There's a long-standing tradition in the NFL that unless necessary, rookie quarterbacks, even first-round picks, don't play a lot. The Bengals are keeping No. 1 pick Carson Palmer on the bench. Chicago's Rex Grossman and Baltimore's Kyle Boller also are serving pine time. The Bucs are doing the same with Chris Simms.
But in Jacksonville, the Jaguars have had no choice but to go with Byron Leftwich, and the youngster's development may throw mud on the theory.
Leftwich hasn't been magnificent, but he gradually has matured and his effort Sunday night against the Bucs likely sent a warning that he'll be a pretty good one, pretty soon.
"He responded like the guy we think he's going to be," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. "He didn't duck anything. He came out really poised, really focused and played a heck of a football game."
Against a team that usually brutalizes rookie quarterbacks, Leftwich was 20-of-34 for 224 yards, two touchdowns and no sacks. Not bad for someone starting his ninth career game. Not bad for someone who held out nearly all of training camp.
"No question that missing camp put him behind on some things that we need to work with him on, and we're catching up on the run," Del Rio said. "There's also no doubt he'll be a fine football player in this league."
DUNGY SPEAK: Think Colts coach Tony Dungy is going to say something outrageous after his team blew a 21-point comeback by failing to score on four attempts inside the Patriots 2-yard line in the final minutes? Not really. Asked to sum up what happened on the final four attempts to score, Dungy told the Indianapolis Star: "We ran the plays we run down there. They executed a little better than we did."
NO RESPECT: The return of Michael Vick from a broken right leg Aug. 16 didn't produce a victory for the Falcons but it did leave teammates angry about the pounding the quarterback took from the Texans.
Some complained the Texans tried to drill Vick into the ground and intentionally pile on him. "We were trying to protect him the best we could because you could tell they were coming after him as soon as he came in," tackle Todd Weiner told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "If guys play dirty and try to cheap-shot our quarterback, there's going to be some retaliation on our part."
Defensive tackle Ed Jasper said Vick and the Falcons will have to live with it until they develop some credibility across the NFL.
"You don't see the officials letting guys go after Brett Favre like that," Jasper said. "You didn't see them let guys go after Steve Young like that or Joe Montana or those quarterbacks. I mean, did you see that big dude come over there and just smash into (Vick) out there? It's a joke."
NOW THAT'S INCENTIVE: The Ravens defense is beginning to look like the unit that ravaged offenses all the way to the 2000 Super Bowl title. As expected, the man at the center of the revival is linebacker Ray Lewis.
Lewis, who had 18 tackles and an interception return for a touchdown Sunday, played a key role in his team's victory ... days before.
In a team meeting, Lewis showed off his Super Bowl ring to inspire teammates. The Ravens responded with four interceptions in a 44-6 rout of the 49ers.
"That definitely set our eyes on the prize," cornerback Gary Baxter told the Baltimore Sun.
"I think that woke a lot of guys up."
Good timing, because the Ravens (7-5) host the Bengals (7-5) Sunday in a showdown for first place in the AFC North.
"Now we can focus on Cincinnati," Lewis said. "Everybody else is out of the way. Let's deal with it."
DA BEARS: Playoffs? Did you say playoffs?
Believe it or not, Chicago, considered an early season candidate for the race to get the top pick in the draft, is in the race for the NFC North title.
With losses by the Vikings (7-5) and the Packers (6-6), the Bears' 28-3 win over the Cardinals puts them two games behind the division-leading Vikings with four games left.
The Bears travel to Green Bay on Sunday and host the Vikings on Dec. 14.
"I was talking to someone the other day looking at the NFC North, how it's going to be won, and I said the two games coming up are just vital," linebacker Lance Briggs told the Chicago Sun Times. "Anybody that comes and watches a Bears game knows we're a better team than our record shows, much better."
Added defensive tackle Keith Traylor: "We've got a real positive chance. You've got to keep that attitude. After a while, you quit pouting and go out and hit somebody in the mouth and move forward. That's what we're doing. We're not worrying about all that other (stuff)."
- Information from other news organizations was used in the report.
