IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys are tired of hearing they need to try salvaging their Super Bowl hopes following an 0-2 start. All they want to focus on is their next challenge.

Well, that’s pretty daunting too.

Against Houston on Sunday, the Dallas defense faces the dilemma of whether to try slowing the receiver who was just selected the AFC offensive player of the week or the running back who got that honor the week before.

With weapons like that, it’s little wonder the Texans (2-0) go into this game leading the NFL in points, yards and yards rushing.

“It’s time to call 9-1-1,” Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said Thursday. “It’s emergency, it’s time to get things going.”

Arian Foster introduced himself to Dallas with 110 yards on 18 carries in a preseason game. There was no chance of downgrading that after he ran for a Texans-record 231 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout win over Indianapolis in the opener. He was so good that day, their usual spark plug, Andre Johnson, was an afterthought, catching just three passes.

Against Washington, Johnson stole the show, catching 12 passes for 158 yards despite missing some time because of an ankle injury. Bum wheel and all, he managed to make a leaping catch in the end zone on a fourth-down heave with about 2 minutes left. That touchdown tied the game, leading to a win in overtime.

“He is a bad man,” Dallas receiver Dez Bryant said in awe.

Foster was pretty good against the Redskins, too: 69 yards on 19 carries and 69 more yards receiving.

Offenses generally strive to balance running and passing in the same game. Houston’s ability to dominate different games in each area takes the concept to another extreme.

“One week they run for 300 yards and the next week they throw for 500,” Phillips said. “If you back off — basically, that’s what we did in preseason — they can just tear you up in the running game. If you come after they can throw it. I’m impressed.”

Defense is supposed to be the Cowboys’ specialty. Led by DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff, they kept the Redskins from scoring a touchdown in the opener, then showed some cracks against the Bears last weekend.

Dallas started out great. Then Chicago found a way to slow Dallas’ pass rush and Jay Cutler started moving the ball. He hit his tight end for a blitz-beating touchdown, completed a 59-yard pass down the middle of the field and set up a late touchdown when a short throw to Devin Hester turned into a long gain because of his speedy run through several would-be tackles.

The Bears didn’t get much out of their other drives, but those big plays were enough for a 27-20 victory.

“It comes down to making plays, something we’ve been doing since Little League,” safety Gerald Sensabaugh said. “We just aren’t doing it. We are missing opportunities. … We’ve looked good in spurts. Then it’s like, ahhh.”

The Cowboys have consistently applied pressure, but have only two sacks. They’re still seeking their first turnover.

Perhaps the best way to slow Houston’s passing game is getting to the triggerman, quarterback Matt Schaub.

He’s already been sacked seven times. His protection weakened this week with starting left tackle Duane Brown getting suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Still, with weapons such as Foster and Johnson, he’s able to keep defenses guessing. Foster’s emergence also has made Houston’s play-action passing more effective.

The Texans also do a good job moving Johnson all over the field. After watching the Chicago video, Houston coach Gary Kubiak may have a few more ideas.

The Cowboys rarely use one cornerback to shadow a receiver. Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins, who were both Pro Bowlers last year, will just have to be ready whenever Johnson comes their way.

Jenkins made several nice plays to break up passes against Washington. Against Chicago, he was beaten on the 59-yarder, then bruised a knee trying to make one of the failed tackles on Hester. He’s been limited in practice this week, but “he wasn’t limping,” Phillips said.

Then again, against a guy such as Johnson, everyone has to help.

“He’s in that discussion as far as being one of the best in this league,” linebacker Keith Brooking said. “What we’re focused on is keeping him in front of us and not allowing that big play to take place.”

MIAMI (Reuters) – Two of the NFL’s most promising young quarterbacks will battle against each other on Sunday when an unbeaten Miami Dolphins team take on AFC East rivals the New York Jets.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is in his second year in the league while Dolphins signal caller Chad Henne only grabbed a starting role early last season and both still have something to prove to those skeptical of their abilities to lead their teams into the playoffs.

It was against the Jets last October, in just his second start, that Henne showed the first real glimpses of his talent as he completed 20 of 26 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-27 win over the Dolphins’ old rivals.

“He was 2-0 against them last year and no one else in the league was 2-0,” said Dolphins offensive co-ordinator Dan Henning, “He played magnificently against them in that first game, a super game and that’s the same defense.

“I don’t know how far he is going to in this business, but I’ve got a feeling. He has all these tools and a tremendous desire to be the best. He studies and works at it and there is nothing frivolous about Chad Henne when it comes to football, believe me.”

Working in Henne’s favor are some key absentees from the Jets defense as Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis, nose tackle Kris Jenkins and outside linebacker Calvin Pace are all ruled out with injuries.

Sanchez impressed last week in the Jets’ win over the New England Patriots passing for 220 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

The quarterback’s ability to move out of the pocket and throw on the run has certainly concerned Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano.

“He can get outside and throw the ball pretty well on the run. Those things concern you; our outside linebackers will have to do a good job that way again because that’s where the guy buys time for himself and can get the ball down the field and hurt you,” he said.

Week three also pits two undefeated teams in the NFC North as the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears will battle on Monday in what should be a fascinating encounter.

Another clash of 2-0 teams comes in Tampa where the Pittsburgh Steelers, thriving despite the absence of suspended quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, will try to hand a loss to a Buccaneers team that is off to a surprisingly strong start.

The Dallas Cowboys, wobbling after an 0-2 start, badly need a victory against state rivals the Houston Texans on Sunday to get their dream of featuring in this season’s Super Bowl, to be held in their home stadium, back on track.

The defending Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints, have won both their opening games, without truly sparkling yet, but they will face NFC South rivals the Atlanta Falcons who pulverized Arizona 41-7 last week.

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona running back Beanie Wells went through much more of practice on Thursday, increasing the probability that he will play Sunday in the Cardinals’ home opener against the Oakland Raiders.

Wells, who led the team in rushing as a rookie last season, sat out the first two games of the season because of a bruised right knee.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt said Wells looked “really good” in practice. The coach said he is “very optimistic” Wells will play.

Wells said he is tremendously improved from last week and is practicing full speed, not even thinking about the injury.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – LaDainian Tomlinson feels like a kid again.

He’s playing like one, too.

The New York Jets running back is also proving all of his critics wrong. You know, the ones who said he was washed up, just a shell of the jaw-dropping player he once was.

“I feel like I’m back to my old self again,” the eighth-leading rusher in NFL history said Thursday. “I’m happy and enjoy playing with these guys. We’ve got a great group of guys, a great coaching staff who really knows how to use the guys well. It’s fun to play football.”

Tomlinson has enjoyed a solid start to the season, his first with his new team after nine years in San Diego. He leads the Jets with 138 yards rushing, has six catches for 42 yards and has flashed some of the dazzling, playmaking moves that made him one of the NFL’s most dangerous players with the ball in his hands.

“Is he actually better than I thought he would be? Yep, he is,” coach Rex Ryan said. “I thought he was going to be outstanding, but right now, he’s even better than that. Man, he’s something else.”

At 31, Tomlinson is no youngster in football years, and considered by many to be over the hill at his position. That label seemed to apply to Tomlinson, whose rushing totals decreased in each of the last three seasons.

“This is the worst guy in the world to question and to criticize because he literally takes it to heart,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “I think you see a guy that has so much to prove. He has so much that he wants to prove.”

Still, Tomlinson ran for only 730 yards last season, his first under 1,000, and appeared slow and without much of a burst.

“I think he has a chip on his shoulder,” right tackle Damien Woody said. “Everybody out there figured he was washed up and looked at the last couple of years in San Diego. I don’t think that was indicative of who he is.”

Tomlinson said as much after being signed by the Jets as a free agent in March. A toe injury hampered him in 2008, and a sprained ankle that caused him to miss two games last year affected him all season. He also said the Chargers moved away from a run-first mentality, something that drastically reduced his effectiveness.

“I don’t live my life worrying about what critics say because it’s their opinion,” he said. “Everybody has one.”

Tomlinson recently became a father for the first time, and his newborn son has helped give him a different perspective on life at home and off the field.

“I could stop playing football today, honestly,” he said, “and I could walk away from the game today and be just as proud saying, ‘You know what? I’m going home to raise my son and be with my family,’ and be fine with it.”

Healthy at this point in a season for the first time since 2007, Tomlinson said playing in the preseason — something he rarely did in San Diego — helped him.

“I feel like a young man, to be honest with you,” Tomlinson said. “Hopefully that can continue. I think I’ll be healthy the whole season.”

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie played with Tomlinson in San Diego for four seasons, and likes what he’s seeing.

“Just seeing from the past two seasons to this season,” he said, “he just looks like the L.T. I knew when I came in in 2006.”

Schottenheimer was an assistant under his father, Marty, in San Diego from 2002-05 and watched Tomlinson develop into a record-breaking running back.

“He’s still playing at an extremely high level,” Schottenheimer said. “I’m not going to say it’s the best football I’ve ever seen him play because it’s hard to probably match some of the things, but he’s playing extremely well.”

And, there have been a few good examples of that:

• His electrifying 31-yard run in the Jets’ 28-14 victory over New England when he nearly shook Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich out of his shoes.

“I’m not real sure,” Ryan said, “but there’s some equipment still out on the field.”

• The shovel pass he took from Mark Sanchez and turned what looked to be a blown play into a 9-yard gain and a first down.

• The victory-sealing leap he took over the pile on fourth-and-1.

“I don’t even think about whether I surprise people or not,” he said. “I’ve got to be ready to play. I’m always ready to play when I get out there. I expect it. I expect to make big plays for this team and that’s the way I approach it.”

Notes: NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith met with the players after practice, and fullback Tony Richardson, the Jets’ player representative, said the team voted in favor of giving the NFLPA the right to decertify if there is a lockout next year.

INDIANAPOLIS – Pittsburgh’s Woodland Hills High School tops USA Football’s list of high schools with the most NFL players with six, while three schools have five players in the league this year.

USA Football based the list on the 1,696 players on opening-week rosters.

The New York Jets’ Jason Taylor, Arizona’s Steve Breaston, New England’s Rob Gronkowski, Pittsburgh’s Ryan Mundy, Miami’s Lousaka Polite and San Francisco’s Shawntae Spencer played at Woodland Hills.

“It is a very disciplined program,” Breaston said. “Coach (George) Novak does a good job of preparing players on the field and off the field. It is a program that prepares you for the future. A lot of Division I athletes come out of that school. You are always competing, not just against other schools, but within that school. It really pushes you and prepares you to compete at the next level.”

De La Salle of Concord, Calif.; Glenville High School of Cleveland; and St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., each have five former players in the NFL.

Fourteen schools have three players in the NFL: Corsicana (Texas); Deep Creek of Chesapeake, Va.; DeMatha Catholic of Hyattsville, Md.; Dorsey of Los Angeles; Dunbar of Washington, D.C.; Eleanor Roosevelt of Greenbelt, Md., Glades Central of Belle Glade, Fla.; Lake Highlands of Dallas; Los Alamitos (Calif.); Madison (Wis.) Central; South Panola of Batesville, Miss.; Tustin (Calif.); Vista (Calif.) and Wayzata of Plymouth, Minn.

In rankings by state, California is the leader with 211, followed by Texas (181), Florida (177), Ohio (85) and Georgia (80). Houston tops the hometowns list with 24, followed by Miami (22) and Los Angeles (20).

TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa Bay’s improved defense was dealt a blow Wednesday when safety Tanard Jackson was suspended for a minimum of a year without pay for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

The league made the announcement, saying the fourth-year pro has been suspended indefinitely but will be eligible for reinstatement beginning Sept. 22, 2011.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating and disappointing for everybody,” general manager Mark Dominik said.

Jackson sat out the first four games of the 2009 season while serving a previous suspension for violating the substance of abuse policy.

A fourth-round draft pick in 2007, the 25-year-old Jackson is the only defensive player in Bucs history to start every game in his first two seasons.

Despite the four-game ban last season, Jackson finished with five interceptions in 12 starts. He had 13 tackles in two games this seasons, helping Tampa Bay to its first 2-0 start in five years.

“Tanard is a talented young man whom we hope is able to use this year to put his troubles behind him and ultimately return a stronger man and player,” Dominik said. “It’s up to Tanard whether the team and our fans eventually realize his considerable promise.”

The suspension was revealed about two hours after Jackson and his teammates left the practice field. Coach Raheem Morris was not available for comment, and Dominik said the club is prohibited from releasing specific information about players in the league’s drug program.

Jackson’s replacement at free safety likely will be fourth-year pro Sabby Piscitelli, who lost the strong safety job to Sean Jones during training camp. Rookie Cody Grimm and Corey Lynch, who was signed off Cincinnati’s practice squad last year, are the other safeties on the roster.

“Talking to Coach Morris, obviously we have a position open. He’s going to take the next few days to determine who’s going to be the starter going forward,” Dominik said. “We are happy we did have guys like Corey Lynch and Cody Grimm and Sabby Piscitelli, and obviously Sean Jones, who played well enough to be on this team.”

When Jackson, who has eight career interceptions, returned from last year’s suspension he talked about how difficult it was being away from the team and how much football means to him.

“I could sit here and go on forever as to how much I learned. The main thing is that this is what I love to do, this is what I’m blessed to do,” he said in October.

“I definitely felt I let my team down,” Jackson added at the time. “I disappointed myself, but your actions affect others around you, and that’s one thing that hit home.”

SAN DIEGO – Holdout wide receiver Vincent Jackson remains the property of the San Diego Chargers despite his agent saying he had deals in place with several teams before the Wednesday deadline.

Agent Neil Schwartz said he heard from multiple general managers, whom he declined to identify, that the Chargers were asking for “wholly unreasonable” compensation for Jackson, a Pro Bowl player who had two straight 1,000-yard seasons. Schwartz said another GM told him that Chargers general manager A.J. Smith seemed to be “squatting” on Jackson.

“Archie Manning had it right about this organization,” Schwartz said.

He was referring to when Manning had agent Tom Condon contact the Chargers days before the 2004 draft to ask that the team not take his son, Eli, with the first pick. Smith did anyway, then swapped Manning’s rights to the New York Giants for the rights to Philip Rivers and several draft picks.

“Multiple teams have told me that they can’t get a deal done with A.J. and some of the teams have referred to A.J. as ‘The Lord of No Rings,’ ” Schwartz said. “That’s how they characterized him.”

North County Times columnist Jay Paris dubbed Smith “The Lord of No Rings” after Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, the other members of the Big Three QBs of the 2004 draft class, led their teams to Super Bowl victories. Rivers and Smith have yet to make it to a Super Bowl.

Smith, who has a history of hardball dealings with players, didn’t return a call seeking comment.

Schwartz said the legal language with one team was already drawn up and ready for Jackson to read and sign. That was a one-year deal with an option, with an average salary of more than $9 million. Schwartz declined to identify that team. It was widely reported that the Minnesota Vikings were a major suitor.

Under terms of a deal arranged by the NFL and the players’ union, Jackson had to sign a new contract by 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday in order to play for a new team in Week 5. Now, he’ll have to finish serving the remainder of his three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy — he pleaded guilty in February to his second DUI since 2006 — and serve a three-game suspension on the roster exempt list if he does sign.

Had a deal been done before the deadline, Jackson would have been placed on the Commissioner Exempt list for three games, retroactive to Game 2. That essentially would have rolled six games worth of suspensions into four games.

Those suspensions seem to be moot because Schwartz said it’s unlikely Jackson will play this season under terms of the team’s contract tender.

“Not now, not ever,” Schwartz said. “Again, it’s up to the Chargers. He’s got nothing with Norv Turner. He loves the city of San Diego. He loves catching the ball from Philip Rivers.”

Said Rivers: “I wish him all the best. I’d love to get the opportunity to throw to him again but if that’s not the case, I want it to work out for him.”

Turner declined comment.

“It’s been the same since we started camp. We get the guys ready who are here,” the coach said.

Jackson’s original five-year contract expired after last season. But because this is an uncapped year, he would have needed six seasons to become an unrestricted free agent.

Unhappy over not receiving a long-term deal in the offseason, Jackson refused to sign the one-year, $3.268 million contract he was tendered as a restricted free agent. When he and holdout left tackle Marcus McNeill didn’t sign their tenders by June 15, the Chargers were entitled to offer them 110 percent of their 2009 salaries, essentially cutting $2.5 million off the tenders. If either reports this year, it would be for the final six games in order to accrue a season toward unrestricted free agency.

Smith placed Jackson and McNeill on the roster exempt list on Aug. 20. He used the same tactic on tight end Antonio Gates in 2005. Gates missed the opener, a close loss to the Dallas Cowboys that helped contribute to the Chargers missing the playoffs that year.

A person with knowledge of the discussions said the Vikings and Chargers did have discussions about Jackson. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the negotiations.

With Pro Bowl receiver Sidney Rice out for at least another month and reigning offensive rookie of the year Percy Harvin not practicing on Wednesday because of a migraine headache, the Vikings only have four healthy receivers on the roster, none of whom have been productive in 2010.

Bernard Berrian, Greg Camarillo and Greg Lewis have combined to catch seven passes for 89 yards in the first two games and the Vikings signed free agent Hank Baskett on Wednesday to add some depth.

Coach Brad Childress declined to discuss Jackson specifically when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday a little over an hour before the deadline passed.

But the coach was asked in general terms about the team’s willingness to part with high draft picks to bring in a player for the final 12 games of a season who may not sign a long-term deal.

The Vikings have traded draft picks for marquee players before, including in 2008 when they sent a first-round draft choice and two third-rounders to Kanas City for defensive end Jared Allen. But the Vikings also signed Allen to a long-term contract before making the deal, ensuring that the high price they paid would keep him in Minnesota for the long run.

“They’re your bartering tool,” Childress said of draft picks. “That’s how you build with younger talent. If you do something for a guy like a Jared Allen, you want to know what you’re giving is commensurate with what you’re getting.”

___

AP Sports Writer Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS Subs 11th paragraph to correct to “terms” instead of “teams”)

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) – The Pittsburgh Steelers named Charlie Batch the starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving the long-time backup the nod over recently re-signed Byron Leftwich.

Batch takes over for Dennis Dixon, who started the first two games but underwent knee surgery earlier on Wednesday after sustaining torn cartilage in Sunday’s 19-11 win at Tennessee.

Leftwich, who was re-signed by the Steelers on Monday, two days after he was released, is still recovering from a sprained left knee that occurred during the pre-season.

The 35-year-old Batch will be making his first start since 2007 as Pittsburgh (2-0) awaits the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has been suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the regular season.

(Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)

LAS VEGAS – A man has pleaded no contest to attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon in a strip club melee involving NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones.

Arvin Kenti Edwards entered the plea Tuesday as part of a plea deal in the 2007 shooting that left a club employee paralyzed and two other people wounded, the Clark County district attorney’s office said.

Edwards faces four to 10 years in Nevada state prison when he is sentenced in January.

Edwards, of Renton, Wash., could have faced as many as 186 years in prison if convicted of all seven felony charges initially filed against him after the shooting.

The charges included three counts of attempted murder, three counts of battery with a deadly weapon causing substantial bodily harm, and one count of being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.

Edwards maintains he is innocent but agreed to the plea deal because he was worried the court would not give him a lenient sentence if he were convicted, public defender Dan Silverstein said.

“It’s not an acknowledgment of guilt,” he said. “It is acknowledgment of, if he gets convicted, the book is going to be thrown at him.”

Silverstein contended his client’s $2 million bail was excessive and alleged prosecutors had omitted favorable evidence during a grand jury hearing.

Edwards entered what is known as an Alford plea, meaning he was not admitting that he committed the crime but was acknowledging he could be convicted and face a higher penalty or convictions on more offenses if he went to trial, prosecutor Sonia Jimenez said in an e-mail.

Attorney Robert Langford, who represents Jones, praised the outcome of the case.

“Pac has been doing what he needs to do for the last year and we are all going to be happy to get this sad chapter behind us,” Langford said. “He is happy that his version of events has been vindicated.”

Police said Jones briefly met with Edwards after Jones and his entourage were ejected from the club after a brawl in February 2007.

Edwards and Jones parted, police said, moments before Edwards opened fire with a handgun outside the club.

Police claimed Jones had instigated the brawl by throwing wads of dollar bills from a large plastic trash bag onto a stage then became angry when the strippers picked up the money.

Jones pleaded no contest in 2007 to the gross misdemeanor of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct in a plea deal that reduced two felony charges of coercion that each carried a possible sentence of one to six years. The Cincinnati Bengals cornerback has denied having a role in the shooting.

Jones later identified Edwards as the shooter in a police lineup.

A valet attendant also identified Edwards as the gunman.

Police said Edwards hounded Jones for $15,000 after the shooting.

Jones told authorities he didn’t order the shooting and declined to pay. But he said he reimbursed a friend who paid the money for him because he was worried Edwards would pursue him if he wasn’t paid.

Jones was suspended from the NFL for the 2007 season because of his role in the melee and other misconduct off the field. In the first three years after his 2005 draft, Jones was arrested six times on various charges.

Silverstein claimed police never fully explored Jones’ role in the high-profile incident, while Edwards was an easy scapegoat.

“‘Pacman’ Jones had a lot of incentive to deflect attention from him and the other people in the club that night because if the shooter had been a friend of his, he would not be playing cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals right now,” Silverstein said.

The NFL season just started and with it came heartache and trouble, on and off the field: a player’s apparent suicide; drunken-driving charges against another; a drug suspension; Reggie Bush’s broken leg; a female reporter’s locker room plight; chaos at quarterback.

Stay tuned for Week 3.

From the death of Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley, found with a pillow over his head and a pistol on top of the pillow, to the DWI charges against Jets receiver Braylon Edwards to Tampa Bay safety Tanard Jackson being suspended for at least a year, the headlines have skewed toward the negative. Even the tragic.

“In a perfect world, all of our news would be positive and focused on the game,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Wednesday. “Of course we do not live in a perfect world and commissioner (Roger) Goodell makes sure we address all of these issues in an open and responsible way.

“We know that people are paying close attention to what we do and with that comes the responsibility of leadership and setting the right example.”

Goodell’s league has seen far too much irresponsible behavior dominating the news. Sure, the commissioner was impressed enough by Ben Roethlisberger’s conduct since April that he reduced the Pittsburgh quarterback’s suspension from six games to four. But more common have been suspensions for violations of the performance-enhancing-drug policy (Texans tackle Duane Brown, who joined Houston linebacker Brian Cushing, last season’s defensive rookie of the year, on the sideline); personal conduct program (Bucs DB Aqib Talib); and substance abuse policy (Seahawks LB Leroy Hill).

Talib and Hill even attended their team’s game in violation of league rules and could face further discipline.

On Wednesday, Jackson was suspended until next September after violating the drug policy for the second time; he served four games last year.

The league also is developing a workplace conduct program in the wake of a locker room incident in which the New York Jets acted unprofessionally toward a female television reporter from Mexico. Did the tabloids — and tabloid television — have a field day with that.

“It is getting harder to deflect attention,” said Syracuse University professor of pop culture Robert Thompson. “Hollywood in the 1930s and ’40s could completely make stories go away. The NFL has been known for being to able to control its message, but with stories like these … it is very difficult to control those kinds of messages and even the information coming.

“A perfect example of that” is the Jets-TV Azteca reporter incident, he added.

The Jets don’t have the only locker room issues. Their co-owner of the New Meadowlands Stadium, the Giants, had safety Antrel Rolle — in his first season with the team, by the way — complained about, well, just about everything, including a lack of player leadership. That followed running back Brandon Jacobs griping about losing his starting job earlier in the season, then unintentionally tossing his helmet into the Indianapolis crowd on Sunday night, for which Jacobs was fined $10,000 by the league.

Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall believes he also should be Washington’s defensive coordinator; anybody wonder if he has designs on other jobs in DC, too, with the elections coming up in six weeks?

For all the tumult away from the field, there has been plenty of upheaval on it. Quarterback, the position coaches insist must be the most stable, is a mess in many cities, from Philadelphia to Charlotte to Oakland and back to Buffalo.

Already, eight teams have used backup quarterbacks in some manner, and the Bills are switching from Trent Edwards to Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday. Pittsburgh already has gone through its third-stringer and fourth-stringer and will start Charlie Batch at Tampa Bay. Leftwich was waived by the Steelers for Week 2, reclaimed on Monday.

But even if fans are paying attention to everything else, they also continue to tune into NFL telecasts, the most popular thing on the tube this time of year. Of course, anyone who prefers to focus on the negative will point out there already have been three TV blackouts (Tampa, San Diego, Oakland) when there were 20 all of last season.

There also have been 19 games decided by seven or fewer points, the most at this point in NFL history. Of the eight teams at 2-0, six did not make the playoffs last year: Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.

“Yes, I think people do pay attention to those other elements and maybe it’s distracting us from watching the games in the total purity of sports,” Thompson said. “Yet, part of the fun of following a game or team or the NFL is for the close games, the stats, watching our favorite teams win and also for the drama, and sometimes we get the high drama the NFL is kicking off this season with.”