Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

The next question is, will the Buffalo Bills take John McCargo back?

ESPN's John Clayton reported McCargo failed his physical with the Indianapolis Colts one day after the Bills thought they had ridded themselves of the underachieving defensive tackle.

The Bills traded up specifically to draft McCargo 26th overall in 2006. He never started a game and was inactive for the season opener. He had played in Buffalo's past four games, but the Colts found a herniated disc and voided the trade, which was for a fourth-round pick.

McCargo's departure mostly was met with shrugs in the Bills' locker room. Guys who assumed they were McCargo's former teammates this afternoon knew he wasn't fitting in with the team dynamic.

Bills defensive line coach Bill Kollar had this to say in Wednesday's edition of the Buffalo News.

"It's like we've said from Day 1, you've got to really want to play," Kollar told Buffalo News reporter Allen Wilson. "It's real easy to go and talk about it. But what you have to do is work and get better on the practice field and take it into the game.

"He's got the ability. But deep inside yourself you've got to want to end up getting it done. You've got to end up doing it on the field."

The Bills clearly had given up on trying to mold McCargo into a more serviceable player.

To welcome McCargo back now would be difficult for the Bills and dangerous for team chemistry moving forward. Teams don't need grousing players in their locker room.

	AP Photo/Stephan Savoia
	Cam Cameron was 1-15 with the Dolphins a year ago.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

On a conference call Wednesday with South Florida reporters, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh defended offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who the Miami Dolphins fired after a single 1-15 season.

Cameron will return to Dolphin Stadium when the Ravens visit Sunday afternoon.

"He was an effective coach down in Miami last year even though the results weren't what people were hoping for," Harbaugh said. "He did a great job there with what he had to work with. He's got the respect of our players."

Harbaugh's comments didn't go over well with the Dolphins.

"With 'what he had to work with,'" defensive end Vonnie Holliday repeated. "I guess that's the key, huh?

"What did we have to work with as players?"

Cobbs, evoking veteran defensive end Vonnie Holliday's sentiments, suggested Cameron and his "little system" was the one the Dolphins were stuck with -- not the other way around.

What is your reaction to John Harbaugh saying Cam Cameron didn't have much to work with in Miami last season?

Cobbs: I don't know how to react to that question. I mean, he had a lot of veteran guys, Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, Trent Green. I really don't understand what he had to work with. I mean everybody else worked with [those players] just fine.

How many wins would this team have had if Tony Sparano coached it last year?

Cobbs: We would have been better. I mean I don't want to say that, but [new Dolphins coach Tony Sparano's] leadership ability and the way that he wants to practice and the way that he brings stuff to the table is night and day from the way Cam did it.

And no disrespect to Cam, but they are two totally different coaches, and the system Sparano brings in is a totally different system than Cam had, and I think that our guys respond better to Sparano's teachings.

Are John Harbaugh's comments a shot at you guys?

Cobbs: Oh yeah, it is definitely a shot at us, and it hurts, too, because we poured everything we had into [Cameron's] system and trying to do the right thing last year, and it didn't work for us. And we are doing the same thing this year and having success. 'What he had to work with' is kind of -- I don't understand his comment behind that -- but I'm with Vonnie: It's what we had to work with.

What are some differences between Tony Sparano and Cam Cameron?

Cobbs: [Sparano] coaches, I mean he coaches everybody and he coaches everybody the same. He doesn't take it easy on guys that he feels like have been in this league a long time. Sparano coaches regardless of who you are and you will see him down there yelling at Joey Porter just like he would be down there yelling at me.

He wants guys to do it right, he wants guys to do it the same way as he wants it done. I mean he's got a purpose the way he wants things done, and if they aren't done that way he's going to let you know about it regardless of who you are. And it was a little different last year. Cam's little system was 'I am going to try and be different,' and Sparano is different, too.

I mean, he treats people different as well as he should. But [Cameron] doesn't get the most out of his players. I mean it feels like Tony wants the most out of everybody's ability and Cam didn't seem to be demanding that.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

The Buffalo Bills didn't sound too broken up over John McCargo's departure.

McCargo, a 2006 first-round draft choice, was considered an underachiever with little desire to fulfill his potential. Critics would stop short of calling him lazy, but his reputation was for doing just enough to get by.

"John has a lot of talent and I guess he needed a fresh start," Bills safety and captain Donte Whitner said. "So hopefully he'll do a great job down there in Indy. I hope he has the opportunity to play and play well.

"I've had an opportunity to get to know John off the field for the past three years. He's a good guy. He spent some time at my house, but there are just some things he had to work on and hopefully he'll get those things in order down there in Indy."

"I think it's pretty simple," Jauron said. "We thought it was in our best interest as a football team, and we actually thought it was in John's best interest, too. We made the deal and we'll move on from there.

"There's certainly no benefit in me talking about it any further than that. I'll just say that I thought it was in our best interest and his and we'll let it go. We wish him the very best. He's with what we think is another good organization and a good football team."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Any lingering doubts Buffalo Bills fans had about whether quarterback Trent Edwards would play Sunday have lifted just as his headaches have.

Edwards on Wednesday announced he has been cleared to return from the concussion he suffered on the third play of the Oct. 5 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Receiver and top punt returner Roscoe Parrish also proclaimed he would play for the first time since thumb surgery.

The Bills shut Edwards down during their bye week, but he has been practicing well. He passed a baseline test, which compares how his brain is functioning compared to documentation from when he was normal.

Edwards said "there was no reason to hold me out."

The Bills are 4-1, losing only the game in Arizona. Former starter J.P. Losman came off the sideline to run the Bills offense. There was one big hit (a long touchdown bomb to Lee Evans) and several misses (fumble, interception).

While the 41-17 defeat wasn't Losman's fault, the Bills have a better chance to win with Edwards. Many within the organization don't like how Losman, who is in the final year of his contract, has distanced himself since his official demotion over the offseason.

"It means a lot," Evans said of getting Edwards back. "He's the starting quarterback. It means a lot to our offense and just the mindset of our team."

Parrish on Wednesday said his thumb was pain-free.

"I caught the ball regularly," Parrish said, "and it's just on pace just like I thought it was going to be.

"I feel even better. I am going on Sunday."

Posted by Scouts Inc.'s Tag Ribary

The New York Jets' offense is finally starting to take shape as Brett Favre continues to get more and more comfortable with the playbook. It is a versatile group with multiple playmakers who can put pressure on opposing defenses. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is playing to everyone's strengths and utilizing all his weapons, not just Favre. He is finding ways to have success on a weekly basis.

	Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
	Brett Favre has exercised patience while learning his new offense.

Take Sunday's game against Cincinnati for example. Favre wasn't at his sharpest, but the Jets proved they're versatile and creative. When the Bengals' defense decided to use more zone coverage in an attempt to keep everything in front of them, the Jets stayed patient and turned to running back Thomas Jones, who ended up with three TDs and New York got the win. Jones isn't a true workhorse at running back who can pound out 100 yards each week, but he is tough and runs hard. He and Leon Washington each have the ability to produce as a runner or receiver out of the backfield and Schottenheimer and Favre do a good job of utilizing their strengths and put them in a position to succeed.

Wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery are effective at attacking defenses both vertically and underneath. Another key to the offense's success is Favre's ability to keep them both involved and staying balanced with the ball distribution. Each player has 26 catches for more than 300 yards and that makes it difficult for defenses to key on stopping either one. Favre is also utilizing the tight ends and backs in the passing game as this group is responsible for nearly half of Favre's completions. This just shows he's seeing the field well, finding his best option and not forcing the ball.

Obviously, opposing defenses must account for Favre every week. He has a strong arm and his ability to read defenses has kept the Jets out of bad situations. As he gets more and more comfortable with both the offense and his receivers' route-running abilities, he will be even tougher to defend. That's saying something, because Favre is already playing pretty well. He is No. 2 in the AFC in passing and No. 4 in the league. His 13 touchdowns are second in the league and no one has a higher completion percentage (71.3) than Favre.

It's still early, but Favre and Schottenheimer have the Jets' offense playing well. This offense will only continue to improve as Favre gets more and more comfortable in it, and their ability to play to everyone's strengths and spread the ball around to all the playmakers should continue to make this offense productive.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

The New England Patriots went into this season a guaranteed playoff team. Sure, there were the obligatory Super Bowl hangover references, but nobody truly believed them.

One game into the season they were reclassified slightly. Maybe they weren't favorites to win it all without Tom Brady, but they still were a surefire postseason club.

After all, they didn't have to dominate to reach the playoffs. They merely had to finish among the top six teams in the AFC.

That's going to be tricky because there are doubts they'll finish in the top half of their division. Maybe not among the top three.

The AFC East is that competitive.

The first-place Buffalo Bills and the last-place Miami Dolphins are separated by two games. Then sandwiched between are the New York Jets and Patriots at 3-2.

How refreshingly competitive. The past two seasons the Patriots bolted to a forceful start and at least one of the other four teams did a face plant out of the blocks, creating a sizable gap in the standings.

Since the NFL realigned in 2002 and moved the Indianapolis Colts out of the division, the only time the AFC East standings have been this tight heading into Week 7 was in 2005, but none of the four teams had a winning record. The Bills and Patriots were 3-3. The Dolphins were 2-3. The Jets were in last place at 2-4.

This season, however, three AFC East teams are above .500, and the revitalized Dolphins are two plays away from being tied with the 4-1 Bills.

Givens no longer reside here.

"You could look ahead a year or two at the AFC East and see the toughest division in all of football," said former Dolphins linebacker Kim Bokamper. "It's good for competition, and no matter what players say, if you got the weak sister in there -- back in my day it was Buffalo -- you always were chalking up two wins. You don't have that anymore."

The Patriots, Jets and Dolphins all are 1-1 against each other.

Here's a breakdown of how the AFC East stacks up after six games:

Buffalo Bills (4-1)

The Bills might be the NFL's most balanced team. They don't rely on any one facet of their roster to bail out the others. A glance at the depth chart doesn't turn up an abundance of Pro Bowlers, but try to find a glaring weakness.

"Buffalo is the team to beat," Bokamper said. "With a healthy Trent Edwards, they are as good as any team in the AFC."

Edwards staying healthy is a real concern. He suffered a concussion in Week 5, and the Bills' offensive line has been playing on its heels at times.

The O-line still is dealing with the aftermath of left tackle Jason Peters' prolonged holdout. He missed voluntary offseason workouts, mandatory mini-camp and all of training camp before reporting without a new contract. Right tackle Langston Walker was moved to Peters' spot, further fiddling with the continuity.

"They just don't have it," said former Bills and Chicago Bears guard Ruben Brown, a nine-time Pro Bowler who still hasn't officially retired. "But the good thing is all these guys have worked together for a while. It'll start picking up, and now is the time to turn it on."

The Bills are the only AFC East team not to have played a divisional game, making for a rugged homestretch. Both Bokamper and Brown claim that augers well for them.

"I'm banking on the Bills beating the Jets each time, and I think that will shake up that division," said Brown, who is host to a weekly radio show that can be heard at BuffaloMainEvent.com. "It boils down to who wins out of the Jets and the Bills. That's where it's going to be."

New England Patriots (3-2)

	Kim Klement/US Presswire
	Former Dolphins linebacker Kim Bokamper thinks a Randy Moss breakdown is forthcoming.

For the first time under head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have suffered two losses of 20 or more points in the same season. There are 11 games to go.

"I think New England is going to take some more lumps," Brown said. "It's just time. They've been on top for so long."

The Patriots have been unable to reinvent themselves without the injured Brady, who last season conducted one of the most prolific offenses in football history. Now the Patriots have the AFC East's lowest-scoring offense with 89 points. The winless Cincinnati Bengals have scored 88.

"And the Randy Moss tantrum hasn't really set in yet," Bokamper said. "It's going to happen at some point. When that blooms anything can happen there."

New England also has shown troubles on defense, particularly in the secondary. Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington owned the middle of the field in an eye-opening 38-13 laugher in Gillette Stadium. San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers chose to drop bombs on the Patriots' cornerbacks in Sunday night's 30-10 rout.

"As long as they have Bill Belichick and Randy Moss and all that talent they have there, they just need to treat it game by game," former New York Jets defensive lineman Marty Lyons said. "They didn't play well and made a lot of mistakes against the Chargers, but it's only one game. Belichick will learn more about his team, his quarterback and realize the NFL is a long season.

"They're well-equipped to make a strong run. You haven't heard the last of New England."

New York Jets (3-2)

The more Brett Favre becomes familiar with the Jets offense, the tougher they'll be to beat.

The Jets already have established themselves in the trenches. The Patriots line up Pro Bowlers from center out to left tackle, but the Jets' offensive line is the best in the division despite inserting free agents Alan Faneca and Damien Woody. The Jets' defensive line anchors a unit that's third-best against the run.

Favre through five games has a 103.0 passer rating, which would be the best in his career over a full season. He has even more potential because he's still learning the offense. Brown's days with the Bears taught him the best way to beat Favre is to knock him around, but the Jets' O-line will make that difficult.

"If you take him out of the game early you can win," said Brown, whose Bears were 6-2 against Favre's Packers. "You have to contest everything he does. But he's like Michael Jordan. If you keep it close, he's going to beat you."

The Jets need to better establish their running game. Thomas Jones hasn't eclipsed 100 yards since the season opener, but he scored two rushing touchdowns in Sunday's victory over the Bengals. He also had a receiving TD for the first three-score game of his career.

"They just have to take care of business," Lyons said of the Jets. "They don't have to win by 50 points. It doesn't have to look pretty. They just have to win. That would set up a big game against Buffalo.

"It's potentially a game for first place if both teams do what they're supposed to do. But they can't look ahead."

Miami Dolphins (2-3)

Let's see a show of hands from NFL head coaches: How many of you want to play the Dolphins?

Zero would be the appropriate response.

The Dolphins aren't handing out free wins anymore. Pennington's leadership, while not cutting it with the Jets coaching staff, has been perfect for the Dolphins. Running back Ronnie Brown is flashing All-Pro talent. Their revitalized defense, energized by linebacker Joey Porter and cornerback Will Allen, has given up the fewest points in the AFC East.

"Tackle to tackle on both sides of the ball, I don't want to say they're as good as anybody, but they can compete with anybody," Bokamper said.

And we're not even going to factor in the Wildcat, an entertaining offense that often overshadows what's going on in Miami.

Football operations boss Bill Parcells, first-year general manager Jeff Ireland and rookie head coach Tony Sparano have changed the culture dramatically. They Dolphins are not losers anymore.

Brown calls the Dolphins the most dangerous team in the NFL, though he isn't quite sold on them for this year's AFC East race.

"It's five games into the season," Brown said. "It's going to get tougher. I don't think they're going to hold up in the long haul.

"Most teams that have new administrations, they start to wear down as the season goes on. Guys come in with a hard-line attitude and work the guys hard to develop an attitude or prove a point. That wears a team down. The only exception has been Jon Gruden in Tamp Bay, but he took over Tony Dungy's team, which was good to begin with.

"They're spirited. I think they're going to cause problems for people, but if they make the playoffs I'll be surprised."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Buffalo Bills

• John Wawrow of the Associated Press reports defensive end Aaron Schobel's left foot was in a protective boot Wednesday.
• Buffalo News columnist Bob DiCesare wonders what held back the Bills from trading for tight end Tony Gonzalez.
• Allen Wilson of the Buffalo News looks at defensive tackle John McCargo's trade to the Indianapolis Colts.

Miami Dolphins

• Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Dolphins cornerback Will Allen has an injured left knee.
• Palm Beach Post writer Carlos Frias shares the story of defensive end and Super Bowl baby Kendall Langford.
• Miami Herald reporter David J. Neal takes a look at the dearth of interceptions from the secondary.
  

New England Patriots

• Providence Journal reporter Shalise Manza Young's practice report says running back Laurence Maroney and LaMont Jordan, Pro Bowl left tackle Matt Light and starting right tackle Nick Kaczur were absent.
• Boston Globe reporter Mike Reiss writes about Bill Belichick's confidence in Matt Cassel.
• Dan Duggan in the Boston Herald foreshadows a difficult night for the Patriots pass defense against the Denver Broncos.

New York Jets

• Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News checks in on rookie Vernon Gholston's limited progress.
• Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press writes running back Thomas Jones is the Jets' vocal leader.
• Newsday's Erik Boland takes a look at how much of an upgrade nose tackle Kris Jenkins has been.
  

ESPN.com's Tim Graham discusses the latest in the AFC East and previews Week 7.

Jeremy Green chats with Pat Yasinskas about the Adam Jones suspension, and ranks the teams in the AFC East with Tim Graham.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora is out for the season while recovering from a knee injury. On Tuesday he was a guest commentator on "ESPN First Take."

Umenyiora might have a future in broadcasting, and that's a good thing because he clearly shouldn't get into player evaluation.

He squared off against Skip Bayless in the show's "First and 10" debate segment. Moderator Dana Jacobson asked if the New England Patriots would reach the postseason. Jacobson gave Umenyiora the floor.

Umenyiora: I think so. I've seen Matt Cassel. We played him in a preseason game, and to be honest with you, I thought back then he was just as good as Tom Brady.

Jacobson: What?! Osi, seriously?

Umenyiora: When I saw him back then in the preseason game that's what I thought.

Bayless: As good as Tom Brady?

Umenyiora: That was my misconception.

There was much laughter.

Umenyiora: Obviously, it hasn't played out that way. But he's a good quarterback. I think the Patriots can at least win 10 games. I think they'll make it into the playoffs. They're going to win 10 games this year.

Umenyiora also predicted the Dallas Cowboys would not make the playoffs.

Actors Mark Wahlberg and Ludacris also sat down with Jacobson for an interview to promote the new action flick Max Payne. Wahlberg, who played Philadelphia Eagles folk hero Vince Papale in "Invincible," is a huge Boston sports fan and commented on the Patriots.

"They gotta make the playoffs in that division, although the Bills have been quite a surprise this year thus far," Wahlberg said. "I'm trying to stay optimistic. I mean, Brady was obviously a backup to [Drew] Bledsoe and a sixth-round draft pick, so you know ... I'm hoping Cassel will take this as a huge opportunity for himself and rise to the occasion.

"But I can't be greedy. We won three Super Bowls. The Celtics just won the [NBA] championship. The Red Sox won two [World Series] in four years."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

McCargo

The Buffalo Bills made one of the NFL's two deadline deals, essentially washing their hands of disappointing defensive tackle John McCargo. The Bills sent the 2006 first-round draft choice to the Indianapolis Colts for an undisclosed draft pick.

McCargo was the 26th overall selection out of North Carolina State but never endeared himself to the Bills' coaching staff or front office.

He showed flashes of ability, though he never could sustain it and gained an internal reputation as somebody who wasn't all that motivated to be great.

McCargo played in all 16 games last year, registering 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He finished third on the team with seven tackles for a loss.

But McCargo has zero NFL starts to his credit. He was inactive for the season opener, but dressed for Buffalo's other four games. He has no tackles this year.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Way up in the air somewhere around El Paso, Texas, I was never more thankful for having an iPod. The elderly gentleman on the aisle had been prattling on about how the calculator was invented, and the man in the middle seat had a jimmy leg that abraded the hair off my calf.

Music was a sweet distraction for six hours on Monday night's flight from San Diego to South Florida. With Sunday's games replaying in my mind, each song seemed to have added meaning.

Then the idea popped in my head: Put together an ongoing AFC East soundtrack, using only songs from my iPod.

There's an eclectic catalog to choose from. The first two bands on my alphabetical list are ABBA (I'm comfortable enough in my own skin to admit that) and AC/DC. I even have a Backstreet Boys song in a library with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bill Withers and Wyclef Jean and Ministry and Johnny Cash and Public Enemy.

So let's spin the hits that were the AFC East in Week 6.

He's a lonely man there on the corner
What he's waiting for, I don't know
But he waits every day now
He's just waiting for something to show

Nobody knows him
And nobody cares
Because there's no hiding place
There's no hiding place for you

Miami Dolphins: The perfect title to the season so far might be Peter Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers," but after calling out the officials after Sunday's razor-thin loss to the Houston Texans, Bill Parcells has phoned in a request to linebacker Joey Porter. Here are the Talking Heads with "I Wish you Wouldn't say That" ...

I wish you wouldn't say that
I thought I'd have to come right over
I thought I made it clear enough
I guess I'll have to make it clearer

New York Jets: Three of their next four opponents have 1-4 records, indicating a big game with the Bills on Nov. 2. We would play "Add it Up" by the Violent Femmes if we could get it past the censors, so instead we'll choose the Rolling Stones and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" ...

Can't you hear me knockin' on your window?
Can't you hear me knockin' on your door?
Can't you hear me knockin' down your dirty street?

Buffalo Bills: The first-place Bills are back in action after a much-needed bye. Body slammed by Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson, quarterback Trent Edwards has been singing Collective Soul's "Heavy" to himself ...

Complicate this world you wrapped for me
I'm acquainted with your suffering
And all your weight, it falls on me
It brings me down

For all those angst-ridden Bills fans, here's the Raconteurs with "Steady as she Goes" ...

Well here we go again
You've found yourself a friend that knows you well
But no matter what you do
You'll always feel as though you tripped and fell
So steady as she goes

And now the request lines are open. What songs would you like to hear?

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Here's a look at AFC East teams in the Week 7 edition of ESPN.com's NFL power rankings.

No. 4 Buffalo Bills: They didn't play, yet moved up four spots because the top third of last week's poll was obliterated with losses, many of them ugly. Seven of the top 10 teams lost, and the other three had byes.

The Bills went from sixth in Week 5 to eighth after losing to the Arizona Cardinals to fourth. Further justifying the Bills' climb was the Cardinals' victory over the Dallas Cowboys, who were No. 4.

But I couldn't justify moving the Bills ahead of the Cardinals, as nine of my colleagues did. The Cardinals just beat them badly two weeks ago. NFC South reporter Pat Yasinskas rated the Bills 12 spots higher than the Cardinals, but nobody had the Bills ranked worse than No. 9.

My Bills vote: No. 6, up three spots from last week.

No. 16 New York Jets: For the second straight week they've nudged three spots upward.

NFC East reporter Bill Williamson likes the Jets more than anybody, ranking them seventh. But AFC South reporter Paul Kuharsky hasn't been impressed, slotting them 22nd.

The 15-place gap between high and low is our fourth-highest this week, with the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars generating a slightly bigger margin and the New Orleans Saints producing the widest gap.

My Jets vote: No. 15, up six spots from last week.

No. 17 New England Patriots: They dropped eight positions from Week 6, but they didn't tumble the farthest. The Chicago Bears plummeted 10 spots.

The Patriots, coming off Sunday night's 30-10 loss to the San Diego Chargers, were all over the place in this week's polls. Scouts Inc. cohorts Jeremy Green and Matt Williamson ranked the Patriots 11th and 25th, respectively.

Seven pollsters ranked the Patriots ahead of the Jets.

My Patriots vote: No. 16, down six spots from last week.

No. 24 Miami Dolphins: The pollsters were remarkably consistent with the Dolphins. Nobody had them better than 22nd or worse than 25th.

The Dolphins slid only one spot after their tough road loss to the Houston Texans on a fourth-down quarterback draw in the waning seconds.

My Dolphins vote: No. 25, down two spots from last week.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Don't expect the New England Patriots to make a quarterback switch any time soon.

On a conference call Tuesday, coach Bill Belichick tersely responded when asked if he remained confident in Matt Cassel.

"Yes," was Belichick's full reply.

A follow-up question regarded whether Belichick has considered trying rookie Kevin O'Connell.

"Matt is our starting quarterback," Belichick said. "He gives our team the best chance to win. We all have to play better and coach better than we did last week. We have to do a better job than we did against San Diego. But he's our quarterback."

So that's a pretty sharp way to dismiss a quarterback controversy.

Tom Brady rewriting the NFL record books feels like a long, long time ago.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Buffalo Bills

• Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com reports receiver and return man Roscoe Parrish will practice at full speed Wednesday, three weeks after thumb surgery.
• Buffalo News reporter Milt Northrup writes quarterback Trent Edwards should start Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers.

• Palm Beach Post columnist Greg Stoda writes the Dolphins are better than expected, but they're not a playoff team.
• Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote is throwing out Sunday's heartbreaking result as any reason to temper excitement.
• David J. Neal of the Miami Herald writes the defense has been victimized by too many long-distance plays.
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel writer Michael Cunningham relays coach Tony Sparano's stern words for his defensive backs.

New England Patriots

• Boston Herald columnist hands out his position-by-position grades from Sunday night's loss.
• Providence Journal columnist Jim Donaldson points a finger at letting Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel get away.
• Christopher L. Gasper of the Boston Globe writes the Chargers gave the Patriots "vertical vertigo" with three passes of 40 or more yards.
• Boston Herald reporter Karen Guregian writes the Patriots are bracing for Matt Cassel criticism.

New York Jets

• New York Daily News reporter Rich Cimini writes about the Jets' third-ranked run defense.
• Associated Press reporter Dennis Waszak Jr. narrows the focus a little more by checking up on nose tackle Kris Jenkins.
• J.P. Pelzman of the Bergen Record grades out the Jets' victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
• Chris Mascaro of Newsday writes about the Jets' throwback success.