5 Massive Sunday Storylines

1. Who Will Singletary Blame This Week?

Two games into his head coaching tenure, Mike Singletary has blamed his team and players for a whipping by the Seahawks and has blamed officials for a bad spot at the end of a loss to Arizona. The Niners play the Rams this week. Wonder who Singletary has in his sights if the Niners fade to 0-3 post-Mike Nolan. Meanwhile, Singletary hasn't yet been given enough credit for his pretzel logic after he dropped his pants at halftime of his first game at the helm. Instead of saying he could have made his point differently and leaving it at that, he instead has lamented the passing of the days when the locker room was a sacred place and what happened there stayed there. When the boss pulls his pants down in front of grown men in the work place - regardless of the nature of the job - the boss is forfeiting his right to call the workplace "sacred." Never mind that telling the media the team is full of players who are cancers is a far more egregious breach of keeping things "in-house."

2. If Cowboys Survive It Won't Be Because of Character

Spent two days in Dallas this week covering the Cowboys. During the team's 45-minute access periods on Wednesday and Thursday, the locker room was slightly less businesslike than a preschool. Sequestered in a room that was off-limits to the media, a large (or at least it sounded like it) group of Cowboys engaged in uproarious games of dominoes. The intensity of the games was illustrated by the high volume yipping and yapping and occasional victory laps by players happily gloating about wins. The only player of note that made himself readily available to the media was offensive tackle Leonard Davis who sat at his locker for most of the access periods and satiated the questioners who inevitably show when a team is 5-4 but is supposed to be a whole lot better. Bobby Carpenter was also available both days. Other than that, of the 90 combined minutes of access time, the players hid. Strong teams have lead players that articulate a team's mindset and act as point men for the media. It's a necessary part of the job. But the would-be stand-up guys on the Cowboys - Bradie James, Zach Thomas, Davis, etc. - are tamped down. The team's alpha dog, Terrell Owens, the most individualistic player in the NFC, is in it for TO. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for the rest of the team - Tony Romo included - so you end up with a team where accountability is a mirage. Cowboys-Skins tonight. Fascinating to watch. So do it.

3. Heart Says Ravens, Head Says Giants

I think Baltimore can hold down the nasty Giants running game that is the backbone of their success. I just don't think Joe Flacco is going to make it through an afternoon of battling Justin Tuck and Co., without making more than a few major mistakes. I love what the Ravens have done under John Harbaugh and I think it's fascinating to see Ray Lewis still playing at the level he is. I just don't think the Giants can be taken down on both sides of the ball by this team.

4. Might Not Be Pretty For Big Ben

After last week's three-pick performance in a loss to the Colts, Ben Roethlisberger got pretty well roasted in The Burg. Stubborn, slow to react and predictable were the lamentations. Now, with a desparate and underachieving Chargers team coming in, Roethlisberger's going to be under the gun to perform even with his damaged shoulder. If he struggles, the boo-birds could be out for a guy who - by most any measure - is one of the top five or six quarterbacks in football.  

5. Packers On The Ropes
Packers fans watched Brett Favre lead the Jets into first place on Thursday night. If the Packers lose to Chicago on Sunday, they'll be two full games behind the Bears in the division and will have an uphill fight to win the NFC North. They'll also have a 3-5 conference record which, given the competitiveness of the Wild Card fight, will almost certainly come into play when the tiebreakers kick in. In short, whether it's true or not, Favre loyalists will be beating their chests about Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy blowing it.