NFL Week 7 interview

We are back with our customary rundown of the past week's pro football action. Henry has requested this be brief, as he is busy watching the Patriots summarily dismantle the Broncos, so I'll try to be pithy.

Q. Gotta start with the Cowboys. Everyone's Super Bowl pick is looking pretty inept right now. What's behind this team's utter collapse?

Overconfidence could be one reason. Maybe they started paying attention to the fact that everyone had them as Super Bowl winners. Of course, Tony Romo was injured, and Brad Johnson had a rough day.

Q. Mike Nolan -- fired by the 49ers. Thoughts? Is Mike Singletary a good replacement?

Mike Singletary has been waiting for a head coaching job for a while, after employments with the Ravens and 49ers. As for Mike Nolan himself getting fired, he had been on the hot seat for a while. The 49ers have talent, but they couldn't take advantage of it.

Q. Suddenly the Saints look pretty wobbly. Reggie Bush is injured, and Bad Citizen Jeremy Shockey is running his mouth again. Can this team pull it together?

Maybe, but it'll be difficult. Things looked promising before, but they don't look as good now. Still, though, they have Drew Brees, who is one of the NFL's premier quarterbacks.,

Q. Quite a shootout between the Vikings and Bears, with Adrian Peterson managing 224 yards and multiple TDs in a losing effort. Are either of these teams viable?

Well, so much for the defenses in the NFC North. And yes, they could be viable, but keep in mind that they're 3-4 and 4-3, respectively.

Q. Pittsburgh beat up on the Bengals. Was this game boring or instructive?

Well, it wasn't a blowout forever. The Steelers rattled off a lot of quick touchdowns in the late fourth. At one point, they only had a seven-point lead.

Q. The Titans just keep rolling. I have to say, this is the unlikeliest undefeated team I've ever seen. Why do they keep winning?

I don't know. They have a nice running attack with LenDale White and Chris Johnson, but keep in mind they have the Colts next week.

Q. The Giants escaped a bit of a scare in San Francisco. Are the defending champs a playoff team?

If they continue to win. It might be difficult down the stretch, playing in the NFC East, but with the NFC East collapsing, it might not be as hard as it seems.

Q. The Houston0Detroit game was closer that you'd expect. Are the Lions rebuilding?

They made a nice comeback from being down 18. They only ended up losing the game by one touchdown. But yes, they're rebuilding. They and Cincinnati are the only two winless teams.

Q. How about this Brett Favre controversy? Apparently he spent over an hour tipping the Lions on how to beat his former team. Gross!

I heard on NBC's Football Night in America that he denied those reports. Although he's pretty bitter about getting traded from the Packers, it doesn't seem like the kind of thing he would do.

Q. Green Bay rolled over the Colts. What happened to faultless Peyton Manning?

The faultless Peyton Manning we knew hasn't shown up in a while. They're going into tough game against the Titans, who won't be overlooking this game.

Q. Go Raiders! Talk to me about your emotions as Janikowski nailed that record-setting field goal.

First of all, it seemed like there was a chance of a tie, as Janikowski's field goal came with less than five minutes left in overtime. It was a low-scoring game in general. But a 57-yard field goal? What are the odds of that? I was excited, despite the fact that it was another game we lost in the football pool.

Q. Meanwhile, my Seahawks are stinking up the joint. Is this season a total write-off?

Unfortunately, right now it appears so, unless they can start winning again.

Q. Redskins -- good or lousy? I can't tell. Perhaps a veteran NFL analyst like yourself has some perspective.

That was a close game. A scoreless first half made it seem like it was going to be rather boring, but with a touchdown and a two-point conversion when down 14-3, they made it a three-point game. Unfortunately, the Browns failed to convert and the Redskins held on. However, as I've said, I believe they still have to play all the teams in the NFC East at least once more.

Q. We're almost at the season's midpoint. What have you learned?

Well, the power rankings of the teams have definitely shifted a lot. Cincinnati's 0-7. The Titans are undefeated. The Colts are struggling to win games. But it looks like year-round under-the-radar contenders like the Steelers are taking advantage of that.

Q. Now comes everyone's favorite part of the blog -- when I hand the keyboard over to Henry to type whatever he wants.

If this pace keeps up, we'll have six coaches fired by the end of the season.