Some NFL thoughts from week 2

Just a few thoughts after a very interesting week 2.

Although the uproar by Cowboys fans about their teams pathetic start and anemic offense are justified, there are some bright spots that are encouraging as the Cowboys forge ahead into a HUGE Texas showdown in Houston against the well equipped Texans. Tony Romo is actually second in the entire NFL (behind Peyton Manning) in passing yards and first in the NFC. Miles Austin leads all NFL receivers with 288 yards receiving. Although these stats are misleading; Romo has thrown a ton and many of his yards come late in the game when the Cowboys are playing from behind. It is still encouraging to know that Romo can still move his team down the field.

Another gift bestowed upon the Cowboys this week is the 4 game suspension of Texans left tackle Duane Brown. If Wade Phillips utilizes his brain cells the Cowboys defense should get to Matt Schuab with regularity on Sunday.

In Philadelphia Andy Reid has finished his turn on the sea-saw and has picked Michael Vick as the Eagles starting QB until further notice, leaving them with a frustrated and expensive backup in Kevin Kolb. Last year I would have laughed at this decision thinking that Vick's time as a threatening and dominant player in the league had expired. This notion is now far from the truth. Vick seems to have his gazelle legs back under him and now he's equipped with a hose that he's not afraid to use, throwing the ball with strength and accuracy down the field. The Eagles D is still a question mark but the intangibles that Vick brings to the table are downright frightening.

There seemed to be a battle for the restoration of balance to the league last week. Peyton Manning and the Colts once again looked like the team that expects to contend for the Super Bowl every year. They trounced the Giants and exposed a defense that looks like it had never discussed the notion of stopping the run in practice. Peyton tooled on his little brothers' team in every way possible. The Giants look like they're going nowhere fast, especially when their once feared running back Brandon Jacobs' equipment poses more of a threat to spectators than his ability does to opponents. On the flip side of this "restoration of balance" to the league idea, Brett Favre and the Vikings looked incredibly vulnerable against a Miami team that not everyone has yet bought into. Next week's Monday night match up against the Jets should show us if Miami is for real or not. As for the Vikings, they better hope Favre hasn't hit menopause just yet because they need him to perform at least a fraction like he did last year for them to have a chance. 5 picks in 2 games sounds familiar for those who know Favre, except Minnesota fans.

A few other head turners from last week included the implosion of Joe Flacco. I really thought he was going to turn a corner after a solid game against a very good Jets defense. Instead he went haywire and threw four picks, essentially giving the game to Cincinnati.

The 49er's picked up the intensity after the drubbing they received from the Seahawks and nearly pulled off a shocker against the Saints. If coach Mike Singletary can keep that teams intensity up I fully expect them to secure the weakest division in football.

Shame on me for picking against the Steelers last week. Their defense is always among the best in the league and it made both Vince Young and Kerry Collins look absolutely silly this past weekend. Even though the Steelers offense will continue to be a joke at least until Ben Roethlisberger returns, their defense will keep them in that division race for the entire year.

Finally, I think we learned something about both the New York Jets and the New England Patriots this week. The Jets, for all the over-hype they get and their chronic appetite for distractions, are a very good team and, defensively, are extremely intimidating. The Patriots on the other hand, have shown that they are no longer the intimidating juggernaut that can have Tom Brady just toss the ball into outer space and have it land for a touchdown. Aside from Moss's brilliant, one-handed escape from Revis island, Tom Brady could not take advantage of the opportunities he was given. With Revis out of the ballgame I expected the Patriots passing game to flourish but the Jets defense was just too good. Sanchez out played Brady in all aspects of the game and deserves a good deal of credit. He finally looked like a real pro quarterback. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.