Faceoff: Dirty Titans? Off schneid? Saints issues? Cards QBs?

CBSSports.com pro football writers Pete Prisco and Clark Judge face off weekly throughout the season.

We keep hearing how dirty the Titans play? Do you agree?

PRISCO: I love the way they play. It is a tough, aggressive style that is definitely a reflection of their coach. Jeff Fisher loves that his players play a nasty style of football. He will never change that. Do they push the envelope a little? Yes, they do. But if it's a flagrant hit, the players will be penalized and/or fined. So teams can complain all they want. It's called football. The Titans are a tough team. If you don't like the way they play, do something about it. I remember a few years ago when I was watching a Titans-Jaguars game and Titans guard Scott Sanderson chopped a Jaguars defender badly from behind. I couldn't believe the Jaguars didn't respond. To stop it, you respond. If not, deal with it. They are no more dirty as a team than any other.

JUDGE: Well, let me say this: I was at a Tennessee-San Diego game a few years ago where all I heard from the San Diego locker room was how dirty the Titans were. So I rewound the videotape to that game, and, yeah, there were cheap shots galore, including one on linebacker Shawne Merriman that infuriated the Bolts. Maybe that was a worst-case scenario for Tennessee, I don't know, but I've heard these complaints from too many sides not to think there isn't something going on. It's one thing to intimidate opponents; it's another to play dirty with them. The Titans are the most heavily penalized team in the NFL this season, tied with Detroit -- coached by former Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz -- at 37, or a little over nine per game. The Titans play hard, their head coach is one of the best in the business and they know how to win. Plus, there's a stability about the organization that I admire. But there's also an element of outside-the-lines behavior that is hard to ignore, with cornerback Cortland Finnegan on record this year saying he aspires to topping the league's "Dirtiest" list. I think you have your answer right there.

Which winless team wins first?

PRISCO: I think three of them win this week, but one (San Francisco) is playing Sunday night. So that means the first to win will be Detroit, Buffalo or Carolina. It's a tie. I'll go with Carolina and Detroit. I think they both will win this week. Carolina gets a Bears team that is playing consecutive road games and didn't look good last week against the Giants. The Panthers look to be improving, pushing the Saints last week. That will add up to an upset. And I think the Lions are ready to win for the first time. The Rams are feeling good at getting to .500, but I think the Lions, who have been close, will crack through against the Rams. Buffalo might also win against Jacksonville and 49ers can beat the Eagles. We actually could see all the winless teams get a victory this week. It probably won't happen, but three of four might.

JUDGE: Believe it or not, all could cash in this weekend. In fact, I can't remember a situation where two winless teams are favored in the same weekend, but that's what's going on this Sunday in Detroit and San Francisco. The 49ers are the most qualified of the winless teams, but they draw the toughest opponent in Philadelphia. So I'm taking … drum roll, please … Detroit, and here's why: The Lions are home, they're this close to breaking through and they play an opponent (St. Louis) that has won three road games in three years -- though the last one was at Detroit. That's not to knock the Rams. Already they're more competitive than I imagined, and look as if they'll be a factor in an NFC West that could wind up with an 8-8 winner. They also look as if they have a quarterback who knows what he's doing. But back to the Lions: They should have beaten Chicago in the opener. They could have caught Philadelphia the second week. They pushed Green Bay last Sunday. They're on the verge of making something happen, and while the Rams' defense is much improved it will have trouble controlling Detroit's multiple weapons. I'll take Detroit, with Buffalo a close second. The Bills draw Jacksonville, and I don't like the Jags on the road, especially when that road takes them to Buffalo.

What's wrong with the Saints?

Reggie Bush (US Presswire)

JUDGE: Well, the standings tell you nothing. I mean, the Saints are 3-1 and tied with Atlanta at the top of the NFC South. But the offense isn't what it used to be, scoring 14 against Minnesota and 16 on the Carolina Panthers, so you have to start there -- and it's hard to ignore the loss of Reggie Bush and the failure of the team's running game. The Saints average 3.1 yards per carry and rank 30th in the league in rushing. With Bush and Pierre Thomas sidelined last week, Carolina dared the Saints to run and focused on shutting down the big play. Result: Brees didn't have a completion longer than 20 yards. And that's been an issue. A year ago the Saints averaged 6.3 yards per play; this year they're down to 5.3. Of course, a year ago New Orleans was balanced, too, with the league's sixth best running game. That, in turn, made Brees more effective, and you saw what happened. When Bush returns, the Saints gain a backfield threat who is a matchup nightmare and a big-play threat. That should soften defenses. But this isn't all about the Saints' offense. Their defense misses Darren Sharper and his takeaways. A year ago the Saints had 39, second best in the league. This year they have seven, tied for 13th. Fewer takeaways mean fewer chances and longer fields for Brees and Co., and that will slow down any offense.

Max Hall or Derek Anderson in Arizona?

PRISCO: That's easy. It has to be Max Hall. Anderson isn't very good. You know what you have in him: A lock-on quarterback with a big arm who isn't very accurate. The Cardinals made a major mistake thinking Anderson could be their starter. Is he better than Matt Leinart would have been? I think not. But that's in the past. Now they have to look to the future, which means Hall. He is a small quarterback at just over 6-feet tall, but he understands the passing game. He played in a pro-style offense at BYU, which helped prepare him for the NFL. He doesn't have a huge arm, but it's good enough. I like the idea of turning the team over to him now. Find out what he can do. Anderson certainly isn't the answer.

JUDGE: If there's a conviction about Hall, and there seems to be, I'd make him the choice. There is no upside with Anderson. You know what you have, and what you have is a journeyman who can win you a game here or there but is woefully inconsistent. In the end, there is no future with him. But there might be with Hall. So find out. You're 2-2, and if you flush the season you flush it. You're better off getting a read on the quarterback position for next year. But let's be honest: There is no flushing of any season in the NFC West. It's the worst division in the NFL, and lucky for San Francisco it calls it home. The 49ers haven't won once, yet they're still only two games out of first. One of the reasons Arizona let Matt Leinart walk was that the coaching staff had a conviction about Hall. So let's see what he has to offer. I know how disappointed Cleveland was in Anderson last year, and I can't imagine he's a different quarterback now. Hall, on the other hand, is an unknown. You can't be sure what's going on there -- how accurate he is, how poised he'll be under pressure, how he relates to star receiver Larry Fitzgerald -- so find out and do it now. Give the guy a shot, so there's no guessing in 2011. If he flops, at least you know where you go in next year's draft.