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So I was sitting here on Twitter, trolling for news, answering your questions and getting a kick out of the fact that Justin Tuck was watching (and tweeting about) the same "Big Bang Theory" rerun when it occurred to me that it was almost time to turn in and get some sleep. Before I did that, I just wanted to ask one question.

How was your day ...

Philadelphia Eagles?

"Surprising." You guys know I didn't think the Eagles intended to sign DeSean Jackson to a long-term contract, so when the news broke Wednesday afternoon that they had, I was stunned. It's a good deal for the Eagles, as almost all of the $15 million in guaranteed money is concentrated in the first two years and it saves them $6.6 million against this year's salary cap. And Jackson's happy because he's making a ton more than he did last season. The issue now is whether his production will rise along with his happiness. (And how long he'll stay happy, considering what other receivers are getting on the open market.) They signed Trent Cole to a four-year contract extension, and in the wake of the Jackson news the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that they were working on a new deal for running back LeSean McCoy.

The Eagles seem determined to take care of their own roster before dipping into the free-agent pool, so they're making little moves, too. Antonio Dixon signed his restricted free-agent tender, and Winston Justice got traded to the Colts in a deal that saw the teams swap sixth-round draft picks. That last was a salary dump, but it was one they needed to make. Guard Evan Mathis remains unsigned and is drawing interest elsewhere, but the Eagles still believe they have a good chance to bring him back.

One weird thing did happen. Late in the afternoon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy sent out a tweet in which he apologized to Bucs fans for being unable to lure free-agent linebacker Curtis Lofton to Tampa and said Lofton was going to sign with the Eagles. The Eagles quickly denied any contact with Lofton, and McCoy retracted his tweet. So it's tough to say what's going on there, but it bears watching. The Eagles need linebacker help, but the linebacker market is slow, so they can wait it out.

Dallas Cowboys?

"Outstanding." They got their top-choice cornerback, agreeing with Brandon Carr on a five-year, $50.1 million contract. They got their veteran, starter-quality backup quarterback, agreeing on a three-year deal with Kyle Orton. They added guard Mackenzy Bernadeau to their interior offensive line mix, where they needed (and still could use more) help. And they signed fullback Lawrence Vickers to replace Tony Fiammetta, who seems to want to go see what he can get on the market. According to ESPNDallas.com, they have visits scheduled in the coming days with free-agent safety Brodney Pool and free-agent guard Nate Livings, so they're still hard at work trying to fill needs. The names may not be the splashiest, but the Cowboys have been down those roads before, and this measured, focused, need-based approach looks like the right way for them to go. A lot of money for Carr, yes, but they desperately needed a top free-agent cornerback, and that's what they're going for this year.

Many Cowboys fans were upset to lose wide receiver Laurent Robinson, who came out of nowhere to catch 11 touchdown passes from Tony Romo in 2011. But the Cowboys were never going to pay him anything close to what the Jaguars ended up paying him ($32.5 million for five years), and they shouldn't have paid their No. 3 wide receiver that much. They were prepared to go without Robinson last year. He was a bonus, a lottery ticket that hit. They'll be fine with what they have at receiver, and they can fill in Robinson's spot the same way they did last year, when they sifted through a bunch of decent-looking candidates and came up with Robinson. Don't sweat that loss, Cowboys fans. The team has bigger worries and bigger needs.

New York Giants?

"A success." They flew former Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett in late Tuesday night, and they signed him Wednesday to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. They obviously see something they like in Bennett and believe that the coaching staff and quarterback Eli Manning can bring the best out of him, and they targeted and got him. They also got him on a very low-risk deal that will allow them to go in a different direction if he disappoints and their injured tight ends are healthy enough to return at the end of the season. Cowboys fans seem sure he will disappoint, and he very well may. But he's only 25 and he's got a ton of physical ability, so the Giants think maybe they're getting a guy right before he really takes off. The Giants also retained backup quarterback David Carr, which they wanted to do. What they'll do next I do not know. They need offensive line help and could use a veteran running back to replace Brandon Jacobs, but they'll be patient and target specific guys they like, because that's the way they operate. It seems to work for them.

Washington Redskins?

"Quieter." After racing out of the free-agent gates and signing two wide receivers before the sun went down on Tuesday, the Redskins made very little news Wednesday. Their trade with the Rams for the No. 2 pick in the draft became official, and we learned that they will host former Giants cornerback Aaron Ross for a free-agent visit Thursday in the hopes of adding him to their cornerback mix. They still haven't locked up Eddie Royal, who seemed poised to become their third free-agent wide receiver signing last night, and he's on his way to talk to the Chargers. And they have a visit set up with safety Brandon Meriweather. But the most-asked question about the Redskins is where they stand with free-agent linebacker London Fletcher, who was called a "top priority" in December by Mike Shanahan but remains unsigned. It's possible that this is where the salary cap sanctions hurt the Redskins. Having lost $18 million in cap room this year (and $18 million next year) for violating the other owners' sense of spending propriety during the uncapped 2010 season, the Redskins might find a Fletcher signing trickier than, say, a Pierre Garcon signing. Garcon is 25, and they can spread out his contract and the resulting cap hit over five years. Fletcher is 36, and any deal with him is much more likely to be front-loaded. That doesn't mean they can't bring him back, but it could make it a little more difficult. Just a theory I heard from someone I talked to today.

My day was excellent, and I enjoyed spending it here and on Twitter with you. Much more to come Thursday and beyond.

We’ve touched on the major news already that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreed to terms with wide receiver Vincent Jackson and have New Orleans guard Carl Nicks coming in for a visit.

But let’s catch up on some smaller news from around the division.

• New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter appears ready to leave the Saints as a free agent. He’s drawing early interest from the St. Louis Rams. The Saints have prepared for Porter’s exit by drafting Patrick Robinson and Johnny Patrick the past two years.
• The Bucs are interested in David Carr as a backup for Josh Freeman. This makes lots of sense because Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan was Carr’s quarterbacks coach with the Giants and the Bucs seem to want a veteran to pair with Freeman. They also seem prepared to let go of last year’s backup, Josh Johnson, via free agency. But don’t put Carr on the Bucs’ roster just yet. I’ve heard he’s happy in New York and would return to the Giants if all things are equal. In other words, the Bucs probably will have to overpay if they want Carr, which they may. Even if it’s not Carr, look for the Bucs to add a veteran quarterback.
• Although he didn’t have the four accrued seasons to initially qualify for unrestricted free agency, the Saints did not make a tender to linebacker Ramon Humber. Without the tender, Humber becomes a free agent and still could be re-signed for a minimal salary.
• Former Carolina offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, who was not offered a tender, and will visit with the Detroit Lions.

Good afternoon. NFC West blog headquarters will be relocating from the Northwest to Indianapolis for Super Bowl week.

The plane I'm riding in, a Boeing 757, is traveling 565 mph at 35,637 feet, according to tracking software. I'll be connecting through Atlanta, so this will be a full travel day.

Once situated in Indy, I'll be helping with our Super Bowl coverage, with an eye toward this division. Josh McDaniels, David Baas, Bear Pascoe, David Carr, Rocky Bernard, Jimmy Kennedy, Deon Grant, Antrel Rolle, Isaiah Stanback, Deion Branch, Niko Koutouvides, Tracy White and Andre Carter are among the NFC West alumni currently with the Super Bowl participants.

Quite a few current NFC West players will be filtering through Indianapolis for various events during the week. I'll be catching up with some of them.

The week will conclude with Hall of Fame voting, followed by the Super Bowl itself. I don't have a strong feeling as to which team will win the game. Both should like their chances. I did pick New England to win it all before the season -- one of the few predictions that remains on track -- so I'll likely stick with the Patriots when ESPN solicits staffers' predictions later in the week.

Here's hoping this Sunday treats you well.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Yes, it was only practice, but New York Giants guard Chris Snee admits he did a double-take when backup quarterback David Carr showed up in the huddle. Snee knew Eli Manning wasn't feeling well, but when you're used to a guy being there for every snap, every day, every year for eight, nine years... well, it's weird. And not real comfortable.

"I'm actually going to bring him some soup tomorrow," Snee said. "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he's feeling better."

The Giants sent Manning home from practice early because he had a stomach bug. With about 50 times more media around the team than usual Wednesday because it's NFC Championship Game week, this could qualify as alarming news. But Giants coach Tom Coughlin says the team is hoping it's just a 24-hour deal, and every player who was asked about Manning's illness laughed off the idea that it could be a lingering problem.

"Are you kidding me? He's Eli Manning," defensive lineman Dave Tollefson said. "They probably have some kind of special virus-killing medicine that only Eli Manning can use. I'd be out for two weeks; he'll be good tomorrow."

Manning's scheduled news conference was canceled, also a victim of the illness, so we didn't get a chance to ask him how he was feeling. But this is a guy who never misses work, so he must have been feeling pretty rotten if he couldn't finish practice. I can't imagine it's an issue that will affect his chances of playing Sunday, but I'm sure Giants fans and Manning's teammates will feel better once he makes it through practice Thursday.

Interesting story here about how Carolina receiver Steve Smith ranks the quarterbacks he has played with since coming into the league in 2001.

When you simply glance at the headline, you might think Smith is selling rookie Cam Newton short. Smith says Newton is No. 3 on his list.

But when you read Smith’s words and think about them, this one is not difficult to understand. Although all indications are that Newton and Smith have developed a very strong chemistry, Newton hasn’t been in the league for a full season.

He’s fared very well through the first 11 games. If Newton keeps doing what he’s been doing and Smith, who is under contract through 2012, stays healthy, the rankings could change. There already is no doubt Newton is the most physically talented quarterback the Panthers have had.

But Smith has a good memory, and that’s why he ranks Jake Delhomme at No. 1. I know a lot of Carolina fans were down on Delhomme as he left at the end of the 2009 season. But Delhomme had a nice overall career in Carolina and he had a strong bond with Smith.

The two were teammates from 2003 through 2009, and they shared a lot of big moments. But Smith’s pick at No. 2 is somewhat surprising, again on first glance.

Smith went with Vinny Testaverde. Although Testaverde was with the Panthers for a little more than half of the 2007 season, he was at a point in his career where he had a big impact on Smith.

When Delhomme went down with an elbow injury that season, backup David Carr didn’t work out. The Panthers lured Testaverde out of retirement and he quickly brought a strong presence and leadership skills to the locker room. At that point, Testaverde was more than willing to share the wisdom he had collected through the years.

Smith said he learned a lot from Testavrede, and still uses many of those lessons.

So, after you really think about it, it’s not all that surprising Smith ranked Newton third on his list. Smith was with Delhomme for a long time. Smith also benefitted greatly simply by being around Testaverde. Newton hasn’t been around long enough to have a lasting impact on Smith. At least not yet.

Plus, Smith is a pretty smart guy. Although he’s given Newton plenty of praise this season, it would be out of character and not a great idea for Smith to go ahead and put a rookie at No. 1.

Newton’s off to a very nice start, but there still is a lot of work to be done.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 6:

Putting Carlos Rogers to the test. Detroit's Jim Schwartz and San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh pointed to the 49ers' front seven when asked why the team has improved in its secondary. The 49ers have had a strong front seven for years, however, so clearly something else is different. Doug Clawson of ESPN Stats & Information passes along this note: Rogers, new to the 49ers this season, leads NFL defensive backs with three picks on passes traveling more than 10 yards downfield. The 49ers allowed 10 touchdowns with six interceptions on these throws last season. The ratio is two touchdowns to seven picks this season. Let's see if the trend holds against the Lions. Matt Stafford is tied with Aaron Rodgers for the most scoring passes on these throws. He has seven, five to Calvin Johnson.

Attacking the Lions on third down. Stafford has seven touchdown passes with only one interception on first down this season, matching Rodgers for the best totals in the league. The production hasn't been there on third down. Stafford has completed only 50.9 percent of his third-down passes with two touchdowns, two interceptions and weak efficiency numbers (22.3 Total QBR, 71.3 NFL passer rating). The absence of a conventional ground game could, in theory, set up more third-and-long situations. Stafford ranks among the NFL's top three in touchdowns (two) and passes gaining at least 30 yards (three) on third-and-8 or longer, but his first-down percentage on these plays (26.9) ranks only 15th.

Watch for the play-action game. The Lions have thrown out of the shotgun formation more times than any team in the league. They also hand off from the shotgun, keeping teams honest enough for Stafford to lead the NFL in play-action passing in these three areas: completion percentage (80.0), Total QBR (97.5) and NFL passer rating (150.4). The 49ers rank fifth in completion percentage allowed against play-action (53.8), but only 28th in yards per attempt (10.5) and 31st in yards per reception (19.1). Why? The Dallas Cowboys set up their 77-yard overtime reception against the 49ers in Week 2 with a play-action fake that worked beautifully.

Mismatch of all mismatches. The Green Bay Packers have scored more points in third quarters (49) than the St. Louis Rams have scored in all their games combined (46). Second quarters are often when teams hit their stride on offense. The Rams have only three second-quarter points all season. Green Bay has 44. Sure, the Packers have played one additional game, but that doesn't begin to account for the disparity. The Packers scored more points against Denver in Week 4 (49) than the Rams have scored this season.

Clay Matthews alert. The Rams' Sam Bradford has absorbed 18 sacks through four games, putting him on pace to take 72 of them over the season. That would rank tied for second in the sack era (since 1982) with Randall Cunningham, three behind David Carr's record. The Packers' Matthews has only one sack through five games. He had 8.5 sacks at this point last season thanks to a pair of three-sack games. What's up? The Packers are using more three-man rushes. Cullen Jenkins is no longer around to attract attention from opposing lines. Matthews has also been dealing with a quadriceps injury. Might this be his get-well game?

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

FALLING

1. Help for Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears quarterback: At some point, you wonder if Cutler is on the road to being the next David Carr, a player so battered by opposing pass rushes -- mentally and physically -- that his game is forever altered. Cutler hung in as best he could Monday night against the Detroit Lions, but you wonder if he fully trusts the players around him. Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com reported that Cutler has concerns about his offensive line and receivers. We'll touch on this more in the Bears' Free Head Exam later Tuesday, but after watching Monday night's game, I wouldn't blame Cutler if he has some concerns.

2. Mistakes by Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers quarterback: Rodgers is completing an NFL-high 71.7 percent of his passes and has thrown two interceptions in 129 attempts, fewer than any quarterback with more than 83 attempts. And most notably, he is pushing the ball downfield, as evidenced by his average of 9.6 yards per attempt, tied for highest in the NFL. You don't need me to tell you that Rodgers is playing at a high level, but it's quite amazing to think no one is playing more aggressively with fewer mistakes.

3. Concentration in Chicago: There is no other way to attribute a stunning nine false starts for a veteran team in one game, but that's what the Bears did Monday night. Left tackle J'Marcus Webb had three of them, but the Bears can't possibly hold him accountable in a meaningful way because their personnel is so thin right now. Who could they replace Webb with, if even to send a message? Frank Omiyale has been benched in consecutive games for poor play at right tackle. Rookie Gabe Carimi is recovering from a knee injury. The Bears and offensive line coach Mike Tice are once again left to make chicken salad from the leftovers. Or something like that.

RISING

1. Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions running back: Remember when Lions coach Jim Schwartz said he fantasized over Best's potential when he was drafted in 2010? This was the kind of fantasy Schwartz was imagining: A scatback rolling up 172 all-purpose yards on 16 offensive touches in a key divisional game. Best had exceeded 70 rushing yards only once in his NFL career before Monday night. But his breakout total of 163 yards against the Bears will add a layer to the game planning of opposing defensive coordinators for weeks to come.

2. Marshall Newhouse, Packers offensive lineman: A few weeks ago, no one knew for sure if Newhouse could play at all on the NFL level. Sunday night in Atlanta, Newhouse handled the exceedingly difficult job of flipping from right to left tackle in the middle of a game after Chad Clifton's hamstring injury. The Packers have drafted college left tackles in the first round of each of their past two drafts (Bryan Bulaga and Derek Sherrod), so it will be wild if Newhouse ends up taking Clifton's place for a substantial part of the 2011 season.

3. Passions in Minnesota: The Ramsey County Charter Commission could decide as early as Tuesday whether to place a stadium financing referendum on the November 2012 ballot. The county is being asked to contribute $350 million in new taxes to the Minnesota Vikings' stadium project, and some opponents are calling for the issue to be opened to the voting public. The referendum would likely scuttle the project altogether if you assume voters won't choose to raise their own taxes. In the end, a legal battle likely would be initiated to determine whether the charter commission has the final authority on this matter or if the state legislature can reverse the decision. In the meantime, the clock will tick toward the February 2012 expiration of the Vikings' lease at the Metrodome.

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

FALLING

1. Anything with horns on it. The St. Louis Rams are 0-4 and the most disappointing team in the league. Media coverage in St. Louis is beginning to suggest trouble ahead for coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney if the Rams do not start winning. The Rams appear to have no answers and the schedule isn't getting any easier.

2. Sam Bradford, Rams QB. Opponents have sacked Bradford 18 times in four games. Bradford is on pace to absorb 72 sacks over a 16-game season. That would tie Bradford with Randall Cunningham for the second most since at least 1982, when sacks became an official stat. David Carr set the record with 75 sacks in 2002. Carr never recovered from the beating he took early in his career. The punishment Bradford is taking could threaten his long-term outlook.

3. Coach Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have lost 12 of their last 15 games, including three in a row this season despite making a substantial investment at quarterback. That'll hurt any coach's stock.

RISING

1. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers RB. There were too many worthy candidates and too few spaces to honor them all. Gore's stock value improved the most from a week ago, when he struggled against Cincinnati, suffered an ankle injury and then watched Kendall Hunter start ahead of him in Week 4. Gore responded by leading the 49ers past Philadelphia with 127 yards and the winning touchdown. Coach Jim Harbaugh, linebacker NaVorro Bowman, defensive end Justin Smith and the entire 49ers offensive line deserve mention here. All would have been worthy choices.

2. Tarvaris Jackson, Seattle Seahawks QB. There were no indications Jackson was about to pass for 319 yards with three touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons. The performance should quiet critics clamoring for the Seahawks to bench Jackson in favor of Charlie Whitehurst. Jackson took no sacks in this game. His offensive line deserves partial credit for that, but Jackson was the one who took advantage. He was the one whose stock jumped the most in Seattle.

3. Beanie Wells, Arizona Cardinals RB. It's still a mystery how the Cardinals could lose with Wells carrying 27 times for 138 yards and three touchdowns. Wells' physical running played a huge role in Arizona's ability to build a 27-17 fourth-quarter lead over the New York Giants. He's averaging 107 yards rushing per game, second to Darren McFadden among players with at least 20 carries this season. He's also leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns with five. Give some credit to the Cardinals' offensive line as well.

There’s an ancient NFL proverb that says you shouldn’t play a rookie quarterback right away. If you do, the logic goes, you might ruin him.

In breaking and somewhat related news: The world is flat.

Yeah, Christopher Columbus shot the second one down, and let’s turn to Cam Newton and Andy Dalton to take care of the first. Let’s label the exhibits Rookie QB 1 and Rookie QB 2.

Just look at the evidence Newton and Dalton put on the field Sunday as the only two rookie quarterbacks to start the season. Newton threw for 422 yards, the most ever by a player making his NFL debut.

And this was a guy who some fans and draft gurus said wouldn’t be able to run an NFL offense?

Then there was Dalton. He wasn’t as flamboyant as Newton, and he left the game with an injury. But, before he did, Dalton was a very efficient 10-of-15 passing for 81 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions to help the Cincinnati Bengals kick off the post-Carson Palmer era with a victory against Cleveland.

And Dalton slid all the way to the second round of the draft?

There’s a lesson to be learned from what Newton and Dalton did on Sunday. You can start a rookie quarterback right off the bat. And this theory’s not exactly brand new.

Take a look at recent years. Sam Bradford, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez have played quickly and fared well. As a matter of fact, can you name the last early draft pick who truly got "ruined" by playing too soon?

I say it’s David Carr, and that was a long time ago and in unique circumstances. Carr was playing on the expansion Houston Texans, who never really did anything to build a quality offensive line during his tenure.

You can throw out names like Joey Harrington, JaMarcus Russell, Vince Young and Alex Smith. But I think those were guys who were going to struggle no matter how soon they played.

Yeah, maybe in a dream world you can let Aaron Rodgers sit behind Brett Favre for a few years. But the NFL’s not a dream world, and maybe it’s time for those still clinging to the myth that a quarterback has to sit to let go.

Maybe it’s time -- or at least close to time -- for the Vikings, Jaguars and Titans to realize they’ve got nothing to lose by playing Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert and Jake Locker sooner rather than later.

In a new age when first-round rookie contracts are limited to four years with an option for a fifth, there’s a sense of urgency to find out what a quarterback can do. Yeah, you can make the argument that’s throwing a guy to the wolves. But the Panthers threw Newton to the Cardinals and the Bengals threw Dalton to the Browns and no one got ruined.

This is the inaugural edition of Quarterback Watch. We’ll be here every Wednesday throughout the season, examining the trends and themes involving quarterbacks and looking at whose stock is on the rise and whose is declining.

TRENDING UP

OK, there are a number of reasons this took all day and you don't want to hear any of them. It suffices to say I am ecstatic to be done watching preseason football for another year and more ready than ever for the real thing.

As for our New York Giants, who finished their preseason by scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter for a meaningless 18-17 victory over the Patriots in New England ... I don't know. I'm trying to be open-minded about what I see, but what I see with the Giants is almost all disheartening. They just do a lot of things wrong. And yes, it was all backups Thursday night, and if David Carr ends up playing significant minutes at quarterback they're cooked anyway. But there were a couple of things that could matter if they leak into the regular season, and I'm 100 percent certain the Giants' coaching staff feels the same way.

For example, when one of your biggest areas of concern is special teams and you get banged for an illegal wedge penalty on the return of the opening kickoff, that's not a good thing. When you're trying to find a No. 3 receiver and one of the candidates (Domenik Hixon, in this case) fumbles on the first play from scrimmage, that's not a good thing. When you're trying to use a rookie punt returner and the kid can't catch the ball, that's not a good thing.

The Giants had holding penalties and illegal-hands-to-the-face penalties that stopped offensive momentum. They had another significant injury, this one a season-ending ACL tear for linebacker Clint Sintim. They fumbled at the Patriots' 1-yard line. They're effectively playing without a useful tight end. Tom Coughlin's challenges aren't even working.

Now, I continue to believe preseason doesn't mean anything -- that it has no predictive value at all in terms of what will happen once the real season starts. The Giants could snap awake nine days from now and start playing well enough to make everyone forget how inept in so many facets of the game they looked in the preseason. But what we have right now to evaluate is what they've done over the past month, and not even the most myopically optimistic Giants fan can credibly say the preseason went well for them.

Some specifics on what I saw in the Giants' (mercifully) final preseason game of this year:

1. Give Jerrel Jernigan credit for toughing it out. And give the Giants credit for sticking with the rookie even as he continues to struggle with the most critical part of punt returns -- actually catching the ball. He ripped off a 42-yard return on his first chance of the night, which showed why they're giving him all of these chances. But then he muffed two in a row, and there's all kinds of footage of Coughlin and Aaron Ross and everybody you can think of working with Jernigan on the correct form to use when catching a punt. I guess I wonder how hard it is to learn something like this and why they believed he'd be a good punt returner if he didn't already know it. But once the ball is in his hands, it's clear Jernigan can do some things with it. So it appears as though they'll keep giving him chances, even if it could cost them early on. The night had a happy ending for Jernigan, as he made a tremendous catch on the two-point conversion pass that sealed the victory. You had to feel good for the guy, after the month he's had.

2. Tyler Sash looks like an athlete. The rookie safety looked quick and nimble and decisive as he came up with two sacks (one of which forced a fumble) and moved well all over the field. There were a couple of times where Tom Brady and the Patriots' offense ran some tricky looks that caught Sash out of position, but that's bound to happen and there are worse things than getting schooled by Brady in a preseason game. You still get the lesson, and it doesn't count against your record.

3. I like Da'Rel Scott better than Andre Brown. It's not personal. I don't even know Andre Brown. I'm just talking about what they look like when they run. Brown looks fine when he has room to run, but he doesn't blow you away as anything special and he doesn't look as though he does much to make it difficult to tackle him. Scott seems to have more speed, keeps his feet moving better and runs with more determination. He earned those 65 yards he got on that fake-punt touchdown, and with cuts looming tomorrow, that's the kind of play that makes it hard for a coaching staff to keep a guy off the roster.

4. I like Devin Thomas, too. Specifically, I like what he does after he catches the ball. He seems to know where his feet are and what he needs to do to find the sideline or the extra yard or two he needs. He seems like he knows how to keep his body between the ball and the defender and protect it while making those moves. He's got the skills in the return game, and the speed, but I was surprised how much I liked him Thursday night as a receiver.

5. The Sintim injury hurts. But there are rookies to take his spot, and it might help someone like Mark Herzlich or Spencer Paysinger make the roster and/or claim more playing time. The Giants liked the way Sintim had been playing, and he was their clear first option off the bench in the case of an injury to one of their starting linebackers. Now it's not as cut-and-dried, and they'll hope somebody from the rookie group can step in when they need to spell a starter.

Now that we’re getting down to some real football, I’m happy that I can start interacting more with my friends at ESPN Stats & Information.

They supply some wonderful stuff, much of which you can’t get anywhere else, and we’ll lean heavily on them during the regular season. Heck, we’ll start it a little before the regular season.

Now that we know for certain Cam Newton will be the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers on opening day, it’s time to look at some history.

Here’s a look at quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall (since 1966) who started a season opener and how they fared in that game.

• 2010: Sam Bradford, Loss
• 2009: Matthew Stafford, Loss
• 2002: David Carr, Win
• 1998: Peyton Manning, Loss
• 1993: Drew Bledsoe, Loss
• 1990: Jeff George, Loss
• 1989: Troy Aikman, Loss
• 1983: John Elway, Win
• 1975: Steve Bartkowski, Loss
• 1971: Jim Plunkett, Win
• 1970: Terry Bradshaw, Loss

None of the above finished the season with a winning record as a starter. In other not-so-encouraging news in this department, all rookie quarterbacks starting an opener since 1970 are a combined 10-16. But, hey, there’s one bit of good news for Carolina fans. One of those 10 wins came by Carolina with Chris Weinke in 2001.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Rapid reaction from the Patriots' preseason finale against the Giants, with the Patriots falling 18-17:

Tom Brady and starters play into second quarter. In all, Brady was on the field for 18 snaps (including penalties), as coach Bill Belichick wanted to get his first-unit offense some more work. The Giants were playing second-stringers from the start -- they had a quick turnaround after playing Monday night -- which adds context when considering the Patriots led 10-3 after the first quarter and 17-3 at the half. The Giants made a second-half comeback against the Patriots' second and third units, sparked by a fake punt which was taken 65 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. If Belichick's goal was to generate momentum after Saturday's preseason dud in Detroit while keeping top players healthy, this was a case of "mission accomplished."

Albert Haynesworth's debut. The big defensive lineman played for the first time this preseason, totaling 16 snaps -- seven coming in the first quarter and nine in the second quarter. Haynesworth started and made an immediate impact, delivering a strong interior rush on his first play in which the Patriots forced a fumble and returned it 18 yards to the Giants' 1. But after a stretch of five straight plays in the second quarter, he looked winded. After the second quarter, he spent the rest of the night chatting up his fellow defensive linemen on the sidelines. He was credited with two tackles on the night (1 solo, 1 assist) and it looks like he's still working himself into game condition.

Shaun Ellis gets sack in first game. Veteran defensive lineman Shaun Ellis, the former New York Jet who signed a one-year deal with New England, also made his debut as the Patriots opened with a four-man line of Ellis at left end, Haynesworth and Vince Wilfork at defensive tackle and Andre Carter at right defensive end. Ellis registered a sack of quarterback David Carr at the end of the second quarter, as the Patriots gave him an extended look in sub packages with nickel rusher Mark Anderson not dressed.

Following up on Chad Ochocinco. There has been a lot of chatter about receiver Chad Ochocinco and how he is integrating into the team's offense. He started, played a total of 11 snaps (including penalties), and was targeted twice while finishing with one reception. On the incompletion, Ochocinco couldn't gain separation deep up the left side. His completion was a 9-yarder to open the Patriots' second drive of the night that looked smooth across the middle. After going without a catch Saturday in Detroit, it was the type of performance that Ochocinco could feel good about entering the regular season.

Brandon Meriweather plays with backups. With the Patriots taking an extended look at safety Josh Barrett in the first half, two-time Pro Bowl safety Brandon Meriweather played throughout the second half with many who won't be on the New England roster come Saturday. Looking ahead, Meriweather's standing on the team bears watching. It was unusual to see him playing so deep into the game, and one might say it was a message being sent by the coaching staff.

Wes Welker dresses but does not play. The receiver injured his neck Saturday in Detroit, but in a sign that it isn't serious, he dressed for the game and went through his regular pre-game warmups. Welker didn't play, but it looks like he should be ready to go in the season opener.

Three injuries of note. Cornerback Kyle Arrington (limping while not putting weight on his right leg), linebacker Niko Koutouvides (looked like a concussion) and running back/fullback Sammy Morris (looked like a concussion) were looked at by members of the medical staff and never reutrned to the game.

Focus now turns to roster cuts and season opener Sept. 12. Expect the page to be turned quickly by Belichick and players, with the focus on trimming the roster from 80 to 53 by Saturday, and then preparations intensifying for the season opener, on "Monday Night Football" against the Dolphins (Sept. 12).

Several years ago, when the Houston Texans were transitioning away from David Carr to Matt Schaub, I asked one of their assistants how the team planned to reduce sacks allowed.

Mike Sherman, the Texans' offensive coordinator at the time, said quarterbacks are usually most responsible for how many sacks a team allows. Carr's offensive line obviously played a role in the 249 sacks he had absorbed over a five-year period. But line play could not account for the Texans' rate of sacks-per-pass-attempt plummeting from 8.9 percent in Carr's final season to 4.2 percent in Schaub's first season.

How quarterbacks deal with pressure matters tremendously.

That context came to mind recently when Larry Fitzgerald told Sports 620 KTAR what he liked about new Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb.

"The thing I like about him is that he gets the ball out of his hands quick," Fitzgerald told the station, according to sportsradiointerviews.com. "He makes very fast decisions and he is going to give me an opportunity to go make plays, which is something that any receiver would be licking their chops for."

The Cardinals allowed sacks on 8.9 percent of pass attempts. Only the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders allowed higher percentages. All had shaky quarterback situations or, in the Steelers' and Bears' cases, quarterbacks known for taking sacks.

Kolb needs to work on this area of his game. He took 15 sacks and had 189 pass attempts. That works out to 7.9 percent, which would have ranked 25th in the league among teams last season. Indianapolis (2.4), the New York Giants (3.0), New Orleans Saints (3.9) and Atlanta Falcons (4.0) led the NFL in that statistic last season. Their quarterbacks had quite a bit to do with those percentages.

Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper and San Diego's Jim Harbaugh were the starting quarterbacks for a Vikings-Chargers preseason game on Aug. 12, 2000.

That was a long, long time ago by NFL standards. Enough time has passed to encompass nearly all of Culpepper's playing career, and for Harbaugh to have held three head coaching jobs in the interim.

Culpepper, now 34 and out of the NFL since the 2009 season, seems an unlikely candidate to provide veteran depth for the Harbaugh-coached San Francisco 49ers.

"We're going to bring in Daunte in for a workout and kick the tires," Harbaugh told reporters Sunday."I'm looking forward to that."

Two questions come to mind immediately: Culpepper? Really?

The 49ers' plans to add a veteran backup for the regular season are well founded. Starter Alex Smith has had injury problems. He took a beating in the first preseason game. Rookie backup Colin Kaepernick needs seasoning.

If the 49ers added Culpepper, they could carry him through camp, see how he fares, then reassess later in the process -- after other quarterbacks become available through release.

The 49ers released David Carr earlier this offseason because he was making solid No. 2 quarterback money and the team didn't value him at that level after re-signing Smith and using a second-round pick for Kaepernick.

Culpepper would sign for the veteran's minimum, presumably, and without guaranteed money. He spent last season playing for the UFL franchise in Sacramento.

The usual NFL offseason narratives aren't so alluring now that the league has locked out players and banned roster transactions. That is bad for the NFL and a downer for those dependent upon the hope each offseason sells.

Quite a bit of that hope turns out to be misplaced, however.

Free agency no longer commands widespread appeal as a primary route to improvement. The two most recent Super Bowl teams, Green Bay and Pittsburgh, have had little use for the unrestricted market. Both have built largely through the draft.

The draft is part of the offseason, of course, but relatively few choices make significant contributions right away. Most enter the league as long-term investments.

Rookies were not going to shape the 2011 season, either, lockout or no lockout.

What are we really missing as a sleepy May sets up what could be a comatose June? Well, the prevailing NFC West storylines from last offseason stand as cautionary tales:

Arizona Cardinals

Delusional 2010 storyline: Matt Leinart's time had come. As the thinking went, Kurt Warner's retirement cleared the way for Leinart to realize the potential Arizona had seen in him when the Cardinals drafted him 10th overall in 2006. I wasn't entirely sold on the idea, but neither was it reasonable to think the Cardinals would demote Leinart during the exhibition season and then cut him when making the mandatory reduction to 53 players. Leinart signed with Houston, but did not attempt a regular-season pass in 2010. He can become an unrestricted free agent once the lockout ends, provided players with five accrued seasons qualify. It's doubtful any team would sign him as a starter. So much for the thought that Leinart would blossom once freed from Warner's shadow.

Post-lockout storyline to resist: A new quarterback fixes everything. The Cardinals will presumably move aggressively to upgrade at quarterback once the signing period opens. The move will restore hope. While even moderate improvement at quarterback could get Arizona back into NFC West contention, it will be premature to recast the Cardinals as Super Bowl contenders again. Warner was a special player. He covered for weaknesses elsewhere on the roster. His stellar record in postseason play made the Cardinals viable in ways the team's next quarterback likely will not.

San Francisco 49ers

Delusional 2010 storyline: Having the same offensive coordinator in back-to-back seasons will be key. Quarterback Alex Smith and his offensive teammates were working from the same playbook in consecutive years for the first time. The 49ers loved the way Smith was "taking ownership" of the offense during camps. There were reasons to expect improvement upon the 8-8 record San Francisco posted in 2009. Instead, Smith and the 49ers fell apart during the season opener against a Seattle team with none of the continuity San Francisco spent all offseason talking about. The 49ers' offense was worse against Kansas City a couple weeks later, leading coach Mike Singletary to obliterate continuity as a viable offseason storyline by firing coordinator Jimmy Raye.

Post-lockout storyline to resist: Smith will suddenly shine now that he's finally working under a sharp offensive-minded head coach. New coach Jim Harbaugh has repeatedly praised Smith this offseason, making it clear the 49ers want Smith to return. Smith has said he expects to return, and I understand the 49ers' thinking. They need a veteran quarterback to get them by while rookie Colin Kaepernick develops, and Smith will handle the situation with grace. Harbaugh's feel for quarterbacks does make his pairing with Smith more appealing, but if Smith had the "it" factor, we would have seen more evidence by now.

Seattle Seahawks

Delusional 2010 storyline: Alex Gibbs' addition as offensive line coach will help Seattle build an identity through the running game. The thinking had some merit because Gibbs had been the master of zone-blocking schemes for years, helping teams get solid production without investing heavily in linemen through free agency or with high draft choices. The plan blew up, though, when Gibbs abruptly retired just before the regular season. Guard Ben Hamilton later indicated Gibbs had clashed with management over personnel moves. In retrospect, the pairing of two headstrong offensive assistants -- Gibbs and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates, who was subsequently fired -- might not have been the best fit.

Post-lockout storyline to resist: The return of Red Bryant from injury will fix the run defense. No doubt, the season-ending knee injury Bryant suffered against Oakland dealt a significant blow to the Seahawks' run defense. Still, we're talking about Red Bryant here, not Reggie White. Seattle's issues against the run went beyond a single player. Having middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu hobbling through the season on two injured knees also hurt. And without more support from the offense, Seattle became more vulnerable to opponents' rushing attacks.

St. Louis Rams

Delusional 2010 storyline: Sam Bradford is brittle and will not hold up physically. Bradford missed time at Oklahoma, so injuries were a legitimate concern. But anyone who saw Bradford in person at the NFL combine and thereafter realized he was built solidly. And when Bradford stood up to big hits during the exhibition season, the Rams were reasonably confident he could last a full season. Bradford did better than that. He joined Peyton Manning, Matt Ryan and David Carr as the only rookie quarterbacks to take every snap during a 16-game NFL season.

Post-lockout storyline to resist: The lockout and a coordinator change will threaten to send Bradford down the same path Smith's career took with the 49ers. Ideally, Bradford would have continued in the same offensive system he learned as a rookie, spending this offseason working on the finer points of that scheme. Bradford does face additional challenges this offseason, but that does not justify comparisons to Smith. Bradford finished his rookie season with 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while Smith finished his first year with one touchdown and 11 interceptions. Both inherited bad teams, but Bradford walked into a tougher situation: the Rams were 1-15 the year before he arrived.