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The NFL has told its game officials to err on the side of protecting defenseless players.

Blatant erring, the league could do without.

A roughing penalty Sunday against Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher for a hit on New England's Tom Brady played into perceptions the NFL offers special treatment for its prized quarterbacks. Would Alex Smith or Kevin Kolb or Tarvaris Jackson get such a call? I think they might, given the state of officiating. The seemingly clean hit Green Bay's Clay Matthews put on Minnesota's Christian Ponder comes to mind.

Fletcher was already moving in for the tackle when Brady attempted a late slide. Fletcher tackled Brady. Contact included a forearm to Brady's midsection, but no illegal contact. Matthews was not fined for his hit on Ponder. I doubt Fletcher will face a fine, either.

This was a bad call, I thought. Former NFL officiating vice president Mike Pereira, now an officiating analyst for Fox, agreed thusly: "He was sliding late and there was no hit to the head."

The league's emphasis on protecting defenseless players is a worthy one. This season could be one of over-correction. This will be a leading topic for the NFL during the coming offseason. I would expect some clarification of the rules and point of emphasis in an effort to find a balance.

The call against Fletcher was bad enough. Imagine if such a call moved a team into position for the winning field goal during a Super Bowl.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Two months ago Tuesday, Kevin Kolb took his first practice snap with the Arizona Cardinals, cramming to learn a new offense with only seven regular-season starts on his resume.

Factoring only for those variables, no reasonable person would expect Kolb to rank among the top quarterbacks in the NFL after Week 4.

But there are more variables, including one that is difficult to overlook: the statement Arizona made in acquiring Kolb and signing him to a five-year contract averaging $12.6 million annually.

What Arizona has invested in Kolb invites higher expectations than if the Cardinals had merely signed him to a wait-and-see deal. Kolb hasn't been able to stop the Cardinals from losing their last three games by a combined eight points even thought Arizona had possession with a chance to tie or go ahead in each defeat.

Kolb admitted taking a step backward against Seattle during Week 3. It would be hard to say he took a step forward against the Giants.

The 2010 Cardinals were one game better in the standings at this point in the season. Their quarterbacks, though lagging well behind Kolb in NFL passer rating at the four game-mark, actually performed slightly better according to Total QBR (see chart). The 2010 Cardinals' quarterbacks dropped off significantly at about this time last season, finishing the season with a 23.6 QBR. Arizona expects Kolb to trend upward as the season progresses and he gets more comfortable.

"The No. 1 thing is we're asking him to do some things in our offense that he hasn't done before as far as reads and checks and those kinds of things," coach Ken Whisenhunt said Monday. "I don't know the degree of what he did in Philly, but I know it's different. It takes time."

Kolb took a costly sack Sunday when the team was setting up a screen pass on second-and-1 from the New York Giants' 29-yard line. The Cardinals trailed, 31-27, and about 1:20 remained before the play. Kolb needed to get rid of the ball in that situation, Whisenhunt said. Instead, the sack proved devastating. The Cardinals eventually turned the ball over on downs.

If Kolb doesn't seem to be moving with purpose in the pocket, that could be because he hasn't grasped the offense well enough to act appropriately on instinct. Or, it could mean Kolb lacks the instincts to play the position well.

It's too early to know one way or the other.

According to Whisenhunt, Kolb grasps what a quarterback must do in each situation. Acting properly on each of those things in the moment can be tough for a quarterback with relatively little game experience. The lengthy explanation Whisenhunt gave on the subject hinted at some of the the complexities

"That is understanding what reads we're looking for, whether to look at the safety. A lot of times it's the front. He has to know what type of front we have and how to make a run check and there's a lot of things on his plate in addition to making sure everyone lines up right, remembering what the snap count is, the 25-second clock and where that is, so all of those things will get better and more comfortable and will allow him to think about the progressions, where he wants to go with the ball and, for instance, if there is a specific play where we say, 'OK, now, look, if it's Cover 2, you know your read is supposed to take you to the left, but make sure you check the seam on the right side because their backer has a tendency to play to the weak side a little more and it will open up that seam.'

"Easy for you to say and see, but to be able to process all of those things I talked about and still think about that one little detail, it just takes some reps and some time. That is what we are working through. But you see progress."

Whisenhunt pointed to the 73-yard touchdown pass Kolb threw to Larry Fitzgerald during the fourth quarter at Washington in Week 2. Kolb anticipated the blitz from his blind side, rolled to his right, waited for Fitzgerald to break open and delivered a pass right before taking a huge hit from linebacker London Fletcher.

"I think he manages the huddle very well, he understands the concepts of the plays, he can get guys in the right spots, he understands the concepts of what we're trying to get done," Whisenhunt said. "But when you step up to the line of scrimmage and you're having to do that when the real bullets are flying, the only way you get better at it is getting more reps at it."

One of the items posted Monday morning offered thoughts on Jim Harbaugh declining a 15-yard penalty after his San Francisco 49ers kicked a 55-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead against Dallas.

Statistical analysis suggested the decision barely affected the 49ers' probability of winning.

Albert Larcada of ESPN's analytics team echoed those thoughts and offered some elaboration:

"Our win probability model is based on all NFL plays since 2001. We look at the game context and situation for each play and determine the probability each team has to win the game based on results from teams in similar situations historically.

"By choosing to take the three points, the 49ers were up 10 points with 11:16 left. Playing at home and kicking off from midfield because of the penalty (essentially guaranteeing a touchback) gave the 49ers a 91.4 percent chance to win at that moment.

"If instead the 49ers had chosen to take the 15-yard penalty, they would have had first-and-10 on the Cowboys' 22-yard line, up by seven points instead of 10. Given this situation, our win probability model says the 49ers would have had a 91.6 percent chance to win.

"One argument that has been made is that this does not take into account the time the 49ers would have 'wasted' by keeping the ball. This is not actually true since such a tactic would have been used historically to arrive at the odds quoted above. One reason for this is that keeping the ball and running the clock down is inherently risky.

"It certainly is possible the 49ers could have scored a touchdown and put the game away or made another field goal. However, it is also possible they could have walked away with no points via a missed field goal or turnover. This added variability in outcomes is not something a team playing at home with the lead in the fourth quarter wants to have.

"Given the added risk and the negligible difference in win probability, Jim Harbaugh made at least a solid choice, if not the right choice."

Harbaugh's decision was the highest-profile tactical move an NFC West coach made in Week 2. Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt made an interesting call during the Cardinals' 22-21 defeat at Washington. With two timeouts remaining and the Redskins leading by a field goal midway through the third quarter, Whisenhunt threw his challenge flag to gain 13 yards in field position following a Kevin Kolb interception.

The challenge produced a reversal. We can assume Whisenhunt, armed with extra time provided by a TV timeout, knew with great certainty his challenge would prevail. Blowing a timeout in that situation would have made little sense.

Upon review, referee Peter Morelli ruled Redskins linebacker London Fletcher down by contact at the Washington 11-yard line. Without the challenge, the Redskins would have had the ball at the 24. Arizona's defense allowed a 40-yard completion on the next play. The Cardinals eventually got the ball back at their own 10.

Had there been no challenge and had the Redskins' ensuing drive covered the same distance, Washington would have had fourth-and-5 from the Arizona 43 instead of from its own 44. Either way, the Redskins likely would have punted.

Challenging the play also bought time for the Cardinals' defense, perhaps diminishing the psychological effects of a quick-change situation. That could have been another consideration.

With Peyton Manning's regular-season starting streak in question, I revisited the list of active leaders to see which NFC West players might be gaining.

There is one.

The San Francisco 49ers' Justin Smith, the NFL's active ironman among defensive linemen with 155 starts in a row, would have to remain in the lineup continuously through the sixth game of the 2014 season to surpass Manning's 208-game streak.

Smith, 31, would be turning 35 at about the time he reached 209 starts.

The chart shows current starting streaks of at least 100 games, according to the NFL. Alan Faneca is retiring, so he'll come off the list. Atlanta Falcons center Todd McClure, tied with Faneca on the list, will miss the regular-season opener after having knee surgery.

Players need toughness, luck, consistency and talent to maintain such streaks in such a physically demanding sport. The position they play also matters.

The longest active starting streak for running backs stands at only 48 games, with the Chicago Bears' Matt Forte atop the list. The Tennessee Titans' Chris Johnson is next at 32 games, with the St. Louis Rams' Steven Jackson third at only 17 regular-season starts in a row. Only three other running backs have started more than 12 games in a row.

Update: The NFL's internal statistics engine listed Ronde Barber with 179 consecutive regular-season starts. The Bucs' figure is 183. Game logs available on NFL.com confirm 183. I updated the chart to 183.

ESPN.com’s NFL writers rank the top 10 linebackers in the league today. Next week: Top 10 cornerbacks.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis beat out a strong and diverse field for top billing in ESPN.com's latest positional power rankings.

All eight panelists ranked Willis among their top three, elevating the 26-year-old perennial Pro Bowler above James Harrison and DeMarcus Ware as our No. 1 linebacker in the NFL.

Even 12-time Pro Bowler Ray Lewis, the dominant linebacker of his era, pointed to Willis as a worthy successor to his undisputed reign. Not that Lewis is finished just yet. He placed fifth in the rankings behind Willis, Harrison, Ware and the Green Bay Packers' Clay Matthews. But there was no more complete linebacker than Willis.

"Nobody in the NFL plays their position better than Patrick Willis, and that is saying a lot," said Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc., whose insights helped shape my ballot. "He is as good a linebacker as Peyton Manning is a quarterback, as Andre Johnson is a receiver, as Adrian Peterson is a running back. He has no weaknesses."

Willis, a three-time Associated Press All-Pro first-team selection, is the first 49ers player since Ronnie Lott to earn Pro Bowl honors in each of his first four seasons. Joe Thomas and Peterson are the only other 2007 draft choices with four Pro Bowls.

Apples and oranges: Comparing linebackers from 3-4 schemes to their 4-3 counterparts proved problematic for some panelists. AFC East blogger Tim Graham ranked Ware first among pass-rushers three weeks ago, but only ninth among linebackers.

"Patrick Willis, Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis would be great linebackers in a 3-4 or a 4-3," Graham explained. "DeMarcus Ware and Cameron Wake might not even be linebackers if they played in Indianapolis, Tennessee or Minnesota. At some point, I had to value elite pass-rushing abilities on my list even though those players aren't universal-type linebackers."

There was room for differing views. ESPN.com's John Clayton and AFC North blogger James Walker ranked Ware first among linebackers and first among pass-rushers. AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky ranked Ware first among linebackers and second among pass-rushers.

"Separating Ware, Willis and Harrison is like splitting hairs, because it really depends on what you want in a linebacker," said Walker, who went with Ware, Willis and Harrison atop his ballot. "Ware is a slightly better pass-rusher than Harrison, and Willis is a future Hall of Famer in his prime. Age also has to be a consideration if you’re building a defense, and Harrison will be 33 in May. But they're all great."

First things first: Graham and NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert joined me in ranking Willis first. AFC West blogger Bill Williamson had Willis second only to Harrison.

"When I think of linebacker play in the current day, James Harrison pops out," Bill Williamson said. "I think he’s the gold standard of complete linebacker play. Look at his signature play in the Super Bowl against Arizona. That play will forever be part of NFL lore. Patrick Willis, who is also a great player, doesn’t have that play on his résumé. Plus, Harrison is an ornery cuss on the field. The man was born to be a 'backer."

Willis can't match Harrison in Super Bowl memories -- he could use a quarterback, for starters -- but he's not hurting for signature plays:

• There was the time, as a rookie in 2007, when Willis tracked down and tackled Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Sean Morey 62 yards downfield, in overtime, to save the game.
• There was the time in 2008, when Willis picked off Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and weaved his way 86 yards to the tying third-quarter touchdown -- the longest interception return by a linebacker since Willis entered the league.
• There was Willis' crushing hit against the New York Jets' Brad Smith in 2008, the hit that left Hasselbeck with a broken rib in 2009 and the two-game stretch last season when Willis collected 28 tackles despite wearing a cast following in-season hand surgery.

Lewis pointed to Willis when ESPN's Dana Jacobson recently asked him which young linebacker reminded Lewis of himself.

"I just love the way he plays the game," Lewis said. "He plays the game with a fire. He reminds me of myself -- a lot, a lot, a lot."

Unanimous decisions: The top five finishers received votes from all eight panelists. The gaps between highest and lowest votes fell between four and seven places for all but Willis, who ranked no lower than third.

Seifert ranked Lewis third. I had Lewis 10th and feared I might be measuring him against himself. No list of top linebackers would be complete without him, I thought, but a younger generation is taking over.

Hugs for Suggs: Lewis' teammate, Terrell Suggs, finished just out of our top 10 despite getting a No. 5 ranking from Kuharsky.

"I unabashedly love Suggs, and frankly would have placed him higher if I thought there was any way he needed help to crack the top 10," Kuharsky said. "To me, there is a great deal of subjectivity in ranking this position when mixing guys from 4-3s and 3-4s, so I did a lot of know-them-when-I-see-them ranking. Suggs is absolutely a top-10 guy to me."

Clayton, Seifert, Graham and I did not list Suggs on our ballots while searching for the right mix of 3-4 and 4-3 talent.

Fit to be tied: The players tied for ninth on our list illustrate the varied criteria for the position. Kansas City's Tamba Hali is a pure pass-rusher in the Chiefs' 3-4 defense. Carolina's Jon Beason is a traditional 4-3 linebacker with the versatility to play multiple spots. He changed positions twice in 2010.

Beason peaked at No. 5 on my ballot. NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas had Beason sixth and considered ranking him higher.

"There was a time when I would have ranked Beason in the same echelon as Willis," Yasinskas said. "I think he has a chance to re-emerge if Carolina can put a better team on the field, particularly by getting better at defensive tackle and keeping blockers off Beason. If that happens, I think Beason can be as good as any linebacker in the league."

Youth on his side: New England's Jerod Mayo appeared on six of eight ballots, ranking sixth overall between Lewis and Urlacher. At 25, Mayo was one of two linebackers younger than Willis to earn a spot among the top 10. Matthews, 24, was the other. Graham ranked Mayo third.

"Nose tackle Vince Wilfork might be the anchor of the Patriots' defense, but Mayo is the one who ties their defense together," Graham said. "Mayo is a tackling machine who compensates for shortcomings at outside linebacker and injuries along the defensive line. He would be a star in any system."

On an island: Four linebackers received a single vote. That list featured Brian Orakpo (Clayton), Lance Briggs (Seifert), London Fletcher (Walker) and Wake (Graham).

Best doesn't mean most valuable: Matt Williamson called linebacker the toughest position to evaluate. I'll close by passing along a few of his thoughts:

• "Willis is so exceptional it would be a coin flip with Ware. Willis has no weaknesses, but if I were a general manager, I would take Ware because pass-rushers are so hard to find. You can get away with a C-level middle linebacker and still have a good defense. You can have a two-down run-stopper and pull him out in nickel."
• "Ray Lewis would not be in my top five at this point. For his age, he is still exceptional and a borderline Pro Bowler, but he doesn't run like he did. I remember when I was with the Browns, I looked at every report the team had written since 1999 and Lewis had the highest grade ever given out. He was nearly perfect."
• "Hali is a one-trick pony, a pass-rusher, but he is great at it -- as good as any pass-rusher in the league."
• "Beason is like Patrick Willis, but he is 95 percent of him. He can play outside, inside, he's smart -- but there is so little around him that people don't realize how good he is."
• "Pass rushing is Clay Matthews' greatest gift, but he is the prototypical outside linebacker. He's a great technician and way more explosive and athletic than people realize. He's good in coverage, not great, but they line him up all over."
• "London Fletcher is underrated, but not in this conversation. How Beason is to Willis, Fletcher is to Lewis. He is smaller and slower than Lewis, good among older guys."
• "Brian Urlacher is still a really good player, but the top 10 might be a stretch. I would take him ahead of Lewis, behind Beason and Willis among 'Mike' 'backers. He is good in coverage. People forget that he was a safety at New Mexico. He doesn't run like he used to and is just not as dynamic as he was in the day."
• "The Steelers have the best linebackers in the league. LaMarr Woodley is very strong and in that conversation too. Definitely top 15. Harrison is great against the run, extremely strong and one of the few linebackers in the league that is a difference-maker from an attitude standpoint. He brings attitude to the table like a Jack Lambert or a Dick Butkus or a Ray Lewis type. He is feared. He is one of the best leverage players in the league, great in pursuit, tenacious as hell. The other guy to know about is Lawrence Timmons. He will be spectacular."

The Rams haven't always drafted well, as noted, but few teams have un-drafted better.

Former Rams Kurt Warner and Dick "Night Train" Lane took the top two spots in Gil Brandt's ranking of the 75 best undrafted players in NFL history.

The chart breaks out the 12 players on Brandt's list from current NFC West teams (showing only players discovered by those teams; Jim Zorn, for instance, made the list but was initially with Dallas). I've added a comment for each player.

Anyone else deserving?

MIAMI -- We're approaching 1,700 comments on the piece about Jerry Rice's potential standing as the greatest player in NFL history. I have also heard from people through the NFC West mailbag. Those comments and my responses follow.

Greg from Carlisle, Pa., writes: Hey there Mike, Jim Thorpe should probably be on any football great list. I guess it was NFL though. Jerry Rice is an all-time great, but best ever? Please! The man played with two Hall of Fame quarterbacks and a great offensive line. Not to mention the great mind of Bill Walsh. Rice benefited from these tremendously. Put him on a terrible team, and he looks like a normal great receiver like an Issac Bruce.

There are more than 10 players that are better than Jerry Rice, and that is with no doubt. Probably 10 or 20 more. Of course that is only my opinion. Even a guy like Brett Favre is an all-around better player than Jerry Rice. Mark it down! Wide receivers aren't even involved in a lot of the game. Rice had Joe Montana and Steve Young to make him involved. Watching Rice his last few years was painful. Best WR ever? YES. Best player ever, not even close.

Mike Sando: I think the most accurate way to put it is that Rice had the best career. Lots of factors go into that, including enjoying team success thanks to having great teammates. Rice made his quarterbacks look good, too. People questioning Kurt Warner's credentials often point out how he played with great wide receivers. I always counter by asking what those receivers ever won without Warner as their quarterback. Warner wasn't the only reason those teams won, but he was a big reason.

Rice was a big reason for the 49ers' success. We did cover some of the ground you alluded to through the comments Aeneas Williams made about what it's like playing on good teams.

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James from Baytown, Texas, writes: I think Barry Sanders is the best running back of all time, because of what he accomplished and who he did it with. Now, I really don't like comparing different eras, because for one, the players' skill sets have changed and rules have changed. Like today we have defensive ends, defensive tackles and linebackers running faster than running backs. If that would have happened back then, the players would have been assumed to be taking steroids.

This is the same reason you can't compare quarterbackss from different eras. The rules are set up for a QB to stand upright in the pocket and pick a defense apart. Defensive backs can't even touch a reciever now, when back in the day, the reciever had to fight the DB all the way up the field. So, comparing the Bradys and Mannings to the Montanas and Elways would not be fair, because their eras are totally different. It's still a fun barber shop argument, though, we just love to have.

Mike Sando: Great points, James. Some have said we should look at where players ranked when they retired. For example, Steve Largent ranked first in all-time receptions when he retired. Those numbers reflected NFL history to that point. Where he ranked, not how many catches he had, should stand as the more telling indicator.

The rules changes and corresponding styles of play definitely affect production. John Elway had a career passer rating of 79.9. Brian Griese has a career passer rating of 82.7. Those figures seem comparable, but there is absolutely nothing similar about how they played, what the accomplished or what they meant to the league.

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Dan from Duluth, Minn., writes: Why is Emmitt Smith not at least in the discussion? You've got Walter Payton and not Emmitt? Come on, there is more to his game than just longevity and even still you gotta give him props for being an indestructible beast at a position with a ridiculously short career span. You Cowboys haters will do anything to keep a Cowboy out of any discussion about the greatest -- apparently even exclude the NFL's all-time leading rusher. Wow.

Mike Sando: It's a positional thing to a degree. I loved the way Smith played the game and wouldn't have a problem with him being in the discussion. Remember the way he ran against the Giants in that playoff game despite a pretty serious injury? I won't forget it. Great, great player. My thinking was that Sanders, Brown and Payton were better runners, and that is why I left off Smith. Perhaps I was wrong there. The Cowboys conspiracy theory is admittedly more fun, though.

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Matt from parts unknown writes: Greatest of all time? Rice surely is ... but Tim Brown's stats put him in the Carter, Harrison, Owens comment you stated.

Mike Sando: Brown was one of my favorite players to watch. I remember the touchdown he scored to win at Buffalo in 1993. Rich Stadium was such a tough place to play back then. The Bills could be dominant there. Buffalo had hammered the Raiders, 51-0, in the AFC title game after the 1990 season. Brown caught 10 passes for 183 yards in that 1993 game, a 25-24 Raiders victory. Brown provided the winning 29-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. That is one of my lasting memories of him.

Go ahead and include Brown in any discussion about all-time great receivers.

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Ray from Hannibal, Mo., writes: Mike, I'm a huge Niners fan and love your blog. I don't know if you ever caught this Ralph Wiley column comparing Rice to Jordan, but it is a neat read.

Mike Sando: Thanks for that. Jordan was more dominant as a basketball player than Rice was as a football player, I think, but that also has a lot to do with the nature of their sports. Basketball definitely highlights the individual more than football. That worked against Rice because the ball wasn't in his hands all the time. Jordan probably touched the ball on the vast majority of offensive plays. He also played great defense, impractical for an NFL wide receiver.

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George from Buffalo writes: How do you have a list of greatest players ever and not have the all-time sack leader on the list, Bruce Smith. What a bogus list without it!

Mike Sando: Sacks became a stat in 1980, so I would not base a list of all-time greats solely on that category. However, it's true that Smith was a great, great player.

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Steve from Odenton, Md., writes: I believe Rice playing for the Niners played a large impact on being voted to so many Pro Bowls. Don't agree? Look at London Fletcher. Identical stats to Ray Lewis, but Fletcher makes one Pro Bowl as an alternate! If Ray Lewis had played for St. Louis, would he have gone to so many Pro Bowls and be in the same conversation as the best ever?

Mike Sando: Ray Lewis was much more of a force at linebacker than Fletcher, and that is no knock on Fletcher. Lewis was the heart, soul and fists for one of the NFL's all-time great defenses. He dominated games physically and emotionally. Fletcher might be underrated. He probably should have gone to more Pro Bowls. But that has nothing to do with Lewis or Rice.

Rice put up historically great numbers. Remember, too, that when he went to the Raiders late in his career, he put up big numbers for two seasons and Rich Gannon became league MVP.

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Tom from parts unknown writes: Johnny Unitas had a career rating of 78.2 Was that good for that era? Even so, why is he called one of the best ever? I don't think above average play coupled with longevity should get you in the talk of best ever.

Mike Sando: See earlier item referencing Elway. And please do brush up on NFL history. Unitas topped our list of greatest quarterbacks.

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Nick from Littleton, Colo., writes: Jerry Rice is great no doubt. But a better story would be how an organization can be a six-time winner of AFC championships and have only two players in the hall. The Denver Broncos have consistently, since 1976, won games and conference championships. The Chargers have seven Hall of Fame players and one AFC championship. Please help spread the word. Rod Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Randy Gradishar, Tom Jackson, Louis Wright, Steve Atwater, Floyd Little, Dennis Smith, Tom Nalen, etc. These are all great football players that get no respect. How does the best tight end ever not make the hall on the first ballot.

Mike Sando: I have written that story, Nick. Shannon Sharpe will make it in. The only question is whether it happens right away given the other players ahead of him in line.

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Bob from Winter Garden, Fla., writes: Mike, I am sure that you are a bright young man and a good writer, but you quote statistics like they are indisputable proof. You should remember that statistics are for losers.What you should be thinking about when deciding who was the best ever, the proof should be who dominated the game, league, etc., more than anyone during the time that they played. There is only one answer and that is Jimmy Brown. If you had ever seen him play, you would be convinced. He was bigger, faster, stronger than any linebackers in the league. He describes his talent as "strength, power, speed, vision and balance". He is the best football player that ever lived.

Mike Sando: I do not dispute what you are saying. I offered the case for Rice while acknowledging that statistics are not everything. The basic conclusion was that it's tough to make a case against Rice.

The 49ers have a fifth player in the Pro Bowl after the NFL named Justin Smith to replace injured Vikings defensive lineman Kevin Williams.

We can argue about Pro Bowl honors being watered down now that the game is scheduled for before the Super Bowl and so many alternates are qualifying. I have no problem with Smith's selection, though, because he's been a very good player for a long time and a big reason for the 49ers' success against Arizona within the NFC West.

This marks Smith's first Pro Bowl selection.

"This is a great opportunity for me to represent my team in Miami," Smith said in a statement released by the team. "It's been a long time coming. To be able to go there and play with four of my teammates makes it even better."

Smith's selection is similar to London Fletcher's selection for the Redskins. Both have played at a high level for a long time. That should count for something.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Ten things I noticed watching the Rams' Steven Jackson break a 58-yard run against the Redskins in Week 2:

• The Rams were operating from what offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur calls their "zebra" personnel package with three wide receivers, one tight end and Jackson alone in the backfield. This left the Redskins with only two linebackers on the field.
• The Rams ran away from Albert Haynesworth, who was lined up over left guard Jacob Bell. Left tackle Alex Barron obstructed Haynesworth just long enough for Jackson to escape between right guard Richie Incognito and right tackle Jason Smith.
• Incognito and center Jason Brown initially double-teamed defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin. Incognito came off the block quickly and buckled linebacker London Fletcher with what appeared to be a left hand to the facemask. Fletcher lost leverage and Incognito buried him. Fletcher's left earhole was close to touching the grass.
• Smith grabbed left defensive end Phillip Daniels by the jersey and held him. Daniels wasn't going to make the tackle.
• Jackson ran strong and broke free from safety Chris Horton about 2 yards past the line of scrimmage. Horton overran the play but still appeared to grab Jackson by the foot.
• Safety LaRon Landry came charging toward the line of scrimmage in run support, but he might have misjudged Jackson's speed and maneuverability. Both were between the hashmarks and within 5 yards of one another when Jackson cut to his right. I'm not sure if Landry even touched him.
• Receiver Keenan Burton, lined up in the left slot, could have done a better job blocking safety Reed Doughty.
• Receiver Donnie Avery hustled downfield to help with blocking, but he wasted the effort by shoving cornerback DeAngelo Hall in the back, drawing a penalty.
• Coach Steve Spagnuolo grabbed Avery by the left forearm and appeared to be encouraging the receiver, not berating him. Avery seemed more interested in getting back on the field than staying around to listen.
• As noted after Week 1, I'm still waiting to see whether the Rams are better off running the ball with fullback Mike Karney on the field. This was a second-and-10 play. I'm hoping to chart the Rams' personnel use before time runs short.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Reid Laymance of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch polls beat reporters and columnists for the best and worst moves of the Jay Zygmunt era. Letting London Fletcher leave in free agency ranks among the worst moves. Moving to acquire Marshall Faulk ranks among the best.

Jeff Gordon of stltoday.com points to the 1999 Rams for evidence that the franchise can lead a quick turnaround. Gordon outlines the key players in that reversal, from ownership to offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Zygmunt took the high road upon resigning from the Rams.

Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams have a shot at success now that Zygmunt isn't part of the personnel equation.

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch quotes Jim Haslett as saying the Rams are doing enough defensively to win games. The Rams have allowed 17.25 points per game over their last four games. The offense isn't scoring enough points to win games.

Also from Coats: Haslett says the team played hard Sunday.

VanRam of Turf Show Times shoots down the theory that turnovers explain the Rams' struggles.

Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat says the 49ers are growing mustaches to go with the throwback uniforms they'll wear in Week 17. Shaun Hill compared kicker Joe Nedney's attempt to "garage-floor broom bristles" -- not bad. More here.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says players wouldn't mind seeing coach Mike Singletary grow the type of mustache he wore in the 1985 Super Bowl Shuffle video. More here.

Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle says Singletary isn't acting like an interim coach.

John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Chronicle says Hill started working on his moustache about four weeks ago. Hill: "How bad is that?"

Also from Crumpacker: Before Singletary, no 49ers coach in recent memory has given players Christmas off.

Dan Brown of the San Jose Mercury News runs a transcript of Singletary's day-after-game news conference. The coach explains why he gave players Christmas off, and he offered no apologies for departing from how other teams handle the holidays.

Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic says the Cardinals can't blame Neil Rackers for their troubles. The kicker has made 88 percent of his field goal tries. As noted, Rackers is attempting fewer long field goals this season, explaining the increase in percentage.

Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic says Ken Whisenhunt brought cookies to his day-after-game news conference, but he expected tough questions, anyway. Whisenhunt said he'll threaten jobs this week in an attempt to jump-start the team.

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com says Darnell Dockett plans to watch video from earlier in the season for clues as to what the Cardinals were doing differently.

Also from Urban: A look at which teams could visit Arizona for wild-card weekend.

Clare Farnsworth of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says the Seahawks will have Christmas off, but they'll have to practice Tuesday, which is generally an off day. Also, linebacker Leroy Hill could return against the Cardinals.

John Morgan of Field Gulls found Seahawks linebacker Will Herring a bit intriguing. Herring needs to add weight, but his quickness pays off in coverage.

Jose Romero of the Seattle Times looks at Mike Holmgren's final week as Seahawks coach. The finality will set in with Holmgren at some point soon.

Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News Tribune says Holmgren's home farewell obscured the fact that the team still has one game remaining.

Dave Boling of the Tacoma News Tribune laments the snowball-throwing fans at Qwest Field.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic says the Cardinals' Anquan Boldin (shoulder) and J.J. Arrington (knee) missed practice. Boldin suffered the injury when the Vikings stripped the ball from him. The Cardinals might be wise to rest Boldin given that they'll want him as healthy as possible for the playoffs.

Also from Somers: Sean Morey's selection to the Pro Bowl meant a great deal to the well-traveled special-teams standout. He thanked a long list of prominent former coaches, saving special thanks for his wife. Morey: "My wife, as a hockey player, she sacrificed her chances of winning an Olympic medal in hockey so I could live my dreams of playing in the NFL. And this sort of validated her sacrifices that she's made as an athlete so I could pursue my career."

Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat says quarterback Alex Smith is "absolutely" willing to consider a reduced salary if it means returning to the 49ers next season. The identity of the next head coach could influence any moves at quarterback. Keeping Smith at a lower salary would seem to be a low-risk move. If he's going to develop, it might as well be with the team that drafted him first overall.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says Smith seemed amused to hear the latest jabs from former 49ers coach Mike Nolan.

The Associated Press quotes Redskins linebacker London Fletcher complaining about his exclusion from the Pro Bowl. The 49ers' Patrick Willis is one of two inside linebackers on the Pro Bowl team. Fletcher never said Willis or Jon Beason were undeserving, but adding Fletcher would have meant subtracting someone else. Fletcher and the Redskins finish the regular season against the 49ers at Candlestick Park.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times says the Seahawks do not expect Matt Hasselbeck, Leroy Hill or Sean Locklear to play Sunday. "Grim" was the word Mike Holmgren used to describe their outlooks.

Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune says Brett Favre doesn't know what to expect from Mike Holmgren in the future. Favre: "There's two ways to look at it, the first being he's too competitive to go out like this. Or, I could see Mike taking a step away and not having to worry about the everyday dealings with football. Which one he will take, I have no idea. I think quite honestly he deserves the right to do whatever he wants to do."

Note: Nothing from the Rams quite yet Wednesday.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

A final-week voting surge for Anquan Boldin gave the Cardinals the two top finishers in NFC fan voting for the Pro Bowl at receiver.

Boldin didn't just creep up on the Redskins' Santana Moss during the final week of voting. He blew past him with 84,719 additional votes -- 147,459 to 62,740 -- to trail only teammate Larry Fitzgerald in final fan voting.

The surge gave Boldin 532,108 votes. Moss has 487,924. Fitzgerald led NFC receivers with 655,433 votes, easily the most votes for any receiver from either conference.

The league also considers coach and player voting in determining which players represent each conference in the annual all-star game.

Fan voting concluded this week. I'll summarize NFC West results after making available for download a spreadsheet showing the top five vote-getters from each conference at each position, plus the top 10 overall vote getters.

The Cardinals' Kurt Warner finished fifth in overall voting. Fitzgerald was seventh. A quick look at positions where NFC West players finished among the top five:

• Quarterback: Warner was third behind Drew Brees and Eli Manning.
• Receiver: Fitzgerald was first, followed by Boldin.
• Inside linebacker: The 49ers' Patrick Willis was fourth behind London Fletcher, Brian Urlacher, and Antonio Pierce. Zach Thomas was fifth.
• Strong safety: The Cardinals' Adrian Wilson was third behind Chris Horton and Darren Sharper.
• Special-teamer: The Cardinals' Sean Morey was fifth behind Khary Campbell, Chase Blackburn, Keith Davis and Jarrett Bush.

Thanks to the Redskins' strong showing in fan voting, the NFC East fielded 58 players among the top five at various positions.

The AFC North and AFC South were next at 28 apiece, followed by the AFC East (26), NFC North (20), AFC West (13) NFC South (11) and, finally, the mighty NFC West (6).

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald has passed teammate Kurt Warner for fifth in fan balloting among Pro Bowl candidates. Fan voting comprises one-third of the process. Voting continues for another week. Coaches and players vote thereafter.

Fitzgerald has moved from seventh to sixth to fifth over the last three weeks. Warner remains sixth in voting behind Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Clinton Portis, Eli Manning and Fitzgerald.

• Download here: Latest voting results for all positions and both conferences.

A quick look at NFC West players ranked among the NFC's top five vote-getters at their positions:

Quarterback: Warner remains third behind Brees and Manning.

Receiver: Fitzgerald remains first and teammate Anquan Boldin remains third.

Inside linebacker: The 49ers' Patrick Willis remains fourth behind London Fletcher, Brian Urlacher and Antonio Pierce.

Strong safety: The Cardinals' Adrian Wilson remains second behind Chris Horton.

Special-teamers: The Cardinals' Sean Morey remains fifth.

Voting continues here through Dec. 9. Players and coaches vote shortly thereafter. Each contingent comprises one third of the voting.

No Seahawks or Rams players rank among the top five at their positions. Which players not listed deserve strongest consideration? I would put Rams specialists Donnie Jones and Josh Brown on the list. Jones leads the NFL in gross and net punting. Brown has proven reliable from long range. Seahawks tackle Walter Jones remains among the best left tackles. Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby has made big plays. Niners return specialist Allen Rossum was enjoying a strong season until suffering an injury. Who am I missing?

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

MVP candidate Kurt Warner is moving up in Pro Bowl voting among fans, taking the eighth spot among all NFL players in the latest balloting.

Warner was not ranked among the top 10 as recently as last week. Teammate Larry Fitzgerald moved up from seventh to sixth over the same period.

No Seahawks or Rams players rank among the leaders. The Bengals and Lions are the only other teams without a single player ranked among the top five at his position. The 49ers have one player ranked among the top five at his position (a certain linebacker). The Cardinals have five.

• Download here: Latest voting results for all positions and both conferences.

A quick look at NFC West players ranked among the top five vote-getters:

Quarterback: Warner is third behind Drew Brees and Eli Manning.

Receiver: Fitzgerald is first and teammate Anquan Boldin is third.

Inside linebacker: The 49ers' Patrick Willis is fourth behind London Fletcher, Brian Urlacher and Antonio Pierce.

Strong safety: The Cardinals' Adrian Wilson is second behind Chris Horton.

Special-teamers: The Cardinals' Sean Morey ranks fifth.

Voting continues here through Dec. 9. Players and coaches vote shortly thereafter. Each contingent comprises one third of the voting.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Hightower

The Cardinals and Jets will field two of the older offensive backfields even beyond the quarterback position when the teams face off in Week 4.

Arizona's Edgerrin James and New York's Thomas Jones are 30. Jets fullback Tony Richardson is 36. Don't be surprised if Cardinals rookie running back Tim Hightower looks even faster than usual. He turned 22 in May and gives Arizona a more dynamic alternative to James' grind-it-out approach.

The fifth-round draft choice from Richmond is looking like the future starter, but the Cardinals aren't waiting to use him. Hightower rushed five times for 23 yards against the Redskins in Week 3. He also caught three passes for 38 yards. The Cardinals targeted Hightower as a runner or receiver on six of their 11 third-down plays, converting twice. Overall, the Cardinals handed off or threw toward Hightower 11 times in 56 plays, or 19.6 percent of the time.

James averaged better than 5 yards a carry against the Redskins, but the Cardinals are among only four teams without a running play of at least 20 yards this season (the Jets are another). James remains the established runner between the tackles. Hightower provides more big-play potential.

I've isolated each Week 3 play featuring Hightower, providing detailed notes on each in an effort to better understand how the Cardinals are using their promising rookie runner:

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