Began in '96: THe Hangover: Week 6

By Adam Cancryn and Joe Schackman

Welcome to Week 6. Hope everyone's still on board. Want to know what goes through the mind of a Began in '96 writer? How about this: I woke up in a cold sweat this morning after dreaming I'd misspelled Jonathan McNabb's first name in a post. That's right. Jonathan. He gets pulled after half a game, and even my subconscious is eager to forget about him. Onward:

Redskins fans have now discovered what the rest of the league already knew: Rex Grossman's honeymoon period lasts no more than five weeks, then he morphs back into a pumpkin.
Even considering Grossman's four interceptions and overall disappointing performance, Washington head coach Mike Shanahan for the second consecutive year has exercised a surprisingly quick hook. Last year, he benched Donovan McNabb after 13 games and a 5-8 record in favor of Grossman. This year, he benches Grossman after a 3-1 start that included a win over the New York Giants.
It'll be interesting to see if the change is permanent, or just a not-so-subtle reminder of who's calling the shots in Washington. John Beck likely doesn't offer much more upside than sticking w/ Grossman.
For the Eagles, meanwhile, it was a much-needed win after a nightmare start for the Team Formerly Known as the Dream. However, they've made it clear that this squad is mediocre at best. Despite four interceptions and 100+ yards from running back Lesean McCoy, they still had trouble putting away the 'Skins in the second half.
After a fast start, Philadelphia reverted to the same struggling team we'd seen in the first five weeks: a shaky linebacking corps, circa-'06 inaccuracy from Mike Vick and a complete lack of killer instinct.

Only that third issue can be rectified relatively quickly, but doing so has to be a result of good coaching. So in reality, none of those issues can be rectified.

Curtis Painter's satisfactorily competent showing this week should cement what was a short comeback for Kerry Collins. Painter has shown great chemistry with Colts wideout Pierre Garcon in just a few weeks, and has proved an able game manager.
That doesn't mean Indianapolis is any closer to its first win, though. The Colts' defense isn't getting any big stops, and only a Peyton Manning-led offense would be skilled enough to cover for it.
It could be Week 10 before Indy gets its first win. The Saints, Titans and Falcons are up next, meaning they could be 0-9 by the time they host the Jaguars Nov. 13.
For all the attention paid to Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert, it's Cincinnati's Andy Dalton that could end up with the best record among rookie quarterbacks. He's done a magnificent job leading the overachieving Bengals, and has gotten great help from young receivers A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson.
We can say this confidently now: Carson Palmer overplayed his hand.
Also chalking up a much-needed victory were the New York Giants. Following their debacle v. Seattle, they pulled out a 27-24 win over the Bills.
Joe: When you see players like Victor Cruz and Fred Jackson, it makes you wonder why teams value draft picks so much. There's talent on all levels of the draft, and you often get more value if you can find a serviceable player in the later rounds.

Jackson, who ripped off an 80-yard TD v. the Giants, went to Coe College. That's the same place Bills GM Marv Levy went.
Worth noting that Jackson is enjoying his breakout year at age 30, a milestone that often marks a running back's decline.

You shouldn't be surprised at the Giants' performance, though. The bounce-back, circle the wagons win is a Tom Coughlin specialty. It'd be impressive if not for the fact that it always follows a terrible, play-down-to-the-competition loss.
New York's win didn't come without a little help from the opposing sideline. Deep in Giants' territory with just minutes left in the fourth quarter and tied at 24, Buffalo played aggressive and went for the score, rather than setting themselves up for a late field goal. They paid for that approach when corner Corey Webster picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick at the 19. The Giants marched down the field and kicked the game-winning field goal.
Joe: Giants DE/LB Mathias Kiwanuka is one of the few undersized defensive lineman to thrive in a hybrid role in the NFL. Most recently, Vernon Gholston and Aaron Maybin failed to make that kind of transition.
Same story, different week for Carolina's Cam Newton. The do-it-all quarterback once again tried to do a bit too much, and it ended in three interceptions against Atlanta. That's nine for the season.
The turnovers allowed the Falcons to kill the clock through Michael Turner's 139 yards, turning a game that was competitive early into a 31-17 rout.
Newton might be 1-5, but at least his touchdown celebrations are entertaining:

24-3 win for Green Bay. Ho hum.
So far, the Packers have won by drowning their opponents with offense. This week their defense got in on the act too, something that has to make the rest of the NFL very nervous. Green Bay's next test comes Week 9 v. San Diego.
Joe: Love the throwback jerseys. And Aaron Rodgers makes playing quarterback look very easy. It must be nice to be a Packers fan and not have to wonder what life is like without a franchise quarterback.
Best part of the Eagles-Redskins game? Lesean McCoy giving Andy Reid the celebratory gut punch:

Fresh off a bye week, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo wasted no time getting down to business, throwing his sixth interception of the season on the Cowboys' first possession. Who needs Brett Favre when you've got Romo to kick around?
If he were still coaching college, they'd call this a signature win for Jim Harbaugh. The resurgent 49ers shut down Detroit's running game, then held on for the 25-19 win. They're now 5-1 on the season, and tied with the Lions for the second-best record in the league behind Green Bay.
Just a few weeks ago, who would've thought the Lions-Niners game would be Sunday's most compelling matchup? The NFL has a lot of issues, but parity is not one of them.
Joe: Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick looks exactly like the kind of guy I would expect to see ordering a shot and a beer at a Buffalo bar. Except for the Harvard part.

Brad Smith has been used as a wildcat back in recent weeks, but it's only been marginally effective. If a player never throws out of that formation, there's no mystery as to where the ball is going, and it's tough to break it for a big play.

Obligatory comment on the Harbaugh/Schwartz tiff here. There will enough manufactured outrage/debate/hand-wringing elsewhere, so all we'll contribute is that it should be heartening for fans of two recently beleaguered franchises that their teams are now showing this much fight. Next time you watch the video, focus on how the players react to the situation. Those are teams that have their coaches' backs. Not all teams can say that.
Four horrible turnovers combined for the Cowboys and Patriots in the first quarter. And these are the teams everyone's supposed to be scared of?
Chad Ochocinco has pulled a fascinating disappearing act this year. After a trumpeted arrival in New England, he's barely sniffed the field. Sunday was no different, and Ochocinco played just seven snaps. The Pats are a fortress when it comes to information, so we might never know, but there has to be a deeper story to why this is happening.
A Kyle Boller sighting in Oakland! Jason Campbell knocked out for the rest of the year with a broken collarbone, creating yet another unsteady quarterback situation.
The Suck for Luck sweepstakes, continued:

Colts- See above. At 0-6, if they make it to 0-9 they'll have this virtually sown up. And everyone else will hate them.
Dolphins- Don't play until Monday, but are starting a quarterback that hasn't thrown a pass since 2008.
Chiefs- On bye, are only ranked third because...
The Vikings replaced Donovan McNabb with Christian Ponder half-way through their beatdown at the hands of the Bears. Ponder showed mobility and flashes of talent and didn't get injured, meaning he'll likely hold onto the starting job. The standards in Minnesota are that low. This doesn't mean the Vikes won't end up with the first pick, but if Ponder shows he has staying power, they may elect to trade down.

Down three, two minutes left, versus the Cowboys' D? Everyone knew the Patriots were winning that game.
Outside of, maybe, kids toys commercials around Christmas, the ads shown during NFL games are the lowest forms of human creativity.
A bright spot for Dallas: Cornerback Orlando Scandrick's return appeared to make a big difference in the Cowboys secondary. Facing a consistent rush from the front four, Tom Brady never managed to settle into his normal rhythm. Until that last, game-winning drive, that is.
Oakland has now successfully run a fake special teams play two weeks in a row. After a fake punt last week v. the Texans, holder Shane Lechler fired a 35-yard touchdown pass on a fake field goal.
The Raiders also got a 101-yard kick return for a TD from Jacoby Ford. With quarterback Campbell out, they're likely going to have to get more of these non-traditional touchdowns to stay competitive.
Random notes:

Washington's Rex Grossman has started more than seven games just once in his career. In that year, 2006, the Bears went 13-3. The next, they started 2-5 and he lost his starting spot.
Tom Brady last lost a regular season home start on Nov. 12, 2006. He kept that streak alive with the comeback win over the Cowboys.
However, the Patriots' 20 points snapped a streak of 13 straight games scoring 30 or more points.
Tampa Bay running back Earnest Graham's 109 rushing yards were his most since 2008.

Drew Brees and the Saints fell just short in their comeback attempt v. Tampa Bay, throwing an interception in the end zone with just over two minutes left. It gave Brees three for the game, the first time he's thrown that many picks in almost a year.
It's hard to pin down exactly how good Tampa Bay is. They raced to a 20-6 lead at the half, but then struggled to hold onto it. Yet, just as it looked like the game would slip away, the Bucs came up with the big stop they needed.
Josh Freeman taking care of the ball was crucial to the Buccaneers' win. He threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions, just the second game this season where he's had more touchdowns than turnovers.
Tampa Bay also protected Freeman well, preventing the Saints' blitz-happy D from registering a sack.
Donovan McNabb's 169.8 yards per game coming into Sunday was the lowest among quarterbacks with at least four starts. So it wasn't surprising to see sentiments like this all over Twitter: