SECOND SURGERY FOR BRADY: The injured Patriots quarterback was back in Los Angeles for treatment of an infection that resulted from his first knee surgery, back on Oct. 6, according to an unnamed West Coast source quoted in The Boston Globe.

STILL IN THE TOP 10: CNBC's Darren Rovell revealed the top-10 selling player jerseys between April 1 and Oct. 15 on NFLShop.com, and found Tom Brady number five on the list, despite the injury that he suffered on opening day. Brett Favre comes up number one on the list while four of the top 10 -- Tony Romo, Marion Barber, Jason Witten and Terrell Owens -- are Dallas Cowboys.

SAY WHAT? Mercury Morris, the 1972 Dolphins running back who served as America's most vocal naysayer while the Patriots pursued a perfect season in 2007, now says he hopes the Tennessee Titans (the last remaining unbeaten team) go 19-0. "We'd like a little company," Morris told the Nashville City Paper. Asked about last season's Pats, Morris seemed to suggest that they got too hung up on finishing the season undefeated: "Their goal should not have been to aspire to greatness, but simply to win. How about winning? At the end of the day, you have to win."

CONFIDENCE BUILDERS? A couple of days after getting a vote of confidence (of sorts) from Bill Belichick, Matt Cassel spoke to the media and didn't seem to feel that he was in danger of being benched (projo.com). If Cassel is to catch on, this is the time to do it, as he faces back-to-back games against two of the league's worst defenses, the Broncos and the Rams. (Boston Globe)

DEFENSIVE STATS WORSE THAN YOU THINK: Rodney Harrison insisted yesterday that the Patriots' ineptitude on defense is being blown out of proportion by the media. Indeed, the Pats are middle of the pack in terms of points allowed per game and yards allowed per game. But in some stat categories that may be better indicators of winning and losing, they are among the bottom teams in the league (Boston Herald). Specifically, New England is 27th in the league in yards allowed per pass, and 29th in red-zone defense. The Patriots' seven sacks is ahead of just two other teams.

HIS TIME TO SHINE: Sammy Morris has not had sterling stats so far this season, but with fellow runners Laurence Maroney and LaMont Jordan injured and the passing attack not getting it done, Morris has taken on an unexpected importance in the New England offense (projo.com).

HE'S STILL OUT THERE: You would think that the Patriots still had their eye on cornerback Ty Law, who remains unemployed. Law says he could play this week if a team signed him, and he's got his eye on the Packers and the Cowboys, who of course could use some help at the corner position. (NFL.com) Speaking of the Cowboys, isn't there a salary cap in the NFL? Geez.

BACK TO BASICS: Denver receiver Brandon Marshall is rethinking the way he does things after losing two crucial fumbles in the last two weeks. He says he considered taking fewer chances in the open field, but has instead been working on carrying the ball more securely using his right hand and chest. (Rocky Mountain News)

HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS: Our brethren at the Dallas Morning News have the latest on the NFL's favorite soap opera. Tony Romo put his broken pinkie to the test in practice yesterday, and while owner Jerry Jones sounded elated at the results, Wade Phillips said he wouldn't announce a decision on starting Romo or Brad Johnson until game day. Boss Jones also says that the team would be open to welcoming back Pacman Jones, if the NFL reinstates the suspended cornerback later this season.

NOT BUYING IT: ESPN's Adam Clayton says it would be a major upset if Romo actually took the ball on Sunday.

WHY DIDN'T WE THINK OF THAT? While the Patriots always seemed content to keep an untested quarterback in the backup role to Tom Brady, the Cowboys are much better positioned behind Romo. Johnson won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay, in 2002-03, and the last time he replaced an injured starter (2005, with Minnesota, filling in for Daunte Culpepper), he was 7-2 with a quarterback rating greater than 90. (NFL.com)

BREAKING ALL THE RULES: Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards announced yesterday that running back Larry Johnson would be inactive for this week's game against Tennessee, but not as punishment for the simple assault charge that Johnson now faces as a result of an incident with a woman in February. (Kansas City Star) Instead, Edwards said, the move is punishment for Johnson showing up late to team meetings.

MADE THE VILLAIN: New York Jets safety Eric Smith, just off a one-week suspension, says the NFL made him a scapegoat for the hard hit that injured Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin three weeks ago. (New York Post)

DON'T COUNT ON IT: The Colts still aren't saying whether Joseph Addai (hamstring injury) will play against Green Bay this weekend, but Addai himself does not sound like a man ready to strap on a helmet, reports Mike Chappell of the Indy Star. Head coach Tony Dungy, though, says that Addai's injury is not that serious, and questioned the reported timetable of up to four weeks for Addai to return. (NFL.com)

ELBOW TROUBLES: Without being specific, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer -- whose teammates have called on him to consider sitting out the rest of his season -- says he learned some surprising news when his elbow was examined by a specialist earlier this week (Cincinnati Enquirer). What this means exactly is not clear, but Palmer is seeking additional opinions. Sounds like the unexpected news was not of the good variety.

A DOWN FORECAST: Signs point to Steelers running back Willie Parker missing a third consecutive game this week. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

RUNNING OUT OF STEAM: Since he burst onto the scene in the season opener at Indianapolis, Bears rookie running back Matt Forte has yet to go over 100 yards rushing in a game. (Chicago Sun-Times)

WHO'S THE BOSS? Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes says he's healthy and expects to start against the 49ers this week. Head coach Tom Coughlin says not so fast. (New York Post)

THIS WEEK'S PICKS: We were 6-8 last week, but we'll keep on firing. Home teams are listed in caps.

DOLPHINS over Ravens: Baltimore seems to be going into the tank, and Miami's creative offense should be able to do some business against the overaggressive Ravens.

Cowboys over RAMS: Another week of disarray for Dallas, but whether it's Brad Johnson or Tony Romo calling the signals on Sunday, they'll have no trouble stopping St. Louis' one-game winning streak.

BEARS over Vikings: Both of these teams played poorly last week, and I have no idea honestly what to expect from either one. I'll take Chicago at home.

BILLS over Chargers: San Diego looked like a team ready to move back into the NFL's elite on Sunday, but the well-rested Bills will be looking to make a statement of their own. Trent Edwards leads them to victory.

Titans over CHIEFS: Tennessee is the last remaining unbeaten team in the NFL, and Kansas City won't do anything to change that.

GIANTS over 49ers: A mistake-prone San Francisco offense that has no quarterback protection is just what the Giants want to avenge last week's embarrassment at Cleveland.

Steelers over BENGALS: Carson Palmer probably won't play, which means that Cincinnati probably won't get its first win against a tough Steelers team.

Saints over PANTHERS: Carolina looked like the class of the division until being dismantled by the Bucs; now I'm thinking that Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints are ready to move to the top of the heap.

TEXANS over Lions: Will Detroit win a game this season? I can't guarantee it, although we'll have to see what their offense looks like without Jon Kitna. I'm not optimistic in the short term.

Jets over RAIDERS: Oakland doesn't play Detroit this season -- too bad for the Lions, considering the sorry state of the Silver and Black. The Jets are gaining in confidence and should continue that trend at the Coliseum.

REDSKINS over Browns: Great job by Cleveland on Monday night. And Washington regressed to its Week 1 form in losing to the Rams. That should serve as a wake-up call for a Redskins team that still seems pretty good.

Colts over PACKERS: Very intriguing game here, but I am not picking against Indianapolis in October -- this team is just about unbeatable this time of year, and they clearly found momentum in their comeback victory at against Houston two weeks ago.

BUCCANEERS over Seahawks: What a disaster for Seattle. With Matt Hasselbeck their latest and most significant injury victim, the last thing they need to see is a punishing Tampa Bay team, but that's what they're going to get.

PATRIOTS over Broncos: There are a lot of reasons to pick the Broncos here -- Mike Shanahan's past success against Bill Belichick, the Denver wideouts' cozy matchup with the New England secondary, and questions about New England's ability to exploit the Broncos' biggest weakness (the defense). And yet the prideful Patriots are a dangerous team this week, if for no other reason than they figure to have a far superior game plan after having no answers at San Diego, and because Denver remains a flawed outfit.