The concussion issue has been an NFL hot button for a long time, but things appear to be coming to a head in a way that may force the league to implement stricter penalties against those players who notch up the violence in what is already an absurdly physical sport. Between the James Harrison hits, the Brandon Meriwether up-top on Todd Heap, and the evil (but legal) collision between Dunta Robinson and DeSean Jackson on Sunday, helmet-to-helmet hits will be a topic of conversation at the NFL headquarters and in most front offices this season.

Former San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots safety/enforcer Rodney Harrison(notes) (of all people) said that the current penalty system does no good at all.

"You didn't get my attention when you fined me five grand, 10 grand, 15 grand,'' Harrison said during NBC's "Sunday Night Football" coverage. "You got my attention when I got suspended ... You have to suspend these guys. These guys are making millions of dollars. The NFL [has to say],

There are many reasons for the high burn rate among highly drafted NFL quarterbacks. First, the obvious: The position is ridiculously hard to play at this level. College quarterbacks face less complicated coverages, have severely weak teams worked into their schedules, and are helped by the spread offense in ways that do not transfer to the NFL. Then, there's the matter of the talent around you. Odds are, if you're taken in the top five in any draft, the team selecting you has holes in the receiver corps, running game, offensive line, or some infernal combination thereof. You don't make as much money in that first contract if you drop in the draft, but if you're Aaron Rodgers(notes) or Ben Roethlisberger(notes), you're still better off -- it's the second contract that counts.

So, what can we say about 2010 first-overall pick Sam Bradford(notes) at this point? Sunday in the St. Louis Rams' 20-17 win over the San Diego Chargers, Bradford was throwing to this Murderers' Row: Danny

Peyton Manning(notes) may be one of the two or three greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, but that doesn't mean the Colts' all-timer doesn't get the occasional bit of help from his receivers. And in an overall sense, the Colts may be the best team in the NFL at adding unheralded defensive talent to their roster and making it work in a big way.

Exhibit A: This unbelievable catch made by Pierre Garcon(notes) on "Sunday Night Football" against the Washington Redskins:

That's just amazing. The play came on second-and-10 from the Indy 45-yard line, gained 21 yards, and the Colts managed a field goal at the end of the drive to go up 17-7 late in the first half. Garcon had a little trouble with some easier catches earlier in the game, but he made up for all of it with that one.

Exhibit B: The Aaron Francisco(notes) interception of a Donovan McNabb(notes) pass that ended Washington's final drive with 24 seconds left in the game.

If I didn't know better, I'd say that Francisco, whom the

It took nearly six weeks into his rookie season, but Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow(notes) finally got his first rushing touchdown as a professional. The play looked a lot like the option stuff he ran so well at Florida, and quite a bit like the kinds of plays we drew up in the preseason when we suggested that Tebow might be the Broncos' best red-zone threat. Here's the play, which gave the Broncos a 7-7 tie with the New York Jets with 11:12 left in the second quarter:

Great stuff. Tebow originally followed the down-blocking inside, but headed outside with pulling guard Russ Hochstein(notes), where there was nothing but green grass and open space.

[Photo: Teammates leave Tebow with ridiculous haircut]

The question is, what took so long for this to happen? As great as Denver's passing offense has been, they're among the worst red-zone running teams in the league (through the first five weeks, only the Rams were worse), and Tebow used plays like these to score 57 touchdowns on the

It was going to be a tough go for the 3-2 Philadelphia Eagles, facing the 4-1 Atlanta Falcons (recognized by many as the NFC's best team) without quarterback Michael Vick(notes) and receiver DeSean Jackson(notes). Vick never made it onto the field with his ongoing rib injury, and Jackson was lost for the game after a brutal collision with Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson(notes).

Still, the Eagles had quarterback Kevin Kolb(notes) and receiver Jeremy Maclin(notes), which was more than enough to propel Philly to a 31-17 win. Jackson had two scores before he was pulled, and Fox's Daryl Johnston (check out our recent podcast with him here) wondered aloud if the Eagles had any more tricks up their collective sleeves.

Kolb's answer: How about a double playfake with an end-around, and a deep pass to Maclin over the heads of two Falcons defenders for an 83-yard touchdown?

Yeah, that'll do. Kolb ended his day with a great statline - 23 of 29 for 326 yards, three touchdowns and one

Since the beginning of the 2009 season, the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions have tied for first in dropped passes with 47. The Green Bay Packers are next with 45, and the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings are tied for third with 43. We're not sure what the other teams are doing to fix these problems, but we now know how the much-improved Chiefs have addressed the issue, courtesy of running backs coach Maurice Carthon:

The Chiefs' offense is one that places a high importance in backs who can catch the ball. In 2009, Jamaal Charles(notes) ranked second on the team with 40 receptions, behind only Dwayne Bowe(notes) with 47. This year, Charles is third behind Bowe and stud rookie tight end Tony Moeaki(notes).

[Rewind: Players take aim at backsides for stinging soccer drill]

According to Carthon, the idea goes back a ways -- 1994, to be exact (via Arrowhead Pride):

"My first year of coaching at the Patriots, I learned that from Mike Pope. He really did a good job through all

Seattle at Chicago -- You have Matt Forte(notes) on your fantasy team? Start him, but not for his gains in the running game. The Seahawks have one of the best run defenses in the NFL (as do the Bears), but no back is more efficient and effective when it comes to pass-catching than Forte in Mike Martz's offensive system. The Bears will go deep, but they'll also look to dump it off with all their protection issues, and Forte is the primary safety valve. Seattle looked extremely vulnerable to screens against the Rams two weeks ago, but end Chris Clemons should have a monster day against the Bears' pathetic offensive line.

Miami at Green Bay -- The Packers will have Aaron Rodgers(notes) for this game, but they may not have the version of Rodgers that throws red zone touchdowns - according to Football Outsiders' numbers, no pass defense is better in the scoring area than the Dolphins. Mike Nolan's new-look defense is great against #1 and #2 receivers, but vulnerable to tight ends. With

NFL analysts break down games and offer their takes on players, coaches, and events, That's their job, and if they hurt some feelings along the way in their analysis, that's just too bad. Part of the business. But when does that cross the line? Perhaps when someone perceived as an expert analyst takes those things on the field and extrapolates them to infer things about the character of a player or coach. And when former Colts and Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy isn't clogging the bestseller lists with his books on mentor-leadership, he's created quite the little amateur (and we do mean amateur) psycho-analysis business based on what he sees in public.

We've already seen this when Dungy passed judgment on Rex Ryan as a person and coach based on one string of F-bombs in HBO's "Hard Knocks" show. Now, Dungy has decided that it's appropriate to question the leadership abilities of quarterbacks based on their tendency to throw interceptions. On last Sunday's NBC pre-game show, Dungy said