-Last year we had rookie quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco performing well beyond anyone's reasonable expectations. Could Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford do the same this year? Sanchez drew rave reviews Friday night in his first preseason game with the Jets, and Stafford was very impressive Saturday night for the Lions. Although his first pass was dropped, Stafford rebounded to go 7 of 14 for 114 yards with a touchdown and an interception in Detroit's victory over the Falcons.

-Stafford may have been good, but the Lions had an awkward few moments even before they took the field for the first time since going 0-16 last year. The singer who was supposed to do the national anthem was handed a nonfunctioning microphone, then got one that didn't work very well. The singer ended up being aided by the sparse crowd at Ford Field, which sang along.

-Former Bears quarterback Kyle Orton looked bad in his Denver debut, and last night former Broncos signal caller Jay Cutler struggled in his first preseason game with Chicago. Cutler was intercepted once, nearly intercepted another time and had a third pass tipped as he finished 5 for 10 for 64 yards against Buffalo.

-The Bills secondary took a hit in the game, as defensive backs Bryan Scott and Drayton Florence both suffered sprained knees in the first half. The extent of their injuries was not known.

-Broncos rookie running back Knowshon Moreno has a mild MCL sprain, according to ESPN's Bill Williamson, which is actually good news for a team that was battered by injuries in the backfield last season. The team was worried about a worse scenario when Moreno was injured in Friday's preseason game against the 49ers. Moreno is expected to be ready for the regular-season opener.

-Denver coach Josh McDaniels says Orton doesn't have to look over his shoulder, despite his three-interception showing on Friday.

-Brady Quinn got a boost last night from the ineptitude of the competition in the Cleveland quarterback fight. Derek Anderson was in for two drives, each of which was three-and-out, and the last of which ended in an interception.

-The Saints welcome back a familiar face with the signing of 45-year-old place kicker John Carney, who was an All-Pro with the Giants last season. This is Carney's second tour of duty in New Orleans; he is the franchise's second all-time leading scorer.

-On a related note, New Orleans place kicker Garrett Hartley faces a four-game suspension from the league, for an unknown cause.

-The Raiders signed cornerback Ricky Manning Jr., who has 14 interceptions in six seasons with Carolina and Chicago.

-Giants rookie linebacker Clint Sintim earned some respect from teammates when he did not back down from veteran running back Brandon Jacobs, who flew into a rage on Thursday when Sintim tried to strip the ball from him but ended up slapping Jacobs' neck instead.

-Jets tight end Dustin Keller, who showed a lot of promise last season, is bigger, stronger, has done a lot of work on his blocking, and is hoping to really come on this season.

-Rams running back Samkon Gado, who is vying to be the team's number-two runner behind Steven Jackson, surprised observers Friday night with the speed he showed in rushing for a 77-yard touchdown against the Jets.

-Part of the reason Tony Dungy feels obligated to help Michael Vick get his life back on track now, according to Newsday's Bob Glauber, has to do with the fact that Dungy regrets not making an impact on Vick's life earlier. The two met in 2005, and hit it off, but Dungy says the two did not stay in touch. If they had, Dungy wonders, maybe he could have helped Vick straighten himself out before the former Falcons quarterback ended up in prison.

-Vick of course has many detractors, and an anti-Vick web site, sackvick.net, is online now with the stated mission of pressuring corporate sponsors to abandon the Eagles, and to encourage fans to "boycott the NFL or NFL teams that allow Michael Vick or any felon to play." My question: What do these people expect convicted felons to do once they are out of prison, if they are not allowed to work?

-The Dallas Morning News' Jean-Jacques Taylor believes that the Cowboys will soon regret not signing Vick themselves.

-Eagles offensive lineman Shawn Andrews, who has struggled with depression, criticized the media for allegedly portraying him as lacking mental toughness.

-Panthers middle linebacker John Beason told The Charlotte Observer that the team needs veteran help on the defensive line to replace the injured Maake Kemoeatu.