Week 2 Judgements: Cardinals aren't who we thought they are

Maybe, just maybe, the Arizona Cardinals found a quarterback after all. Kevin Kolb didn't just beat Tom Brady. He beat history, becoming the first quarterback to beat Brady and the Patriots in a home opener at Gillette Stadium. Yep, the Patriots were 10-0 before Sunday, and Brady was 35-1 there in his last 36 regular-season starts. Oh, well. Now, Kolb goes home where the Cards have won six straight and gears up for his own personal Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles.

2. Guess there goes the quarterback controversy in Arizona. John Skelton, please take a seat.

3. With the victory, Arizona has nine wins in its last 11 starts. Nobody is better. Yes, there are teams as good -- with New England one of them -- but, as I said, nobody is better.

4. Don't tell me the NFC West is a joke. Not anymore it isn't. Not only is San Francisco the best team in football, but the rest of the division ... well, it went undefeated Sunday. That's right, the NFC West was 4-0 vs. New England, Detroit, Washington and Dallas.

5. Welcome back, Greg Schiano. Now go home.

6. No question about it, that was a cheap shot on quarterback Eli Manning on the game's last play, a kneeldown. Schiano later said his teams "won't quit," and that's fine. But it was a kneeldown, for crying out loud. Get a clue, Greg. There's a time and place to take a shot at the quarterback, and that wasn't it. Coach Tom Coughlin let him know it, and good for him. He should.

7. It's not Blaine Gabbert's hamstring that bothers me. It's his right arm. Or maybe his head. He flat out stunk in that blowout by Houston, a game that was far too reminiscent of Gabbert's play last season.

8. Guess that Seattle loss to Arizona doesn't look so bad now, does it.

9. Yes, Robert Griffin III is a talent, but, no, no, no, Indianapolis should not have drafted him first ... and Andrew Luck just showed you why.

10. Sorry, but I have no idea why Washington coach Mike Shanahan had Billy Cundiff try a 62-yard field goal, either. I'd play the percentages, and, in my book, the percentages of RG3 converting a fourth-and-16 are greater than Cundiff nailing a 62-yard field goal.

11. I don't fault Cundiff for missing the kick. His career best is 56 yards. But I do know that Baltimore's Justin Tucker -- the guy who replaced Cundiff -- might've made it. He nailed a 56-yarder outdoors vs. Philadelphia that would've been good from 62.

12. Sam Bradford bashers said St. Louis was wrong to make a commitment to the guy after last season and to trade away the second pick of the draft (which Washington turned into Griffin). I want to hear them say that now. No question, RG3 could be sensational, but Bradford looks like the quarterback who nearly took the Rams to a division title in 2010 -- and that is nothing but good for a team that is tougher, more physical and more competitive under Jeff Fisher. Trust me, the Rams will be a tough out this season.

13. Early candidate for Coach of the Year: Sean Payton. Without him, the Saints just lost consecutive games to a pair of doormats that were a combined 11-21 last season.

14. Here's what I like most about San Diego's 2-0 start: Defense. The Chargers allowed only three touchdowns and 24 points. We all know the Bolts can score (they produced 38 Sunday without Ryan Mathews and Antonio Gates). What they couldn't do is stop anyone ... until now. Their first two opponents converted 25 percent of their third downs; last year's converted 49.2 percent. Advantage, John Pagano.

15. Include me among those who think that Aaron Hernandez's ankle injury is a big deal. A really big deal.

16. Buffalo fans waiting for a pass rush finally got their wish. The Bills had five sacks vs. Kansas City, with four by defensive tackles. That means that ... yep, we're still waiting for our first sacks by Mario Williams and Mark Anderson.

17. I'm not one to complain about replacement refs, but they were gawd awful in the Baltimore-Philadelphia game. They blew spots. They blew timeouts. They couldn't remember what down it was. In short, they were dreadful. Overall, I think replacement officials haven't been all that bad ... but these guys were, and you'd think a marquee game like Baltimore-Philadelphia would demand a marquee crew. Guess not.

18. One word for those holding stock in USC quarterback Matt Barkley: Sell!

19. Buffalo just found out how to minimize Ryan Fitzpatrick's mistakes. Run more and have him throw less. Fitzpatrick threw just 19 passes vs. Kansas City but was more effective ... far more effective ... than he was when he put the ball up 32 times vs. the Jets a week earlier.

20. The race is on for last in the AFC West, with Kansas City making an early push to beat out Oakland. But the Chiefs started 0-2 a year ago and were outscored 89-10. They're 0-2 again, this time by a combined score of 75-41, and here's the question: Is that progress? I think you know the answer.

FIVE THINGS I LIKE

1. Baltimore coach John Harbaugh's use of timeouts at the end of the first half. First his punt coverage team bottled up Philadelphia at its 6. Then Harbaugh used his second and third timeouts to stop the clock with 18 seconds left. That shouldn't have been a problem ... but it was after punter Chas Henry had a 38-yard kick returned 10 yards. Result: Baltimore gains three points it shouldn't via Justin Tucker's 56-yard field goal.

2. Detroit's Jim Schwartz shaking hands with Jim Harbaugh before Sunday's game. Everyone was waiting to see what happened when these two met again, and credit Schwartz for making the first move. He ran over to Harbaugh in pre-game warm-ups, extended his hand and left with a smile. Hallelujah.

3. Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis vs. Cleveland. He's 14-5 in the series, with his first victory as a head coach over the Browns. He also won seven of the last eight times they met. What's supposed to be "The Battle of Ohio" is more like a game of solitaire.

4. Pittsburgh in home openers. That was the Steelers' 10th straight, and it's no coincidence it happened with Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis at home. What little chance the Jets had for the upset disappeared when Revis disappeared. "We aren't scared of anybody," Pittsburgh wide receiver Mike Wallace proclaimed last week. Then the Steelers proved it.

5. Michael Vick on last-gasp drives. The Eagles are 2-0 because Vick is slick when it matters most. You can look it up: On fourth-quarter, game-winning drives vs. Cleveland and Baltimore, Vick was 10 for 16 for 125 yards and one touchdown. He also ran four times for 20 yards and another TD.

FIVE THINGS I DON'T

1. Side judge Brian Stropolo's common sense. He doesn't have any. The guy was supposed to officiate the Saints-Panthers game but was removed after ESPN discovered a photo of him on his Facebook page with his Saints gear on and with Stropolo identified as a New Orleans fan. Swell. One question: How in the world could Stropolo ever have thought that posting a photo of himself in anyone's gear was a smart idea?

2. Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson throwing a punch at Baltimore's Cary Williams and not getting tossed. That's not how it's supposed to go, people.

3. The New York Giants' defense. It was the reason Big Blue won two Super Bowls in five years, including 2011, but so far it looks downright ordinary -- with Tampa Bay putting up 34 on it one week after the Cowboys struck for 24. I know the Giants have cornerback issues, but get over it already. The Giants had to have 510 yards passing from Eli Manning to pull off a come-from-behind victory, and, no, don't get used to it.

4. Golden Tate's wipeout of Sean Lee on a Russell Wilson scramble. It wasn't a block; it was a demolition of a defenseless player. This is precisely the kind of shot to the head and shoulders the NFL is trying to eliminate. There should've been a flag. There wasn't.

5. The Cowboys' special teams. What is it about Dallas special teams in Seattle? They self-destruct. They fumbled a kickoff. They had a punt blocked. Their mistakes led to 10 Seattle points and helped sink Dallas.

FIVE GUYS WHO HAVE SOME 'SPLAINING TO DO

1. Baltimore offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Here we go again. Someone remind him that Ray Rice is in the huddle and that it's OK to give him the ball on third-and-fourth-and short. In the second half the Ravens had two third-and-2s, two third-and-ones and one fourth-and-1, and they never, ever gave the ball to Rice. Instead, they threw, with four incompletions and one interception. Please.

2. Washington WR Aldrick Robinson. He dropped a perfectly thrown fourth-quarter bomb that would have set up a sure Washington score. It was an easy body catch, but Robinson blew it. C'mon, Aldrick, you got to be better than that. I know Pierre Garcon would've made the catch, only he wasn't playing. Robinson took his place.

3. Washington WR Josh Morgan. First of all, he runs backward after making what could've been a first-down catch with just over a minute left. Then, after he's tackled, he goes stupid, stupid, stupid -- throwing the football at cornerback Cortland Finnegan while teammate Brian Orakpo holds his head in disbelief. Caution, Josh: It's mistakes like that that get guys cut.

4. Arizona RB Ryan Williams. When you're carrying the ball late, and your team is protecting a two-point lead, there are two things you never do: 1) Run out of bounds and 2) fumble. Williams didn't run out of bounds, but he did fumble, and he can thank Stephen Gostkowski it didn't cost Arizona an upset.

5. New England TE Rob Gronkowski. It was his holding penalty that wiped out a 30-yard touchdown run by Danny Woodhead that would've clinched a come-from-behind victory. OK, so it was a dicey call, but it was the right one.

JUST ASKING BUT ...

• If Rex Ryan is the best defensive coach in the game, what does that make Dick LeBeau?

• Why did ESPN discover a side judge for the Saints-Panthers game was a New Orleans fan before the NFL did? I mean, whatever happened to vetting?

•  Hakeem Nicks or Victor Cruz?

• What is going on with Wes Welker?

• Why is Reggie Bush so much more effective now?

NUMBERS TO REMEMBER

3 -- Tim Tebow snaps vs. Pittsburgh
4 -- Eli Manning touchdown passes of 60 or more yards during the last three regular seasons, tying Aaron Rodgers for league high
6-0 -- Philip Rivers record vs. Tennessee
9 -- Philadelphia turnovers this season
13 -- Blaine Gabbert passing yards in the first half
15 -- Danny Amendola catches
23 -- Yards rushing for Oakland
604 -- Yards in New York Giants' offense, the second most in club history

MY TOP FIVE

1. San Francisco
2. Houston
3. Atlanta
4. Green Bay
5. Denver

MY BOTTOM FIVE

32. Cleveland
31. Kansas City
30. Jacksonville
29. Oakland
28. Tennessee

NEXT WEEKEND'S THREE BEST GAMES

•  Philadelphia at Arizona ... Finally, it's Kevin Kolb vs. the QB who displaced him.

• Houston at Denver ... You make the call: Peyton or Wade Phillips' defense?

• New England at Baltimore ... Hard to believe: One of these two will be 1-2.

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Mason's broadsides on Goodell aren't so off-target

Derrick Mason has embarked on a Crush Roger Goodell Tour. He has been on television more than Trump, and that's saying something.

The only thing missing from Mason's diatribes are a soapbox and a "praise the Lord." Mason is preaching. This is what he sometimes does. He called Goodell a joke. Unfair. He called Goodell distracted on drug testing. Unfair. Goodell can do several things at once. Trust me. I've witnessed. He's a smart fella.

 Derrick Mason says he's had no disagreement on his criticisms. (Getty Images) No, surely, Mason has stated a number of things about Goodell that are untrue. But Mason's overall message is something that needs to be discussed. It's important. Damn important.

First, read this: "I don't think anybody disagreed with me," Mason said. "Anybody that understands what's been going on in the game of football, on the inside, not just on the outside but anyone that's been in it, they understand that. Honestly -- I'm not saying this to disrespect him in any way -- what has he done for the game of football to move it forward? Everything that has been done has been done by Pete Rozelle, [Paul] Tagliabue, people that came before him. But the thing is, he hasn't done anything significant to change the game of football."

People want to portray Mason as a loudmouth chump. A crazy man on a rant, a sufferer of too many concussions. And certainly some of what Mason is saying isn't fair or true.

But that quote ... I can tell you I've heard variations of it repeated in NFL locker rooms for several years now. Not once or twice. Not a few times. Not a handful. A lot. My guess is Mason is speaking for more than a few NFL players.

The overwhelming sentiment of some players has been who in the hell does Roger Goodell think he is?

Mason's quotation is noteworthy because in one sense it explains why the lockout became so bitter. Not since Bobby and Whitney has a relationship devolved in a public light with such rapidity. The feeling of distrust between players and Goodell had been building and the lockout was like a key unlatching all of the malice and ill will, all of it spilling out into public view. Not all players feel this way about Goodell. Not everyone. But plenty.

My view of Goodell is that he's smart, works hard and cares about the image of the league. He's a good person who has opened up the NFL to fans as much as any other commissioner in sports.

Yet Goodell has been gifted Supreme King of All Bad Asses status by the media when in actuality his accomplishments haven't matched what has become a legendary plateau.

Goodell's greatest accomplishment has been working the press. Building relationships with some writers and TV types that Goodell knows won't push him hard on issues. Goodell is a regular on one of the ESPN morning shows because Goodell knows the only tough question he'll get asked is what does he like in his coffee, low fat or whole milk?

Goodell has built quite a media empire by acting like the press' best friend and then using the press to bash in the head of the players. I've heard that one from more than a few players.

Many will cite Goodell's corralling of bad-boy players like Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Vick. Sure, some of that's good. Yet for all of Goodell's bluster on this issue, has he really cured the problem? Or come close? Since the lockout, 10 players have been arrested for various charges.

Goodell has expressed concern about concussions yet wants an 18-game season. He has reined in more brutal hits with heavier fines and the league is breaking profit and popularity numbers, but here we are embroiled in an ugly labor dispute.

All of those things fall under the umbrella of Mason's point, and it's totally fair. And, again, Mason is far from alone in his thinking.

Some of Mason's attacks on Goodell have crossed a line. That is true. His larger question is fair.

What exactly has Goodell done?

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