Projo Pats Blog

There has of course been a lot of talk in recent days about the shifting balance of power in the AFC. But even as the Patriots' aura has certainly been diminished by the loss of Tom Brady, the other glamour teams in the conference -- Pittsburgh excepted -- have stumbled out of the gate as well. Yesterday came news that the Chargers will be without Shawne Merriman -- who attempted unsuccessfully to play with two torn ligaments in his left knee -- for the rest of the season. San Diego is off to an 0-1 start and now their general manager A.J. Smith, is acknowledging that even winning the division is going to be more difficult.

So while we try to sort out the AFC, we should consider this -- after the first week of the season, it's possible that the balance of power in the league has shifted from the AFC to the NFC. With the Patriots no longer the favorites to carry the Lombardi Trophy, who else gets the honor but the star-studded Cowboys? Entering last week, the ESPN power rankings had these teams as the top five in the league: Patriots, Chargers, Cowboys, Colts, Jaguars. Four from the AFC and one from the NFC. Now it's Cowboys, Steelers, Chargers, Saints, and Giants -- three from the NFC, with the Eagles and Packers lurking in the sixth and seventh spots. The Pats have fallen to ninth.

That's still higher than any other team in the AFC East, and fourth among all AFC teams. Which Randy Moss agreed with when he said in a conference call with the media that the Pats are still the team to beat in the division.

Around the league:

SLIGHT PRAISE: Matt Cassel's college coach, Pete Carroll, was on WEEI this morning discussing his game this weekend against Ohio State and the Patriots' new starting quarterback. Carroll talked about Cassel's intelligence and said described him as a capable fill-in, but also added that it would be a terrific coaching job if Bill Belichick were to get the Patriots to 10-6 and a playoff berth. He said that Cassel once had a shot of taking the USC starting job, but that it was handed to Matt Leinart after an offseason in which neither Cassel nor Leinart distinguished himself, and the future Heisman Trophy winner never let it go.

GUTIERREZ RETURNS: The Boston Globe reports this morning that Matt Gutierrez has been re-signed and will join the Patriots' practice squad.

SOMETHING BILL LIKES TO TALK ABOUT: How about Jerod Mayo? Making his NFL debut, the rookie from Tennessee made six solo tackles and adopted well to all the different defensive packages that the Patriots employed. (projo.com) He was also the only player on the defense to play in every snap in which the Chiefs had the ball. (Boston.com)

COVER BOY: If you believe in jinxes, take heart: Brett Favre will be on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. (N.Y. Daily News) It'll be his 10th appearance, and he hasn't shown any ill effects so far.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: Inspired by a letter writer, SI's Peter King imagines today that Brett Favre remained in semi-retirement until the start of the season, then ended up traded to the suddenly needy Patriots.

MOVING THE LINE: The Jets are two-point favorites in Sunday's game, and the New York Post's Mark Cannizzaro reports that New England would have been a nine-point favorite if not for the Brady injury.

HUARD HAS COMPANY: Although veteran Damon Huard handled himself well filling in for Brodie Croyle at Foxboro on Sunday, and although Huard will be the Chiefs' starter against the Raiders in Week Two, coach Herm Edwards says that third-stringer Tyler Thigpen will definitely get playing time, and he did not rule out the possibility of starting Thigpen in Week Three. (ESPN)

VINCE YOUNG AND IRONY: By now you're familiar with the odd goings-on involving injured Titans quarterback Vince Young and his disappearance yesterday. Last season, when Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was discussing what he saw as the added pressure of being a black quarterback, Young said the following: "Black or white quarterbacks, we all go through something because that's the life of a quarterback. You've got to be able to handle all the pressure. You've got to be able to handle the losses. You've got to be able to handle the media. If you can't handle it, you've got to get off that position and go play something else." (ProFootballTalk) Maybe those words were really just foreshadowing what we've seen happen this week: Young reportedly told people close to him after Sunday's game that he did not want to play football anymore. (The Tennessean)

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Add this name to the list of big-name players who went down in Week One: Saints wide receiver Marques Colston. (Fox Sports) He had surgery yesterday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, and he's expected to miss up to six weeks. Devery Henderson and old friend David Patton will now assume larger roles in the Saints' offense.

SUCCESS CAN BE PAINFUL: The Steelers looked terrific in beating the Houston Texans on Sunday, but forgive Ben Roethlisberger if he didn't feel too good afterward. (Pittsburgh Post Gazette) He suffered a shoulder injury when he fell to the turf on a Mario Williams sack, and also hyperextended his knee on another play. Still, he's expected to make the start in Cleveland on Sunday night.

END OF A BRIEF ERA: Quarterback Alex Smith is destined for injured reserve, which means that his undistinguished career with the San Francisco 49ers is pretty much over. (Santa Rosa Press Democrat) The team is expected to bring in free agent Jamie Martin to take Smith's spot.

I OWE, I OWE, IT'S OFF TO WORK I GO: Ricky Williams, who last week negotiated his own contract with Bill Parcells, reportedly still owes the Miami Dolphins $8.1 million as a result of his bogus 2004 retirement. (ProFootballTalk)

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