My Newsletter will be posted every Tuesday on FoxSports.com.  Here are my thoughts on the fourth week of the NFL.  Please remember there are 32 teams in the NFL, there is no way I could mention every big play made by every player in every game.  If you want to talk about your favorite team or player, just leave a comment about it and I while address it.

MVP of the Week:  Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers led all quarterbacks in passing yards with 384, but it was Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre's week as he threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns in the Minnesota Vikings 30-23 win over his former employer, the Packers.  Pittsburgh Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall led all running backs with 165 yards and two rushing touchdowns in a 35-28 win over the San Diego Chargers.  WR Steve Smith shined, but not the Carolina Panther, rather the New York Giants with his 11 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Loser of the Week: Had to be the Packers offensive line, who allowed eight sacks, including 4.5 to Vikings DE Jared Allen in a 30-23 loss to the Vikings.  The St. Louis Rams also have to be embarrassed about their 35-0 shutout in which their QB Kyle Boller had just 108 yards passing and RB Steven Jackson had just 79 yards rushing.  The Buffalo Bills also have to be sickened by losing 38-10 to a Miami Dolphins team that was playing without QB Chad Pennington for the first time this year.  Chad Henne in his first start only had to throw 22 times for 115 yards while the Dolphins ground game dominated the action.

Game of the Week:  Lots of good games this week, but rarely do games live up to the hype, but the Packers and the Vikings was worth the hype.  The game was a close 21-14 at the half, before the Vikings pulled away to a 30-14 lead.  The Packers played well to get the score back to 30-23, but could not recover an onside kick to extend the game.  The Steelers and Chargers also played a very exciting game, or at least one quarter of one.  The Steelers jumped out to a 28-0 lead, but the Chargers outscored the Steelers 28-7 from the end of the third quarter to the end of the fourth quarter to pull within 35-28 with less than five minutes left.  The Steelers hung on to the ball, exhausted the Chargers timeouts and kicked a field goal to take a 38-28 lead with less than two minutes left to seal the victory.  

Honorable mentions to the Cincinnati Bengals surviving the Cleveland Browns 23-20 in OT and to the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots.  The Patriots survived a dropped pass by Ravens WR Mark Clayton on fourth down that would have given the Ravens a first and goal with a chance to score the winning touchdown. 

The Bay of Pigs:  The Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are two struggling offenses that couldn't do anything against each other.  The Buccaneers jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but the Redskins battled back for a 16-13 win.   Redskins QB Jason Campbell led the passing attack with just 170 yards passing and RB Clinton Portis was held to 25 carries for 98 yards and no touchdowns. 

The Mike Martz Award:  I understand why Packers Head Coach, Mike McCarthy wanted to score a touchdown to pull within seven at 28-21.  There were a couple problems with that.  The Packers had three good chances and were not able to convert.  Their line was blocking terribly and there was little reason to believe Rodgers would have time to throw.  Finally, there was little reason to believe the defense would hold Favre in that situation to keep the field position in their favor.  The smart play would have been to take the three points to pull within 28-17 and live to fight on.  Instead TE Donald Lee dropped a pass in the end-zone and the Vikings took over on downs.  Those three points would have been nice to have when the Packers were trailing 30-20 with less than 2:00 minutes left in the game.  Now, the Vikings might have called their plays different had the Vikings scored, but it is a good lesson to learn that it is never advisable to leave points on the table in the third quarter, because they can come back to haunt you later on.

Injury Report:  The biggest scare came to the New York Giant's QB Eli Manning, who injured his foot.  It is being called a plantar fasciitis, but should not cause him to miss any time.  Giants LB Michael Boley was not as fortunate, he is expected to miss a month with a knee injury.  Rookie Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford had a dislocated knee cap that popped back into place and his status for the next couple weeks is up in the air.  It is not expected to be season threatening.  Finally, Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden is expected to miss two to four weeks with a knee injury. 

Overall Impressions of Week Four:

1) Reaction to the Packers at Vikings- This was a pretty big regular season game, which is why I am devoting so much coverage to it.  Here were my thoughts about the parties involved.

Brett Favre:  Favre's legacy wasn't going to be affected by the outcome of this game.  If he had thrown zero touchdowns and six picks, people would still have talked about him as an all-time great quarterback 20 years from now.  What was at stake was whether this comeback was a good idea and in particular if he had a right to feel upset that the Packers showed him the door a little too early.  He answered both of those questions with an empathic yes.  He completed a high percentage of passes, threw for three touchdowns and kept the Packers defense on its heels all night long.  Most importantly he didn't turn the ball over.  He now has led the Vikings to a 4-0 record with eight touchdowns and one pick through four games.  The experiment is a success so far and it shows why the Vikings wanted him to come there and why he still wanted to play.  Time will tell if he can keep this up over the entire season, but so far all is good.  He is the big winner of that football game and has really silenced the critics the last two weeks with his solid play. 

Aaron Rodgers:  Aaron Rodgers had a tough task last night, he brought a knife to a gun fight.  His offensive line played as bad as a unit could play and he was sacked eight times.  He rarely had more than two or three seconds to pass the ball.  Yet he still managed to throw for a career high 384 yards passing and had two touchdown passes.  Even when the team was down 30-16 he did not give up and had the Packers an onside kick away from making it interesting.  In a game with a lot going against him he hung in there.  That said, it has to be annoying for Packer fans that most of Aaron Rodger's positive moments seem to come in defeats.  At the end of the day he has an 8-12 record as a starting QB and has only a 3-7 record on the road.  Those road wins are against Detroit, Seattle, and St. Louis, teams that are a combined 8-52 overall since Rodgers became a starting QB for the Packers.

That isn't blaming all those losses on him; they are obviously not all his fault.  I also think that there has been a rush to anoint him a franchise quarterback by people that are happy to see Favre out of town and want to validate Rodgers as quickly as possible.  Franchise quarterbacks are expected to win, nothing more and nothing less.  They are supposed to lead their teams to division titles and playoff victories.  No one says Tom Brady, Brett Favre, or Peyton Manning played well in defeat.  They are expected to win every game and when they don't critics are tearing the  performance apart searching for answers to why they were less than perfect.  

Rodgers hasn't reached that level, because he only gets credit for the wins and the blame falls on other people when the Packers lose.  Let's flip the stats for a moment.  If Favre had lost that game by seven points, thrown for 384 yards and two touchdowns, all while keeping the game interesting to the end, people wouldn't have talked about that.  They would have talked about the pick and the fumble that cost the Vikings the points they needed to win the game.  I will be convinced that Aaron Rodgers is a MVP caliber QB and a franchise type player when people in the media and the fans judge him they same way they judge other franchise quarterbacks.  Until then he is a young quarterback with a lot of upside that still has a long way to go to prove he can carry a NFL franchise. 

Mike McCarthy:  I already talked about the bad call to go for it on fourth down instead of taking the sure field goal.  Overall, McCarthy did a good job to keep his team in the game.  When the score became 30-14, they could have quit and mailed it in, but they didn't.  They fought back made some plays and gave themselves something to build on.  He deserves credit for that.  The problem is that for the fourth year in a row the Packers have the youngest team in the NFL and other than 2007 they have played that way.  They keep making mistakes that cost them close games and after the game the reaction from McCarthy is that the Packers need to clean things up for next week.  At 8-12 since going with Rodgers they need to do more than clean some things up, they need to start playing better on a more consistent basis, especially on the road. 

The Packers cannot run or pass block, they can't run the ball and they are playing average defense.  Other than their passing game they have very little else to feel good about.  Now they have a bye before playing Detroit and at Cleveland.  The next game after those two will be against Minnesota at Lambeau Field.  They have to win both those games to get to 4-2 for the big rematch.  It's only Week Four, but you already get the feeling the Packers are in must win mode trailing the Bears by one game and the Vikings by two.  The schedule is there for them to recover, but McCarthy must step up and show he can turn this ship around and keep his young team playing hard.  If he can't there are going to be a lot of calls from fans for the organization to head in a different direction at the end of the season.

Dom Capers: Everyone wants to blame the offensive line for the Packers problems this season, something I will get to in a minute when I talk about Ted Thompson.  The defense hasn't exactly been a huge success either.  All I heard about this offseason was how this revamped defense was going to turn the Packers fortunes around in 2009.  It's too early to tell through four games, but there are some troubling statistics.  The Packers are 15th in yards allowed, 22nd in points allowed, 17th in rushing yards allowed, 18th in passing yards allowed and 26th in quarterback sacks.   Aaron Kampan is not putting any pressure on the quarterback and looks average at best in coverage.  The one defensive stat they are dominating the league in is interceptions; their seven picks rank second.  The problem is that was their strong suit last year, they didn't need to revamp the defense to fix that problem.  Through four games this defense has shown some bright spots, most of them in the Chicago Bears game.  It's too early to give up on Dom Capers and his 3-4 scheme, but this defense is not playing at the level it needs to play at and if it doesn't get better they will continue to struggle.  

Ted Thompson:  I don't have enough room to cover all of Thompson's moves that I don't agree with, but I will say this.  It isn't a good sign when CB Charles Woodson is publicly questioning why the team cut ties with veteran safety Anthony Smith.  He is a leader on that team, so maybe Thompson will ship him out of town like he did Favre for being mad about the failure to acquire Randy Moss.  I have been critical of Ted Thompson for a couple years now, starting with the failure to acquire Moss.  When the team went 13-3, I gave him credit for the young talent he infused into that team.  Last year's 6-10 season was inexcusable, they had no depth to survive the injuries they suffered on defense and it is Thompson's job to make sure they have that depth.  You would think after seeing those injuries he would have done something about that depth problem so that they didn't have a repeat of 2008 in 2009. 

Instead, we are talking about injuries again, this time to the offensive line, because...you guessed it, they don't have any depth there either.  This year he did nothing in free agency to address the defense, relying on two rookies and a new scheme to lead a turnaround.  Had he been active in free agency to fix the offensive line that might have been acceptable.   Instead the jury is still out on the defense and the offensive line has given up the most sacks in the NFL. 

Part of the problem is that Rodgers is holding onto the ball too long, but even with that he is stilling getting little to no time to throw the ball.   But you are seeing the problem with Thompson's vision, it works to have a lot of young players as long as there are no injuries to the veterans, but as soon as older players become injured (an everyday occurance in the NFL), there aren't a lot of good alternatives to put in the lineup and the team suffers for it.  I have been on the record that if the Packers have another losing season he should be shown the door.  I'm not going to predict a losing season yet and will see this through, but based on what I have seen so far it isn't looking good for Green Bay as long as Thompson is in charge. 

Packer Fans:  I love Packer fans, they are some of the most passionate and loyal fans in professional sports.  I've been to Lambeau Field and the games have a high school feel to them.  It is one of the most unique environments in professional sports.  Most of the Packer fans understand the business of the NFL.  The Packers wanted to move in another direction and Favre still wanted to play.  It's time to let it go.  Instead there were a number of Packer fans that have decided to brand Favre a traitor, burn his Packer jersey and talk trash about how going to the Vikings was going to help them with all the interceptions he was going to throw.  Guess, what that didn't happen.  He played a perfect game yesterday and it is time Packer fans man up and acknowledge that.  Instead, I've been reading posts on the internet about how the Vikings were the better team and Rodgers played better given the talent he had around him; basically lowering expectations.  That wasn't the song those people were singing a month ago when the Packers were going to roll through the NFC and into the Super Bowl behind MVP to be, Aaron Rodgers. 

Packer fans found out what the Bears, Lions and Vikings fans have painfully understood since 1992; that when you go against Favre you have a better chance to lose the game than to win it.  Favre owns a 63% winning percentage against division rivals in the NFC North.  Now the Packers got to taste that for one game and it wasn't a lot of fun.  If you are going to be mad at someone, you can be mad at Favre, but the person that traded him away was Thompson and now the Packers fan base is going to have to live with the consequences of that decision. 

The good part is that the Packers now have a promising young quarterback to build around.  There are some weeks where that is encouraging.  The bad part is that they couldn't stop Favre from playing for the Vikings this year and in the short term they allowed a divisional opponent to become stronger with a player that used to symbolize their franchise.  

When it is all said and done, Favre will always be a Green Bay Packer.  Packer fans don't need to cheer for Favre this season, but they do need to make sure that they don't bash what he did as a Green Bay Packer.  When he runs through the tunnel at Lambeau Field that he should receive the standing ovation he deserves for putting the Packer franchise back on the map.  Cheer against him the rest of the game and the rest of the season, but he at least deserves that.  In my opinion, continuing to hate Brett Favre reflects poorly on Packer fans. 

2) Quarter Season Awards - Here's a look at my vote for these awards after first four games. 

MVP:  Petyon Manning (Indianapolis Colts) - You could go in a number of different directions here, starting with Saints QB Drew Brees or Vikings QB Brett Favre.  The thing with Manning is that his team lost their much respected head coach, Tony Dungy to retirement and had a lot of turmoil during the offseason with their coaching staff.  Peyton Manning is leading the NFL in passing yards with 1,336 and had four consecutive 300 yard games for the first time in his career.  He has been as impressive as any player in the early going for a Colts team that has surprised me with a 4-0 start.

Offensive Player of the Year: Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) - Sometimes you give the award to two different people if one is on a great team and one is on a bad team, but putting up great numbers.  Manning has been so impressive to start the season, I would give him both awards.

Defensive Player of the Year: Darren Shaprer (New Orleans Saints) - The Packers let him go in free agency at age 29 after the 2004 season, because they feared he was becoming too old.  He had 18 interceptions for the Vikings in four seasons and made two Pro Bowls.  The Vikings let him go after only one interception last year, fearing that he was too old at 33.  All he has done this year is record five interceptions and two defensive touchdowns through four games.  His 59 career interceptions rank ninth all time and lead all active players.  He is on pace for one of his biggest seasons on a team that is currently 4-0 and in first place in the NFC South.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) - He struggled in their loss to New Orleans, but in the other three games he had four touchdowns, one pick and a QB rating in the high 80s.  He has rejuvenated the New York Jets and should be a bright spot for them for years to come.  Honorable mention to Percy Harvin, who is playing some great wide receiver and returning kicks for the Minnesota Vikings.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Rey Maualuga (Cincinnati Bengals) - He has been a great find for them at middle linebacker and is one reason this defense is playing so well through the first four games.  He has 19 tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles for a defense that is 10th in points allowed and 17th in yards allowed. 

Coach of the Year: Sean Peyton (New Orleans Saints) - I've been critical of his play calling the last two years, but he is doing everything right now.  The Saints are beating people both on the ground and through the air and are stopping teams with pressure on the quarterback and forcing turnovers.  He has done an amazing job with this team through the first four games.

Front Office of the Year:  Minnesota Vikings - Everyone said they were stupid for continuing to pursue Brett Favre through the off-season and into training camp, but after four games it looks like one of the most brilliant moves this off-season.  They also get a great grade for going after Harvin in the draft; he looks like a home run hitter for them in the deep passing game and in kick returns.

Best AFC Team: Indianapolis Colts -  You could go in a number of different directions here.  The New England Patriots have beaten the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens at home in back-to-back weeks.  The Denver Broncos are playing much better defense this year, ranking second in yards allowed.  The Baltimore Ravens have looked impressive in spots.  I think I have to go with the Indianapolis Colts, who are 4-0 and winning their games by an average of 11.0 points per game, which is good for fourth in the NFL.  They won consecutive road games against Arizona and Miami, two teams that made the playoffs last year.  It is close, but I would say they have been the best so far. 

Best NFC Team: New Orleans Saints - This one is pretty easy, the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings have had good starts, but they aren't anything close to what the Saints have done.  The Saints are averaging 36.0 points per game, while giving up only 16.5, which is good for a 19.5 point differential, which is first in the NFL.  We'll find out if the Saints are ready to play with the heavy weights in a couple weeks when the Saints host the New York Giants.  That game should give us an indication of whether the Saints are going to be able to play with a physical defense and stop a powerful offense that runs the ball and protects it as well.

Worst AFC Team: Cleveland Browns - They have scored just 49 points in four games this year and are losing by an average of 17.2 points per game.  They already have switched QBs, going from Brady Quinn to Derek Anderson.  The team appears to be revolting on Head Coach, Eric Mangini.  It is a mess right now in Cleveland.

Worst NFC Team:  The Browns are setting the bar low, so it is very hard to be worse than them.  The Rams are averaging 6.0 points per game and have been shut out twice.  They have a -84 point differential or in other words are losing by 21.0 points per game.  Even the winless 2007 Lions only managed to lose by 15.3 points per game.  They are easily the worst team in the NFL right now. 

Most Surprising Team: Denver Broncos - I though picking the Broncos to finish 4-12 was about as safe of a pick as one could make.  They were terrible on defense last year, hired a rookie coach in Josh McDaniels and had an offseason mutiny that sent QB Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears and had Brandon Marshall suspended for the pre-season.  It looked like a disaster waiting to happen.  They have started 4-0 and their 13.2 point per win margin leads all AFC teams and is second in the NFL.  We'll find out if they are for real their next four games are against New England, at San Diego, at Baltimore, and Pittsburgh.  If they are sitting at 6-2 or 7-1 after that stretch, I will have become a believer. 

Most Disappointing Team:  Tennessee Titans - They have some competition from Miami and Carolina, who also got out to slow starts, but the Titans are sitting at 0-4 right now and are giving up 27.0 points per game.  Most people expected a slip with the departure of DT Albert Haynesworth, but no one saw this meltdown.  They have games against Indianapolis and at New England, so 0-6 is not out of the question.

Coach on the biggest Hot Seat:  Jim Zorn (Washington Redskins) - There are a lot of candidates you could put here and Zorn is at least sitting at 0-2, but he had the easiest start to the season that any coach could have asked for drawing the (0-4) St. Louis Rams, (1-3) Detroit Lions and (0-4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  They beat the Rams 9-7, lost to the Lions 19-14 and beat the Redskins 16-13.  They are scoring only 14.0 points per game on the season, despite playing the 27th, 32nd and 26th ranked scoring defenses the last three weeks.  Daniel Snyder is not going to put up with this mediocrity for much longer and I wouldn't be surprised if Zorn is out of a job by the Week 8 bye if things don't turn around.

A Look Ahead:

Street Cred's 2009 Regular Season Record:  42-20

This year I will not be including my picks in my newsletter, instead I will release them on Thursday as a separate article.  Check back on Thursday as I release my picks for the upcoming games, with analysis of the big factors that will determine the winners.

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