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Well, Tony Romo’s got his money. His shiny, brand new contract extension was made official today, and it’s a six-year, $67 million deal, with at least $30 million in guarantees.

There wasn’t any real doubt that it would happen sooner or later, but it’s happened sooner, and the timing certainly couldn‘t be better.

Romo has gotten off to a great start in his first full season as a starter, and minus a hiccup against the Bills, has been excellent, throwing for 1,984 yards and 16 touchdowns (both third in the NFL), and posting a 95.6 passer rating (fifth).

He’s on pace to set team records in yards and touchdowns - if he keeps up his current pace, he’ll break Danny White’s team record of 3,980 yards and 29 touchdowns with a couple of games to spare, and finish with over 4,500 yards and 35+ touchdowns, which will net him two Pro Bowls in two seasons as a starter, which is an honor many of the game‘s best can‘t claim.

But, not only are his numbers great, but he’s becoming the team leader that he needs to be to guide the team to a championship. Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman weren’t known for eye-popping numbers, but more for their abilities to bring the best out of the guys around them and for simply being winning quarterbacks. Romo has both the physical abilities and the intangibles to make him an elite QB.

That was evident in the game against Buffalo, when he had the worst game that he’ll likely ever have in his career, but in the end, rallied the team and made the throws he needed to in crunch time to help the Cowboys win.

Many will question the deal, considering he’s made only 17 career starts and hasn’t done anything overly noteworthy, at least in their eyes.

But, he’s 12-5 as a starter, and has been a big part of Dallas’ transformation from a boring, little more than .500 (at best) team for most of the past several years, back into one of the top teams in the NFL. Dallas’ offense was ranked no better than 8th in points and 9th in yards in any season from 1996 to 2005, but finished 4th and 6th in those categories last season and are ranked second in both thus far this season.

Romo patiently waited while Bill Parcells developed him and stuck with Drew Bledsoe until the wheels fell off, and when he finally got his chance, he‘s fully taken advantage of it.

Many of the skeptics will point to his bad spell at the end of last season, and to his game against Buffalo, but even the best have down spells, may it be Peyton Manning (100 interceptions in his first five seasons, 42 in the last four-plus since), Brett Favre (everyone loves him again, but couldn’t wait to get rid of him just last year), John Elway (Tommy Maddox, come on!), Dan Marino, or even Tom Brady. But, those guys are all considered to be among the elite QBs in the history of the league. Even Dallas’ most well-known signal-callers, Staubach and Aikman, had plenty of bumps in their journeys to the Hall of Fame.

And, Marc Bulger got a comparable deal in the offseason, and it’s not as if he’s led the Rams to glory in his five-plus seasons as a starter (two playoff appearances, one win, barely over .500 as a starter). Romo is already surpassing Bulger (it helps to have a much better team around him), so if he had gotten any less, it would have been a travesty.

Hate him all you like, but if Romo continues to develop as he has, he’ll earn his money and then some, and in another decade, we’ll be talking about him as the standard for the next Cowboys QB to set.

He knows that the owner has faith in him, and that the team is in his hands for the long haul, and that means he can put the money talk behind him and get on with having an excellent season.

It’s a deal that not only helps Dallas in terms of what they can and will be able to do with signing and re-signing, because they avoid having to worry about waiting until after the season (when a) his value could be astronomical, or franchising him would have been the only, and most financially debilitating option), but it also sets the foundation for the future. Dallas has their franchise QB, after their Rolodex of starters after Aikman.

Now Jerry Jones can focus on taking care of the other important assets, and getting the rest of the necessary building blocks. Instead of having to worry about going after a QB in next year’s draft, Dallas can address their real needs.

And, they can now sew up one of their running backs as well, so, Mr. Barber, come on down!

While we get ready for tonight’s Cowboys-Bills game, here are a few notes form yesterday’s NFL action.

- Bears revitalized, or Green Bay tripping up? I’ll lean more to the latter, even after Chicago ended Green Bay’s unbeaten season with a 27-20 comeback win at Lambeau Field last night.

The Packers were up 17-7 at the half, and 20-7 early in the third. But, one play turned the entire game. And, it was a Favre play circa-2004 or 2005, as opposed to September 2007. He rolled to his right, looked directly into the pressure that was coming directly at him, and instead of throwing it out of bounds, tossed it right into a crowd, where Brian Urlacher picked it off. One play later, Brian Griese threw a touchdown pass to Gregg Olson, and it was 20-17 just like that.

Chicago went three and out on their next possession, but, following a long punt return by Charles Woodson, the ball was knocked loose, and punter Brad Maynard recovered at the Packers’ 41. The Bears would tie it up on a field goal.

From there, Green Bay made mistakes on every possession, and then the Bears won it late with an eight-play, 79-yard drive that culminated in a 34-yard touchdown pass to Desmond Clark with 2:05 left.

- Speaking of revitalization, the Chargers took a huge step forward with a 41-3 annihilation of the Broncos in Denver. It was 17-0 just over a quarter in, and from there, the Chargers ran over the Broncos, who have faded after a 2-0 start. San Diego picked up 484 yards, with 214 coming on the ground. Now that’s more like it, Norv.

- The Giants have rebounded from an 0-2 start to win three straight, including a 35-24 win over the Jets yesterday. Brandon Jacobs returned and ran for 100 yards and a score, and Derrick Ward, who filled in nicely for Jacobs while he missed the last three-plus games, ran for 56 yards and a score.

- However, it’s the Redskins who are in second in the NFC East, after they routed the Lions 34-3. Jason Campbell had the best game of his short career, going 23 of 29 for 248 yards and two touchdowns. The defense harassed Jon Kitna all day, sacking him five times, picking him off twice, and knocking the ball loose three times.

When the Redskins are playing as well as they have so far, you wonder when the slide is going to come. Who knows, maybe the winning tradition is back in the capital city?

- Along with the Redskins, the Cardinals and Texans are much improved over last year. Houston got three 50+ yard field goals from Kris Brown, including a game-winning 57-yarder with no time left, to keep Miami winless in a 22-19 victory.

The Cardinals improved to 3-2, just like the Texans, with a win over a winless team yesterday. Kurt Warner came off the bench again, and then, after Matt Leinart got hurt, stayed in the game to lead the Cardinals to a 34-31 win over 0-5 St. Louis. The Rams finally scored some points, and doubled their offensive touchdown output of the previous four games. But, it wasn’t enough, as two defensive touchdowns helped lead the Cardinals to a victory.

Leinart’s going to be out for an extended period of time, so it’s Warner’s team once again. He seems to be playing like his old (good) self, but will it keep up now that he is the starter, and not just coming off of the bench?

- Speaking of quarterback injuries and winless teams, New Orleans is 0-4 after falling to Carolina 16-13.

The Saints led 13-6, and had ten-minute drive spanning the third and fourth quarters, but a 20-yard field goal by Olindo Mare was blocked. David Carr led the Panthers down for a game-tying score, and then, after Mare missed a 54-yard field goal with two minutes later, Carr led the Panthers down for a 52-yard, game-winning field goal by John Kasay as time expired.

Carr will now be the starter after Jake Delhomme will miss the rest of the season due to elbow surgery. But, the Panthers are one play away from having to turn to our old buddy Matt Moore, and that was very apparent yesterday. Carr hurt his back on a sack late in the first quarter, and Moore came in for the next drive, and completed a 43-yard pass on a drive that resulted in a field goal and a 6-3 Panthers lead.

The Saints, meanwhile, continue to be a turnover machine, after Drew Brees was picked off three times yesterday. Honeymoon’s over, Sean and Reggie.

- The Patriots produced another dominant performance in knocking off the Browns 34-17 yesterday, to go to 5-0. Tom Brady now has 16 touchdown passes in five games.

Will we see Pat Watkins helping to cover Randy Moss on Sunday?

- With the Cowboys yet to play, the Colts are the only other 5-0 team at this point, after Green Bay’s loss. The Colts didn’t have the services of the injured Joseph Addai, but it didn’t matter, as Kenton Keith (who?) rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Now, before you fantasy footballers go and pick up the Keith thinking he’s the next Dominic Rhodes, Addai will likely be back by the Colts’ next game, and Keith likely won’t get too, too many carries from that point.

- While the Colts are intent on running away with the AFC South again, the Jaguars and Titans are trying to keep up. The Jaguars beat Kansas City 17-7 in a laughable performance by the Chiefs. A week after an impressive win at San Diego, the Chiefs bombed at home, and were one second away from a shutout, before Brodie Croyle threw a touchdown pass on the final play.

As for the Titans, they were pretty laughable themselves, but the Falcons were worse, so Tennessee was able to escape with a 20-13 win.

Vince Young (who shouldn’t have to throw it 33 times) was picked off three times, and the Titans fumbled twice more (including one that was returned for a score), missed a field goal, and botched a punt.

But, for all of the chances the Falcons were given, they threw them away by being inept on offense, missing three field goals, and throwing two picks.

Still, Atlanta had a golden opportunity to tie it late. After great penetration on a late punt got the Falcons possession at the 19, Warrick Dunn rushed 18 yards to the 1. Sure score, right? Nope. Byron Leftwich, who came in for an ineffective Joey Harrington, was even less effective, and fumbled on the next play to put the ball at the nine, then was sacked on fourth down to end Atlanta’s hopes.

If you needed any indication to see how bad the Falcons are, you have it. And, if you watched that game yesterday, I feel great sympathy for you.

Meanwhile, the postman has been at Michael Vick’s house for an hour.

- The other two contests were AFC North-NFC West clashes. In a Super Bowl XL rematch, the Steelers dominated the Seahawks offensively and defensively in a 21-0 win. Pittsburgh held the ball for over 40 minutes, and recorded the league‘s first shutout this season.

In the other AFC North-NFC West clash, Baltimore held off San Francisco 9-7. Steve McNair has thrown the ball 96 times in the last two games, but the Ravens had scored only 22 points. As for the 49ers, well, it’s a good thing that Alex Smith’s injury is not as serious as originally thought, though when Frank Gore is barely averaging 60 yards per game and only 3.6 yards per carry, Mike Nolan might as well bring Jim Druckenmiller back.

- One last interesting note, based on something I wrote about in my September NFL report.

After 27 games with 300-yard passers in the first four weeks, there was only one yesterday (Favre threw for 322). On the other hand, there were eight 100-yard rushing performances.

It was an interesting, to say the least, four weeks to start the NFL season.

Here’s the good, the bad, the ugly, and the eye-catching, from the first month of the season.

Who’s been the best of the best thus far? The Cowboys are in the mix for the best team thus far, but just miss out, slotting in behind the Patriots, who have absolutely beaten up and beaten down their first four opponents, three of whom are supposed to be playoff-caliber.

Elite Eight

1. Patriots
2. Cowboys
3. Colts
4. Packers
5. Steelers
6. Seahawks
7. Lions
8. Buccaneers

Top Headlines

1. The way the NFC North has played out: After four weeks, the Packers (4-0) and Lions (3-1) are atop the division standings, while the Bears are last in the division at 1-3.

2. The number of supposed contenders that have struggled: The Bears, Chargers, and Eagles are all 1-3, while the Saints are 0-3. The main reasons for each team’s slow start is the subpar play from each team’s supposed strength (Bears’ defense has struggled, and Chargers and Saints have been off on offense).

The Broncos (2-2) have underperformed, and it‘s shown through in two straight losses, while the Ravens (2-2), 49ers (2-2), Panthers (2-2), Bengals (1-3), and Jets (1-3) haven’t performed as they were expected to at the start of the season.

3. The resurgence of Brett Favre: Most, including many Packers fans, have been ready for Favre to retire for a year or two and hand over the reins to Aaron Rodgers.

There was merit to those comments, after Favre’s numbers had declined in the last couple of seasons. But, coming into this season, there was the momentum of winning the last four games last season, and making a late run at a playoff berth.

Favre wasn’t too happy when the Packers couldn’t get Randy Moss in the offseason, and you couldn’t blame him if he had packed it in then, but instead, he’s come out and had a season reminiscent of his prime. By the end of the season, he will have ownership of most of the significant passing records - completions, touchdowns, wins as a starter, and yards. And, there’s also his consecutive games streak, which likely won’t end until he hangs it up, which may well not be for another year or two if he keeps this up.

4. The increased emphasis on offense: Defenses have been getting quite the workout so far. There have already been 27 games where there was at least one 300-yard passer, as opposed to 20 at this point last season (didn‘t reach 27 until Week 7). And, there have been seven games where a team had a 300-yard passer and 100-yard rusher, while there were only three at this point in 2006 (didn‘t get to seven until Week 10).

5. The improvement of last year’s bottom teams: The Lions are 3-1, and Jon Kitna’s suddenly not looking stupid for predicting 10 wins. The Browns are 2-2, and would be 3-1, if not for a blocked field goal against the Raiders, who are 2-2, and could be 3-1 or 4-0, if late-game situations had gone their way. There’s also the Bucs, who are 3-1 and leading the NFC South.

Monthly Awards

September MVP: There are four candidates that stand out. Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Brett Favre, and Tony Romo.

In the end, it comes down to Favre and Moss, who have made the biggest individual difference in their team’s success. You could say Brady more so than Moss, and be justified in it, but Moss is the leader of that new receiving corps that’s helped Brady to a 134.7 rating, 79.2 completion %, and 13 touchdowns in four games.

I’ll go with Favre, considering his and the Packers resurgence was very, very unexpected by pretty much 99% of the NFL world.

Offensive Player of the Month: Brady. Them’s some Playstation numbers there.

Defensive Player of the Month: I’m biased towards picking Anthony Henry, because of his league-leading four interceptions and twelve passes defended.

But, something has to be said for what Nick Barnett of Green Bay (35 tackles, two interceptions, five passes defended) and Barrett Ruud of Tampa Bay (40 tackles, three forced fumbles, and a pick) are doing to lead their teams. Ruud, a third-year ‘backer from Nebraska, is having a breakout year, while Barnett is getting his due as one of the premier linebackers in the league (on track to start his career with a fifth straight season with 100+ tackles).

Offensive Rookie of the Month: Adrian Peterson, Vikings - Peterson has three 100-yard games thus far and has 383 rushing yards through four games, and has proved to be a pretty capable receiver as well, with nine catches for 166 yards and a score.

Defensive Rookie of the Month: Patrick Willis, 49ers - It didn’t take the 11th overall pick long to show why he was so highly touted coming out of Ole Miss. In his debut, Willis recorded 11 tackles and forced a fumble. For the month, he finished tied for third in the league with 38 stops.

October Predictions

Of the good surprises, which will still be going at the end of October? The Packers (underperforming run game), Lions (defense), and Bucs (key injuries on offense) all have flaws that could slow them down in the next month.

The Packers face Chicago and Washington at home and go to Denver at the end of the month. The Packers’ defense should have success against the Redskins and Bears, teams whose offenses aren’t exactly burning up the stat sheets, while the offense should continue to do well, if a) Favre’s arm doesn’t fall off, and b) if the run game can finally, finally get going.

As for the Bucs, they go to Indy on Sunday, then face Tennessee, and finish out the month with games against Detroit and Jacksonville.

From the looks of it, Green Bay should probably be 6-1, the Lions 4-3 or 5-2, and the Bucs 5-3, at best.

Of the contenders who have started poorly, which one is going to have the ship righted by the end of the month? San Diego has the talent on offense and defense to turn it around in a hurry. And, if they can knock off Denver on the road on Sunday, they should win home games against Oakland and Minnesota. A 4-3 record won’t be pretty, but it would more than likely be enough to lead the AFC West.

Which is most likely to hit rock bottom? If the Bengals don’t start playing some defense soon, they’ll be staring at memories of the 90s. With the issues the Bears have on offense, and now on defense (injuries, and not just playing up to par), they need to turn it around quickly to avoid the NFC North cellar.

How will the division races be playing out at the end of the month? AFC East - Patriots will be on the way to clinching by Thanksgiving. AFC North - Steelers will still be on top. AFC South - The Titans, Jaguars, and Texans will all be chasing the Colts, who will be chasing another title. AFC West - This one is a tough call. There are four flawed teams in this division, but it looks like the Broncos are the least flawed.

NFC East - Dallas should be at least two games ahead, if not more. NFC North - If the Packers can take advantage of two winnable home games, they’ll have a solid edge in the division when November starts. NFC South - It all depends on how long Jake Delhomme is out. If he comes back quickly, the Panthers will be just fine. But, if not, the Bucs will pick up enough wins to keep the division lead. NFC West - This one is the Seahawks’ to lose, now that Alex Smith looks to be out for an extended period of time. But, watch out for the Cardinals, if they don’t trip themselves up like they always seem to do, one way or another.

And if they do, well, they are who we thought they were.

September was a great month for the Cowboys. The Wade Phillips era has started off with nothing but success, as Dallas is off to its best and most prolific start.

Here’s a little look back at September, complete with analysis and a little report card.

So Far…: The Cowboys are 4-0. They opened with a 45-35 win over the Giants (the highest-scoring Cowboys-Giants game ever), and have since convincingly beaten the Dolphins (37-20), Bears (34-10), and Rams (35-7).

What’s Gone Right: The question is: What hasn’t gone right? The offense is clicking, the defense is improving, and the team has won every game so far.

What’s Gone Wrong: Well, there is one thing that hasn’t been too pleasant: injuries. Jason Ferguson was lost for the season in the opener with a torn biceps injury, and Terence Newman had his foot issue. Julius Jones was also nicked up in the Bears game.

And, just when Dallas gets Greg Ellis back, and Newman is getting better and better, Anthony Henry, who leads the league in picks and more than picked up the slack with Newman limited/on the sidelines, sprains his ankle in the Rams game.

Performance

When you’re 4-0, averaging nearly 38 points per game, and racking up 440 yards per game on offense, you have few complaints. Not only that, but you also have a defense that has forced the second-most turnovers in the league (11) and is tied for the league lead in turnover margin (+7). And, that same defense is giving up an average of only 253 yards per game in the last three weeks, while allowing only two offensive touchdowns in the last nine quarters.

The Cowboys have played it tight in the first half, but have had leads in three of four games, and were tied at the half against the Bears. But, the second half has been where Dallas has found its rhythm, outscoring their opponents 107-33 in the third and fourth quarters.

Makings of an A? Indeed.

Grade: A

Offense

There’s nothing better than a nice, balanced offense, or a quarterback who’s averaging 300 yards and three touchdowns a game.

Coming into the season, a lot of people were questioning Tony Romo’s abilities as a quarterback and as a leader, and many have had him penciled in for failure. However, he’s stuck it to the critics thus far, completing 60.3% of his passes for 1,200 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only one interception. Romo has had three 300+ yard games already, equaling his mark from last year, and is quickly climbing up the team record charts in that category.

He’s well on pace to break Danny White’s 1983 marks for yards (3,980) and touchdowns (29). Moreover, he’s continuing to develop into an excellent leader, which is more important than big yards and touchdowns.

T.O. is off to a great start, but what’s been more encouraging is the contributions from the other pass-catchers, with Terry Glenn out at least until the second half of the season. Sam Hurd had 100+ yards receiving against the Giants, while Crayton had a huge game against the Rams on Sunday, catching seven passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns.

With Romo doing so well, it might be easy to forget about the fact that the run game is doing very well.

The only potential negative is the fact that they’ve had a couple of slow starts, but they’ve gotten it going at the right time in each game to take care of business comfortably.

Grade: A

Defense

The defense didn’t have a great opener, allowing 35 points against the Giants and allowing Eli Manning to throw for 312 yards and four scores, but has buckled down since.

It took a couple of games, but DeMarcus Ware has gotten on track, and has three sacks in the last two games. We should start seeing a few more sacks now that Greg Ellis (1.5 sacks in his return) is back to health.

The secondary got torched in the first game, and gave up 287 yards against Trent Green, but has excelled in the past few games, picking off nine passes. And, with Terence Newman getting back to full strength following his foot issues, that makes the defensive backfield even stronger.

Grade: B

Special Teams

It’s a little scary when you’ve got a rookie kicker in there, but Nick Folk has passed with flying colors so far. Folk is six of seven on field goals, with the lone miss coming on a block.

Mat McBriar is punting well again, when he’s had to. On 15 kicks, McBriar is averaging 46.4 yards per kick, with five of his kicks going inside the 20.

The Cowboys have gotten a couple of long returns on kickoffs and punts. Patrick Crayton had a 49-yard return against the Dolphins that helped change that game in the second half.

On the negative side, the coverage team has given up some big ones as well, including an 85-yard punt return for a score by Dante Hall on Sunday.

Grade: B

How October Shapes Up

The Cowboys have a Monday night game at Buffalo in Week 5, then face their stiffest test of the season when the seemingly unstoppable New England Patriots come to town on the 14th.

Following that game, the Cowboys take on the Vikings at home the following week, which will be their last game of the month, since Dallas has their bye week in Week 8.

Dallas is looking at being at least 6-1, and if they can knock off New England, a 7-0 record going into a three-week stretch in November that sees them face their NFC East rivals (at Philly on Nov. 4, at New York on Nov. 11, and vs. Washington on Nov. 18).

The New England game will be the test to see just how much of a contender the Cowboys are. If they stop the Patriots, who most think has been the best team in the league thus far, then that will cement their status as the NFC‘s top team and a definite Super Bowl contender. And, being 7-0 after October would mean that stretch in November could very well be where they nail down their first NFC East title since 1998.

It’s been a winning start for Joe Gibbs and the Redskins, who have won two of their first three games in ‘07.

That start, however, could be even better if not for a Giant comeback in the second half in Week 3, when Washington let a 17-3 halftime lead slip.

But, as it stands right now, the ‘Skins are in second in the NFC East. Can they keep it up?

Washington Redskins

So Far…: Washington is 2-1. They opened with a 16-13 overtime win over Miami, then defeated the Eagles 20-12 in Philadelphia. In Week 3, they were up by two touchdowns at the half against the Giants, but ended up losing 24-17.

What’s Gone Right: Minus the second half against the Giants, the defense has played well, which has put them in position for three victories.

What’s Gone Wrong: The Redskins’ injury list is one of the longest in the NFL. From Santana Moss, Clinton Portis, Fred Smoot, and multiple members of their offensive line (including Jon Jansen, who is on IR with a broken ankle), the medical staff has had their hands full.

How October Shapes Up: October is going to be a make-or-break month for the Redskins’ ambitions. There are home games against Detroit and Arizona, then road games at current unbeaten teams Green Bay and New England. Coming out of the month with a winning record would be a huge plus.

Grades

Performance: The Redskins should be pretty pleased, overall, about being 2-1 with a win in Philadelphia. However, the fact that they let a third straight win get away isn’t something to be happy about.

It won’t take long for us to see how good (or bad) the Redskins really are, with the schedule they face this month. Will their flaws trip them up, or will they rise above the mess below Dallas in the East and make a serious run at a playoff berth?

For now, Washington gets a B, but if 10 unbeaten quarters were 12, they would have an A or A-.

Grade: B

Offense: The Redskins have scored five touchdowns in three games, with three of them coming from Portis (227 rushing yards). Campbell is completing only 52% of his passes. There’ve been several missed opportunities so far, when mistakes or failure to move the ball well have cost Washington.

Injuries on offense haven’t helped much, but some points are going to have to be scored this month, because each of their four October opponents have very dangerous offenses.
Grade: C-

Defense: As I said, minus a second half in which they allowed the Giants to gain 208 yards and score 21 points, the defense has played very well, limiting their opponents to only 33 points in the previous ten quarters.

However, they’re going to need a little help from the offense so that they don’t have be on the field so much, because that’s just a recipe for disaster.

Grade: B

Special Teams

Former Cowboy Shaun Suisham has made six of seven field goals, including the game-winner in overtime against the Dolphins.

Punter Derrick Frost is averaging 45.9 yards per kick thus far.

As for the return game, Rock Cartwright is averaging 26.7 yards per kick return. The coverage team really hasn’t gotten burned for a huge return, which is always a good thing.

Grade: B

After dropping their first two games, the Giants have picked up two victories over NFC East rivals to level their record at 2-2.

New York Giants

So Far…: The Giants are 2-2. They opened with a 45-35 loss at Dallas, then followed that up with a 35-13 loss at home to Green Bay. But, it looks like something clicked at the half of their game at Washington in Week 3. New York was down 17-3, and appeared headed for a third straight loss, but outscored the Redskins 21-0 in the second half to win 24-17. Then, on Sunday night, the Giants defense held an Eagles offense that had scored 56 points the previous week to a solitary field goal in a 16-3 victory and sacked Donovan McNabb a franchise-record twelve times.

What’s Gone Right: Brandon Jacobs’ injury in the opener might have been a blessing in disguise. 4th-year back Derrick Ward, who had run for 123 yards in three seasons, has run for 353 yards and caught 17 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. While Eli Manning hasn’t been at his sharpest (59.8 comp. %, 890 yards, 7 TD, 5 INT), Plaxico Burress (19 rec., 286 yards) has caught six TD passes.

Twelve sacks in one game? Either the Eagles took the night off (it doesn’t help when you‘ve got a raw kid going up against a bunch of talented defensive linemen), or the Giants defensive line is finally showing its talent (both). Osi Umenyora had a team-record six sacks on Sunday, and young ends Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck combined for five in the sack fest.

What’s Gone Wrong: Injuries have been a bit of a worry. If they haven’t been knocked out, they’ve been banged up, including Manning, Umenyora, and other key players.

Also, Manning could be playing much better. Whether or not that shoulder that he injured against Dallas has been affecting him is unknown, but after throwing for 312 yards and four scores against the Cowboys, he’s been average in the last three weeks.

How October Shapes Up: The Giants have a matchup against the Jets on Sunday, then go to Atlanta the next week, before rounding out their home slate for the month with a game against the 49ers. Then, it’s time for a trip across the Atlantic Ocean, to face the Dolphins at London’s Wembley Stadium on the 28th. The schedule isn’t overly tough, so it’s not outlandish to see the Giants at 6-2 going into November. It would be a far cry from just a couple of weeks ago, when Coughlin’s seat was starting to smoke a little. 5-3 sounds more reasonable, but that all depends on which Giants teams we see in the next month.

Grading the Giants

Performance: C+ - What a difference a couple of weeks can make, right? In the first 10 quarters of the season, they were a D, at best. But, in the last six quarters, they’ve been a B+ (points off for kicking woes and for Manning being pretty average).

Offense: B- - The contributions from Ward have been a big bonus, but I think most people are expecting more from Manning.

Defense: B- - After the first two games, this would have been a big F. But, the last six quarters have been a massive turnaround. A dozen sacks can get people’s attention, to say the least.

Special Teams: C - Lawrence Tynes doesn’t appear to have very much of a leash with Tom Coughlin, who didn’t sound too positive about Tynes and his future after he missed a relative chip shot and an extra point against the Eagles. Tynes is 7 of 9 on field goals, with his two misses coming inside 40 yards, and has made 7 of 8 extra points.

The return team has had some nice returns, however, the coverage team has had some lapses.

Here’s the first installment of the monthly reports on each of Dallas’ divisional rivals.

The Eagles were supposed to the Cowboys’ closest rival for the division title, and were considered by many to be the favorite for the division, but they’ve looked nothing like a contender for the most part through the first month of the season.

Philadelphia Eagles

So far…: The Eagles are 1-3 and last in the NFC East. They dropped their first two games, falling at Green Bay 16-13 and at home to Washington 20-12. In Week 3, the offense got going in a big way, racking up 536 yards in a 56-21 rout of the Lions.

But, it’s back to square one after a 16-3 loss to the previously defensively-inept New York Giants.

What’s Gone Right: This one is taking me a little while. The run defense has been excellent, giving up only 74.5 yards per game thus far. But, that’s the only bright spot that doesn’t have a ‘but’ that follows it. Defensive end Trent Cole has picked up five sacks.

What’s Gone Wrong: Brian Westbrook put up 514 yards of total offense in the first havthree games, but missed the last game due to an abdominal strain.

How October Shapes Up: The Eagles are off this Sunday, then return to the Meadowlands to face the Jets. Their only home game of the month is against the Bears on the 21st, and they finish out the month with a game at Minnesota.

The way the schedule shapes up, they could and should go 3-0 in October. With the Cowboys setting the pace in the division, and looking at being at least 6-1 going into November, the Eagles can’t afford to lose anymore ground going into the second half of the season.

Unfortunately, the way the Eagles are playing, they could very well be 1-6 at the end of October. The Jets and Bears are better than they’re playing right now, and any trip to Minnesota isn’t an easy one.

Grading the Eagles

Performance: D - They shouldn’t be 1-3. But, ‘should be’ and ‘is’ are two completely different things.

Offense: C - McNabb hasn’t made many mistakes, but he has been McNabb-like for only one game. And, while Westbrook has been a bright spot, and there was the Lions blowout, the offense hasn’t done much in the other three games, which is a little surprising, considering it‘s supposed to be their strength.

Defense: C- - Could be better, could be worse. The rush defense has been excellent, and the pass defense has done decently, minus the Lions game, where Jon Kitna’s 400-yard passing performance was pretty irrelevant.

Special Teams: B- - David Akers has made seven of eight field goals so far, and new punter Saverio Rocca has adjusted well to the new football, averaging 41.9 yards per kick. The kick coverage team has also not allowed any huge returns. However, the return team hasn’t returned a kick for more than 28 yards, and there hasn’t been a punt return longer than 12 yards. You’d like to see more from your return game, when good field position makes a huge difference.

Next up, I’ll take a look at Eli Manning and the 2-2 Giants.

The Cowboys beat the Rams 35-7 to improve to 4-0, with Romo throwing for 339 yards and three scores, and Greg Ellis making a triumphant return to the field.

But, there were 13 other games on the schedule in Week 4, and it’s time for a few observations and notes from those games.

- First and foremost, congratulations from one Mississippi boy to another, as Brett Favre broke Dan Marino’s mark for career touchdown passes on Sunday at Minnesota. Favre’s 16-yard touchdown toss to Greg Jennings with 4:56 left in the first gave Favre the record, with 421 scoring passes in 17 NFL seasons (you may as well erase 1991 though). He extended the mark to 422 with a 33-yarder to rookie James Jones (darkhorse Rookie of the Year candidate) in the fourth. Favre also had his second straight 300+ yard game, going 32 of 45 for 344 yards, in leading the Packers to a 23-16 win over the Vikings. More importantly than the record, Favre and the Packers keep their early-season unbeaten run going, and are 4-0 going into a showdown against the Bears. Green Bay has a team full of young talent, and it looks like Favre has been feeding off of them (or drinking from the fountain of youth - where is it Brett?!) with great success.

- The guy who most think will break Favre’s record somewhere down the line, is also leading a 4-0 team. Peyton Manning tossed three touchdown passes (and had a sneak for another) in a 38-20 win over the Broncos. The Colts are positioning themselves for another runaway year in the AFC South, while the Broncos, with the loss, fell back to 2-2 after dropping their second game in a row.

Why is that big? Because the Chiefs are now at 2-2 as well, after going into San Diego and knocking off the Chargers 30-16. Both L.J. and L.T. got off their early-season slides, rushing for 123 and 131 (and a score) yards respectively. But, it was the quarterback play that made the difference, as Damon Huard threw for 284 yards and two scores and leading the Chiefs to 24 unanswered second-half points, while Phillip Rivers threw for 211 yards, zero touchdowns, and was picked off twice.

The Chargers are now 1-3, and in serious need of some wins before that record gets ugly. Hey, A.J. Smith, is this what you wanted? The blow from losing several assistant coaches might have been softened if they had held on to the head man, but instead of holding on to him, the Chargers got rid of head coach Marty Schottenheimer as well, a guy who the Chargers’ GM had some well-documented issues with. I don’t have anything against Norv Turner in the least, but when you’re already in turmoil, you don’t need to make it any worse, as the Chargers’ front office did.

But, given the fact that the AFC West is so deep, then the Chargers will be in it for the long haul if they can start picking up some wins. But, hey, watch out for those Raiders, who are 2-2, after Daunte Culpepper led Oakland to a 35-17 win at Miami. You can’t blame the Dolpins for letting Culpepper go, when there weren’t any assurances about his health, or his effectiveness. But, it’s got to feel pretty good for Culpepper to go in there and show that he’s still got plenty left. The stats weren’t huge (5 of 12, 75 yards, two scores), but he did run for three touchdowns, and most importantly, got the win, which dropped Miami to 0-4.

At the bad end of the surprise spectrum, the Bears are also 1-3, after giving up 34 points in the fourth to lose 37-27 at Detroit. When I read that line, I thought it was a misprint, and then I read the boxscore. Usually, a 13-3 lead in the fourth would seem safe for the Bears, but it wasn’t. Oddly enough, the game turned on the one thing that Lovie Smith hoped he’d avoid by changing quarterbacks: an interception. The pick was returned for a 64-yard score, and the Lions were up for good at 17-13. Three touchdowns later, it was done, done, and done. The Lions are, all of a sudden, at 3-1, and Matt Millen appears to finally be earning some his pay. As for the Bears, a hot Brett Favre is looming, which isn’t good news for a defense that has lost several key members.

The Eagles and Bengals are also at 1-3. After scoring 56 points against the Lions, Philadelphia’s offense dried up in a 16-3 loss to the Giants on Sunday night. After obliterating the Lions defense, Donovan McNabb was only 15 of 31 for 138 yards and zero touchdowns against a Giants pass defense that had been struggling. Keep beating other, NFC East rivals - it only allows the Cowboys to run, run, run far away from you.

As for the Bengals, defensive ineptness and a robot called the New England Patriots doomed them last night. The Bengals are not a good enough team to overcome mistakes or off nights on offense. They may as well have David Klingler in there if they’re going to be this bad.

There are now only four unbeaten teams, after the Steelers lost to the Cardinals 21-14. Kurt Warner came off of the bench to lead Arizona again, but it was Matt Leinart who was in at the end, leading the Cardinals to a score that made it 21-7 late in the fourth. If you’ve got two good quarterbacks, why not use them (as long as they’re both playing well)? But, if it keeps up for a little while, and one starts doing markedly better than the other, then that can lead to a little bit of controversy. We’ll see what happens there.

Also in the AFC South, there was another surprise, as the Browns knocked off the Ravens 27-13. Baltimore did get 307 yards from Steve McNair, but he had to throw it 53 times, after Cleveland had taken a commanding 24-6 halftime lead. The Browns are now 2-2, and could very well be 3-1. Derek Anderson has thrown for 780 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions in the last three weeks, in leading the Browns to two wins. Looks like Brady Quinn will have to wait a little while longer to become the starter, and it looks like that first-round pick may not be the #1.

That one looks to be up to several teams, including the Falcons and Bills. Atlanta and Buffalo did pick up their first wins of the season on Sunday, but there probably won’t be too many more for them. Give it up for Joey Harrington, who has been playing with some fire since the Falcons signed Byron Leftwich after the first two games. In the last two weeks, Harrington is 54 of 73 for 584 yards, four touchdowns, and no picks. On Sunday, he was 23 of 29 for 223 yards and two touchdowns, as the Falcons beat the Texans 26-16.

In Buffalo, the Bills picked up their first win by beating the Jets 17-14. J.P. Losman may not see his starting job again, if rookie Trent Edwards can build off of his successful first career start. The offense was woeful under Losman in the first three games, so it might be a welcome change. The Jets, meanwhile, are, well, not very good right now. That one makes the Patriots happy, as New England already has a three-game lead through four weeks.

In a division race that will be somewhat worth watching, the NFC South lead belongs to the 3-1 Bucs, who went into Carolina and knocked off the Delhomme-less Panthers (now 2-2) 20-7. David Carr only got sacked three times, and actually rushed for positive yardage, but he was also 19 for 41 passing. The Bucs lost Cadillac Williams and offensive lineman Luke Pettigout for the season on Sunday, but Michael Pittman (90 yards) and Earnest Graham (48 yards, TD) can fill in the hole left by Williams. Tampa has been a pleasant surprise thus far, but we’ll know in a few weeks if those injuries make a difference, or if Jon Gruden has another playoff team on his hands.

In another pivotal division clash, the Seahawks (3-1) went to the Bay Area and knocked off San Francisco 23-3 (2-2). They also knocked out Alex Smith with a shoulder injury, and that means that Trent Dilfer will start next week. Considering how badly Dilfer played on Sunday (12 of 33, 128 yards, two picks), it’s just as well that you have an injured Smith in the game, since he hasn’t been too effective for the most part so far, even when healthy.

This week, I’ll have first month/quarterly reports on the Cowboys, the NFC East, and the NFL, reviewing the first four weeks of action, and handing out some grades and a few presents.

Henry Gets Honored

CB Anthony Henry was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week today for his performance against the Bears on Sunday.

Henry picked off Rex Grossman twice, returning the second one 28 yards for a touchdown that was the killed off the Bears’ hopes, as it put the Cowboys up 27-10 early in the fourth.

Gramatica Gets Cut

After being on injured reserve for the last few weeks, following the last round of preseason cuts, Dallas released kicker Martin Gramatica yesterday.

Gramatica had been in competition with rookie Nick Folk for the starting placekicker role, but Folk took the lead in the competition with his consistent accuracy, and then Gramatica suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason loss to the Texans, which put him out of commission for the last week of action and handed the job to Folk.

Gramatica came on board last season, after the Mike Vanderjagt experiment ended 11 games into the season, and made six of eight field goals in the last five games of the season, and was a perfect 14 of 14 on extra points.

Gramatica was a third-round pick of the Bucs in 1999, and for a while, had a reputation as one of the most accurate and strong-legged kickers in the game. In his career, which also includes a brief spell with Indianapolis, is 144 of 188 (76.6%) on field goals in his career, with a career-long of 55 yards, and 204 of 206 (99%) on PATs.

Someone Needs a Slap in the Head

A day after Michael Vick gets more charges added on to his dogfighting case, it’s revealed that he tested positive for marijuana in a recent test, and is now even more screwed than he was already.

Vick won’t be able to leave his house between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (but Mom, why do I have to have a curfew? I’m 27!), and will have to be electronically monitored and subjected to random drug tests.

The failed test happened only two weeks ago, on Sept. 13, so it appears that Vick, as contrite as he appeared to be in his apology, is either incompetent or intent on skirting the rules and restrictions any way he can. How hard is it to lay off the green stuff when you know you have to, not only according to the law, but for the sake of your future? He got out of the water bottle situation, but now that he’s in deep doo-doo already, there’s no getting around this one.

That could cost him when he’s sentenced in December, because if he hasn’t followed the rules in between his indictment and his sentencing, then there’s no real reason to be the least bit soft on him. So, if I were Mike Vick, I’d straighten up very, very quickly, or at least get the Whizzinator.

The additional charges on his indictment may well have seemed a little excessive, considering the potential penalties each individual dog killing carry, but this really isn’t going to help his case either.

Someone, anyone, needs to get in this guy’s ear, and tell him that he’s one misstep away from having zero chance of getting back into football, because you know every little slip he makes, Roger Goodell is taking note of it, and not only that, I don’t think he would be allowed to resume his NFL career as a part of a work-release program.

Week 4 is highlighted by several ‘distance’ games - contests that will make a great difference in certain division favorites or contenders to put some distance between the trailing pack.

The matchup of the week is no doubt the Broncos at Colts on Sunday afternoon. It’s a bigger game for the Broncos than it is the Colts, who have had Denver’s number as of late. For the Broncos, this game is about getting back on track and keeping their lead atop the AFC West, but a loss would be their second straight, and would allow the Kansas City-San Diego winner to tie them at 2-2.

Speaking of that K.C.-S.D. game, that might be one of the biggest games of the early season, as both teams will be looking to get their star running backs on track and their teams off of a slide. L.J. and L.T. have combined for only 270 yards in the first three games. Considering what’s at stake, don’t be surprised if they hit that number on Sunday.

Elsewhere, there’s a big one in the NFC East, as Philly goes to the Meadowlands to face the Giants, for NBC’s Sunday night matchup. Both teams are 1-2 after picking up their first wins of the season last week, but are still very much in need of a win with the Cowboys in position to run away with the division very, very quickly, with a favorable schedule (minus New England, which is a home game) in the next few weeks.

In the NFC North, Green Bay goes to Minnesota looking to go to 4-0. Brett Favre has struggled in road games against the Vikings, but won the last time he was there. After the Packers have opened with three impressive wins, you can bet the Vikings want to knock them back down to earth, and close the gap in the division.

Chicago goes to Detroit with a new starting quarterback. Lovie Smith apparently has had enough of Rex Grossman’s inconsistencies, and is turning to Brian Griese for Sunday’s game. Maybe this is what Grossman needs to fire him up. But, it’s the perfect week for Griese to take over, as he’ll be slinging it against one of the worst pass defenses in the league. As for the Lions, a win over the Bears would be yet another step in the right direction, and erase the bad taste from that beatdown at the hands of Donovan McNabb and the Eagles.

In the NFC West, Seattle visits San Francisco in a pivotal early-season showdown. Both teams are 2-1, but could both easily be 0-3, if a couple of close games had gone the opposite way. The winner of this one will have an early leg up on the division title, and an automatic playoff spot. The question for San Francisco is this - Can they get the offense going? If they don’t soon, they’ll be in trouble, as Sunday’s game against the Steelers showed. They got away with it against the Cardinals and Rams, because they produced just enough to win, but just enough isn’t going to be enough most of the time.

In the AFC East, the race for second place goes into Week 4, as winless Buffalo goes on the road to face the 1-2 Jets. If the Jets win, things could get close in a heartbeat if the Bengals can knock off the Pats on Monday night.

That game is another ’distance’ game. A Patriots win would, at best, keep their two-game lead over the Jets, but if the Bills beat the Jets, they’ll already have a three-game lead, which is more than enough. Meanwhile, the Bengals need to shore up their weaknesses very quickly, because if they don’t bring their ‘A’ game on Monday night, they’re going to be yet another victim of the seemingly unstoppable Patriots’ train.

Baltimore goes to Cleveland in a pretty important matchup. The Ravens had a close call against the Cardinals at home on Sunday, and could very well get tripped up if Derek Anderson can stay on his feet long enough to get the ball to Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, and if Jamal Lewis can make the most of his first meeting against his old team.

That game, and the Bengals-Pats game, are big, because the Steelers are facing Arizona. The smart money says the Cardinals should give the Steelers’ D their biggest test to date, but the way the Steely McBeam’s are playing, the Cardinals might end up getting run over just like the Browns, Bills, and 49ers did.

The other games on the schedule are of great importance as well.

Tampa Bay and Carolina, both 2-1, face off at the Panthers’ den for the NFC South lead. A win for the Bucs would really signal their resurgence as a good team.

Houston goes to Atlanta, looking for win #3 and looking to keep the Falcons out of the win column. Matt Schaub faces off of against the team that (stupidly) traded him just before the Michael Vick mess came up, and has a chance to inflict more misery upon the Falcons, who aren’t catching many breaks right now. But, if Joey Harrington can build off his strong performance against the Panthers (361 yards, two TD, no picks), then maybe, just maybe Falcons’ fans will go home smiling on Sunday afternoon.

Jacksonville (2-1), Tennessee (2-1), Washington (2-1), and New Orleans (0-3) are off this week. The Redskins will be a close watcher of that Giants-Eagles game, as it will have bearing on if they have any room to breathe going into Week 5.

Week 4 Schedule

Chicago at Detroit
St. Louis at Dallas
Baltimore at Cleveland
Buffalo at New York Jets
Houston at Atlanta
Green Bay at Minnesota
Oakland at Miami

Seattle at San Francisco
Tampa Bay at Carolina
Kansas City at San Diego
Denver at Indianapolis
Pittsburgh at Arizona

Philadelphia at New York Giants (Sunday night)
New England at Cincinnati (Monday night)

Here’s how the Cowboys are faring in several of the individual and team statistical categories, thus far. It’s mostly good, though there is a little bad.

- Through three games, Tony Romo is sixth in passing yards (860), tied for third in touchdowns (eight), and tied for second in QB rating (111.9). Tom Brady is first in the league in touchdowns (10) and QB rating (141.8). It can’t hurt when you’ve completed 70 of 88 passes, as Brady has so far.

- Marion Barber III is 12th in the NFL (and 6th in the NFC) in rushing yards with 256, but he leads the league in yards per carry (6.4) and is tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns with four.

- T.O. is fourth in the league in receiving yards with 329, and leads the league in yards per catch at 20.6. Jason Witten also ranks among the league’s top receivers with 14 catches for 233 yards, which puts him third among tight ends, behind Antonio Gates (27 catches, 297 yards) and Kellen Winslow, Jr. (16 catches, 271 yards).

- Nick Folk is third in the league in scoring, with 32 points. Jeff Reed of Pittsburgh has 37 points, and Adam Vinatieri is 2nd with 33 points.

- Unsurprisingly, Anthony Henry is at the top of the charts in interceptions, with his back to back games with two picks. Tennessee’s Keith Bulluck picked off Drew Brees three times last night, and along with Raiders LB Kirk Morrison, is tied for second at three picks.

TEAM STATS

- Dallas is second in the league in total offense, racking up 420.3 yards per game, and have the league’s fifth-best passing (274 yards per game) and rushing (146.3 yards per game) offenses. New England is first in total offense at 441 yards per game. The Steelers are averaging an impressive 198.3 yards per game rushing, after torching the Bills and 49ers for 200+ yard days in the last two weeks.

- The Cowboys also lead the league in fourth-down conversions made at four, and unfortunately, in penalties (30) and penalty yards (256).

- On the defensive side of the ball, Dallas is still in the lower half of the league in total defense. However, the Cowboys have been greatly helped, especially in the last two games, by forcing turnover after turnover, which has them in the league lead in takeaways (10 - 8 picks, 2 fumbles) and turnover margin (+7).

- Speaking of the total defense rankings, Dallas is 21st in yards allowed per game, at 337. While Eli Manning and Trent Green racked up good yardage totals, the rush defense has been a strength, holding Miami’s Ronnie Brown and Chicago’s Cedric Benson to subpar totals. Because of that, the Cowboys come in at 8th in the league in rush yards allowed per game, at 86.7 per game.

- Brett Favre is playing like he’s 28, not like he’s about to turn 38. Favre had another vintage performance, throwing for 369 yards, and threw three touchdown passes to tie Dan Marino’s career mark of 420. His third, a 57-yarder to Greg Jennings, not only tied the record but gave the Packers a 24-21 lead over the Chargers with 2:03 to go, and after Nick Barnett picked off Philip Rivers, Brandon Jackson ran it in from the one to wrap up a 31-24 victory for the Packers, who are now 3-0 and looking like a serious contender after beating three very good teams.

As for the Chargers, they’re 1-2, and L.T.’s not putting up any kind of numbers so far. He did have a touchdown catch in yesterday’s game, but rushed for only 62 yards on 22 carries. Through three games, he’s rushed for only 130 yards and one touchdown, and is averaging a measly 2.3 yards per carry. You’d have to think that he’ll turn it on soon, but this isn’t the kind of start we were hoping to see from him. Then again, he has faced the Bears’ D, the Patriots’ D, and a much-improved Packers’ D. But, you wouldn’t expect him to get absolutely shut down for the most part like he has so far. He’s too good of a player to keep down, though, so just wait a week or two.

- The Eagles did a lot to make people quickly forget about that 0-2 start by laying a 56-21 beating on the Detroit Lions that showed just what the Eagles can be when they’re on, and just how far the Lions still have to go to be up there at the top. Donovan McNabb made sure he won’t have any critics this week by going 21 of 26 for 381 yards and four scores, and Brian Westbrook had a monster game as well, rushing for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and catching five passes for 111 yards and another touchdown. It was 42-21 at halftime, and the Eagles may well have scored 70 points if they hadn’t taken their foot off the gas in the second half. So much for counting them out, eh? THen again, they could turn around and lose next week, and be back at square one.

- The Giants got their first win of the season, scoring 21 second-half points to knock off Washington 24-17. After their defense was invisible for the first two games, it woke up in the second half, shutting down Jason Campbell and the ‘Skins, especially on the most important drive of the game. After Antwaan Randle El put the Redskins in New York territory with two minutes to go on a punt return, Campbell converted a 4th and 8 and a 3rd and 13 to get Washington to the 1. Following a spike, Campbell threw incomplete, and then Ladell Betts was stopped cold on 3rd and goal. Then, on 4th and goal, Betts was stopped again to preserve the win and take a little heat off of Tom Coughlin.

Which Giants will we see next week against Philly?

- With the Lions, Redskins, and 49ers falling, the Cowboys and Packers are the only two unbeatens in the NFC. Three other teams are at 2-1, in the Panthers, Seahawks, and….the Bucs. The Jeff Garcia effect is paying off in Tampa, and the defense is playing very well again. We’ll have to wait a few weeks to see if they’re for real though.

But, behind the Cowboys and Packers, who have been among the best of the best so far, who’s also got the stuff to contend in the NFC? The smart money, at this point, would have to be the Panthers or Seahawks, as they’ve been there before, and know what it takes. They both do have some holes, though.

You can’t forget about the Bears, but Rex Grossman needs to turn it around in a hurry. The 49ers have to show that they can pick up the wins against the better teams, and not just against the Cardinals and Rams, before they’re a serious contender. And, the Saints are too good of a team to look as bad as they have so far. A win tonight over the Titans would really boost their hopes, since the NFC South isn’t going to be a runaway for anyone, and there is going to be some serious battling for the two wild card spots as well, between good teams playing mediocre football, and mediocre teams playing good football.

- In the AFC, it’s all about the Colts and Pats again. The Patriots put another whipping on someone yesterday, throttling the Bills 38-7. Guess those AFC East Champion t-shirts need to start getting printed right now, because they might have it wrapped up by Week 10, if this keeps up. In the past two weeks, they’re playing as if they have a reason to be mad about people questioning their accomplishments in the wake of the videotape cheat ’scandal.’ Whatever gets you motivated, right? But, a team like New England doesn’t really need much motivating, and they’re too good of a team to have to resort to silly cheating tactics in the first place, as they’ve proved rather handily. Trying to get back to the Super Bowl and wrestle the title away from the Colts is just as much of a motivation as anything else.

As for the Colts, we know about the offense, but the defense has played much better than anyone expected them to this season. That defense was supposed to be the reason why their hopes of repeating would get tripped up, but it’s done a good job, especially in stopping the run against New Orleans and Houston. It’s not as if we’re talking about the Doomsday Defense here, but given the expectations, there’s certainly reason to give them praise so far.

But hey, what about the Steelers, who have outscored their first three opponents 97-26, and have gotten the job done with a balanced offense and a defense that’s allowing less than 250 yards per game so far? For all those who may have wondered about the hires of Wade Phillips and Mike Tomlin by their respective teams, those two hires are turning out very, very well so far.

- What about Kyle Boller leading a last-minute drive to get the Ravens a win? Steve McNair re-injured his groin in the game, so Boller had to come in and be the hero. It’s quite a turnaround for him, after just a couple of weeks ago, he threw a pick on a last-minute drive that killed off Baltimore’s hopes in a 27-20 loss to Cincy. On the same note, what about Matt Leinart getting benched after playing poorly, and Kurt Warner playing like the old Kurt Warner and not just an old Kurt Warner, going 15 of 20 for 258 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Cardinals back into the game? Will we see a quarterback rotation next week when the Cardinals take on the Steelers? Leinart hasn’t exactly been a world beater thus far, and Warner showed that he’s still got it, against one of the league’s best defense (that hasn’t played like it so far), so there’s a thought to ponder for Ken Whisenhunt.

The most interesting play of the game was in the third. Arizona had just gotten a field goal to pull within 20-6, and instead of waiting until the fourth, went for the onside kick - and recovered. But, they turned it over on the first play, after Larry Fitzgerald caught a long pass but was stripped of the ball. The Ravens went down the field and got a Matt Stover field goal to make it 23-6, setting up the wild finish. Had the Cardinals converted on that drive, the result might have ended up very differently.

- The battle for second in the AFC East is on, and it looks like it’s for the Jets’ taking, after they became the only other team in the division to have a win after holding off the Dolphins 31-28. Chad Pennington doesn’t want to give up his job quite yet, as he must have heard all of the ravings about Kellen Clemens and his imminent assumption of the starting QB job and promptly came out and threw two touchdown passes and played an efficient game.

As for the Dolphins, well, at least they have South Beach.

- The Broncos really missed out on a chance to really stamp their control over the AFC West by losing 23-14 to Jacksonville at home. After Travis Henry had rushed for 267 yards in the first two games, he was held to only 35 yards on 11 carries yesterday. With the Chargers struggling, and the Raiders and Chiefs in rebuild mode, it looks like the division is Denver’s to lose, and frankly, you have to capitalize on all of the opportunities you get to seal the deal.

- Speaking of the Raiders, what about Lane Kiffin’s timeout call on Cleveland’s late FG attempt working out? We see the timeout calls all the time in those situations, in an attempt to ice the kicker, but it doesn’t always work. Kiffin has seen it work in the last two weeks, one in his favor and one not. Against the Broncos, Sebastian Janikowski nailed a field goal to win it in OT, but it was nullified by a smart timeout call by Mike Shanahan. Janikowski’s next kick was just wide left, and the Broncos went on to win. Yesterday, the Raiders were up 26-24, and Phil Dawson had a game-winning attempt with seconds to go. Just as he went for the kick (which was good), Kiffin got the timeout. After the timeout, Dawson’s kick was blocked, and the Raiders got their first win.

That’s what you call on-the-job training, eh?

- You’ve got to feel for Joey Harrington. Harrington had one of the best games of his career yesterday, going 31 of 44 for 361 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks, and the Falcons still lost 27-20 to Carolina.

- Carson Palmer followed up his 401-yard, six-touchdown performance in a losing effort at Cleveland by throwing for 342 yards against Seattle. But, two interceptions and four total turnovers by the Bengals doomed them in a 24-21 loss to the Seahawks. Cincinnati is one of those teams that would be good if they weren’t so bad sometimes. Four turnovers don’t help your cause, but neither does Rudi Johnson rushing for only nine yards on 17 carries.

The league’s #1 offense gets quite the test this week, as the 2-0 Cowboys go to Soldier Field to take on Brian Urlacher and the Chicago Bears.

Last time out, Dallas scored 27 points and forced four turnovers in the second half en route to a 37-20 win at Miami. The Cowboys picked off four passes, with Anthony Henry getting two of them. Tony Romo threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and Marion Barber III ran for 89 yards and two scores. Nick Folk remained perfect through two games, as he nailed three field goals and four extra points.

As for the Bears, they followed a season-opening loss to San Diego with a 20-10 win over Kansas City last week. The Bears, always known for their great defense, have lived up to their reputation through the first two games. But, the offense needs a bit of a spark, as Rex Grossman’s time under center may be on life support.

Last Time They Played…

The last time these two teams played was Thanksgiving Day in 2004, when the Cowboys were the ones showing the defensive prowess in a 21-7 victory.

This game was memorable for two reasons, besides the fact that Dallas held Chicago to less than 150 yards and no offensive touchdowns. The game was Drew Henson’s first and only start as a Cowboy, and it was Julius Jones’ personal coming-out party.

Henson was 4 of 12 for only 31 yards, and tossed an interception that R.W. McQuarters returned 45 yards for Chicago’s only touchdown. Henson was taken out at halftime and replaced by Vinny Testaverde, who was supposed to be sitting out the game with an injury.

Chicago squandered a couple of second-half opportunities. Paul Edinger missed a 48-yarder that would have given the Bears a 10-7 lead, and then, after McQuarters picked off Testaverde, he was stripped during a long return, and the Cowboys recovered the ball.

Testaverde rebounded from the pick, and he and Jones led the Cowboys to the victory, as the ageless wonder going 9 of 14 for 92 yards, and the tiebreaking touchdown to Darian Barns early in the fourth. Jones, who opened the scoring in the first with a 33-yard score, capped off the victory and his big day with a 4-yard run midway through the final quarter. Jones rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries, and would be a bright spot down the stretch for what would be a 6-10 team, rushing for 819 yards and seven touchdowns in only seven games.

Chicago totaled only 140 yards on the day, and a great defensive effort by the Cowboys, along with the Bears just being terrible on offense, was the reason. Eric Ogbogu had a huge day, racking up 3.5 sacks. The Bears would finish 5-11 on the season, and Dick Jauron was out after compiling a 35-45 record in five seasons.

LOOKING AT THE BEARS

Offense

It hasn’t exactly been a dream start for Grossman and the Bears offense.

Grossman was only 12 of 23 with an interception in Week 1 vs. the Chargers, and last week against the Chiefs, was picked off twice. Grossman had his first injury-free season last year and helped lead the Bears to the NFC Championship Game, but was as streaky as they come. He had eight interception-free games, and threw for three or more touchdowns three times on the way to tossing 23 TD passes, but had more games where he threw at least three picks (five). That kind of inconsistency is why you have to be on the watch for him having a huge game this week, and why time might be running out for him as the Bears’ starter.

After playing second fiddle to Thomas Jones in his first two seasons, Cedric Benson is the man in the Bears’ backfield. The former Texas star and #4 overall pick in 2005 rushed for 647 yards and six touchdowns in 2006, and has rushed for 143 yards in two games so far. He notched his second career 100-yard game last week, picking up 101 yards on 24 carries against the Chiefs. He does have yet to reach the end zone, however.

Bernard Berrian is the team’s leading receiver, with 10 catches for 148 yards. Muhsin Muhammad, the marquee name in the receiving corps, has only two catches for 15 yards through the first two games.

Return man extraordinaire Devin Hester, who came into the league as a corner, has made the move to offense (well, duh!) so that the Bears can utilize his talents (read: blazing speed) the most. However, he hasn’t seen the ball on offense in the first two games. But, that should change this week, as Lovie Smith has said that he wants to get the ball in his hands (good thinking, Lovie).

Defense

If the Bears didn’t have a defense (and Hester), they would probably be as bad as they were during most of Dick Jauron’s days. But, they do, and it’s one of the best in the league, so it’ll likely be anything but a piece of cake to move the ball and put points on the board on Sunday.

Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs might be the best 1-2 linebacker duo in the league. Urlacher might be the most intimidating player in the league (it’s all about the bald head), and has recorded 100+ tackles in six of seven NFL seasons (and would be seven-for-seven if he hadn’t missed seven games in 2004). Briggs is a tackling machine, having racked up more than 100 tackles in the last three seasons, including 134 last season.

The defensive line is solid all across, with ends Adawale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson, and tackles Tommie Harris and Darwin Walker.

The secondary might be the best overall unit, however, with Charles Tillman on the left and the duo of Nathan Vasher and Ricky Manning on the right at corner, and safeties Danieal Manning and Adam Archuleta, who has gotten his Bears career off to a good start, with 12 tackles in two games.

Special Teams

Former Penn State kicker Robbie Gould is the Bears’ placekicker. He’s nailed all three of his field goals and both of his extra points this season, and is 56 of 66 in two-plus seasons in the league. Last season, Gould was 32 of 36 on field goals, including 12 of 14 from 40+ yards.

Veteran punter Brad Maynard is questionable, and Dirk Johnson did most of the punting last week against Kansas City. But, Johnson was cut earlier this week, so if Maynard can’t go, Gould will handle the punting duties.

Hester is the game’s top return man, without a doubt. There’s a reason why he’s no longer a cornerback (besides his average cover skills). As a rookie in 2006, he returned six kicks for touchdowns (three kickoffs, including one in the Super Bowl, and three punt returns, including two in one game). And, he took that total to seven last Sunday, as he returned a punt 73 yards for a score against K.C. Soon enough, teams might petition to be able to have 15 guys on the field for his kick returns. Then again, they still might not be able to stop him. In fact, the only person who can really stop Hester is himself, as he has had a history of fumble issues. He had eight fumbles last season, though his six touchdowns made that easy to ignore. He’s held on to the ball so far this season, so maybe that problem has been taken care of.

Just as I was about to make a post about the Cowboys showing interest in former Bears defensive tackle and avid gun collector Tank (real name Terry) Johnson, I check out the recent news headlines, and look at that, they signed him!

Johnson is currently serving an eight-game suspension due to multiple legal issues (having a warehouse’s worth of guns, being too closely involved with some shady characters, including one who was murdered, and running afoul of the law in general), and won’t be eligible to play until the Cowboys take on the Eagles in Philly on Nov. 4 (or possibly when Dallas faces the Giants at the Meadowlands the following Sunday), but when he does come back, his hefty 6′3, 300 pound frame will immediately slot in at a position where depth is currently lacking. There will, no doubt, be some rust, given that he won’t have played since the Super Bowl, and will not have very much practice under his belt, considering he can’t practice with the team until his suspension is up.

The injury to Jason Ferguson means that there’s definitely a need for quality depth at DT, and Johnson, who was a starter for the Bears before all of the criminal issues cropped up, certainly will provide it, once he’s able to play.

There are, of course, questions about his character. But, I’m a strong believe in second chances and fresh starts, because sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery or a new opportunity to get and keep your head on straight. And so far, Johnson has done the right things, and is saying the right things (or at least his agent is).

“For a lot of reasons, he really just felt the Cowboys were the right fit,” said Johnson’s agent, Jerrold Colton. “He’s so thankful to them for giving him this opportunity. He is very determined to prove they made a wise decision in believing in him.”

(courtesy of CBS Sportsline’s report on the signing)

There was that potential DUI during the summer, but thankfully, he’s kept his nose clean since. And, that’s the key here. If he keeps his nose clean and stays off Roger Goodell’s bad list, and makes the most of his new start both on the field and off, then this will turn out to be a great signing. But, you’d have to think that if he messes up even a little, he’ll be gone. But, we know Jerry Jones’ history with players with controversy or checkered pasts surrounding them.

So, we’ll see how it goes. Here’s hoping that Dallas proves to be the right fit for Johnson, not only for his athletic ambitions, but also for his life. And, here’s hoping that he’s a good fit for the Cowboys, and can be a significant contributor and help bolster the defense this season, and be a difference maker on into the future.

Tank Johnson’s Career Stats

2004: 12 tackles, .5 sacks (16 games)
2005: 25 tackles, 5 sacks (16 games)
2006: 26 tackles, 3.5 sacks (14 games)

Secondary

If any fans were worried about the secondary after the opener, and after Terence Newman’s injury lingered on for another week, despite his return to practice, they were justified.

But, four interceptions later, at least all of Cowboys Nation is able to breathe easier. CB Anthony Henry matched his interception total from all of last season in yesterday’s game, picking off Trent Green twice, setting up a Dallas touchdown with the second one, which was the last in a series of three game-changing turnovers that the Cowboys converted into points.

The other two picks came from the safety tandem of Roy Williams and Ken Hamlin, who also combined for nine tackles. Hamlin’s pick was the first of the game-changing turnovers, and his 35-yard return helped set the Cowboys up for Nick Folk’s second three-pointer, which made it 20-13.

Newman may well return against Chicago, and while his return, whenever it is, will be huge, seeing how much of an improvement the guys made in a week, while the best cover guy was still out, is something to be proud of.

Neutralizing #99

For any offensive coordinator, containing the constant threat that is Miami DE Jason Taylor has to be at the top of the list of any game plan. And, after Taylor made his presence felt (as usual) last week, recording five tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble agains tthe Redskins, you can bet that there was some extra planning to make sure Taylor didn’t get too many opportunities to be close to Tony Romo or the ballcarriers.

Looks like Jason Garrett and the offensive staff must have planned right, and the O-line ate their boxes of Wheaties, as Taylor was limited to only three tackles (two solo, one assist).

There must have been some game tape from the teams’ last meeting still somewhere within the offices. Taylor only had two tackles in the Dolphins’ Thanksgiving Day win over the Cowboys four seasons ago, but he picked up a sack and a fumble recovery and return for a touchdown in the 40-21 win.

The Cowboys face another of the NFL’s most feared defenders this coming Sunday, in Bears LB Brian Urlacher, and must go up against one of, if not the best, defenses in the league. They’re a whole different animal than the Giants and Dolphins’ defenses, so it might be asking too much to put up 30+ again. But, given the Bears’ offensive troubles, getting into the 20s might be enough to see of da Bears.

Marion Barber III 1, Joey Porter 0

It looks like Joey Porter would be well-advised to leave his talking until after the game. Porter singled out Barber prior to yesterday’s game, talking about his toughness, and saying that he was going to be ‘looking for him.’

Barber came out the victor on the scoreboard, and statistically, as he racked up 89 yards on 14 carries, and scored twice, including the 40-yard run late in the fourth that put the finishing touches on the win, and Porter was held to only two tackles. Also on Sunday, the two got in a couple confrontations, as Porter was flagged for a personal foul for ripping off Barber’s helmet following his first carry, and before that, the two had some words before the game.

So far, Porter has only five tackles in two games, so he might need to wait a few more weeks until he pulls out the pre-game trash talk. That is what he’s known for, but hey, don’t just talk tough, my friend, be tough. It might all be in good fun, and to rile the other guy up, but don’t let it backfire on you, and moreover, if you’re going to try to intiimdate someone, do it with your play and not with your words or with silly personal fouls.

Besides, no matter how tough you might be during the game, the only thing that matters in the end is the score. Barber got the victory, and as an added bonus, shut Porter up with his performance. Speaking of his performance, Barber’s justifying getting more carries. In two games, he has run for 154 yards on only 25 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per carry, and has scored three touchdowns. On the other hand, Julius Jones has run for only 98 yards on 31 carries, for a 3.2 yard average per carry (and hasn’t scored yet). If things continue to go this way for the next few games, Wade Phillips will have a decision on his hands about who the primary back will be. Either way, both will get a fair amount of opportunities each game, but if Barber keeps running har and running well, then it might be time to get him more carries than Jones.