$.01-- The two high-profile 0-2 teams, Minnesota and Dallas, cruised to relatively easy wins on Sunday. I was more impressed with the Cowboys, who took it to the Texans in Houston thanks to handling the lines of scrimmage and some smart play calls and designs. Roy Williams exorcised some demons with a very strong performance, aided in part by OC Jason Garrett frequently isolating him on Texans rookie CB Kareem Jackson. The first rounder had struggled with more physical receivers in the first two Houston games, and Williams simply overpowered him to his best day as a Cowboy. Just as impressive was the Dallas offensive line. The number one comment on Houston postgame radio was ?Where the **** was Mario Williams? and it was not phrased as a question. Super Mario failed to register even an assisted tackle, and Tony Romo faced very little pressure all afternoon. That?s a death knell for the Texans, who still have major trouble in the back seven and don?t blitz well. It?s quite ugly and quiet in Houston Sunday night. Texans fever was infecting greater Houston, which I?m quickly learning has a major inferiority complex to that city up north. So many people came out of their closets as Texans partisans, and the overconfidence surrounding the 2-0 team was very amusing to this new Houstonian. Cowboys fans have not held back in serving their just desserts, most of them showing why most of America loathes them so much. It was a great indoctrination into Texas football and culture, one that proved that the big brother can still bully the young upstart sibling. $.02-- There is major trouble in San Francisco, where Mike Singletary continues to prove he?s all style and no substance. His paint-by-the-numbers methodology and failure to do any sort of teaching or in-game adjusting is paralyzing what should be a much better team. They?re simply not talented enough to overcome being as easy to read as a Dr. Seuss book. I saw several instances in their humiliating loss at Kansas City where the Chiefs all knew precisely what was coming, yet the Niners stubbornly fail to alter the formations or try something creative, both offensively and defensively. The most notable lack of coaching appears with the young offensive line, which starts two rookies and is missing starting C Eric Heitmann. I know there is a learning curve for rookies, but both rookies, Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis, are not iota better today than they were when they were drafted in the first round in April. LT Joe Staley has stagnated in his progress and got badly outplayed by Tamba Hali. RG Chilo Rachal continues to hold on almost every play and still can?t move his feet while engaged. There isn?t a lack of physical talent up front, but there has clearly been no focus on technique or opponent-specific strategizing for the linemen. I know it?s sacrilege for Niners fans to question Iron Mike, but the evidence is clear: he?s not doing a good job coaching this team. $.03-- Any power poll you see this coming week that doesn?t have the Steelers at #1 is a mockery. Playing with their 4th string QB, they absolutely annihilated the undefeated Buccaneers in Tampa. Everyone knows about the incredible Dick Lebeau defense, but what stood out to me in this one was the play of the oft-beleaguered Pittsburgh offensive line. In a highly anticipated (to me anyways) matchup of 1st round rookies, Maurkice Pouncey owned Gerald McCoy in the middle. The Steelers tackles did a great job of steering the defenders, and Rashard Mendenhall found loads of running room behind the behemoths. Pittsburgh also appears to have the blessing of the football gods. Twice in the game Charlie Batch completed deflected passes, one for a TD to Mike Wallace that Aqib Talib would intercept 99 times out of 100. Another deflection of a Josh Freeman pass somehow wound up in Brett Keisel?s lap, and he rumbled, bumbled, and stumbled over 70 yards. It appeared that Raymond James Stadium in Tampa was a home game for Pittsburgh, which says more about Steelers Nation than it does the young Bucs. It will be interesting to see how Mike Tomlin handles Big Ben?s return if this team continues to roll in his absence. $.04-- Can we finally slay the beast of misperception that the NFC East is the best division in football? Philadelphia is the only team with a winning record after the Redskins were trounced in St. Louis by the Rams and the Giants were embarrassed at home by Tennessee. I thought Jamie Dukes put it best regarding the division when he responded to the question ?Is Philly the team to beat?? by responding, ?There is no team to beat?. The Giants are thisclose to imploding, leading the league (again) in internal finger-pointing and helplessly watching their recent strengths (OL play, DL play, RB play) turn into glaring weaknesses. Dallas needed a season-salvaging win already and now gets a bye week to kill their momentum. Washington, whom I still think has the best overall team in the division, just lost an uninspired game to a vastly inferior opponent. The Eagles have their flaws, but they?re the only team in the division playing with any sort of confidence. Andy Reid?s controversial decision to stick with Michael Vick was proven correct, and the defense is perhaps the fastest in the league. And the next time someone wants to gush about the mighty NFC East, remember that the lowly NFC West has more teams with winning records, and the division has a lower aggregate record than the AFC West, that conference?s weakest division. $.05-- New Orleans is apparently hanging the tough loss to Atlanta on kicker Garrett Hartley, who missed a short game-winning FG...on first down. They?re going to try out new kickers this week, but the real blame falls on the decision to try and kick the FG on first down when the offense was clearly firing on all cylinders--for the first time all season. The Falcons defense was off balance and clinging for dear life, and the Saints threw them a preserver by yanking the offense and risking the field goal attempt. That is a rare tone-deaf misstep from Sean Payton, who had an all-around bad day. Instead of trying for a longer FG earlier, he chose to go for it on 4th and 1 and handed the ball to a rookie RB on a simple run, which 4th stringer Chris Ivory fumbled. By contrast, Atlanta Coach Mike Smith correctly sensed his offense was clicking at the end of a seemingly endless drive in the 2nd quarter, choosing to go for it twice on 4th down with well-designed, well-disguised plays that put the ball in the hands of their playmakers. The ensuing touchdown tied the game just before halftime and gave the Falcons new life. $.06--The Bengals continue to win in spite of, not because of, quarterback Carson Palmer. Once again Palmer turned in a very substandard performance, throwing 2 INTs and having a brain fart that cost his team 3 points in what was a very close game. Carolina dropped at least 3 other potential INTs, and on two of those throws Palmer missed seeing a wide open alternate target. He did make some nice throws--the play-action red zone TD to Ced Benson was a beauty--and did complete 7 of his last 8, which made him 19-for-37 on the day. He had almost the exact same stats as Jimmy Clausen, the Panthers rookie making his first start and having just one viable target all game long in Steve Smith. The Bengals defense has been fantastic and Benson has looked solid at RB, but for Palmer to continue to struggle despite having the most notorious (using the literal meaning of that word) receiving corps in the league and a strong OL protecting him is a very bad sign as the Bengals trudge towards the playoffs. If he doesn?t significantly raise his game, Cincy will not win a playoff game anytime soon. I?m not sold that Palmer can do that. $.07--5 quick hits: 1. My apologies to LT, who has rolled back the clock two weeks in a row now. All-around kudos to the Jets for showing resolve and a sharpness of execution after their opening debacle. Maybe that Ryan guy can coach after all... 2. No team does less with more than San Diego. There are a multitude of problems with the Chargers loss to Seattle, but what stood out to me was Philip Rivers constantly throwing the ball off his back foot even when there was no pressure on him, then barking at his receivers, the refs, his coaches, and the fans when his poor throws fell to the turf. 3. Denver should have beaten Indianapolis, but failing to score even one touchdown in five different red zone trips is a sure recipe for a loss. Considering the patchwork OL and the heavy hearts after Kenny McKinley?s suicide, it was still a strong effort for the Broncos. 4. As duly noted on my weekly spots on the Josh Pacheco show on ESPN Hawaii (Wednesdays 4:15 Eastern), I am required to mention Brett Favre in every column. I only saw highlights of the Vikings beating my beloved Lions, so there you go! 5. The Ravens finally got a strong performance from Joe Flacco, who ripped up the Browns for 3 TDs and looked sharp in doing so. But the Ravens defense struggled all day with the Browns? power running game and the scrambling ability of backup QB Seneca Wallace and Wildcat Josh Cribbs. I?m still not buying Baltimore as a legit contender. $.08-- Five teams remain winless on the season: Detroit, Cleveland, Carolina, San Francisco, and Buffalo. The Niners are the only real surprise of the group, though I harbored higher aspirations for the Panthers. So which team is most likely to be the last to register a win? The Lions and Bills both draw winnable home games in Week 5 and both teams play with great effort but simply lack enough talent. Those sorts of teams typically steal a win or two by catching breaks at home, and Detroit should get much better once Matt Stafford returns. San Francisco visits Carolina in Week 7, a week after hosting the beatable Raiders. That leaves Cleveland. The Browns have 6 likely playoff teams in a row coming up next: CIN, ATL, @PIT, @NO, NE, and NYJ and don?t match up well with any of them. Their 10th and 11th games are @JAX and home for the aforementioned Panthers, which could very well represent their only real shots at victory all season. They do travel to Buffalo in Week 14, but I sense that if they haven?t won by that time, they?re not likely to break the ice in Rich Stadium either. It?s a real bad year to be a fan of anything Cleveland. Sorry Dad! $.09--5 College/Draft quickies 1. I watched the Alabama/Arkansas game intently, and even though Arkansas led most of the game I never doubted that Nick Saban?s troops would eventually triumph. Mark Ingram proved the Emmitt Smith comparisons are valid; he?s incredibly similar stylistically to the NFL great. Ryan Mallett had a nightmarish 4th quarter but got little help from his wideouts...or his coaching staff. He?s still a legit top 10 pick and exuded great leadership even in a loss. 2. Stanford QB Andrew Luck cemented his status as the top overall QB with his impressive performance at Notre Dame. He has a lot of Steve Young in him: very agile, great presence, exceptional accuracy, quick to diagnose the coverage and find the mismatch, confident in his arm. He?s better at the same point than Sam Bradford or Matt Stafford, the last two #1 overall picks. 3. I?ve seen every snap of both players this season, and I unequivocally believe Terrelle Pryor is a better NFL QB prospect than Jake Locker. The development of Pryor?s patience and touch with the ball has been a very pleasant progression, and his poise with the ball makes Locker look like the proverbial headless chicken. Pryor?s supporting cast is miles better, but one underappreciated skill for young QBs is handling a huddle full of talent and Pryor has proven he can do just that, something Locker has yet to demonstrate. 4. The Big Ten put on an egregious and vulgar display of power, with several teams pasting lower-rung MAC teams. Blame the BCS, because any upper-echelon team would be crazy to schedule more than one non-conference game they could possibly lose. Of course that didn?t stop Toledo from beating Purdue or Temple from putting a huge scare into Penn State (told you so!). 5. I don?t have a Heisman ballot, but after four weeks my ballot would look like this: 1. Michigan QB Denard Robinson, 2. Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick, 3. TCU QB Andy Dalton, 4. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett, 5. Alabama RB Mark Ingram. It?s still very fluid right now though. $.10-- I?m enjoying the increased reader participation and feedback this year, so I have a couple of questions and challenges for y?all: -- What is it about Jeremy Shockey that makes so many women weak in the knees? I see as many Shockey jerseys as almost any other player, both here in Texas and back in Michigan, and almost every one of them is donned by a lady, usually an attractive one to boot. Nothing against Shockey, but I?m just not seeing it. -- Is there a more anonymous pro sports franchise than the Jacksonville Jaguars? Quick, name 5 Jaguars not named MJD or David Garrard. Without looking it up. Didn?t think so. -- I know the MNF game hasn?t been played yet this week, but is everyone else as sick of Gruden and Jaws gushing over all these players even when they screw up? And is there any QB that Jaws doesn?t think is ?potentially a very good NFL player?? Am I the only person that misses Mr. Tony? -- Am I the only person boycotting Burger King because of their wretched advertising? It started with the nightmare-inducing King, but the flute solo spots sure aren?t making me change my tune. I haven?t eaten there in at least 8 years, though I recently and reluctantly ended my Arby?s boycott for yanking their awesome homestyle fries.