Michael Vick is a little confused. He figured that even though he had been out of football for two years, the Eagles would still start him on Sunday because Donovan McNabb is hurt.

From the USA Today:

Vick, in an interview with CBS to air Sunday, said he thought he would be a starting quarterback upon his return to the NFL.

“This is not the exact scenario I thought would play out,” Vick told CBS. “I thought I’d be playing with a team and actually starting.”

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg confirmed Thursday that Vick will play against the Chiefs on Sunday. It is the first game Vick will be eligible for since 2006, before he served a 20-month federal sentence for a dogfighting conviction.

“He’ll play,” Mornhinweg said. “How much? We’ll see as the week goes on. I think he’s in top physical condition. We’ll see how he handles the few things that we have in for him.”

Mikey picked the wrong team if he thought he was going to walk out of prison and be handed a starting quarterback job. Quite frankly, he’s lucky to be on any team and it’s a little surprising (appalling even?) that he didn’t think he would have to work his way back into a starting gig.

Take it slow, Mike. Enjoy the fact that you’re not in prison and let everything else take care of itself.

While it’s still early, if you held a gun to my head and asked me what team I thought was the best in the NFL right now, I’d say the New York Giants. Mario Manningham and Steve Smith have stepped up nicely to fill the void left when No. 1 receiver Plaxico Burress was released in the offseason and Eli Manning is off to a tremendous start.

Defensively, the Giants have shown signs of that pass-happy bunch that caused major issues for Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII now that end Osi Umeyiora is healthy again after missing all of last season with a knee injury.

But there seems to be a troubling trend developing for the Giants, one that could potentially put a damper on whether or not they can build a lead in the tough NFC East.

Injuries are starting to mount for New York on the defensive side of the ball, with the latest victim being rising star Kenny Phillips, who was placed on injured reserve today due to a knee injury. Other defensive players who are currently banged up for the Giants are Chris Canty (calf), Justin Tuck (shoulder), Aaron Ross (hamstring), Kevin Dockery (hamstring) and Clint Sintim (groin).

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Here are my four predictions for Week 3 in the NFL. Last week I went 3-1 straight up (friggin’ Titans) and 1-3 against the spread so as usual, gamblers should have no qualms about fading. (These are also my season totals since I didn’t make any predictions for Week 1.)

Titans (0-2) at Jets (2-0), Sunday, 1:00PM ET
It would be foolish to pick against a hot team with everything working in their favor right now…right? Well, I’m going to do it anyway. Jeff Fisher’s team is too good to be 0-2 and while I love what Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez have brought to the Jets, the law of averages suggest that a rookie quarterback is going to struggle at some point. Tennessee’s defense has a way of making opposing quarterbacks look bad (save of their performance last week against Matt Schaub, who threw four touchdown passes) and I’m willing to bet Sanchez suffers some growing pains this week. The key for the Titans is whether or not Kerry Collins can avoid turnovers while facing a New York defense that will use multiple fronts and attack him from all angles. Getting Chris Johnson involved in screen and draw plays would be beneficial for Tennessee, especially if the Jets’ defense continues to be aggressive under Ryan. I don’t see the Titans falling to 0-3 and I think Ryan and Sanchez’s come down to earth a bit this week.
Odds: Jets –3.
Prediction: Titans 16, Jets 13.

Falcons (2-0) at Patriots (1-1), 1:00PM ET
This is the most intriguing game on the Week 3 schedule because it will serve as a great indication of where both of these teams are right now. The Falcons are 2-0 after beating two playoff teams from a year ago (the Dolphins and Panthers, respectively) and Matt Ryan is off to a tremendous start (108.5 QB rating). But Atlanta’s defense will be tested this weekend against a New England offense that was held to only nine points a week ago and will no doubt be focused on rebounding. Tom Brady hasn’t looked comfortable on his surgically repaired knee and seemed confused by the amount of looks that the Jets’ defense gave him last week. If the Falcons can get creative with their front seven, they might be able to generate pressure on Brady and come up with a couple of turnovers. If that happens, Ryan has more than enough weapons (Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, etc.) in the passing game to pick apart a Patriots’ defense that is riddled with holes right now. It’s usually unwise to go against Bill Belichick and the Patriots when they’re pissed off and needing a win, but this isn’t the same New England defense that we’ve seen throughout the years and I think Ryan will lead Atlanta to a huge victory at Foxboro.
Odds: Patriots –4.
Prediction: Falcons 30, Patriots 27.

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While they’ve started the year 2-0 and have a winnable game against the Browns coming up this Sunday, all is not right with the Ravens.

After two games, Baltimore’s secondary has given up 580 yards through the air and 50 points. That’s 290 passing yards and 25 points per game, which are two big reasons why the Ravens currently own the fourth worst defense in the league right now.

That ranking is jarring considering the Ravens have had one of the most feared defenses in the league for almost a decade and employ the likes of All-Pro safety Ed Reed in their secondary. But it’s apparent that Baltimore’s D is still transitioning from Rex Ryan to new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison’s scheme and it might take a while for the unit to gel.

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that defensive tackle Peria Jerry, who was the Falcons first round pick in April, will miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in a win over the Panthers on Sunday.

This might not sound like a significant loss given that Jerry was a rookie and defensive tackles are rarely in the limelight, but this is a blow to the Falcons’ defensive line. Jerry was quickly emerging as a solid interior pass-rusher and offered a nice complement to John Abraham and Jonathan Babineaux on Atlanta’s D-line.

The Falcons rotate their defensive linemen on game days, so Trey Lewis, Thomas Johnson and Vance Walker will all see playing time at the tackle position next to Babineaux. Unfortunately, none of the three provide the pass rush that Jerry does, although maybe the big-bodied Lewis (who was impressive as a rookie in 2007 before a knee injury sidelined him for the entire ’08 season) can help the Falcons fix a leaky run-defense that is allowing 5.1 YPC.

This is a bad time for the Falcons to lose a pass rusher with a trip to New England and a pissed-off Patriots team on the docket.

One of the knocks on Brady Quinn entering the 2007 NFL Draft was that he lacked the arm strength to zip the ball into tight coverage on passes longer than 10 yards. To a lesser degree, his accuracy and footwork were also questioned.

One thing Quinn rarely received criticism for was his ability to run a pro offense after studying under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame for two years. But so far, that’s one of the main factors playing into whether or not he’s long for the Browns’ starting quarterback job.

Said head coach Eric Mangini via the Canton Repository following the Browns’ embarrassing 27-6 loss to the Broncos on Sunday: “There were definitely some opportunities for him to get the ball to receivers that were open. There were some plays where I thought he had nice throws, but it’s consistency, it’s consistency, it’s consistency…first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter.�

While Mangini’s comments were hardly an indication that a change is coming, that doesn’t sound like a head coach that completely backs his starting quarterback. And whether it was semantics or not, Mangini was the one that waited the entire preseason before naming Quinn the starter, which raises the question of how long he’ll stick with the young QB if Quinn continues down the path he’s on.

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According to SI.com’s Peter King, Matt Hasselbeck is expected to play this week against the Bears despite suffering a rib injury in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers.

From King’s Twitter page:

Re injuries: Am told Westbrook not bad, should play this week. Ditto Hasselbeck. McNabb? Still very sore. But Vick will only play spot duty.

King also reiterated on NBC last night that McNabb was doubtful to play in Week 3 as he continues to battle a rib injury himself. As King noted, the Eagles will continue to start Kevin Kolb (or get Jeff Garcia ready?) and ease Vick into games in sub packages.

Kolb threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns on 31 of 51 passing, although he did throw three interceptions. I know Andy Reid likes to throw the ball, but it’s probably never a good sign if Kolb is attempting 51 passes. Fortunately for the Eagles, they host Kansas City this Sunday and have their bye in Week 4.

Talk about a great time for the bye.

It was only the first quarter and things already looked incredibly bad for the San Diego Chargers.

After forcing the Jets to punt on the first possession of the game, Chargers’ QB Philip Rivers lined up in the shotgun formation on a 3rd and 5 from San Diego’s 20-yard line. Then he handled the snap poorly, rushed a pass and threw a strike to Jets’ DB David Barrett, who returned the miscue 25 yards for a touchdown. Just like that it was Jets 7, Chargers 0.

But Rivers and the Chargers eventually settled down, got the offense rolling and harassed Jets’ QB Brett Favre. The end result was a 48-29 beat down in which the Chargers scored 31 points in the first half alone. Rivers finished 19 of 25 for 250 yards and three touchdowns, while LaDainian Tomlinson bounced back from a poor outing last week to rush for 67 yards and two scores. It was obviously a huge win for the Bolts because not only was it their first of the season, but it also showed that they have some fight left in them after two emotionally-draining losses in previous weeks.

As for Favre, his final numbers (30 for 42, 271 yards, 3 TDs) weren’t bad, but he threw two interceptions (one was returned for a touchdown by Antonio Cromartie, who had two INTs on the night) and could have been picked off at least twice more. He also often held on to the ball too long and took sacks because his receivers either couldn’t get open or he wasn’t making quick enough reads. At one during the first half, the ESPN commentators mentioned that Favre’s poor play was partly due to him still being unfamiliar with the Jets’ offense. Considering it might be his last season and Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini’s job is on the line, Favre better become real familiar with the offense, real quick.

Side Note:
Check out these Monday Night scores so far this year:
Packers 24, Vikings 19
Broncos 41, Raiders 14
Cowboys 41, Eagles 37
Chargers 48, Jets 29

Does that not scream for bettors to take the “over� next week or what? (And now that I’ve poured a big cup of jinx on the over bet for next week, I’d like to release my early prediction for next Monday night’s game: Steelers 3, Ravens 2.)

I love the NFL.

I mean, I love the NFL. If it were at all possible, I would go out to Jared, purchase a ring, take the NFL out for a lovely dinner, drop to a knee and ask the NFL to marry me.

That said, there are three things that NFL teams do that absolutely infuriate me. All 32 teams have done these three things throughout the years and continue to do them on a weekly basis. And if you’re a fan of the NFL, there’s no doubt your favorite team has done these three things, as well.

1. Choose to receive the ball when they win the coin toss
This absolutely chaps my hide because it’s an ego thing for teams. They want the ball first because they want to “set the tone� and have the mentality that they can take their opening drive and shove it down their opponents’ throat.

But how many times as a fan have you heard a player, coach or announcer say, “Football is a game of emotion?� Hundreds, probably. So why, oh why, do teams win the coin toss and chose to receive? If football is a game of emotion and defense is all about emotion, why not put them on the field first? They’re rested, pumped up and if they force the opponent to punt, your team not only has momentum and field position, but you also get the ball back at halftime.

I understand why teams chose to receive first; among other reasons, they believe they can get the first score and seize momentum. But even if they do score first, the opposing team still has almost four full quarters to swing momentum back in their favor and either tie or capture the lead.

One of the smartest things I saw in Week 3 come in the Dallas-Green Bay Sunday night game. Head coach Wade Phillips and his Cowboys were on the road and playing in a hostile environment. When they won the coin toss, they took advantage of a new league rule that allows teams to defer to the second half, meaning Dallas chose to get the ball at halftime. So, they put their defense on the field first, forced a fumble and eventually wound up taking a 3-0 lead. At halftime, the ‘Boys led 13-6 and had the luxury of getting the ball back in the second half. Granted they didn’t get any points in their first possession of the third quarter, but at least they had the opportunity to extend the lead. And let’s say the score was reversed and Green Bay had a 13-6 lead, at least the Cowboys would have had the chance to tie it early in the third quarter because they chose to defer to the second half. Not every team is going to force a fumble on their opponents’ first possession, but a three and out and punt can have the same affect.

Chiefs 14 @ Falcons 38
If the matchup is good, you have to get Michael Turner in your lineup. He posted 104 rushing yards and three TD against a bad Kansas City rush defense…Jerious Norwood turned 12 touches into 105 yards…Matt Ryan had an efficient day, throwing for 192 yards and a score…Roddy White (5-119-1) had his first big game of the season and looks startable again…The Falcons defense had three picks (and returned one for a score, registered two sacks, and looks like a good start against bad defenses, especially at home…Larry Johnson looked like his old self rumbling for 121 yards and a score, though he’s still (mysteriously) not involved in the passing game…Dwayne Bowe (4-43-1) continues to play well despite the Chiefs problems at QB…Tony Gonzalez (4-35) had a quiet game but was involved…Tyler Thigpen threw for just 128 yards and a score, and was picked off three times.

Raiders 23 @ Bills 24
The Buffalo defense struggled in a game where they shouldn’t have. They gave up 23 points, and only registered a single sack and a single turnover…Marshawn Lynch looked great, turning 27 touches into 115 yards and two TD…Trent Edwards continued his steady play, posting 279 yards, one TD and one pick…Lee Evans (4-65) and Josh Reed (6-72) led the Bills in receiving, though Roscoe Parrish (3-42-1) was the only Buffalo wideout to score…JaMarcus Russell threw for 156 yards, one TD and also had a 1-yard touchdown run…Darren McFadden only had 48 yards on 17 touches, while Michael Bush had 60 yards on 15 touches…Zach Miller and Ronald Curry each failed to catch a ball, but there was a Javon Walker sighting as the gimpy wideout caught two passes for 18 yards.