Why do bad things happen to good people?

That was my reaction Monday night when I saw New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister come down awkwardly while attempting to catch a high pass. McAllister suffered a torn ACL in his left knee -- you could tell he knew it right away -- the same injury he had to overcome two years ago on his right knee.

McAllister is one of the class acts of the NFL. He's a pro's pro. When the Saints were displaced to San Antonio because of Hurricane Katrina, McAllister was very involved in the Saints making sure they still had a presence in New Orleans, visiting the city many times to help the recovery.

Coming back from one ACL is tough enough. But two for a running back can be brutal. McAllister will come back -- he's that kind of guy -- and play. But down the road his future will be as a general manager.

He can evaluate players as well as any GM in the league. I love talking to him because he's one of the few players who love the game like a fan. He can evaluate his opponents and other players around the league, which I love.

Those guys are few and far between anymore.

It's sad to see McAllister go through a second major knee surgery. But he'll be back. The league needs him back. There aren't enough guys like him anymore, players who love the game like a fan.

Desert vengeance

You can bet this will be a special week for Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt and his offensive line coach Russ Grimm.

They were both on the Pittsburgh Steelers staff last year, but when Bill Cowher left, neither got the top job. Whisenhunt left to take the Cardinals job in part because he didn't want to wait to find out if he would replace Cowher. Grimm thought he had the job, but was told at the 11th hour that Mike Tomlin would be the choice instead.

Tomlin has done a nice job with the 3-0 Steelers, so it's hard to argue with the results.

But both Whisenhunt and Grimm would have been good choices, too.

Now they have their chance to make the Steelers pay, especially Grimm. If his line can handle the Steelers' front seven, the Cardinals will have a chance. He's one of the best in football, and you know he know the key to blocking that front seven.

Quick hits

• The Saints don't have a sack this year. How can a team with Will Smith and Charles Grant not have any sacks? Here's how: They've been playing from behind. All of last season, the Saints played with the lead, which allowed Smith and Grant to just attack the passer in obvious passing situations. That's not happening now. The Saints' offensive woes have impacted the way they play defense. It's tough to be a pass rusher when the other team has the lead.

• If Rams quarterback Marc Bulger had two broken ribs heading into the Tampa Bay game, as Rams coach Scott Linehan is now saying, and it forced them to mostly run it, then he shouldn't have been on the field. If a quarterback can't make throws down the field, he needs to sit. Gus Frerotte should have been the starter. That's a big mistake by the Rams.

• Alan Herman, agent for Jaguars receiver Matt Jones, ripped into coach Jack Del Rio in the Florida Times-Union for calling out Jones last week. Jones, who has done little, was designated the team's third quarterback against the Broncos, which means he was inactive. So a coach can't question a player now? It's time for Jones to show that he can be a contributor. He's been a major disappointment, and what's even worse is that he has talent and it's not being used. Coaches hate that. Herman pretty much said he would want Jones traded if he wasn't going to be used. That won't happen. What Jones needs to do is work to get better and play. Reggie Williams did that after being inactive the first week and he's had back-to-back games with touchdown catches.

• Eagles defensive end Trent Cole leads the league with five sacks. He plays with a relentless style and he's a force off the edge. He had three sacks last week against the Lions. While Cole is flourishing, Jevon Kearse is not. He doesn't have a sack in three games. Is he done? Give it another three weeks before making that determination.

• I did a blog item on bad-situational coaching on Monday. I forgot to mention Bengals coach Marvin Lewis going for two when his team went ahead 21-17 late. What was the point of that?

Just three weeks into the regular season and my pet peeve is already showing up in a big way.

Situational coaching stinks.

In the past two weeks, I've seen bad spikes, poor clock management and dumb coaches -- you know who you are -- going for it on fourth down deep in your own territory. It has to stop, I say.

In the St. Louis Rams loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2, the Rams had the ball late in the game with a first down at the 49ers 45 with 1:15 left as they scrambled to get a potential game-winning field goal.

So on first down, the Rams spiked the ball. Bad move. They had plenty of time and the wasted down became costly when Marc Bulger was sacked on the next play and a 14-yard pass to Isaac Bruce didn't get a first down. That forced a 56-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins that was short. Game over.

The snap for the Wilkins kick came with 1:04 left in the game. So the down was more important than the clock. At least Rams coach Scott Linehan admitted he made a mistake after the game.

We saw more of the coaching mess-ups this week.

The Jaguars actually spiked the ball on a third-down play from the Denver 1 at the end of the half of their game against the Broncos, even though they had a time out. That forced a field-goal try instead of a touchdown.

They took the timeout home with them.

The Redskins totally botched their end-of-the-game series in their loss to the New York Giants. Trailing by seven, Jason Campbell hit Antwaan Randle El for 20 yards to put the ball on the Giants with a minute left. The Redskins raced to the line to spike the ball, rather than getting to the line and running a play -- which they should have had in their plan.

On third down, they threw an incomplete pass and then were stuffed on two runs to end the game. They had time for another play.

The down was more important than the time. That brings us to Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. With 4:19 left in the game, trailing 20-14 and facing a fourth-and-5 from his own 9, he opted to go for the first down, which he didn't make.

The Broncos didn't have any timeouts, but they should have punted. If they force the Jaguars to punt, they get the ball back with two minutes left.

Instead, Shanahan opted to put his team's chances on one play. Don't ever put it on one play. Give your team a chance.

The genius blew it.

But he is not alone in these situational blunders. The NFL is full of them.

Quick hits

• The Cowboys offensive line is enormous, but more than that it is good. They're physical and they wear teams down. They did struggle some with the Bears blitz, but in the fourth quarter those big bodies were wearing down the Chicago defense. I love that group.

• It's hard to believe the Rams are struggling like they are on offense. Marc Bulger is way too jumpy in the pocket. A lot of that has to do with the bad offensive line play. With Orlando Pace and guard Richie Incognito out with injuries, the line is playing poorly. They also lost guard Mark Setterstrom against Tampa Bay and center Brett Romberg isn't to be confused for a Pro Bowl talent. With poor protection, the routes aren't getting the time they need down the field to develop. A lot of people will say Bulger got the fat contract this off-season and therefore he's content. Don't believe that. Nobody could succeed behind that line.

• Keep an eye on the DeAngelo Hall-Bob Petrino situation in Atlanta. The incident from Sunday's game isn't the first between the two. Petrino doesn't like Hall at all and grew tired of his antics shortly after taking over as the coach. Petrino is a no-nonsense guy who doesn't take kindly to the hot-dogging ways of Hall. On Sunday, Hall lost control on the field leading to the Panthers' tying touchdown. There is a chance Petrino could suspend Hall. Under the previous regime, Hall got away with all kinds of things. He constantly parked in a handicap space, even though he was told to stop. Nobody did a thing for a long, long time. Hall's a good player, but he has to remember nobody is bigger than the coach.

• The Cowboys came up with a secret to containing Devin Hester. It's called tackling. They swarmed Hester on both punts and kickoffs Sunday night. Return men are fun, but whatever they get is gravy. You can't rely on them to get you to a Super Bowl every year.

• Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen may have some off-the-field issues, which is why he missed the team's first three games while serving a league-imposed suspension, but he's a heck of a player. He had two sacks against the Vikings in the second half of the Chiefs' victory Sunday. Allen can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. If he didn't have the issues, he'd be a lock to get a mega-deal from either the Chiefs or somebody else. As it is, he's a risk somebody might think worth taking.

Memo to NFL general managers: Don't waste draft picks on punters.

The reason I bring that up now is because the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers both used fourth-round picks on punters in the April draft.

Those two punters are near the bottom of the league rankings after two weeks. Adam Podlesh, a fourth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, is averaging 38.3 per punt to place him 24th in the league. Daniel Sepulveda is averaging 37.7 yards per punt for the Steelers, placing him 28th, but he has five of his seven punts downed inside the 20, which isn't bad.

But when you see the league-leader Matt McBrier, who came to the Dallas Cowboys as a non-drafted fee agent, is averaging 47 yards per punt and downing four inside the 20 those numbers pale.

So why draft punters high? You can find them without wasting draft picks on them.

• The news of the Tennessee Titans giving coach Jeff Fisher a contract extension this week probably shouldn't come as a real surprise. Fisher is the longest-tenured coach in the NFL and he is generally considered one of the best in the business.

But as one coach pointed out to me this week: Does his record justify a new long-term deal?

An easy yes, you say? Well, in his 13 full seasons, Fisher has four winning seasons. That's not all that great. He has taken a team to the Super Bowl, and he's been one of those coaches who's always getting more out of less, but now he's making $5.5 to $6 million a year.

That's a lot of money for four winning seasons in 13. That's not to say that I don't think Fisher's a good coach. I do. I respect him greatly. But it is interesting to look at a record closely before jumping to conclusions as to how much a coach is really worth.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin has five winning seasons in 12. Yet the perception is that Fisher is a much better coach than Coughlin.

Is that right?

Quick hits

• The Steven Jackson sideline blowup came to a public light this week when it was reported and then Jackson apologized. But word is he wasn't alone in his anger among the Rams offensive players. Quarterback Marc Bulger also screamed at the sidelines at times. Receiver Torry Holt also was said to be displeased with the number of passes thrown his way. Those Rams players need to shut up and play. It's time they started to score some points. The problem, though, isn't any of them. It's the offensive line. It's just not good enough right now.

• The 49ers will really miss outside linebacker Manny Lawson, who tore up his knee in practice and is lost for the season. I saw the 49ers last week and he looked as if he was just about to start emerging as a big-time edge rusher. That's a big hit to the 49ers defense, especially heading to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers.

• Here's an early secret to the success of the Houston Texans: The offensive line isn't giving up sacks. Opposing defenses have just two sacks against the Texans. That's after the team gave up 111 in the past two seasons. A rising star on the offensive line is right tackle Eric Winston. When he came into the league out of Miami, he was a little light but has added bulk to make him a more-effective player. He has a chance to earn a spot as a Pro Bowl player at a weak position in the AFC.

• The Bill Belichick love-fest made me sick last Sunday night. That was clearly a show for the television sets. The players don't love him like that made it look. I know. I've talked to some of those players. That was all for show.

• After watching the tape of the Bucs-Saints game, I was really impressed with the Tampa Bay defense. The front seven was super fast. One guy that caught my eye was defensive end Greg White. He had a sack and two hurries and seemed to explode off the football. Hard to believe, but this is a guy who came out of the Arena League after spending time on four NFL practice squads.

The signing of Byron Leftwich by the Atlanta Falcons is a good move for both. The Falcons need a quarterback and Leftwich is perfect for Bob Petrino's offense, which is tailored to the deep ball.

Leftwich signed a two-year deal, which is essentially a one-year deal with an option. That means if he shows enough this season, he'll be back in 2008.

Here's betting he does.

Leftwich will dive into learning the new offense and should be ready to go in a week or two. If Joey Harrington struggles this week against Carolina, Leftwich could be in sooner rather than later.

The interesting things about the signing are the timing and who did it. The timing because the Falcons could have brought Leftwich in last week and picked his brain on the Jaguars offense since the two teams played Sunday, but waited until this week to sign him. That could be because Leftwich, who is still loyal to his former teammates, might have told them to wait.

"No way Byron does that," said one former teammate. "He wouldn't have helped them."

The other interesting thing about the signing is that Bill Musgrave is the Falcons quarterbacks coach. He was the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville in Leftwich's first two years in the league, and the two men didn't get along.

That should tell you something about how desperate the Falcons are for help in their passing game.

Leftwich is one of the league's good guys. Here's hoping he does well.

One other thing about the signing: You know Leftwich won't be wearing jersey No. 7. Why? That number went to the dogs (Mike Vick).

No sleeping Ryan

If you're looking for a potential rookie sleeper, take a look at St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Clifton Ryan. He was a fifth-round pick who has played well so far in two games.

Ryan had eight tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble against the 49ers last week. His big play came when he whipped Justin Smiley, bull-rushing him into the backfield, and then stripped Alex Smith of the football and recovered it. Ryan doesn't get the attention fellow rookie Adam Carriker gets, but he looks like a player and should be starting next to him in a month or so.

The great story about Ryan is that he is the player who almost got into it with Chiefs coach Tim Krumrie during a pre-draft workout.

Krumrie, a feisty coach and former player, loves to slap around potential draftees during their Pro Day workouts. His antics anger most players, much to the dismay of other coaches as the workout. "He thinks he's a tough guy," one coach said. It was during a combine visit with Krumrie that Ryan knocked the coach down as he tried to push him around.

"I knocked him to the wall," Ryan said. That's a good sign, a kid who won't back down.

And now he's showing signs of being a real player.

Quick hits

•  It's hard not to watch 49ers middle linebacker Patrick Willis. The rookie can play. He was all over the field against the Rams Sunday. He gets to the football in the run game, but he also can play the pass. On one pass play, he was at his normal spot in the middle of the defense and at the snap turned and ran to the deep middle. Rams quarterback Marc Bulger didn't see him, and he thought he had a touchdown pass as he threw to the end zone. Instead, Willis almost had an interception 25 yards down the field. He has all the tools to be the next great middle linebacker.

•  The Cardinals are thrilled with the way the left side of their offensive line is playing. Left tackle Mike Gandy and left guard Reggie Wells are off to strong starts. With young, improving players on the other side, the Cardinals needed to get a good start from the veteran left side, and they have.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Patriots coach Bill Belichick $500,000, the maximum fine possible by league rules, for violating league policy last Sunday on the use of equipment to videotape an opposing team's offensive or defensive signals.

Big deal. Belichick reportedly spent more than that on a condo for a New York woman who's involved in a divorce in which Belichick was named as the other man.

Belichick should have been suspended.

In addition to his fine, the team was fined $250,000 and will lose a first-round pick next spring if they make the playoffs. If they don't, they will lose second- and third-round picks.

That will sting, but the disappointment with the ruling is that Belichick isn't facing a four-game suspension.

This is the integrity of the game we're talking about. Goodell should have come down harder on the coach.

Maybe his relationship with Patriots owner Bob Kraft impacted the decision since Kraft is in the group of owners who pushed for Goodell as commissioner. Kraft is tight with the commissioner and suspending New England's coach certainly can't be what the owner wants.

Goodell has done a lot of good things so far in his tenure, but this warranted a suspension of Belichick, not just a fine -- even a hefty one.

Roger gets this right

That was a class act by Goodell to visit with Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett in the hospital Thursday.

Everett's condition seems to be improving, and there is speculation that he could walk after his spinal cord surgery.

Goodell seems to do the right thing almost all the time. He certainly has a feel for the position. He knows when to push and discipline, but he also knows when it's time for a caring hand.

Why were there ever any doubts about him as commissioner?

So far, he's acing his exam -- aside from the lack of a suspension for Belichick.

Quick hits

• How can Belichick preach character to his team after the latest incident? He has been the other man in a publicized divorce case, treated people -- such as the photographer he pushed last year -- like crap, and now this. I can tell you that some Patriots players think he's a hypocrite with all the character talk. "He isn't a good person," one Patriots player said.

• Was it just me or did Steve McNair look like he might not have it anymore against the Bengals? If he plays like that -- and I know he was injured -- the Ravens have no chance to get to the Super Bowl. And why in the world did Brian Billick call for passes on the goal line at the end of that game with a backup quarterback in the lineup?

• Santonio Holmes is on his way to being a star. The Steelers receiver will be the team's go-to guy by December. Hines Ward is a nice player, but he doesn't run like Holmes. His speed will actually help open things up for Ward. Holmes, who caught a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the opener, might be a potential Pro Bowler this season.

• The decision by the Tennessee Titans to release starting safety Lamont Thompson, who was picked up by Miami this week, to play Calvin Lowry was the right one. Lowry looked really active against the Jaguars last week. He has far more range than Thompson provided.

• It will be interesting to keep a close eye on how well Kellen Clemens plays at quarterback for the Jets on Sunday. He'll start because of an ankle injury to Chad Pennington. If he plays well, there will be major outcry from Jets fan for him to start the rest of the season. That situation could get ugly.

We always hear people complain about the money NFL players make. Now we have another exhibit as to why it's not enough.

Kevin Everett is in the ICU section of a Buffalo-area hospital after spinal surgery and the early word is that he will be paralyzed.

Wow. That is tough to hear.

Every NFL player takes the field each week knowing that could be then. One hit, and it could all be over.

No more picking up the kids to play. No more using a fork to eat. No more putting on your own shoes.

So as you pray for Everett to get up and walk again, think about all the times you thought to yourself how overpaid NFL players were.

They're greedy, you say. They're getting paid to play a game, you say.

It's true nobody forces them to play. And they do make a lot of money.

But think about what Everett and his family are going through now. Do you still think NFL players are overpaid?

Jacksonville's defensive line

Defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson are clearly being bothered by injuries. Stroud isn't back all the way from microfracture surgery on his right ankle and Henderson has a sore neck and shoulder.

Defensive end Reggie Hayward is trying to bounce back from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered last year and fellow end Paul Spicer has been bothered by back troubles.

That all seemed to show up in a big way against the Titans on Sunday when the Titans ran for a franchise-record 282 yards. It was the most rushing yards given up by the Jaguars in their history.

If those four players don't get healthy in a hurry, it could be a long season for the Jaguars defense.

Offensive line hits

The loss of Washington Redskins offensive tackle Jon Jansen for the season with a broken ankle is a damaging blow for the Washington offense. Jansen is a quality player who doesn't often need help. Now that rookie Stephen Hayer will be in the lineup, it will mean the Redskins will need to chip more or keep a tight end in to help him in pass protection. That will limit what the Redskins can do in terms of offense. Not only that, but Jansen was a good run blocker.

In St. Louis, the Rams lost Orlando Pace for the year with a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder. There is some talk it could be career-ending.

Pace has been a dominant tackle for a long time and he had even dropped his weight down 25 pounds to help make him better this season. Now the Rams will likely move Alex Barron from right tackle to the left side. Adam Goldberg could be the right tackle.

Quick hits

• Let's see. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are bad dudes. Stay away, teams thought. You know how I felt about all that. I'd deal with them and reap the rewards. That's what the Patriots are doing with Moss and what the Cowboys are doing with Owens. They both had big opening games. One more thing about Moss: Does former Raiders coordinator Tom Walsh still want to tell stories about how he's slowed down?

• The name of Yeremiah Bell might not be a household name to most, but his loss will really hurt the Miami Dolphins defense. Bell was a rising star at free safety and he now will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles tendon. His range made him a real asset in the back of the Dolphins secondary.

• I agree with Clark Judge. The Cowboys should get to Tony Romo soon with a contract extension. I think he's going to put up huge numbers for the Cowboys. By the way, Jason Witten is a rising star at tight end catching those passes from Romo.

• The loss of nose tackle Jason Ferguson for the year is a big hit for the Cowboys. Jay Ratliff will take over as the nose tackle. Ratliff is a player that coach Wade Phillips raved about to me before the season. Now we'll find out about him.

T-i-k-I (correct spelling because all he cares about is himself) Barber needs to shut up.

He can't stop taking shots at his former coach, Tom Coughlin. The latest barbs come courtesy of his book that is scheduled for release soon.

In the book, Barber reportedly says he retired because of Coughlin. It wasn't the desire to have a quality post-football life, which is what he said last year when he announced his retirement, but rather Coughlin's rigid ways that made him leave the game with several good years left.

The reality is Barber should be kissing Coughlin's rear end.

Without Coughlin, Barber would be remembered more as a third-down back rather than a player with Hall of Fame credentials.

In three seasons playing for Coughlin (2004-06), Barber averaged 1,680 yards. In the seven seasons before Coughlin took over, Barber averaged 772.7. Rip Coughlin?

He owes him.

When I ripped Barber at the NFL scouting combine in a column, Coughlin sought me out the next day.

"Come here," he said waving me over. "I heard what you wrote. Thank you."

See, as much as Barber disliked Coughlin, it went the other way as well. Coughlin thought Barber to be a selfish, me-first player who undermined what he was trying to do as coach.

Coughlin can be a pain in the butt to players and media alike. But selfish players drive him nuts.

But before Barber goes ripping Coughlin again, he might want to thank him instead. Without Coughlin, Barber was little more than a third-down back with one or two good seasons on his ré·su·mé.

Take that, T-i-k-I.

• A couple of days after the Byron Leftwich release in Jacksonville, the move is still puzzling.

But after talking to some team sources, a big reason the move was made was because of the offensive line.

The coaches are concerned about those five guys.

With Leftwich, a so-so line would expose his inability to move. New starter David Garrard is much more mobile, so that might help cover up the line deficiencies.

The two trouble spots are offensive tackle. The Jaguars gave Tony Pashos a five-year deal with a $10 milion signing bonus as a free agent from Baltimore. He struggled so badly in the preseason that coach Jack Del Rio made him start the preseason finale, even though the other four linemen were inactive.

Pashos is starting to remind some of Brian DeMarco, a second-round pick in 1995 who ended up being a bust. The team signed Pashos, even though Mo Williams was returning at right tackle.

Left tackle Khalif Barnes has plenty of ability, but he needs to be more focused on the task at hand.

If those two struggle early, look for Williams at left tackle and Richard Collier at right tackle to get into the lineup.

It doesn't help that center Brad Meester is out for a month with a broken ankle.

Quick hits

• The Cardinals' release of third-round pick Buster Davis, a linebacker out of Florida State, is a sign that new coach Ken Whisenhunt and general manager Rod Graves aren't afraid to admit mistakes. But is it really? At least one league scout insists that the team should have given Davis more of a chance. "They need to give him time," said the scout. "Look at his college games. He made a ton of tackles. Sure, he's little. But he makes plays." The Cardinals opted to keep veteran Monty Beisel for special-teams play.

• Speaking of the Cardinals, if I was a coach who preferred cover-two schemes, I'd make a move to trade for corner Antrel Rolle. The Cardinals have benched him in favor of Rod Hood in part because Rolle lacks the quick-twitch hips you want in a corner. But in a cover-two scheme, where tackling and zone coverage are at premium, he would fit perfectly. He's the nickel corner for the Cardinals.

• I like the move by the Titans to release starting free safety Lamont Thompson and replace him with Calvin Lowry. While Thompson has started the past three years, Lowry gives defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz a lot more range in the secondary. Lowry is a second-year player from Penn State. The move also saved the Titans about $1.3 million under the cap.

• If Baltimore Ravens veteran Jonathan Ogden can't start Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, it will likely mean Adam Terry moves from the right side to left tackle and rookie Marshall Yanda will start at right tackle. It had been thought that rookie Jared Gaither would start in place of Odgen, especially after showing well this summer, but it appears the team wants a veteran protecting Steve McNair's backside. Gaither, who came to the Ravens in the supplemental draft this summer, has a chance to be a special player. He is a massive man who can physically engulf the opposition. Once he learns all the little tricks of the trade, he will be a dominant player. In Yanda and Gaither, the Ravens may have two bookend tackles for their future.

• I like the decision by the New Orleans Saints to keep undrafted rookie running back Pierre Thomas instead of fourth-round pick Antonio Pittman when they made their final cuts. It was clear that Thomas outplayed Pittman during the preseason. Draft status didn't matter, which is the way it should be anyway. Pittman was claimed by the St. Louis Rams.

• One of the interesting things about the Bears-Chargers game this week is that former Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, who was let go by coach Lovie Smith, is now coaching the linebackers for the Chargers. Rivera has always been a 4-3 coach, but he's adjusting to life working in the 3-4 defense. The decision by Smith to replace Rivera with Bob Babich was a questionable one. Rivera is a bright defensive mind, but the word is Smith wanted "his" guy in as defensive coordinator, and that's Babich. The Chargers should be happy it worked out that way. They ended up with a heck of a coach, a guy who will be a defensive coordinator again.