Every Sunday throughout the 2011 NFL season I’ll compile quick-hit reactions from the day that was in football. I vow to always overreact, side with sensationalism over rationalism, and draw conclusions based on small sample sizes instead of cold, hard facts. It’s the only way I know how to write…

- Vince Young threw some ugly passes in the Eagles’ 38-20 loss to the Patriots, none bigger than his “touch” pass to Brent Celek in the back of the end zone on fourth down midway through the third quarter when the score was still relatively close. But he also deserved a better fate in the end. He threw for 400 yards and one touchdown, and should have had two more scores had DeSean Jackson not dropped two passes in the end zone. For a guy who is so concerned about his contract, Jackson isn’t playing with much concentration, focus, or drive right now. He was also benched by Andy Reid late in the fourth quarter, which signals that he’s just as likely to get the boot in Philly than a new deal.

- Matt Leinart admitted following the Texans’ 20-13 win over the Jaguars that his season is likely over. Dude waits two years to get another shot to start in the NFL and when he does, he breaks his collarbone in his second quarter back. That’s a tough break, both literally and figuratively. Now Houston’s playoff hopes ride on fifth-round rookie T.J. Yates, although it’s not like the Texans were pinning their hopes on great quarterback play from here on out anyway. If they win, it’ll be because of their running game and defense – not Leinart, Yates, or whomever they find while dumpster diving next week.

- I loved how CBS kept showing Tim Tebow sitting on the bench as the Chargers marched down the field in overtime trying to get into field goal range for a game-winning score. As if Tebow was going to summon some magical higher power to help Denver’s defense stuff Mike Tolbert on a 4-yard loss on 3rd-and-6 and force the Chargers to attempt a 53-yard-field goal instead of a 49-yarder. And then magically lead the Broncos down the field, get into field goal range and then win in come-from-behind fashion once again. I mean, let’s get real…….say again? That’s exactly what happened? For Tebow’s sake, are you serious? That CBS is genius…

- …in all seriousness, Denver’s defense deserves most, if not all of the credit for the team’s sudden turnaround. Tebow is 5-1 and has been incredibly clutch in the fourth quarter and in overtime, but without the Broncos’ defense holding opponents to 13 points or less he may not win a game. Von Miller is something special and John Fox has done wonders for Denver’s entire defense.

- Their mismanagement of Blaine Gabbert has made the front office and coaching staff in Jacksonville look like a bunch of clowns. Gabbert clearly wasn’t ready for NFL action when the Jaguars drafted him with the 10th overall pick last April, which was fine because David Garrard was still the starter. Gabbert could have held a clipboard in his first year before taking over next season or in 2013 when he was ready. But instead, the front office released Garrard and the Jaguars shoehorned Gabbert into the starting role right away. Then, because he’s been so ineffective over the past two months, the team had to bench him today against Houston in favor of Luke McCown. Had the Jags remained patient from the start this situation could have been avoided. But now Gabbert’s confidence has likely taken a huge hit and GM Gene Smith may lose his job for his poor decision-making this offseason.

- The Chargers are done and you wonder whether or not Norv Turner’s time in San Diego is up. If it is, maybe he should give serious consideration to staying an offensive coordinator. Stripped from all of his head-coaching responsibilities, I think the guy could win multiple Super Bowls again just calling plays. Granted, the Chargers only scored 13 points today but Turner’s version of the Air Coryell offense can often be very explosive. He just lacks whatever guys like Mike Tomlin have in order to inspire a football team. I don’t want to say what’s best for Turner because only he knows that. But as an outsider, I don’t think it would be such a bad thing if he finishes his coaching career up in the booth calling plays. (If the Chargers end his tenure in San Diego, that is.)

- Only Mark Sanchez could throw for four touchdowns and still leave people doubting his abilities. I watched a good portion of the Jets’ 28-24 win over the Bills on Sunday and while Sanchez certainly executed in the red zone, he was shaky against a miserable Buffalo defense (which should have finished with more than just one interception). But at least New York picked up the win, which was big given New England’s victory against Philadelphia late on Sunday.

- I know it was only Minnesota but the Falcons’ offense is finally starting to resemble the unit that everyone thought it would at the beginning of the year. Matt Ryan went his second-straight game without turning the ball over and threw three touchdown passes, while Roddy White had his second straight 100-yard performance and made a sweet catch in the back of the end zone for his lone score during Atlanta’s 24-14 win. After two months of wasting his talent, OC Mike Mularkey has also finally figured out what a weapon Harry Douglas is in the slot. The next thing Mularkey has to do is stop using Julio Jones as just a complementary piece in the offense. Once that happens, the Falcons will really be firing on all cylinders.

- Speaking of firing on all cylinders, I give you the New England Patriots. Wes Welker: Eight catches, 115 yards, two touchdowns. Deion Branch (from my fantasy bench): Six catches and 125 yards. Aaron Hernandez: Six catches and 62 yards. Rob Gronkowski: A very quiet four catches for 59 yards and one 24-yard touchdown catch. Tom Brady topped everything off with 361 yards threw the air and three touchdowns. The Patriots are at their best when they get everybody involved a la the Saints and Packers. That was a very sound performance out of New England, which never panicked even though it was down 10-0 early to the Eagles.

- If Beanie Wells could only stay healthy he could be one of the league’s premier backs. The Rams don’t have the greatest of defenses but Wells looked explosive while rushing for a record 228 yards on 27 carries in the Cardinals’ 23-20 win. He and Patrick Peterson (who returned his fourth punt return for touchdown this season) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat (other wise known as John Skelton).

- Outside of Chris Johnson’s 190 rushing yards, it wasn’t a great effort by the Titans in their 23-17 win over the Bucs. But all wins are huge for Tennessee from here on out. The Titans only trail the Texans by two games in the AFC South and now that Houston is down to T.J. Yates at quarterback, Tennessee has a very realistic shot of catching Houston down the stretch. For Tennessee, it’s “Just win baby” from here on out.

- The Browns are something else. They find new ways to lose every week. They managed to catch the Bengals sleepwalking today in Cincinnati but they squandered a 17-7 halftime lead and a 20-10 third-quarter lead to lose 23-20 on a last-second field goal. Joe Haden (who is a star in the making) was stuck to A.J. Green like Velcro for 58 minutes and the one big play Green makes goes for 51 yards to set up the Bengals’ game-winning field goal. Unreal. And Colt McCoy does just enough not to win every week. The kid threw two touchdown passes but he his average pass went for 4.4 yards. Four-point-four yards! The Browns need a little more out of McCoy than that.

- Want to know how bad things are right now for the Vikings? Percy Harvin had a 107-yard kickoff return today and still didn’t score a touchdown. That’s tough to do.

- You have to love Mike Shanahan. Five days ago he basically said that Roy Helu wasn’t ready to be the Redskins’ full-time back and then handed the rookie 30 touches in the team’s 23-17 win over the Seahawks on Sunday. Helu finished with 108 rushing yards and 54 receiving yards, with one touchdown and seven receptions to boot. I’m sure Evan Royster will start and receive the same opportunities next week as Shanahan continues to ruin fantasy football owners’ lives.

- While the Seahawks remain a highly perplexing team, Marshawn Lynch continues to be one of the steadiest backs in the league. For the third time in his last four games, Lynch rushed for over 100 yards and for the seventh straight week, he found the end zone. It came in a losing effort but he’s a free agent at the end of the year and if he continues to run like he has, he’ll be earning a long-term contract next offseason.

Every Sunday evening throughout the 2011 NFL season I’ll compile quick-hit reactions from the day that was in football. I vow to always overreact, side with sensationalism over rationalism, and draw conclusions based on small sample sizes instead of cold, hard facts. It’s the only way I know how to write…

DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING…

- The Giants and Eli Manning had the game I thought they would last week in Arizona. Manning threw three touchdown passes but he was also picked off three times as the Giants started slow and finished poorly. Of course, Eli wasn’t the only reason the G-Men dropped a game they simply had no business losing. Their defense couldn’t stop a Seattle offense that has suddenly started to hit their stride after staging a dramatic comeback in the second half last week against Atlanta. Tarvaris Jackson, Charlie Whitehurst and Marshawn Lynch tuned up New York’s defense for 424 total yards. What’s most remarkable about the Seahawks’ 36-25 win is that the Hawks fumbled twice in New York territory. This could have been an even bigger blow out.

- The Steelers winning a home game against the Titans hardly constitutes a “Didn’t see that coming” moment. That said, this was a Pittsburgh team that didn’t have Casey Hampton, James Harrison, Aaron Smith, Chris Kemoeatu, or a fully healthy Ben Roethlisberger. Considering how good Tennessee’s defense has been this season, it was rather surprising to see Big Ben (who threw five touchdown passes) and Pittsburgh bully the Titans for four quarters. It appears those claims about the Steelers being finished were greatly exaggerated.

- Much like the Steelers’ win over the Titans, it’s hardly surprising that the Raiders traveled to Houston and beat the Texans. This isn’t the same Oakland team that was pathetic four or five years ago. That said, Al Davis just passed away yesterday and the Raiders took on a solid Texans team that just bullied Pittsburgh a week ago. Nobody would have been surprised if the Raiders’ hearts weren’t in it and left Houston without a win. But they played hard for four quarters, shut down Arian Foster, and won a huge road game to get to 3-2 on the season. Granted, Matt Schaub did throw an inexcusable interception at the end of the game and the Texans were without Andre Johnson. But “Just win baby?” Absolutely.

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Lynch picked a great time to rattle off the best run of his career. He almost looked like he was playing Tecmo with the Saints…

On any given Saturday right? Here are six quick-hit thoughts on the Seahawks’ shocking 41-36 win over the Saints on Saturday.

1. That’s why they play the game.
Gregg Williams said it perfectly this week when he told the media that if the playoffs were about predictions, the Saints would have advanced to the second round already. Everyone was so sure that the Saints would beat the Seahawks that this upset was almost set up perfectly. I don’t buy that New Orleans took Seattle for granted because there’s too much veteran know-how on that Saints’ sidelines for them to look past any opponent. But a game like this is proof that we as fans get caught up too much in records. The Seahawks only won seven of their 16 games this year but they were the ones that created momentum last week with their win over the Rams, they were the ones that had home field advantage and they were the ones that played with an emotional edge. In the end, those three factors play a bigger role in the outcome of a football game than records do (especially in the playoffs).

2. Matt Hasselbeck can still be a difference maker.
Hasselbeck had some rough games this year but when his team needed him the most, he completed 22-of-35 pass attempts for 272 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted once but that came off a deflection and had his receivers not dropped a few passes, his numbers would have been even better than they were. This was by far his best game in years and without his performance, Seattle doesn’t pull off this shocking upset.

3. Roman Harper, Darren Shaper, Gregg Williams, Julius Jones and Devery Henderson.
Fail, fail, fail, fail and fail. That was one of the worst performances I have ever seen out of a safety tandem in any game, not to mention in the postseason. Safeties are supposed to act as a team’s last line of defense, yet Sharper and Harper routinely allowed Seattle receivers to get past them deep coverage. I know the Saints were hurt by Malcolm Jenkins’ injury but Sharper has to play better than that. He looked like he had never played a professional game before and retirement is calling his name. And how about Williams? This was the best he could come up with after a week of preparation? The Seahawks’ offense is the epitome of mediocre and yet they hung 41 points on a unit that was supposed to be one of the best in the NFC. Holy terrible, Batman. Offensively for the Saints, Jones cost his team three points by fumbling the ball deep in his own territory in the first quarter and Henderson couldn’t catch a cold. He dropped at least two potential first downs, including an alligator-armed attempt late in the game when the Saints only needed a touchdown to re-claim the lead.

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The Seahawks acquired Marshawn Lynch from the Bills on Tuesday in exchange for a 2011 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2012 draft pick. Lynch immediately becomes the featured back in Seattle, while Justin Forsett will find himself as the change-of-pace back (which is a role that suits him).

I get the impression from what I read and hear that Bills fans were hoping for more in exchange for Lynch. But GM Buddy Nix wasn’t going to get any more than this right now. Had he traded Lynch before April’s draft, then he may have been able to coax some team into giving him a third rounder. But not now – not four games into the season.

Some fans seem to forget how much off-field issues factor into a player’s trade value. Since entering the league in 2007, Lynch has been involved in a hit and run, was arrested in February of ’09 on three misdemeanors after police searched his vehicle and found a loaded gun and was also accused of stealing $20 from the wife of a Buffalo police officer at a TGI Friday’s in December of that same year.

There’s no question that Lynch has enough talent to succeed in the NFL and there’s a reason why he was a first round pick. When healthy, he’s a downhill, north-south runner that can dole out punishment if he gets his hands on the ball enough times. Paired with a change-of-pace back like Forsett, he could go on to have a very successful career if he keeps his head on straight.

But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s been a malcontent off the field and Nix was trying to trade him when he already had two starting running backs on his roster. No team was going to fork over a third round pick when they knew Nix was overstocked at the position. So the Bills had to take what they got, or go into next offseason looking to roll the dice again in a trade for Lynch.

This deal should work out for all parties. The Seahawks get the No. 1 back they’ve coveted since Shaun Alexander’s production fell off a cliff and the Bills no longer have to worry about trying to split carries between three guys. They also get a fourth rounder and a conditional pick (whatever that turns out being) for a player in Lynch who didn’t have a long-term future in Buffalo.

This is great (but not the best) news for Lynch owners, who were probably hoping he’d land in Green Bay and have almost no competition for touches in the Packers’ high-octane offense. But Seattle is better than Buffalo, and Lynch figures to take over feature-back duties with Forsett sliding into a third-down/change-of-pace role. Lynch should become a fine RB3/flex for fantasy purposes, but I wouldn’t expect much more with the Seahawks’ struggles offensively and the presence of the talented Forsett. As for the Bills, this is a boost for both C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson who figure to split the work going forward. I’d consider both players RB3/flex plays in PPR leagues and RB4-types in standard leagues. Of the two, Spiller obviously has more upside, but the Bills have thus far been reluctant to give him too much responsibility/work.

Either the Bills are playing a serious game of cat-and-mouse with other teams or they truly intend to keep three starting running backs on their roster this season.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Bills are planning on keeping Marshawn Lynch past the NFL’s October 19 trade deadline. According to Schefter, the Bills contemplated trading the former first round pick last week but ultimately decided to hold off.

Of course, this could just be GM Buddy Nix’s way of using the media as a tool to increase Lynch’s trade value. If it’s documented that the Bills plan on keeping Lynch, that may entice other teams to get more aggressive in their pursuit of him. Or again, Nix just really enjoys the company of Lynch, Fred Jackson and rookie C.J. Spiller.

Given the way they played on Sunday against the Jets, it would behoove Nix to hang onto Lynch until he can get top value for him. A fourth or a fifth rounder next year isn’t going to help a team so desperately thin on talent. Maybe if Nix holds out long enough, he can trade Lynch for a third rounder next offseason, which could turn out to be a starter down the road. But he’s not going to get a third rounder right now, especially not after the Broncos acquired Laurence Maroney for a fourth.

The Bills may just have to be patient here.

Adam Schefter is the latest pundit to chime in on the Marshawn Lynch-to-the-Packers rumors.

Green Bay has to do something at running back, and I think the organization recognizes it. It knows it can’t rely on Brandon Jackson as its workhorse from now through the playoffs, assuming it makes them. Green Bay will continue looking for a trade, and Lynch makes as much sense as anybody. But the problem is, teams have been trying to pry away Lynch since the off-season and so far, Buffalo hasn’t budged.

This has been something of a hot topic of late, so I thought I’d enlist the help of our NFL guru, Anthony Stalter, and try to come to some sort of conclusion about whether or not the Packers should trade for Lynch.

JP: Anthony, these rumors have been out there for a while, and given Buffalo’s situation (sucky) and the fact that they have three pretty good running backs, it makes a lot of sense that they would move him for a draft pick to help their rebuilding process. Lynch is 24 years old, has a career 4.0 ypc, decent hands out of the backfield and has had several run-ins (hit and run, misdemeanor gun charge) with the police. Given the fact that the Broncos gave up a 4th rounder for Laurence Maroney, what type of draft pick is Lynch worth in your opinion?

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Apparently a 0-3 start has turned Bills GM Buddy Nix into Brian Cashman.

ESPN Milwaukee’s Jason Wilde is reporting that the Bills have put the word out that Marshawn Lynch is available for trade. This comes a day after Trent Edwards was released, so it appears that Nix is starting to get more aggressive in his decision-making.

Too bad he wasn’t this aggressive six months ago when he could have actually helped the Bills build a more competitive team. I don’t understand why he would wait until now to try and get something in return for Lynch. He likely had the opportunity to trade him around draft time and he never did. Now he’s stuck with three starting-caliber running backs (Lynch, Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller) on his roster and is trying to trade one if them when teams know he has three starting-caliber running backs on his roster.

It just doesn’t make any sense. If the intention was to eventually deal Lynch (and don’t kid yourself – as soon as the Bills drafted Spiller, the intention was to deal Lynch), then Nix should have gotten something before the draft when teams were more motivated to buy. Don’t wait until the season kicks off and teams have had the chance to fall in love with some of their own players that they had throughout training camp and preseason.

Nix will be fortunate to get a fifth round pick in return for Lynch if he winds up trading him now. If he had traded him back in April like he should have, then maybe he would have gotten a third or fourth rounder in return.

Just more bad timing from a bad organization.

Unless you feel the need to break down the differences between Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick’s throwing mechanics, about the only intriguing storyline in Buffalo these days is what intentions the Bills have for running back Marshawn Lynch.

Lynch received an increased workload in the team’s loss to the Packers last week and head coach Chan Galiey has already said that the former Cal product “will play a lot” this Sunday against the Patriots depending on the offensive package.

That begs the question: Are the Bills trying to showcase Lynch so they can deal him before the October trade deadline or do they really want to involve him more in the offense?

I don’t want to draw concussions off of 17 carries (which is what Lynch had in Week 2) and one vague quote from Gailey, but it stands to reason that the Bills are apt to play Lynch more so that they can showcase him in a trade. C.J. Spiller is the future and Fred Jackson has already proven that he can handle a full rushing load, so why keep Lynch?

That said, it’s not a bad idea for the Bills to get Lynch more involved anyway, regardless of whether or not they’re going to trade him. Spiller is only a rookie and while he dazzled in preseason, he’s proved in the early going that he’s going to need time to develop. Jackson was also limited this offseason and in Week 1 due to a hand injury.

In the meantime, the Bills don’t have a quarterback so they need to rely on the running game to keep them in games (or at least, try to keep them in games). And only giving a running back (any running back) three carries (which was Lynch’s total in a Week 1 loss to the Dolphins) isn’t going to help him get into a rhythm on Sundays. Thus, upping Lynch’s carries helps the Bills whether they intend to trade him or not.

I did find it a tad ironic, however, that Lynch received three carries in Week 1 against the Dolphins and 17 against the Packers in Week 2, seeing as how Green Bay may be in the market for a running back. Again, it’s hard to draw conclusions from the information that is at hand, but would anyone be surprised if Lynch is dealt sometime over the next couple of weeks? I certainly wouldn’t.