tools necessary and he was capable of making throws, making reads, getting it from one guy to another and he did that on his own. That was not us." 
He said nobody had to pick Anderson up after the first three-and-out and chorus of boos. 
"He realized inside himself, 'I can do this,'" said Edwards. "He was like, 'This is me. This is what I can do. This is what I'm getting paid to do and this is what I love to do. He took command of the huddle, told us what it was going to be about, how we were going to get it done and we just listened and operated." 
Jurevicius said Anderson's performance and demeanor in the huddle helped everyone rally around him. 
"Our big dogs came out today and they bit hard," said Jurevicius. "Kellen, Braylon, Jamal Lewis, the offensive line, myself -- everybody's getting involved and that's what we should expect from ourselves. ..." 
"We were just humming on all cylinders today," said Edwards. "This is what we can be about. This is the team we want to show the league. This is us." 
Well. ... Maybe. But I'm not looking for those kind of passing totals every week. 
Nor do I expect Lewis to break off 66-yard scoring runs on a regular basis. But that run -- combined with a 47-yarder in the fourth quarter -- were certainly encouraging. 
"He showed he still has the speed to run for a touchdown," Crennel said. "Other teams will have to take notice." 
They will. Any time an offense rolls up 554 yards of total offense opponents will take notice. 
Fantasy owners will, too. 
Remember, however: In the long NFL history of the Browns, which dates to 1950, they'd never had a game in which a back ran for 100 yards, a quarterback threw for more than 300, and two receivers exceeded 100 yards. It's not going to be a weekly occurrence. 
One last note here: As the Sports Xchange pointed out, Joshua Cribbs gave the Browns huge lifts with 183 yards in kickoff returns. Cribbs just missed a touchdown on an 85-yard return but did provide the Browns with excellent field position all day. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey 
RB: Jamal Lewis, Jason Wright, Jerome Harrison 
FB: Lawrence Vickers, Charles Ali 
WR: Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurevicius, Tim Carter, Joshua Cribbs, Travis Wilson 
TE: Kellen Winslow, Steve Heiden, Darnell Dinkins 
PK: Phil Dawson 
=========================

=========================
DALLAS COWBOYS
As Associated Press sports writer Jaime Aron noted Monday, two games into his first full season as a starting quarterback, Tony Romo has been exposed. 
He doesn't know how to slide. 
Aron went on to explain that Romo's headfirst dive onto the hard baseball infield in Miami on Sunday was curious at best, a needless risk that prompted enough teasing that maybe he'll play it safe next time. Yet the real lesson of that scramble is that it's one of the few questionable decisions Romo has made thus far. 
His stellar leadership is the main reason the Dallas Cowboys are 2-0 for the first time since 1999. He was the NFC offensive player of the week after producing five touchdowns against the Giants in the opener, then might have been even better in a 37-20 victory over the Dolphins. 
But as FOXSports.com's Alex Marvez noted, what Romo didn't do Sunday is what reflects growth in his second season as the club's starting quarterback. 
"We know he can make those (athletic) plays," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said from inside his team's locker room at Dolphin Stadium. "But I'm particularly impressed he's not making the bad plays." 
Marvez went on to suggest the Cowboys are being rewarded for gambling on Romo, whose play gradually declined last year after an impressive starting debut that generated a Pro Bowl berth. Jones had enough faith in the five-year veteran that he didn't pursue another potential starter in the off-season and traded away the first-round pick Cleveland used on Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. 
But Jones wasn't so confident to sign Romo, who is earning $1.5 million this season, to a long-term contract extension beyond the 2007 campaign. 
Jones says that should soon be changing. 
"Tony's not going anywhere," he said. 
Of course, the concerns entering this season were whether Romo could better his decision-making and avoid sloppy mistakes. Working with a new quarterbacks coach (Wade Wilson) and offensive coordinator (Jason Garrett) appears to have done wonders. 
"When you talk to me about him, it is about, 'Can we win without those turnovers out there?'" Jones said. "You see what it does to you with the Dolphins and their five turnovers. Tony's not doing that and it's helping us." 
He's helping in other ways, too, of course. 
Romo is averaging a ridiculously high 10 yards per attempts, with six touchdowns and only one interception. He's been sacked twice -- one of them for 0 yards, head coach Wade Phillips noted -- and he's turned seven runs into 47 yards and a touchdown. 
His quarterback rating is 119.3 and he's guided the Cowboys to 82 points, their highest two-game total since 1971. 
Just like everyone expected -- right? 
Well, certainly like some of us -- teammates included -- were looking for. 
"These are the types of things we expect from him," Terrell Owens said. "We've just got to try and make enough plays for him. ..." 
For what it's worth, the Cowboys would like to work off Texans quarterback Matt Schaub's six-year, $48 contract when they sit down to talk turkey with Romo. But as ESPN.com's Matt Mosley suggested Monday, it's safe to assume Romo's agent, Ken Kremer, has something a bit higher in mind. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... According to Fort Worth Star-Telegram staffer Mac Engel, while most of the offense is celebrating that 82-point output, Julius Jones is trying to stay cool. 
The starting running back isn't deaf to those who say Marion Barber should be the starter, but Jones knows he can do more. He's doing his best, though, not to press. 
"I have to stay patient and not try to press too much. When you're in there for two series and then you come out, you start to press a little bit," Jones said. "Maybe that's what I'm doing. Maybe not. Whatever it is, I'll figure it out and get it right." 
Jones averages 3.2 yards per carry and has rushed for 98 yards on 31 carries with no touchdowns. Barber, Jones' "backup," averages 6.2 yards per carry and has rushed for 154 yards on 25 carries and has scored three times. 
And Phillips said he has no intention of changing the running-back-by series approach. 
"When you're in there two series and you know you're coming out, you try to make something happen," Jones said. "I have to learn to stay with my game and let things happen." 
Maybe so, but I wholeheartedly agree with SI.com insider Peter King, who wrote on Monday: "Anyone who watches football has to know Marion Barber is better than Julius Jones. ..." 
But the Cowboys are catching on. Indeed, a change in the offensive approach this season has Garrett using Barber earlier in the game than he was used a year ago. 
"I think that's the right thing to do," Jones said. "He's a spark. There's no question he is inspirational. Those are pretty important things. He's not only very, very effective on any down, but he is physical and has a very aggressive style that really picks the team up." 
And they'll need him this week. 
As NFL Network insider Adam Schefter pointed out on Monday, Barber and Jones will not face a tougher run defense than the one they go against Sunday night in Chicago. 
During the season's first two weeks, the Bears defense held San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson and Kansas City's Larry Johnson to a combined 80 yards rushing. Tomlinson had only 25 rushing yards versus the Bears, the second worst day of his NFL career, and Johnson piled up a mere 55 more. 
Anyone who is going to beat Chicago is going to have to find some other way than on the ground to do it. ... 
Star-Telegram beat man Rick Herrin reported on Monday that Patrick Crayton didn't let a mangled right pinky finger keep him from providing a spark Sunday. 
Crayton, who suffered an open dislocation in the first half that required stitches, came back in the second half with a 49-yard punt return to help set up a Cowboys' touchdown in the 37-20 victory against the Miami Dolphins. 
The return, the longest of his NFL career, set up the Cowboys at the Miami 30. It led to tight end Tony Curtis' 2-yard touchdown catch, allowing Dallas to retake the lead at 17-13 with 4:41 remaining in the third quarter. 
Crayton, who had his ring finger and pinky taped together, suffered the injury swatting away an errant deep pass from Miami's Will Allen to prevent a potential interception in the second quarter. Crayton was replaced by Sam Hurd, who had two catches for 18 yards. 
"I just heard it snap, and when I get up off the ground I looked at it and said, 'That's not right,'" said Crayton, who did not have a reception. 
Barber replaced him as the punt returner in the first half, but didn't have a return. 
All indications are Crayton will be in the starting lineup against Chicago this weekend. ... 
Owens had three drops on Sunday. According to Dallas Morning News staffer Calvin Watkins, two of those drops Owens said were attributed to the sun. Owens had a bad one in the back of the end zone. Romo scrambled to his right and threw to Owens in the back of the end zone. The ball hit Owens in the chest and landed incomplete. Dallas settled for a field goal of 28 yards from Nick Folk to take a 20-13 lead in the third. 
"I didn't see the ball," said Owens, who had five catches for 97 yards and one touchdown. "The sun was right in my face. ..." 
Including Sunday's 97-yard output, Owens has 11,899 career receiving yards. He passed Don Maynard (11,834) and moved into 15th place on the NFL's all-time list. ... 
Also according to Watson, tight end Jason Witten needed intravenous fluids at halftime and was the last player to make it to the bench to start the second half. The temperature at kickoff was 89 degrees, 11 higher than the Cowboys' season opener at Texas Stadium. 
"Usually it doesn't bother me," Witten said, "but it was hot out there. ..." 
Curtis made his first NFL catch -- the above-mentioned 2-yards scoring grab -- a memorable one. Romo was able to deliver the pass while in the grasp of Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter. It was Curtis' only catch of the game. "There are three looks, and I'm the last look on that play," Curtis said. ... 
And finally. ... Folk has said he needs to make a big kick to build his teammates trust in him. The rookie came though with a big one in the second half. His 47-yard field goal was a career-long as a pro to give Dallas a 23-13 lead. Folk made three field goals. 
"It was a big kick for him to salvage that drive for us," Garrett said. "You're never relaxed but you feel like we did something there on that drive." 
Folk is 4-for-4 this season and has made all of his extra-point attempts. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Tony Romo, Brad Johnson 
RB: Julius Jones, Marion Barber, Tyson Thompson 
FB: Oliver Hoyte, Deon Anderson 
WR: Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, Isaiah Stanback, Terry Glenn 
TE: Jason Witten, Anthony Fasano, Tony Curtis 
PK: Nick Folk 
=========================

=========================
DENVER BRONCOS
As Denver Post staff writer Mike Klis pointed out Monday, Jay Cutler has played in only seven NFL games. The Broncos' quarterback has led a fourth-quarter, game-rallying scoring drive in the past three. 
The streak began in the final game of 2006. Win and the Broncos are in the playoffs. Lose and the Broncos are finished. They were trailing San Francisco 23-16 when Cutler led the Broncos on an 80-yard, game-tying scoring drive capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Tony Scheffler with 1:35 remaining. 
The Broncos lost in overtime, but that doesn't diminish the fourth-quarter pressure. To open 2007, the Broncos were trailing Buffalo 14-12 with 2:13 left. Cutler directed the Broncos on a 42-yard drive that took up all 2 minutes and 13 seconds and set up Jason Elam's frenetic, game-winning field goal. 
No. 3 came Sunday against the Raiders. The Broncos were down 20-17 with 8:55 remaining. 
"Any quarterback would like to go out there and go up 31-7 and ease into the fourth quarter," Cutler said. "But we haven't been that fortunate so far. We've been in some tight ballgames, we've had to make some things happen late in the fourth quarter and I'm fine with it." 
On third-and-11 from his own 29, 7:30 remaining, Cutler, from the shotgun, hit Brandon Stokley for a 23-yard gain to the Oakland 48. The youngster was doing it again. 
"He's big, he's pretty calm out there," Broncos center Tom Nalen said of Cutler. "He's definitely big in the huddle, and we respect him, and he's getting it done." 
Running back Travis Henry did most of the work in taking the Broncos to the Raiders' 38, but on second-and-11, Cutler hit Javon Walker for 12 yards and later on a 5-yard completion to the 2. Elam booted in the game-tying field goal from there. 
"I was really pleased with his poise when the pressure was on," head coach Mike Shanahan said of Cutler. 
With Cutler at the helm, the Broncos lead the NFL in total offense and passing offense. 
Also, Henry leads the NFL with four consecutive 100-yard games. Elam needs eight points to reach 1,700 career points. He has played 222 games. Gary Anderson holds the NFL mark for reaching that plateau the fastest. It took him 248 games. 
Other notes of interest. ... Henry limped off the field with a sprained ankle with less than under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But he returned the next series and rumbled 18 yards on five carries during the next seven offensive plays and added another critical 11-yard run as the Broncos sent the game to overtime. 
"It's good. I just tweaked it," Henry said, adding the injury wasn't significant. "I knew I had to suck it up and get back in there and help us get the win." 
Henry finished with 128 yards in his second straight triple-digit performance so don't get too excited about the injury. I'll monitor his status in coming days, but it doesn't seem like it will be an issue. ... 
Overall, Henry spearheaded a solid rushing attack that averaged 4.8 yards per carry -- including a 40-yard run by Selvin Young. Fullback Cecil Sapp had a touchdown and fellow fullback Mike Bell gained a big first down on Denver's final drive. ... 
According to Post staffer Bill Williamson, Daniel Graham, who signed a five-year, $30 million contract during the offseason as a free agent from New England, has been a devastating blocker and a big reason why Henry is the NFL's leading rusher. 
Shanahan praised Graham for the second consecutive week Monday. 
"The unsung hero in this game was Daniel Graham," Shanahan said. "He dominated the line of scrimmage and gave us 60 minutes of unbelievable football." 
The game was another sign of Graham having little trouble playing with asthma. 
"He did a heck of a job considering he does have some asthma," Shanahan said. "For him to play a complete game and to be in motion as much as he was kind of gives you an idea of how important this is to him. ..." 
Also according to Williamson, second-year receiver Brandon Marshall has 10 catches in two games. But Shanahan is particularly tickled with Marshall's blocking ability. 
"The thing that went unnoticed was how he dominated in the running game," Shanahan said. "Not only is he doing a good job catching the football, but he helps in the run support and that gives you a good chance to have a good running game." 
On a less positive note. ... Marshall took a touchdown away when he was called for pass interference. After the contact, Marshall made a nifty run to find the end zone. It would have given the Broncos a 23-3 lead. Instead, the Raiders mounted a comeback. 
Scheffler did not play in the opener because, according to Pro Football Weekly, the team is trying to get him back up to speed and fine-tune his blocking after missing a good chunk of the offseason and a portion of training camp with a broken foot. He played against Oakland but did not make a catch. 
And finally. ... The Broncos signed tight end Stephen Alexander and waived tackle Chad Mustard on Monday. 
Alexander rejoined the team after being waived on Saturday. The 10-year veteran made the team out of training camp but was inactive for the Broncos season-opening win over Buffalo on September 9. A second-round draft choice of Washington in 1998, Alexander has 247 career receptions and 14 touchdowns for Denver, Detroit, and San Diego. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Jay Cutler, Patrick Ramsey 
RB: Travis Henry, Selvin Young, Mike Bell, Andre Hall 
FB: Cecil Sapp, Mike Bell, Paul Smith 
WR: Javon Walker, Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley, Domenik Hixon, Brian Clark 
TE: Daniel Graham, Tony Scheffler, Nate Jackson, Stephen Alexander 
PK: Jason Elam 
=========================

=========================
DETROIT LIONS
According to Associated Press sports writer Larry Lage, Jon Kitna was one of the NFL's most thankful players Monday. Kitna was knocked out of the game against Minnesota on Sunday with a concussion, only to return and lead the Lions to an overtime win over the Vikings. 
"I've never felt anything like that, and for it to clear up and go right back to as normal as I can be, is nothing short of a miracle," Kitna said Monday. "I just definitely feel the hand of God. That's all it was. You can't explain it. 
"I have no headaches, no symptoms, no lingering effects. But that was the worst my head has ever felt, and the worse my memory was in the second quarter. Yet, after halftime there was nothing." 
Kitna said it was the third concussion of his NFL career, and the first since 2001. 
After saying he knew who he was during the game, a reporter asked Kitna if he knew where he was. 
"Barely," he said. 
He was knocked out of the game in the second quarter and appeared to be out for the rest of the day, standing on the sideline without a helmet. But the team cleared him to play in the third quarter and he came back in the fourth. 
Kitna passed a follow-up examination Monday morning. 
"He's fine," head coach Rod Marinelli said. "He didn't have any symptoms, no headaches." 
Kitna ran the ball twice on the final possession, leading a game-winning drive when Detroit trailed or was tied for the third straight game, including a win last season at Dallas. 
"It was a courageous effort," offensive tackle George Foster said. 
While I won't argue that, I will suggest that Marinelli and the Lions can expect a great deal of scrutiny over the decision to let Kitna return to action given NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's recent interest in concussion-related issues. 
In a related note. ... J.T. O'Sullivan hasn't lost his position as the Lions' backup quarterback. O'Sullivan had several shaky moments in relief of Kitna, but Marinelli won't change the depth chart for the next game at Philadelphia. 
Dan Orlovsky, the No. 3 quarterback, still hasn't recovered from a jammed big toe, Marinelli said Monday. Orlovsky hasn't played or practiced at full speed since the toe was hurt in the second exhibition game at Cleveland. 
"I think we're set right now," Marinelli said. "The order we have right now, we're fine. ..." 
Moving on to matters of much greater interest to Fantasy owners. ... Marinelli is "optimistic" that running back Kevin Jones can return to action against the Eagles this weekend. 
Jones hasn't played since suffering a Lisfranc fracture in his foot on December 10 at Minnesota. 
"I'm optimistic," Marinelli said. "But I never want to tell you something I can't back up 100 percent. It kind of relies on him, how he's feeling, and he feels good. He says he feels pretty good, so we have a chance. We'll see this week as it goes." 
According to Detroit Free Press reporter Nicholas J. Cotsonika, if Jones does play against the Eagles, his hometown team, he likely will play only about 15 to 20 snaps. It will be the first time he will have been tackled since the injury. 
"You don't want to rush him back so fast we get him overly sore," Marinelli said. 
Jones rushed for 689 yards and six touchdowns -- averaging 3.8 yards per carry -- last season. 
The Lions have used Tatum Bell as their primary running back over the first two games this season. Bell has rushed for 101 yards and one TD this season. 
He was not especially impressive against the Vikings -- although Bell isn't solely responsible. 
For most of the day the Lions ignored the run, and they didn't have much success when they did hand it off. The Lions ran the ball 21 times for 56 yards for an average of 2.7 yards per carry. In turn they passed 56 times, completing 35 for 359 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. 
Their biggest running plays before the Brian Calhoun broke off a 17-yarder in overtime came on two reverses to wide receiver Calvin Johnson and two quarterback scrambles. 
"Shoot. What they say about Mike Martz is true," Bell said of the Lions' offensive coordinator. "He passes first. I don't have a problem fitting into his system. But when they want 130 or 140 yards, and you only get five or six touches, I am thinking every time I touch the ball I got to go to the house." 
The Lions' first nine plays were pass attempts. 
"We came out throwing, and running the ball didn't even come to mind," Bell said. "So I got to do what I can. Whether you get five carries or 15 carries you got to be positive. It is a team win, and I am happy with the win. ..." 
He better get used to that; once Jones is back, Bell's touches will be further limited. ... 
Meanwhile, as Pro Football Weekly noted, the Raiders, who played predominantly man defense last season, unexpectedly ran a lot of cover-2 zone in the Week 1 matchup with the Lions. It's a scheme that is meant to slow down the passing game -- or at least keep everything short. It mostly failed. 
Roy Williams caught a touchdown and Johnson had a stellar debut. NFC receptions champ Mike Furrey did his thing, catching five passes and working the underneath areas. 
But the nicest surprise was the play of Shaun McDonald, who caught six passes for 90 yards and a crucial touchdown. 
Since the middle of training camp, team sources have raved about McDonald's play, and his role in the offense should remain big. In fact, he could be this year's Furrey -- a secret weapon of sorts who slips through the cracks. 
And of course, the passing game didn't miss a beat against Minnesota as Kitna and O'Sullivan combined to pass for 393 yards. 
Williams led the attack with seven catches for 111 yards and touchdown. McDonald added evidence of a potential breakout season with seven catches for 71 yards. 
On the injury front. ... Starting tight end Dan Campbell had an MRI on his injured elbow and the Lions are waiting for the results. Sean McHugh picked up the slack for Campbell. He has 72 yards receiving through two games. 
The Lions were without power back T.J. Duckett, who was out because of a high ankle sprain. Given the injury, I'll be surprised if he's ready to go this week. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Jon Kitna, J.T. O'Sullivan, Dan Orlovsky 
RB: Tatum Bell, T.J. Duckett, Brian Calhoun, Aveion Cason, Kevin Jones 
FB/HB: Casey Fitzsimmons, John Bradley 
WR: Roy Williams, Mike Furrey, Calvin Johnson, Shaun McDonald, Troy Walters 
TE: Dan Campbell, Sean McHugh 
PK: Jason Hanson 
=========================

=========================
GREEN BAY PACKERS
According to Green Bay Press Gazette staffer Pete Dougherty, DeShawn Wynn will get more carries at halfback this week and could displace Brandon Jackson as the Packers' primary halfback. 
The Packers on Monday were vague about making such a move because they want to keep a competitive advantage over San Diego early this week, but Dougherty believes it's "a given" that coaches will make Wynn a more prominent part of the offense in an effort to boost their flagging run game. 
Such a move would make sense. 
Wynn has outperformed Jackson in the first two games and is winning the trust of the coaching staff for being assignment-sure and taking a professional approach after getting off to a shaky start with the organization in the offseason and training camp. He gained 50 yards on 10 carries Sunday in the Packers' win over the New York Giants, including a 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. 
"We'll have to see how to attack San Diego, the best things those guys do well," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said when asked if Wynn would become the primary back this week. "But certainly DeShawn didn't hurt himself with the way he played." 
Though the Packers are 2-0, their run game remains their greatest concern. Their offensive line hasn't blocked well, and Jackson, the starter since Vernand Morency was injured the first day of training camp, has gained only 75 yards in 32 carries for a 2.3-yard average. 
Dougherty added that Jackson also hasn't shown an ability to make yards on his own. 
Wynn, on the other hand, has had a couple of plays during which he's broken tackles and made cuts that picked up extra yards. At 232 pounds, he's not as quick as the 212-pound Jackson, but he's more powerful and looks more instinctive. 
All that said, Dougherty was quick to not that Wynn by no means looks like the cure to all that ails the Packers' running game. But he has outplayed Jackson even though he missed most of training camp with the flu and then a thigh injury. 
It's unclear whether Wynn has adapted to the one-cut zone-running scheme faster than Jackson or whether he's the better pure runner. 
"[Wynn] kind of starts slower and accelerates fast, so he almost looks quicker (than Jackson)," Philbin said. "Sometimes Brandon's the opposite -- sometimes Brandon's too quick out of the gate and not as quick through the hole. At this stage of the game, DeShawn has a little more control initially, and you sometimes see change of gears and acceleration, and Brandon at times is a little quick out there initially where you'd want him to be slower." 
Dougherty added that Wynn is gaining the trust of the Packers' coaching staff because he's done more than just say the right things. Running back coach Edgar Bennett told Dougherty that Wynn hasn't made an assignment error in the first two games even though he's been the third-down back, which means he's exposed to the most exotic blitzes defensive coordinators concoct. 
Meanwhile, the Packers also are likely to give recently acquired halfback Ryan Grant some more chances to carry the ball. Grant, picked up in a trade from the Giants two weeks ago, had only one touch against his former team, but it was an eye-catcher. He caught a screen pass, broke the tackle of cornerback Corey Webster with a spin move along the sidelines and turned the play into a 21-yard gain that set up Wynn's 6-yard touchdown. 
"He showed us some things the other day that he's more than capable of being an extremely productive third-down back," Bennett said. "But he's more than that." 
Whatever the case, the Packers need their run game to become more of a threat or they'll have serious problems moving the ball against the stronger defensive teams they face, including this week against the Chargers. ... 
In a related note. ... Morency tested his injured knee during Wednesday's practice. According to Press Gazette staffer Tom Pelissero, Morency appeared to be running fine while participating in the team portions of practice reporters were allowed to watch. 
Whether he becomes sore, of course, is the real test of his strained right knee. 
I'll add that even if he's able to get in a full week of work, it will still be his first such effort since early August. The chances he'll be ready to make a major contribution are slim. ... 
Also on the injury front. ... Greg Jennings, who has missed the first two games because of a nagging hamstring injury, probably will be held out of practice until later in the week. Head coach Mike McCarthy would like to preserve Jennings in hopes of having him available Sunday. ... 
Other items of interest this week. ... According to PackersNews.com, the formula for the Packers to be successful on offense is quite simple: Brett Favre needs to be accurate and smart in his decision-making and receiver Donald Driver must be the focal point of the passing game. 
Without much of a running game for the second straight week, that once again was the formula for success in Sunday's win over the Giants. 
Trailing 10-7 at halftime, Favre completed his first 14 passes of the second half and by the end of that stretch, the Packers led 21-13. On the second possession of the half, Driver caught an 8-yard slant, a 19-yard cross and a 5-yard out to help set up a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Donald Lee. 
Driver appears to be over the foot sprain he sustained in the Aug. 23 preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. After catching six passes for 66 yards in the Week 1 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Driver on Sunday caught his first touchdown pass of the season (a 10-yarder from Favre in the fourth quarter) and finished with a team-high eight catches for 73 yards. 
Though rookie receiver James Jones (four catches for 75 yards) and tight ends Bubba Franks (four catches, 20 yards) and Lee (four catches 35 yards) were steady, the Packers' offense goes through Driver. 
With Driver finding ways to get open, Favre had a field day. A week after posting a passer rating of 58.2 against the Eagles, Favre was far better against the Giants. He completed 29 of 38 passes for 286 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. That equated to a passer rating of 112.4, which was his second-highest in his last 28 regular-season games dating to the 2005 season. 
Perhaps Favre's most impressive throw of the season came on the touchdown pass to Driver. Favre waited and waited for Driver to get open, then fired a bullet to the back of the end zone. 
Meanwhile, Favre passed John Elway on Sunday to become the winningest quarterback in NFL history with 149 -- just one more accolade on his stacked resume. 
"Maybe one day down the road it will mean a lot," Favre said after beating the Giants. "But the most important game is the next game. I'm proud I've played in a lot of games." 
Favre holds a dozen NFL records and is closing in on more. Sunday's touchdowns have left him three shy of Dan Marino's all-time mark of 420, and if he manages to throw 20 this season, he will match Marino's achievement of throwing 20 or more TDs in 13 consecutive seasons. 
Sunday's win was also his 58th game with three or more touchdown passes. 
"It looks like he's having fun and he had a heck of a game," said McCarthy. "The all-time anything in this league is such a monumental achievement. 149 victories speak for itself." 
McCarthy would certainly suggest Favre reassesses his view on the wins record. 
"When you go out and win for a long period of time, I think that it is the ultimate compliment that a quarterback can have," he said. "If you ask me what is the biggest record he can achieve I think he just accomplished it. ..." 
And finally. ... According to the Sports Xchange, receiver Ruvell Martin is a candidate to be the emergency No. 3 quarterback. Fellow receiver Carlyle Holiday was being groomed for that role but was placed on injured reserve Saturday with a knee injury. McCarthy mentioned CB Charles Woodson as another possibility to step in if both Favre and Aaron Rodgers were to be lost in a game. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers 
RB: Brandon Jackson, DeShawn Wynn, Ryan Grant, Vernand Morency 
FB: Korey Hall, John Kuhn 
WR: Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Ruvell Martin, Chris Francies 
TE: Donald Lee, Bubba Franks 
PK: Mason Crosby 
=========================

=========================
HOUSTON TEXANS
Head coach Gary Kubiak announced in his weekly press conference Monday that wide receiver Andre Johnson's sprained left knee suffered at Carolina could take him out of Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts and perhaps even longer. 
Asked Wednesday if there was any chance he could play against the Colts, Johnson told Associated Press sports writer Kristie Rieken: "No. I mean as it looks right now, you look at me right now, no I wouldn't be out there on Sunday." 
Johnson, who wore a large brace on his injured left knee Wednesday, said he is unsure of when he can return but didn't rule out next week's game. 
"I'm taking it day-by-day, week-by-week, and doing everything I can to strengthen my leg so I can be back," he said. 
Kubiak said he would list Johnson as "doubtful" for the upcoming game against Indianapolis. According to HoustonTexans.com staffer Nick Schenck, the good news is that there is limited swelling in the knee. 
Texans head athletic trainer Kevin Bastin spoke to reporters following Kubiak's press conference. 
"He's got a sprain to his knee," Bastin said of Johnson. "We're fortunate that nothing from the MRI (exam) indicated that he needs any surgery. So that's a good sign. He had just trace swelling on the knee, which was another good sign." 
Bastin said Johnson injured his knee on his 10-yard catch in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win over the Panthers. Safety Chris Harris hit Johnson shortly after the reception, and Johnson bent back awkwardly. After a few moments on the ground, Johnson left the field and did not return. It was the last pass that the Texans attempted in the game. 
"After seeing the film, it's fortunate," Bastin said. "It could've been worse based on the way he was twisted around." 
Johnson will be reevaluated by Bastin and the team physician, Dr. Walt Lowe, on Wednesday, when they'll have a better idea of Johnson's timetable for recovery. 
"We'll probably know more by mid-week just on how [Andre] responds to the immobilization and the treatment that we do for him," Bastin said. "Probably at this point for this weekend (versus Indianapolis) he would be questionable or doubtful for this week." 
Meanwhile, as Houston Chronicle beat writer Megan Manfull noted Tuesday, Johnson's possible absence leaves a sizable void in the offense. 
Johnson has 262 receiving yards this season, ranking fourth in the NFL. The seven other Texans with at least one catch have 190 receiving yards combined. 
"We won't replace Andre," Kubiak said. "If he's going to miss some time, you cannot replace him. The whole football team will have to pick up the slack, and we'll all have to replace Andre in how we play." 
Kevin Walter, who entered the season as the No. 2 starter, has just two catches for 17 yards, but he is not discouraged by what the other receivers have done. Instead, he said he and the other receivers are ready for an opportunity to help the team. 
"We need to step up as receivers," Walter said. "We need to fill his role while he's gone. [Johnson] goes out there and performs and we need to do the same thing. Everyone needs to step up and help fill that void." 
The Texans must prepare as if Johnson will miss his first start since Oct. 30, 2005, though. If Johnson cannot play, Andre' Davis will be activated as the fourth option at receiver. 
But Davis could wind up starting. Because Walter and Jacoby Jones play the same position, Kubiak has to decide between moving one of them or inserting Davis or Jerome Mathis as the other starter. 
So, as much as Jones seems like the logical choice, it remains to be seen if that's how it actually plays out. I would suggest, however, whether he starts or not, Jones still looks like the team's most dangerous receiving threat with Johnson sidelined. 
"That's something we'll address, but all four of those kids are going to play," Kubiak said. "We're fixing to find out if the group can pick up the slack if Andre's going to miss some time." 
Walter is confident they can, especially with a little help from their teammates. 
Tight end Owen Daniels is the second-most productive receiver on the team with six catches for 72 yards. Vonta Leach (six for 29 yards) and Ahman Green (four for 23) also have had key contributions in the first two games. 
"We all need to play cohesive as a unit, as a team," Walter told Manfull. "Offense, defense -- everybody is playing real well together. Something like this is going to bring us closer together because we need to pick up the slack. We need to pick up the slack in his absence. 
"We have to continue to work hard and when we get the opportunities to work hard in the passing game and running game, we have to come through. ..." 
In a related note. ... According to Chronicle columnist Richard Justice, "being a good leader is about accepting the blame and sharing the credit. Matt Schaub did both those things Sunday afternoon. 
"Leadership is about composure and consistency. Schaub excelled in those areas as well Sunday. 
"Finally, leadership is about doing your job, about being a guy others know they can count on. Right, Matt Schaub again. ..." 
"This kid is a good player now," Kubiak said. "He has a chance to be a great one." 
In an article published Monday, SI.com insider Peter King wrote: "Credit Schaub for the life-preserver he's thrown this franchise, and credit Kubiak for having the gumption to trade two second-round picks for a mostly unproven quarterback and then jamming his offense down Schaub's throat in one short offseason. 
"All Schaub's done is complete 72 percent of his throws and become the leader David Carr never was in Houston." 
As the Sports Xchange noted, his pass protection was much improved in Week 2 and Schaub didn't give up an interception. Schaub spread the ball around using six different targets as he completed 20 of 28 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. The offensive line gave Schaub time to throw in the pocket and they also prevented him from being sacked even once -- despite a strong front four lining up for the Carolina Panthers. 
Schaub's passer rating after one quarter was a perfect 158.3. For the day, it was 119.2. 
If you think his teammates aren't happy to have him on board, think again. 
"Our quarterback is phenomenal," Ephraim Salaam said. 
"When you watch No. 8 on the field, he's so poised," cornerback Dunta Robinson said. "When you've got a quarterback that believes in his team and in his defense, it makes you go out and play even harder. Even when things weren't looking good, he never dropped his head." 
"He doesn't panic. By him not panicking, it's rubbing off on us," Johnson said. "Before, we'd go down by 14 points early in the game, and the game would be over. Now we go down by 14, everyone comes to the sideline, and it's, 'Hey, we're fine.'" 
And with Schaub under center, they actually are. 
Other notes of interest. ... Soon after Green scored his first touchdown as a Texan on Sunday, Kubiak replaced him with Ron Dayne. 
Green had 15 carries for 71 yards with one touchdown. Midway through the third quarter with the Texans leading 31-14, Dayne took over. "[Green] has been cramping a little bit, and Ronnie is a big pounder at the end of the game," Kubiak said. 
Dayne finished with 18 carries for 44 yards. According to the Xchange, Dayne left Sunday's game "banged up." 
The Texans do not expect any of his aches to actually limit him in practice or the game. They also expect Green to be full-go this week. 
And finally. ... Also according to the Xchange, tight end Mark Bruener only played the first 10 plays of the game against Carolina and eventually left because of the flu. He is expected to be OK this week. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Matt Schaub, Sage Rosenfels 
RB: Ahman Green, Ron Dayne, Samkon Gado 
FB: Vonta Leach, Jameel Cook 
WR: Kevin Walter, Jacoby Jones, Andre' Davis, Jerome Mathis, Andre Johnson 
TE: Owen Daniels, Mark Bruener, Jeb Putzier, Joel Dreessen 
PK: Kris Brown 
=========================

=========================
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
As Indianapolis Star beat writer Mike Chappell suggested, reviewing the videotape of Sunday's win over the Titans probably wasn't an entirely pleasant experience for the Colts' normally potent offense. Chappell went on to explain there were too many mistakes against the Titans. Too many plays and points left on the field. 
"You take the win and run with it, and enjoy it," Peyton Manning said of the Colts' 22-20 victory in Tennessee. "But when we look at the film, we'll see some things that we need to build on and try to be a little sharper on." 
The Manning-led offense finished with 381 yards and 23 first downs. Excluding a last-second kneel-down, five of its 10 possessions consisted of at least seven plays. Six picked up at least three first downs. 
But frequent mistakes fouled up offensive rhythm. Four different players were guilty of false starts. There were a handful of dropped passes, including three by tight end Dallas Clark and one by wide receiver Marvin Harrison on a critical first-and-10 at the Titans 31 on the first play after the final 2-minute warning. Manning was sacked twice and pressured more than normal. 
Still, Manning and the offense -- led by Joseph Addai -- did enough to win. 
Addai slashed away at Tennessee's defense 20 times for 81 yards. Kenton Keith was on the field for approximately 10 plays but took only one handoff, gaining 2 yards. He had five carries for 32 yards in the season opener. 
Addai's busy afternoon against the Titans -- he also caught two passes -- came after a 23-carry outing against the Saints. The 43 carries in consecutive games are three short of his career high. He had 21 rushes in the 2006 regular-season finale against Miami, then wore down Kansas City in the playoff opener with 25 carries. 
That the team's '06 first-round draft pick was fresh so late in the season was by design. The Colts employed a tandem attack, with Addai handling 226 carries off the bench during the regular season and veteran Dominic Rhodes adding 187 as the 16-game starter. 
Chappell reminded readers on Tuesday that the plan this season was to follow a similar blueprint, even with Rhodes' departure to Oakland. Thus far, though, Addai's been the guy. 
Head coach Tony Dungy dismissed any notion the team is asking too much of the second-year player. Addai is averaging 21.5 carries, which Dungy said is about what the team envisioned. 
"I would prefer. ... That it's not a 31-, 32-carry game for him," Dungy said. "But if we have to, he can certainly do that once or twice. Ideally right around 20, where he's been, is good. ... 
"We'll get Kenton in there. The times that he's come in, he's done a good job." 
Addai and Keith are the only tailbacks on the active roster. Luke Lawton is a fullback who hasn't played tailback since his senior year in high school. Another tailback, Decori Birmingham, is on the practice squad. 
Dungy said the Colts still might bring in a third tailback, "but right now it doesn't seem to be a priority." 
According to Chappell, the Colts' decision to carry only two tailbacks is open for debate if for no other reason than Addai has taken a big hit in each of the first two games. On the Colts' first offensive play against the Saints, he was whacked by cornerback Mike McKenzie and temporarily knocked from the game. Sunday, Addai was driven to the ground by Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck, briefly sending the back to the sideline. 
But Addai came back strong both times, which was also by design. Uncertain how much the team would lean on him this season, he took measures to prepare for what might be 300-plus carries. Last month, Manning pointed to Addai's arduous offseason work ethic. 
"I've been proud of Joseph, how hard he's worked this offseason to try to get his body ready to carry the 16-game load," he said. "It's your job to be in shape and Edgerrin [James] could handle that. I think Joe wants that responsibility. He's trained hard this offseason and we're going to let him accept that challenge." 
And Fantasy owners couldn't be happier. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... Something was amiss with Adam Vinatieri in Tennessee. Not only did the veteran place-kicker have his first point-after-touchdown attempt blocked, he nearly had a 20-yard chip-shot field goal blocked on the final play of the third quarter. 
He also pulled a 36-yard field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter wide left. 
Vinatieri was unable to offer much insight regarding his misadventures after the game 
"The extra point might have been a hair low," Vinatieri said. "The (20-yard field goal), felt OK, but until I watch the film, I don't know what happened. I might have gotten some pressure. I don't know." 
Vinatieri conceded the blocked PAT and the near-block on the short field goal might have contributed to his missed field goal. "I pride myself on not letting things get into my head," he said, "but on that missed field goal, I think that's what happened." 
Since joining the Colts as an unrestricted free agent last season and including the postseason, Vinatieri has converted 44-of-49 field-goal attempts. 
Vinatieri came into the game having connected on 409 of 416 extra points. He hadn't missed on an extra point since 2005 while with New England when he went 40-of-41 that season. ... 
Manning passed both Boomer Esiason and Dave Krieg into 11th on the NFL's all-time yardage list. ... Harrison passed Cris Carter for fourth on the career yards receiving list. He came in needing 123 yards to pass James Lofton for third, but Harrison had 87 yards. ... 
But Manning's streak of passes without an interception ended at 190 when Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan victimized him in the third quarter. The streak is the second longest in club history, trailing Jeff George's record of 202. 
And finally. ... According to the Sports Xchange, tight end Bryan Fletcher left the Tennessee game with an ankle injury in the third quarter. Fletcher came back to play the remainder of the second half. He is expected to be available for the Houston game this week. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Peyton Manning, Jim Sorgi 
RB: Joseph Addai, Kenton Keith, Luke Lawton 
FB: Luke Lawton 
WR: Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez, Aaron Moorehead, Roy Hall 
TE: Dallas Clark, Ben Utecht, Bryan Fletcher 
PK: Adam Vinatieri 
=========================

=========================
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
According to Associated Press sports writer Mark Long, Maurice Jones-Drew has little concern about Jacksonville's offensive problems. The Jaguars have scored just 23 points and haven't shown the same kind of running attack that made Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor one of the top tandems in the league last season. 
But Jones-Drew said the offense will get on track -- and soon. 
"Oh, it's coming," Jones-Drew said Monday. "We just have to be patient with it." 
Long went on to note that only three teams have scored fewer points than Jacksonville through two games. The Jaguars believe finding a rhythm running the ball is the key to turning that around. 
The Jags have 188 yards rushing in two games, well off last season's average of 158.8 yards a game. But Jones-Drew said it was too early to panic. 
Fortunately, there is reason for optimism. 
As Long pointed out, the Jaguars had the same number of yards rushing through two games last season. They went on to break out of the slump at Indianapolis in Week 3, hardly slowed down the rest of the season and finished with a franchise-record 2,541 yards on the ground. 
"We have a pretty high standard," head coach Jack Del Rio said. "We want to be very efficient running the football. We want to see it here. We want to see it now. We recognize that we've made some progress. We need to continue to grow and get better as we continue on through the year." 
The Jaguars, who play at Denver on Sunday, ranked third in the league in rushing last season -- behind only San Diego and Atlanta. Taylor had 1,146 yards and five touchdowns and Jones-Drew was one of the most surprising rookies with 941 yards and 13 touchdowns. 
Nonetheless, the team lost its final three games and missed the playoffs. Del Rio then fired offensive coordinator Carl Smith, replaced him with former Arizona State head coach Dirk Koetter and insisted that the focus would still be on the running game. 
That wasn't the case in the opener as the Jaguars ran the ball just 17 times for 75 yards. They were more balanced in Sunday's 13-7 victory against Atlanta, running 34 times for 113 yards. 
Del Rio said the team nearly broke several long ones and added that timing might still be an issue. 
"There were several examples where we were a half-man short from it being a breakout run as opposed to it being a 1- or 2-yard gain," he said. "Those are the things you work on getting. You work to have that explosive ability in your running game, and we've come up just a little bit short on a couple of them." 
Del Rio, Taylor and Jones-Drew also said defenses weren't doing anything different from what they did last season. 
"They played the same exact scheme: put eight in the box and make us pass, try to scare us from running," Jones-Drew said. "But we're going to run the ball regardless. It doesn't matter how many people you put in the box. You can put eight, nine guys in the box and we can still run the ball." 
At least they could last year. It remains to be seen whether they can turn that around in coming weeks. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... According to Orlando Sentinel staffer Jeremy Fowler, veteran receiver Dennis Northcutt told reporters after Sunday's 5-catch, 75-yard output is something he's capable of delivering every week. 
But the former Brown is also struggling to understand his role. Is he a possession receiver? Is he a deep threat? 
Northcutt said, "[Del Rio] is still trying to figure that out." 
His first game in a Jacksonville uniform wasn't exactly a defining moment. Northcutt dropped a pass during a crucial fourth-quarter drive in the Jaguars' 13-10 loss to the Titans on Sept. 9. But more encouraging than bobbles and any miscues are Northcutt's nine receptions for 132 yards through two games. 
He caught a 22-yard pass on Jacksonville's crucial second-half drive that resulted in Reggie Williams' 14-yard TD catch. 
"Some games you'll have five or six catches; other games you'll only have one," Northcutt said. "Every receiver gets frustrated when they don't get a lot of catches, but I'm about the hunger, not the selfishness." 
Meanwhile, a week after he was deactivated for Jacksonville's season opener, Williams insisted that he has nothing to prove about his role as a Jaguar. Still, catching the game-winning touchdown against Atlanta was a nice way to rebound. 
"I don't think I have to prove anything," Williams said after the game. "I just want to come out and practice hard and prepare myself to be the best I can be and to make plays." 
Williams finished with two catches for 41 yards Sunday. ... 
In a related note. ... Florida Times-Union staffer Vito Stellino reports that Del Rio had already given receiver a Matt Jones a private message that he's not always happy with his demeanor on the field. On Monday, Del Rio went public with the message to Jones. 
"I'm not comfortable with some of the body language he's exhibiting," Del Rio said while reviewing the team's win over Atlanta. 
After making no catches in the opener against Tennessee, Jones had three catches against the Falcons but continued his practice of sometimes loping down the field, especially when he's not the main receiver. 
Del Rio declined to say when he talked to Jones, the team's 2005 first-round draft pick, about the issue. 
"I talk to my players all the time when I see things," and said Jones has improved in practice, "but I'd like to see it carry over in the games." 
Because Jones doesn't appear to be eager to take contact over the middle and sometimes drops passes when he's hit, Del Rio was asked if he thinks the receiver is "soft." 
"I don't think that's something [soft] that anybody ought to ever say about an athlete," Del Rio said. "I'm not sure that's appropriate." 
Del Rio, though, said that body language can make a difference because the players "feed off each other." 
A quarterback in college, the Jaguars drafted Jones to be a wide receiver, and he hasn't made a smooth transition. Jones had 36 and 41 receptions in his first two seasons. 
When Taylor was asked if the veterans have a problem with Jones' attitude, Taylor said he has a good rapport with the wide receiver. 
Taylor also said, "We're trying to light a fire under some guys," but declined to name those players, saying, "You didn't ask me about anybody else. You asked me about one person. I'm not talking about anybody else." 
Of Jones, Taylor said, "If he's into the game mentally, that's fine. Physically, he doesn't have to show all that rah-rah, that jumping up and bouncing off the walls. That doesn't impress me. It doesn't do anything for me." 
Taylor added that Jones appears to be into the game when he talks to him. 
"I'm getting what I need. I'm fine with that. As far as I'm concerned, he's mentally into the game. I don't know what he's doing with everybody else. I have a certain way about me that I can approach guys without them feeling like I'm stepping on toes." 
But he said he understands if the head coach has his own standard. "He knows what he wants out of players. He's built the team," Taylor said. 
The bad news for Jones would be the fact he has to impress Del Rio more than Taylor. ... 
And according to the Sports Xchange, going public with his unhappiness with Jones means Del Rio is showing he's no longer shy about criticizing the first-round picks of James Harris, the team's vice president of player personnel. 
He's already cut Byron Leftwich, Harris' initial first-round pick in 2003. Del Rio is likely to be fired if the Jaguars don't make the playoffs and he obviously wants to make the point that one of the team's problems is that Harris' first-round picks, including Leftwich, Williams, Jones and Marcedes Lewis, haven't become big-time players. 
The coach has a point. ... 
One last note here. ... Although David Garrard was sacked four times, the Xchange suggests that opposing teams don't blitz him the way they used to blitz Leftwich because he's more elusive. 
"It was obvious they were committed to protection and we've been getting a good pass rush by John Abraham. I was concerned about Garrard's arm strength," Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino said. 
Garrard had a 117.4 quarterback rating while throwing for 272 yards and a touchdown against Atlanta, but the Jaguars still only put 13 points on the board. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: David Garrard, Quinn Gray 
RB: Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, Greg Jones, LaBrandon Toefield 
FB: Greg Jones, Montell Owens 
WR: Dennis Northcutt, Ernest Wilford, Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, John Broussard 
TE: Marcedes Lewis, George Wrighster, Greg Estandia, Richard Angulo 
PK: John Carney, Josh Scobee 
=========================

=========================
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
As Kansas City Star beat writer Adam Teicher put it, Brodie Croyle will wait for another day to become the Chiefs' starting quarterback. ... Head coach Herman Edwards said Monday he would stay with Damon Huard as the starter for Sunday's game against Minnesota at Arrowhead Stadium. 
"He's the starting quarterback," Edwards said. "He hasn't done anything to lose his job. The offense is not just one guy. Sometimes we look at the quarterback position and say it's the quarterback. I don't put it all on his play. It's on everybody. 
"We're going with the same guys. We've played two games thus far. Both have been on the road, and now we're coming home. I think our crowd will give a boost to this team and bring a lot of energy. We've got to help, though, and do some good things on offense." 
Still, Teicher suggests that Croyle's time might not be far off. 
That Edwards wouldn't announce a starter immediately after Sunday's 20-10 loss in Chicago would seem to indicate he was thinking about making a change to revive a floundering offense. 
Croyle came on in relief of Huard late in Sunday's game and hit all four of his passes, including a 34-yarder to Jeff Webb. The Chiefs failed to score when Michael Bennett fumbled, but the way Croyle played certainly didn't hurt his cause. 
"If I had been zero for four instead of four for four, I definitely wouldn't feel as good about myself as I do now," Croyle said. "I don't think the coaches would feel as confident in me, or my teammates. You can only get so much momentum in practice. You really have to build that in the games." 
Croyle's insistence on forcing passes during the preseason got him into trouble and left Edwards no choice but to start the season with Huard. From all appearances in Chicago, Croyle made good use of the three weeks since Huard was chosen the starter. 
Croyle took just six snaps against the Bears, including a running play and a Chicago penalty when Croyle was dragged down by his face mask. And as Teicher noted, the Chiefs aren't looking at those plays as insignificant. 
They certainly won't when Croyle becomes the starter, whenever that might be. 
"Those weren't wasted plays or meaningless plays," guard Brian Waters said. "We were still in the game at that point. We still could have won. The Bears still had their starters in there. He didn't panic. He got hit on the first play but he bounced back to make some good decisions and put some passes in good places. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... As the Sports Xchange noted, Edwards was second-guessed considerably after a crunch-time scoring opportunity was wasted when a third-and-one play from the Bears 16 resulted in an interception on a throw to undersized receiver Samie Parker in the end zone. 
Edwards, whose conservative offensive philosophy is infamous, was left to explain why he didn't run Larry Johnson or throw short to Tony Gonzalez in a 10-point fourth-quarter game when the Chiefs simply had to come up with some points. 
"He was our third option," Edwards said of Parker's deep route to the end zone. "We were trying to throw (underneath) to [Gonzalez] or [rookie Dwayne] Bowe, but we got man coverage (on Parker) and the quarterback decided to try the fade. The other guy (Chicago's Charles Tillman) made a great play." 
"It's funny," Edwards added, "but when you don't try for the big play, you get criticized for being too conservative. Then when you do try for one and get intercepted, (the criticism) goes the other way." 
As one of the harshest critics, Star columnist Jason Whitlock sarcastically suggested, "Next week look for the Chiefs to run toss sweeps with Jason Dunn. The Vikings will never see that coming." 
Whitlock went on to note that "poorly coached teams try too hard to be 'unpredictable.' It doesn't happen naturally, and the teams wind up looking completely foolish. Kansas City's offensive game plan was high school-ish." 
Of course, whatever complaints one might have about the play calling have to start with the team's inability to mount a rushing attack behind Johnson, who averaged only 3.4 yards on 16 carries (55 yards). 
The Chiefs did only 2.9 as a team against an admittedly strong Chicago defense. It's obviously time to start working Johnson a little harder. ... 
Bowe showed the Chiefs why he was their first-round draft choice, scoring his first NFL touchdown and losing a second on a penalty. 
He promised better things to come. 
"Next week, we're going home," he said, "and it will be the D. Bowe show." 
If that's true, the Chiefs have a lot to look forward to. The 16-yard touchdown and the 35-yarder he lost were the type of play the Chiefs wanted Bowe for. 
On the touchdown play, Bowe outjumped defenders and teammate Gonzalez. 
Gonzalez was the intended receiver, but Bowe changed his route when Huard started to scramble. This brought Bowe's defender to the end zone near Gonzalez. 
"When the ball is in the air, the intended receiver is whoever gets the ball," Bowe said. "Being that I'm a playmaker, my job is to make plays no matter where the ball is. 
"Tony said, 'You can't do that.' I told him I thought [Huard] was scrambling. He told me not to bring my guy to him. Then he was like, 'Great catch. Keep doing it.' It all paid off for me." 
The pass could have been intercepted by either of the two defenders in the area and could have been caught by Gonzalez, who needs one TD to tie Shannon Sharpe's NFL record for career TDs by a tight end (62). 
"He made a play," Gonzalez said. "He ran the wrong route, but I'm happy that he got his first touchdown, even if it might've been mine. He came out of nowhere and grabbed it. I don't think it will happen again. We lucked out. It could've been disastrous. When you run into the same area like that, it means there's more defenders over there. But it worked out today, and I'll take it." 
Bowe lost the 35-yard touchdown, which came after Huard handed to Michael Bennett and Bennett pitched it right back, on a penalty. The penalty was for an illegal shift. The Chiefs had two players in motion at the snap. 
"It hurt to lose that other one, but guys make mistakes, and you've just got to learn from it and move on," Bowe said. "It (would have been) another great touchdown." 
As Teicher noted, Bowe dropped more than his share of passes in training camp and the preseason and didn't look as if he would be of much value to the Chiefs, at least early in the season. But he was forced to become a regular in last week's opener in Houston when Eddie Kennison pulled a hamstring. 
Bowe caught three passes for 42 yards against the Texans, but that proved to be just a warm-up for Chicago. 
"That's why we drafted the guy," Edwards said. "He can jump and take the football away. I thought he grew up a little bit today. We have to keep getting him the football." 
It's probably worth noting that Edwards suggested Tuesday that Bowe would move over to the "X" position once Kennison returns. That would force Parker to move back and rotate with Webb as the No. 3 man. 
On the injury front. ...Huard was not able to finish the Bears game after experiencing some wooziness from a blow to the head. Huard, already moving gingerly on a sore calf, also took a blow to the left (non-passing) wrist. Obviously, those dings won't keep Huard off the field this week. ... 
Although the team hasn't offered a timetable for Kennison's return, early indications were the veteran would miss considerable time. He's certainly not expected back this week. ... 
And finally. ... Dave Rayner, brought in just last week to replace released rookie draft pick Justin Medlock, made his first Chiefs kick from 45 yards, but had a 48-yarder blocked when his protection broke down. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Damon Huard, Brodie Croyle, Tyler Thigpen 
RB: Larry Johnson, Michael Bennett, Kolby Smith 
FB: Kris Wilson, Boomer Grigsby 
WR: Samie Parker, Dwayne Bowe, Jeff Webb, Eddie Drummond, Bobby Sippio, Eddie Kennison 
TE: Tony Gonzalez, Jason Dunn, Kris Wilson 
PK: Dave Rayner 
=========================

=========================
MIAMI DOLPHINS
As Associated Press sports writer Steven Wine aptly described it Monday: "The Miami Dolphins can't win because they can't run. 
"Still. ..." 
Wine went on to explain that a pedestrian ground game has been Miami's biggest problem since running back Ricky Williams retired before the 2004 season. The Dolphins are 19-31 since then. The last time they endured such a dismal 50-game stretch was in the 1960s. 
Now, Miami is 0-2 and must get on track. 
"We've got to try to turn this thing around quick," Ronnie Brown said. "It's a little frustrating, knowing the things we're capable of." 
Trent Green made headlines by throwing four interceptions in Sunday's 37-20 loss to Dallas, but another culprit was the absence of a rushing attack, which forced the Dolphins to pass. 
Green threw 40 times, while Brown and backup Jesse Chatman totaled 14 carries. In the season opener, Green threw 38 times, and Brown and Chatman combined for 18 carries. The Dolphins have totaled 127 yards rushing this season, worst in the NFL. 
In other words, they're not exactly off to a running start. 
"You always want to run the ball better," first-year head coach Cam Cameron said. "You'd like to think we're going to continue to work and develop it." 
You'd like to think that, but as Wine suggested, Brown -- the former No. 2 overall draft pick -- looks more and more like another first-round bust for the Dolphins. Now in his third season, he's averaging 3.0 yards per carry, meaning three attempts aren't enough for a first down. He was outrushed Sunday by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. 
More frightening still, Brown is on pace to lead the Dolphins this year with 520 yards rushing. In 2002, Williams led the NFL with 1,853. 
"I might not be doing my job as well as I need to," Brown said. 
He came into the season ready for a workhorse load, but instead has been reduced to sharing playing time with Chatman, who was released by two teams in 2005 and was out of football last year. Both have searched in vain for room to run. 
"We've got a lot of bugs right now," Chatman said. "This week you're going to see a different team." 
According to Wine, the schedule gives the Dolphins cause for hope, with two winless opponents looming. Miami plays Sunday at the New York Jets (0-2), then returns home to face Oakland (0-2). 
But Wine added, the Dolphins are unlikely to start winning until they start running. 
A potential upgrade may soon be available: Williams. The suspended running back is eligible to seek reinstatement by the NFL after Oct. 1 and will do so, his attorney said last week. As Miami Herald staffer Greg Cote noted Monday, Williams has that workhorse pedigree. He has proved he has that skill. 
But Cameron has given no indication he wants Williams, who has played only 12 games since his one-year retirement in 2004. 
"Until there's a ruling made, I'm going to focus on the guys we've got in the locker room," Cameron said Monday. 
Cameron described the latest loss as a team effort, but bad blocking may have been the biggest contributor. The Dolphins have changed the starter at every position in the interior line since last season, but so far there's no sign of improvement. 
"We've got to finish some things better," Cameron said of the blocking. "We're at that stage where we don't have any one guy making multiple mistakes. That's a positive. But it's kind of like we're taking turns." 
Meanwhile, Cote asked Brown whether his team had seemed to give up on the run too soon. 
"Hard to say," he said diplomatically. 
No it isn't. 
As Cote summed up, "f you can't or won't run the ball you don't win in this league, unless maybe you have Peyton Manning throwing to a team of Pro Bowl hands." 
And the Dolphins don't have that. 
Indeed, as Palm Beach Post staff writer Greg Stoda advised readers, Green played a horrible game against Dallas. Green lost a fumble on a snap from center in addition to the interceptions and, in a particularly ridiculous moment, even managed to botch a stop-the-clock spike near the end of the first half. 
That won't work. 
Green in his 14th NFL season. He was brought to Miami by Cameron to develop a smooth game-management style and serve as a mentor to clipboard-holding quarterback draftee John Beck, who has been identified as the team's future at the position. 
So, if the Dolphins are going to be lousy -- and Stoda believes that almost certainly is going to be the case, there wouldn't be anything wrong with allowing Beck considerable on-the-job learning experiences during the second half of the season. 
But Cameron said he hasn't lost any faith in Green. 
"It wasn't a case where we needed to settle him down," Cameron said. "He missed some throws." 
But he obviously hits some, too. ... Chris Chambers is off to a career-best start with 15 catches for 201 yards after two games. In 2003, he had 11 catches for 209 yards after two games. 
Chatman has 10 catches for 63 yards in two games. In three seasons with the Chargers, he had 10 career catches for 115 yards. 
On a less positive note. ... Ted Ginn has had no impact on the passing attack so far with no receptions in the first two games. The ninth overall pick in the draft has been average on punt and kickoff returns as well, averaging 8.1 and 21.2 yards, respectively. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Trent Green, Cleo Lemon, John Beck 
RB: Ronnie Brown, Jesse Chatman, Lorenzo Booker, Patrick Cobbs 
FB: Reagan Mauia 
WR: Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, Ted Ginn, Derek Hagan, Greg Camarillo 
TE: David Martin, Justin Peelle 
PK: Jay Feely 
=========================

=========================
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
As Minneapolis Star Tribune beat writer Judd Zulgad suggested Monday, the Vikings' 20-17 overtime loss to the Lions on Sunday certainly wasn't a very well played game -- all you need to know is the teams combined for 10 turnovers -- but it was entertaining to watch. 
That is, Zulgad added, unless you have Tarvaris Jackson as the quarterback on your Fantasy Football team. 
Jackson's four interceptions and 26.4 rating serve as a reminder of just how far Jackson still has to go. 
Consider that's Jackson's rating Sunday was worse than either rating he had in starting games against Green Bay (35.4) or St. Louis (62.5) last season. 
So now the Vikings get set to go to Kansas City to play what appears to be a very bad Chiefs team on Sunday. The problem is that it is going to be the Chiefs' home opener and Arrowhead Stadium is a loud venue. Zulgad noted that Jackson seemed to get frazzled at times by all the noise in Ford Field. 
It isn't going to get much easier in K.C. 
So, the good news -- at least for Fantasy owners relying on Vikings other than Jackson for production would be the groin injury that leaves his status for Sunday's game in question. 
Head coach Brad Childress said Jackson will start if he's healthy, despite the four interceptions at Detroit. 
Jackson strained his groin earlier in the game on a run toward the sideline and he felt a tug while setting up a screen pass on the first snap of the extra period. Brooks Bollinger came in, led the Vikings to midfield and fumbled a snap that the Lions recovered. They kicked the winning field goal five plays later. 
Childress said he thought third-stringer Kelly Holcomb was up to speed with the offense since arriving last month in a trade with Philadelphia, and Jackson's injury means Holcomb could get his first start with the Vikings on Sunday. 
Jackson, meanwhile, continued receiving treatment Tuesday -- an off day for players. "I see a lot of things happen on a Tuesday; guys are in a push to get to Wednesday," Childress said. 
The consensus among observers is that Jackson needs to hit the field by Thursday in order to play this week. But other factors will come into play. 
In addition to judging the severity of the injury, the Vikings must decide if they want to get Jackson back in front of another hostile road crowd or if they feel the injury would be a good chance for him to take a step back. 
Whatever the case, Childress said he doesn't feel he miscalculated Jackson's readiness to be a starter. 
"I feel like he is more than ready," Childress said. "It is just a matter of him taking care of the football. I see him make a lot of good plays out there, and I see him see a lot of things and get us into the right place. But that is part of that learning curve, and you can't do those things with the football and put your team in that situation, and he knows that." 
Teammates also remained supportive. 
"He's got a good head on his shoulders," center Matt Birk said. "Everybody is going to have games like that. It certainly just wasn't his fault. We've obviously got to protect him a little bit better, so guys can get open better. It's a whole offensive effort." 
Added left tackle Bryant McKinnie: "I basically think he's just going to take it as a learning experience -- like we will, for some of the mistakes we made in the game -- and grow and move on from it. ..." 
But first, Jackson needs to get past the groin injury; according to Childress, the team will have a better idea about Jackson's availability as well as the status of tailback Chester Taylor (hip) and fullback Tony Richardson (forearm) on Wednesday. 
All three men were on the practice field during the portion of Wednesday's practice open to the media before drills begin; it remains to be seen how much any of them did. 
According to Zulgad, Jackson had a noticeable limp as he moved about the field. 
Also, receiver Troy Williamson had to leave the game with spasms in his hamstring. Childress said he thought Williamson would be OK. ... 
Of course, the news out of Minnesota isn't all bad. ... As Detroit News staffer Eric Lacy noted, rookie running back Adrian Peterson had 118 yards of total offense against the Lions, including 66 on the ground, proving he's a multi-purpose back in an offense that clearly isn't a finished product. 
"He continues to run hard and churn," Childress said of Peterson. "You can't say enough about that. He's fighting out there." 
The Vikings probably didn't run as much as they should against the Lions in the first half -- only 14 carries from its backfield, eight from Peterson. 
But they still had Peterson as a big-play threat to keep the defense guessing. Peterson clearly helped Minnesota avoid several third-and-long scenarios. 
Peterson's best reception was a 24-yarder on third down from Jackson that got Minnesota to the 1-yard line. 
Peterson cut through the middle, pumped his legs and broke three tackles. That set up Jackson's 1-yard run to tie the score at 7. 
Peterson's longest run was just 11 yards. That came in overtime on first-and-15 at the Vikings 26-yard line. He made an 11-yard reception in the flat on the next play. 
What seemed a little odd Sunday was that Peterson didn't get many opportunities in third-and-short situations. That was a duty handled mostly by Mewelde Moore. 
Childress hinted after Sunday's loss that Peterson needs to work on his pass blocking. 
"There were a couple of protection issues," Childress said. "Mewelde we thought we would get a better look in terms of some of those draws and two-minute (offense) when we were trying to move back up the field. ..." 
One last note here. ... According to the Sports Xchange, Ryan Longwell blamed no one but himself after his 52-yard field-goal attempt hit the left upright with two seconds left and the score tied in the fourth quarter Sunday: 
"Obviously it's a kick I feel I should make. A great snap, a great hold and a great job by our team getting in range. The game shouldn't have gone to overtime." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb, Brooks Bollinger 
RB: Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Mewelde Moore 
FB: Tony Richardson, Naufahu Tahi, Jeff Dugan 
WR: Bobby Wade, Troy Williamson, Sidney Rice, Robert Ferguson, Aundrae Allison 
TE: Visanthe Shiancoe, Jim Kleinsasser, Jeff Dugan, Garrett Mills 
PK: Ryan Longwell 
=========================

=========================
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
As Boston Herald staffer Karen Guregian framed it Monday: "One of the most closely guarded secrets in all of sports apparently has been exposed." 
Sunday night, ESPN.com reported head coach Bill Belichick and ownership recently had agreed to a long-term contract extension that would keep him on the sideline through at least the 2013 season. The report cited league sources, as well as sources close to the coach. 
Belichick, of course, likes to keep that information close to the vest so it doesn't impact the recruiting and/or signing of players. 
Asked about the report during an interview with NBC's Al Michaels, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said, "Well, the coach and I have had a policy that we don't discuss his contract, but he's made great contributions to this franchise over the last seven years and myself, and all of our fans, truly appreciate his efforts." 
According to ESPN.com, the deal was struck before Belichick was punished last week for illegally videotaping the Jets defensive coaches giving signals during last Sunday's game. 
The report did not have financial details of the extension. It is believed the previous pact had Belichick earning roughly $4.2 million this season. Based on what other coaches around the league are making, it was deduced in the ESPN.com report that Belichick likely would be in the $6 million-$8 million range. 
Of course, regardless of the actual timing of the extension, the fact that it was announced shortly after what's now being commonly referred to as "Spy-Gate," will leave many assuming it's a case of Belichick being rewarded for his bad behavior. 
It's a perception the Patriots will have to -- and seem to be more than willing to -- deal with. 
As Yahoo! Sports columnist Michael Silver put it: "If you were neutral about the Pats before this scandal, you strongly disliked them in its aftermath. If you disliked them already, you flat-out detested them when it hit. And if you watched Sunday's game, you now feel about them the way Rosie O'Donnell feels about Donald Trump. ..." 
And the Pats know it. 
"Oh, buddy, yeah they do (hate us)," said quarterback Tom Brady, who completed 25 of 31 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, two to Randy Moss. "I don't think we've built up a lot of good will over the years, and now … But hey, that's OK. We'll just keep doing our talking on Sundays. That's what this team does best." 
Just like they did against the Chargers. 
Brady again teamed up well with Moss, who has now caught three of Brady's six touchdown passes in two games. In a 38-14 win over the New York Jets, Brady threw 183 yards worth of passes to Moss and 114 yards to everyone else. This time, Brady (25 for 31, 279 yards) spread his passes around more, Moss catching eight for 105 yards and Wes Welker pulling in another eight for 91 yards. 
While it's great news for Fantasy owners, the performance against the Chargers doesn't bode well for opponents. 
As Providence Journal staffer Jim Donaldson noted, without question, this Patriots team has more offensive weapons than any in franchise history. In fact, this is Donaldson's 29th season covering the Pats, and the only clubs that, in his opinion, could compare to this one for offensive fireworks and firepower were back in 1979 and '80, when Ron Erhardt was coach. 
Those teams had Stanley Morgan and Harold Jackson at wide receiver, Russ Francis at tight end, Sam Cunningham and Andy Johnson at running back, Steve Grogan at quarterback, and Hall of Fame guard John Hannah anchoring the offensive line. 
But, good as those teams were offensively, Donaldson is convinced this current Patriots team is better. 
The biggest reason is that Brady is the best QB the team has ever had. Even with average receivers, he has excelled. Lacking a deep threat last season, Brady still managed to throw for 24 touchdowns and lead New England to the AFC Championship Game for the fourth time in seven seasons. 
Now, with Moss and Donte' Stallworth able to stretch opposing secondaries -- opening up the middle for Welker and tight end Ben Watson, Brady is able to pick defenses apart. 
As a result, the Patriots scored 38 points for the second consecutive game, marking the fifth time in franchise history that the team scored 38 or more points in consecutive games during the same regular season. The last time the Patriots achieved the feat was in 2002, when they defeated the New York Jets 44-7 (9/15/02) and followed that with a 41-38 win over Kansas City (9/22/02). ... 
Other notes of interest. ... Even though Laurence Maroney had to play second fiddle to Pro Bowl running back Corey Dillon in his rookie season last year, he still managed a respectable 745 yards on 175 carries in the regular season, averaging 4.3 yards per rush, and another 87 yards in the playoffs. 
Now with Dillon gone, everyone expected this to be Maroney's breakout season. 
But not him. 
"I'm just a little piece of the puzzle," Maroney said. 
The Patriots signed Sammy Morris as an unrestricted free agent on March 3, and the two are providing an excellent 1-2 punch for the Patriots so far this season. 
The two combined for 126 yards against the Jets in the Patriots' regular-season opener. Maroney had 72 yards on 20 carries and Morris had 54 yards on 11 carries. 
Against San Diego, the two combined for 128 yards. Maroney had 77 yards on 15 carries and Morris had 51 yards on 10 carries. On fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter, Morris capped a 15-play, 91-yard drive that lasted more than 10 minutes with a three-yard touchdown run that sealed New England's 38-14 victory. 
Irritating though it might be for Fantasy owners, sharing the load is nothing new for Maroney. 
At Minnesota, Maroney and Marion Barber, now playing for Dallas, became the first running back tandem in NCAA history to each gain more than 1,000 yards rushing in consecutive seasons. 
Belichick has been impressed with Maroney so far this season. 
"He's way ahead of where he was last year," Belichick said earlier this year. "He came in here last year with a lot of experience running the ball basically in one type of play and one type of system. Now he's been exposed to a pro passing game, which is a lot different from what he did in college. Also, in the running game, we have a lot of [routes] he hadn't run before, with blocking schemes and reads." 
Maroney had off-season shoulder surgery and did not take hits for most of training camp. He said that he still wants to plow over would-be tacklers, but he is also going to be smart about taking hits versus going out of bounds. 
"On certain plays, you have to know when the journey's over with, and know when to get down," Maroney said. "You have to be a smart player -- don't take unnecessary hits. If it's you against three people, let's be smart about it. You're not just going to run through all three folks, so get down, get out or whatever. But if it's you, one-on-one, go for it." 
Maroney said that he has worked extra hard this offseason to be prepared to be New England's featured back this season 
"I probably worked out more than I did last year, but I didn't try to overdo it," Maroney said. "I didn't try to change anything. I feel like when you change stuff, you tend to mess up and hurt things. So I tried to stick to the same program that's been working. Why change? Just build on it." 
"He's way beyond where he was a year ago in regards to having more versatility and maturity level," said Belichick. "Laurence is smart. He's mature and he works hard." 
Now, if only Belichick would just give Maroney a chance to handle that featured role we all expected. ... 
And finally. ... Belichick will comply with the NFL's latest request in its spying investigation and provide any notes or tapes made from video recordings similar to those that drew a stiff penalty against him and the team. 
"Of course," he said, when asked about the request for materials. 
In case you somehow missed it, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000 last Thursday for violating a league rule that prohibits clubs from using a sideline camera to videotape the opponent's sideline. New England also must forfeit a first-round draft pick next year if it makes the playoffs or a second- and third-rounder if it doesn't. 
A video camera was confiscated from a Patriots employee during the first quarter of the team's 38-14 win over the New York Jets on Sept. 9. 
Goodell said Sunday he expected the club to give the league the information it sought. 
"I'm very confident the Patriots are going to abide by the rules," he said. "They understand that the consequences could increase." 
Kraft gave Belichick the game ball Sunday night. 
"I appreciated it. It's a nice gesture. The most important thing is to put that (game) behind us," Belichick said. "It's time to move on." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez 
RB: Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk 
FB: Heath Evans 
WR: Randy Moss, Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney, Kelley Washington 
TE: Ben Watson, Kyle Brady, David Thomas 
PK: Stephen Gostkowski 
=========================

=========================
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
As New Orleans Times-Picayune staffer Jimmy Smith noted, the Saints' offense, the league's most prolific a year ago, took 104 minutes, 11 seconds to score its first points of the 2007 season, a 1-yard run by Mike Karney with 49 seconds remaining in the third quarter. 
Who would have guessed? 
Certainly nobody in the locker room ... According to Times-Picayune beat writer Mike Triplett, the Saints are just as surprised as you that they're 0-2 for the first time since 1997, with one of the league's most anemic offenses, one of the league's most penetrable defenses and one of the league's shakiest special teams units. 
Never once did it cross their minds that they could be outscored by a combined 48 points in their first two games. Their expectations were just as high as yours heading into the 2007 season. 
And maybe that's part of the problem, quarterback Drew Brees said after a stunning 31-14 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. Maybe the Saints were just "expecting things to happen, expecting big plays to happen." 
"We know how good we can be as an offense. We know how good we were last year. And coming into this year, we felt like we were even better. But maybe we were all just feeling like we had it figured out, and obviously we hadn't," Brees said after completing 26 of 44 passes for 260 yards with one touchdown and one interception. 
"We're used to going out there and making a lot of plays. But we have to allow those plays to come to us. We have to just do what we've been coached to do, take it one play at a time, not try and force anything, and those plays will happen. 
"You do the right thing long enough, good things will happen to you. And I think unfortunately we're trying to maybe force things right now." 
When asked if he had an explanation for the offensive woes, head coach Sean Payton was at a loss. 
"I wish I did. I wish I did," he said, more rational than raging in his postgame press conference. "You know, I wish I had something specific that I can say. 
"The first thing I know is you can't turn the football over, though. I mean, you can't. It starts with that. That won't change 10 years from now. You turn the football over, you get one less possession, they get one more, field position changes, etc." 
The Saints turned the ball over twice Sunday -- a fumble by Deuce McAllister in the first quarter with the game scoreless, and Brees' interception in the third quarter. Both times, Tampa Bay responded with a touchdown drive. 
Fellow tailback Reggie Bush also fumbled twice in the first half, but he recovered one of them and tight end Eric Johnson recovered the other. 
Still, it seemed like the mistakes were contagious as the Saints' offense continued to sabotage itself with dropped passes, errant throws, missed blocks, penalties and another missed field-goal attempt. 
"If you want to be quote-unquote the 'No. 1 offense,' you've got to put the work in," said McAllister. "That was last year. We're 0-2 (this year). That's what we have to look at. The numbers don't lie. You can either change it and deal with it, or you're going to get your butt burned every week." 
Bush, who gained 27 yards rushing on 10 carries and caught six passes for 43 yards, said he hasn't been impatient like he was early last year. But he, too, couldn't put his finger on what has been holding him and the rest of the Saints' offense back. 
"Maybe (we're pressing), maybe not. I just know that we're not playing like ourselves," he said. "And we're really putting pressure on our defense by not scoring points." 
One thing nobody seemed to do in the Saints' locker room was panic. 
They have 14 games left this season -- beginning with their Superdome debut next Monday night against Vince Young and the Titans. And they're just one game back in the NFC South standings, where no team is undefeated through two weeks. 
"I feel like we've got the right group of people, and that's the most encouraging thing about where we're at right now," Brees said. "Yeah, we're very disappointed. We're sitting here at 0-2, neither of these games have been very close, we've played terrible. But we have the right group of people and the guys who can fix this thing. 
"And we will fix it. We will get back on track." 
Fantasy Nation needs that to happen pronto. ... As SI.com insider Peter King put it: "The Saints look as bad in 2007 as they looked good in 2006." 
Meanwhile, in two games, wide receiver Devery Henderson has caught three passes. He snared none Sunday, apparently benched in the second quarter for allowing three balls to go through his hands, two on the first drive that could have resulted in first downs, one in the second quarter that could have been a touchdown. Advertisement 
On Monday, Henderson said he's disappointed with his performance. 
"From my standpoint, obviously you want to go out there and make plays, make things happen," Henderson said. "But you've got to overlook that, just keep working, and it will happen for you." 
Payton admitted Monday he wasn't pleased with Henderson's play Sunday, but he said he planned to rotate receivers anyway. 
"He struggled early on and had a missed assignment," Payton said. "A lot of that was me in working a rotation, trying to keep them fresh. But my expectation of how he should play, and I think his as well, is higher than that." 
Henderson acknowledged that his benching Sunday might have been a reaction to the drops. Other wide receivers -- even tailback Aaron Stecker -- were lining up in multiple-receiver formations while the Saints were trying to cut into a 21-0 deficit. 
"Maybe so," he said, "but whatever the reason was for it, the coaches are out there trying to win the game, and they were (making decisions) trying to put us in the best position to win the game. I have to accept that. Obviously, I want to win. I trust what he's doing. Me not being out there is disappointing to me, but it is what it is. I've got to live with it." 
Henderson said he's not concerned with his inconsistency in the Saints' first two games. 
"You want to catch every ball," he said, "especially when you drop one, the next one is going to be an even bigger ball. You want to catch it a little bit more so you might be pressing or whatever. It's all a focus and concentration thing. You take your eye off the ball, and it'll get away from you. My main thing is to keep my eyes on it and focus. 
"I'm not worried about it to be honest with you. I'm not going to let it get to me. Everybody drops balls. I'm just one of the guys who's dropped a few so far. I'm not going to let it get me down. If anything I'm going to go out there and work harder and have a chip on my shoulder. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... Tight end Mark Campbell, out for the season with a herniated disk, will soon undergo outpatient arthroscopic surgery in Buffalo, N.Y., to correct problems with the L4 and L5 disks in his lumbar region. 
"Lots of people have herniated disks," Campbell said Monday. "That wasn't the issue. But mine was pinching a nerve. By the placement of it, it kind of needed to be moved. It could have happened over time, but unfortunately we don't know what that time limit is. It could be three years, could be five years. We'll just go in and put it in the right spot. ..." 
One last note here: McAllister finished Sunday with a swollen left eye. McAllister said his helmet was pushed down over the top of the eye on the game's first offensive play. 
"I had a little blurry vision on and off for the rest of the game," McAllister said. He ran for 49 yards on 10 carries against the Bucs. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Drew Brees, Jamie Martin 
RB: Reggie Bush, Deuce McAllister, Aaron Stecker, Pierre Thomas 
FB: Mike Karney 
WR: Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, David Patten, Terrance Copper, Lance Moore, Robert Meachem 
TE: Eric Johnson, Billy Miller, John Owens 
PK: Olindo Mare 
=========================

=========================
NEW YORK GIANTS
In an article published shortly after Sunday's loss to the Packers, SI.com senior writer Don Banks offered the following: "That sure was a quick month that Eli Manning missed this week because of his separated shoulder. Another early-week injury report that has holes shot through it by game day. 
"Is there any wonder why media credibility sounds like an oxymoron at times? 
"He didn't get the Giants a win, but for a guy who wasn't expected to throw another pass until October, Manning didn't play that badly against Green Bay. ..." 
Despite a barrage of conflicting reports in the week leading up to the weekend -- most of them suggesting Manning wouldn't play, he threw in practice on Friday and felt fine by Sunday morning, warming up on the field with Jared Lorenzen before the game. 
And as New York Daily News staffer Filip Bondy suggested, Manning played well enough to win or lose, depending on his teammates. 
This time he lost. And Bondy went on to explain, "This is going to be a problem for Manning, with or without a sore shoulder, because his teammates are not good at all and the losses this season will be embarrassing and numerous. His defense can't stop the pass. There's no rush. His running backs and receivers can't break big plays. Key skill players lose their heads and commit stupid penalties in the red zone. ..." 
As Banks put it: "Same old out of control Giants." 
Jeremy Shockey spiked the ball and wipes out a big reception he had just made. Amani Toomer taunted and was flagged for it. Both mistakes came in the red zone and cost New York potential points against the Packers. 
According to Daily News beat writer Ralph Vacchiano, Toomer offered an apology for his drive-killing penalty. Shockey did not. 
In fact, Shockey seemed to have no regrets for committing one of the "stupid penalties" that head Tom Coughlin said hurt the Giants in Sunday's loss. "I've always played like that," Shockey said. "If I don't play like I am, maybe I need to find another profession." 
Meanwhile, Toomer apologized for a second-half taunting penalty -- his rage was directed at Packers linebacker Nick Barnett -- that pushed the Giants back from the Packers' 8 to the 23. 
"I really apologize to the whole team for that," he said. "That was very out of character. You definitely have to defend yourself out there, but I didn't want to hurt the whole team. ..." 
Manning pressed on through it all, finishing at 16-for-29, with one touchdown and one ugly interception on a botched screen. He said his shoulder was fine, that he could air it out whenever he wanted. He missed Toomer on one possible touchdown in the back of the end zone, and couldn't quite get enough zip on another ball to Shockey, throwing against his body on the run. 
Making matters worse, the Giants head into this week's game against the Redskins with a depleted receiving corps. Rookie wide receiver Steve Smith fractured his shoulder blade during Sunday's 35-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers and will miss at least two weeks. 
"(Smith) will probably (miss) two weeks maybe, and then week-to-week," Coughlin said Monday. 
No. 1 wideout Plaxico Burress also was banged up against the Packers and is dealing with ankle and pinky sprains, but Coughlin indicated he will be able to play at Washington. Burress sprained his right ankle early in training camp. As a result, he missed most of camp and sat out all four preseason games. He appeared to aggravate it late in the first half. 
"[Burress] has had this ankle," Coughlin said. "So hopefully he knows how to work with it and we can get him back." 
Burress was expected to be limited at best Wednesday. "Hopefully he'll get to the point where he can go tomorrow," Coughlin said. "He still appears to be a little bit sore." 
David Tyree has been slowed by an injured groin throughout the campaign, leaving Toomer, Sinorice Moss and rookie Anthony Mix as the only healthy wide receivers on the Giants' roster. 
Lorenzen (sprained left ankle) and running back Ahmad Bradshaw (sprained right elbow) were the other casualties from Sunday's game. Bradshaw should play this week. 
Manning has no lingering health issues and will practice fully. 
Finally. ... On a somewhat more positive note, Derrick Ward did another good job in Brandon Jacobs' absence. Ward gained 90 yards in 15 carries, making it 179 on 28 carries the last two weeks. 
He was the only Giant with a rushing carry, except for a reverse run by Moss for four yards. 
Jacobs (knee) is not expected to practice, but he didn't rule it out. "If I feel better, I'll try," he said. "If I don't, I won't." Go ahead and assume he won't until you hear otherwise. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Eli Manning, Jared Lorenzen, Anthony Wright 
RB: Derrick Ward, Reuben Droughns, Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs 
FB: Reuben Droughns 
WR: Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Sinorice Moss, Anthony Mix, Steve Smith, David Tyree 
TE: Jeremy Shockey, Kevin Boss, Michael Matthews 
PK: Lawrence Tynes 
=========================

=========================
NEW YORK JETS
Barring a setback in practice this week, Newark Star-Ledger beat writer Dave Hutchinson advised readers on Tuesday, Chad Pennington will start on Sunday against the Dolphins despite a promising performance by backup Kellen Clemens in the fourth quarter of the Jets' 20-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. 
Pennington, who sprained his right ankle in the opener against the Patriots, was the backup against the Ravens after making an unexpectedly speedy recovery during the course of the week. That Pennington was well enough to dress meant he was able to play, and with another week of rehab, he'll almost certainly be healthy for the Dolphins. 
"If he can, he will," head coach Eric Mangini said Monday when asked if Pennington would start against Miami. "We'll just assess it throughout the week. But if he's able to, he will." 
For his part, Clemens, who made his first NFL start, wasn't interested in starting a quarterback controversy. 
"If (Pennington) is able to go, I'm sure he'll go," said Clemens. "Chad is the starter. I'm the backup. That has been clearly communicated." 
Hutchinson went on to note that teammates seemed eager to get Pennington back, although they were clearly impressed by the late-game heroics of Clemens. Every team needs a capable backup and the Jets think they have one in Clemens. 
Also, players know the type of leader that Pennington is. He has led the Jets to three playoff appearances in the past five seasons and played most of the 2004 season with a torn rotator cuff, leading the Jets to a playoff victory in San Diego. 
"Definitely it'll help (to get Pennington back)," said receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who caught seven passes for a career-high 165 yards against the Ravens. "Chad is one of our leaders. He's one of our main leaders, especially on offense." 
Said tight end Chris Baker, who had a 3-yard touchdown catch against the Ravens, "Hopefully we'll get [Pennington] back in the fold." 
The Jets meet the Dolphins in a critical game on Sunday at Giants Stadium. Starting the season with three straight losses would be catastrophic. Pennington has won his past five starts against the Dolphins. 
Though Clemens didn't wrestle the starting job from Pennington, Hutchinson reports he won over his teammates and gained the confidence of the coaches by standing firm in the face of a relentless pass rush and engineering a stirring fourth-quarter rally, hitting 10 of 20 passes for 176 yards with one touchdown and one interception. 
"It (the fourth quarter) was a nice boost of confidence," said Clemens, who hit 19 of 37 passes for 260 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while getting sacked four times. "Against a very good defense in a pretty hostile environment, we were able to move the ball in a game that wasn't going real smoothly." 
While Clemens did a lot of things well, he also made some rookie mistakes. He was called for two delay-of-game penalties and threw into coverage several times. He must also make quicker reads. The Ravens, however, threw everything at Clemens and he didn't blink. 
Hutchinson stressed, however, that Clemens' success must be tempered by the fact that he's brand-new to the NFL and teams haven't had a chance to scout him, uncover his weaknesses and game-plan for him. When that happens, the game goes to another level. 
Even so, Mangini was happy with his young quarterback. 
"It wasn't just the game for me; it was about the whole week," Mangini said. "The body of work throughout the course of the week, I was really pleased with. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... First, Justin McCareins watched a sure touchdown catch bounce off his hands. 
Twenty seconds later, a sliding Laveranues Coles had what would have been a more difficult touchdown catch skim off his hands. Finally, McCareins had another touchdown chance glance off his hands, a play that resulted in the game-clinching interception. 
In other words, Clemens was lucky to have Cotchery on the field. 
Said Mangini: "[Cotchery] is just a special player. I admire his competitiveness, his toughness. ... You love to coach guys like that. ..." 
Thomas Jones rushed for 67 yards on 24 carries against the Ravens' bruising defense. He seemed to get stronger with the more carries he received and provided a peek at the type of back he can be. 
As the Sports Xchange noted, Leon Washington had no touches on offense, as the Jets apparently felt the shifty runner wasn't a good matchup against the physical Ravens. ... 
Place-kicker Mike Nugent, who kicked a 50-yarder in the first quarter for his 19th consecutive field goal over two seasons, had his string snapped when he missed a 52-yarder in the second quarter. His streak was the second-longest in Jets history behind Pat Leahy (22 straight). 
And finally. ... Return man Justin Miller will miss the remainder of the season after being placed on injured reserve Tuesday. The Jets did not disclose Miller's injury, but the Star-Ledger reported that he has an injured right knee. 
Citing an anonymous source with knowledge of the situation, the Star-Ledger reported that Miller has "serious" ligament damage in his right knee. "It's as serious as it can get," the person told the newspaper. 
A Pro Bowl kick returner last season, Miller suffered the injury while returning a kickoff in the second quarter. Miller, 23, enjoyed a breakthrough 2006 campaign, averaging 28.3 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns on 46 kickoff returns. He also recorded 52 tackles in 16 games. 
New York likely will use either Washington or Brad Smith to replace Miller. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Chad Pennington, Kellen Clemens, Marques Tuiasosopo 
RB: Thomas Jones, Leon Washington 
FB: Darian Barnes, Stacey Tutt 
WR: Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery, Justin McCareins, Brad Smith, Wallace Wright 
TE: Chris Baker, Sean Ryan, Jason Pociask, Joe Kowalewski 
PK: Mike Nugent 
=========================

=========================
OAKLAND RAIDERS
Lane Kiffin is sticking with Josh McCown as his starting quarterback this week against Cleveland even after the first-year coach called the Raiders' passing game "embarrassing" in their latest loss. 
As Associated Press sports writer Josh Dubow noted Monday, McCown went 8-for-16 for 73 yards and one touchdown and three interceptions, failing to generate any consistent offense through the air against the Broncos. But Kiffin said Monday that McCown gives the team a better chance to win than Daunte Culpepper and would remain the starter at least for this week. 
"Our passing game was basically embarrassing," Kiffin said Monday. "That falls on all of us, from up front to the receivers to the backs to the quarterback to the coaches, all of us. It's obviously something we need to improve on." 
Given the job in part because of his ability to manage the game, McCown threw three interceptions against the Broncos and has five through two games. If that doesn't change soon, Culpepper could get the nod. 
"Josh has got to get better, that's no secret, or he won't be our starting quarterback for long, especially at this pace," Kiffin said. 
After getting booed in his debut with the Raiders despite throwing for 313 yards and two touchdowns, McCown figures to get more of the same treatment this week. 
And as Dubow noted, with a former Pro Bowl player in Culpepper and the No. 1 overall pick in JaMarcus Russell waiting in the wings, McCown is clearly not the fan favorite in Oakland. 
"I don't get caught up in it because it does me no good," McCown said. "It's just going to bring me down. I have to play to a standard that I want to and as bad as the fans may think that you play or whatever, this is just something they go and watch, and they go and get enjoyment from. This is my life, this is my job. If they want me to do better than just imagine how much I want to do better and how well I want to play." 
McCown's play has been spotty at best the first two weeks. He started slowly against the Lions in the opener as Oakland fell into a 17-0 hole, before leading a comeback that briefly gave the Raiders a 21-20 lead in the fourth quarter. McCown went 30-for-40 for 313 yards and the two touchdowns, taking advantage of underneath passes that Detroit gave Oakland. 
The Broncos shut down those short routes, and the Raiders fell behind 17-3 before once again rallying to take a fourth-quarter lead. 
"My confidence is not shot whatsoever," McCown said. "I'm highly confident in what I can do, what our offense can do." 
McCown was able to complete only one downfield throw all game -- a 46-yard TD pass to Jerry Porter -- and threw interceptions on two other deep balls and missed an open Porter streaking down field late in regulation. 
"It's not a very hard completion to make," Kiffin said of the missed pass to Porter. "He throws off his back foot and overthrows Jerry or the game's over at that point. Those are the plays that, if you're going to be really good on offense and if you're going to be really good at quarterback, you have to make those plays." 
The running game was the bright spot offensively for Oakland as LaMont Jordan had 25 carries for 159 yards and the Raiders had 200 yards rushing in a game for the first time since their Super Bowl season in 2002. It was just the second time since 1973 that the Raiders lost a game in which they ran for at least 200 yards. 
"You're on the road, you're down, you battle back," Jordan said. "To come up short, these are the games that hurt the most." 
As Sacramento Bee staffer Jason Jones noted, Jordan has extra motivation after the Raiders were willing to cut him had he not taken a pay cut in the offseason. The Raiders also signed Dominic Rhodes in the offseason, but he's suspended for four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. 
So Jordan says the first four games of the season are his chance to prove he is the team's No. 1 tailback. 
So far, so good. ... Jordan is off to the best start of his career. He has 229 rushing yards in two games after gaining 434 yards in nine games last year. Jordan has 40 carries and nine catches in two games, and Kiffin has leaned heavily on the seven-year veteran. 
Jordan, in his third season with the Raiders, said the team in the past too often abandoned the running game when faced with large deficits. 
"One thing about coach Kiffin and this coaching staff -- they are believers in the run game," Jordan told Jones. ... 
Overall, despite their two losses there have been some signs of progress for an offense that managed only 12 touchdowns a year ago. 
"One thing I will say is that's a different Raiders group," Broncos safety John Lynch said "I know from talking to those players, they really believe in what Lane Kiffin's selling to them. In the past, you get the Raiders down and they kind of wilt. They showed no wilting. They came back and got back on top." 
That's all well and good, Kiffin said, but it doesn't matter until that translates into wins. 
"We can talk about, 'Our team fought back, and we've been ahead in both games in the fourth quarter. Are we better than we used to be?' All that stuff," he said. "But we're 0-2 and it's my job to win here. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... According to Jones, McCown isn't the only Raider many believe shouldn't be playing this Sunday. Through two games, kicker Sebastian Janikowski is 1 of 5 on field goals. 
Still, the Raiders plan to stick with him and won't bring in any other kickers. 
Janikowski thought he had won Sunday's game in Denver with a 52-yard field goal in overtime, only to find out the Broncos called a timeout before the kick. 
Kiffin said Janikowski made a divot in the grass on that kick. On the next attempt, holder Shane Lechler had to move the ball about 9 inches to the right. Regardless, Kiffin said Janikowski took the loss hard and "really feels like he's let the team down." Kiffin also defended Janikowski for missing a game-winner from 52 yards. 
"It's not a chip shot by any means," Kiffin said. "We're still behind him, and he's going to win some games from us." 
And finally. ... According to San Francisco Chronicle staffer Nancy Gay, third-year quarterback Andrew Walter already has been told he will be released to make room for Russell when the rookie's roster exemption expires (in another week). 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Josh McCown, Daunte Culpepper, Andrew Walter, JaMarcus Russell 
RB: LaMont Jordan, Justin Fargas, Adimchinobe Echemandu 
FB: Justin Griffith, Oren O'Neal 
WR: Ronald Curry, Jerry Porter, Travis Taylor, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Mike Williams 
TE: Zach Miller, John Madsen, Tony Stewart 
PK: Sebastian Janikowski 
=========================

=========================
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The last time the Eagles opened with two losses, they ended up one win short of the Super Bowl. And as Associated Press sports writer Rob Maaddi suggested Tuesday, it will take a dramatic turnaround to accomplish that feat again this season. 
The Eagles struggled on offense for the second straight week in a 20-12 loss to the Redskins on Monday night. Donovan McNabb was shaky and the passing attack was out of sync, major problems for a team that relies heavily on moving the ball through the air. 
If it weren't for Brian Westbrook, the Eagles might not have even been in position to settle for four field goals after drives stalled inside the red zone. Westbrook accounted for 162 of their 340 total yards, and no one else created big plays. 
Just nine and a half months removed from major surgery on his right knee, McNabb looks little like the quarterback who has been to five Pro Bowls. He's completed just 54.4 percent of his passes for 424 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His passer rating of 68.8 is 24th in the NFL. And he's not scrambling like he used to because of the injury. 
Some fans are calling for rookie Kevin Kolb to replace McNabb. But head coach Andy Reid is confident the nine-year veteran will eventually regain his old form. 
"He'll get it done," Reid said Tuesday. 
Reid pointed to the fourth quarter as a possible turning point for McNabb. He led the Eagles on two long drives that ended inside the Washington 10. They settled for a 22-yard field goal on the first one and couldn't convert a fourth-and-6 from the 9 on the second. McNabb misfired badly on a third-down pass to Kevin Curtis, and his next throw to Curtis was broken up by LaRon Landry's hard hit. 
"I thought we saw a great thing with Donovan as we got through that fourth quarter," Reid said. "Some of that rust came off and it looked like the old Donovan there. So, that's a very positive thing coming out of this game." 
Maaddi went on to note the bright side for the Eagles is they've been here before. 
They started the 2003 season with consecutive losses at home in their new stadium. Philadelphia regrouped and won 12 of its final 14, earned the top seed in the conference and reached the NFC title game for the third straight year, before losing to Carolina. 
"I think for the guys that were a part of that, there is a positive light in this situation, knowing that we've been through it," McNabb said. "But, still, you can't live in the past and you have to prepare for the future. And in this situation we only need to focus on Detroit and we have to learn from the mistakes that we made in this game and correct that." 
It might take more than that. 
As Delaware County Times columnist Jack McCaffery reminded readers on Tuesday, after the offense went the final 36:16 of their 16-13 season-opening loss to Green Bay without scoring a touchdown, coordinator Marty Mornhinweg knew the score. "Across the board we all have to do better," he said. "It starts with me. That's my responsibility to get some points on the board. And we'll do better." 
McCaffrey added: "That is his job description, sure: Coordinate an effective offense. But he was not the one who decided that the offense would be just fine its front-line receivers Reggie Brown and Curtis, who entered the season with a combined 37 NFL starts. He didn't decide to begin the season with a limited quarterback, and not much of a backup staff. His input into the decision to ignore the fullback at all cost may be deep. 
"But the stuttering, sputtering Eagles' offense is an institutional crisis, not the shortcoming of a coordinating assistant coach. 
"There is just not enough skilled labor around there any more." 
Hard to argue his point. ... 
Now, the Eagles will try to avoid their first 0-3 start since Reid's rookie season as coach in 1999. But it's safe to assume the big story in Philadelphia this week will be McNabb. 
The veteran signal caller all but guaranteed that by stating African-American quarterbacks are perceived differently than their white counterparts in an interview that aired Tuesday night on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel." 
In the conversation with James Brown, McNabb said African-American quarterbacks such as himself face added pressure because there are fewer black quarterbacks. He also says some people still don't want black athletes playing the position. 
"There's not that many African-American quarterbacks, so we have to do a little bit extra," McNabb told HBO in the interview that took place on August 31. "Because the percentage of us playing this position, which people didn't want us to play, is low, so we have to do a little extra." 
Brown also pressed McNabb with the issue of race in reactions to people have about his play. 
"I pass for 300 yards, our teams wins by seven, (mimicking), 'Ah, he could have made this throw, they would have scored if he did this,'" McNabb explained. 
Brown then continued to press McNabb, asking, "Doesn't every quarterback go through that?" 
"Not everybody," McNabb replied. 
Brown then pondered if the media is as tough on white quarterbacks Peyton Manning or Carson Palmer, or if they are more harsh on McNabb because he's African-American. 
"Let me start by saying I love those guys," McNabb said. "But they don't get criticized as much as we do. They don't." 
In October 2003, radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh resigned from ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" for comments that McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed. 
Said McNabb at the time: "It's sad that you've got to go to skin color. I thought we were through with that whole deal." 
Apparently not. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... Westbrook was among those hurting a day after Monday night's loss to Washington, but Reid doesn't believe the injury is serious enough to keep his star halfback out for Sunday's home game against Detroit. 
Westbrook, who has 51 touches in the first two games, suffered a knee strain. "He twisted his knee a little bit," Reid said of his prized running back. 
Westbrook had 96 rushing yards and 66 receiving to lead the Eagles in both categories Monday night and the head coach believes as far as workload goes Westbrook is "right about where he needs to be." 
Westbrook was scheduled to have an MRI Wednesday and will be examined further by the team's medical staff. It doesn't sound like a serious issue, but we'll be watching. 
Meanwhile, L.J. Smith continues to fight a nagging groin strain that has hampered the tight end since training camp. The injury has certainly limited his productivity as evidenced by Smith's numbers through two games -- 26 yards on four receptions. 
"He'll just keep working through this thing," Reid said. ... 
Rookie running back Tony Hunt was designated as one of eight inactive players Monday night for the Eagles' game against the Washington Redskins. The inactivity came eight days after Hunt was one of only three players on the 45-man active roster who dressed but did not see action in the season-opening loss at Green Bay. 
The lack of playing time at Green Bay could be attributed to the fact the Eagles did not get close enough to the goal line to deploy Hunt in the short yardage specialty role he appeared to carve out during the preseason. 
"He was scheduled for certain plays as a role player in that particular game," Mornhinweg said last week. "We certainly could see that in the future. A couple of the situations he was scheduled for didn't come up." 
Monday's inactive designation could be blamed on return issues. 
Because of the Eagles' problems in the punt return game against the Packers, the Eagles re-signed all-purpose back Reno Mahe, and it appears they gave Mahe what otherwise would have been Hunt's active roster spot for Mahe. 
With veteran backup A.J. Feeley still recovering from a second-round of surgery on his left (non-throwing) hand, Kolb served as McNabb's primary backup. ... 
And finally. ... The Eagles re-signed J.R. Reed on Wednesday, just eight days after releasing the embattled kick returner. Reed made a critical mistake in Philadelphia's loss to the Packers, muffing a punt return with under a minute remaining to help set up the game-winning field goal. 
Reed also returned three kickoffs in that contest, averaging 22.0 yards per return. An undrafted free agent in 2004, Reed has appeared in 21 games over parts of four seasons with the Eagles, St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb, A.J. Feeley 
RB: Brian Westbrook, Correll Buckhalter, Tony Hunt, Reno Mahe 
FB: Thomas Tapeh 
WR: Reggie Brown, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Greg Lewis 
TE: L.J. Smith, Matt Schobel, Brent Celek 
PK: David Akers 
=========================

=========================
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Given all the players (LaDainian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson leap immediately to mind) off to disappointing starts this season, it's nice to see Willie Parker coming off his third 100-yard game in a row and his fifth in the past six games, dating to last season. 
Better still, he's not satisfied. Not even after rushing for 126 yards on 23 carries and scoring on an 11-yard run in a 26-3 victory against the Buffalo Bills at Heinz Field. 
"It was a tough game last week, feast or famine, as [former head coach Bill Cowher] would say," Parker said. "I knew this was a big game for me because I wasn't satisfied at all [last week]." 
According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staffer Gerry Dulac, Parker was unhappy with his performance in Cleveland because he lost a fumble on one play and slipped on another in which the coaches thought he would have had a 40-yard touchdown run. 
But he helped ease the disappointment Sunday with his 15th career 100-yard rushing game on a day when the Steelers really didn't need anything more than Jeff Reed's four field goals. 
Parker put the finishing touch on his performance when he ran for an 11-yard touchdown with 7:13 remaining and gaining a small certain measure of satisfaction. At least for another week. 
"I did a better job, but there's still room for improvement," Parker said. "I'm not going to say I'm satisfied." 
The reason? 
Parker was stopped for no gain on second down at the Bills' 1 in the third quarter, one play before Ben Roethlisberger threw a 1-yard touchdown to rookie tight end Matt Spaeth. 
"I think I could have scored on that goal-line play," Parker said. 
OK, so the Steelers need to improve a running game that has averaged 195 yards in two games, at least according to Parker. But there was nothing to dismiss about the way the Steelers slashed and gouged their way through the Bills defense, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and wearing them down in the fourth quarter. 
And as Dulac noted, Parker did it in every manner, beating the Bills to the perimeter with runs of 21 and 24 yards around the end, then hurting them inside in the second half with runs of 16, 11, 9 and 7 yards. 
"The more you expect out of yourself, the more you're going to achieve," guard Alan Faneca said of Parker. "You set your standards low, that's what you're going to achieve." 
The Steelers finished with 184 yards on 33 carries, with Najeh Davenport piling on 46 more on the final series when the Bills were playing as if they had had enough. 
Granted, it's what the Steelers should have done against a defense that ranked 28th against the run in 2006 and gave up 171 yards to the Denver Broncos in the season opener. But, in the wacky world of the NFL, where even the Browns can score 51 points in a game, nothing is to be taken for granted. 
"I just knew they were slow on the edges and their ends rush so hard up the field," Parker said. "They pass rush 100 percent, all the time. I knew they would leave a hole in [an inside] gap and that's what I studied all week and that's what it ended up being." 
The Steelers rushed for 100 yards on 18 carries in the second half, most of those coming inside the tackles. Parker, though, had some early success to the outside, and on his runs of 21 and 24 yards, he followed big blocks by fullback Carey Davis. 
Dulac noted that's what Parker has been doing for three seasons as a starter, since he had his first 100-yard game in the 2004 season finale in Buffalo. He became the 11th player in club history to surpass 3,000 career rushing yards and moved into 10th place on their all-time list with 3,117 yards. 
"We challenged him a little bit this week and he challenged himself to bounce back," head coach Mike Tomlin said. "I know it sounds a little funny to say he bounced back because he ran for 100 yards, but he wasn't pleased with that performance." 
That's okay. Fantasy owners couldn't have been happier. ... 
And don't look for Parker to get a break any time soon. 
"We're going to ride Willie until the wheels come off," Tomlin declared Tuesday. "He's game for that, he's in great physical condition, he wants the ball, he's a competitor and he's showing he's capable of doing that." 
Parker carried 337 times last season, fourth most in Steelers history, for 1,494 yards. He has 50 carries this season, for 235 yards. That's a pace of 400 carries. 
"He's getting better with each carry as these games go on, and I'm starting to realize that about him. He's a rhythm runner," Tomlin said. "So we're going to feed him. We're not going to make any bones about that. ..." 
It should be noted that Parker's success makes the entire offense more effective. 
"Willie opens it up for us when he has 100-yard games," wide receiver Nate Washington said. "Teams have to try to stack the box (to slow Parker), but when we're making plays as receivers they have to respect us, so they can't stack the box anymore." 
In a related note. ... Roethlisberger was efficient again, going 21 of 34 for 242 yards and tossing another TD, his fifth of the season. He also threw his first interception on a deep pass, underthrew a couple of receivers and had at least two of his passes dropped. 
He was sacked only once. However, the passing game failed in the red zone when the Steelers settled for four field goals in four trips in the first half. ... 
As the Sports Xchange noted, Davis has replaced veteran Dan Kreider as the starter but he has just four carries for nine yards and one reception for zero yards through two games. Kreider still is used on occasion in the I formation. 
And finally. ... Hines Ward said he will appeal the $5,000 fine the NFL slapped him with for a block he made Sept. 9 on Browns cornerback Daven Holly. The veteran receiver was called for a personal foul for hitting Holly after the whistle at the end of a Davenport catch-and-run. 
Ward learned late last week that the league had further punished him for the block that knocked Holly out of the game with a concussion. Holly told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer that the play was a "heinous act." 
"If that's what you want to call it, heinous, I'll apologize," Ward said on Sunday, "but if I really wanted to hurt him, I could have." 
Ward said he had already started to block Holly when the whistle blew and couldn't stop in time. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, Brian St. Pierre 
RB: Willie Parker, Najeh Davenport, Gary Russell 
FB: Carey Davis, Dan Kreider 
WR: Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Cedrick Wilson, Nate Washington, Willie Reid 
TE: Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Jerame Tuman 
PK: Jeff Reed 
=========================

=========================
ST. LOUIS RAMS
Anybody starting to get worried yet? It might be time. ... As St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell suggested, if the first two weeks of this early 2007 season are evidence, then there's no way Marc Bulger can possibly remain in one piece for 14 more games. 
How do you expect to win games, Burwell wonders, with an offense that seems "hellbent on getting its quarterback dismembered and its featured running back stark raving mad over his inexplicable lack of use in the crunch?" 
How do you expect to win games with an offense that managed nearly 400 yards of offense, but only came away with one touchdown and 16 measly points? 
Near the end of Sunday's loss to the 49ers, a game that the Rams could have -- and probably should have -- seized control of maybe five different times, Burwell advised readers the enduring images of the day were these two disturbing scenes: 
A woozy Bulger sitting on the bench with a phalanx of medical folks cluttered around, examining him as if he was a punch-drunk boxer. And a seething Steven Jackson storming off the field after another failed fourth-quarter drive, cussing up a storm at the head coach and several other folks on the sidelines because the pass protection stunk and the Pro Bowl tailback had touched the ball only once on the drive. ... 
Starting with the former, Belleville News-Democrat staffer Rod Kloeckner noted that even though he only complained about his ribs, nobody doubted Bulger's entire body hurt Sunday. 
He was sacked six times, endured just as many vicious hits as he was unloading passes and constantly found himself under pressure during the 17-16 loss. 
"I think he played fairly good considering how much pressure he had on him," said head coach Scott Linehan. 
Playing behind a rebuilt offensive line that was without left tackle Orlando Pace, who is out for the year with a shoulder injury, and guard Richie Incognito, who missed his second straight game with a high ankle sprain, Bulger took a beating. 
He was still able to complete 24 of 41 pass attempts for 368 yards and one touchdown despite constantly being pressured by the 49ers. 
"Give San Francisco credit," Bulger said. "They put together a plan and we had some guys in different spots. There was a lot of pressure, but I can't really tell until we see the film what the issues were. 
"I probably held on to the ball too long in certain circumstances, but we definitely have some corrections to make." 
In addition to the absence of Pace and Incognito, right guard Claude Terrell suffered a thigh bruise before halftime, forcing Adam Goldberg into the lineup. The makeshift offensive line took the blame for their inability to protect Bulger. 
"Our job is to keep Marc upright, and we didn't do that today," said left guard Mark Setterstrom. "Anytime you see him on the ground, you take it personally." 
Bulger was on the ground plenty against the blitz-happy 49ers, who came into the game intent on exploiting the jerry-rigged line. 
"I thought we had a little bit of trouble identifying things," said Rams center Brett Romberg. "We struggled a little bit for the most part. I know Marc got pinged off a couple of times. 
"I don't know who pinged him off, but we'll go back over the film and figure it out." 
The Rams were aggressive in their offensive scheme against the 49ers with Bulger throwing plenty of downfield passes. Six of his passes were longer than 15 yards, including s 37-yarder to Isaac Bruce midway through the third quarter. 
After catching just three passes in last week's season-opening loss to Carolina, Bruce caught eight for 145 yards. 
"I'm glad we were able to get him the ball," Bulger said. "He didn't have too many catches last week. Isaac is a gamer and he's one of those guys when you need a catch or spark, he's there." 
Bulger took his hardest shot to the ribs in the first half, then played the final two quarters with the injury. He said it didn't effect his performance. 
"Not really," Bulger said. "A couple of times I threw the ball away, but they hurt all game. Everyone in here is playing with pain. Once the medicine kicked it, it wasn't as bad." 
Bulger, who hooked up with Torry Holt on a 12-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, said San Francisco's heavy pass rush forced him to make quick decisions downfield. 
"The more you wait, that's where fumbles happen and sacks," Bulger said. "Sacks really hurt on offense. They put you in second and long and third and long, and it's tough to overcome that." 
Trailing 17-16 on St. Louis' last drive, Bulger was sacked for a 7-yard loss by Bryant Young at midfield. He then hit Bruce with a 14-yard pass on the next play to bring up 4th-and-3 from San Francisco's 38 with 1:04 left. 
Rather than try for a first down, Linehan elected to kick a 56-yard field goal. Jeff Wilkins' attempt was just short. 
"I would have liked to get five or six more yards for Wilky," Bulger said. "It's risky there if we don't kick the field goal on fourth down. 
"Obviously, we could go back and say that we wish we would have went for it, but that was probably as good a chance as we were going to get. ..." 
As for Jackson. ... Post-Dispatch beat man Jim Thomas reported on Tuesday that the star tailback chalked up his angry sideline outburst to the heat of battle and the frustration of a wrenching defeat. 
"I was upset mainly because I thought we were going to come out on top," Jackson said. "I really thought we were going to win, and I was hoping that we could put together a successful drive -- and it just wasn't going that way. It was more a vocal out-letting of frustration than anything." 
Jackson was seen yelling at Linehan on the sideline after a third-and-7 pass from Bulger to Drew Bennett fell incomplete on the Rams' second-to-last offensive possession of the game. Jackson had to be pulled away by running backs coach Wayne Moses. Jackson was blocking on the play. 
There were a few plays in the game in which Jackson was open on pass routes, but the ball went elsewhere. He said not getting ball as a receiver had nothing to do with his anger. 
"Oh, no, no, no," Jackson said. "I like to catch the ball a lot, but I understand it's not my (primary) job. I expect Marc to look for [Bruce] and [Holt] before he looks for me. Always." 
When quizzed Monday about Jackson's blowup, Linehan played down the notion Jackson was upset specifically with him. 
"I don't know if he was yelling at me," Linehan said. "I didn't take it that way. I honestly didn't. This is news to me. Sometimes players get emotional. I understand that part. You've just got to let it roll off your back. I don't have any issue at all with Steven. Sometimes he gets a little animated because he's a competitor. He didn't say anything to me that I heard." 
Jackson had only 60 yards rushing against San Francisco. For the season, he has 118 yards rushing, and is averaging only 3 yards a carry. 
"As we finished the season last year, expectations were high," offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. "We felt very good about where our run game was, and felt like we were going to be able take off this year where we left off a season ago. That's been a frustrating thing for us." 
Thomas noted that Jackson and the running game actually started strongly against Carolina and San Francisco, but slowed to a trickle as the games progressed. Early in the second quarter against the Panthers Jackson had eight carries for 44 yards, but he had 10 carries for 14 yards thereafter. Early in the second quarter against the 49ers he had seven carries for 37 yards, but only 23 yards on 14 carries the rest of the way. 
Matters aren't helped by the injuries up front. 
"The chemistry's not there," Jackson said. "Those five guys up front never played a whole game together. So hopefully, as we get into the season, and get into game shape, we can continue our dominance that we've had (early) and carry it over to the second half." 
I do believe Jackson will turn things around. I only wish he didn't have to. ... 
A few other notes of interest. ... The Rams traded a fifth-round pick in the offseason for kick returner Dante Hall, but so far the reviews have been mixed. As the Sports Xchange noted, except for an 84-yard kickoff return, Hall hasn't made much of an impact and his turnover late in the fourth quarter Sunday prevented the Rams from attempting to run out the clock with a 16-14 lead. 
In Week 1, Hall was caught from behind on the 84-yard return at the Carolina 17-yard line, and the Rams settled for a field goal. On four other kickoff returns, he gained 17, 15, 15 and 15. Two punt returns went for six and minus-one. 
Against the 49ers, Hall had three kickoff returns of 17, 17 and 20 and three punt returns of zero, one and seven. His muffed punt was the turning point. The Rams had taken a 16-14 lead, and the defense stopped the 49ers at the San Francisco 32-yard line with 5:54 left in the game. 
Hall couldn't handle the punt at his own 25-yard line and the 49ers recovered. Four snaps later, Joe Nedney kicked the game-winning 40-yard field goal. ... 
And finally. ... Tight end Randy McMichael was fairly sore Monday with a tight hamstring suffered early in Sunday's game against San Francisco. McMichael continued to play with the injury. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Marc Bulger, Gus Frerotte, Brock Berlin 
RB: Steven Jackson, Brian Leonard, Travis Minor, Antonio Pittman 
FB: Richard Owens 
WR: Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Drew Bennett, Dane Looker, Dante Hall, Marques Hagans 
TE: Randy McMichael, Joe Klopfenstein, Aaron Walker, Dominique Byrd 
PK: Jeff Wilkins 
=========================

=========================
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
New head coach Norv Turner was supposed make an explosive offense even more dangerous. But something has happened to short-circuit these Chargers. 
Through two games, their offense hasn't resembled the potent one from last season. 
As San Diego Union-Tribune staffer Jay Posner framed it: "If someone mentioned the Chargers had 28 points and 464 yards, most people would assume that was just another day at the office. 
"The problem: That's San Diego's totals for its first two games. ..." 
San Diego averaged 30.8 points per game last season; this season they are averaging 14. San Diego averaged 13.9 points per game in the first half last season; this season the Chargers have yet to score in the first half. Tomlinson averaged 113.4 yards per game last season; this season he's at 34 yards per game. 
On Sunday, the Chargers hit the road again for a game in Green Bay against the unbeaten Packers looking to get the offense on track. 
"I'm concerned because there is a standard here and we expect to be more productive and we expect to move the ball," Turner said Monday. "I feel we've played two outstanding teams. We need to be more productive and we're not going to be more productive if we turn the football over." 
San Diego was the NFL's highest-scoring team last season as it finished with a league-best 14-2 record before imploding in a home playoff loss to the Patriots. The Chargers were the fourth-ranked offense behind reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson. 
But this season the Chargers rank near the bottom of nearly every offensive category, including scoring, where they are 24th with just 28 points. They won their opener 14-3 over the Chicago Bears. 
And Tomlinson? After rushing for a career-high 1,815 yards and scoring an NFL-record 31 touchdowns last season, the star tailback has been stymied. He's averaging just 1.9 yards per carry with 68 yards on 35 carries. 
"I don't know that anything that you say is going to reassure anybody," Turner said. "What we have to do is go perform. We have to go play the way we're capable of playing." 
The Chargers continued a disturbing trend by not scoring in the first half for the second straight week. Last season, San Diego scored in the first half of each regular-season game. 
"The most concerning thing for me was turning the football over in the first half," Turner said. "You turn the football over, you don't give yourself a chance. It's a disrupting thing." 
Quarterback Philip Rivers threw two interceptions Sunday night, one of which was returned for a touchdown, and lost a fumble. Still, Turner said he is not worried about his team. 
"This group of guys, they've been through this thing," Turner said. "It's a long season. A loss is loss. Once it's over, you have put it behind you. It doesn't matter how it occurs. This group has done that before and I think they will do it again." 
I would suggest, however, that it's time to worry. 
Consider the following items -- as noted by Union-Tribune beat writer Kevin Acee: 
The Chargers have scored fewer points than 10 teams in the league through two games. 
Their 464 yards in this season's two games is their worst back-to-back output since the middle of the 2003 season. 
Tomlinson has suffered through his worst back-to-back rushing performances in his career. Rivers' passer ratings the past two games represent the third-and fourth-worst performances of his 18-start career. 
According to the Sports Xchange, Tomlinson is concerned about the team's run blocking. It didn't help that starting tackle Shane Olivea missed most of the game with a back injury. 
"We had moments where we had a tough time blocking some of these guys," Tomlinson said. "We can block better than we blocked. Whatever it may be, we've got to fix it." 
And they've got to fix it soon. ... 
Also of interest. ... Darren Sproles fielded one punt for zero yards and one kickoff for 20 yards. Sproles was chased from the opener with a concussion; Michael Turner remains the main kick returner. ... 
Backup fullback Andrew Pinnock is still nursing a sore hamstring and was among Sunday's inactives. Receiver Eric Parker is still out at least two more games after toe surgery. 
And finally. ... According to NBC's Andrea Kremer, Turner went against his usual routine by not providing the first 15 plays in paper form to his players in safeguarding against the Pats finding them. 
The Pats have been under fire for their spying. 
"Obviously, that was the issue during the week," Turner said. "The great thing about this game, it's played between those white lines. A lot was made out of that. Certainly, we're going to take precautions like every team is going to take precautions but it comes down to playing the game." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Philip Rivers, Billy Volek, Charlie Whitehurst 
RB: LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner, Darren Sproles 
FB: Lorenzo Neal, Andrew Pinnock 
WR: Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, Craig Davis, Kassim Osgood, Onrea Jones, Eric Parker 
TE: Antonio Gates, Brandon Manumaleuna, Scott Chandler 
PK: Nate Kaeding 
=========================

=========================
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
According to Associated Press sports writer Greg Beacham, Mike Nolan is no different from any other NFL head coach. He'll take an iffy victory over an impressive defeat any week. 
So he sees no problems with his team's improbable 2-0 start that can't be fixed -- even though Nolan knows it'd be tough to look much worse while winning than his club did the last two weeks. 
"It was a week of inconsistency again," Nolan said. "Just like I said last week, it's nice to come away from a win with things to work on." 
Nolan called a "Victory Monday" at the 49ers' training complex, canceling team meetings and limiting his players to light workouts after returning from a 17-16 victory in St. Louis in which they managed just 186 total yards and eight first downs. 
Indeed, San Francisco is off to its first 2-0 start since 1998 despite failing to gain 200 yards in either win. 
As a result, Sacramento Bee staffer Matthew Barrows notes that Nolan found himself answering some interesting questions. 
What's wrong with the passing game, coach? 
Is the offense too conservative? 
Are you building the 49ers in the image of the Baltimore Ravens? 
According to Barrow, Nolan seemed to have anticipated the barrage. 
As far as his conservative streak, Nolan said, "I don't think I'm conservative at all," and then listed a half-dozen instances in the past two years in which he has called for onside kicks, fake punts and fourth-down conversions. 
"From the standpoint of the way my mind works, I'm frequently trying to think outside the box," Nolan said. "I try to encourage our coaches and our players to do the same thing. But each game has its own personality. You do what you have to do in that game." 
It was Nolan's decision to try to run the clock down at the end of Sunday's game. The strategy resulted in six consecutive running plays on two possessions that gained a total of six yards and twice gave the Rams a chance to drive for a winning field goal. 
Nolan said the 49ers had -- or were about to have -- the lead when the game plan turned vanilla and that shaving seconds off the clock was more important at that point than piling points on the scoreboard. 
He said Monday that he was content with new offensive coordinator Jim Hostler calling plays from the sideline instead of the coaches' booth and that he in no way has lost confidence in quarterback Alex Smith. 
The quarterback's 252 passing yards are more meager than any other passer except the Bills' J.P. Losman's 251 yards among quarterbacks who have played two full games. Heading into Week 3, the 49ers are last in the league in yards per game (190), yards per play (3.6) and third-down percentage (24 percent). 
Nolan's biggest criticism is that the offense isn't taking advantage of the fact that defenses are loading eight men along the line of scrimmage to stop running back Frank Gore. 
"I think that's where we leave some yards on the field," he said. 
And no, Nolan isn't trying to create a West Coast version of the Ravens. 
The coach noted that he arrived in Baltimore a year after the team, notorious for its offensive futility, won the Super Bowl. 
"We're not trying to build a football team like that at all," Nolan said. "We're not trying to build inconsistency and we're not trying to build a run-only football team. I want to be very well-balanced. ..." 
Meanwhile, Nolan doesn't want fans or his players to forget about that zero in the first-place 49ers' loss column after four consecutive losing campaigns. 
"People expect -- now they're expecting to win, so they're talking about how you (won)," Nolan said. "I don't recall anybody talking about that in the last two years. What that tells me is expectations are changing, and that means the most to me. If we're starting to talk about what kind of win it was, bring it on." 
Okay. ... It wasn't a pretty win. 
In St. Louis, Smith threw just two passes in the direction of tight end Vernon Davis, who has been vocal about wanting the ball more. Nolan still has plenty of faith in his third-year quarterback, whose effectiveness has been limited by a struggling offensive line. 
"I expect Alex to do his job and help us win the game," Nolan said. "He hasn't been a big turnover guy, but he's expected to get the ball to guys that are around him and make plays." 
That includes Davis. ... As Barrows suggested, too fast for linebackers and too strong for defensive backs, the second-year tight end emerged as Smith's go-to receiver in training camp this summer. 
In the regular season, however, Davis has been more like the invisible man. 
He finished with two catches for 23 yards Sunday -- better than his four-yard performance in Week 1 but not nearly enough to satisfy the outspoken tight end. 
"There wasn't too much double-team (coverage)," said Davis, whose modest statistics symbolize San Francisco's meager offense. "Every route I ran, I got open. Every route." 
And what did he think about the 49ers' decision to run the ball six consecutive times on two of their final possessions in the fourth quarter? 
"I was screaming," he said. "I want the ball. I don't know what it is. I got one or two passes thrown to me. I feel like I should have had more." 
Meanwhile, Nolan had some gentle criticism for Gore, who went home to Miami after the game along with fullback Moran Norris, running backs coach Bishop Harris and left tackle Jonas Jennings. They'll attend services for Gore's mother, Liz, who died last week, before returning to California for Wednesday's practice. 
Even after his 43-yard broken-field TD run in St. Louis, Gore has just 136 yards in the 49ers' first two games after setting the single-season franchise record last season. 
"There were yards left on the field," Nolan said. "As good as Frank is, there's a couple of runs that if he could have had back, he'd still be running. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... With blocking tight end Billy Bajema out because of an ankle injury, the 49ers tapped backup guard David Baas to fill in when they needed to grind out some tough yards in the fourth quarter. 
Baas said he hadn't played tight end since high school and didn't practice at the position much the week before the game. 
It showed. 
Baas and Davis had trouble figuring out where to line up, forcing the 49ers to burn a timeout late in the game. Baas said he had a hard time with the crowd noise while lined up at the end of the offensive line. 
"I have a new respect for Vernon and Billy and the rest of the tight ends because I couldn't hear anything," he said. ... 
According to Santa Rosa Press-Democrat staffer Matt Maiocco, the 49ers reported no injuries from the game Sunday. Gore came out of the game for a couple plays with a leg strain. 
Receiver Darrell Jackson "tweaked" his back while blocking. He and fellow wideout Arnaz Battle (groin) were expected to be held out Wednesday, but none of the walking wounded should miss any time. 
Jackson led the 49ers with 61 yards receiving on three catches against the Rams. 
Meanwhile, Ashley Lelie, who signed a two-year, $4.3 million contract in the offseason, continues to have a difficult time getting on the field. Lelie is the No. 4 receiver on the team, and he played just two offensive snaps on Sunday. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer, Shaun Hill 
RB: Frank Gore, Michael Robinson, Maurice Hicks 
FB: Moran Norris 
WR: Arnaz Battle, Darrell Jackson, Taylor Jacobs, Ashley Lelie, Jason Hill, Brandon Williams 
TE: Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Billy Bajema 
PK: Joe Nedney 
=========================

=========================
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
According to Tacoma News Tribune staffer Frank Hughes, Deion Branch didn't mean it as a pun, but the situation he found himself in after the Seahawks' 23-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon was indeed a Catch-22. 
Last week, when the Seahawks won their season opener over the Buccaneers, Branch was held without a catch, a fact he said was of little concern to him since the team won the game. 
Head coach Mike Holmgren both noted his appreciation for Branch's selflessness, given the me-first rants by some of the league's premier wide receivers, and vowed to get Branch more receptions against Arizona in accordance with his status as the team's feature wideout. 
On Sunday, Branch caught the second pass of the game, and six more throughout the afternoon for a total of 122 yards, but stood in front of his locker following the game explaining how his productivity had little impact on the overall outcome of the game. 
"It's no good," Branch told Hughes. "I mean, I can catch 20 balls today, we lose the game, and it doesn't make any difference. It's a Catch-22. 
"I'd rather win the game and have one or two catches than have 20 balls and lose the game. It defeats the purpose." 
Well. ... Unless you're a Fantasy owner in a points-per-reception league. 
Branch did not score, but he had one reception for 37 yards, one for 27 yards and one for 22 yards, maximizing his running skills after the catch. The right-hander also made a one-handed catch with his left hand. 
"Really, that's the key, just getting the balls in (the wide receivers') hands," Matt Hasselbeck said. "Deion had some great plays. To keep the ball out of their hands is a mistake so we have to keep getting them the ball." 
On the downside, Hasselbeck, who was 22-of-36 for 281 yards and a touchdown, had four of his passes dropped. Branch dropped two, Marcus Pollard dropped one and Bobby Engram let one go through his hands that would have been a first down but instead ended a first-half drive. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... As Seattle Post-Intelligencer beat writer Clare Farnsworth noted Monday, the cast on Shaun Alexander's left hand seemed to grow as the week progressed. 
The Seahawks' leading rusher is wearing it to protect his wrist, which was sprained in the season-opening victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But what started out as a seemingly small protective device in practice Wednesday had grown into a full-blown cast Sunday. 
"No, my hand didn't bother me at all," Alexander said after rushing for 70 yards and a touchdown and catching two passes. 
"The toughest thing was learning to fall again. I hit the ground hard a lot." 
Farnsworth went on to note that Alexander's day matched that of the offense. 
He had only 10 yards on eight carries in the first half, then added 60 yards on 10 carries in the second half -- including his 16-yard touchdown, which came on a fourth-and-1 play. 
"As soon as I passed the line of scrimmage, I knew that it was going to be a touchdown," he said. 
How much longer will Alexander continue to wear the cast? 
"I have no idea," he said. ... 
Also according to Farnsworth, the Seahawks offense was, in a word, dreadful in the first half. They had seven points, 140 yards and converted just two of seven third-down situations. In the second half, they scored 13 points, and rolled up 230 yards. 
What was the deal? 
"We were being too analytical about things," Holmgren said. "We have a tendency to do that, and we did that in the first half. 
"They give you a lot of looks and they kind of paralyze you just a little bit with those things. ..." 
With Maurice Morris inactive due to an injured hip, fullback Leonard Weaver played a larger role in the offense, getting a carry and a reception while also being used as a lead blocker on occasion to rest fullback Mack Strong. 
Alvin Pearman, recently added as a free agent, saw his first action and came up with a short reception and two kickoff returns for an average of 19 yards. 
The Seahawks also were down two wide receivers -- starting split end D.J. Hackett, who is out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain; and Ben Obomanu, who was expected to play in the four-receiver sets before his sore hamstring started bothering him Thursday. With Hackett and Obomanu inactive, rookie Courtney Taylor played and caught his first NFL pass -- a 6-yarder. ... 
It's not clear how many of the injured will return, but don't bet on Hackett coming back before next month. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, Charlie Frye 
RB: Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris, Alvin Pearman 
FB: Mack Strong, Leonard Weaver 
WR: Deion Branch, Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson, Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, D.J. Hackett 
TE: Marcus Pollard, Will Heller, Ben Joppru 
PK: Josh Brown 
=========================

=========================
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
According to Florida Today staffer David Dorsey, if embattled head coach Jon Gruden could be credited with one thing following his team's dominating 31-14 victory against the New Orleans Saints, he made it clear. 
"If I get any credit, I hope I get credit for resting Joey Galloway in Wednesday's practice," said Gruden, who has made a habit of resting the 35-year-old wide receiver during the past couple of seasons in order to preserve him for gameday. 
That tactic -- among others -- paid off Sunday in front of a home-opener crowd of 65,178 fans at Raymond James Stadium. 
Scoring touchdowns instead of field goals, creating turnovers and scoring off them, stopping the run and maintaining momentum all played roles in the Buccaneers winning big in this NFC South Division matchup. 
Galloway caught four passes for 135 yards and two first-half touchdowns on catches of 69 and 24 yards as the Buccaneers pulled to a .500 record at 1-1, while dropping the slumping Saints to 0-2. 
Jeff Garcia, a nine-year veteran, set a franchise record for yards-per-pass attempt in a game, averaging 15.2 yards per throw. He completed 10-of-16 passes for 243 yards and the two scoring strikes to Galloway. 
As St. Petersburg Times beat writer Rick Stroud suggested, now we know how hardheaded Garcia can be. 
One week after having to leave the game because of a blow to his helmet, the Bucs' 37-year-old quarterback was at it again Sunday -- scrambling for a first down and diving face-first to set up Tampa Bay's first touchdown of the season. 
"It scares you at first," receiver Ike Hilliard said of Garcia's scrambling. "But you ought to see him at practice. He plays every play like it's a regular-season play in the game. He's nuts. He's absolutely nuts. He gets (ticked) off when he misses a check, when he misses a read, if a receiver doesn't run the right route, when the offensive line doesn't protect. He's all over everybody. You've got to love it. 
"God, it's a shame he's not 25." 
Stroud went on to note that Garcia's stubbornness didn't stop there, butting heads with Gruden on several plays the coach called. Gruden admitted he is still learning about his obstinate veteran quarterback. 
"I don't know, if you're Tiger Woods' caddy, he's probably a hell of a lot different when he's playing for money than when he's hitting balls on the practice tees," Gruden said. "That's the only way I can tell you guys how it is. It's true. It's a relationship. Your girlfriend that you choose to marry, she might be a lot different when you get married. You have to go through these, and it's uncomfortable, it's hard." 
Garcia didn't try to mask his frustration with some of the play-calling. 
"I appreciate him understanding when I'm comfortable and not comfortable," Garcia said. "We have 5,000 plays in our playbook, so why not try something else?" 
Still, the three-time Pro Bowler did credit Gruden with several calls that led to touchdown passes to Galloway, who combined with his QB have 22 years of NFL experience. They averaged 33.8 yards per catch against the Saints. 
For what it's worth. ... Garcia's 15.2 yards per pass attempt broke Vinny Testaverde's previous single-game record for a Bucs quarterback. Testaverde's prior mark was 14.5 yards against Green Bay on Sept. 13, 1992. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... According to the Tampa Tribune, Carnell Williams asked for it, and now Gruden is ready to deliver. 
'I want to see him carry the ball a lot more. He needs to get himself ready to carry the ball a lot more,' Gruden said. 'He needs to get hit. He needs to play and work himself through some of his rust and inactivity I forced him through in the preseason. 
'All I heard about him was about not carrying the ball in the preseason. Well, you're going to get it a lot in the coming weeks, my friend.' 
Williams rushed 24 times for 61 yards and two touchdowns in Tampa Bay's 31-14 victory against New Orleans on Sunday, but, apparently, this is only the beginning of his workload. 
Gruden said he never considered pulling Williams, who played with special padding around his sore ribs, late in the fourth quarter after Tampa Bay built a substantial lead. With the way Williams was used last season -- he rushed for only one touchdown -- it is no surprise he supported Gruden's decision to continue playing. 
'I had 24 carries and I think every week I go to running backs coach Art Valero and say '25 touches now," Williams said. 'I'm one short, so hopefully next week I get that 25. Actually, I went to Coach Valero when we were up 21 and said, 'Coach don't try to pull me now. I need some work.' He said as long as you're good, you're going. I was glad to hear that.' 
Gruden and Williams are unhappy about Tampa Bay's running productivity on first down. 
The Bucs rushed 16 times on first down and gained 50 yards (3.1 average) against New Orleans. Only six of those 16 rushes were more than 4 yards. 
Overall, Tampa Bay has rushed for 92 yards on 27 first-down attempts, which Williams believes has to improve. 
'We need to be more in the 4- to 6-yard range. Second-and-6 and second-and-4 instead of second-and-8 and second-and-9,' Williams said. 'I feel like we could be a lot more productive, and maybe we need to mix in a pass with that. I think that is something we will concentrate on this week and get a lot better in. ..." 
According to the Rock Hill Herald, former Panther Eric Shelton worked out for Tampa Bay (along with five other backs, including former Panthers draft pick Kyle Johnson). He's gotten little run on the market, even though the Panthers thought he'd be on a team by now. ... 
Bruce Gradkowski was listed as Garcia's backup with Luke McCown moved down to third string. Chris Simms was inactive and in street clothes for the second consecutive week. ... 
Place-kicker Matt Bryant made a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and needs two more to tie Bill Capece for fourth place in team history with 43 career field goals. ... 
Tight end Alex Smith recorded a career-long 33-yard reception in the first quarter. ... 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown, Bruce Gradkowski, Chris Simms 
RB: Carnell Williams, Michael Pittman, Earnest Graham 
FB: Michael Pittman, B.J. Askew 
WR: Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard, Maurice Stovall, Michael Clayton, Mark Jones 
TE: Alex Smith, Anthony Becht, Jerramy Stevens 
PK: Matt Bryant 
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TENNESSEE TITANS
According to the Nashville Tennessean, a frustrated Vince Young walked off LP Field before his teammates Sunday when a last-ditch Titans drive ended, but before the Colts snapped the ball for the game's final play. 
It was not unlike an early exit by Randy Moss when he was with the Vikings that drew enormous national criticism. 
Young, who drew an unnecessary roughness penalty in the second quarter, also twice removed his helmet on the field, which can be a penalty. 
"There are a number of things that we have to address," head coach Jeff Fisher said when asked about Young taking his helmet off. "He was ready to play this game, and I thought he played a fine football game. He managed this game, and gave us a chance to win it throughout most of the game. He's improving. 
"He's learning from things that happen, and as a young quarterback, things happen every week. You get three or four years under your belt to really become comfortable, but with him in the shotgun or him under center, he gives us a chance to win." 
After he had some time to put things in perspective following the 22-20 defeat, Young bristled at questions about the failed final drive, instructing media that they should have been focusing on "how we played as a team." 
Fisher said with age and experience, Young will improve in such situations. 
"I was in a bad mood, too, I just answered your questions with a smile on my face," Fisher said. "I've got a little more experience than he does, but you know, it's an emotional game. It takes time to cool down, cool off, and it's frustrating. 
"It's not just three hours of effort. It's a whole week of effort that goes in to playing this game. Then to have a chance to win at the end and not (win), it's frustrating. Again, I have no problem with his distaste for losing. That's OK." 
Fisher said when he or other coaches look Young in the eye and tell him it's time to let something go, Young follows instructions. ... 
Young hit on 17 of 27 pass attempts for 184 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. But he swallowed three sacks and struggled on the Titans' last-ditch drive that could have won the game with the field goal. 
While many fans pointed to a fourth-quarter drop by Brandon Jones as the play that ended hopes of an upset, Fisher isn't blaming the receiver. 
Jones had a ball bounce off his hands with 25 seconds left. A reception on the third-and-4 would have given the Titans a first down and possibly gotten them in field goal range. 
"I think he was a little surprised to turn around and see the ball there on time," Fisher said. "They elected to pressure Vince throughout that last two-minute drive and I think Brandon just was surprised to see it. It's one of those plays -- it's not the one that cost us the game. We had a lot of different opportunities throughout the game." 
According to Tennessean staffer Paul Kuharsky, Jones couldn't bring himself to speak after the drop. "I don't have anything to say," Jones said. "I'm sorry." 
It was one of many mistakes made by the Titans, but in a game where the receivers appeared to make some progress it was symbolic of work that remains. 
"I expect Brandon to make that play and he expects to make that play," veteran receiver Eric Moulds said. "It's a crucial point in the game. That's what I told Brandon, 'That's where you make your name. 
"I don't think anybody on this team will get down on Brandon for not making that play. ... He's going to come back next week, continue to work hard and do better." 
Jones led the Titans with five receptions for 57 yards, while Roydell Williams turned his four catches into a team-high 72 yards and a touchdown. 
"Roydell played a great game," Young said. "We have been seeing it all through the offseason, we have been seeing it in camp what Roydell can do." 
In the first quarter, Williams streaked up the right side as Young faked a handoff, then lofted a pass to him. Williams pulled it in and finally went down after a 48-yard gain. 
In a game featuring Pro Bowl receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, Williams had the longest reception. 
"I'm not focused on establishing myself," Williams said. "I'm more focused on just going in and doing my assignment, making sure I don't kill drives." 
The Titans didn't ask Young to do much passing in a win at Jacksonville last week, when receivers caught just five passes. On Sunday, the group accounted for 15 of 17 receptions and 174 of 184 receiving yards. 
Moulds chipped in with two catches for 18 yards, both good for first downs. 
"These young guys pay attention. They've been watching film with me. They're learning the game. They're starting to get confidence in themselves," Moulds said. "You're going to see a lot of big games. ..." 
According to the Sports Xchange, the rushing attack couldn't match the marvelous production from Jacksonville, but 34 carries produced 141 yards and a 4.1-yard average. LenDale White worked hard and averaged 4.3 yards a carry against the Colts. Expect him to get a few more carries than Chris Brown this week. ... 
Also according to the Xchange, tight end Ben Troupe has practically disappeared. He was on the field for only a handful of plays against the Colts, and on one of them, he clearly ran the wrong route as he was right alongside starter Bo Scaife. ... 
And finally. ... Titans owner Bud Adams picked up the 2007 option on Fisher's contract at the end of last season, and an extension had been expected since then. Fisher said they finally worked out the last details last week. 
"Never at any time was I of the opinion it was not going to get done," Fisher said. "What was most important to me was the team and the players and winning games." 
Fisher is in his 13th season with the franchise that used to be the Houston Oilers. He originally was promoted from defensive coordinator to interim head coach in November 1994 and had the interim tag removed after that season ended. He coached his 200th regular season game with the Titans in Sunday's 22-20 loss to Indianapolis. 
He is 18-32 since the team's last playoff berth and winning record in 2003. 
But the Titans have won seven of their last nine games going back to last season when they rallied from an 0-5 start to an 8-8 finish that was one victory shy of a playoff berth. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Vince Young, Kerry Collins 
RB: LenDale White, Chris Brown, Chris Henry 
FB: Ahmard Hall, Casey Cramer 
WR: Brandon Jones, Roydell Williams, Eric Moulds, Chris Davis, Justin Gage, Paul Williams, Biren Ealy 
TE: Bo Scaife, Ben Troupe, Ben Hartsock 
PK: Rob Bironas 
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WASHINGTON REDSKINS
The Redskins are 2-0, having beaten a pair of unimpressive teams led by quarterbacks who have seen better days. 
Still, as Associated Press sports writer Joseph White suggested, considering where they were a year ago -- and the injuries they've already suffered in the first two weeks of the season -- the undefeated record feels very, very good. 
"With this team, it's just so much better than last year," receiver Antwaan Randle El said Tuesday, "in terms of just being together and understanding what it's all about." 
The Redskins have been simultaneously lucky and unlucky, good and not-so-good. A generous early schedule would seem to give them a legitimate shot at starting 6-0, but they've lost the right side of their offensive line. Right guard Randy Thomas is out for most -- if not all -- of the rest of the season after tearing his left triceps in Monday night's 20-12 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. 
Thomas can spend his rehabilitation time with his playing partner on the field, right tackle Jon Jansen, who arrived at Redskins Park on Tuesday with a little scooter to support the surgically repaired ankle that was hurt in the season opener. Instead of Jansen and Thomas, recycled veterans Todd Wade and Jason Fabini will now have to anchor the right side. 
"That's a big blow when you lose Jon and Randy," Fabini said. "Randy is the heart and soul of the team, an emotional guy. We've got big shoes to fill." 
Meanwhile, Jason Campbell's numbers aren't the greatest, but he is keeping drives alive by excelling on third downs. According to White, his toss to backup tight end Todd Yoder after getting flushed out of the pocket on third-and-10 in the fourth quarter was the kind of play a young quarterback needs to make. 
He was sacked only once, despite playing behind the makeshift line, but he failed to seal the victory when he missed Santana Moss wide open deep over the middle late in the game. 
"The only thing I'm sick about right now," Campbell said, "is that Santana pass." 
Fortunately, the two hooked up plenty in Philadelphia after a slow Week 1. 
As the Washington Times staffer Barker Davis noted, in the opener against Miami, Moss and Chris Cooley combined to catch just three passes for 28 yards. 
Though the Redskins won in overtime against the suspect Dolphins, Moss was furious at himself after suffering two uncharacteristic drops. And Cooley, such a crucial part of the team's offense over the last three seasons, caught just one pass for 10 yards against a Miami defense that wanted to make Campbell prove he could beat it downfield. 
Against the Eagles, both rebounded from that sluggish start, combining to catch eight passes for 114 yards. 
Both did most of their damage in a first half that saw Campbell and Moss savage backup cornerback William James. Formerly known as Will Peterson, James was waived by the Giants last spring after a 2006 season plagued by back problems. He changed his name and signed a one-year contract with the Eagles, earning a slot in the starting lineup last night in place of injured Lito Sheppard. 
As Barker suggested, Campbell and Moss weren't fooled by the name change, attacking the suspect corner early and often. A 43-yard connection by the pair on a deep sideline route over James set up the game's first score, a 35-yard field goal by Washington kicker Shaun Suisham to close the opening quarter. 
All told, the 5-10, 200-pound speedster caught six balls for 89 yards, laying out to catch the sideline throw and making two other acrobatic grabs. And though he did drop one third-down pass early in the third quarter, Moss was able to get open all night against the Eagles secondary, returning to his customary field-stretching self. 
Cooley's game began less auspiciously; he dropped a perfectly thrown ball from Campbell on the second play from scrimmage that would have given the Redskins a 35-yard gain and set them up just outside the red zone. But unlike last week, when Campbell seemed to look elsewhere after his opening telegraphed toss to the H-back was intercepted, the first-year starter didn't give up on his target last night. 
Though Cooley's first catch didn't come until the end of the first half, it might have been the biggest grab of the night. It yielded the only touchdown of the half and put the Redskins ahead to stay. 
For what it's worth, New York Daily News staffer Ralph Vacchiano advised Fantasy owners with Cooley to start him this week against the Giants. 
In two games, the Giants have given up 14 catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns to opposing tight ends. 
Dallas' Jason Witten did most of the damage (six catches, 116 yards, one touchdown), but Green Bay's Bubba Franks (4-20-1) and Donald Lee (4-35-1) had good games, too. ... 
Clinton Portis carried 17 times for the second consecutive week and finished Monday night's game with 69 yards. Still, Portis mostly was bottled up until the late touchdown run that made the score 20-9. 
Al Saunders didn't often call the number of Ladell Betts, who owned the Eagles last season; Campbell and fullback Mike Sellers got more carries in the first 35 minutes than Betts. ... 
One last note here. ... Wide receiver Reche Caldwell, signed last week, also was inactive. Caldwell has only had a few practices, so the Redskins opted to stick with the same four receivers they activated against Miami. Caldwell is expected to challenge for playing time in practice this week. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Mark Brunell 
RB: Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright 
FB: Mike Sellers 
WR: Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Brandon Lloyd, James Thrash, Reche Caldwell, Shaun Bodiford 
TE: Chris Cooley, Todd Yoder, Cody Boyd 
PK: Shaun Suisham 
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