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Tim Graham analyzes the state of the Patriots, Bills, Jets and Dolphins

In case you're keeping score in the Buffalo Bills' search for a head coach, another prominent name apparently isn't interested.

NFL.com senior columnist Vic Carucci reports Mike Holmgren "has rejected an overture from the Bills" because the former Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks coach and executive is believed to have his eye on an administrative job rather than one on the sidelines.

That means every one of the so-called A-list of Super Bowl-winning candidates has been accounted for in reportage -- for now.

Mike Shanahan has accepted an invitation to meet with the Bills about the opening. Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher and Holmgren declined.

Marty Schottenheimer also stated publicly he has not been in contact with the Bills about the job and, in regards to coaching, "I'm really not going to go back down that road again."

The precipitous decline of outside linebacker Matt Roth's status with the Miami Dolphins reached full nadir Tuesday.

The Dolphins released Roth, the 46th overall draft choice in 2005. Roth started 14 games last year as one of Miami's better run-stoppers. He made 53 tackles, had five sacks (second to Joey Porter's AFC-leading 17.5) and forced two fumbles.

This year, however, has been an episode of the "Gong Show." He showed up to training camp and told the Dolphins he was ill. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, insisted Roth had a groin injury. The Dolphins were vexed and sent him to various specialists. There was speculation Roth and Rosenhaus were getting cute in an attempt to get a contract extension after a solid season.

The Dolphins placed Roth on the non-football injury list. Once he was cleared to practice, he suffered an ankle injury. The Dolphins activated him four games ago. He recorded one tackle in each game.

Roth not only was failing to make a noticeable impact, but the Dolphins also had other players to choose from at the position.

Porter has been dealing with hamstring and disciplinary issues, but the Dolphins acquired a pair of edge rushers over the offseason, bringing back Jason Taylor and signing Cameron Wake from the Canadian Football League.

Also Tuesday, the Dolphins as expected placed Jason Ferguson on injured reserve with a season-ending torn quadriceps and released safety Nate Ness. They signed defensive end Ikeaika Alma-Francis and cornerback Evan Oglesby.

Perry Fewell hasn't won a game, and already he's more popular than Dick Jauron.

Fewell, the Buffalo Bills' interim head coach, lost his first game as Jauron's placement but as of Tuesday night was pulling down a 65 percent in SportsNation's weekly NFL head coach approval ratings.

Jauron topped out at 62 percent after nearly beating the New England Patriots on opening night and thumping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. Jauron's rating plummeted to four percent in Week 4 and 5. He was at six percent when the Bills fired him.

Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano led all AFC East coaches at 88 percent for guiding his team to .500 for the first time despite myriad injuries. Sparano ranked fourth in the league behind Sean Payton, Ken Whisenhunt and Jim Caldwell.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was at 76 percent, which ranked 11th in the league.

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan's fluctuating score was at 40 percent, which was 23rd. Ryan was over 80 percent for the first month of the season, topping out at 92 percent in Week 3.

New England Patriots defensive back Darius Butler talks with Jeannine Edwards of "First Take" about his rookie season and coping with the death of UConn teammate Jasper Howard.

In the days after firing head coach Dick Jauron, the Buffalo Bills generated some electricity among their fans when reports linked them to the sexiest candidates on the market.

The reports, citing team and league sources, suggested the Bills were in hot pursuit of an elite coach. Former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan agreed to discuss the opening.

But in the span of a few days, three well-known coaches have indicated they're not interested in Buffalo.

A weekend report from Buffalo TV station WIVB stated the Bills contacted Jon Gruden and "went after him hard," but he spurned them. ESPN's John Clayton and the NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora reported the Bills had contacted Bill Cowher, who said he won't interview with anybody until the season is over.

On Tuesday afternoon, former Bills linebacker Marty Schottenheimer essentially took his name out of the running.

Schottenheimer, co-host of Sirius NFL Radio's "The Red Zone", discussed comments ESPN's Chris Mortensen made on the "Monday Night Football" pregame show. Mortensen said Schottenheimer could be a candidate for the Bills' vacancy.

"I think [the report] may have had something to do with a reunion of that 1965 Buffalo Bills team that we had," Schottenheimer said. "That’s probably a lot closer to the reality of it.

"I was a bit taken back. My wife looked at me kind of like, 'Hello?' And I said, 'I'm home!' It's flattering but there’s nothing there."

Alex Marvez, host of the "The Red Zone," asked if Schottenheimer had any interest in returning to the NFL as a general manager or a head coach.

"I’ve never really considered the general manager thing," Schottenheimer said, "other than some dialogue that I had with Clark Hunt [of the Kansas City Chiefs], and it was more of a discussion about the various roles and can a guy do both or can a guy go from the coaching side of it to the administrative or executive side of it, if you will. And certainly [Bill] Parcells has indicated that you could.

"But to be very candid with you I don't really think that I'm a candidate for any GM role, first of all, because I think it's a totally different animal. And Parcells may think otherwise, but it's not something that I would have an interest in.

"And from the coaching standpoint of it, you know, I'll be very candid with you and say it's nice to think that people would consider you, but the reality of it is is that after 30 great years, I'm really not going to go back down that road again."

Rather than deliver the AFC East power rankings in the usual format, let's take a look not only at where the four teams rank but how they’ve fared against the NFL's best and worst opponents.

No. 4 New England Patriots

• Best win: The Patriots have gained their ranking based on convincing and consistent performances more than knocking off teams ranked above them. Their biggest victory so far was over the No. 15 Baltimore Ravens in Week 4.
• Worst loss: The No. 22 New York Jets kept the Patriots out of the end zone in Week 2. The Patriots avenged that defeat Sunday with a comfortable victory in Gillette Stadium.
• Close calls: The Patriots came dangerously close to getting stunned by the No. 27 Buffalo Bills on opening night but miraculously found a way to win. ... Bill Belichick's controversial decision to go for it on fourth down from his own 28 might have cost them a victory over the No. 2 Indianapolis Colts.

No. 17 Miami Dolphins

• Best win: Of the Dolphins' five victories, the highest-rated opponent is the No. 21 Carolina Panthers. They've beaten the No. 22 New York Jets twice, the No. 27 Bills and No. 30 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Worst loss: Four of their five defeats are to teams in the top 6, so it makes you stop to think the Dolphins' worst loss has been to the No. 16 Atlanta Falcons on opening day.
• Close calls: The Dolphins failed to close out the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the poll, blowing a 21-point second-quarter lead over the New Orleans Saints in Week 7 and letting Colts quarterback Peyton Manning beat them in Week 2 despite letting him have the ball for less than 15 minutes the whole game.

No. 22 New York Jets

• Best win: Their signature win was two months ago, a solid triumph over the No. 4 Patriots.
• Worst loss: The No. 30 Bills delivered a sudden-death punch in the gut at the Meadowlands in Week 6.
• Close calls: Both games against the No. 17 Dolphins went down to the wire. The Jets lost the first meeting after a fourth quarter that featured five lead-changing touchdowns and dropped the rematch because they let Ted Ginn return two kickoffs 100 yards for touchdowns.

No. 27 Buffalo Bills

• Best win: The Bills' three victories are over the No. 21 Panthers, the No. 22 Jets and the No. 30 Buccaneers.
• Worst loss: Doesn't get any worse than being the only victory for the NFL's worst team. The Bills lost -- at home, no less -- to the No. 32 Cleveland Browns in Week 5.
• Close calls: The Bills should've beaten the Patriots on opening night, but Leodis McKelvin's infamous fumble in the closing minutes gave Tom Brady a golden opportunity.

ESPN's Brian Kenny takes a look at the bad karma affecting the Bill Belichick coaching tree.

KC Joyner, aka the Football Scientist, takes a look at Monday night's game between the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. Joyner sees the matchup between Patriots receiver Randy Moss and Saints cornerback Jabari Greer as critical.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Falling

1. Mark Sanchez, Jets quarterback: The struggling rookie threw four more interceptions and lost a fumble in Sunday's loss. The Patriots converted Sanchez's turnovers into 17 points, the differential on the scoreboard. In the Jets' 1-6 stretch, Sanchez has thrown 14 interceptions and lost two fumbles.

2. Buffalo Bills offensive line: Two more Bills O-linemen suffered season-ending injuries in Sunday's loss at Jacksonville. Rookie right guard Eric Wood broke his leg. Reserve Seth McKinney hurt his knee. That means the Bills will use their eighth line combo Sunday against the Dolphins.

3. Randy Moss, Patriots receiver: Maybe this entry should be for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis under "Rising." Tom Brady targeted Moss 11 times, but the Hall of Famers connected only five times for 34 yards and a 4-yard touchdown. On one of those catches, Drew Coleman was covering. Revis kept Moss to four receptions and 24 yards in Week 2.

Rising

1. Wes Welker, Patriots receiver: The Jets beat the Patriots the first time they played. Not coincidentally, Welker missed that game. In Sunday's rematch, Welker turned in one of the greatest individual performances in the Patriots' 50-year history. He set the club record for receptions in a regulation game with 15 and amassed 192 yards, third-most by a Patriot.

2. Ricky Williams, Dolphins running back: The 32-year-old sidekick-turned-workhorse recorded two 100-yard games in a five-day span. Williams ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 19 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers -- his first game with rushing and receiving touchdowns.

3. Terrell Owens, Bills receiver: T.O. finally had the type of day Bills fans have been frothing about since March. He had nine catches for 197 yards, including a team-record 98-yard touchdown. Perhaps this is a sign the Bills will open up their previously inept passing game over their final few games.