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With a rash of QB injuries (Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Matt Hasselbeck, Tarvaris Jackson, etc.) sweeping the NFL, SI.com senior writer Don Banks takes the opportunity to look at every team's Plan B, ranking backup QBs 1 through 32.

A few highlights:

3. Sage Rosenfels, Texans

11. Brad Johnson, Cowboys

31. Dan Orlovsky, Lions

You can find the whole list here.

Agree or disagree with Banks' picks? Let him know in the comments below.

Big news out of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's
meeting with Sen. Arlen Specter on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania senator told the media that Goodell said the Patriots have been illegally taping opponents' defensive signals since 2000, the year Bill Belichick took over as head coach.

Let that sink in for a minute.

On a day when Roger Clemens testified before Congress and Jason Kidd was nearly traded to the Mavericks, this nugget from the Goodell-Specter meeting may fall down the pecking order, but its significance shouldn't be ignored. Belichick has been taping games for the past eight seasons, Specter says Goodell told him. That's a little too he-said-he-said-he-did for me (I'd feel better if Goodell was the one to deliver the news) but if this proves accurate, the offseason just became a lot more interesting.

Specter says that Goodell claims Belichick thought the taping was legal. Do you buy that? I'm sure there will be a lot more on this in the days to come, but feel free to share your initial thoughts in the comments below.

"Bobby Petrino is leaving the Falcons?? Holy #&%$!"
--An actual text message that hit my cell phone Monday night when the news broke that Petrino would be leaving Atlanta to take the Arkansas head-coaching job.

In eight words, my friend pretty much sums up everyone's feelings on this stunning turn of events, especially mine. Less than a year ago, I sat in the interview room at the Falcons complex in Flowery Branch, Ga., and listened to Petrino describe his new gig as "the best job in the National Football League." Tomorrow, I'll sit in that same room and listen to owner Arthur Blank and general manager Rich McKay introduce Petrino's interim replacement. Crazy.

My gut reaction to the news is this: If I'm Blank, I'm not crossing the street anytime soon. How much can go wrong for him this year? First, your star QB is found to have run an illegal dogfighting operation and will spend the next two years in jail. As a result, your team is left without its star QB and loses 10 of its first 13 games. Now, the man you pledged to pay almost $5 million per year to coach the team is leaving you to take a job at a university where crazed fans rule the roost.

I've shared my feelings on Tuesday's news, and now it's your turn. Was Petrino smart to jump ship? Or is he just the latest in a long line of smarmy coaches who can't be trusted? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Rating the watchability of the three Thanksgiving Day games while trying to get this song stuck in your head. (The rest of Week 12's rankings can be found here.)

(As always, comments welcome below or straight to my inbox at dom.bonvissuto@turner.com)

SUCCUMB TO THE TRYPTOPHAN WHILE TRYING TO WATCH ...

Indianapolis (8-2) at Atlanta (3-7) 8:15 p.m.

This should be a blowout in Indy's favor, but who knows anymore after the Colts' recent struggles against San Diego and Kansas City. Peyton Manning has to be salivating at the thought of facing the Falcons' all-talk, no-show secondary. And this game should give the banged-up Colts defense a chance to get back on track against an inconsistent Falcons offense, no matter if Byron Leftwich or Joey Harrington is under center.

CONVERSE WITH COUSINS WHILE KEEPING AN EYE ON ...

N.Y. Jets (2-8) at Dallas (9-1) 4:15 p.m.

With their season all but lost, the Jets let it all hang out in upsetting the Steelers last week. Can't imagine Eric Mangini changing that strategy against the heavily-favored Cowboys. Tony Romo's coming-out party was last Thanksgiving, when he threw 5 TD passes against the Bucs. Romo, though, could be under intense pressure -- the Jets sacked Ben Roethlisberger seven times last week.

PLAN YOUR DINNER AROUND ...

Green Bay (9-1) at Detroit (6-4) 12:30 p.m.

Two losing streaks the Lions would like to halt here: a current two-game slide and three straight losses on Turkey Day. The good news for Lions fans? Detroit's last win on Thanksgiving was against the Packers in 2003. The bad news? Brett Favre and the red-hot Packers offense have scored 30 or more points for three straight weeks. And defense isn't Detroit's specialty, allowing 354 yards per game, second-worst in the NFC.

Rating the watchability of Week 10's games while wishing all personality-less domes were at the bottom of this list ...

(As always, comments welcome below or straight to my inbox at dom.bonvissuto@turner.com)

ONLY IF YOUR OTHER OPTION IS YARDWORK

14. Buffalo (4-4) at Miami (0-8) 1 p.m. -- Anyone else envision Bill Belichick watching this game and cackling?

13. San Francisco (2-6) at Seattle (4-4) M8:30 p.m. -- I think it was Tupac who first told us "the west side is the best side." He obviously didn't have the NFL's most dismal division in mind.

12. Atlanta (2-6) at Carolina (4-4) 1 p.m. -- Anybody heard from Steve Smith lately? Might be worth tuning in to see if this is the game he finally snaps.   

11. Cincinnati (2-6) at Baltimore (4-4) 4 p.m. -- We tried to look up something interesting about this game, but our eyes were still bleeding from watching the Ravens' MNF performance.  

IT AIN'T GONNA BE EPIC, BUT HEY, IT'S FOOTBALL

10. St. Louis (0-8) at New Orleans (4-4) 1 p.m. -- The Saints are back near last year's form, but we can't shake the feeling a well-rested Rams team starving for a win will make this one interesting. 

9. Chicago (3-5) at Oakland (2-6) 4 p.m. -- This story makes this game worth watching.

8. Philadelphia (3-5) at Washington (5-3) 1 p.m. -- If the Redskins want to keep pace with the Cowboys and Giants, this is a must-win against the divided Eagles.

7. Denver (3-5) at Kansas City (4-4) 1 p.m. -- A Broncos win and a Chargers loss in Indy means three teams with losing records would be tied atop the AFC West. Crazy. 

6. Detroit (6-2) at Arizona (3-5) 4 p.m. - Proud bible thumpers Jon Kitna and Kurt Warner. On a Sunday afternoon. God will strike you down if you don't watch.

5. Minnesota (3-5) at Green Bay (7-1) 1 p.m. -- Lambeau denizens, save those ticket stubs -- you'll be telling the grandkids about Adrian Peterson's first trip to the frozen tundra. 

4. Jacksonville (5-3) at Tennessee (6-2) 1 p.m. -- Friends of ours who grew up in Nashville emailed this week, begging us to Superglue this game -- the prime spot on the 60-inch screen with volume, and not one of the 19-inchers on mute, hung in the balance. It was a tough call -- their Week 2 game came down to the wire -- but any game that may involve Quinn Gray is not must-see TV.

SUPERGLUE YOURSELF TO THE COUCH

3. Indianapolis (7-1) at San Diego (4-4) 8 p.m. - This is the nightcap of the inaugural All-Superglue Sunday 1-4-8 tripleheader. Really, we should get divorce lawyers to sponsor this section. This ain't a bad one to end on. Can the Colts rebound from the disappointment of last week? Can the Chargers jump back into the AFC's elite? We'll know Sunday.

2. Cleveland (5-3) at Pittsburgh (6-2) 1 p.m. -- Sadly, snow is not in the forecast for Heinz Field on Sunday. This is an awesome rivalry that finally has some meaning again, thanks to the Browns resurgence. The NFL should allow Joey Porter to come back to the Steelers for this game, if only to renew his rivalry with Kellen Winslow.   

1. Dallas (7-1) at N.Y. Giants (6-2) 4 p.m. -- The Cowboys are at a bit of a disadvantage -- the Giants had an unprecedented three straight off weeks (vs. 49ers, vs. Dolphins, BYE) to prepare. Don't expect a duplication of their Week 1 shootout, a 45-35 win by the Cowboys. Both defenses are much improved (Giants 7^th, Cowboys 8^th in total defense) and will look to harass two QBs who can sometimes be careless with the ball.  

(Apologies all around for skipping last week's rankings. From the emails that came into the inbox, some of you actually missed us. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we'll be here each week until the end of the regular season.)