Week to week in the NFL, there are no guarantees

05.10.2007 14:02 Sport and Travel - Source: USA Today

If you're in one of those survivor pools, you really get my drift.

Will this be the week the Philadelphia Eagles score 56 points?

Or will the Eagles put up a trey-spot while their quarterback is sacked 12 times.

Let's let a couple of experts weigh in:

• Bears quarterback Brian Griese: "Each week in the NFL is different."

• Redskins running back Clinton Portis: "Week in and week out, you never know what you're going to get."

Of course, this isn't exactly earth-shattering news. But it is always intriguing to consider the patterns — or lack thereof.

The Arizona Cardinals lost, then won, then lost and won to get to 2-2.

The Carolina Panthers won, lost, won and lost — winning both of their road games while getting skunked twice on their home turf.

Houston, Denver and San Francisco? Started 2-0. Now 2-2.

The Giants, Chiefs and Raiders took the opposite path to 2-2.

This all speaks to Redskins coach Joe Gibbs' apprehension as he prepares for a Sunday visit from the Detroit Lions.

Two weekends ago, Detroit was on the wrong end of Philly's 56 points. Last weekend, the Lions set an NFL record by scoring 34 points in the fourth quarter.

Gibbs is 11-0 lifetime against the Lions. Detroit has never won in Washington, an imperfect 0-20. No wonder Gibbs is nervous about what might happen at FedEx Field.

"I think what you're witnessing right now in the league," Gibbs says, "you're seeing some teams that play great one week and score a bunch of points; they come back the very next week and almost get shut out. Teams are well-balanced, well-coached. Everybody has a chance to beat everybody."

Parity. That's what they call it, coach. And exposing what you picked up from film study. Nearly 50% of NFL games were decided by seven points or less last season; 24% by a field goal or less.

Once again, when the end of December rolls around, at least 25 teams can unwrap their holiday presents and still have a shot at winning the Super Bowl. And one glance at the standings — Chicago, San Diego and New Orleans at the bottom of their divisions while Green Bay and Tampa Bay are at the top — makes it seem a sure bet that for the 12th year in a row at least five playoff teams will get in after failing to qualify the previous season.

There are exceptions to every rule, which is why it is even more impressive that the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots are among the four teams left with undefeated records.

The Colts, hosting Tampa Bay on Sunday, can become just the fourth team in NFL history to start 5-0 in three consecutive seasons.

The Patriots — with three Super Bowl trophies during this topsy-turvy salary cap/free agency era — are the first team since the 1920 Buffalo All-Americans (of course, you remember that juggernaut) to win each of their first four games by at least 20 points.

Sure, it helps to have a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady as your quarterback.

But it's not all about the talent. Ask the Chargers.

It's something about the mindset — which starts at the top with coaches such as Tony Dungy and Bill Belichick — that flows into the consistency.

Think the Patriots are poised for an off day with the Cleveland Browns coming to Gillette Stadium?

It sure doesn't sound like it, if you listen to the sense of urgency coming from linebacker Tedy Bruschi. There will be no overlooking a team with a raw quarterback and the 31st-ranked defense.

"It's our next game," Bruschi told me on Monday night, after the 34-13 pasting of the Bengals. "You've only got 16. Every one is important. I acknowledge that every week, we can be beat by any team."

Preach on, Tedy.

Any given Sunday.

Bruschi goes on to explain how that knowledge drives the Patriots.

"I respect our opponents," he said. "I respect every player that puts on a helmet in the NFL. And I know, by some of the victories I've had in the NFL, that any team can be beat. When you constantly recognize that and say, 'We're also beatable, if we don't play well,' it's going to emphasize the way you prepare — to make sure you're prepared to put your best out there."

Now if every team can get that to sink in. And get themselves a Brady or Manning.

Whiz factor: Kurt Warner heads back to the Edward Jones Dome, where he once fired passes for the Greatest Show on Turf — and chances are the Arizona Cardinals' backup quarterback/bullpen ace will get to play on Sunday against his former St. Louis Rams.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt says he'll continue to use Warner in relief of starter Matt Leinart, given the change-of-pace impact that has occurred.

The former NFL MVP came off the bench to complete 70.7% of his passes while running no-huddle packages that threw the Ravens and Steelers defenses for a loop. With three TDs and zero picks, he has a sizzling 125.1 passer rating.

Leinart, the second-year pro, has a 63.8 passer mark and struggled in the no-huddle package in an opening-night loss at San Francisco — which is what prompted Whisenhunt to consider using Warner while preparing for the Ravens.

"There was so much Matt had to worry about," Whisenhunt says. "To burden him with the no-huddle would be overload."

Still, Leinart is not happy about platooning. During dinner with my man Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports on Sunday night after Arizona's win against Pittsburgh, Leinart expressed himself.

"I just want them to ride or die with me," Leinart told Silver. "If I'm the franchise quarterback, play me and let me stumble, because I'll fight through it, and that will help me and our team in the long run. I know coaches want to win now, and I guess they have their reasons. But I don't understand it, and this switching back and forth is almost worse than getting benched."

A guy goes to dinner and — presto! — a quarterback controversy is ignited.

On the other end of the cellphone, Whisenhunt chuckles at this.

"I know it's a bit different," he says of the quarterback rotation. "We're not trying to mess with the quarterback's head. It's definitely a delicate balance. I understand where Matt's coming from. You want your quarterback to say those things. I'd be more concerned if our quarterback was accepting of the fact. It's not a negative."

Matchup game: His name is Donald Penn, and he entered the NFL last season as an undrafted free agent from Utah State. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Penn off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad a year ago Thursday but didn't activate him for a single game during his rookie year.

But boy do they need Penn to come up big now. Luke Petitgout is gone for the season with a shredded knee ligament. So on Sunday at the raucous RCA Dome, Penn will make his first NFL start at left tackle for the Bucs — charged to protect Jeff Garcia's backside.

And that means lining up against the Indianapolis Colts' premier speed rusher and franchise sack leader, Dwight Freeney.

Talk about your tough assignments. Eagles second-year tackle Winston Justice, a second-round pick, had a similar task filling in for an injured Tra Thomas last week and bombed. He gave up six sacks to the Giants' Osi Umenyiora.

Now Penn is being thrown into a similar fire.

"He's not going into a fire this week," says Bucs coach Jon Gruden. "He's going into a blazing inferno. Let's be honest. Freeney. My gosh. That's how I'd like to rush the passer."

This week's big rivalry: It's the Battle of the Big Apple, Giants vs. Jets.

The New York teams share their home stadium in the Meadowlands, but the Jets have always been the other team. The renters. It's called Giants Stadium. And that's where the Giants are headquartered. That's where the Giants practice, while the Jets work during the week at Hofstra University on Long Island.

Officially, the Jets are the visiting team on Sunday.

That means the green wall-coverings will stay in storage while the Jets can get a glimpse of the true blue walls that surround the field when they're not there. The Jets will have to operate on the other sideline than they're used to at the place.

But at least there's no airplane to catch.

"It is what it is," says Jets safety Kerry Rhodes. "It's a road game for us at 'Jets Stadium.' "

The teams play each year in preseason, too, so this won't exactly be a new experience. But they haven't met in the regular season since 2003, when the Jets were the designated home team and the Giants won, 31-28, in overtime.

This would really be special if they met in the Super Bowl. But there's a strong suspicion that surely won't occur at the end of this season.

If the 2008 NFL draft were today: A number of teams at the top of the draft would be clamoring over LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, the best player on the nation's No. 1-ranked defense. Dorsey (6-2, 300) considered entering this year, but opted to return and chase a national championship that is surely in sight. In a USA TODAY cover story by Kelly Whiteside in Friday's editions, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville says Dorsey's power and explosion make him an even better prospect than the stud he once coached at Miami — Warren Sapp.

Added Tuberville, "I wish he would have gone to the NFL last year."

Bet that Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, whose battered, 30th-ranked defense allowed fill-in Patriots starter Sammy Morris to rush for 117 yards on Monday night, would love to get his hands on Dorsey. But at this point, the winless teams — including Dorsey's home-state New Orleans Saints — definitely have the inside track at the likely top-5 pick.

Say what? "Retirement did not cross my mind. It was more to get out of the house. My wife kind of pushed me out of the house." — Keenan McCardell, the 16th-year veteran receiver who opted to sign with the Washington Redskins this week after being dumped by San Diego after last season and cut by Houston in preseason.

Two-minute drill: After allowing six sacks in their opener against Pittsburgh, the Browns have given up just one in the past three games since Derek Anderson became the starting quarterback. That includes zero last weekend against the Ravens. "It is a huge step," says rookie left tackle Joe Thomas. "We think we are coming together pretty well as an O-line. Derek is really understanding the game plans and knowing the reads and he is getting rid of the ball when he needs to."… The Lions, on the other hand, have allowed an NFL-high 22 sacks. That is partially a reflection of a wide-open offense that prefers extensive use of four-receiver formations rather than max-protect schemes. But it also speaks to the struggles of right tackle George Foster in his adjustment coming over from Denver, where he would typically fire into his blocking mode by relying on the rhythm and cadence of the snap count. "He's anticipating the snap count, and that's a hard habit to break," says Lions O-coordinator Mike Martz. "But he does need to break that."…After rushing for just 65 yards through the first two games, Miami running back Ronnie Brown has produced back-to-back 100s and, with his receiving tacked on, has topped 200 yards from scrimmage in successive weeks. He heads to Houston with a chance to become only the second player in NFL history after the late, great Walter Payton to top 200 scrimmage yards in three consecutive games. One notable twist: When Payton achieved his feat in 1977, the Bears won all three games. Brown's Dolphins, though, are one of the league's three winless teams… The Seahawks can avenge their Super Bowl XL loss only so much by winning in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Mike Holmgren's team has 10 starters and 28 players on the 53-man roster who were not on the team that lost Super Bowl XL.

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