"Contenders" In Early Trouble

Nearly a third of the league is winless heading into Week 3, and many are hardly the usual suspects.

Philadelphia, New Orleans and both New York teams entered the season with high expectations for a run deep into January, but now find themselves in near must-win situations in September.

Their struggles aren't by coincidence -- all four have significant concerns that have contributed to their slow starts:

--Philadelphia: QB Donovan McNabb hasn't been sharp coming off knee surgery, and now RB Brian Westbrook, who has accounted for 47 percent of the team's offense, is battling a sore knee that could sideline him Sunday.
--New Orleans: RBs Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush are touching the ball on 39.3 percent of the snaps compared to 48.1 last season. The result is fewer passing lanes opening for QB Drew Brees. And then there's the secondary, which has allowed 11 pass plays of 20 yards or longer.
--N.Y. Giants: Injuries and a porous secondary threaten to derail the season before it starts. RB Derrick Ward has done a commendable job, but he doesn't bring the bruising presence of Brandon Jacobs. And the Giants have to run the ball and chew up the clock, because their secondary shows no promise of improving.
--N.Y. Jets: QB Chad Pennington returns from last week's game, but he's facing another dilemma with Jets fans pining for backup Kellen Clemens to take over after a solid performance last Sunday. The Jets have their own secondary issues as injuries have left the unit razor thin.

Leftwich Not the Falcons' Answer

Byron Leftwich will not be the answer to what ails the Falcons.

The offensive line can't be held solely responsible for the 13 sacks Atlanta has surrendered through two games. Harrington has held the ball too long on occasion, and he has thrown a pair of interceptions that have been returned for touchdowns.

At the same time, Leftwich doesn't provide the x-factor Harrington lacks. Both are drop-back passers with decent arms and limited mobility. Both are former first-round picks whose careers might have been unfairly sidetracked by mediocre supporting casts.

Whenever Leftwich is ready to step in for the Falcons, who figure to be winless if that time is two weeks or two months from now, he is going to be hamstrung by the same mediocre offensive line and receiving corps that Harrington is struggling with right now.

Left tackle Wayne Gandy is proving to be too old to protect anyone's blind side, and now his dealing with a left hamstring injury. Renardo Foster, an undrafted rookie, is Gandy's top replacement. Which means this Sunday, Foster could be starting next to fellow rookie guard Justin Blalock on the left side of Atlanta's line.

Falcons coach Bobby Petrino needs a quarterback who can make quick decisions and release the ball in a snap -- which doesn't describe Harrington or Leftwich. Still, Leftwich will be given a crash course in the offense with the hope he can push Harrington for the starting job in a few weeks.

Seahawks Quietly Loading Up

With a bevy of injuries to key players and a simmering story with the Patriots accused of spying with a cameraman to steal the Jets' signs dominating the news over opening weekend, no one outside of the Northwest is paying attention to the Seahawks.

Seattle didn't make many highlight reels with its ho-hum 20-6 victory over Tampa Bay. And national news won't be dominated by two moves general manager Tim Ruskell made involving "undisclosed draft picks" Tuesday, although they could prove to be key for a veteran team flying under the radar following an injury-marred 2006.

After signing defensive end Patrick Kerney in free agency and acquiring pass rusher Jason Babin the week leading up to the season, Bryce Fisher became expendable enough to ship to Tennessee for an undisclosed draft pick.

The bigger splash came with Ruskell prying -- or freeing, depending on your view -- quarterback Charlie Frye away from the Browns for an undisclosed draft pick.

A bust with the Browns, Frye lands in a great situation with the Seahawks. There is no pressure to perform immediately as he will likely be the No. 3 quarterback behind Matt Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace. Meanwhile, Frye gets to tutor under Hasselbeck and coach Mike Holmgren, one of the league's great quarterback gurus.

Frye has the talent to be an NFL quarterback, but never could live up to expectations in Cleveland with a subpar supporting cast.

Can he be the heir apparent to Hasselbeck in Seattle? Too early to tell. But for now he serves as an important insurance policy. With wide receiver D.J. Hackett lost for at least a few games to a sprained ankle, Holmgren wants the freedom to use Wallace in some receiver packages, but couldn't do it until the team signed a legitimate veteran quarterback who could play should Hasselbeck and Wallace get hurt.

Split Backfield in Miami?

Ronnie Brown has been a nice running through his first two years in the league. He has averaged 4.3 yards per carry behind one of the league's worst offensive lines and scored a modest 10 career touchdowns.

But "nice" and "modest" aren't exactly the adjectives at team wants associated with a No. 2 overall draft pick. "Serviceable" is another one that would fit that would probably make the Dolphins' personnel department cringe.

There was speculation when new coach Cam Cameron arrived in Miami that Brown would be used in a more versatile role, ala LaDainian Tomlinson, who enjoyed an historic 2006 while Cameron was calling the plays in San Diego.

However, as the Dolphins' season opener approaches, Brown is having trouble holding onto his starting job, much less appearing on the verge of a breakthrough third season.

As he did with Cadillac Williams at Auburn and Ricky Williams during his rookie season with Miami, Brown appears headed for more of a shared backfield load. This time it will be with Jesse Chatman, who spent the past two years out of the league trying to get his weight under control.

Brown didn't endear himself to Cameron by showing up to training camp overweight. Meanwhile, Chatman was slowly proving to be very consistent during the preseason.

Granted, all four of the teams that reached the conference finals last season had a two-headed attack in the backfield, but the Dolphins are still waiting to get the return on their investment they expected when they picked Brown in 2005.

Deck Stacked Against Eli Manning

If the Giants go down in flames this season, there's no doubt throngs of fingers will be pointed at quarterback Eli Manning.

And the way things are shaping up, the stage is set for a trying season. Or perhaps it should be called a trap.

Even if Manning finally steps up and starts to fulfill his enormous potential, there are several factors working against the Giants emerging as a strong NFC contender.

The glaring issue is the absence of running back Tiki Barber. The Giants hope his slashing dimension can be replaced by the bruising package Brandon Jacobs brings. But it will be difficult for Jacobs to come anywhere close to matching what Barber brought to the offense as a receiver and big-play threat.

And even Barber might have had problems matching his typical numbers after left tackle Luke Petitgout was released. Yes, Petitgout is on the backside of his solid career, but the Giants chose not to bring in a veteran free agent or high draft pick. Instead, left guard David Diehl is being asked to slide to tackle, where he has precious little experience.

The good news for Manning is second-year wide receiver Sinorice Moss and rookie Steve Smith are coming off strong training camps, and starter Amani Toomer looks to be fully recovered from knee surgery. The bad news is the Giants' most physically gifted wideout, Plaxico Burress, has already dealt with knee, ankle and back issues leading up to the season opener.

That's just the offense. Consider the drama surrounding defensive end Michael Strahan, a subpar secondary and the superior talent in Dallas and Philadelphia within the division, and one has to begin to think Manning might be fighting an uphill battle -- but this time not of his own doing.