Week 7 Judgements: From boon to bum, Wade's clock is ticking

1. I feel for Wade Phillips. I don't care if Dallas owner Jerry Jones said he's not going to fire him. He will at some point, and with Tampa Bay and the Giants next on the schedule it may be sooner rather than later. With the Cowboys floundering, Phillips isn't long for this league -- and I feel for him. He has to manage the circus that Jerry brought to town.

2. Yeah, the Cowboys overpaid for wide receiver Roy Williams, but here's what they gained: Leverage against Terrell Owens for the future. Suddenly, his leash just got a lot shorter.

3. Jim Haslett has found a home. The more I see of the Rams with Haslett, the less I think of Scott Linehan as a head coach.

4. It's time for the Chiefs to pull the plug on Brodie Croyle, and I mean for good. They went into this season saying they had to find out about the guy. Well, they have. He can't stay healthy. In eight career starts he has been hurt four times. Worse, he's 0-8. Adios.

5. That's two more losses for Pacific Time Zone teams making 1 p.m. starts in the East. They're 0-7 this season when not spending a week there, and let's be honest: It's time to level the playing field. Have them start at 4:05 p.m.

6. Go ahead and call it the Ken Whisenhunt Rule, I don't care. But obey it. From now on no more timeouts to freeze the kicker, OK? All questions will be referred to Oakland's Tom Cable, who never should have gone to overtime Sunday.

7. Guess John Harbaugh was right about Cam Cameron ... huh, Miami?

8. Every time I see Jeff Garcia win another game I wonder: Just who was the genius in San Francisco who decided it was a good idea to let him walk?

9. If I'm Brad Childress I want a word with my special teams coordinator ... and now. The Vikings' punt teams surrendered four touchdowns the past three games -- two on opponents' returns, one on a blocked punt and another on a muffed Minnesota return -- and Childress better close that hole fast or risk losing his job.

10. So let's see if I have this right: Now Jeremy Shockey is ripping the Saints for mishandling his hernia injury? Gee, I guess the Giants knew what they were doing when they dumped the guy. It's called addition by subtraction.

11. I'm beginning to think that the Dec. 22 game between Green Bay and Chicago decides the NFC North.

12. Cleveland should make the move to Brady Quinn. Derek Anderson had his chances, and in five of the Browns' six games he was underwhelming. He had a chance to make a key third-down throw to Braylon Edwards before Phil Dawson's missed field goal, and he missed ... badly. Time to make the change, Romeo.

13. Memo to San Diego defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell: Cover the tight end. Please. Tight ends cripple the Bolts, with Buffalo -- which doesn't normally feature them in the passing game -- the latest example. "We looked at the Denver film and the Carolina film," said quarterback Trent Edwards, "and their linebackers didn't cover the interior zones and the crossing routes all that well. And that's a big part of our offense -- the crossing routes where we get the tight ends and the running backs the ball. I knew that ahead of time." For the record, tight ends in the first four games vs. the Chargers caught 28 passes for five touchdowns -- with at least one TD in each contest.

14. It's fourth-and-1 at the Buffalo 40, and it's early in the fourth quarter. You're down by 6, and your defense can't stop the Bills. So why punt? Why, Norv, why?

15. I swear I can't figure out Carolina. One week it gets waxed by Tampa Bay; the next it hammers New Orleans. What I do know is that the Panthers' home-field hex is history. Their latest win was their fourth straight there, but what's more impressive is this: They outscored their last three opponents at home, 88-16.

Just asking but ...

• What advice would Joe The Plumber give Jerry Jones?
• How worried should Indianapolis be?
• Can St. Louis ... and I'm serious here ... be a factor in the NFC West?
• How do you explain what happened in Chicago?
• Who wins first: Detroit or Cincinnati?

Five things I like

1. Roger Goodell doing what the Dallas Cowboys could not: Get tough with Pacman.

2. Jake Delhomme's pass protection. He has been sacked once the last four games.

3. The play of Clinton Portis. That's four straight 100-yard games, and you wonder why Washington is a factor? Look no farther than No. 26.

4. Chase Blackburn as a starter. Once I wondered what the Giants do without Antonio Pierce at middle linebacker. Then Blackburn stepped in for the injured Pierce. Now, I wonder no more.

5. Jeff Garcia making plays outside the pocket. Why in the world did the Bucs ever sit this guy down?

Five things I don't

1. Mike Holmgren going out like this.

2. New Orleans' karma. Now it's Reggie Bush who is sidelined. What's that phrase -- If it weren't for bad luck you'd have no luck at all? I'm not sure, either, but the Saints qualify with all their injuries.

3. San Diego's pass rush. I promise, guys, you do not have to count to Five Mississippi.

4. Anything about Dallas this week.

5. Everything about Kansas City, period. The Chiefs have been outscored 68-10 since upsetting Denver.

Numbers, numbers, numbers

6 -- Green Bay returns this season for touchdowns
9 -- J.T. O'Sullivan fumbles through seven games
10 -- Consecutive weeks with a DeMarcus Ware sack
11-0 -- Ben Roethlisberger's record in Ohio
12 -- Indianapolis penalties, a one-game high under Tony Dungy
25 -- Consecutive games where Baltimore has not allowed a 100-yard rusher
57 -- Most yards receiving in any game for Chad Johnson/Ocho Cinco
332 -- Yards rushing by Tennessee

Next weekend's three best games

Tampa Bay at Dallas -- The clock is ticking on Wade Phillips. Or is that a clock?
Arizona at Carolina -- It's time the Cards prove they can win on the road.
NY Giants at Pittsburgh -- Finally, a barometer of both teams.

My top five

1. Tennessee
2. Pittsburgh
3. N.Y. Giants
4. Buffalo
5. Tampa Bay

My bottom five

32. Detroit
31. Cincinnati
30. Kansas City
29. Seattle
28. San Francisco