(“Coloured” written by an Anonymous pupil of King Edward VI School, Birmingham, UK; found in The Children’s book of poems, prayers and meditations ed. Liz Attenborough, Element Books, 1989)

The phrase “wild card” was designed to denote the X factor in a situation that is perceived to have a certain outcome.

In pro football, the wild card has symbolized excitement and reaped rewards; the team on a roll parlaying their walk with destiny into a run for the ultimate team prize.

Since the age of six, my colors of choice have been the Kelly Green, Silver & White of the Philadelphia Eagles; and they were champions when I walked in the door, having beaten Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers 17-13.

To this day those Eagles were the only team to beat a Lombardi – coached team in a National Football League championship game and this year will recognize the 50^th anniversary of that feat.

I have enjoyed watching Pete Retzlaff, Tim Brown, Tom “Wild Man” Woodeshick, Chuck Bednarik, Ted Dean, Clarence Peaks, Tommy McDonald and my cousin, number #24, Nate Ramsey, a mainstay of the Eagles’ defense in the 1960s.

From Eric Allen to Don Zimmerman, I have been there for the highs and the lows; and like all true fans, remained so win, lose or draw.

When the final whistle was sounded in the 34 -14 ass whuppin’ the Dallas Cowboys laid on the Eagles in the playoffs, the drums immediately began to beat for the ouster of quarterback Donovan McNabb. Headlines like “McNabb came up small” “Fair or not, McNabb to be judged heavily” and “Time for McNabb to move on” were slapped down faster than it takes to order a cheese steak at Pat’s.

What’s Love Got to Do With It?

In those 50 years, the line at quarterback for the “Iggles” has been fragile for long stretches of time. When stable, however, the rewards were worth the wait: Sonny Jurgensen, Roman Gabriel, Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb.

The last 11 of those 50 years have been in McNabb’s hands, and as much as the mainstream media desires to depict him as anything but an elite quarterback, facts have never gotten in the way of what McNabb has accomplished – in spite of all the poison sent his way.

Here are the facts: since being booed on Draft Day in 1999, McNabb has emerged as the Eagles all-time passing leader (32,873 yards and counting, a 216 -100 TD to INT ratio, 93 – 50 – 1 as regular season starter, 9-7 in playoffs).  Of the 22 playoff appearances ever earned by the Eagles franchise, eight of them (almost 40%) have been with McNabb under center, more than any other Philly QB.

McNabb is a five time Pro Bowl selection, and NFC Offensive Player of the Year (2004).

Over the entire history of the league, McNabb was the first quarterback to ever throw for 30 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions in a season; so much for questions of ball security, accuracy and passing percentage.

Of the 11 Division Championships throughout the Eagles history, five were with McNabb as their field general, more than any other. Think Norm van Brocklin, Jaworski or Cunningham, and you’re not even close.

Of the three conference championships, McNabb has one, along with Jaworski and the tandem of van Brocklin/Jurgensen.

And of their two Super Bowl appearances, McNabb has one (SB XXXIX).

When the Eagles 75^th Anniversary All-Time Team was presented, the player under center on that team was not van Brocklin, Jurgensen, Jaworski or Cunningham – it was Donovan Jamal McNabb.

Compare the stability and level of excellence served to spoiled Eagles fans to other teams in the league, and you will find maybe four or five teams who have had the luxury of similar stability. In the rough-and-tumble NFC Beast, the Eagles, under McNabb, have more Division Championships in the past decade than the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys or laughable Washington.

Once you get past Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Brett Favre, McNabb, along with Ben Roethlisberger and Phillip Rivers is one of the league’s elite passers. Consider that in the same time frame, he has had only one All-Pro receiver (Terrell Owens) to work with (for one season!) puts more iron in the argument of McNabb’s being a franchise, and yes, a Hall of Fame quarterback.

Manning (with Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne & Dallas Clark, all long term and multiple selections) Brady (with Randy Moss & Wes Welker, long term, multiple selections) and Favre (Donald Driver, Antonio Freeman & Greg Jennings, long term, multiple selections while with Green Bay) by hook, crook, free agency or Draft, have clearly been blessed with better talent in which to achieve their respective goals.

Yet in spite of this, the desire to give McNabb the hook and have him go elsewhere seems predicated by the color of his skin rather than the content of his results on and off the field of play.

Why do I say this? As I casually scanned the headlines of all the weekend’s Wild Card results, none of those I saw implied that Brady had choked when the Baltimore Ravens put a beat down on the New England Patriots’ ass; or that Carson Palmer was an overrated choke artist after the 24-14 loss to the New York Jets.

Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers were both praised for their performances in the 51-45 shootout in the desert, but only McNabb was the designated target in the ignominious defeat by Dallas.

Sadly, McNabb’s standing affects the other Black quarterbacks in the league as well. It doesn’t matter if Jacksonville’s David Garrard once led the league in passing efficiency and TD/INT ratio; Tim Tebow has all but been signed if you believe the squeaking of The Mouse (ESPIN).

It also doesn’t matter that Tennessee Titans fans got screwed out of a playoff appearance (and who knows what else?) because head coach Jeff Fisher looked to jerk Vince Young by keeping him on the bench in a 0-6 start. Since Young finished the season 8-2 as a starter (26-13 career; far superior to draft alums Jay Cutler and that lame-ass Matt Leinart) had Young been in the lineup and won even two games, the whole playoff landscape is changed.

Seneca Wallace & Michael Vick struggle to avoid being thrown into the Wildcat Ghetto of “athletic” quarterbacks (you know, those Niggers can really run!) Brad Smith gets discovered (finally), Pat White gets noise from the “experts” implying he was drafted too high, and Dennis Dixon shows flashes of ability.

Jason Campbell gets similarly jerked by his now former head coach and is once again thrown into uncertainty with Mike Shanahan’s ascension to head man in Washington; while JaMarcus Russell’s survival may depend on Al Davis’ faith in his becoming a star player (if only Davis had shown this kind of loyalty to Eldridge Dickey!)

So, Rush Limbaugh’s bullshit notwithstanding, McNabb’s fortunes course throughout the rest of the league; and if Philly fans are so quick to let this go, they may well regret what they wished for.

After all – Hall of Fame quarterbacks come in every color.

michaelingram@blackathlete.com

mike@footballreprtersonline.com

It wouldn’t be New York if its fans and media didn’t often overreact to each game that any professional team plays in New York. That response just comes with the territory when rooting for or discussing teams in the New York City area.

Sure enough, to the degree that the Giants were being discussed as part of the National Football League elite after a dominant 5-0 start, was the extent to which many in the New York area were asking what was wrong with the Giants and how New York could let its entire season slip away after a subsequent four-game slide.

No doubt, the questions surrounding the problems that the Giants still need to fix this season were, and still are, legitimate. And, if the Giants don’t soon rectify a lot of the issues that were exposed during their aforementioned four-game losing streak, it’s true, Big Blue’s goal of reaching the playoffs could be in serious jeopardy.

But, for those who were spewing all of the doom and gloom talk about the Giants’ playoff possibilities, many going so far as to say that the Giants’ fourth straight loss ended their season, take a look at the current NFC standings after what happened on Sunday, as the Giants tried to regroup during their bye week.

Sure, New York had slipped from 5-0 to 5-4, and from first place to third place in the NFC East.

Yet, simply by not playing, the Giants moved back into a tie for second place with the 5-4 Philadelphia Eagles (who were beaten in San Diego on Sunday), and are now just one game behind the 6-3 Dallas Cowboys, the NFC East leaders, who lost at Green Bay this week.

As for the NFC wild-card race, the Giants and Eagles are not only tied for the wild-card lead with each other, but also with the 5-4 Atlanta Falcons (losers at Carolina on Sunday) and the 5-4 Green Bay Packers. Carolina, San Francisco, and Chicago are each a game back, at 4-5.

For all of this past week’s chatter about the Giants’ season being over, New York still very much controls its own destiny as long as it can pull everything together and play better.

The Giants host Atlanta next week, while having other home dates with Dallas, Philadelphia, and Carolina in December. And, the Giants are done with both the Cowboys and Eagles on the road.

The bottom line is that while the Giants have to correct a lot of what plagued them while losing four games in a row, and they still have much work to do in order to reach the playoffs this year, they’re very far from the fate many had prematurely predicted for them (if any Giants are Mark Twain fans, they can certainly relate).

As evidenced while the Giants rested this week, no one else in the NFC East seems to be running away with their division, and even less so in the NFC wild-card picture.

So, at least for now Giant fans, view the remaining Giant games in this season the same way your team plans on approaching them. It may sound clichéd, but forget about the recent past and take the rest of the season one game at a time.

Because it doesn’t appear that anything regarding where the Giants are headed this season, one way or the other, will be determined any time soon.

However, it was a certain right foot — or more specifically, a right heel — which concerned the Giants most on Sunday.

That is, the sore right heel of Giants’ star quarterback Eli Manning, who made his 83rd consecutive start.

As if following a script that Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin couldn’t have written better himself, Manning tossed two touchdown passes while leading New York to touchdowns on each of its first four offensive possessions.

The fast start allowed Coughlin to pull and rest Manning for precautionary reasons before halftime, with the Giants very comfortably ahead of the woeful Oakland Raiders at The Meadowlands on Sunday.

Manning said, “It was just a… team domination from the start, and it gave us a big lead, and that’s what we wanted to do.”

Big Blue wasted no time in sending a clear message to the rest of the National Football League that with their offensive leader of sound health, the Giants intend to remain a legitimate Super Bowl contender this season.

On the first play from scrimmage in the Giants’ 44-7 rout of Oakland, Manning took a normal drop from under center, made a routine plant on the right heel that he injured in the Giants’ win in Kansas City last week, and off a play-action fake, completed a solid pass to tight end Darcy Johnson for a 9-yard gain.

As Johnson was tackled, 79,012 fans in attendance plus millions of other Giants’ fans watching on television or listening on the radio, breathed a collective sigh of relief.

With Manning’s plantar fasciitis question apparently answered on the game’s initial play, the Giants used more than half of the first quarter during a 14-play, 77-yard game-opening drive which took 8:03, to grab a 7-0 lead. Manning completed four passes to four different receivers in five attempts, for 36 yards on the drive, immediately quelling any doubts about the condition of his heel.

Manning later confirmed that he felt fine, saying “It felt great during the game, it felt like I could do everything, run the offense… I could do everything we had to do.”

New York capped the possession with a 4th-and-1 touchdown plunge by running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who led the Giants’ rushing attack with a game-high 110 yards on just 11 carries. Coughlin evaluated Bradshaw’s performance with high praise, saying, “He’s run the ball very tough, very physical, he makes a lot of people miss. He had a very, very good game.”

For further convincing, after an Oakland three-and-out, Manning began the Giants’ next possession placing the ball over the shoulder of Raiders’ cornerback, seven-year pro Chris Johnson, hitting wide receiver Steve Smith, who led all receivers with 70 yards on three catches, for a 43-yard pass to the Oakland 36 yard-line. Bradshaw then finished the three-play, 79-yard drive, which took only 1:37, with a rush of 17 yards, before going untouched on a 19-yard touchdown run, putting the Giants up 14-0 with 3:15 left in the first quarter.

After another Raider three-and-out, Bradshaw turned a Manning screen pass on third-and-24 into a 55-yard romp to the Oakland 30 yard-line on the final play of the opening quarter, a period in which the New York outgained Oakland 219-18 while controlling the ball for 11:07 to the Raiders’ 3:53.

On the next play, Manning threw a nice 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Manningham in the far right corner of the end zone, giving the Giants a 21-0 lead just seven seconds into the second quarter.

Only three plays later, the Giants got the ball back on the first of three Oakland fumbles, all by quarterback Jamarcus Russell, who was just 8 of 13 for 100 yards. Cornerback Terrell Thomas sacked Russell, the first of six New York sacks, forcing the ball loose. Defensive end Justin Tuck recovered at the Raiders’ 13 yard-line. After two rushes, Manning threw a 3rd-and-6, nine-yard bullet in the end zone to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (4 receptions, 49 yards) for the rookie’s second career touchdown (Nicks made his first career touchdown reception last week). The Giants led 28-0 with 12:37 remaining in the half, and the rout was on.

The Raiders’ only points came on only their fourth touchdown of the season — as many touchdowns as the Giants had in Sunday’s game alone, to that point –- after Sinorice Moss fumbled a punt which Oakland recovered at the New York 15 yard-line. Running back Michael Bush cut the Giants’ lead to 28-7 on a 5-yard touchdown run with 2:19 to go in the first half after it appeared that the Raiders got a break when a Giants’ fumble recovery was negated on a questionable forward progress ruling on the previous play.

At that point, having completed 8 of his 10 passes for 173 yards (49 more than the total yards Oakland managed for the game), Manning was lifted for the remainder of the day in favor of backup David Carr.

Russell’s second fumble set up a Lawrence Tynes 25-yard field goal with two seconds left in the half, as the Giants took a 31-7 lead into the break.

On the Giants’ opening possession of the third quarter, Carr capped a six-play, 53 yard drive with a 12-yard run into the near left corner of the end zone, for a 38-7 Giants’ advantage with 10:01 left in the third quarter.

Tynes added a 33-yard field goal with 6:52 left in the third, and closed the scoring with 11:38 remaining in the game on a 37-yard kick.

The Giants’ dominance of the Raiders was of an equal opportunity variety for both the running and passing games. New York, which outgained Oakland 483-124 yards overall, held advantages of 220-64 on the ground and 263-64 through the air.

The win marks the third time the Giants have started a season 5-0. The previous times, they lost in the 1941 NFL championship game, and the 1990 Giants won Super Bowl XXV.

In a showdown of arguably the top two teams in the NFL right now, the Giants, who have beaten up on a soft schedule of Tampa Bay (0-5), Kansas City (0-5) and Oakland (1-4) over the past three weeks, will travel to New Orleans to face the 4-0 Saints on Sunday, at 1:00pm EST.

Though Sunday’s game will foremost be a big regular season matchup with possible big playoff seeding implications, it will also be an emotional homecoming for Manning, who was born in New Orleans. For the first time ever, Manning will be playing in The Superdome, where his father, Archie Manning, a former two-time pro-bowl selection who still makes his home in New Orleans, played for the Saints from 1971-1982.

The New York Jets agreed to acquire Braylon Edwards from the Cleveland Browns to bolstering an anemic passing attack.

New York dealt special-teams player Jason Trusnik, wide receiver Chansi Stuckey and undisclosed draft picks to Cleveland for the pro bowl receiver.

There have been many New York sports acquisitions that have carried more baggage than Edwards. Still, that doesn’t mean Braylon’s bags aren’t loaded.

Edwards has been involved in several off-field incidents in recent months. Recently, he was accused of assaulting a friend of Lebron James, the NBA’s most valuable player, outside a Cleveland nightclub two days ago. The case is still under investigation by the National Football league. He also was out with former Brown receiver Dante Stallworth in Miami the night of his drunk driving incident that killed a pedestrian.

Edwards also received a fine for driving at 120 miles per hour. He was assigned 30 hours community service last November.

Edwards on the year has 10 catches for 139 yards and no touchdowns in four games for the winless Browns.

He has 238 receptions for 3,697 yards and 28 scores in five seasons with Cleveland. He made the Pro Bowl in 2007 but has failed to return to form since then.

The Jets certainly hope he can be a deal breaker for their offense and the outlet Mark Sanchez needs to get the job done.

Then a casual glance at the television screen makes you boot up the computer and start scribbling all over again.

You see the graphic footnote on ESPN that Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell threw six of nine complete passes, and you’re thinking, “brother man is making progress” – then the “analysis” talks about what Russell didn’t do well; while showing two of his three incomplete attempts.

Now 67 percent completions are pretty good by any standard; except when it describes the efforts of a Black quarterback – and, even more specifically, a National Football League quarterback.

Cue whistling…

(Agent C. M. Piper looked over his entry notes as he closed the window tab on the computer screen. It was nearly four o’clock on the West Coast, and time for the tele-conference. Piper allowed himself to briefly ponder his time in Canada. Four o’ clock meant High Tea and the old Vancouver hotel where he had his first cucumber “samich” – bringing a smile to his face; the food could definitely be replaced, but the ceremony was cool…

Piper dialed in awareness of the two minute warning window, which now showed 48 seconds and counting. The constant cyber – attacks on RBG made such methods necessary; and in spite of the fact a call took a few seconds, the rerouting was what consumed most of the time.

Seconds later, a female voice came over the line. “This is RBG Control. I confirm Agent Craig Buchanan; Executive Director Mack McClain; Agent George Wheelwright; Agent Chanticleer Piper.

“Big MAMA*{MODIFIED ANALOG MASKING APPARATUS} has secured the area, and you are now free to converse.”

Exec Director McClain opened the meeting. “Gentlemen – the purpose of this meeting is to light a match to a pair of gasoline drawers. The No Former (Slaves) League has stepped up its efforts to mollify, vilify, and nullify all evidence of the Black quarterback.

“Constant castigation by mainstream media has placed every Black field general at risk. Previous attacks, which were once discreet, have become flat-out blatant when skills of Black QBs are assessed in comparison to white QBs.

“Although we know some among the Black intelligentsia have eschewed conventional wisdom as to what the symbolism of this means, the time has come to address this untruth about Black QBs and create a better atmosphere in which we can energize a collective conscience. That said, I want to get to the field reports, and Agent Buchanan, you can set it off.”

Buchanan cleared his throat. “Chief, the situation in Minnesota is deplorable. Progress for Tarvaris Jackson has been severely compromised by the actions of the Vikings front office, head coach Brad Childress and owner Ziggy Wilf.

“I mean they went out of their way to move up and get Jackson the year he was drafted; then they tell the kid that he’s the guy; then pull him after 2 games.

“After they bury him, he has to bail out the team when Gus Frerotte gets hurt. All he does is go 3-1 down the stretch and leads his team to a division title and the playoffs. His reward for his efforts – was to have his job handed over to Brett Favre’s old ass.

“Favre comes back and debuts as the starter; goes 1-4 and almost throws a pick; meanwhile Jackson goes 12-15, 202 yards and a TD bomb. The mainstream media, of course, downplays Jackson and apologizes for Favre. Oh, and by the way- they’ve sold over 3000 season tickets since Favre signed.”

“Hmmm – well, can’t say I’m surprised,” said McClain. “Big Wheel – whatcha got for me?

“Boss the view from the Left Coast is spotty, to say the least,” said Wheelwright. “It seems everyone in the Bay Area is looking to give Jeff Garcia the starting job over JaMarcus Russell.

“Nothing from what I’ve seen would indicate that’s even remotely close to happening; but I can tell you that many Raider fans can sense something positive happening this year with the team.

“They drafted very well last year, and with McFadden, Bush and Baby Bear Fargus, they have an outside shot of stealing the AFC West division title. Denver’s got problems, Kansas City’s rebuilding, San Diego’s got Norv Turner – need I say more?”

The laughter lightened the sense of urgency as McClain’s tone matched the moment. “In that same vein, I feel this and the data collected from the past couple of seasons seems to be leading us to the previously stated conclusion,” sighed the Chief.

“Hey, Chief – I would like to take a different approach to this, if possible,” chirped Piper.

“Okay, Agent Piper – what’s on your mind?

“I think it’s safe to say everyone at this conference can see the plausibility of conspiracy; but I feel there’s more to it;

“We spoke on the Vikings and Raiders as places where the Black QB is under siege. Well we also know these teams have a shot to win a Super Bowl.

“After Doug Williams rocked the house in SB XXII, I think the league hierarchy underestimated Williams’ ability to lead; to this day, some are still saying he was ‘lucky’ or ‘hot’ the day he and Washington kicked their golden boy John Elway’s ass.

“So what I’d like to do is to have a budget authorized where we can put together investigative teams of RBG personnel to get to the crux of the matter, which I feel is a deliberate attempt to ensure a Black field general will never again have the sufficient fire power to destroy a great White notion like Williams did in the Super Bowl.”

McClain took in Piper’s words, pausing several seconds before he spoke. “I know how lazy this generation of information gatherers have been in working to present the truth; most of them couldn’t or wouldn’t know how to work a real beat.

“You couple that with what possible benefits we could provide in debunking many of the untruths perpetuated by this machine, and the pluses to this far outweigh any potential liabilities.

“Alright, Piper – you’ve got your funding; get the proof, and Buchanan and Wheelwright will work with you on this as code file RBG-072908, with you as lead Agent. Information will be on need-to-know until final draft of presented data.

“Gentlemen, Big MAMA is alerting us our masking aura is dwindling. Let’s wrap this up and convene again after Agent Piper’s first draft directive. Good evening – and good luck.”

Piper smiled after hanging up the phone, excited over the chance to provide in earnest a scenario for stopping future Field Generals from taking their rightful place on the field.

As the rum slid down his throat, Piper highlighted his playlist; and found Monk’s “Misterioso” running. The volume clicks up, and the somber chords tapped him where he lived; magic fingers providing acupuncture for the soul.

“Well, the untruth is out there,” thought Piper. So – first things first; and, as if straight out of the Detectives’ Manual, Piper knew the place to be – was back at the scene of the crime – Super Bowl XXII.

To be continued…

Copyright 2009 Michael – Louis Ingram

michaelingram@blackathlete.com

mike@fotballreportersonline.com

New Orleans safety DARREN SHARPER registered his 10th career interception- return touchdown (99 yards) in the Saints’ 24-10 win over the New York Jets. Sharper joins Pro Football Hall of Famer ROD WOODSON (12) as the only players in NFL history to record at least 10 career INT-TDs.  Sharper, who had a 97-yard INT-TD in Week 2 against Philadelphia, joins DEION SANDERS (1994) as the only players in league annals with two INT-TDs of at least 90 yards in one season.

(Here is a clear case of semantics getting in the way of the truth. Cast off as being too old and too slow, Sharper already has five picks and two house calls. While five interceptions would be an exemplary season for most corners, Sharper’s guile and feel for the game were downplayed; in large part because he was a veteran who deserved more money! No doubt Sharper has already hit a bonus objective or two on the road to a Pro Bowl season).

Jacksonville wide receiver TORRY HOLT had three receptions in the Jaguars’ 37-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.  Holt, who has 884 career receptions, surpassed wide receiver KEENAN MC CARDELL (883) and moved into 10th place on the all-time receptions list.

(No real surprise here; another castoff who cast his fate to the free agent winds. If the NFL really gave a shit about players like Torry Holt, they would extol his virtues with more than a couple of lines, instead of going into orgasm over certain selfish, bratty quarterbacks who know to produce more drama than results. While not the best receiver to ever come out of N.C. State (Mike Quick has that distinction) Holt has been one of the most polished receivers ever to strap on in this league; how soon they forget!)

With 353 passing yards in the Colts’ 34-17 win over Seattle, Indianapolis quarterback PEYTON MANNING recorded his fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game.  Manning is the third player in NFL history to start a season with four consecutive 300-yard passing games.  Only KURT WARNER (2000) and STEVE YOUNG (1998) had longer streaks in NFL history (six consecutive games).

(Another useless statistic in a league where the fix is in for defenses to surrender gobs of points because of the desire for offense to have a distinct advantage; yards don’t mean shit – unless there are W’s attached to them. For all the accomplishments of the aforementioned passers, and the bullshit fawning over Drew Brees {who is only 55-51 and has only three winning seasons out of the eight he has had in this league} I know Manning won all of his games; can the others say the same?

Peyton Manning is by far the best quarterback in this league; and doesn’t need to throw for 300 yards to win a game. Unlike the others, Manning’s moves are a residue of design and not anal-retentive “game management.”)

New York Giants wide receiver STEVE SMITH posted a career-high 11 receptions in the Giants’ 27-16 win over Kansas City.  Smith has 34 receptions through Week 4, the most receptions through the first four games of a season in franchise history.

(For a team whose pedigree has always been ‘defense first’ and ‘run first,’ this is a big deal. Not only has Smith become Eli Manning’s security blanket, he has shown flashes of brilliance in his pattern–running, making a living over the middle while carving up defenses. Give GM Jerry Reese his due in finding another draft gem!)

Chicago quarterback JAY CUTLER registered a 100.4 passer rating in the Bears’ 48-24 win over Detroit.  Cutler is first Bears quarterback since 1970 to have a 100-plus passer rating in three consecutive games (minimum 15 attempts).

(Will you STOP already with the horseshit statistics? What the fuck does it mean to have a 100 percent passer rating? Not a damn thing. Ask Terry Bradshaw {71%} Johnny Unitas (78%} or Bart Starr {81%} what they really think of passer ratings – when they’re not having their respective championship hardware polished…)

New England wide receiver RANDY MOSS posted his first touchdown of the season in the Patriots’ 27-21 win over Baltimore.  Moss has 137 career touchdowns and now ranks sixth all-time for the most career TDs.

(Not bad for a supposed “malcontent” – I only wish Moss had really pulled his pants down in that TD celebration. You don’t have to like him, but Moss is that cat in the band that knows {and everyone else knows} he can play; and just like Clapton had to genuflect to Hendrix {and he did!}, the league has to grudgingly admit Moss riffs on a whole different level).

Rookie head coaches JIM CALDWELL of the Indianapolis Colts and JOSH MC DANIELS of the Denver Broncos have led their teams to 4-0 starts.  This is only the second time in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) that two rookie head coaches have guided their teams to 4-0 starts in the same season (2000: AL GROH, NYJ and MIKE MARTZ, StL).

(While a good start is important, how you finish matters more. Broncos have an interesting four game gauntlet to handle, while the Colts just keep keepin’ on; and, of course while Mc Genius gives the Belicheat clan moment to pause, Caldwell just wins games.  Like they say-if it ain’t broke…)

Always remember – once the point is made – if you roll seven, you crap out!

mike@footballreportersonline.com

Another (Big Blue)print that’s worked: Points off turnovers, a category in which the Giants rank at the top of the National Football League, with 45 points scored off of opponents’ miscues.

The saying goes (albeit in poor English), “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” After three weeks of success in previous victories, why change what’s worked?

It didn’t take the Giants (4-0) long to start riding a familiar road to another easy victory when the they recovered a fumble by the hapless Kansas City Chiefs (0-4) on the game’s opening kickoff. New York took an early 7-0 lead just five plays later, on a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning to wide receiver Steve Smith just 2:16 into the game, en route to a 27-16 win in Kansas City on Sunday, completing a sweep of the Giants’ three-game road trip.

Although, the fumble was the Chiefs’ only turnover of the game, the tone was already set, and the Giants led from wire to wire, despite Manning committing a turnover himself, on the each of New York’s next two possessions in the first quarter.

Kansas City sacked Manning and recovered his fumble on the New York 36 yard-line, which led to the Chiefs’ first score of the game, a Ryan Succop 34-yard field goal, with 5:02 left in the opening quarter, cutting the Giants’ lead to 7-3. On the Giants’ next possession, Manning was

intercepted at the Chefs’ 15 yard-line, throwing a little behind wide receiver Mario Manningham, wasting a nice, juggling 43-yard reception along the right sideline by Manningham three plays earlier, during the same drive.

Manning though, responded the next time the Giants touched the ball. A questionable personal foul penalty on Kansas City’s Jarrad Page for a hit on Smith which appeared to be clean, set New York up with a first down at the Chiefs’ 25 yard-line. Manning capitalized on the next play, capping a four-play, 71 yard drive in just 1:39, with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Smith, 1:27 into the second quarter.

Smith has stepped up nicely as the go-to receiver the Giants sought coming into the season. The 2007 second-round pick out of USC leads New York with 34 receptions this season. His two touchdowns and 11 receptions on Sunday were both career-highs, and the most ever by a Giant wide receiver in a non-overtime game (Amani Toomer had 12 in an overtime win at Philadelphia in 2006). Smith’s 134 yards on Sunday also matched a career-high that he set just two weeks prior, with ten catches at Dallas.

On the final drive of the first half, Manning continued to maintain his reputation as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks during the two-minute drill. After a Kansas City punt to the New York 13-yard line with 1:49 left in the half, the Giants’ signal caller directed a nine-play, 80-yard drive, resulting in a Lawrence Tynes 25-yard field goal, putting the Giants up 17-3 as the first half concluded. Two plays before Tynes’ kick, tight end Kevin Boss caught a 3rd-and-3 pass from Manning for 24 yards to the Chiefs’ 7-yard line. Boss was injured (he’d later return okay) on the play, but he had the courage and the presence of mind to get up, and limp into formation, so the Giants, without any timeouts left, could avoid the automatic ten-second runoff, line up quickly, and spike the ball in time for Tynes’ field goal attempt.

Meanwhile, the Giants’ defense which was dominant through the first three quarters, allowing just four first downs, 91 total yards, and only 23 passing yards before the fourth quarter, forcing Kansas City to punt on six straight possessions spanning the first three quarters, after the Chiefs’ first-quarter field goal.

The second half started with some trickery on both sides. Kansas City opened the half with an onside kick, but an alert Bryan Kehl, who also pounced on the Chiefs’ game-opening fumble, recovered the ball again for the Giants, at the Chiefs’ 42 yard-line. That led to another Tynes field goal, this time from 40 yards away, putting the Giants up 20-3, with 10:22 remaining in the third quarter. Tynes received that opportunity after the Giants kept the eight-play drive alive by running a direct snap on the fourth play of the drive to running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who ran for nine yards and a first down on a 4th-and-3 play that Manning did a good job of selling by faking a high snap over his head.

In the fourth quarter, rookie wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, who sat out the past two games with a foot injury, showed why the Giants drafted him with the first pick in the 2009 draft, with a couple of nice stutter-step moves to free himself for a 54–yard touchdown –- the first of his career –- on a sprint up the left sideline, giving the Giants a commanding 27-3 lead with 13:28 left in the game.

That was Manning’s last play of the game after suffering a bruised heel while planting his right foot, attempting a pass on the previous play. Manning, who completed 20 of 34 passes for 292 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, doesn’t believe the injury should keep him from starting next week’s game at home, against Oakland (1-3). “I don’t think it’s awful, I think I’ve been injured worse before,” he said. “We’ll see how it feels throughout the week. I could stand up, I could still walk around and put pressure on it. I always assume I’m going to play, that I’m going to be out there. I’ve always been a pretty quick healer. I’ll be doing everything I can possibly do this week to get healthy and prepared to play Oakland.”

After not allowing a touchdown through seven quarters over the past two weeks, the Giants let the Chiefs make what should have been a blowout, become respectable, as Kansas City found the end zone for two harmless scores in the final quarter. Jamaal Charles, the culprit who fumbled the opening kickoff, somewhat redeemed himself after Nicks’ touchdown with a 53-yard kickoff return to the Giants’ 48-yard line. The Chiefs then converted two fourth downs during an 11-play touchdown drive, but they failed on an ensuing two-point conversion attempt, to pull only to within 27-9, with 9:26 left in the game.

New York then went three-and-out on its next two possessions with backup quarterback David Carr replacing Manning. Sandwiched in between those two possessions, was the Chiefs’ final scoring drive of 12 plays, 59 yards, to make the final margin 27-16, on a touchdown with 4:54 remaining.

The Giants held big advantages in both total yards (429-193) and passing yards (273-88), as Brandon Jacobs (92 yards on 21 carries) helped New York outgain Kansas City on the ground, 156-105.

New York, which has started 4-0 for the second straight year, has won its first three road games of a season for the first time since 1990. The Giants also became only the eighth of 107 teams since 1990 to play in three straight road games while navigating through such a trip without a defeat. The Chiefs meanwhile, are just 6-30 since their last winning season, a 9-7 campaign in 2006.

Still, there are some early signs that the final 2009 NFL standings could look drastically different than they did a year ago.

Only two (the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings) of last year’s eight division winners thus far are leading those same divisions this year.

And, three teams (Miami, Tennessee, and Carolina) that captured division titles a season ago are each still seeking their first win in 2009.

Last year’s AFC East champions, the Miami Dolphins have run the wildcat successfully enough to rank third in the league in both rushing offense and time of possession, but as we saw in their 27-23 loss to Indianapolis in which the Colts set a league record for having the ball for the least amount of time in a victory, that formula doesn’t necessarily translate to enough points (Miami is averaging just 14.3 per game) or wins (the Dolphins are 0-3). Throw in starting quarterback Chad Pennington’s latest season-ending injury, and Miami might be poised to go from the best turn-around in NFL history (from 1-15 in 2007, to 11-5 last season) right back to where it was two years ago.

The Tennessee Titans meanwhile, have been in every game they’ve played so far this year, and they’ve had some tough-luck losses, two by a field goal (one of those in overtime), and a third by a touchdown. However, last season’s AFC South champions have remarkably gone from the NFL’s best record (13-3) after a 10-0 start in 2008, to already matching last season’s loss total with an 0-3 beginning this year. Tennessee has a lot more talent and thus hope, than Miami, to turn things around, but NFL history has been unkind to 0-3 teams making the playoffs let alone winning a division.

And then there’s the Carolina Panthers, last year’s NFC South champions, also starting this season at 0-3 after going 12-4 a year ago. The Panthers were thoroughly embarrassed against Philadelphia in their 2009 season opener at home, a place where they went a perfect 8-0 in the 2008 regular season… that is until they were upset in a blowout loss to Arizona in last year’s NFC divisional playoff game –- which also marked a sharp turnaround for quarterback Jake Delhomme and the Panthers’ offense. Over Carolina’s last four games, Including last season’s playoff loss plus the Panthers’ first three games in 2009, Carolina has lost as many games (4) and Delhomme has thrown as many interceptions (12) as the Panthers and Delhomme had respectively, throughout the entire 2008 regular season. Carolina has already been outscored by 50 points (87-37), averaging a measly 12.3 point per game this season. That’s a huge departure from the team that was the number two seed in the 2008 NFC playoffs.

Meanwhile, last season’s Super Bowl participants, Pittsburgh and Arizona, the only teams to navigate through their respective divisions with perfect 6-0 records in 2008, are each just 1-2, and each has already lost its first game within its division.

Of course, if some of last year’s division winners are struggling now, there must be others which have stepped up and taken their place, and that’s been the case so far this year in nearly every division in the league.

In the AFC East, the 9-7 Jets of a year ago have begun 3-0 to lead that division on the strength of one of the NFL’s best defenses thus far in 2009.

In the AFC South, the Baltimore Ravens were already good last year, but they fell short to Pittsburgh by a game for the 2008 division title. This year however, they look to be one of the NFL’s most complete teams en route to a division-leading 3-0 record.

A similar situation for Indianapolis in the AFC South. After losing the division by one game to the Titans in 2008, the Colts have again ridden quarterback Peyton Manning’s arm to the top of the AFC South –- for now –- where they sit at 3-0.

And, to round out all AFC divisions with new leaders at 3-0, the undefeated Denver Broncos, albeit against a soft schedule to this point, have played well, allowing an NFL-low 16 points (just 5.3 points per game).

In the NFC, the only stability from last season can be found in the NFC East and in the NFC North.

But, with the Panthers and Cardinals faltering, last season’s 8-8, last place New Orleans Saints look like the NFL’s best team so far in 2009, storming their way to a 3-0 mark, crushing their opponents by a combined 120-56 so far; and the first-place San Francisco 49ers, just 7-9 a year ago, have already won at Arizona this season, and are a Minnesota Miracle pass (a Vikings’ game-winning 32-yard touchdown pass with just :02 left) from also being perfect at 3-0.

There’s a lot of football left, and November and December in the NFL often look a lot different than September. But, so far, it looks like we should be forgetting all about 2008 and possibly getting ready for a lot of new faces as either division winners or at least, playoff contenders, in 2009.

The seesaw battle before 105,121 fans, the largest crowd in National Football League history, featured eight lead changes, as the Giants finally overcame their offense’s inability to score touchdowns in what Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin likes to optimistically term the “green zone” over the more common moniker of “red zone,” (probably due to the Giants’ frequent inefficiency inside an opponent’s 20-yard line, often leaving the Giants seeing red with frustration).

In that regard, Sunday night’s game in Dallas, which Coughlin called “A heck of a football game,”  was no different. The Giants had ample opportunity to be safely ahead by the fourth quarter, but prior to Tynes’ game-winning kick, the Giants managed just nine points on three Tynes’ field goals in four trips inside the red (or… green…) zone.

The Cowboys also did something a lot better that entering the game, figured to be a big edge for the Giants. Last week, Dallas allowed 174 rushing yards in a win at Tampa Bay. The Giants meanwhile, are widely considered to have one of the NFL’s top rushing games, while being good at stopping the run themselves. Yet, the Cowboys ran all over the Giants, amassing their most rushing yards since 1993, compiling a huge advantage of 251-97 yards on the ground, led by Dallas running backs Marion Barber (124 yards on 18 carries) and Felix Jones (96 yards on just seven rushes).

However, while the Cowboys tried to use that running attack to fuel a win on their own historic night, the Giants, in victory, made some history of their own.

Down two receivers, with this year’s first-round draft pick, Hakeem Nicks, already out, and starter Domenic  Hixon lost early in the game to an injury after making just one catch for thirteen yards, the Giants were In desperate need of wideout targets to step up for Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning.

So, what better person to fill that void than a receiver whose surname begins with the surname of the signal caller getting him the ball?

Enter Mario Manningham, the second-year, former University of Michigan star, who came into the game with just seven receptions in eight career games as a Giant. Manningham caught ten passes for a game-high and career-high 150 yards, including a couple of key grabs.

Manningham gave the Giants a 20-14 late second-quarter lead with a sensational catch three plays after an extremely fortuitous bounce off of the right heel of Cowboys’ tight end Jason Whitten led to an interception by Giants’ strong safety Kenny Phillips (which was blown dead before Phillips could score because just about everyone in the building thought the ball hit the ground for an incomplete pass with the naked eye). Manningham’s 22-yard touchdown reception hit of off his hands in the end zone and popped up in the air, before being caught by Manningham while on his back in the far right corner of the end zone, all after beating the Cowboys’ best defensive back, 2007 pro bowler, Terence Newman, who harassed Manningham during the whole play.

The score was the 100th of Manning’s career, making he and brother Peyton the only pair of NFL brothers to each throw for 100 career touchdowns.

Later, on the game-winning drive, Manningham demonstrated equally good concentration, catching a tipped pass on third-and-four, for a first down at the Cowboys’ 33 yard line with 39 seconds left in the game.

Manningham recognized the urgency of the Giants’ receiving corps to pick up the slack for a less than impressive New York running attack, saying, “Our running backs [were] down, but we had to step up as [receivers].”

On the next play, Steve Smith, the third-year receiver out of USC, who like Manningham, had his own first-ever ten-reception game (for 134 yards) in the NFL, made a 12-yard reception, getting the Giants into serious field goal range at the Dallas 21 yard line, two plays before Tynes redeemed himself for missing a chip shot 29-yard field goal attempt on the opening drive of the second half.

Tynes, as he did during the Giants’ Super Bowl XLII run (see the NFC championship game that year at Green Bay), is no stranger to putting a bad kick behind him in order to make a late-game pressure kick. “You’re gonna miss in this league, and I think you’re based on [how you] respond after those misses. I think I’ve handled that well in my career,” Tynes said.

The combination of Manningham and Smith ended a Giants’ 13-game stretch without a 100-yard receiver, accounted for 20 of Manning’s 25 completions (in 38 attempts), and gave the Giants the first game in their long, storied history with multiple Giants receivers catching at least ten passes apiece.

Meanwhile, Manning, who coolly involved receiver Derek Hagan and tight end Kevin Boss early on the final drive, finished the night with the most yards he had thrown for in over three years, since a 371-yard performance in a win at Philadelphia on September 17, 2006.

New York also took advantage of some key Dallas miscues, turning a fumble and three interceptions of Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo into 24 points.

That tone was set early by Bruce Johnson, who forced a fumble in his first career game last week against Washington. Undrafted out of the University of Miami, the Giants’ only rookie free-agent signing this season intercepted Romo and returned the ball 34 yards for a his first career touchdown, giving the Giants a 10-7 lead with 2:46 left in the first quarter.

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo admitted having a dismal game, saying “I’m just really, really disappointed in myself… it’s disappointing and frustrating.”

Ultimately, both Manningham and Smith breaking out, and the Giants cashing in just enough after winning the turnover battle 4-0 against Dallas, proved to be barely enough to push Big Blue into sole possession of first place in the NFC East at 2-0, before they head to Tampa Bay (0-2) on Sunday, at 1pm EST.

The Cowboys (1-1), which fell into a three-way tie for second place behind the Giants with the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles, will again show off their new home for a national television audience again week, when they host the Carolina Panthers (0-2) on Monday Night Football, at 8:30pm EST.

The Jets? Without the fanfare of Brett Favre and their December collapse, they will have to go on the road for their two prime time affairs – an ESPN Monday Night Football game at Miami (October 12) and in Montreal for what is considered a Buffalo Bills home game on Thursday, December 3 on the NFL Network.

For the sideline boss of Gang Green, finally seeing where and when his team will be was a sign of good things. “We got the schedule today and I am fired up about the coming season,” Rex Ryan said. “This will be my first season as a head coach and the schedule is filled with challenges, but our coaching staff and players have been working hard and I know that we will be ready.”

On the plate in Week One for the Jets is a road game versus the Texans, the first time in 22 years that they have opened up the season in the big state. Back then it was the Houston Oilers on the short end of a 20-0 score at the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World,’ otherwise known as the Astrodome.

The home opener a week later will bring a familiar foe into East Rutherford as the Patriots make the trip south for the fourth consecutive year. Things do not get any easier as the Tennessee Titans are up next and they will be looking to avenge the Jets’ Week 12 win last year that snapped their 10-game winning streak. Other notable games on the schedule are at Indianapolis (December 27) and – barring any post-season home games – the last dance at the old building on January 3 versus Cincinnati.

In 2010, both teams will move into the brand new stadium right next door and the Giants would love to close out an era with a better showing than last year’s Divisional Round playoff loss to the Eagles. They open things up on September 13 at home versus the Redskins then go on a three-game road trip to Dallas, Tampa Bay and Kansas City.

Big Blue will have the evening game on the NFL Network on Thanksgiving Day at Denver then have three division games after that, at home versus Dallas and Philadelphia and at Washington. A tough stretch, indeed, something not lost on head coach Tom Coughlin, who noted the advantage of having the bye in Week 10.

“We play nine games before the bye – I think that’s better for us,” he said to reporters, commenting on the early Week 4 week off in 2008. “The bye gives the players, I think, an opportunity to play a long stretch against high-quality opponents and then have a little break.”

For the second consecutive season, the G-Men finish up at Minnesota (January 3) and will look to springboard into the playoffs on a higher note than last year when they lost by a field goal at the final gun.

Of course, the NFL’s flexible scheduling in the season’s final seven weeks make all of those games tentative and officially considered “To Be Announced” for a starting time. Depending on where both teams are at that point in the season will determine their schedule, with NBC getting the opportunity to switch their night game to show a better match-up than what was put on the charts months in advance.

If Ryan and Coughlin’s troops do their jobs, both teams may end up with more national games than the seven planned now. First things first, though.