ESPN Hashmarks

• Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks Jerry Jones should go ahead and hammer out a contract with Tony Romo. The Cowboys would like to work off Texans quarterback Matt Schaub's six-year, $48 million contract. I'm pretty sure Romo's agent, Ken Kremer, has something a bit higher in mind.

• Bills tight end Kevin Everett watched yesterday's game against the Steelers in his hospital room. Meanwhile, his mother sat for an interview with the local newspaper. Makes you cringe thinking of Everett lying in the hospital room watching Steelers linebacker James Harrison being carted off the field.

• Bill Belichick was given a contract extension sometime before the spying controversy, according to ESPN's Michael Smith. The Patriots have always been secretive about Belichick's contracts, but Smith estimates it could be in the $6 to $8 million range. One Boston columnist said Belichick's waving to the crowd last night was equivalent to him baring his soul.

The rest of the league will come to regret the fact that Eric Mangini turned in his mentor. The Patriots may have won Super Bowl titles this decade, but they still know how to wear a chip on their shoulders.

• Boston Herald columnist Michael Felger said the Patriots raised their collective middle finger to their critics last night.

"If there weren't so many sideshows with the Patriots right now, by far the biggest story of the first two weeks would be the big returns they've gotten on the big money they spent in the offseason," writes Felger. "Randy Moss (eight catches, two touchdowns last night) has been a stud. Wes Welker (eight catches) has been a godsend, and Adalius Thomas made the kind of play last night (65-yard interception return for a score) that only a few linebackers in the league can make.

If it weren't for the taping scandal, we'd be going back to last year and comparing what Tom Brady looks like with below-average receivers around him (pretty good), and what he looks like with well-above-average ones around him (freakin' awesome)."

• Ravens backup quarterback Kyle Boller looked comfortable in leading his team to a win over the Jets. In his failed three-year tryout as the starter, Boller often made back-breaking mistakes at crucial moments. On Sunday, he was efficient and stayed within himself. Right now, the only thing hurting the Ravens is some questionable play-calling by their head coach. It's actually OK to run the ball in the fourth quarter.

• Quarterback Kellen Clemens gave Jets fans a glimpse of the future yesterday, and it wasn't half-bad. If Justin McCareins doesn't drop a ball in the end zone, Clemens would've forced overtime on the road. One thing I've noticed with inexperienced quarerbacks is that they often play their best in two-minute situations where they don't have time to think too much. Clemens got in trouble Sunday when he held onto the ball too long waiting for something to open up. Late in a game, you don't have that luxury.

• Jason Whitlock says a play-call in the fourth quarter typifies why this Chiefs offense is so awful. He takes some nice pokes at Kansas City's offensive staff, and then finally gets around to King Carl at the very end. The Chiefs defense actually made some plays yesterday, but it didn't matter. This offense is difficult to watch. I'm sure Chiefs fans will call for Brodie Croyle this week after he performed well in mop-up duty, but I assure you that's not the answer.

• Jay Mariotti writes about "Heaven Devin" after another remarkable day for Devin Hester. Jay needs an occasional break from Rex-bashing, and Sunday was a good day. Now, it's time to look forward to what should be a great matchup between the Bears and Cowboys.

OK, I'm off to attend a Monday Night Football Chalk Talk luncheon featuring former Eagles Ron Jaworski, Mike Quick, Harold Carmichael, Tommy McDonald and the Redskins' Sam Huff. After that, I'll spend the rest of the afternoon getting you ready for tonight's game.