Ten Things I Think I Think

	Matt Schaub is already making an impact among his new Houston teammates. Bob Levey/WireImage.com
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1. I think these are my quick-hit thoughts of the NFL Meetings:

a. Very good signing by the Cowboys, getting Ken Hamlin as a twin masher in the secondary to pair with Roy Williams.

b. First game of the year: Very likely Saints at Colts, Sept. 6, the Thursday night opener at home for the defending champs. As I suspected, the league did not want to waste the potential game of the year, Pats at Colts, in a time slot that will get a good rating on NBC anyway. Look for Pats-Colts to go down in November.

c. First concert of the year: Very likely John Mellencamp, in downtown Indy before the Colts-Saints affair.

d. The schedule will be announced April 5 on ESPN, which owns much of the free world and is currently in negotiations to buy the rest.

e. Giants-Cowboys, Sept. 9, Sunday night, with the league counting on Romo Appeal and the buzz around the Eli Manning referendum to put a big Week 1 rating on the board.

f. First four quarterbacks to play in prime time last season: Daunte Culpepper, Charlie Batch, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning. First four scheduled to play this year at night: Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Eli Manning.

g. I hear moving the kickoff from the 30- to 35-yard line at the start of overtime has a good chance of passing. Giving teams at least one possession in overtime doesn't have a prayer here, and likely not much of one in the future, much to my chagrin. And don't ask Tampa Bay GM Bruce Allen to support it. He thinks it'll potentially bastardize the rules by making games longer. I think that's poppycock; giving both teams a possession will take away the undue influence of something as capricious as a coin flip.

h. Mike Tomlin's making a positive impression here. Lots of NFL people don't know Tomlin, and they're discovering he's an engaging guy.

2. I think I have serious reservations about whether Atlanta did the right thing in dealing Matt Schaub. For three reasons: 1) What happens if the ever-present danger of Mike Vick getting hurt in September rears its unfortunate head, and they've got to rely on the backup (Chris Redman?) to play? 2) GM Rich McKay always said if any teams wanted Schaub, they'd better come dangling first-round draft picks. Atlanta got two second-rounders and a jump of two spots in this year's first round. That's equivalent to about the 20th pick in the first round. If Schaub's the genuine item, which it appears he might be, that's not enough. And if you're not going to get enough, you shouldn't trade him. 3) No one is positive that Vick is the long-term answer at quarterback under new coach Bobby Petrino. What happens if by Thanksgiving, Petrino is looking at owner Arthur Blank and saying: Uh, Mr, Blank, we've got to get ourselves a quarterback. And don't think it's a lock Vick and Petrino are going to be a great marriage.

3. I think Schaub did something remarkable over the weekend. He put in 50 phone calls to his new teammates -- many of them quite surprised -- to introduce himself. I asked Schaub on Sunday night why he did it. "I wanted them to know who I was,'' he said. "I wanted them to know how excited I was to be their teammate and how much I was looking forward to leading the team.''

I like the deal for Houston, but the trade has its risks. Schaub is totally unproven, having started two games and completed 52 percent of his passes in three seasons in Atlanta. And the Texans still gave him a six-year, $48-million contract; granted only $7 million is guaranteed, but it's still a major commitment for a risky player.

"I won't feel any added pressure over having to prove myself,'' he said. "I'm just going to play football. I think what helps me is that I've basically been in the same kind of system both in college and with the Falcons as coach [Gary] Kubiak runs, so there shouldn't be much of an adjustment. The terminology and plays and protections are mostly the same.''