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NFL News and Analysis with Andrew Perloff

Perloff
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  • 03:53 PM ET  09.24
Chris-johnson
Chris Johnson's 0-2 Titans visit the 2-0 Jets Sunday. :: AP

A weekly NFL preview that heads in the opposite direction of your average pro football analysis.

1.  After watching tape of the Washington-St. Louis Week 2 game, I think Detroit coach Jim Schwartz better guard against the Lions being overconfident and looking past the 'Skins to next week's game against the Bears.

2. Just like everyone gets too excited when Tom Brady does well, the media is overreacting to Brady's struggles so far this season. He hasn't been consistent, but for a long stretch against Buffalo in Week 1 he was perfect. The Pats face some tough defenses in coming weeks (Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, Tennessee), but the schedule eases up in the second half. And this is the coaching staff that slowly turned Matt Cassel into a star last year. They'll figure out the blitz and help Brady put up big numbers again.

3. Even more overhyped –- Michael Vick debuting with the Eagles. Vick's handful of plays will get all the attention, but the real issue in Philly is the defense. The 48-22 loss to the Saints last Sunday revealed the Eagles can't cover anyone or stop the run consistently. Philly has the Chiefs, Bucs, Raiders and Redskins on tap, so the defense will probably look OK for a while. But opponents will attack the same vulnerable spots the Saints did down the road.

4. Last season three 0-2 teams reached the playoffs. This year's group of 0-2 teams isn't as promising, but the one 0-2 team I'd bet to make the postseason is in Tennessee. The Titans will be the first team to get real pressure on Mark Sanchez on Sunday and derail a Jets team that just won its regular-season Super Bowl.

5. If you gave the Lions a mulligan right now, would they take Sanchez over Matthew Stafford? Maybe, maybe not, but the Seahawks definitely would retroactively take Sanchez with their No. 4 pick. Nothing against linebacker Aaron Curry, but QB was obviously a bigger priority in Seattle and a better use of a big rookie contract.

6. Why would the Jets bother tampering to get Michael Crabtree? Crabtree's camp thinks he's worth more than No. 10-pick money. If anything, Crabtree's worth less than a No. 10 pick. Before the draft, no one seemed to know how fast he really was and he measured a little smaller than many people thought he would. The only thing we know for sure is that he's not necessarily a team-first guy. 

7. Tony Romo is quickly making the transition from overrated to potentially underrated. Is there any other franchise where a bad game against the Giants would pull the franchise's greatest players out of the woodwork to insult the quarterback? Everything is bigger in Dallas, but everything has to be smaller for Romo. Less expectations, less forcing the ball downfield … less throwing downfield in general. The Cowboys should treat him more like the Falcons treated Matt Ryan last season.

8. With the Chargers injuries stacking up, could the AFC West produce the first NFL playoff team with a losing record? As much talent as San Diego has, if this injury trend continues, the Bolts are going to fall off. That would leave the division open for Denver, but the Broncos haven't proven they're a .500 team yet. 

9. Watching Tennessee-Florida last week, I'm convinced the problem in Tampa Bay is the loss of Monte Kiffin, not Jon Gruden.

10. Talk to any former player or coach over 40 and they probably don't like the Wildcat. Over the past two weeks on the Dan Patrick Show, Brian Billick, Troy Aikman, Joe Montana and Steve Young have all said they expect the formation to slowly go away. All of them said defenses will adjust to the scheme. But then elements of the Wildcat will evolve as well, and cross over into other offensive schemes, like the run-and-shoot or other old offensive trends have done well over time.

You can debate NFL with Andrew every day at DanPatrick.com.

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