Gainesville, Florida police just told me that Jaguars S Reggie Nelson is no longer involved with a double shooting that occured early Sunday morning.

Reports were that Nelson might have been witness -- along with scores of other people filing out of area bars after closing -- to two young men being shot. But police spoke with Nelson, whom they believe came into contact with one or both of the victims at some point earlier in the night. Nelson gave police a statement later that morning, around 10 a.m. local time, and was not held for further questioning.

He is not a suspect in the case. 

As a player, DT Kris Jenkins has a bad habit of jumping offsides, unabated to the quarterback.

And as an orator, he is doing the same thing.

This story goes back to last week, before the Panthers' loss to the Buccaneers at home on Sunday. Jenkins raised some issues, in slightly fuzzy terms, about his team needing more passion and heart, more focus and determination. (It's nice to know that a player who skipped the offseason program can call out his teammates, but we'll forget about that for a moment.)

Then, following the Tampa loss, Jenkins spoke out without being asked a question -- unabated to the reporter, let's say -- and ripped into his teammates with an inspired speech about commitment ad the apparent lack there of in what was a listless performance. Jenkins pointed out some things that probably needed to be pointed out. And who knows if John Fox is doing the same behind closed doors; in front of the media, he has been calm and reserved, offering few excuses for the poor play but few solutions, either.

A pep talk is all fine and good, especially when a team is hanging in the balance but also at a relatively decent place at 2-2. But it's hard to take what Jenkins said seriously or without perspective given that he was one of the guys he's referring to this offseason: the unmotivated, the uninvolved. This team does need some solidarity, no question. But this is where shutting up and playing work the best. Sunday is a good place to start. This will be a good test, the Saints' 4-0 record aside. The Panthers beat them twice last season -- once with the starters playing the full game.

This time around, they are not Cinderallas but rather caged dogs, guys who have been chewed up after a magical season and written off as mini-frauds. The Panthers, some of them anyway, know the feeling; the post-Super Bowl season was a giant hangover that even a double dose of Goody's Headache Powder had trouble remedying.

Watch the Panthers on Sunday. If they play well, don't assume Jenkins' public excoriation was the fire they needed. if they lose, we'll know a bigger problem exists. 

We're four weeks into the NFL season, less than a quarter of the way through and way too early to argue anything on a grand scale. But this much we know: Wade Phillips is off to a great start in Dallas. Norv Turner is not in San Diego.

What can we glean from this?

Not much, it seems. So much was made this offseason of the disparity of the approaches taken by teams needing head coaches. The Cowboys and Chargers, two teams close to competing for titles, went the veteran route with their coaches. The Raiders, Steelers, Falcons, Dolphins and Cardinals -- teams that were believed to be at least a year away from competing for a title -- went with far less proven coaches. None of their teams' hires had been head coaches previously, though Bobby Petrino and Cam Cameron were college head coaches.

And the results, predictably, have been mixed.

Cameron has struggled to maintain an identity with his team, struggling to 0-4. The decision to go with Trent Green hasn't done a thing.

Patriono has been beset by injuries and Michael Vick's banishment, though the team has been a relatively competitive unit in slinking to 1-3.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been a nice surprise. He has energized his team and received strong performances from RB Willie Parker, QB Ben Roethlisberger and a defense some thought was on the downside. The Steelers are 3-1 and regarded as a playoff-caliber team capable of hanging with just about anyone.

The man many thought would be coaching the Steelers, Ken Whisenhunt, instead has done a very nice job remaking the Cardinals into one of the more intriguing teams out there. Check out their schedule in the next month: They could make a run out West. 

The Raiders have been intriguing, too, sitting at a respectable 2-2. In fact, they are a missed field goal from being 3-1. A team to watch under Lane Kiffin, the least experienced of all the new coaches.

So if we throw out Petrino, who gets a grade of incomplete, the inexperienced guys have outshined the old crusties, percentage-wise anyway. Kiffin, Tomlin and Whisenhunt have exceeded expectations while only Cameron has been a disappointment. Phillips' strong start is offset by Turner's nightmare.

Again, what does it mean? At this point, little. Sure, Chargers fans now can say, "Why didn't we get someone else?" or "Why did we make a change in the first place?" But can we say for sure that Phillips or anyone else for certain would have done better than Turner has to date? Try as we might, we can't.

The Chargers easily could rip off six wins in a row. The Cowboys, after beating the Bills, could drop four out of six if they're not careful.

For that matter, a prideful Green and a veteran defense could salvage things in the second half (still not seeing it, but they could), and the other new guys could fall back to earth. Anything could happen to Petrino's lightning-rod club.

Judgments are out there to be made about how teams should approach hiring coaches, but we don't have enough of a body of work to date to go on.

By midseason things will appear fairly clear, but think about this: Do we think the same of Rams head coach Scott Linehan today as we did by the end of last season? No, we do not. This is a two-year process for most, though the rumors are cooking that if Turner doesn't hurry up and win some damned games, he might be out at season's end. Perhaps they are the exception to the rule.

Either way, we'll check back in a month. 

I spoke to Wade Phillips this week for a feature I am working on for next week, and I found him to be fairly engaging and also quite proud of the group of guys on this team. He routinely deflected any praise directed his way and put it on his players, whom he said have worked hard and responded to the staff's coaching.

One player that was added since the start of the season -- and out of Phillips' control -- was Bears castoff, DT Tank Johnson. That's not to suggest that Phillips didn't want Johnson (we don't know that at all), but it was clear that signing Johnson was a Jerry Jones move through and through.

That said, I was interested in hearing Phillips' take on what adding Johnson to what appears to be a very good locker room meant exactly. Here's the coach's response:

"(It shouldn't mean) a whole lot with this team, I don’t think. I saw where they were comparing this to Randy Moss going to New England. But I mean, players can fit in if they are good people. They can have things that happen in the past, certainly. If they are good people, they will fit in with a good group with the right people. If they are not the right people, it’s not going to work out. We have always got that. We hope everything works out. We think it will from (the word we’ve gotten from) our counselors and people that have talked to him and his attitude. But if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out." 

It's interesting that Phillips didn't show a ton of enthusiasm. Just speculating here, but I think he likes his roster and believes he can win with the group he has. That said, we all know that Johnson is on not-so-double-secret probation and would be gone if anything happened -- even something that a player with a clean record wouldn't get cut for normally. But Phillips wasn't going out of his way to defend Johnson, his new player, which I found interesting. For what it's worth ...

It was just over a year ago that Trent Green’s career with the Chiefs effectively ended when he was knocked out of a game against the Bengals by defensive end Robert Geathers with a severe concussion. Though he returned to action late in the season, Green clearly wasn’t himself.

Given that he missed eight regular-season games — a far longer stretch that your average concussion — Green appeared to be one big concussion from endangering his health. Then Sunday happened.

After attempting to block Texans defensive tackle Travis Johnson on a busted play, Johnson belted the right side of Green’s helmet with his knee, and the 37-year-old QB lay motionless on the field for 10 minutes.
It’s not ridiculous to assume that Green’s career might be over. The doctors will have the predominant say, naturally, but don’t be surprised if another phone call has a big influence.

Chiefs GM Carl Peterson, the man who traded for Green in 2001, became extremely close with him and struggled to trade him this offseason, almost certainly will call on Green. The tricky part for Peterson, who remains close with his former QB, falls in what he says to Green. By league rules, suggesting that Green retire might be construed as tampering. But as a friend and as someone who dearly wants to protect his friend, it will be tough for Peterson not to recommend that Green retire if this latest concussion proves to be another bad one.

There are too many former players who took one too many hits during their career and wish they could turn back the clocks. Green has had an outstanding career, but his time might be up.

I am totally split here and, quite frankly, kind of bummed. Ambivalent isn't even the word. This is fractured, difficult thought I am experiencing right here.

I just watched one of the weirdest games of football I canremember, and all I can think about is one fateful decision by the Bills' coaching staff that lost them this game.

The name of the offensive coordinator of the Bills is Steve Fairchild, a man with a pretty good reputation around the NFL. The head coach, as you likely know, is Dick Jauron, a one-time Coach of the Year with the Bears. Go ahead and blame them now.

Both of these men made a critical decision calling for a pass on third down and nine to go on the Cowboys' 11-yard line. There were six minutes remaining and their team was up eight points with all the momentum. They called for a pass -- out of the shotgun -- towards the sideline. Uh, HELLO? It shouldn't be done. It cannot be done, not in that situation. You're up eight points. At worst, you go up 11 points and make the Cowboys go the length of the field at least once. At worst-case worst, you miss the shorty (under 30 yards) and make them go the length of the field once -- and make the two-point conversion. To tie.

Instead, the floating, wounded duck was shot down by Cowboys CB Terence Newman and ran back about 70 yards, completely flipping the field. Why in the name of Jack Kemp are you tossing that teardrop pass to little Lee Evans at the 5-yard line with no one in the way between the defender and the end zone? Ask any coach in America not named Rich Kotite, and they'll tell you that it's a major sin to call that play in that situation.

I know a million things happened before this play, and a million more happened after it. I know the Cowboys moved down and tied the game on a 12-play drive that showed Tony Romo's guts. But you absolutely don't do two things if you are the Bills in that third-down situation above: you don't line up in the shotgun, signalling -- no, screaming! -- pass, and if you're going to throw it, you throw something safe and over the middle or into the end zone. My goodness.

The quarterback, being fair, was a rookie, Trent Edwards, making only his second career start. The kid's smart, yes -- Stanford smart, even -- but that's even more reason not to call for that play! The Bills don't have an ideal red-zone target, that big 6-4 receiver to throw a jump ball to, but their tight ends had been doing OK against the Cowboys most of the night. Throw it in the back of the end zone to one of them.

If this wreaks of classic rearviewmirrorism, I swear on my grandfather's grave I was up in arms over here watching the game before and during the play. I respect Fairchild for wanting to step on the Cowboys' neck; you don't give good teams too many chances. But what I am saying is that is a risk that is unnecessary and silly. An 11-point lead changes everything. Now maybe the Cowboys go down the field in 3-4 minutes of gametime, like the they two drives later, and maybe Nick Folk (hero) makes another 50-plus yarder.

Fine. But you're tied. And that's assuming the Cowboys made the two-point conversion. Otherwise, they would have needed to get the ball back after the first score and get another TD. Too tough, methinks.

Put the game in the hands of the defense. They had carried you all night. They made Tony Romo look like any other quarterback from Eastern Illinois, take your pick, and not a league MVP candidate, as he had played up to that game. The defense had made five interceptions, two run back for touchdowns, forced another fumble, and Romo clearly was bothered by the pressure, even if he wasn't sacked in the game. Terrell Owens was bottled up. Marion Barber had done nada. Only Jason Witten had burned them, and he was lumbering there a bit at the end.

The Cowboys, it should be noted, were not free of coaching errors. They flubbed their timeouts, spending their third and final one before going for the would-be tying two-point conversion with 20 seconds left. Sure, they thought they had to get it, but clearly they didn't. They missed and still won. Another timeout allows you to go down the middle of the field with a pass after you recover the onsides kick. It saves you at least one play, and it changes the playbook and the Bills' coverage immensely. Besides, most onsides kicks are recovered somewhere near your own 40. The Cowboys were so fortunate to get that extra kick forward about 8-10 yards on the recovery.

Make no mistake, they are a blessed team right now. But that makes me think even more that they are headed to Glendale for the Bowl. And not because the Packers -- and a few other would-be contenders -- lost on Sunday. It's just that good teams often have an insane game like the Cowboys had last night, and it propels them through the season.

The Bears had that game last season in Arizona, coincidentally, that cost Denny Green his sanity as well as his job. The 2004 Patriots won a wild one in Denver that involved an intentional safety. Almost every Super Bowl team can look back at that one ridiculous game that "sprung" them to having a great season. It's a small dose of humble pie, nearly losing to a bad team, but it's a double scoop of fun because you end up with a W.

(An aside: Normally, I don't think any one game should ever cost a coach a job, but you can point to Green losing his last season because his team didn't bounce back from the Chicago loss they had no business losing, or the Bears had no business winning, you decide. If Jauron gets fired, it wouldn't shock me. It would be a decision based on what happened the entire season, but when you have such a good night and such a phenomenal effort from your team go down the drain like that, with Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas looking on, no less, it's not hard to be demoralized. Just a thought.)

Sunday might or might not be a Super Bowl preview for the Cowboys and Patriots, but it will be an entertaining game, and I found myself slightly rooting for Folk to make the kick, selfishly, because I am going to the game, and I wanted two undefeated teams. But if the Cowboys do make it to Arizona, they can thank the Bills' coaching staff for one small, but meaningful assist along the way. 

The saddest part of the whole deal? It was a crazy game, one for the ages, and there are a million things to talk about that came out of it. But I am stuck on one really bad coaching decision. That stinks. 

At least one team has a wealth at running back. A couple of teams do not.

Here’s a suggestion: Make a deal!

First, in the surplus category, the Raiders. Though starter LaMont Jordan has been great, he is out with a back injury. Jordan, who is first in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 106.0 and is sixth in rushing yards despite playing only parts of three games. He should be back soon, though he might not play this weekend.

Back from a four-game suspension is Dominic Rhodes, who isn’t terribly exciting, but he’s a serviceable No. 2 option. Then there’s Justin Fargas, who is averaging 6.1 yards a carry and has four 20-or-more-yard runs this season. He’s quick and smaller and would be an excellent complement for a team that has a big back as its No. 1 option.

The Raiders’ wild card in this whole derby is Michael Bush. Remember him? He was the Louisville star who dropped to the first pick of the fourth round because of injury and conditioning concerns. Bush, like JaMarcus Russell, has done nothing to date, but the coaches are raving about his potential. He’s on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and could be activated as soon as he’s able, in Week Seven. Expect the coaches to get him out there right away. Lane Kiffin seems very intrigued.

It’s possible that one of these guys could be dealt, and if I were handicapping it, I would say that Fargas is the most likely to go, followed by Rhodes and Jordan. Bush is staying put.

So who needs a back?

The Packers, sure. But they traded for Ryan Grant in the preseason (he has battled fumbling issues) and spent a second-rounder on Brandon Jackson, so they might not be wont to deal too many draft choices. Ted Thompson really likes to stockpile his picks.

The Bucs could use a running back with Cadillac Williams out for the season and Michael Pittman out two months. They looked into Mewelde Moore, but passed because the Vikings were asking too much. I wonder if Jon Gruden would take on a former Raiders running back — Fargas, I’d imagine, or Rhodes — but I don’t know why not. Gruden was in Tampa when Fargas became a Raider.

Other teams that might look for help include the Saints (doubtful though) and the Bengals if Rudi Johnson is hurt worse than expected.

Bill Belichick's press conferences can be a bit, er, drab most of the time, but there are gems to be found from time to time. I just found the following tidbit -- and maybe the question as much as the answer -- to be mildly amusing from today's press conference:

Q: What is the origin of your sweatshirt?
 
BB: The origin of it?  I don't know.  It’s comfortable.  I can carry my stuff in my pouch here, whatever I need.

And there you have it. 

Colleague Mike Holbrook suggested what that "stuff" might include, and I quote: "Tape recorder, scanner to pick up opposing team’s play-calls, mini-camera ..." 

Zing! Back to your daily routine. 

Well, I am running short here because I have a few things to do tonight, but here's a brief itinerary of my weekend:

Friday -- Fly into Dallas-Fort Worth, drive to Dealey Plaza to see the JFK memorial, check in at the hotel, drive up to Allen, Texas for Allen HS vs. Wylie HS in football. Allen is the No. 2-ranked 5A team in the state. This is my first Texas high school football game, and I couldn't be more excited. We picked this game because it's between two rivals and two pretty good teams with some D-I talent. After the game, my Red Sox friend Larry and I are going to try to catch whatever we can of the game, but it's going to be tough to be sure.

Saturday -- In the morning, we drive up to Norman, Oklahoma for the No. 11 Tigers of Missouri against the No. 6 Sooners of OU. It's my first time to Owen Field (I am only missing Baylor and Texas among Big 12 stadiums now, I think) and I want to see Sooner Nation. Of course, I am going to cheer on Mizzou, but I still like me a good ol' southern football town on a Saturday.

Sunday -- Drive back to Dallas for Cowboys-Patriots. Don't need to hype this one up much more, eh? It should be an interesting one. I should note that the first two games have nothing to do with PFW, but I will try to make a column or a series of blogs out of it. Pats-Cowboys is work; I am going to put the finishing touches on a Wade Phillips feature I have been working on and then file a reaction column from the game.

Should be one for the ages. Can't remember doing three games in three days in some time, much less high school, college and pro. I can't be more excited. 

Sunday started poorly for me with some rental car issues on the way to Cowboys-Patriots, and I arrived at the game just late enough to save face with several media members who enjoyed my surplus of perspiration on the long, hot walk from the side of the freeway.

One of those days, yes.

But the game was worth the trip, and I had a few things to share that didn't make it into either of my filings from Sunday:

Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart hung around to talk to a couple of us after the game, which he didn't have to do. And though he was very disappointed in his team's performance, especially on third downs, you could tell that Stewart believes in this group and felt like it was a one-week aberration. Ideally, when defending the Patriots, he said you need to "mix pressure and play coverage and not let them know (what you want to do) and let them adjust before the snap. That's when they are most dangerous."

Stewart said he wanted to look at the tape before commenting on the play of his safeties and cornerbacks, but you could tell he was upset with the coverage. The pressure, as several Cowboys were quick to remind us, was there for much of the game until the Patriots went to a lot of quick hitters or play action. Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams, to my naked eye, were pretty bad most of the day. Hamlin looked like he was playing a brand new scheme. Williams turned the wrong way several times.

I asked Patriots WR Donté Stallworth what the deal was with his finger-waving touchdown, and he offered me this explanation: "Yeah, it's funny. My dad, my cousin and my little brother were all (at the game), and I had a few other friends here. My cousin grew up a Cowboys fan, and I grew up a 49ers fan. We all came from the Sacramento area. We used to go back and forth: he hated the 49ers, and I hated the Cowboys. He was just talking mess to me all morning, all the day before, all (Saturday) night. He said he wanted me to play well but that he wanted us to lose.

"Well, when I started talking trash to him, then I think he ... he wasn't pulling against me, but he just wanted to see the Cowboys win and beat me. (The pointing of the finger on the touchdown) was for him, that was for my cousin. He was sitting right there in that end zone. I was trying to let (the fans) know that it was for my cousin and not them. People know you are going to (celebrate). It's a good love-hate relationship with (fans) on the road."

And Stallworth on why he thinks the Eagles might let him walk this offseason: "Hmm," he said pensively. "It was their decision. For their reasons, it was they wanted to do. I had a great time there; the fans were really great. The organization was great. Honestly, I have no idea (why they let him go). It doesn't matter now. I always wish those guys well. I keep in touch with a lot of those guys. I have a lot of friends on that team, and I love the city (of Philadelphia). ... But I am having a lot of fun playing in New England now."

Patriots WR Wes Welker was quite the talk of the locker room, as several people commented on how good he was Sunday.

Stallworth: "Wes is a beast. He's a little guy, but he's a tough, little dude. He's rowdy. He's probably one of the rowdiest guys on offense. He's fun to play with."

Tom Brady: "On one of his touchdowns, they double-covered him. He split the defenders and ran right by them. He's elusive. He's very quick. He's very smart, and he makes a lot of guys miss."

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick: "Wes has done a great job for us. He's a good slot receiver. When the opportunity comes, he has made plays for us both on offense and special teams." 

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips: "Well, you got to worry about (Randy) Moss. We got Welker covered and the guy catches a 60-yard touchdown pass on us. We doubled him some. In fact, we doubled him on the touchdown pass he caught. It's frustrating."

Brady, by the way, was the recipient of a very strange question -- and I know some folks have written this already, but it's too funny not to reprint -- from an unidentified member of the Dallas media, believed to be a radio guy: (shouting) "Tom, Tom! Talk about the touchdown long pass to Donté Stallworth. It looked like you were doing the jitterbug while the Dallas secondary was doing the Charleston." 

Brady's response ("Is that right? I don't even know what that means, but ...") was funny, but Los Angeles Times' Sam Farmer would have had the line of the day if he had asked Brady what he said he wanted to back up in the press box: "Tom, I was going to ask you something, but that guy took my question?" Great stuff, Sam.

In case you’re wondering, I looked up this interesting historical stat. Eventual Super Bowl teams have met during the regular season an even 10 times since the 1970 merger, and the regular-season winner has only won half of the rematches in the big game. In fact, four of the past five regular-season winner of Super Bowl previews went on to lose the Bowl. Here are the games (Super Bowl-winning team is in bold):

1977: Dallas beat Denver, 14-6 in Week 14
1980: Philadelphia beat Oakland, 10-7, in Week 12
1981: San Francisco beat Cincinnati, 21-3, in Week 14
1985: Chicago beat New England, 20-7, in Week Two
1986: N.Y. Giants beat Denver, 19-16, in Week 12
1990: Buffalo beat N.Y. Giants, 17-13, in Week 15
1993: Buffalo beat Dallas, 13-10, in Week Two
1994: San Francisco beat San Diego, 38-15, in Week 15
1999: Tennessee beat St. Louis, 24-21, in Week Eight
2001: St. Louis beat New England, 24-17, in Week 10