Snaps

	Daunte Culpepper tore multiple ligaments in his knee in a loss to the Panthers last Sunday. AP

1. I know the loss of quarterback Daunte Culpepper to a season-ending knee injury isn't a cause for celebration in the Vikings organization, but what kind of message does it send to the rest of what already has been an underachieving team when head coach Mike Tice walks into his postgame media briefing and describes Culpepper's looming absence as "devastating?'' Talk about giving everyone an excuse to start mailing it in. Can you imagine Bill Belichick taking that approach if Tom Brady went down, even though that really would be a devastating scenario in New England?

And besides, losing the Culpepper of 2004 would be devastating to the Vikings. The Culpepper of 2005? Not so much.

2. Wow. From the looks of what I saw in San Diego on Sunday, Chargers first-round pick Shawn Merriman is going to be a force at linebacker. Though he's still learning the position and has made just two NFL starts, Merriman announced his arrival as a playmaker with two sacks and a forced fumble against Kansas City, not to mention a hit that knocked Chiefs running back Priest Holmes silly and ended his afternoon. And fellow Chargers rookie Luis Castillo wasn't too shabby either, contributing 1½ sacks against K.C.

3. How is it that LaDainian Tomlinson can keep dropping back to pass in the halfback option formation -- three touchdown tosses in three attempts this season -- and defenses keep falling for it? Aren't trick plays only supposed to work if you don't overuse them? Guess it speaks to just how much containment it takes to corral L.T. that he can sell the run so effectively at all times.

4. Look at it this way, Redskins fans, your team has scored an average of 26 points per game the past two weeks. Fifty-two at home against San Francisco, and nada at Giants Stadium on Sunday.

5. Todd Devoe? Domonique Foxworth? Those were two of your heroes for the Denver Broncos in Sunday's strange rout of Philadelphia, and that's a decent indication that Mike Shanahan's team is getting contributions from just about everyone on its roster.