-Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff was the Patriots' director of college scouting from 2003 to 2007. Now, he could be the man to lead the Falcons to consecutive winning seasons for the first time in their 44-year history.

This is truly a remarkable streak. Even when the Falcons have had their best seasons, they have quickly followed with an enormous thud. In 1980, Atlanta went 12-4 behind quarterback Steve Bartkowski; they followed that with a 7-9 record in 1981. In 1991, the swaggering Falcons of Jerry Glanville and Deion Sanders went 10-6 and made the playoffs for the first time in nine years, but they followed with three straight losing seasons. Worst of all, the 1998 Falcons team that made the Super Bowl with a 14-2 record -- the best in franchise history -- went 5-11 the next season as stud running back Jamal Anderson tore the ACL in his right knee and was never the same again.

Is it any wonder that college football seems to be so much more appealing in Georgia? This team, however, is different, and with second-year man Matt Ryan at quarterback, Atlanta could finally be on the way to sustained success.

-The Patriots hope they can generate sufficient pressure on Ryan with their defensive front, since Atlanta's balance of offensive weapons makes blitzing a risk, The Globe's Monique Walker reports.

-Former Patriots linebacker and current ESPNBoston columnist Tedy Bruschi says he will be rooting for the Lions to beat the Redskins this weekend, and thus not become the second team in NFL history (after the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their first 26 games) to lose 20 in a row.

-ProFootballTalk.com reports that ESPN has responded to questions about its business relationship with the Kraft family, whose Kraft Sports Group has been hired to be the local ad sales rep for ESPN Boston: "This will have no impact on ESPN's editorial coverage. Kraft Sports Group is simply the local ad sales and sponsorship agent for ESPNBoston.com. We did not have a sales force in Boston and this was a solution for that. ESPN will maintain full, independent editorial control. We have a history of separating business relationships from our news and information division, and this will continue to be the case. We provide coverage -- sometimes critical -- of leagues, teams, players and others with whom we may have business relationships."

-Texans star receiver Andre Johnson has been fined $7,500 for his role in Sunday's Houston-Tennessee fight: Johnson took the Titans' Courtland Finnegan to the ground by the facemask after a play had ended. Johnson's teammate, Jacoby Jones, received a $5,000 fine for entering the fight unnecessary. It's been a tough week for Jones, who also pleaded guilty to a DWI charge stemming from a 2008 traffic incident.

-Jets rookie Mark Sanchez is 2-0 with two touchdowns, an interception and a tidy 91.3 quarterback rating. Lions rookie Matthew Stafford is 0-2 with one touchdown, five picks and a 40.5 rating. If Sanchez played for the Lions and Stafford for the Jets, you wonder how close to reversed those numbers would be.

-When the Jets play the Titans on Sunday, the Jets will be wearing Titans uniforms (the throwback unis of the New York Titans), while Tennessee wears the franchise's old Houston Oilers uniforms. It's a particularly confusing twist on the NFL's "Legacy Games" concept.

-The Washington Post recently coined a new nickname for the St. Louis Rams offense, once known as "The Greatest Show on Turf," but it only works for road games: "The Most Miserable Mass on Grass."

-49ers quarterback Shaun Hill will start for San Francisco on Sunday in Minnesota, where the Vikings kept him on the bench for four seasons.

-Seahawks wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadah, who must have learned a few things in Cincinnati from Chad Johnson, predicts that he will be able to get open whenever he feels like it this Sunday against the Bears.

-Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who makes his return to the football field this weekend, told CBS recently that he thought he would make his return to football as an NFL starter, not a backup. But it didn't work out that way. Meanwhile, Tony Dungy gave Dan Patrick some reasons to root for Vick to do well (though it's nothing you haven't heard before), and hints that he'd like to get to know Plaxico Burress a little better.

-Vick's Philadelphia teammate, cornerback Sheldon Brown, has been fined $10,000 for running out onto the field during last week's introductions wearing a Jason mask from one of those "Friday the 13th" movies. The mask didn't exactly rattle Drew Brees.

This week's picks:

Home team is listed in all caps. We were 11-5 last week.

PATRIOTS over Falcons: From nearly a decade's worth of experience, I just believe in Belichick and Brady to rebound from adversity. And Atlanta's defense could help jumpstart the Patriots' offense.

Redskins over LIONS: This is a good opportunity for Detroit to stop that 19-game losing streak, as Washington is offensively inept and the coach is as tight as a drum. But Washington's defense is still very good, and it should pull them through.

JETS over Titans: Or, Titans over Oilers, perhaps. A lot of people think Tennessee will win because they need this game. I think New York will because they are playing much better.

Packers over RAMS: Mark your calendars -- the Lions' losing streak ends at at 23 games on Nov. 1, when they host the Rams.

RAVENS over Browns: No contest.

VIKINGS over 49ers: The 49ers' defense has been very good to this point, and they could probably challenge Minnesota at home, but it is hard to see them slowing down Adrian Peterson (even with his bad back) in the Metrodome.

TEXANS over Jaguars: Jacksonville looks pretty hopeless this season, and Houston rebounded nicely from its early-season embarrassment against the Jets.

Giants over BUCCANEERS: Shocking but true -- Tampa Bay has surrendered more points through two games than any team other than Detroit.

EAGLES over Chiefs: Certainly a lot of injury problems mounting for the Philly offense, but their defense will make amends for last week's horrendous performance against the Saints.

Bears over SEAHAWKS: Thanks for the bulletin-board material, T.J.

Saints over BILLS: Drew Brees continues to stay ahead of Tom Brady's record 50-touchdown pace, against a team that remembers those 2007 Patriots all too well.

CHARGERS over Dolphins: Things fall apart for the defending AFC East champs.

Broncos over RAIDERS: Josh McDaniels should look reference the playbook from last year's Pats-Raiders game, when New England tore the Oakland defense apart.

Steelers over BENGALS: Pittsburgh should make Cincinnati look a little more like the stumbling team from Week 1 than the offensive powerhouse of Week 2.

CARDINALS over Colts: In a highly intriguing early-season matchup, the Cardinals do a better job cashing in against that Colts defense that couldn't get off the field on Monday night.

COWBOYS over Panthers: The Dallas defense still does not have a sack this season, but they'll be coming after Jake Delhomme on Sunday night. The Panthers fall to 0-3.