5 Questions For Week 5

1. Can the Cowboys Weather Adversity?

When Dallas beat Philly two weeks ago, I wrote that the only team capable of stopping the Cowboys is the Cowboys. That remains the case. Losses - like yesterday's to the Redskins - happen. How you react to them says a lot about the direction you're headed. Says a lot about how you'll perform when the pressure gets turned up to boil. And how did the Cowboys most talented, vocal and hyped player respond yesterday to a loss in the fourth game of the regular season? Terrell Owens acted like a baby. As usual. The most narcissistic, needy player in professional sports whined that - despite being the focal point on more than a third of Dallas' plays, he wasn't featured prominently enough. When the going gets tough, T.O. gets whiny. Hopefully, it doesn't get to this. Maybe if Owens had held on to the touchdown pass that ricocheted off his hands during Dallas final drive he'd have felt better about his contributions. Tough catch? Sure, But if you're going to whine about touches, you better have made every play that came your way. It will be entertaining to see the Cowboys now defend Owens by saying that great players are supposed to want the ball and Terrell just wants to win. Enablers all of them. Someone needs to grow a pair down there and point out what's obvious. Owens is a great talent and a bad teammate no matter how charming, disarming and physically gifted he is. He's in it for T.O. Maybe Wade Phillips will do it. Right. Undoubtedly, dealing with Owens correctly will be a job left to head coach Jason Garrett in 2009.

2. Are Kiffin, Linehan Similar Situations?

No. The difference? Kiffin's players generally him in high regard. Said Raiders tight end Zach Miller after Oakland's loss to the Chargers, "(Kiffin) coaches his butt off every day. He's always out there. (Firing speculation) is a distraction that guys aren't focused on. In the locker room, we're focused on winning games." The way the Rams and Raiders lost on Sunday were eerily similar: the Rams led 14-6 at the break and lost 31-14 to Buffalo; Oakland was up 15-3 at the break and got outscored 25-3 after halftime by San Diego. Linehan, from his firing of assistants in the offseason to his benching of Marc Bulger Sunday, was not respected by a wide swath of players because he was viewed as spineless. The Rams have talent on their roster. Far more than the Raiders do. Linehan will be hard-pressed to get another head job after his St. Louis performance. Kiffin will get another crack. But when the ax does fall - and it seems inevitable - Kiffin needs to be mindful of how he speaks about the players Al Davis provided him with. Maybe too many of them are overmatched. But it's bad form to rip guys for a lack of talent when their effort is there. And it has been in Oakland.    

3. Which QB Situation Will Get Stickiest?

There are plenty to choose from. Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner in Arizona after Warner's six-turnover performance led to a 34-0 Jets lead by halftime. An injured (possibly) Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and the choice between rookies Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm to relieve him. Pick machine Brian Griese in Tampa with Jeff Garcia on the sidelines. Rookie Kevin O'Connell in for Matt Cassel in New England if Cassel flounders in San Francisco. Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn in Cleveland? I'm going with Quinn and Anderson in Cleveland although I think if the Bucs had lost Sunday, there'd be a poopstorm going on about Griese and Garcia right now.  

4. Do You See Anquan Boldin's Point of View?

 With 34 seconds left in the Cardinals-Jets game, Anquan Boldin got hit in the head by Jet Eric Green and got a glimpse (when Boldin came to) of his football mortality. Boldin's been an unhappy Cardinal since teammate Larry Fitzgerald got a $40 million contract with $30 million in guarantees that dwarfed Boldin's four-year, $22.67 million deal (extension) that has him locked up until 2010. Is Boldin making good money? Certainly. But his earning power could have been gone in that instant. I'm generally against renegotiations but when the market's changed as substantially as it has since the new CBA went through, guys can make a better case now that - in their dangerous line of work - being paid the going rate sometimes trumps their decision to sign a contract pre-CBA.  

5. When Was the Last Time Muhsin Muhammad Played Like He Did Sunday?

On December 5, 2004, Panthers receiver Muhsin Muhammad had 10 catches for 179 yards against the Saints. Sunday, he had his most productive game in catches and receptions since then, going for 147 yards on eight catches against the Falcons.