GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Oakland Raiders keep trying to climb from ineptitude to respectability. The Arizona Cardinals have shown it can be done.

Staying a contender through inevitable personnel changes is another matter.

Routed by 34 points in Atlanta last weekend, the remodeled Cardinals play the Bruce Gradkowski-led Raiders on Sunday in Arizona’s home opener.

“After you get whipped like that you’ve got to definitely respond,” Arizona defensive end Calais Campbell said. “That’s how you know what this team’s about. It’s a big week for us.”

After surrendering 444 yards against the Falcons, the Cardinals’ defense held a players-only meeting on Wednesday to air out their feelings.

The team leaders who called the meeting, notably defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and outside linebacker Joey Porter, were conspicuously quiet when it came to talking to reporters after Wednesday and Thursday practices. Safety Adrian Wilson finally spoke briefly and with great reluctance.

“I don’t really have anything nice to say,” Wilson said. “I mean, we got whupped. We didn’t even put up a fight. It’s hard for me to say anything right now. Everything I say is going to be negative. I don’t want to go that route.”

The Raiders already have responded to a rough beating. After losing at Tennessee 38-13 in the season opener, Oakland came home to beat St. Louis 16-14.

“The confidence level is pretty high right now,” Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. “After the opening game against Tennessee, we wanted to see how we were going to respond as a team. We came out against St. Louis and got the win, and in this league a win is a win, no matter whom you are playing or how you get it.”

Arizona’s victory also came against the Rams, 21-17 at St. Louis in the season opener.

Raiders coach Tom Cable needed only six quarters to switch quarterbacks, benching Jason Campbell in favor of Gradkowski.

Campbell has been the designated starter since the Raiders acquired him from Washington in a trade during the draft, even signing him to a one-year, $4.5 million contract extension for 2011.

But Cable made the quick change to the fan favorite Gradkowski.

“The reasons are pretty simple,” Cable said. “First and foremost is the energy and the level of intensity that was brought into the huddle when he came into the game. They way the guys responded around him. And obviously scoring points.”

The Cardinals, two-time defending NFC West champions, already went through their quarterback issues. Coach Ken Whisenhunt decided to go with Derek Anderson over Kurt Warner’s heir apparent, Matt Leinart. Eventually, Leinart was released and re-signed as a reserve in Houston. That leaves undrafted rookie Max Hall as Anderson’s backup.

Anderson, true to his reputation, has been inconsistent. He led the team on a winning touchdown drive against St. Louis but threw two interceptions against Atlanta. Anderson understands the early changes at the quarterback position, not only in Oakland but elsewhere around the NFL.

“You’ve got to win,” he said. “You’ve got to make the throws, you’ve got to play well, be a leader for your team. That’s the bottom line. I understand that and I think every quarterback in the league understands that.”

Arizona expects to have running back Beanie Wells available for the first time this season. The second-year pro from Ohio State, the team’s leading rusher last season, sat out the first two games with what the team had said was a bruised right knee. However, late in the week, Whisenhunt confirmed the running back had undergone arthroscopic surgery. Wells said it was to repair a torn meniscus.

His return could mean a heavier reliance on the run, which has been one of the better aspects of Arizona’s game. Tim Hightower had a career-best 80-yard touchdown run against the Falcons.

Anderson will have his top two targets, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston, but three rookies hold the next three wide receiver spots.

The game will feature a matchup of two of the best players at their positions in the NFL — Fitzgerald and Asomugha.

Fitzgerald still is coming back from a bruised right knee that kept him out of the final three preseason games.

“He still looks like the Fitzgerald that I know,” Asomugha said. “… Watching him on film is all the same to me. That same competitor, that same competitor, that same elite talent in this league.”

Fitzgerald has been slow to get in synch with Anderson but still has 10 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. He said going against Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in practice helps him get ready for Asomugha.

“It’s a great challenge,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s one of the premier corners, if not the best, in the business, but I have a great corner in DRC that I’m able to go against. He’s preparing me to go against guys like him (Asomugha) and other premier guys in the league.”

Arizona was 0 for 8 on third-down conversions against Atlanta and had 10 penalties in each of its first two games.

Even though the Falcons were without their top two running backs, they rushed for 221 yards as the Cardinals missed tackles and messed up alignments.

Expect the Raiders to send running back Darren McFadden, with 240 yards rushing in two games, at Arizona early and often.

Whisenhunt, who has not had a losing season in his three years with the Cardinals, is not about to lose faith, though.

“I know the perception right now is not the greatest,” he said, “but listen, I think we are excited about showing you that we can be a good football team.”

MINNEAPOLIS – It takes a lot to get Kevin Williams riled up.

The big defensive tackle has earned a reputation as one of the best defensive players in the league during his eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings strictly through his play on the field, not by clamoring for attention with bombastic statements or an outsized personality.

After his Vikings fell to 0-2 with a surprising home loss to the Miami Dolphins last week, the quiet Southern star had seen enough.

“You’ve got to play the game,” Williams said. “You can’t just show up, no matter how many guys you have returning, who’s at quarterback, who’s on the defensive line, who’s at running back.

“It don’t matter. You’ve got to play the game. When we realize that, we’ll be a lot better. We can’t just show up and think we’re going to win games.”

The words hit home like a sledgehammer, both because of the message and the man who delivered it, for a team that entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations after falling just short of the big game last year.

Everything went right for the Vikings last year. Brett Favre was superb in his first season in purple, they avoided big injuries for most of the season and won 10 of their first 11 games en route to the NFC title game.

Nearly everyone was back from the team that lost to the Saints in overtime, and maybe there was a sense that things would unfold the same way in 2010.

So far, it couldn’t be much different. The offense has scored 19 points in two games and Favre turned the ball over four times last week in the loss to the Dolphins.

“I know you can’t just show up to any game and feel like you’re going to win,” left tackle Bryant McKinnie said. “You have to put in a lot of work. It’s very hard to win in this league. We’re realizing that. We can’t make mistakes because teams are capitalizing off of that and they end up winning.”

A veteran-laden team is determined to get things turned around this week, starting with a team they love to beat. The Detroit Lions (0-2) come to town Sunday having lost 21 straight road games and 12 in a row at the Metrodome, dating back to 1997.

But this team sure doesn’t look like the same old Lions.

Detroit is tied for the NFL lead in sacks and has lost its first two games by a combined eight points. They had a late touchdown wiped off the board by a questionable rule in a 19-14 loss to the Bears and fell 35-32 to the Eagles last week.

In the past, the Lions would take those performances as moral victories. Not this year.

“We’re certainly not taking any solace that we’re playing in close games,” coach Jim Schwartz said. “We’re 0-2. We’re not very happy about that, probably a lot like the Minnesota Vikings. I think that comes from expectations of the team. We’re not a team that’s just glad to play a close game; we’re a team that expects to win.”

Even if they were the “same old Lions,” the Vikings would still have a fight on their hands. Minnesota has beaten Detroit 19 of the last 21 times the two teams have met, but a closer look shows the rivalry hasn’t been as lopsided as it first appears. Sixteen of the Vikings’ 19 victories in that span have been by 10 points or fewer, including 11 by a touchdown or less.

“We’ve never taken them for granted, no matter what the situation is and they do always play us tough,” linebacker Ben Leber said. “We understand that. They’re a much better team than they have been in the last couple years. We’ve got to be ready.”

If anyone knows how to handle early season disappointments, it’s Kyle Vanden Bosch. The Lions signed him away from Tennessee in the offseason to bolster the pass rush and provide some intensity in the locker room, and he hasn’t disappointed.

He had 11 tackles in the season-opening loss at Chicago and had 1 1/2 sacks last week against Philadelphia. Last year, his Titans started 0-6 before winning eight of their last 10.

“People kept asking, ‘What’s it going to take to fix this thing?’” Vanden Bosch said. “It’s not a big transformation. All you need is a win. A win fixes a lot of things. When you lose a game and when you lose close games like we’ve lost the last two weeks, the mistakes are magnified. It seems like things are going a lot worse than they are.”

CLEVELAND – This was supposed to be D’Qwell Jackson’s comeback season. It’s over already.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Browns placed the linebacker on injured reserve Saturday because of a right chest muscle injury — the same kind that ended Jackson’s 2009 season with 10 games left.

Jackson, who led the NFL in tackles in 2008, had just returned to practice this week from a partially torn chest muscle sustained in training camp on Aug. 10. He practiced Wednesday and felt fine, but after practice on Thursday, he felt tightness and fatigue in his pectoral muscle.

On Friday, Jackson, who had hoped to play Sunday in Baltimore, said he and the team’s training staff were being cautious and shutting him down. He expected to practice again next week and was sure he would be able to play again this season.

But the Browns decided to put him on IR for the second straight year, a blow to one of their steadiest players who turns 27 on Sunday. Jackson is in the final year of his contract and he had been hoping to work out a long-term deal with Cleveland, or impress other teams to sign him as a free agent.

Now, after two major injuries in two years, his career is in jeopardy.

Jackson missed Cleveland’s final 10 games in 2009 after tearing his left pectoral muscle and needing surgery.

The Browns replaced Jackson on their roster with Sam Aiken, a veteran wide receiver released by New England earlier this month.

Aiken may need to get ready quickly for the Ravens after the Browns announced that wide receiver Brian Robiskie will miss Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury and that receiver/kick returner Joshua Cribbs is questionable with an ankle injury.

Robiskie pulled up during practice on Thursday and Cribbs got hurt on Friday.

The Browns also said nose tackle Shaun Rogers will sit out with a leg injury.

WASHINGTON – Albert Haynesworth said Saturday his $100 million contract doesn’t make him a slave to the Washington Redskins.

In an interview with 106.7 The Fan, the two-time All-Pro defensive tackle said the big paychecks don’t mean he can’t push back when the team asks him to play a different position.

Haynesworth, who rarely speaks to the media, was upset this year when the Redskins switched to a 3-4 defense and told him he would be playing nose tackle.

Haynesworth protested by staying away from the team’s offseason conditioning program and practices. He also skipped a mandatory minicamp and was unable to pass the team’s conditioning test until the 10th day of training camp — all despite receiving a $21 million bonus on April 1.

“I guess in this world we don’t have a lot of people with, like, backbones,” Haynesworth said. “Just because somebody pay you money don’t mean they’ll make you do whatever they want or whatever. I mean, does that mean everything is for sale?

“I mean, I’m not for sale. Yeah, I signed the contract and got paid a lot of money, but … that don’t mean I’m for sale or a slave or whatever.”

Haynesworth said it was agreed that he would play defensive tackle in a 4-3 system when he signed with the Redskins in 2009, but the team has since overhauled its front office, coaching staff and offensive and defensive schemes. He said he now likes the new scheme better as he works with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.

Haynesworth made a passing reference to his disputes with coach Mike Shanahan, saying some things “went down with me and Mike,” but he did not elaborate. He also said he doesn’t like the spotlight and would rather be someone who can just “go to Wal-Mart and hang out.”

Haynesworth implied he would be playing in Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams. He was used as a backup in the season opener against Dallas and missed last week’s game against Houston with a sprained ankle.

SAN DIEGO – Chargers left tackle Marcus McNeill ended his holdout Saturday when he signed his one-year contract tender as a restricted free agent.

However, he must sit out the next three games because he and wide receiver Vincent Jackson were placed on the roster exempt list by general manager A.J. Smith on Aug. 20. McNeill will be eligible to play Oct. 17 at St. Louis.

McNeill said on his Twitter account, “great to be back today.. GO BOLTS.” He signed in time to travel with the Chargers (1-1) to Seattle for their game on Sunday.

Neither McNeill nor his agent responded to requests for comment. With his pay severely slashed by the Chargers, there’s a possibility McNeill decided to come in believing that a long-term deal could be worked out.

“It’s great,” left guard Kris Dielman said in a text message to The Associated Press. “Our team got better today and in the future with him signing today. It’s awesome.”

McNeill’s return came three days after the Chargers failed to trade Jackson by a deadline agreed to by the NFL and the players’ union. Jackson has been suspended by the NFL for the first three games because of his second DUI since 2006. If Jackson does sign, he also would have to serve a three-game suspension on the roster exempt list. Jackson’s agent, Neil Schwartz, said Wednesday that it’s doubtful Jackson will report this year.

McNeill’s original four-year contract expired at the end of last season. But because this is an uncapped year, he would have needed six seasons to become an unrestricted free agent.

When McNeill hadn’t signed his $3,168,000 tender as a restricted free agent by June 15, the Chargers were entitled to reduce the tender to 110 percent of his 2009 salary, or $630,000. That will be further reduced by each game he doesn’t play.

Second-year pro Brandyn Dombrowski has played left tackle in the first two games, protecting Philip Rivers’ blind side.

McNeill played in the Pro Bowl following the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

The roster exempt list is a hardball tactic used before by Smith. In 2005, he placed tight end Antonio Gates on the list in an attempt to break an impasse. Gates missed the opener, a close loss to Dallas that contributed to the Chargers missing the playoffs that year.

NEW ORLEANS – Brittany Brees, wife of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, vows to keep quiet if she goes into labor with their second child while her husband is playing a game.

In a “60 Minutes” episode on the couple that will air on Sunday, Brittany Brees says she won’t call her husband until after the game if delivery starts during it.

She is due to deliver a boy on Oct. 18. If she goes into labor the day before, while the Saints are playing in Florida against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, she says she will “get the drugs and just pretend everything’s fine.”

Brees says that’s fine with him.

The couple already have a 20-month-old son, Baylen.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. – The Detroit Lions have ruled out receiver Nate Burleson and linebacker Zack Follett for Sunday’s road game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The team said Friday that Burleson (ankle) and Follett (concussion) did not practice and will not play at Minneapolis.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford (right shoulder) also will not play.

The No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL draft injured his throwing arm in the season-opening loss at Chicago and missed Week 2 against Philadelphia. Stafford missed six games last year with an injured left shoulder and right knee.

It’s way too early to proclaim any NFL team any sort of champion, of course. Still, this weekend will provide a strong indication who will control the NFC North and AFC East.

The unbeaten Packers and Bears meet in Chicago on Monday night, one day after the winless Vikings and Lions square off in Minnesota. And the first-place Dolphins face the Jets hours after the Patriots and Bills play in New England on Sunday.

Juicy material for Week 3.

“It’s never too early to talk about stuff like that,” Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez said. “We need to treat this football game like we always do, understand all that’s riding on the game, but at the same time, not get caught up in it.”

Elsewhere Sunday, it’s Atlanta at New Orleans; Dallas at Houston; Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay; Indianapolis at Denver; Tennessee at the New York Giants; Philadelphia at Jacksonville; San Diego at Seattle; Oakland at Arizona; Cleveland at Baltimore; Cincinnati at Carolina; San Francisco at Kansas City; and Washington at St. Louis.

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Green Bay (2-0) at Chicago (2-0), Monday night

It sure would be nice to see some snow and frozen turf in Soldier Field for the 180th renewal of the NFL’s oldest rivalry. Instead of snowflakes, look for a bunch of footballs in the air and lots of points, something expected from the powerful Packers, but not usually envisioned from the Bears.

Green Bay has looked as good as any team thus far, even with a weakened running attack. Chicago’s win in Dallas has everyone excited in the Windy City.

The winner takes a stranglehold on the NFC North after Minnesota’s early struggles.

“They’re playing well,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “They made some big additions this offseason: (Julius) Peppers and Chester Taylor. I haven’t seen the stats or seen the highlights yet, but it seems to me that Jay Cutler is pretty comfortable in that offense and they’re making plays.

“It’s always tough to play down in Chicago. They’re 2-0, we’re 2-0, it’s going to be a big game.”

Detroit (0-2) at Minnesota (0-2)

Brett Favre has looked his age in two games. His teammates, other than Adrian Peterson, have looked old, too. Maybe it’s time to ride Peterson against a weak defense and let the 40-year-old Favre be a passenger.

Minnesota can’t afford to slip here and fall into a three-game hole behind the division leader. After their bye next week, the Vikings get the Jets, Cowboys, Packers and Patriots in October.

The Lions have been just good enough to lose close games.

New York Jets (1-1) at Miami (2-0)

Another bad-blood matchup for the Jets. First it was the Ravens, then the Patriots. While we’re not hearing words of hatred toward Rex Ryan’s bunch from the Dolphins, the Miami-New York rivalry has been as intense as any in the league.

Miami will need to get more from its passing game, which ranks 28th overall, because the Jets excel against the run. Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall doesn’t have to worry about CB Darrelle Revis (hamstring), so his matchups with Antonio Cromartie and rookie Kyle Wilson could be pivotal.

Buffalo (0-2) at New England (2-0)

The Bills simply don’t beat the Patriots. In the 2009 opener, with Tom Brady returning from missing almost the entire 2008 season with a knee injury, Buffalo blew a late lead and lost. The Patriots’ mastery over the Bills is at 13 straight games.

This is an especially bad week to be meeting New England, which was manhandled by the Jets in the second half last Sunday. Plus, Buffalo’s awful offense (a league-low 17 points) might not be equipped to victimize the Patriots’ struggling D, even with the quarterbacking change from Trent Edwards to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Atlanta (1-1) at New Orleans (2-0)

Another game with strong divisional implications and one the Falcons might have dreaded with Michael Turner ailing (groin). But Jason Snelling, who filled in pretty well last year when Turner was sidelined, stepped in against the Cardinals with 129 yards rushing, 57 yards receiving and three TDs. Turner is projected to start, but Snelling could see a lot of action.

Atlanta’s improved defense, which ranks 10th against the pass and has allowed only 22 points, one behind NFC leader Tampa Bay, needs to be just as stingy against Drew Brees and his prolific receivers. Even without RB Reggie Bush (broken leg), the Saints figure to be formidable with the ball.

Dallas (0-2) at Houston (2-0)

What an opportunity for the Texans to move from the lower rungs of football in the Lone Star State to near the top. Not only would they own pro ball in Texas by beating the Cowboys, but they’d stamp themselves a legitimate candidate for their first playoff berth.

Houston has the offense to hand the reeling Cowboys a third successive loss, although the Texans need to be patient, just as they were in rallying to beat the Redskins last week.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn’t want to contemplate 0-3, and patience rarely has been one of his virtues. He’s built what he believes is a Super Bowl contender, and another false step could set off personnel movement within the organization.

Pittsburgh (2-0) at Tampa Bay (2-0)

For those who wondered if the Steelers could go 2-2 before Ben Roethlisberger returns from suspension, well, they are 2-0 using third-stringer Dennis Dixon and fourth-stringer Charlie Batch at quarterback. They bring back Byron Leftwich, who would have opened the season as the starter before damaging his left knee. Leftwich wasn’t even on the roster for last weekend’s win over Tennessee, but was re-signed Monday and will back up Batch against the Bucs.

Tampa Bay has no such upheaval at QB; second-year player Josh Freeman is developing nicely. That development might take a few hits — and sacks — against the latest version of the Steel Curtain, which forced seven turnovers by Tennessee last Sunday.

Indianapolis (1-1) at Denver (1-1)

Where did all those doomsayers go after Houston belted the Colts in the season opener? Perhaps a vintage showing by Peyton Manning and Indy’s offense, and a dominant game on defense against the Giants silenced them.

This is a terrible matchup for the Broncos, who have a hobbled secondary. Manning must be frothing in anticipation.

So might be DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, who had two sacks apiece against the Giants and know the Broncos’ pass protection has been shaky.

Tennessee (1-1) at New York Giants (1-1)

Vince Young gets benched and there’s barely a peep out of him. Maybe the quarterback knew Titans coach Jeff Fisher would reinsert him as the starter this week — Young led a sensational comeback in 2006 against New York.

Instead, it’s the normally reserved Giants who have public tumult. RB Brandon Jacobs, upset about being a second-stringer, showed some of his frustration by unintentionally flinging his helmet into the Indianapolis crowd last Sunday night. He was fined $10,000.

Then safety Antrel Rolle, new to the Giants, blasted the team for a lack of leadership and for accepting defeat too easily.

Philadelphia (1-1) at Jacksonville (1-1)

So the QB job is Michael Vick’s — for now. He certainly earned it, and the Jaguars are vulnerable in all aspects of defense. WRs DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are off to good starts for Philly, but the Eagles already have surrendered 12 sacks.

If Jacksonville doesn’t shore up its secondary, this could be another ugly week. A weak pass defense in the AFC South is a recipe for a last-place finish.

San Diego (1-1) at Seattle (1-1)

Each of these teams has been ridiculously inconsistent through two games. Or maybe ridiculously consistent.

Both have won in routs at home, lost in pedestrian (or worse) showings on the road.

That should favor Seattle, but the Seahawks are vulnerable through the air. Chargers QB Philip Rivers has been rolling, with 15 straight games in which he’s thrown a touchdown pass. One of his key helpers, rookie RB Ryan Mathews, has been bothered by a high ankle sprain.

Oakland (1-1) at Arizona (1-1)

Nowhere is the quarterback flux in the NFL more prevalent than with these teams. Two weeks into the season, newcomer Jason Campbell, who was compared to Jim Plunkett by Raiders owner Al Davis, has been benched for Bruce Gradkowski. In Arizona, Cardinals fans spoiled by the success of the last two years are combing the desert looking for Kurt Warner. Try “Dancing With The Stars,” folks.

Cleveland (0-2) at Baltimore (1-1)

The Ravens rank second in total defense, not a good omen for the Browns, whose 20 points scored are third lowest in the NFL. Baltimore’s offense can’t find its rhythm, particularly QB Joe Flacco, who comes off a wretched four-interception performance, and RB Ray Rice, who has gained only 179 yards overall. That rhythm figures to come soon, perhaps this week.

Meanwhile, Ray Lewis and his defensive buddies are holding strong, although they’ve yet to grab an interception.

Cincinnati (1-1) at Carolina (0-2)

Few places have a bigger mess than Carolina, where coach John Fox is in the last season of his contract, he’s switched from Matt Moore to rookie Jimmy Clausen at quarterback, and his vaunted two-pronged running game of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart ranks just 16th and has no TDs.

Cincinnati’s offense hasn’t exactly set the world atwitter, regardless of how much wideout buddies Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens tweet about their dynamism. Revitalized kicker Mike Nugent saved the Bengals last week with five field goals.

San Francisco (0-2) at Kansas City (2-0)

The Niners probably should have beaten the defending champion Saints last Monday night. Turnovers ruined them, including losing the ball inside the New Orleans 30 three times. That negated a pretty good effort by the defense, led by LB Patrick Willis, who is a force all over the field.

Now the 49ers get opportunistic Kansas City, which has been surprisingly staunch on run defense and, as expected, strong while running the ball with Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones.

Washington (1-1) at St. Louis (0-2)

After losing close games to Arizona and Oakland, the Rams should feel frisky enough to test the Redskins. St. Louis faces the NFL’s lowest-ranked defense, which is allowing nearly 390 yards through the air per week. Can top overall draft pick Sam Bradford find his unheralded receivers often enough to get a win?

And could Redskins QB Donovan McNabb be looking ahead to next Sunday’s road game — in Philadelphia?

TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona running back Beanie Wells had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee after he was injured in the team’s final preseason game, a fact the Cardinals had kept secret.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt confirmed Friday that Wells had surgery but said it was not a serious procedure and there was no reason to believe the running back would be out more than on a week-to-week basis. Wells told reporters that the surgery was performed to repair a torn meniscus.

The issue was raised after a reporter from CBSSports.com noticed incision marks on Wells’ knee.

Wells sat out the first two games of the season with what the team repeatedly had said was a bruised knee. Although he is listed as questionable for the home opener Sunday against Oakland, coach Ken Whisenhunt said there is “a very good chance” the second-year running back from Ohio State will play.

Whisenhunt did not mention the nature of Wells’ injury in the coach’s regular post-practice availability Friday.

But afterward, Whisenhunt confirmed the surgery to CBSSports.com and The Arizona Republic.

“It wasn’t like a normal procedure where you’re down X amount of weeks,” Whisenhunt said. “It was a day-to-day thing. It was definitely something that we wanted to check out, but it wasn’t ever anything that we thought was serious or that we thought would keep him from playing on a week-to-week basis.”

Wells initially declined to comment on the incision marks, but spoke about the surgery after he found out it had been confirmed by the coach.

“I really wasn’t worried about what people knew and didn’t know,” Wells said. “I had my knee scoped. I had a procedure done. I had to take some time off and I’m back from it.”

NFL teams are known to fudge the facts on injuries, and reporters had long been skeptical about the bruised knee report.

Wells, who as a rookie led the Cardinals in rushing last season, was injured against the Washington Redskins on Sept. 2 in Arizona’s final preseason game. He was limited in practice all week but increased the amount of his participation in the workouts each day.

AUSTIN, Texas – Clad in a white Tony Romo jersey, Melissa Tellez was posing for a picture on the steps of the Texas Capitol when she was asked which NFL team is No. 1 in the Lone Star State.

She rolled her eyes and didn’t answer. Instead, she illuminated her cell phone to display the screensaver with images of players for the Dallas Cowboys.

Deep in the heart of Texas, and pretty much everywhere else in the state, the Cowboys are king and the Houston Texans aren’t much more than an afterthought outside the city where they play.

Never mind that the Texans are 2-0 and the Cowboys are 0-2 heading into Sunday’s matchup in Houston. This nine-year-old expansion team can’t compete with the popularity the Cowboys have gained in an illustrious 50-year history filled with larger-than-life figures who are ingrained in the fabric of the state.

Texans owner Bob McNair understands that and knows the best way to change things is by winning, something Houston didn’t do much of during its first few seasons.

“We think it’s an opportunity here in Texas to have a great rivalry that creates a lot of interest for football, and the NFL,” McNair said. “Frankly, the more we beat the Cowboys, the more interest there will be. We’re the new kid on the block, and we have to prove ourselves. The quicker we do that, the more fun everybody in Houston is going to have.”

There were six years where Houston didn’t have an NFL team after the Oilers left, leaving no other option than to pull for the Cowboys for fans wanting to be loyal to their state. And the Texans might not even rank second, since there is a fanatical following for the Texas Longhorns throughout much of Texas.

Loyalty to the Longhorns run so deep that many locals vowed never to support Houston after the team drafted defensive end Mario Williams instead of Vince Young with the first overall pick in the 2006 draft.

“They really messed up in passing up Vince Young,” said Richard Raymond, a state lawmaker from Laredo. “It’s still hard for me to forgive them for that. I would have certainly liked the Texans a lot more had they gone with Vince Young. They let that one get away.”

Houston is also oddly still competing with a team that left the state 14 years ago. Bum Phillips, who coached the Oilers during their “Luv Ya Blue” heyday in the late ’70s, thinks Houston’s success this season could finally win over fans who soured on the NFL when Bud Adams moved the Oilers to Tennessee after the 1996 season. That team is now the Titans and they happen to be led by Young.

“The Oilers and the city tied together so great during a long period of time that when they left a lot of people just really lost interest in football,” Phillips said. “It took a while, it took what the Texans are doing now, which is winning, to get them back excited and back to football again.”

It was Bum who, at the height of the Oilers’ success, famously said of the Cowboys: “They may be ‘America’s Team,’ but we’re Texas’ team.” He still believes it.

“They are the state’s team,” he said of the Texans. “As far as I’m concerned they’ve always been the state’s team. The thing I thought that made the Oilers the state’s team is the effort they put out … that’s what inspired Houston to get behind them and the Texans are doing that right now. They are laying it all on the line every game.”

Gov. Rick Perry, not surprisingly, expressed support for both teams and their “competitive spirit.”

“While these two teams have gotten off to very different starts, nobody participating in this game needs to be reminded how quickly things can turn around in the NFL,” he said.

Still, as a Texas A&M graduate living and working in Austin, Perry has to understand how it feels to root for the other guy. His Aggies, of course, trail the Longhorns in popularity.

Raheel Ramzanali grew up in Houston and hosts a local radio show. He said he’s never seen Texans fans more excited.

“The Houston Texans always have the little brother syndrome because they are the newer team,” he said. “There’s not many Texans fans outside of Houston. It’s a Dallas state where everybody roots for the Cowboys. No matter what they do, big brother’s going to get more attention … they’re proud of the Texans, but yet they always feel like they’re disrespected no matter what happens.”

In some cases, the reach of the Cowboys might be a product of geography, with the cities closer to Dallas latching on to the team in their vicinity. However, some of the most ardent supporters of the Cowboys live in the Rio Grande Valley, which is much closer to Houston. Of course, the Cowboys training in San Antonio, as they did this year, allows fans easier access to their favorite team.

Raymond, the South Texas lawmaker, thinks his region’s love for the Cowboys can be traced to Tom Landry, who coached the team from its 1960 inception through the 1988 season, winning two Super Bowls along the way.

“I think it’s safe to say that the Cowboys will have more folks cheering for them in Laredo than the Texans will,” Raymond said. “Tom Landry, who was their first coach, is from down in the valley, from Mission. So I guess historically there’s always been a strong connection to the Dallas Cowboys in part because of that.”

But it isn’t just South Texas and Austin where the Cowboys rule. In Amarillo, College Station, El Paso and almost every city in between — including the Houston suburb of Katy — there is an official Cowboys shop with team gear. There are six of those stores scattered throughout the sprawling Dallas-Fort Worth airport alone.

Fans looking for a similar Texans store outside of Reliant Stadium are out of luck. One opened in The Woodlands suburb in 2008, but has already closed. And while many Cowboys games are broadcast nationally, Texans games aren’t always shown in some parts of Texas; during Houston’s franchise-worst 2-14 season in 2005, a game was being shown in the Panhandle but the network switched to another game after the Texans’ fell far behind early in the third quarter.

Erin Hogan, the program director for an ESPN radio affiliate in Austin that broadcasts Cowboys games, happens to be a fan of the Texans. He tries to drum up talk about Houston on his show, but says about 80 percent of his listeners only want to talk about the Cowboys.

“I don’t think there needs to be a debate of why they’re popular,” he said. “They’re America’s team, so it goes without question that they’re Texas’s team. I don’t even argue it.”

Some think it will take the Texans winning a Super Bowl to win over people in the state. Others say it will never change.

Bum, the ol’ coach, pauses for a second when posed with the question and then drawls out his guarantee.

“Let me tell you one thing, just keep going the way they’re going and they will overtake them real quickly,” he said.

The 87-year-old Phillips finds himself in a quandary this week. Does he root for Dallas, where his son, Wade, is the coach and grandson Wes is an assistant? Or does he go with his beloved Houston?

“Obviously I’ve got a family connection with the Cowboys, but I’ve got an even longer family connection with Houston no matter who it is, whether it’s the Oilers or the Texans,” he said. “So I’m kind of torn between two things. In fact, I’m so torn I’m not even going to go to the game.”

He will remain on his South Texas ranch in Goliad, where he retired a few years ago.

“I’ll watch it, but I don’t want the wrong people to see me crying or laughing,” he said, only half-joking. “You win both ways. Either your favorite city wins or your favorite son wins.”

If only it were that easy for the rest of Texas.

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AP Sports Writer Chris Duncan and AP Writer April Castro contributed to this report.