I think we learned a lot from the action in Week 2. Certain Week 1 performances proved aberrations, while others were legit harbingers of surprising teams. And for a few 1-1 teams, the jury is still early in deliberation. This edition is very QB-heavy, befitting a league where teams simply cannot win without good QB play. $.01--There is blood in the lakes of Minnesota. Brett Favre looks old and out of synch, the play-calling from Brad Childress is deservedly under fire, and the defense isn?t applying the expected level of pressure. I?m more surprised than I probably should be at how poorly Favre has played, reverting to the bad habits and forced throws that have made him the career leader in INTs by a wide margin. But the problems for the Vikings run deeper than just Favre?s regression. The goal line stand late in the game by Miami?s defense was made a lot easier by some poor choices from the playbook, and the Dolphins also found relatively easy sledding running right at the vaunted Vikings defensive line. Favre clearly lacks chemistry with his depleted wideout corps, a function of his selfish dodging of camp and Percy Harvin?s erratic routes. Defenses have figured out how to attack the protection schemes, and Childress & Co. have failed to make the needed tweaks. It doesn?t get any easier for the winless Vikings. A revamped Detroit team comes next, and the Lions have played the Vikings tough even in their winless season. Then comes a trip to the Jets, another team that can bring the defensive heat, followed by Dallas, with trips to Green Bay and New England after that. There is a very real possibility that this team, considered by many to be a Super Bowl contender, could be 1-6 with a bad OL, a QB that is a grandpa, and an interim coach overseeing Minnesota playing out the string. $.02--Of all the 2-0 teams, there is none more surprising than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Granted they haven?t exactly faced stellar competition--the Browns and Panthers are both seriously offensively challenged--but give the Bucs credit for making the most of their opportunities. Young QB Josh Freeman continues to impress with his composure and mature leadership. He?s still not very accurate, but he can make the key throws when he has to, the traits of a winner. Their young defense has looked stout against two QB-poor teams, but I think they have some lasting power with their impressive rookie tackles, Brian Price and Gerald McCoy, and the very talented Barrett Ruud cleaning up behind them. Yet, I?m still not sold on Tampa Bay. We?ll learn a lot more in the next three games: PIT, @CIN, and NO. They will be decided underdogs in all three contests, but this team is built to play in low-scoring, close games. That?s precisely the kind of games they?re winning this year, and their learning curve on winning is shortened thanks to their composed sophomore QB. $.03--Of all the 0-2 teams, the one with the best chance of righting the ship quickly is Dallas. The Cowboys have played two quality opponents (major props to the Bears) and have not yet brought their own ?A? game. The question is, can they summon that ?A? game ASAP? The undefeated Texans are next, and they just polished off the Redskins, who handed the Cowboys their first loss. My simple plan for turning around the Cowboys: lighten up, Francis! I?ve rarely seen a team play as uptight and petrified of making a play as this Dallas team. Some of that stems from the top, with Jerry Jones openly dreaming of having his own team play in his own stadium in the Super Bowl. Some of it comes from a defense that has too many players trying to cover for one another instead of worrying about getting their own jobs done. The primary culprit there is ILB Keith Brooking, who has been largely awful but still appears to be trying to play every position on every play. A portion of it is coaching, where Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett have clearly emphasized caution, a philosophy that simply doesn?t mesh with their franchise QB and makes a shaky OL even more uneasy. This team needs to let loose and play with the joy de vivre that was the hallmark of their successful 2009, a spirit and attitude that has been noticeably absent in their unsuccessful 2010. $.04--In my season preview of the Ravens, I put their fate on the shoulders of QB Joe Flacco, whom I believe is terribly overrated by most people. All his excuses are gone, and Sunday?s putrid performance reaffirmed my doubts about Flacco. This is a quarterback that has not improved one iota since the day he entered the league. He still stares down his primary receiver. He still throws the ball too hard on short routes. He still can?t decipher coverages very well when defenders move around pre-snap. He still misses seeing wide open secondary reads and lacks field vision when on the move. The talent around Flacco is probably the best in the league, but he is not always up to the task of handling the reins in Baltimore. Note that in the same game, Carson Palmer understood what it took to get his team the win even though he wasn?t having a good day against a very good defense. Flacco has never shown that skill. The window of opportunity with this defense is closing quickly, but unless Flacco makes some rapid improvement, it will slam shut on Ray Lewis a lot earlier than he would like. $.05--I have been critical of Michael Vick for his lack of polish as a passer, but after watching how he operated the Eagles offense on Sunday, there is no doubt in my mind he gives Philadelphia a better chance to win than Kevin Kolb. The Lions defensive line was in the backfield all day long (two weeks in a row), but Vick bought time with his legs and kept his eyes downfield. The long throw to DeSean Jackson to setup their second TD is a play where Kevin Kolb gets sacked. Even though Vick took 6 sacks (the Philly OL woes are bad), he didn?t turn the ball over and delivered some balls under duress that allowed his mates to make plays. I like how Shady McCoy complements Vick as well, and the young RB ran with good toughness and interior wiggle. That keeps the LBs from gearing up on Vick outside and forces the safeties to make a quick and difficult read. Kolb might be better at throwing the ball on intermediate routes, but Vick?s presence creates other opportunities within the offense that evaporate with Kolb in the game. $.06--Once again the Oakland QB job is chaotic. Trading for Jason Campbell has not helped eradicate the JaMarcus Russell stench, and Coach Tom Cable acquiesced to both common sense and an enraged Black Hole and yanked his new starter. Perennial bridesmaid Bruce Gradkowski came in and played reasonably well, enabling several longer drives that chewed up clock and clearly invigorated the defense. His late 3rd down pass to Louis Murphy that sealed the victory is a play emblematic of a fearless winner, something that Campbell is quite obviously not. Cable has yet to commit to making the change permanent, which makes you wonder what exactly Gradkowski has done that makes Oakland continue to look in other directions. He?s been the most vigorous, most consistent, most reliable QB the Raiders have had since Rich Gannon, but for some reason Al Davis just isn?t a fan. Don?t get me wrong, Gradkowski is not the long-term solution, but this season he gives the Raiders a significantly better chance to win. $.07--5 Quickies: 1. Huge statement win for the Chargers over the Jaguars, a game I am ashamed to admit I forecast going the other way. The San Diego defense forced 6 turnovers and dominated the line of scrimmage against a JAX offense that flowed with great efficiency and power a week ago. The Bolts OL took care of business as well, which allowed Philip Rivers to decimate a weak Jaguars secondary. 2. Trent Williams deserves a lot of credit for the Redskins strong start. The rookie tackle has played almost flawlessly and is already one of the better run blockers in space for his position in the entire league. From what I?ve seen, Washington is the best, most complete team in the NFC East--even with the tough overtime loss. 3. Even with the silver lining of being the most improved team in the league, my beloved Lions are still 0-2. Jahvid Best was electrifying, but the turnovers and coverage gaffes have got to stop or else the losses are going to continue to pile up. 4. Caught Wade Phillips? postgame press conference and that is the epitome of a dead man walking. Keep making your defense so predictable and Jerry Jones will pull the trigger very soon, Bum?s son! 5. I know it?s only two weeks, but I don?t see any way Buffalo wins a game without the other team handing it to them on a silver platter. Their entire passing offense, from protection to QB play to WR play, is as bad and devoid of talent as any in recent memory--including last year?s Keith Null edition Rams. $.08--I was very impressed with how the Jets righted the ship at halftime of their game against the Patriots. Coming off their embarrassing debut, the Jets were once again floundering. Give credit to LaDainian Tomlinson and Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for (potentially) saving the Jets season. LT turned back the clock and ran with better quickness and toughness than he?s shown in recent times, and his vision for reading blocks was a marked improvement over Shonn Greene?s head-down charging. I liked how Schottenheimer subtly adjusted to the Patriots defensive game plan, running more backside routes and misdirection plays and getting the ball out of Mark Sanchez?s hand a little quicker. Two other tidbits I took from this game: New England has major problems in coverage (noticeably at safety) that are exacerbated by an inconsistent pass rush, and Randy Moss is still eminently capable of doing the spectacular. His one-handed stab in the end zone after torching Revis Island (isn?t it amazing how often guys that hold out tweak muscles?!?) is the best catch you?ll see all year. $.09--5 College/Draft Quickies: 1. I purposely watched Texas A&M to scout QB Jerrod Johnson and LB Von Miller. Johnson was largely miserable, throwing INTs on 4 straight possessions before leading a furious 4th quarter comeback against Florida International. He badly struggled with outside pressure and missed several routine throws because he sawed off his release. Miller continues to struggle recovering from a bad ankle injury that has blunted his explosiveness and lateral range. 2. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett reminds me a great deal of his predecessor at Michigan, Chad Henne, but with a better feel for the rush and better mobility. He has the ability to shake off a bad series and make big throws all over the field. Tackle DeMarcus Love also impressed for the Hogs, often pushing the pass rusher well upfield behind Mallett, and he is a legit road grater in run blocking. He can play on either side, a nice draft value bonus. 3. I love the gutsy overtime call by Mark D?Antonio and Michigan State, going with the fake field goal to stun Notre Dame. Here?s hoping for a quick recovery from his post-game heart attack. He?s a genuinely good guy and a very good football coach. 4. A couple years ago my beloved Ohio Bobcats nearly pulled the upset at the Horseshoe against the Buckeyes. Ohio State came out and made sure that wasn?t going to happen again, thoroughly dominating the lines of scrimmage and picking apart an overwhelmed Bobcat defense. This Buckeye team is the best they?ve had since the ?02 National Champs, but their miserable special teams (Ohio had a KO return for a TD and a long punt return wiped out by penalties) could be a fatal flaw. 5. I remain mystified by the almost universal love for Washington QB Jake Locker. He was flat-out pathetic against Nebraska, completing just 4 of his 20 throws and horribly overreacting to the pass rush. Locker consistently throws too many balls up for grabs, and his accuracy reminds me of Tim Tebow: the ball gets there but not always right where the receiver wants it. He?s well behind most of the recent 1st and 2nd round QB draft picks in my opinion. $.10--It appears the trade winds are blowing stronger than in most seasons, as teams are more apt to try and salvage something in return for failed experiments and could be more willing to parlay a position of strength to shore up a position of weakness. Among the names being thrown around: Bills BR Marshawn Lynch, who has a strong suitor in Green Bay but others as well; Chargers holdout WR Vincent Jackson, who has drawn interest from Minnesota, Cleveland, and San Francisco; Colts WR Anthony Gonzalez, not buying into his diminished role and attractive to the Rams and 49ers; and Cowboys RB Tashard Choice, though some close to the team believe Marion Barber might be the one to go. Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com