NFL Week 2 Winners and Losers

Let's start with the losers. It's always fun to laugh at the misery of others ...

New Orleans Saints
Losing in week 1 to the reigning national champs is understandable. Granted, the Aints played like they were still in preseason, but it was still an excusable loss. This week is a different story. This is a team that plenty of "experts" picked to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Right about now, they're looking a lot more like the Saints that we all know and love. They don't resemble the offensive juggernaut of last year at all. And defensively ... how do you let Tampa Bay and the quarterback du jour run up 31 points? There is still a lot of season left, but the Saints need some serious help.

Atlanta, Oakland
OK, OK, these guys were supposed to be bad. At least Oakland stayed in their game. And they finally gave in, er, came to terms with their number one pick, JaMarcus Russell. Atlanta is considering signing Byron Leftwich. The rumor is they plan to line him up where the punter would stand, so he can have as much time as possible before the rush gets him. We all know he can't avoid it by himself!

The State of New York
How could the whole state be a collective 0-6? What happened to baby Manning? Did his defense just get beat by a 95-year-old quarterback, or is it just me? I'm not going to bash on the Bills, they get a pass after what they've been through with the loss of Kevin Everett (more on him later). And the J-E-T-S Jets are just too easy. When your starting quarterback gets cheered at home for going down with an injury, you know your team is in for a long season.

Dishonorable Mention: San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and anyone who wanted to watch a game other than their "regional" matchup.

But there are some big winners after week 2 (besides the Sony Handicam) ...

Houston Texans
I watched this game Sunday. There was nothing more entertaining than seeing David Carr on the sidelines with his clean, white jersey while Matt Schaub completed pass after pass. And it looks like someone finally woke Mario Williams up. Don't take this as an endorsement of the draft pick. Still a bonehead move by a bonehead former general manager. But I've got to tell you the Texans have never been more fun to watch, even if it all comes crashing down this week with the Colts coming into town.

New England Patriots
Hey, news flash, the Patriots cheated last week. Not sure if you heard that news or not. Look, Belichick did something stupid, and could have been doing it for quite a while. He's paying the price (literally). But his team didn't even flinch as they dispatched the Chargers with ease. And now that Randy Moss gives a crap, I'm not sure who can stop them. It's been easy for people to pick the Patriots this year, all they did was go from good to great (hey, isn't that a trendy business book?). But all the press hasn't caused them to lose any motivation at all. They're like a pro ball player that shows up at the neighborhood court for a game of pick up. It's no contest.

Kevin Everett
How amazing is his story? We've heard the stories of guys who suffer neck and spine injuries and end up in a wheelchair for the rest of their lives. It's borderline miraculous to see one recover. At the beginning of last week, the doctors were saying he had no chance to walk again. Now they are doing all they can to hold in their excitement. Every press conference, I expect to see one of them jump up on the table and start dancing Coyote Ugly style. And you know what? I can't say that I blame them!

Barely missed the cut: Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions (Detroit Lions?!?), Arizona Cardinals