$.01--The most significant development of the NFL weekend to me was Joe Flacco finally winning an important game. The Ravens have won many games with Flacco at the helm, but their last-minute victory over the rival Steelers was the first time Flacco was directly responsible for such a victory. Flacco made a great downfield touch throw to TJ Houshmandzadeh for the winning TD, a throw he has consistently missed throughout his career. Just as important was how Flacco stood tall and failed to panic under duress, as he has done so many times against the Steelers. Baltimore needed a game like this from Flacco, and it couldn?t have come at a better time because had Pittsburgh won, their AFC North lead would be two games with a victory in hand over the Ravens. Pittsburgh cannot complain about their status. Going 3-1 without Big Ben is better than anyone outside of Heinz Field homers could ever have expected, and this game was the first where Roethlisberger?s presence was really missed. The running game has improved, the offensive line has improved, the defense is healthy and fearsome once again, and now they get to add an All-Pro QB with two Super Bowl wins to the team after a bye week. Given the other developments of the day, they still have to be considered the team to beat in the AFC. $.02--Donovan McNabb?s return to Philly had to feel great for Mc5. McNabb didn?t do much other than a picture-perfect TD strike to Chris Cooley, a great 57-yard strike to Anthony Anderson, and a late scamper that swallowed a lot of precious clock, but chalk up this win to Mike Shanahan?s coaching. The Redskins coach correctly ascertained that the Eagles would focus on McNabb and not the heretofore wretched Redskins running game. Bad choice. Ryan Torain and Clinton Portis attacked the undersized Eagles defense by running north/south, following smashmouth blocking and shredding the repeated arm tackling by the Philly back seven. Washington won by doing everything they hadn?t thus far: great special teams, strong running, disciplined defense, avoiding penalties. Now the 2-2 Skins find themselves in 1st place in the NFC East thanks to the tiebreaker, and they gathered much-needed confidence to face an absolutely brutal upcoming schedule: GB, IND, and @CHI. Given the relative underwhelming status of the rest of the division, I suspect they could go 1-2 and still hold the division lead. $.03--The other side of the McNabb coin was the increasingly fragile QB situation in Philly. Michael Vick left the game early on with a rib injury, the 6th time in his career he?s left a start with an injury and failed to return. If you go back to his tenure at Virginia Tech, that?s the eighth time, highlighting the serious downside of his running style and all-out nature. It?s hard to gauge Vick?s incomplete performance, but the real revelation from this game was the validation of Andy Reid?s decision to keep Vick starting ahead of Kevin Kolb. Quite simply, Kolb did not look like he could handle the task of leading a playoff-caliber NFL team. Facing a talented, physical defense for really the first time that mattered, Kolb struggled. He continually checked down too quickly and let his eyes drift to the rush, missing open targets down the field several times. When he did throw down the field, his lack of arm strength was scarily evident. Just like when Kolb entered the fray for an injured McNabb two years ago, it was a disaster for Andy Reid?s offense and brings forth all sorts of difficult questions. The last time everyone chalked it up to inexperience, but what makes this outing disturbing is that Kolb was the #1 QB all offseason and has put up big numbers a few times. You really have to wonder about not just Kolb?s confidence, but the Eagles? confidence in Kolb. He?s already lost the starting job, then plays poorly in relief in a critical game. This is a QB-driven league, and it appears Kolb isn?t quite ready to handle the big road just yet...if ever. $.04--Don?t look now but the St. Louis Rams are in first place in the NFC West. Their dominating (yeah you read that right!) home victory over the Seahawks was an impressive display of a solid all-around football team. The offensive line has stopped with the inane penalties and is playing with confidence. Kenneth Darby is emerging as a good foil to Steven Jackson at RB. Sam Bradford brings accuracy, poise, and control to the offense, but his best attribute is his winning mentality. The defense has teeth and continues to make opportunistic plays, but where they?ve been most impressive is in stopping the run on 1st down. It all adds up to a well-coached, fundamentally sound team that doesn?t know they?re not supposed to be any good. Their 1st place standing is not a fluke and it?s not inconceivable that they hold onto that status for the rest of the season. With Arizona maddeningly schizophrenic, Seattle still changing the roster like I change my 2-year old?s diapers, and San Francisco a complete trainwreck, the steady, unassuming Rams are the safe bet to win what just might be the worst overall division since the NFL went to eight divisions. $.05--Josh Scobee?s 59-yard FG as time expired lifted the Jaguars to a stunning upset of the Colts. There are three things I take from this: 1. Every team in the AFC South is at least 2-2, the only division where every team is .500 or better. The prohibitive favorite in the division, Indianapolis, is 0-2 within division play and sits in last place. 2. Jacksonville most certainly goes as David Garrard goes. Brilliant in the opening win, Garrard was the worst QB in the league the last two weeks--both ugly, uninspired losses. He found his groove once again, missing just 5 of his 22 passes, two of which were clear throwaways, and consistently finding the right target at the right time. 3. Scobee hit a similar 50+ yard game winner two years ago against the Colts, a game that I listened to on the radio with my son as we were taking a walk. This kick came just as Layne and I were putting on our shoes to head out for a walk. Whenever I see or hear a Jaguars/Colts game for the rest of my life, I?ll think of those walks with my son and explaining my excitement over the drama. I hope he will too. Football makes me a better father! $.06--New Orleans got the win over Carolina, but all is not right with the Super Bowl champs. A lot of pundits point out the absence of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, but running the ball was not really an issue. My quick take: Drew Brees is trying to do too much all the time. He just isn?t sharp and bears the signs of a man stretched too thin. All the offseason media appearances, the book promotion, the burden of being the face of the franchise, has apparently taken away his edge, if ever so slightly. Don?t get me wrong, Brees is still playing better than the average bear (or Lion, or Eagle, or Seahawk), but the margin between being very good and being MVP-worthy is very small, and thus far Brees is on the wrong side of that fence. It?s too early to worry, however. Teams spent the offseason examining how to effectively attack and contain the high powered Saints offense, and now Sean Payton gets to evaluate the first quarter of the season and make some counter-adjustments. Many teams like to hold off on serious adjustments until after four games in order to see what is the product of a bad matchup and what is a definite trend. Two quick suggestions for Payton: more tandem routes with Jeremy Shockey and Robert Meacham, and more moving pockets. One thing I?ve seen all four Saints opponents do successfully is not rush hard, but rather have their linemen jump into passing lanes that are discernible by reading the formation and personnel packages. $.07--5 quickies: 1. I?m not normally prudish or a card-carrying member of the fashion police, but Tracy Porter?s head was a message misfire. I admire the devotion to a cause and his willingness to make a statement, but carving ?faith, hope, love? on your head around a pink breast cancer ribbon is too over the top for my taste. 2. Maybe I was just paying more attention to it, but I saw so many TD passes where the play was made possible by the defensive back falling down. Long passes to TO, Braylon Edwards, and Donald Driver were all the products of wideouts losing their footing and never recovering. 3. Green Bay might have beaten Detroit, but unless they significantly improve they?re in no way a threat to win a playoff game. When journeyman backup Shaun Hill slices and dices the defense at will, there are serious issues with the defense. 4. I?m not sure I?ve ever seen worse offensive line play at any level than I saw from the Bears in the Sunday night game. Just, wow. No cohesion, no communication, no athleticism, it all spells no chance. Jay Cutler is lucky he only suffered a concussion and not a broken neck. 5. I sincerely don?t mean to beat a dead horse, but Mike Singletary?s coaching is the reason the 49ers lost in excruciating fashion. Leaving stiff rookie safety Taylor Mays isolated in coverage on Hall of Fame TE Tony Gonzalez is inexcusable, but the overall plan of attack on the Falcons? game-winning drive was just awful. Poorly disguised blitzes, vanilla coverages, and no sense of hustle all reflect poorly on the people in charge. So does not learning from mistakes, and Nate Clements INT/fumble was eerily reminiscent of Dre Bly?s act last year. $.08--After Cleveland finally put together a complete game and beat the Bengals, Detroit once again scaring a quality opponent, and Carolina showing life and continued defensive prowess against the Saints, the two worst teams in the league are clearly San Francisco and Buffalo. What intrigues me is that these two teams are remarkably similar: poor QB play, no discernible leadership presence on offense, overmatched OL in the early stages of rebuild, strong running game potential, one very good wideout, 3-4 defenses that can?t rush the passer, overrated secondaries, and a plethora of injuries. The primary difference is preseason perceptions: everyone knew Buffalo was going to struggle, but many prognosticators expected the 49ers to run away with the NFC West. So while Bills fans are subdued in the inevitability of losing 12+ games, it?s a brutal shock to most San Franciscans. And that?s sad, because the 49ers do have significantly more talent and very real potential if the two young O-linemen taken in this draft continue to develop. Give the Niners a real QB and some developmental coaching and they?re one good draft from the playoffs. The Bills need all that and several bags of chips and bowls of grits before they?re sniffing 8 wins. $.09--5 college/draft quickies: 1. There is Alabama and there is everyone else. Their fundamental dismantling of Florida proves that Bama is clearly the best team in the country. All the other ?contenders? have visible flaws somewhere on the field, but Alabama has a balanced offense with playmakers, a solid defense against both the run and pass, and sound special teams play. Nick Saban remains an elite collegiate coach, and their second team could beat some SEC teams. They?re not going to lose unless they completely melt down, and I don?t expect that of a Saban team. 2. Michigan State finally won a game at home versus a ranked team that they weren?t supposed to, and they did it without Head Coach Mark D?Antonio. Draft-wise, MSU LB Greg Jones once again demonstrated his lack of size isn?t a problem, as he craftily stays off blocks and has exceptional instincts and closing burst. He?s also very adept in short-area coverage. Wisconsin RB John Clay showed little wiggle and slow feet when trying to break runs outside. He looked very much like a product of his blocking and not a dynamic performer in his own right, and teams won?t spend more than a late round pick, if at all, on a back like him. 3. Jake Locker once again led Washington to a huge upset over USC, but I?m still not bullish on his NFL prospects. He benefited from several USC communication errors, and he got lucky on a couple of throws into tight windows. His inconsistent footwork and arm angles need serious work, and it?s troubling that he?s coached by a former QB (Steve Sarkisian) noted for picture-perfect fundamentals. He definitely has arm strength and no fear, and he made better, quicker decisions with the ball in the upset. I do see validity in the John Elway comparisons, but Elway was a far more polished, mature product exiting Stanford. 4. Lost in Oklahoma?s victory in the Red River Rivalry over Texas was how sloppy both teams looked. The game was chock full of unforced errors and ugly execution. The bright spot of Demarco Murray?s athletic TD leap is what most people will take from the game, and Oklahoma probably earned style points as a result of his play and the perceived strength of the opponent. I?m here to tell you neither of these teams is close to as good as TCU or Boise State, but Oklahoma will almost certainly wind up ahead of both of those teams in the BCS standings even after Nebraska beats them by 30 in the Big 12 title game. 5. Got a chance to watch some game film of Delaware QB Pat Devlin. The senior is almost universally compared to Blue Hen predecessor Joe Flacco, but Devlin is a much different QB. The Penn State transfer is shorter and has both quicker feet and a more compact delivery, and he lacks the downfield cannon. He made some real pinpoint throws and has a very natural touch on his tosses, but he has inconsistent footwork and saws off his release when pressured. He also got fooled by linebackers dropping in coverage. He reminds me a great deal of Charlie Frye in the two tapes I saw, and he was absent in the third because of a concussion on the first pass of the game. He?s a late-round project and did not justify the hype from some draftniks. $.10--Non-football related thought: Frequent readers know my long devotion to the band Dream Theater and their incredible prog-rock music. Recently their drummer and unofficial leader of the group, the incomparable Mike Portnoy, announced he is leaving the band in need of a break. This has launched a hailstorm of controversy amongst the faithful, with all sorts of angry finger pointing and distraught exasperation that our beloved is forever gone. After the initial shock wore off, I see it a little differently. Portnoy has controlled the band?s direction and production so tightly that I?m very optimistically curious to see what they?ll sound like without him. Two of the last three albums (Octavarium and Black Clouds and Silver Linings) have been largely disappointing, and on their recent tour the tension was palpable. I?m excited to see what superb guitarist John Petrucci does with the reins of the band, sort of like the proverbial backup quarterback given the starting nod after years on the bench. Give it an honest chance, my fellow Dreamers.