Ten Things I Think I Think

1. I think these are my quick-hit thoughts of Week 2:

a. I'm a little late on this one, and I risk copycatting Paul Zimmerman, who wrote eloquently on this the other day. But Ron Jaworski did a phenomenal job on the second Monday-night game last week on ESPN. Before the game he said the Chargers were going to manage Philip Rivers, not put the game in his hands, and give LaDainian Tomlinson the ball 40 times.

I'm thinking: Absurd. Forty touches for Tomlinson? Schottenheimer won't burn him out this early in a season. And when has he ever touched it 40 times in a game anyway? So I went to my Chargers media guide, and I realized Jaworski was on to something. Tomlinson hadn't touched it 40 times a game since 2002, when he had an amazing 48 touches (37 rushing, 11 receiving) in a game against Denver. But he also had 44 touches against the Raiders that year, and he'd been used similarly every year against the Raiders -- 39 and 35 touches in 2003, 38 in one game in 2004, 33 in one game last year.

Jaws was right. Rivers was managed. He threw only 11 passes. The Chargers ran it 48 times. Tomlinson had 36 touches (31 rushing, five receiving) and would have taken some of backup Michael Turner's 10 carries if this wasn't a rout by early in the second half.

One other Jawsism: Midway through the third quarter, with Aaron Brooks under siege, he said: "They're calling too many deep drops in the passing game.'' And Brooks kept dropping back, and he kept getting wiped out. I learn something from Jaworski every time he's on the tube.

b. HBO pal Brian Hyland wondered this the other day: Is Robert Gallery Ryan Leaf? Great line. Great question.

c. Insightful stuff in the NFL Films miking of Tennessee center Kevin Mawae last week that aired on our HBO show. How about Mawae getting weepy during the national anthem thinking about his brother? And how about him going into the huddle when Tennessee was down 16-0 to the Jets and barking: "Everybody look at me! We gotta settle down!''

d. Great, great touchdown catch by Chad Johnson. Wait till you see it.

e. That might be my worst division champ pick of all time, Detroit over Chicago.

f. I thought the Giants signed Sam Madison to help their secondary, not be an arsonist. Bumping at the line is supposed to be one of the things he does well, but he whiffed on Donte' Stallworth's first-half 22-yard TD reception from Donovan McNabb. Stallworth was open all day.

g. Best third-round pick in the league this year: Falcons running back Jerious Norwood.

h. Foes 55, Raiders 6. If possible, it's worse than that.

i. Alex Smith might have come of age against the Rams. Even with that nut job Antonio Bryant whining for half the day, Smith and Frank Gore showed they were the kind of offensive forces that you can win with.

j. Rock Cartwright's kick return for Washington against Dallas on Sunday night might have been one of the cleanest touchdowns on a kick return I've ever seen. He was touched by one Cowboy.

2. I think I wouldn't be shocked -- surprised, but not shocked -- if the Seahawks traded Darrell Jackson before the Oct. 17 trading deadline.

3. I think if you got fed up with last week's Manning vs. Manning hypefest, you'll be happy to know they won't play again till 2010 -- and not again at the Meadowlands until 2014. Count me among those who still think it's idiotic that you've got to wait eight years under this scheduling system for a team in the other conference to visit your team. The next time the Colts come to New Jersey to play the Giants, Eli will be 33 and Peyton 38 -- and my guess is Peyton will be in ESPN's Monday Night Football booth by then, the holder of two Super Bowl rings and every quarterback record out there.

4. I think my biggest question about the Raiders is not whether they can go 0-16. It's this: What on God's green Earth is Art Shell writing down every time the camera focuses on him? And why is he writing instead of yelling?

5. I think you can say one thing about Eric Mangini's Jets: They will be very interesting to watch. They won't make the playoffs, and they might not go 7-9, even. But they'll hang in and play competitive football.