NFL Week 3 Winners and Losers

I wasn't alive then, but judging by Philadelphia's throwbacks it is apparent that people living through the Great Depression had no taste in color. We can only hope that the team will attribute their performance against Detroit to superior play and not those monstrosities. The last thing anyone wants is another excuse to pull those off the scrap heap!

In other news, it was a bad week for ACLs. Milton Bradley's was torn when his manager suplexed him to the dirt near first base on Sunday (OK, it's not football. But it's still funny!). Deuce McAllister tore his in the first half of the Saints sad showing against Vince "Clutch" Young and the Tennessee Titans. Steve McKinney, center for the Texans tore his against Indy. Mark Setterstrom, guard for St. Louis is out with the same injury. And the list of players with "sore" knees is endless: Vernon Davis (49ers), Hines Ward (Steelers), Tommie Harris (Bears), Ahman Green and Andre Johnson of the Texans, Antwaan Randle El of Washington and J.P. Losman, quarterback of the Buffalo Bills are just a few. Dr. James Andrews is already shopping for his new orange Lamborghini.

Without further ado, here are this week's Winners and Losers.

Losers

The Front Office of the San Diego Chargers
Anyone who says San Diego's problems don't begin and end with Norv Turner are kidding themselves. The Chargers have the best 1-2 running back punch in football. Why are they throwing more than they are rushing? The Chargers should be running the football 35 times a game without even thinking about it. 28 rushing attempts for 73 yards isn't going to scare anyone. San Diego was one of the teams picked to last quite a while in the playoffs. Will they figure it out? Probably. There's still plenty of time. But I have a hard time believing ESPN when they say the players just need to get used to Turner's system. I think Turner needs to learn how to be a good head coach ... and fast!

Chicago Bears Receivers
It looks like Lovey Smith is going to pull the plug on the Rex Grossman Experiment. I always loved hearing about the Trent Dilfers of the NFL who "managed the game." You know the guy, doesn't do anything spectacular, but also doesn't do anything to lose the game for his team. Everyone thought Grossman could be that guy. In fact, he was last season. But when you have a credible running game and a dominant defense, you don't have to rely on your quarterback to make plays and you can do more to hide his shortcomings. This year's Bears defense is looking surprisingly mortal (read: old) and Cedric Benson isn't fooling anyone into thinking his first name is really LaDainian. That leaves it in the hands of arguably the worst Super Bowl quarterback ever. Now we get to see what 90-year-old Brian Griese has left. It's not looking good for a return trip to the big game.

The Vaunted Saints Offense
As much credit as Drew Brees got for the Saints success last year, it really all started with Deuce McAllister. Deuce took the brunt of the handoffs and was guaranteed to make positive yards just about every time he touched the ball. Bush was (and is) great in space, but doesn't have a running style that lends itself to a consistent workload. He reminds me of Barry Sanders. In 10 carries he might go –1 yard, +2 yards, +1, -3, +2, no gain, +1, -1, +2, 75-yard touchdown. Running the football is all about moving the chains. Bush (and Sanders) dazzle when he breaks those 1-2 long runs a game, but if you can't consistently get first downs you can't win. Defenses can tee off on Drew Brees and the passing game now that McAllister is out for the season. And Drew has looked bad in the first 3 games as well. The Saints have their work cut out for them.

Not far behind: The Carolina offense under David Carr, the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo's offense.

Winners

Brett Favre
I'll admit it. I am one of the NFL fans who thought Fav-re should have retired 3 years ago. Last year, he was throwing into double- and triple-coverage to receivers so anonymous they had to introduce themselves to the coaching staff every week. This year, he's breaking records, throwing touchdown passes from all over the field to everyone on the team and making smart decisions. It's like they replaced old Fav-re with young Fav-re from the mid 90s. Green Bay looks formidable. And they have the benefit of playing in the craptastic NFC North.

Tampa Bay
John Gruden is the anti-Norv Turner. Norv can take the best team and make them look like amateurs. Gruden is taking an average team on paper and giving them the tools necessary to be more than competitive. Granted, their two wins have been against an average St. Louis team and the previously mentioned underperforming Saints. Keep an eye on them, though. They're another good looking team in the weaker of the two conferences.

The Big Guns
Do you think the '72 Dolphins team is sweating? Will this be the year that the leave the cork in the champagne bottle? It looks like the only thing that could stop the Patriots and Colts are themselves (or each other). Don't make plans for November 4. That could be the day that decides which of the two teams will end up undefeated and which will end up 15-1.

Runners up: Willie Parker and the Steelers, McNabb and the fluorescent Eagles, the Houston Texans trainers.