NFL Nfl Notebook

Could we all please stop telling Rex Ryan how to live his life? I mean, I think we should stop telling everybody how to live their lives, but we can start with Rex. Poor guy has coached nine games in the NFL and has already been called everything from a breath of fresh air to a blowhard to a crybaby. Yeah, in case you haven't heard the last thing on the Jets' head coach is that he cried during a team meeting Monday morning. The New York Post broke the story, and it became a big deal in New York. Ryan, to his credit, brought of box of tissues to his Wednesday news conference, joked that he'd just scored a sponsorship deal with Kleenex and said, "I'm man enough to be me."

"I'll be true to myself," Ryan said. "I'm always going to be, and I said that from day one. If I don't fit the stereotype of coach-speak or anything else, so be it. I'm always going to be myself."

Can I say I hope Ryan is reading this when I type, "Thank goodness?"

IRVING, Texas -- After Tony Romo had his "Eli moment'' Sunday, Miles Austin enjoyed a few "T.O. moments.''

Romo made like Eli Manning in Super Bowl XLII when he ducked and dodged Atlanta Falcons pass rushers and spun and flicked a 5-yard touchdown pass to receiver Patrick Crayton just before halftime. It was the last of 17 straight Cowboys points in the half, and gave Dallas a 17-7 lead en route to a 37-21 victory.

"You have to do something out of the ordinary once in a while,'' Romo said.

Austin, meanwhile, is making the extraordinary routine.

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Since the Washington Redskins made an attempt to replace Jim Zorn with Mike Shanahan, it figures that owner Dan Synder remains open to an in-season coaching change.

For now, Zorn has been stripped of play-calling duties and offensive consultant Sherman Lewis will be calling the shots. The Redskins' sputtering offense continues to deal with confusion at quarterback and along the offensive line -- Washington ranks 29th in the league with a 13.2 points per game average; the defense, on the other hand, is allowing just 16 points per game, fifth-best in the NFL.

When Washington (2-4) publicly dangled quarterback Jason Campbell during the offseason while searching for replacements that included Jay Cutler, it was clear that Campbell's standing and confidence were jolted. On Sunday, Zorn benched him for backup Todd Collins at halftime of Washington's 14-6 home loss to the previously winless Chiefs.

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots defense was supposed to be green this season minus seasoned fixtures like Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi. Even now, it is often considered a bunch of rookies getting baptized on each blitz.

Wrong.

New England started just one player with fewer than three years experience in its 27-21 victory over the Ravens on Sunday at Gillette Stadium -- and, actually, eight of the 11 starters are in at least their fifth pro season.

The Patriots' defensive starters average 6.4 seasons of NFL experience, with an average age of 27.9 years.

The idea that the Patriots overhauled their defense and turned to a baby-faced group is nonsense.

NASHVILLE -- Matt Schaub displayed something for one of his teammates Sunday that he has been seeking throughout his time with the Houston Texans. It's not something that comes easily in the NFL, but Schaub concluded he would give it in order to receive it -- trust.

After Texans safety Eugene Wilson picked off Kerry Collins and returned the ball 13 yards to the Tennessee 29, Schaub threw a pass deep left to third-year receiver Jacoby Jones. Jones, wide open, dropped it. It was early in the second quarter. Houston trailed 21-14.

"Jacoby is a guy who's got swagger, and you want him to keep that, because he plays his best with it,'' Schaub explained. "He had that look after he dropped it; he was getting down on himself. You can't shy away from a player you believe in. I went right back to him.''

If the Houston Texans want to be taken seriously in the NFL, they have to earn a wild-card berth or win the AFC South this season.

But on Sunday against the Jets, the Texans looked terrible.

They gained just 183 total offensive yards as their offensive line had problems containing New York's pass rush. Quarterback Matt Schaub, who insists he's healthy, completed just 18 of 33 passes for 166 yards. The Texans had no offensive touchdowns. Running back Steve Slaton averaged just 1.9 yards per carry and wide receiver Andre Johnson had four catches for 35 yards.

The Texans were beaten up in Week 1, though it doesn't excuse their miserable performance -- and things don't get any easier this week then they visit the Titans.

It got so bad for Jake Delhomme Sunday that, even when he was good, he was bad.

Was he ever good in Carolina's 38-10 loss to the Eagles, in which he threw four interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned by a touchdown? Well, the Panthers took the opening kickoff and moved 70 yards for a score of their own to take a 7-0 lead on DeAngelo Williams' 11-yard run. But it was ugly -- two plays before the TD, the Panthers had a first down at the Eagles 1, but Ryan Kalil jumped on the first play and Jeff Otah on the second.

There was much consternation around the NFL when the Vikings brought Brett Favre back. The move raised plenty of questions about Favre's ability to help Minnesota, too -- adding an old quarterback with a partially torn rotator cuff who's coming off biceps surgery was certainly a gamble.

But for the Vikings, it's worth risking the season.

NFL teams need elite quarterbacks to succeed at an elite level. Adding Favre makes Minnesota's offense one of the best in the NFC, if he's used right.

The Eagles have concerns about their offensive line going into Thursday night's game against the Colts.

Because of injuries, Philadelphia will play only one starter, center Jamaal Jackson, and four backups. Tackle Winston Justice and guard Nick Cole, two of those backups, have plenty of upside.

But coach Andy Reid obviously wants his starters back playing -- he just needs them to get healthy first.

"That's a spot, that I've said it before, I want them to have an opportunity to play together and I think the more time they spend together the better things work," Reid said this week. "This is the hand we are dealt with here, and we expect guys to step in and play well."

The Buffalo offense finished 25th overall and 23rd in points scored per game last season.

In order to improve their sagging offense, the Bills signed wide receiver Terrell Owens to force defenses to cover him and fellow wideout Lee Evans one-on-one. That should help quarterback Trent Edwards have more options in the passing game.

But this year the Bills are faced with a challenge to their offense: The 3-4 defense.

On the Bills schedule there are five teams that run the 3-4 defense as a base and Kansas City will use it in some fashion. Including the division games, the Bills face the 3-4 defense at least eight times this season.