---Bad situational coaching eats me alive. Rex Ryan is the culprit this week. When his Jets cut the Miami Dolphins' lead to 17-12 Sunday, he decided to go for two with 3:26 in the third quarter. Only a 5-yard penalty changed his mind. He kicked to make it 17-13. So when he scores again to make it 24-19 with 1:35 left in the third, he goes for two again. Kick the point. The Jets missed, and he was chasing again. Miami scored to make it 30-19 and Tony Sparano did the dumb thing going for two. Kick to make it a 12-point game. His team missed as well. Are these guys dumb? Later, the Jets scored to make it 30-25. Ryan had to go for two then and missed. So what happens? The Jets got the ball back late, down five.
---When I talked to Matt Schaub last week, I asked him about Andre Johnson. He praised Johnson, but he quickly brought up tight end Owens Daniels. He said having him in the middle of the field helps open up the outside passing game. Not anymore. Daniels is out for the year with a torn ACL in his right knee, which means the Texans have a big void in their offense. Joel Dreessen will replace Daniels, and watch out for rookie James Casey when he gets back from torn meniscus surgery in late November. When you lose a Pro Bowl tight end of that caliber it's tough to replace. Look for the Texans, who lead the NFL in passing yards, to get back to running the ball a little more. The surprise is that Steve Slaton isn't the player doing it. Ryan Moats had a big game last week and will continue to take away carries from Slaton, whose fumbling has been an issue.
---I ripped Brett Favre last week when he had the late-game meltdown against the Steelers, so I have to praise him for the way he played against Green Bay. He threw four touchdown passes and looked comfortable the entire day. He's the best screen-pass quarterback ever. I do mean that as a compliment. By the way, Favre is saying he played with an injured groin. What? How many maladies does this guy have? He was listed as limited with a hip injury. Is a groin the same as a hip? Liars.
---If you're looking for a Defensive Rookie of the Year, Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd has to be it. He has seven interceptions, two Sunday against the Texans. Byrd, the son for former NFL corner Gill Byrd, was a corner in college who has made a nice transition to free safety. That will happen more and more as the NFL becomes more of a passing league.
----Heard in the Ravens press box Sunday: Former Colts player Bruce Laird saying Joey Porter of the Dolphins would have got it during pre-game warm-ups during Laird's playing days. Hate to tell you, Bruce, but the players are bigger, strong, faster, tougher and better than when you played. Don't romanticize about the old days.
---You have to give to Ted Ginn Jr. He gets demoted as a receiver, taking all kinds of heat in South Florida, and he responds with two kickoff returns for touchdowns of 100 and 101 yards. Take that, he said. He might not be worth the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, but he has talent. And he is open when he does play receiver. He just needs to work on those hands.
---If reports are true that Bucs corner Aqib Talib cursed out coach Raheem Morris when he came in late during the team's trip to London, it doesn't bode well for Morris. There were some who thought Morris was too close to his players when he was named coach, something he had to move away from, and this could be a sign of that. Is Morris in trouble? If the Bucs don't win he could be.
--I've been saying for a while that San Diego receiver Chris Chambers doesn't scare down the field and he was hurting the Chargers offense. San Diego coaches must have agreed. They demoted him Sunday and put Malclm Floyd into the starting lineup. Floyd responded with two catches for 64 yards, a 32-yard average. He has better speed, which should help the San Diego passing game. Then the Chargers cut Chambers. If you can scare down the field, you won't play.
---Nice to see Shawne Merriman still has a pulse. He whipped the Raiders tackles all day Sunday, getting his first two sacks of the season and spent the day in the Oakland backfield. Maybe that groin is getting healed up.
---Maurice Jones-Drew had touchdowns runs of 80 yards and 79 yards against the Titans, becoming the only third player in NFL history with two rushing touchdowns of 75-plus yards. Funny thing is, one of the others came this season when Frank Gore did in on September 20 for the 49ers. The other player was Barry Sanders in 1997.
---So Eric Mangini is safe for now? So says Browns owner Randy Lerner. But what if they don't win again? He's gone. Has to be. Why did he hire him in the first place?
