Week two is in the books and things aren’t going as planned for some teams. Indianapolis barely squeaked out a victory over Minnesota. Jacksonville sits at 0-2 as does San Diego, Seattle and Cleveland. Other teams have to feel like making the squeaky-happy voice. The Cardinals are in first place, as is Buffalo. Welcome to topsy-turvey-ville!

Lucky, there are still a few things we can depend on. Detroit, Miami, Kansas City and the Rams are all 0-2. New England is 2-0, and Brett Favre still wears green. Ok that last one is stretching a bit. Denver still begins each year looking like THE team in their division until somewhere around November when the snow piles up and the Broncos melt down, a strange inverse snow/horse relationship the city of Denver has witnessed over the past number of years.

Fantastic Finish Numero Uno – Trailing 38-31 with less time left on the clock than it takes to run to the Fridge for a beer, Jay Cutler rolled out on a third-and-goal at the one and the ball careened from his hand to the turf, an obvious fumble. LinebackerTim Dobbins of the San Diego Chargers, recovered for an apparent Charger victory. BUT WAIT!! Thanks to a toot of the whistle, the play was ruled an incomplete pass and was not reviewable because of said toot, and the fumble / incomplete pass put the ball back into the hands of the offending fumble guy Jake Cutler. Denver then threw for the score, making it 38-37. Instead of going for the tie, since all San Diego did the entire game was march up and down the field at will, Coach Mike Shannahan took the gamble and went for two. Hey 50-50 shot to win a football game! Not bad odds. Denver ran exactly the same play it ran for the TD and WALLA Denver wins. Norv Turner’s facial expression was that of a grown up who’d just made a load in his pants, but it didn’t matter. Denver wins 39-38. Broncos are 2-0 on the season and the Chargers are 0-2. GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY!!! Jay Cutler threw for 350 yards and four scores, while Phillip Rivers tossed for 377 yards and three scores. Can you say “Lack of Defense?”.

Fantastic Finish Numero Dos – The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers faced off with Seattle sporting a fantastic home record over the past couple years. The 49ers took that as a challenge. Down by seven heading into the fourth, Seattle roared back with ten unanswered points, taking a 30-27 lead with roughly seven minutes to go in the contest. With 2.42 left, Joe Nedney tied the game at 30-all, then kicked a 40 yarder 4:40 into overtime to win it for the niners. J.T. O’Sullivan, the 49ers quarterback, not the name of the bar I watched the game from, three for 321 years in the victory. Matt Hasselbeck threw two interceptions in the loss. The 49ers chase the undefeated Arizona Cardinals with a 1-1 record while Seattle sits in the basement at 0-2.

What the Favre game of the Week – Dallas and Philadelphia squared off on Monday night in what was sure to be quite the contest, both teams sitting at 1-0. The first half ended with the score looking like the entire contest was over a 30-24 Eagles. The Eagles scored fourteen of their points in the span of 14 seconds, thanks to a fumble in the end zone by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. As it turned out, it didn’t matter as he and Terrell Owens hooked up for a pair of TD’s themselves, T.O. moving into second all time on the TD list just 65 TD’s behind retired wide receiver Jerry Rice, and Dallas pulls off a 41-37 victory on Monday Night Football. The oddity of the game was displayed rather appropriately when a 61 yard touchdown pass from McNabb to Desean Jackson went from TD to just a sixty yard completion because he dropped the ball on the one. How many times do we have to witness spikability happening outside the endzone before football gentleman think, HEY, maybe I’ll cross the ENTIRE field before relieving myself of this burdensome pig-skin. Cowboys are 2-0 on the season, while the Eagles fall to 1-1. Romo has 312 yards of offense versus McNabbs’ 281. Whitten catches 110 of those yards for the Cowboys, Jackson the same number for the Eagles.

What the Favre game of the Week Number 2 – Cleveland and Pittsburgh squared off Sunday night with Clevelands’ secondary needing some big time help after last week’s debacle against the Cowboys. Enter remnants of hurricane Ike. The Browns relied on heavy winds and defensive line pressure on this night, and it paid off. Next week they will need a new hurricane or game plan. Even with the wind, Cleveland lost 10-6. In yet the second week in a row, Cleveland trailed and kicked a field goal that would not help them out one bit in the scoring column to catch the opponent. This time, they were down by seven with 3:21 left in the game. Facing fourth and goal, and needing one score to tie, they kicked a field goal and still needed one score to catch the Steelers. No scores later, they lose. Congratulations, you play for the loss, you get the loss. Steelers are 2-0, Browns are 0-2. Some would say this game might mark end of playoff chances for the Brownies.

Favre might as well be What the Favre Game Number 3 – Brett Favre and the New York Jets had the perfect opportunity to show what a great move they made by getting Favre and by Favre moving. They took on a Tom Brady-less New England squad at home with the opportunity to look down in the standings at the Patroits, something they haven’t done since probably the invention of electricity. No such luck. Matt Cassel hre for 165 yards and no TD’s, but more importantly, the New England Patriots held Brett Favre to 181 yards and picked him off once, propelling the Pats on to victory. They win 19-10. The Jets fall to 1-1, while New England is 2-0. Imagine that! Stranger than fiction, the Jets actually went into this game favorites. What the Favre!!

Back to earth little Birdies – One week after the Altanta Falcons had a perfect record of 1-0, they tumble back to earth, getting stomped at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Had it not been for Atlanta kicker Jason Elam, the Falcons would have laid a goose egg, thus indicating unusual mating going on because of hurricane Ike. Brian Greise and Matt Ryan both threw for 160 yards or less, but somebody had to win, the difference being Tampas Graham rushing for 116 yards and Matt Ryan throwing two ill-fated interceptions. Bucs are 1-1 on the season, as is Atlanta.

It’s not the year of the Locusts – In last weeks CFC, I suggested the Bengals might want to consider a name change to the Locusts as they only show up every x number of years. This year is obviously not that year. Kerry Collins substituted for made-for-tv-movie Vince Young, and led the Tennessee Titans to a 24-7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Collins was 14 for 21 with 128 yards passing and a TD, while Carson Palmer continued his struggles this year throwing for 134 yards and getting picked twice in the loss. Johnson rushed for 109 yards, supporting Collins efforts. Titans are 2-0 and lead the AFC south, while the Bengals hover in the basement at 0-2.

Underwear Changer Number 1 – Four games that haven’t been reviewed yet might require an underwear change afterward since they ended up being so close you might have had an accident in your pants. The Colts / Vikings was such a meeting. With Minnesota’s defense introducing Peyton Manning’s helmet to turf more often than not, it appeared highly likely the Indianapolis Colts would be on the short end of the scoring stick in this one. With 5:54 left to play, Manning showed why he is named after a great quarterback – wait he is the great quarterback Peyton Manning – by pitching a 32 yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne, then watching Addai run for two to tie the game, thwarting a five field goal night by Minnesota’s Ryan Longwell. Manning ended up with 311 yards and one TD with a pair of interceptions, but more importantly, Indy came up with a win 18-15 on an Adam Vinatieri field goal with three seconds left, sealing the victory. If that doesn’t make you change your underwear nothing will, except maybe too many hot wings on 15 cent wing night.

Underwear Changer Number 2 – Seems weird to use the number two to denote second in an underwear changing list rather than standing for number two actually in the underwear, yet that is the case. The Washington Redskins trailed the New Orleans Saints 24-22 with just under four minutes to play and 67 yards separating them from the endzone when Jason Campbell thought of an easy way to victory. “Hey let’s go 67 yards in one play”. Hey, good idea! He avoids the rush, goes deep to Santana Moss, and just like that, the Redskins are 2-0 with a 29-24 victory. Campbell throws for 321 yards and Clinton Portis just misses a buck, going 96 yards on 21 carries. Drew Brees throws for 216 yards, but two interceptions in defeat. Maybe Phillip Rivers isn’t so bad. Saints fall to 1-1.

Underwear Changer Number 3 – All over North Carolina, football fans are happily shopping for new under garments as in two weeks, they’ve almost gone through a three pack of underpants watching their Panthers. This week, Carolina comes back after being down by two TD’s to the Chicago Bears, winning, John Casey supplying nine points, and Jonathon Stewart coming up with TD on a four yard run, and the Panthers hang on for a 20-17 victory. Seems appropriate two guys with the first name John would be responsible for a Carolina under garment change. Carolina improves to 2-0 on the year, while they drop Chicago to 1-1. Jake Delhomme stinks in the victory, throwing for 128 yards and one interception, while Kyle Orton isn’t much better for the Bears, throwing for 149 yards.

Underwear Changer Number 4 – Deep in a buffalo pile, the Bills rally for ten points in the last 4:10 of the game, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-16. The Jags looked to have this one well in hand, but forgot to flush, and the Bills storm back to move to 2-0 on the season, knocking Jacksonville to 0-2. Going into this year, most sports minds would have predicted the exact opposite records for these two teams, with Bills fans having two more pairs of panties than they currently own now. I wonder how much underwear sales end up going up in the fall, minus of course those purchased strictly for Christmas gifts.

And Finally, the Blowouts – Four games turned out to be blowouts. Aaron Rogers led his Packers to victory 48-25 over the Detroit Lions. Rogers went off for 328 yards and three scores in victory, while John Kitna was picked three times in defeat. Green Bay is 2-0 on the season. Detroit? 0-2.

Blowout Number 2 – The New York Giants laid waste to the St. Louis Rams, thrashing them 41-13. New York’s defense does not appear to be missing any pieces in victory even though it is, and the Rams look like they are about 19 pieces shy of a 22 man puzzle in defeat. The Rams fall to 0-2 on the season. New York is 2-0. Eli Manning gets 260 yards and three TD’s in, compared to Matt Bulgers’ 177 yards, 1 TD and an INT. Wham Bam, thank you Ma’am say the Giants…. On to week three.

Blowout Number 3 – Can you say Kurt Warner is back? Apparently the highest passer rating a QB can score is a 158.3. I have no idea why the .3 is there or why 158.3 is the highest (I guess the QB rating system never met the metric system), but being as such, Warner registered his third perfect rating of his career, tying Peyton Manning for the NFL record, while guiding his Arizona Cardinals to a 31-10 shellacking of the Miami Dolphins. Warners’ final numbers? 361 yards and three TD’s. Yea, that is pretty good. Wonder if Matt Leinart has taken his helmet off on the sideline yet. Edgerrin James went over the 15,000 yard mark for his career, only the fourteenth guy to pull off that particular stunt, and Arizona is 2-0 on the season. Anquan Boldin caught all three TD passes Warner threw, the longest a 79 yard strike early in the first quarter.

Blowout Number 4 – Usually when typing a recap about a blowout, and mentioning the Oakland Raiders, the Raiders are on the diaper side of said blowout. This time they are the administrators of it in a 23-8 victory. Kansas City definitely had the look of a dirty diaper in this one, changing quarterbacks almost as often as a baby swaps diapers in a three hour period, using three on both the Raiders and the buttocks. Raiders move to 1-1 on the season, while the Chiefs just smell at 0-2.

As the curtain closes on another NFL week, we have ten teams yet to lose, while on the other end of the stick ten other teams have not yet tasted success in the 2008 season. CFC throws away his bucket of KFC ready for another commercial called work before the NFL resumes in week 3.

Ouch. In two weeks the Browns season has gone from playoff contender to near catastrophe. Winning at least one game in the first two weeks was key, and now the Browns have two hard weeks ahead on the road in Baltimore and Cincinnati. Just a friendly reminder, no team has ever made the playoffs after starting the year 0-3.

While this game wasn't as bad as other losses to the Steelers, it still makes 10 losses in a row. The players know this isn't as bad as the Christmas Eve 2005 loss, the Browns will never win the division until they can at least split the series with the Steelers. For an interesting take on what the players are saying, check out ClevelandLeader.com.

The most telling review was from Barry McBride of the Orange and Brown Report. He says that Romeo is possibly the weakest link on this Browns team.

As if losing wasn't enough, the Browns depleted roster likely took another big hit. Per Zac Jackson, Robaire Smith suffered an Achilles tendon injury during the game, and it doesn't sound positive. Even a partially torn Achilles will probably put Smith out for the year, and given the state of the roster this is the best option.

For the Steelers, this game was dominant on both sides of the ball. They didn't need to light up the scoreboard, but they still controlled both the air and the ground. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes teased the crowd and Browns defensive backs all night; and Aaron Smith held the line of scrimmage in check with two sacks.

Game Balls

Offense: Kellen Winslow, TE – With Braylon Edwards dropping balls all over the field, Winslow has picked up the slack. The trouble is, Derek Anderson can't get him the ball. Winslow fights for yards, plays through injuries, and leads on the field. I was adamantly against it in the summer, but Winslow needs a new deal if this season continues on at this pace.

Defense: Shaun Rogers, NT – Speaking of big effort and play, Rogers has been playing great so far this season. He's done this before in Detroit only to fall apart, but why worry about next week? Rogers is generating pressure and collapsing the pocket, but teams can still run on the Browns. That's not Rogers fault.

Special Teams: Josh Cribbs, WR – In what was a horrible night for wind down at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cribbs was the star (big shock). The Steelers did all they could to avoid kicking to him, but Cribbs again fought for yards and field position. He's clearly not 100 percent, but his return did help.

Turning Point

Another week, another field goal. This time it could have been more, but the Browns played it safe again. With 3:24 left in the fourth quarter on 4th & 7, Crennel chose to kick a field goal to bring the score 10-6 in favor of Pittsburgh. The Browns defense never got the stop, and consequently never had a shot Why not go for it at that point? Getting six points, and then getting the extra point puts the game into overtime. Kicking a field goal there is a bit too safe, especially when your team needs a win. Look at what Denver did down by one in the fourth quarter yesterday and time running out: they went for two, got it, and one. Yesterday was not a day to play it safe.

Last Straw

When a team is getting flagged for illegal procedure on a kickoff, it doesn't get much lower than that. That's a penalty that gets called maybe once a season in pro football, and that might even be a bit generous. That play symbolizes the Browns season thus far.

Thoughts on the game? Comment!

- Beacon Journal (Marla Ridenour): Frustrated once again
- Beacon Journal (Patrick McManamon): Decisions defy logic, deliver Browns defeat
- Beacon Journal (George Thomas): Browns spread blame around among selves
- Canton Repository (Steve Doerschuk): Browns' defense does job, offense doesn't
- Columbus Dispatch (Aaron Portzline): Crennel's late-half decisions hurt Browns in loss
- Plain Dealer (Bud Shaw): Beat the Steelers? Here's a novel idea, how about the Browns keep from beating themselves?
- Plain Dealer (Terry Pluto): Scribbles: Bad combination can't unlock offense
- Post-Gazette (Ed Bouchette): Steelers take early division advantage

What I'm saying today: I didn't get to watch the game live, but DVR'd it. The game was dull and I fell asleep by the end of the first half. (Hey, waking up at 6 a.m. does that to you.) From what I did see, a lot of the first half problems again stem from the fact that Braylon Edwards isn't catching the ball. He dropped three catchable passes that would have continued drives. If he can't get things together, and quick, the offense will continue to sputter.

On the plus side, Shaun Rogers and Brodney Pool played pretty well. They may have stunk it up in the second half, though. I don't know. Luke may or may not have more thoughts on the game at some point.

Game time: 8:30
Station: NBC
Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium

For the Browns, last week's game against Dallas was a complete disaster. For the Steelers, last week's game against Houston was spectacular. Oh well. That's why the cliche, "one game at a time" is around.

When Cleveland has the ball: The Steelers have traditionally been a good run-stopping team, so whatever success the Browns have today could have to come through the air. That means Braylon Edwards will have to have a much better game this week. Once again, Kellen Winslow will be the key factor for the offense. When he was making catches in the first half against Dallas, the offense was moving some. In the second half, when he only caught one pass, the offense was awful.

As the team forces Pittsburgh's linebackers to drop into coverage, it will open up the running game for Jamal Lewis.

When Pittsburgh has the ball: Much like the Cowboys last week, the Steelers have a pretty balanced offense. Fortunately for the Browns, their players aren't as talented, outside of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. This is the kind of game where outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley needs to excel. It's been proven if pressure can be put on Roethlisberger in the pocket, he can get in trouble. However, he is a threat to run, so the pressure has to be contained.

The Browns could have some trouble with deep coverage now that Sean Jones is out. Look for the Steelers to go deep to Santonio Holmes, particularly if Brandon McDonald is covering him.

Key matchup: Steelers tight end Heath Miller against the Browns outside linebackers. If either Wimbley or Willie McGinest are forced to cover Miller one-on-one, it will neutralize any pass rush the Browns may have.

What Cleveland absolutely has to do to win: Keep feeding the ball to Winslow. Pittsburgh has talent on defense, but no one quite good enough to match up with Winslow. If he doesn't have at least seven or eight catches, it could be a problem. Edwards is an unknown still, as is Lewis' health. Joshua Cribbs is supposed to be back today, as well, so he'll need to set the team up with good field position.

The spread: The Browns are a 6-point underdog and the over/under is 44.5

The prediction: Pittsburgh 24, Cleveland 17
Hopefully the Browns will look better this week, but the Steelers just seem too talented.

Also see:
Beacon Journal: Browns-Steelers: Five things to watch
Beacon Journal: Anderson faces ultimate hurdle
Plain Dealer: Can Browns erase black and gold nightmare?
Post Gazette: Steelers may not own Browns, but they've got one heck of a lease on their Turnpike neighbors

Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Mike Tomlin calls the Browns the team to beat in the AFC North.

Eries Times News: Hines Ward wants to exploit the Browns lack of experience. Big Ben won't be able to live it down in Ohio if he doesn't win on Sunday.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Justin Hartwig has a big job to take on Sunday in nose tackle Shaun Rogers.

Beaver County Times: The Steelers should copy the Cowboys gameplan this week.

Here is some neat info for you Browns fans.

This Saturday and Sunday, the Samsung/NFL mobile studio cameras will be in the area shooting footage for a Super Bowl commercial. Instead of trying to re-write the information, it is below.

• Sept 13 – Best Buy, 1417 Golden Gate Blvd , Mayfield Heights, OH 44124, 12 – 5 p.m.
• Sept 14 – Cleveland Browns Stadium, South Roadway – National City Gate, 100 Alfred Lerner Way Cleveland, OH 44114, 3:00 p.m. registration

Samsung and the NFL are giving fans the opportunity to share their passion and stories surrounding America's favorite sport as part of this year's "Super Ad: That's How I See It" campaign. The NFL Super Ad mobile studio will be making up to 20 stops in various NFL markets at stadiums and at Samsung's retail partner Best Buy now through Oct. 26. For a full schedule, please visit www.nfl.com/superad.

They also suggest you, "have lots of energy, wear your favorite team shirt, paint you faces, bring you lucky team mug or anything that will make you stand out in the crowd. Cause after all you as a lover of the Cleveland Brown's should help get as many Cleveland Brown's fans featured in the spot as possible."

That last sentence made me chuckle a little. I mean, could this be the only way the Browns are featured in the Super Bowl? Yeah, it seems like it.

Tony GrossiMary Kay Cabot is reporting that Sean Jones will miss the next several weeks after having his right knee scoped. Jones is expected to return this season, per coach Romeo Crennel. Never the less the Browns secondary is painfully thin at this point, and now they lose their signal caller and on field leader. The combination of Mike Adams and Nick Sorensen will be used to replace Jones. The bright side is that starting free safety Brodney Pool should return this week from his concussion.

The NFL season kicked off in grand fashion this past week, and what a way to start with the New York Giants, winners of last years’ Super Bowl as the opening game on Thursday night. Week one definitely was no slouch of a weekend. First off, everyone wore a patch on the front left of their uniform that said “GU” on it for recently departed player’s union chief Gene Upshaw in a tactful display of respect for a man who has definitely helped shape the league over many, many years. We saw one of the premier players knocked out for an entire season, and heard “It’s the story, of a man named Brady” run through our heads as it happened. NFL fans everywhere either cheered wildly or were forlorn, as that is how big a loss or gain Brady is, depending on one’s perspective. We were witness to Indianapolis actually losing a game prior to going at least 10-0 to start the season. We saw Jacksonville and Seattle bite it in upsets, and one game went down to the wire with Carolina pulling it out at the end of regulation. We watched someone or something from the media dub Brett Favre “Broadway Brett” and can only hope that little diddy of a nickname doesn’t stick. Chad Johnson is still a Johnson on the back of his uniform even though he officially changed his last name to “Ocho Cinco”. Instead he should have went with the Spanish slang word for the male body part that Johnson represents and it would have made a lot more sense. The Commish probably would have even allowed that on the jersey as an appropriate compromise for rename-ability. Instead Johnson wants ocho cinco. If you combine that with his male anatomy last name, it just sounds like he is bragging about size on the back of his uniform. Really, at that point, might as well stick with Johnson. We saw media darling picks Cleveland and Houston pummeled making us wonder how good great sports minds really are. Is it possible putting beer cans with football helmets on them in front of goats and marking the selections based on which can the goat ate first would have been close to or a more accurate way to determining this years teams’ records?

All this and its only week one!! Lets Review!

Best game of the Week #1 – Going into this one, you’d expect Carolina and San Diego to be a good one, assuming of course Jake Delhomme had regained some of his magic after last year’s injuries and Steve “temper, temper” Smith would not be missed because of his suspension. Now that I type that, maybe it shouldn’t have been a good one. Either way you slice it you would probably figure San Diego would still prevail. They almost did, coming to within seconds of victory. That’s when Jake Delhomme hoisted up a pass into the back of the end zone with seconds to play for the win. All this AFTER the Chargers went on top on a TD with just 2:29 to play. GOOD STUFF MAYNARD!! Delhomme finished 23/41 with 247 yards and a TD pass. Phillip Rivers was 17/27 with 217 yards and three scores. LaDainian Tomlinson just missed a buck, getting 97 yards on 21 carries. Carolina wins 26-24. People still wonder why the Chargers let Drew Brees go even though Rivers is not all that shabby.

Speaking of which – Drew Brees threw for the second most yards in week one, trailing only Donovan McNabb, and making you wonder why the Charg… never mind, we went through that already. Brees went off for 343 yards and guided the New Orleans Saints to a 24-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. New Orleans ended the day with 438 yards of total offense. After Tampa Bay went into halftime staked to a 10-7 lead, the score went back and forth and it looked like whoever scored last was going home a winner. With 40 ticks left on the clock and the Saints up 24-20, Garcia had the Bucs charging down the field until his only interception of the night ended the possible go-ahead drive. The Saints played in the Super Dome despite hurricane Gustav hitting earlier in the week. Reggie Bush had 112 yards receiving and 51 yards rushing in the victory. Doesn’t appear he’s a decoy so far this year. What a great idea! Use great players as actual players! Saints win 24-20. Beads are passed out in celebration of the victory and because of the possibility of seeing womanly body parts you’d never see otherwise without the cheap jewelry is reason enough to pass out cheap jewlery.

Biggest Blowout – Donovan McNabb always seems to look great until the injuries creep in, and the start of this year was no exception. He threw for 361 yards and 3 TD’s, a great day for a QB. Somebody earned a hot bowl of Campbell soup! In addition, he had three receivers in DeSean Jackson, Greg Lewis, and Hank Baskett each over a hundred yards in receiving. On a side note, how could you not throw to a receiver with the last name of ‘Baskett”, eh Boo Boo? That is a sure catch! Based on the 38-3 final score, you’d assume the Rams had a multitude of turnovers. Not the case. They just got stomped. Four sacks didn’t help much. Well, at least the city of St. Louis still has slim hopes for the Cardinals.

Second biggest Blowout – Willie Parker returned from a 2007 broken leg season by gaining 138 yards. Ben Rothensberger was 13/14 with two TD’s. The Texans went for a fourth down early and didn’t get it, and the route was on. Matt Schaub threw two interceptions and coughed up a fumble. Result? Pittsburgh beat the Texans 38-17. There’s a surprise.

So Favre is where? – If reading this column makes Brett Favre’s name turning up in the Jets / Dophins recap a gigantic surprise to you, then welcome back from your vacation from under a rock. Next time a travel agency asks if you’d like a really cheap vacation down under, make sure they are talking about Australia. Brett Favre looked like Brett Favre(kinda-sorta), and the outcome was definitely Favrish – Victory. The Jets beat the Dolphins 20-14. While a win is a win, I’m not sold on the Jets being markedly better because of Favre. Only time will end up telling that tale. He did pull off a Favre-like Houdini escape and up-for-grabs throw for a touchdown, the kind that only Favre makes and people cheer when it leaves his hand; unlike if someone else threw it and you could hear the collective wince from the audience. Favre threw for 293 yards. Chad Pennington, the guy he replaced threw for 277. That’s a net gain of fifteen yards for New York on the head-to-head match-up after the Jets Trade-and-Cut!! Come to think of it, that would be a great name for a sports memorabilia and Deli counter store, Thre Trade and Cut”. The most important stat though is a 1 in the win column and a 0 in the loss column versus the opposite Pennington’s team ended up with. Jets win 20-14.

It’s the story, of a man name Brady – see you still hear it. Going into week one, Tom Brady was third on the NFL’s starting streak list with 128 straight games. His season looks to be over from a serious knee injury. While New England pulled out a victory over the Chiefs with a 17-10 win, they are going to remember this one more as a loss. Brady was 7-11 with 76 yards passing prior to the first quarter injury. Matt Cassel took over and performed well, going a Brady-like 13 for 18 with 152 yards and a TD. The Chiefs also lost their starting QB as Brodie Croyle left in the third quarter with a bruised shoulder and was replaced by Damon Huard. Coach Bill Belicheck prides himself on his plug and play offense. It will be interesting to see how much of a beat the offense is missing without its heart, and leader Tom Brady. Like him or not, as an NFL watcher, it won’t be the same not seeing him at the helm of the Pats week in and week out this year.

The “Glad I didn’t stay up for the second half” game of the week – Thursday nights Giants / Redskins game went into half-time as a 16-7 score, the Giants on top. This was a great time to go to bed, but no-one told the people watching. As it turned out, the first half decided the game, and the Giants opened defense of their title with a victory over the Washington Redskins. That doesn’t mean the second half wasn’t worth watching though, even without any points on the board. Washington was driving for a score with just over two minutes remaining when they came up two yards short on a fourth and thirteen, turning the ball over on downs. Plaxico Burress had 10 catches for 133 yards for the Giants. The Redskins didn’t complete a pass until the first half was almost over, really somewhat of an embarrassment for Washington and a testament to New York’s defense. Giants win 16-7 and move to 1-0 while the Redskins drop to 0-1.

Most Courteous opponent – The Cleveland Browns win the most courteous opponent award in a narrow choice over the Seattle Seahawks. Sure the Cowboys are good, but how good? It was hard to tell since the Brownies elected to enhance the goodness of the Cowboys by playing particularly poorly, thus making them courteous opponents. Most particularly vexing was when the Browns were in the fourth quarter, down by three scores, finally moving the ball, and they faced a fourth down deep in Cowboy territory. They choose to kick a field goal which still leaves them three scores down, and also sucks all the wind out of the sails of momentum they’d happened to gain by having a good drive. You play to lose, you lose. Browns lose 28-10. But it could have been 28-7. Phew!!!

Second most courteous opponent – Like the Cleveland Browns, the Seattle Seahawks were picked to win their division. Based on the 34-10 drubbing at the hands of the Buffalo Bills, Seattle should be happy they play in a division that includes perennial loser Arizona, a bad 49ers squad, and a really bad Rams team. Looks like the only challenger this year will be the Cardinals. This one was won on special teams, Buffalo’s squad looking stellar, and Seattle looking pedestrian. The Bills had a 63 yard punt return and a fake field goal both go for touchdowns. Nothing like getting a 14 point spot!

Three games ended 17-10 – If you are one of those dudes that sit around and predict final scores, had you gone with 17-10 in all first week contests, you’d have been right on three games. Quite frankly, that is some pretty good picking! Feel free to read my prediction column later this week for final scores. Titans beat the Jags 17-10. Patriots beat the Chiefs 17-10 and the Ravens beat the Bengals 17-10. The Pats lose Tom Brady. The Jaguars miss out on their opportunity to FINALLY look down in the standings at Indianapolis, and the Bengals are, well basically the Bengals. Cincinnati should change their name to the locusts – once every x number of years they actually show up.

So, you are going to start Kurt Warner are you? After Coach Wisenhut looked constipated in choosing Kurt Warner as his main man at QB earlier in the week, because he’d earned it, Coach now looks like a genius, although, anyone who’d wizz in their own hut is no genius in my book. Maybe a name change to wizzoutside and I buy into the genius theory. If I were him, I’d call Ocho Cinco for some advice. Cardinals win 23-13. 49ers fans look like they are headed for another year of drinking and looking at their posters of Steve Young and Joe Montana.

Matt who? – The Atlanta Falcons threw rookie Matt Ryan into the fire, naming him their starter for the first game of the season. Guess what…. HE WON!! Atlanta takes down the Lions 34-21. The Detroit Lions were the only team to go 4-0 in the pre-season. Too bad the NFL isn’t like NASCAR’s chase for the cup. If it were, the Lions would get to carry some points from the meaningless part of the season into the season. Unfortunately for them, no such luck. Makes you wonder if mixed up their lists and cut the wrong players.

Brett Who? – After Brett Favre won on Sunday, we had to wait an entire 24 hours to see if his replacement Aaron Rogers could pull off the same stunt. Green Bay squeaks by division rival Minnesota 24-19. Cheese heads everywhere heave a huge sigh of relief, well at least for this week.

Finally, the Denver Broncos beat the Oakland Raiders 41-14. Per usual, will Denver jump out in front of the division only to fold like a ten-dollar card table later in the season? Will John Elway FINALLY come out of retirement? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Until next week, coach from the couch heads to the grocery store in preparation, purchasing extraordinary snacks and larger pants, as football is back and exercise and Sunday productivity are banished from the USA yet another year.

- Akron Beacon Journal: Browns off to a bad start
- ABJ's Patrick McManamon: Browns plummet to depths that defy defense
- Canton Repository (Todd Porter): Another opener and yet another Browns stinker
- Plain Dealer (Bud Shaw): There's no defense for Browns' drab debut — then again, there was no defense at all
- Plain Dealer (Terry Pluto): Scribbles on Braylon's bobbles, defensive futility and Crennel's pointless field goal
- Columbus Dispatch: Brought back to earth
- Dallas Morning News (Jean-Jacques Taylor): Cowboys' offense shows no mercy for an overmatched Browns defense

What I'm saying: The most glaring problem from this game was Derek Anderson not completing a single pass the entire third quarter. That's bothersome. Kellen Winslow, who had four catches in the first half, only had one catch the entire second half. At least we didn't have to watch the Bengals.

Luke may or may not have more thoughts on the game at some point. For now, see reactions from Romeo Crennel and Derek Anderson. Or, see a photo gallery.

It has been quite some time since the Browns entered the season with this much expectation. So, what better way to prove legitimacy than by taking on the favorite of many to win the Super Bowl. This is unquestionably the game of the week in the NFL, thanks in large part to all those expectations but also to the abundance of star power involved. That should make for an exciting game.

When Cleveland has the ball: The status of running back Jamal Lewis is in doubt due to a hamstring. If he can't go, the offense could have trouble moving the ball since coordinator Rob Chudzinski often uses the run to set up the pass.

If Lewis can't play, look for a lot from tight end Kellen Winslow. Cowboys safety Roy Williams struggles against the pass, so Winslow could make a big impact over the deep middle of the field. If he can do that early, deep throws to Braylon Edwards and Donte Stallworth should open up. The play of Winslow will also force the Cowboys to ease back their pressure-based defense. It should also be noted that Dallas will be without starting cornerback Terrence Newman, who is injured. Adam "Pacman" Jones starts in his place, so the drop off isn't drastic.

When Dallas has the ball: What makes the Cowboys dangerous is the balance of their offense. Play heavy against the run and quarterback Tony Romo will pass often to wide receiver Terrell Owens and tight end Jason Witten. Blitz or use double coverage, and Cowboys running backs Marion Barber III and Felix Jones eat up yards and the clock.

So, what is Cleveland to do? Easy: Hope. Young cornerbacks Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald have to be ready to play man coverage. New defensive linemen Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams have to hold up against the run. If those four players play well, that leaves the team to figure out a way to stop Witten. In two-receiver sets, that could be the job of free safety Brodney Pool, which is to say he'll be healthy enough to play. The Browns defense is set up to control the gaps up front, which makes middle linebacker D'Qwell Jackson a sideline-to-sideline player. He needs to have a big game all over the field.

Key matchup: Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware vs. Browns left tackle Joe Thomas. It may have only been preseason, but Thomas didn't look quite as dominant as last season. Ware is probably the best pass rusher Thomas will face this season. Ware likes to speed to the outside before juking inside to make a play on the quarterback. He did this to the tune of 14 sacks last season. Fortunately, Thomas probably has the best combination of quickness and power of any left tackle in the NFL. It could benefit the Browns to run in Ware's direction early to try and wear him out.

Quick fact: In New England's 48-27 win over Dallas last year, Stallworth had seven receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown.

What Cleveland absolutely has to do to win: With Lewis most likely out (or least not 100 percent), it is imperative for Derek Anderson to get in rhythm early. That could be difficult since he didn't play the final two preseason games. If Winslow can get involved in the offense in the first couple of drives, Edwards should see single coverage.

Notes…
Guard Rex Hadnot has been ruled out for the game. Seth McKinney will start in his place. The Browns released rookie receiver Paul Hubbard. Steve Sanders was signed from the practice squad. The reason? Josh Cribbs could be out for this game. That could leave Syndric Steptoe to return kicks and Sanders as the third or fourth receiver.

The spread: Dallas is giving 5.5 points. The over/under is 49.

The prediction: Dallas 30, Cleveland 24
The Cowboys have an offense, at this point, that is just a little better than Cleveland's. Hopefully no more Browns get hurt in this game and the team gets completely healthy for Pittsburgh in Week 2. There would be no shame in losing this game, so long as the team looks competitive and competent.

Also see:
Beacon Journal: Winslow ready for Cowboys
Plain Dealer: Browns welcome test against Cowboys
Dayton Daily News: Browns-Cowboys to kick off star-studded opener
Columbus Dispatch: Browns up for challenge
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Dallas Cowboys’ Greg Ellis can’t complain as season opens
Dallas Morning News: Cowboys' Adam Jones has made changes for the better