Pete_Prisco

Larry Johnson was once considered a bust.

Then he was a star -- or a perceived one.

Now he's a disaster.

The Kansas City Chiefs released Johnson Monday, the day he was set to come off suspension for his use of a slur to reporters and also his questioning his head coach on Twitter.

Once he clears waivers, which he will, Johnson is free to sign with anyone.

You can bet someone will take a chance on this headache.

Why?

The perception is he can still run. I wonder if he was ever as good as his numbers. The Chiefs had arguably the best offensive line in football when Johnson was putting up amazing numbers in 2005 and 2006. In each season, he rushed for over 1,750 yards.

But that's it.

In his other four-plus seasons, counting this season's seven games, he has a total of 2,457 yards. That's not very good.

There are those who will say he's been stymied playing behind some bad offensive lines the past couple of seasons, and that's true. But he also was a beneficiary of good ones.

So who is the real Larry Johnson?

Is he a feature back anymore? Was he ever, aside from two years?

Johnson turns 30 next week, the age when back usually start to slow down. Then there's the baggage. Is this a guy you want in your locker room?

Remember when Dick Vermeil said he needed to outgrow the diapers, which led to questions about him in his early years. He was once available for a ham sandwich in trade talks, that's how bad the Chiefs wanted to dump him, and there were no takers.

Now it won't even cost that. He's there for anyone who wants him.

Does anybody?

Is this a case of bust to star to bust in seven seasons?

It just might be, or the reality is he was never as good as his numbers.

I lean toward the latter, but his name will get him signed. And some team and its fans will rejoice until he starts pulling his Larry Johnson act again.

This guy isn't worth a ham sandwich -- let alone a contract.

When New England running back Fred Taylor was with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he told me that Bob Sanders was the heart of the Indianapolis Colts defense, not the great pass rushers up front.

The Colts, then, are in need of a heart transplant.

Sanders was ruled out for the season Friday when it was revealed he would need surgery to repair a torn biceps tendon.

That's even tougher to take when you couple it with the loss of Marlin Jackson, the team's nickel corner, who suffered a torn ACL in practice Wednesday. The Colts will also be without starting corner Kelvin Hayden for another month because of injury.

But it's Sanders they will miss. When he's on the field, he's as good as any safety in the league. The problem is he's hurt way too much.

Maybe because he's missed so much time, the Colts will be OK without him. They have played well without him in the past.

And, oh by the way, as long as No. 18 is on the field, they'll be fine.

If the Colts beat the Houston Texans Sunday, the division race is over. Then it becomes about seeding and getting home playoff games.

It's in the playoffs that a loss of Sanders could show up. But even then, the Colts always seem to have capable bodies to fill in.

That's Bill Polian's style.

That guy named Manning helps cover all those deficiencies pretty well, too.

Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable has lasted through an alleged fight with an assistant coach, some serious allegations about spousal abuse, but he could be in big trouble in the next couple of weeks.

The National Organization for Women has publicly stated that it wants Cable fired for his alleged acts of violence toward women.

"Tom Cable's history of violence against women raises a question:  why is he still the head coach of an NFL team?"  Terry O'Neill, the President of NOW, told USA Today.  "Mr. Cable admits having battered his first wife, and he stands accused of battering two other intimate partners as well.  As a survivor of domestic violence, I know that women do not make such accusations lightly.  Indeed, women have much more to lose than to gain by coming forward to tell their stories. The Oakland Raiders, properly, say they are undergoing a 'serious evaluation' of these recent allegations.  At the very least he should be suspended during this process. . . .  A man who has admitted battering his wife has no business being a role model for all of us who would like to be able to look up to the head coach of an NFL football team."

This is the kind of thing that could lead to Cable being let go. But you have to remember Al Davis doesn't get told what to do.

But, he does like money.

If this hits him in the wallet somehow, say goodbye to Tom Cable.

---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?

---The Cowboys giving outside rusher DeMarcus Ware a six-year contract extension for $80 million shouldn't come as a surprise. He's the NFL's best defensive pass rusher when he's healthy. He hasn't been as dominant this season, although he did get two sacks against Atlanta Sunday to give him four for the season. Ware has been playing with a foot injury and it clearly has affected his explosiveness. Giving him $40 million in guarantees is well worth it. I'd much rather pay an edge rusher like Ware than an inside player like Albert Haynesworth.

---You hate to see any player suffer a season-ending injury. But it's even worse when it's a classy player like Jets running back Leon Washington. He suffered a broken fibula against the Raiders, which likely puts him out for the season. The sting there is that Washington is in the final year of his contract and has been negotiating for a while with the team. He even missed part of off-season workouts because he was not happy with the talks. It will be interesting to see how the Jets handle the talks now that he's coming back from a severe injury.

---The Cleveland Browns are horrible on offense. But the coaching doesn't help. Early in their blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers Sunday, quarterback Derek Anderson hit Mohamad Massaquoi for 22 yards to the Cleveland 49. A facemask penalty gave tacked on 15 and gave the Browns a first down at the Green Bay 21. So what doe the Browns do? They bring in Josh Cribbs to run the Wildcat. He gains one yard and takes the Browns out of a rhythm. They did end up getting inside the 10, but they settled for a field goal. Stop messing with any offensive groove. Let the quarterback play. Is it any wonder why the Browns stink on offense?

---There were three return touchdowns of at least 75 yards in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh’s 27-17 win over Minnesota. When that happened, I turned and told Alex Marvez from Foxsports.com that had to be some sort of record. It was. It marked the first time in NFL history that a game featured three return touchdowns of at least 75 yards in the fourth quarter.

---The Steelers need to get the ball to receiver Santonio Holmes more in the passing game. They used him on reverses a couple of times against the Vikings, but he needs to get the ball more in the passing game.

---Take a look at how far back Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson is off the line of scrimmage when he lines up. It gives him a huge edge getting out for his pulls. I mentioned it to Hutchinson after the Steelers game and he said that's not the case. Steve, it is. But you get away with it because you're as good as you are.

---Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford announced Sunday that he will have surgery on his injured shoulder and then declare for the draft next April. It's the right thing to do. But let Bradford be a lesson to all who think they should go back to school when they have a chance to be a high draft pick. Go when it's time to go. You can always go back and get that degree. It looks like Bradford has fallen behind Washington's Jake Locker on some draft boards to be the first quarterback taken.

---I still don't believe Vinny Cerrato. Until I hear it out of Dan Snyder's mouth, I don't believe Jim Zorn is safe. Cerrato hopes it stays that way. It's better for him.

----The stat sheet from the Dolphins-Saints game will read that Darren Sharper returned a Chad Henne interception for a touchdown. But the reality is the interception goes to Ted Ginn Jr. He dropped the pass that fell into the hands of Sharper. He has to make that catch. Henne stood in the face of a blitz and fired a rocket into Ginn Jr's hands, but it ended up as a Saints touchdown. It wasn't Henne's fault.

---One of the worst calls I've witnessed made by an official came at the end of the Dolphins-Saints game. With Miami down six, they were driving to a potential game-winning score. But after Henne hit Greg Camarillo for a 7-yard gain to the New Orleans 49, he was called for an illegal-forward pass as the ball came out of hands when he reached for the sideline. The ball was knocked out. It resulted in a 5-yard penalty, which made it second-and-8. Two plays later, on fourth down. Tracy Porter picked off Henne and returned it for a touchdown. Is it a different game if the penalty isn't called? We don't know for sure, but the officials blew that.

---The Vikings had a first-and-goal at the Pittsburgh 1 Sunday. Why didn't they run the ball four times with Adrian Peterson? The Vikings ran Peterson once, threw two incomplete passes, and settled for a field goal. The Steelers players I talked to in the locker room were shocked at the calls. So was I.

---San Francisco coach Mike Singletary did the right thing going to Alex Smith. It's clear Shaun Hill isn't the answer. He can't throw it down the field. Smith can. The rest of the season should be used to find out if Smith is the long-term solution. If not, they need to get a quarterback in the draft.

---Is it Jason Campbell or the Redskins? I say it's the latter. I've documented here many times how they put him in obvious passing situations too many times and then ask him to make a play. Is he great? No. Can he be solid if he's given a chance? I say yes. But the Redskins lack creativity on offense, which is why the play-calling duties are being taken away from coach Jim Zorn and being given to Shem Lewis, who joined the team two weeks ago. Zorn's job will soon be taken from him as well, but don't the Redskins need to find out if Campbell can do better with a better person calling plays? What does playing Todd Collins do? Give Campbell the rest of the season, and if he flops then you make a change. Or the new coach will anyway.

---The Titans have to sit down Kerry Collins. Their season is done. Why not find out if Vince Young can be the long-term answer? If he can't, then you draft one next season. Playing Collins makes no sense. He isn't very good right now and he isn't the long-term answer. Play Young. He couldn't do any worse than what Collins did against the Patriots Sunday in the 59-0 loss. He was 2-of-12 for minus-7 yards. Yes, they had a pass play that went for a 22-yard loss.

---Despite their victory over the Lions Sunday, the Packers are still having problems protecting Aaron Rodgers. He was dumped five times by the Lions, which is the average per game that he is getting sacked. Chad Clifton returned to play left tackle, but he left again with an injury. The line has been a trauma unit all season long. One has to wonder what Rodgers would be like if he had a good group playing in front of them.

---The loss of corner Brian Williams for the season with a torn ACL will show up on the field for the Atlanta Falcons. Williams, who signed with the Falcons after being one of the Jaguars' final cuts, had played well in his five games. He is a physical corner, which Chris Houston is not. The Falcons will likely make Houston and Brent Grimes the starters, with Chevis Jackson in as the nickel corner.

---I have to offer an apology to Hines Ward. I can admit I was wrong. I was wrong about Ward. I thought he'd have an off year. I thought he was about done. He is tied for the league lead in catches with 41 and has a league-best 599 yards. His 14.6 average is eye opening to me. I was wrong. I can admit it. So quit killing me about it, Steelers fans.

---Question: Who's the NFL's best receiver right now from Central Florida? Is it Brandon Marshall? Nope. It's Jacksonville's Mike Sims-Walker. In four starts, he has 28 catches for a 14.2 average. In his past two games, he has 16 catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns. I'm not saying he's better than Marshall, but he is playing better. The only knock on him is his missing last week's game with Seattle when he was suspended for the game by coach Jack Del Rio. Why? He missed curfew for a reported dalliance with a female. Sims-Walker has star power. Don't believe any foolish talk that the Jaguars might trade him. They wouldn't dare.

----The loss of Jets defensive tackle Kris Jenkins for the season will impact the Jets defense in a big way. When he's on the field, Jenkins is as dominant as any nose in the NFL. In the Jets 3-4 scheme, he will be missed. He suffered a torn ACL against Buffalo. The concern besides his absence is conditioning. Jenkins has a tendency to get really heavy and the inactivity could lead to him ballooning up. That could impact next season.

---How does Ravens kicker Steve Hauschka miss that 44-yard game-winner against the Vikings? Think the Ravens wish they had Matt Stover now?

---The NFL had no choice but to suspend Carolina Panthers special teams player Dante Wesley for a game after he launched himself and hit Tampa Bay return man Clifton Smith during Sunday's game. It was a dirty hit that had to face a severe penalty. That's the type of hit that can kill a man.

---I can hear it now: Eagles fans ripping Andy Reid for throwing it too much. The Eagles threw it 46 times against the Raiders and ran it 14 times, although the Raiders struggle to stop the run. Let the season play out -- and then rip him. He's too good a coach to critique one game.

---Maurice Jones-Drew talked the talk and then walked the walk against the Rams. He ran for 133 yards on 33 carries and scored three times. Jones-Drew ripped the team's effort after their loss to the Seahawks and complained about not getting the ball. The rant worked. He did fumble inside the Red Zone, which the Rams recovered.

We've heard a ton about how Troy Polamalu's missing time has impacted the Pittsburgh defense. And it has.

But so will the loss of defensive end Aaron Smith. In fact, it might be just as big.

Smith is out until at least January with what is being reported as a torn rotator cuff. Smith is one of the most underrated defensive ends in the league. In their 3-4, he actually gets pressure, which most 3-4 ends don't. He also excels against the run.

The Steelers will feel the loss of Smith in a big way. He doesn't make shampoo commericals because of his big hair, but he is every bit as valuable to the Steelers as Polamalu.

Look for rookie first-round pick Ziggy Hood to increase his work load with Smith out.
 

---We've heard a lot of talk this past week -- thanks to Ray Lewis -- that the NFL protects the quarterbacks too much. I don't believe it. Never will. They make the league go. So when the Titans were called for two late hits on Peyton Manning Sunday, he was asked about it. "I’ve never asked for a call, I’ve never clapped when they’ve made a call,” he said. “I clap when we get the yards because of execution. The first one, I’ve had that hit before to the knee. I don’t know if I have to validate it or not, but I’ve got to see the doctor after this and get treatment. Obviously when you plant that left knee it’s in a vulnerable position, I wear that brace for that reason alone, hopefully it protects me there.” Manning said he expects to be OK. Kyle Vanden Bosch hit Manning low, which led to the flag and the questions. Later on the drive, Jacob Ford hit Manning late. Both were good calls. The Titans didn't think so. Lewis probably doesn't think so. But the league does the right thing protecting these stars.

---Watch out for the Philadelphia Eagles offense. And I'm not just talking about the return of Donovan McNabb. The emergence of rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin, who had two touchdown catches against Tampa Bay, gives the Eagles two speed players outside. He joins DeSean Jackson in as fast combination of receivers. Maclin had six catches for 142 yards against the Bucs.  McNabb will put up some big numbers now that he's healthy.

---The more I watch the Minnesota Vikings, the more impressed I am with the growth of receiver Sidney Rice. He's playing with much more confidence than last season. Some of that has to do with Brett Favre, but I also think it's the natural progression for a third-year receiver.

---Sometimes you wonder what coaches are thinking. The Carolina Panthers had a first-and-goal from the 2 in the second quarter of their 20-17 victory over the Washington Redskins. So what do they do? They run it right up the middle four straight times. How about some creativity? They were stuffed on fourth down, although they did recover a fumble for a touchdown. The only player who can recover a fumble on fourth down is the fumbler, and that didn't happen, so they turned the ball over on downs. Predictability is a curse. Always.

---I played high school football with the father of Colts linebacker Clint Session, so I've kept a close eye on his career. Session has quietly developed into a quality linebacker. He might not have prototypical size or speed, but he knows how to get to the football. He's perfect for the Colts defense, a run-and-chase player who has the smarts to play the position. Against the Titans Sunday night, he almost had a pick six off a Vince Young throw, but didn't quite pull the ball in.

---The sack specialists finally showed up Sunday. Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers had two, Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley had 1 1/2 sacks and Dallas outside backer DeMarcus Ware got his first sack of the season after getting 20 last year. It's on you, Shawne Merriman.

---The Cardinals have issues at right tackle. Former first-round pick Levi Brown -- who they picked in favor of passing on Adrian Peterson -- has been awful. He gets whipped on a regular basis. The problem is they don't have anybody capable of taking over.

---Denver beat the Patriots Sunday in large part because they had a 98-yard drive to tie it. Great drive. But on that drive, the officials made an error. They called a taunting foul on Brandon Meriweather, but the flag came before the taunt. I think the real reason the official threw the flag was because he thought it was a shot on a defenseless receiver. But the ball was tipped, which could have changed that call. Officials have to give the defender the benefit of the doubt there. Once the flag was out, the official changed his call to taunting, which Meriweather did do. But the flag came before the taunt. The league has some explaining to do, although one of the announcers did say there was another flag in the middle of the field. We never saw it.

---Vince Young was 0-for-3 in his relief role of Kerry Collins. What I didn't understand was that when the Titans got the ball back with just over a minute left in the game and three timeouts, they ran the clock out. Why not let Young work on the two-minute offense? Here's why? Jeff Fisher doesn’t want to open up a quarterback controversy. The Titans have to draft one early next spring.

---I keep saying it, but I think it happens. The Atlanta Falcons will give more and more of the offense to Matt Ryan. And they should. He's a star. He threw for over 300 and two scores against San Francisco. That is going to be a sick offense. Falcons and Saints come up in a couple of weeks on a Monday night.

---Mike Singletary and Falcons guard Harvey Dahl jawed on the sidelines Sunday. Not a shock. Dahl, as I wrote this summer, is the nastiest -- some would say dirtiest -- player in the league. He's a self-made player who doesn't back down from a fight, or starting them.

---One of the major questions in Cincinnati before the season was the offensive line. That group has played really good football. Led by left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who moved from guard, they had a nice game against the Baltimore pressure defense Sunday.

---Derek Anderson, two completions in 17 attempts? Can it get any worse?

----It's hard to believe after all that Jaguars receiver Mike Sims-Walker has been through that he would violate team rules and miss a game. Sims-Walker has fought through a bunch of injuries to become a starter, coming off three big games, and yet he was forced to sit out Sunday's game with Seattle when he violated team rules Friday night, which probably means he missed curfew. Can you be that dumb? Even if he plays, the Jaguars still don't win. But you have to be smarter than that.

---Michael Crabtree is tired of sitting, I guess. Crabtree and his agent are on their way to San Francisco to meet with the 49ers. It's about time. Crabtree must have realized that there are only so many earning years in that body. This is one of them. Agent Eugene Parker did the kid a disservice. If I were an agent, I'd use Crabtree against Parker on the recruiting trail. There's no reason he needed to miss this time. What a bad move. Eugene Parker is an agent who negotiates for his own good.

----Situational coaching blunder of the week goes to Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris. With his team trailing by three, the Bucs faced a third-and-1 from their own 28 with 55 second left. Tampa Bay had two timeouts, so Morris called a running play. Clifton Smith fumbled and the Redskins recovered. Why was he calling a running play there? Throw the ball. You need to get 45 yards for a field-goal attempt. Dumb call.

---I thought it was interesting when Josh McDaniels hugged Brandon Marshall after his 51-yard touchdown catch Sunday. I guess when a player helps you, it's time to give him some love. Or have they kissed and made up? One thing's for sure: The Broncos need Marshall. Big time.

---You have to give Steelers coach Mike Tomlin props for his motivational tactics with running back Rashard Mendenhall. The Steelers coach didn't play Mendenhall last week because he missed assignments in practice last week. He needed him this week with Willie Parker out and all Mendenhall did was run for 166 yards and score two touchdowns. Tomlin knows how to push the right buttons.

----Ray Lewis was right. Those late hits called against New England were questionable. OK, they were bad calls. But he is wrong. The quarterbacks aren't just players. They are the lifeblood of the league. They have to be protected. Without them, the NFL would be the UFL. The league can't allow that to happen.

---If the Washington Redskins want to find out of Jason Campbell can play, let him play looser. The Redskins ran the ball on 13 first-down plays and threw it on six. Eight of those first-down runs were followed by a run on second down. Then they ask Campbell to make a play. When he threw on first down, Campbell was 4 of 6 for 104 yards and two touchdowns. You'd think Jim Zorn would learn. A quarterback can't succeed when he's put in obvious passing situations.

----Jaguars first-year general manager seems to have had a heck of a first draft. Four rookies are starting, including tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton. The others are nose tackle Terrance Knighton and corner Derrick Cox. Knighton has been a force inside and Cox is a smooth cover corner. They also added third receiver Mike Thomas, who is  the punt returner, in the fourth round.  Seventh-round pick Rashad Jennings is the backup runner and watch out for free-agent tight end Zach Miller, who is just now back playing after hurting his knee early in the preseason. Smith and personnel man Terry McDonough should be beaming based on that draft haul.

---Wonder how Plaxico Burress feels when he hears the Giants young receivers are killing it? Steve Smith has 34 catches, the most by any Giants player in the first four games. He had 11 catches Sunday against the Chiefs. The Giants receivers are averaging two touchdown catches a game. Moral of the story: Everybody is replaceable.

----Bengals: Four games, all coming down to the final minutes or overtime. Only this year, they're winning them. It won't be easy this week against an angry Ravens team that is stewing over those bad calls in their loss to the Patriots. If the Bengals win, they're in first place. The Bengals?

---Peyton Manning has thrown for over 300 yards in four consecutive games, the third player to open a season doing in the first four games. Can you say MVP?

---Colts coach Jim Caldwell and Broncos coach Josh McDaniels have their teams 4-0. The only other time two rookie coaches had their teams 4-0 at the same time was in 2000 when the Al Groh (Jets) and Mike Martz (Rams) had their undefeated after four games. Caldwell and McDaniels better hope their careers go more like Martz and less like Groh.

---Watching Jets corner Darrelle Revis live for the fist time Sunday was special. He is a lock-down corner, who is also a willing tackler. Revis was a big reason why Drew Brees and the passing game couldn't get going for the Saints. If he isn't in the Pro Bowl this season, it will be criminal.

---Just a hunch, but the inability of the Saints receivers to win deep might be the thing that hurts this team down the road. While Marques Colston is a good receiver, he isn't a burner. Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem can run, but they aren't consistent. The Saints get a lot of passing yards because Sean Payton schemes his receivers open, not because they win against coverage.

---Anybody seen Shawne Merriman? Anybody? No sacks this season.

---What happened to LaMarr Woodley? I picked him to be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and so far he doesn’t have a sack. Did I mush him?