APIt's hard to believe that any NFL coach would speak openly of injuring players after everything that went down with Gregg Williams and the Saints, but that's exactly what the NFL is looking at today.

Jerry Gray, coordinator of the Tennessee Titans' struggling defense, talked about his wish for his players to forget about potential fines as opposing receivers come across the middle of the field. He may have taken things a little too far when he alluded to opposing players being carted off. Courtesy of Jim Wyatt at The Tennessean:

"If you are worrying about that, you are not going to go out and try and blow the guy up," Gray said Thursday. "Great football players have to put that out of their mind. You have to say, 'This is my territory between the numbers, and if you throw the football you better bring the Gator truck.' And that's how you have to play. You can't play timid in the NFL."

The Gator is a utility vehicle teams use to transport severely injured players off the field.

I was with him right up until the part about the Gator. That's too far.

[More: Football gods were very kind in giving us Peyton Manning-Tom Brady rivalry]

ESPN's Ed Werder reports that the NFL will review the comments. It probably doesn't help Gray's case that he's worked under Gregg Williams in the past, but I don't know what sort of action the NFL can take here based on these comments alone. Then again, Roger Goodell has surprised me before.

Gray, to his credit, expressed regret at mentioning the Gator truck.

"This is football, but my choice of words under the circumstances was probably bad,'' he said. "If I could take that part of it back, I would. I don't want guys thinking about injuring people, and when you say 'Gator truck' that's probably what comes up. I just want our guys to be tougher.''

It's fine to want your guys to be tougher, and it's fine to want guys to forget about fines while they're playing. It's probably even still OK to talk about "blowing a guy up." But when you talk about a player getting carted off, you're talking about serious injury, and you can't encourage that. You just can't.

APThe number 88 means something in Dallas. Drew Pearson, who's in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor, wore the 88, as did Hall of Famer Michael Irvin. These days, no one gets the 88 unless the Cowboys think they're going to be something special.

That is indeed what the Cowboys thought of Dez Bryant when they drafted him in the first round in 2010. They believed that Bryant had the potential to be great. In 2012, though, that's what Dez Bryant remains ‒ someone with potential.

Pearson is calling Bryant out on his failure so far to live up to that potential. Via the Midland Reporter-Telegram, Pearson said this to a group of students at Odessa College:

"He's not living up to the expectations that were placed on him by wearing that number," Pearson said. "Drew Pearson took it to the Ring of Honor level and Michael Irvin took it way beyond that to the Hall of Fame level.

"When Michael and I had a chance to talk to Dez when he came in his rookie year we told him, 'Don't do what Drew Pearson did in it. Don't do what Michael did in it. Do more than that.' I know that's a lot to live up to, but what else is there? You live up to those expectations and people will cherish you for the rest of your life."

Monday night against the Bears, Bryant caught eight balls for 105 yards, which is a pretty good night ‒ except for all the catches, yards and possible points that he left on the field. Bryant had at least two critical drops against the Bears, and while it's not like the Cowboys would've won without those drops, they could've made a difference. In any case, Romo and the Cowboys are counting on Bryant to make those plays.

AP

#CHUCKSTRONG is already a popular hashtag on Twitter, but the campaign of support for Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is about to get a lot more visible.

Pagano was recently diagnosed with leukemia, and the Colts organization, through its CHUCKSTRONG campaign, is giving fans an opportunity to show their support for Pagano and help in the fight against leukemia.

CHUCKSTRONG T-shirts will go on sale Friday at the Colts Pro Shop. They'll be $20 and proceeds will benefit leukemia research. CHUCKSTRONG wristbands will be distributed outside of Colts games for a suggested donation of $1. Proceeds, again, go to leukemia research. CHUCKSTRONG posters will be available to those who give blood at the CHUCKSTRONG blood drive and at Indianapolis area Huntington Banks. More information on all of that, plus collection campaigns at Lucas Oil Stadium, is available here at the Colts website.

US PresswireAn alternative definition of the word "sweet," used by today's freshest young whippersnappers, is "easy" or "not presenting much of a challenge." For example, if you're in a bar throwing darts, and you get to play a against a man so drunk that he doesn't know which end of the dart is the pointy one, and he also recently suffered third degree burns on all of his fingertips, you just got the sweet matchup.

The Pittsburgh Steelers feel like they've found something similar against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin, a rookie fourth-round draft pick. So sweet is Boykin, according to Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, that the Steelers are calling him "the candy bar." In particular, a Snickers bar.

"He's given up a lot of plays. Whoever gets that guy definitely has to take advantage," said Brown via Observer-Reporter.com.

Boykin is the nickel corner behind starters Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Against the Steelers' seventh-ranked passing attack, Boykin figures to see a lot of action, and will probably see a good bit of Emmanuel Sanders, the Steelers third receiver. It's a matchup the Steelers like.

APBen Roethlisberger and Michael Vick are two of the most exciting quarterbacks in the National Football League, and they will square off on Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles renew their cross-state rivalry.

Had Mike Tomlin gotten his wish back in 2009, though, Roethlisberger and Vick might not be foes this week. They might have been teammates.

[More: Bold statements from the first quarter of the 2012 NFL season]

Ed Bouchette writes at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Tomlin had a desire to make Vick a Steeler after he was released from prison in 2009. Vick had just served a 21-month sentence for running an interstate dog fighting ring. Tomlin wanted him, but the Rooney family, the long-time, well-respected owners of the Steelers, didn't share Tomlin's interest.

Two things prevented Tomlin from bringing Vick to Pittsburgh. The main reason was the Rooneys were dead set against it. They had no desire to bring on a felon, just out of prison, and all the negative reaction his signing would bring, both internally and externally. Plus, the Steelers were reigning Super Bowl champs. Who needed that headache?

The headache would've been massive, too, as Ben Roethlisberger was dealing with sexual assault accusations at the time. That was the other reason Vick never became a Steeler ‒ the Steelers didn't want to further complicate things for Roethlisberger by bringing in a quarterback who would've been a major media distraction and could be seen as a potential threat to Roethlisberger's job. That would've been the last thing Roethlisberger needed.

Top AFC seeds: Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens
Other AFC division champs: Denver Broncos, New England Patriots
AFC wild cards: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers

Top NFC seeds: Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers
Other NFC division champs: Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers
NFC wild cards: Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants

• This week's absurdly premature playoff picture will be a great treat for those of you who fear change. There are no newcomers, and no one drops out. In the NFC, only the seeding changes. In the AFC, not even that changes.

• The Eagles take over the driver's seat in the NFC East, but it's not a kneejerk reaction to their win over the Giants on Sunday night ‒ well, OK, maybe it is, but it's not just a kneejerk reaction to their win over the Giants on Sunday night. I see the Eagles as legit contenders, mostly on the strength of their defense. Are they better than the Giants? Through four games, their defense certainly has been.

• I will consider moving the Cardinals ahead of the 49ers in the NFC West, but I won't do so before Week 8. I'm sorry, but I've been burned on these early season wonders before. If they're still ahead in the division after Week 8, I will revisit the issue. Aside from that, it would take some kind of major 49ers disaster for them to lose their spot as division champs.

APSantonio Holmes, the most dynamic offensive weapon the New York Jets have, is "almost certainly" done for the year, according to a report from NFL.com's Albert Breer.

The Jets haven't said anything publicly about Holmes in relation to the Lisfranc injury he suffered late in the Jets' 34-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. That could come on Wednesday, according to Breer. From NFL.com:

The injury is to Holmes' left foot, and it's uncertain whether or not he has a break. Holmes got the opinions of multiple doctors on the injury, and they are comparing notes and should have a final answer for the Jets on Wednesday morning.

So if you had Wednesday, Oct. 3 in your "When the Jets' season officially goes down the tubes" pool, you're in good shape right now. Holmes led the team with 272 receiving yards and was the only player on the Jets offense who opponents needed to fear.

The names of high-profile free agents will be thrown around, including those of Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens and Plaxico Burress. None of those are likely, though.

APThe folks at TMZ have gotten their hands on legal documents related to Michael Vick's bankruptcy case, which is great news for those of you who closely follow the details of Vick's financial situation.

According to TMZ, Vick has banked $31 million since he filed for bankruptcy in 2008, and has spent nearly all of that. Don't get too excited ‒ it's not like he blew all the money on Bentleys or mansions or building a llama fighting pit in his backyard. Most of the money went to boring stuff. Quoth TMZ:

The math is pretty simple -- Vick had to pay a total of $29.6 mil -- of that, $10.9 went to taxes, $9.2 mil went to creditors, $2.7 went to lawyers and accountants, and the rest is for various things, including child support and living expenses.

All of which leaves Vick with about $1.5 million currently, which isn't bad for a guy who's bankrupt. And, as TMZ points out, things will turn up for Vick. In 2011, he signed a contract with the Eagles that guaranteed him $35.5 million.