Never Too Early to Call an Audible

Hey, we can’t get it right all the time. Some blown calls heading into the fourth week of the NFL season:

We thought by hiring Joe Gibbs, the Washington Redskins had turned back the clock.

We now know Gibbs forgot how to manage it.

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We thought that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the oldest roster in the league, were choosing wisdom over age.

We now know that, at 0-3, they’re back to being the same old Bucs.

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We thought Dallas quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who’ll soon turn 41, was ready for some R&R.;

We now know that stands for Rewriting the Record book. He’s the first 40-or-older quarterback to throw for 300 yards in consecutive games.

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We thought St. Louis Coach Mike Martz had better sense than to call for a squib kickoff when protecting a three-point lead with 28 seconds to play.

We now know that the Saints recovered that dribbler and ran it to their 42, completed a couple of passes, kicked the tying field goal with three seconds left and won in overtime.

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We thought we’d heard Martz say that, unless you’re watching film all year the way he is, you shouldn’t second-guess his decisions.

We now know Martz should step outside the film room and get a breath of fresh air to clear his head.

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We thought the Tennessee Titans might miss Eddie George.

We now know it’s “Eddie who?” His replacement, Chris Brown, leads the NFL with 353 yards rushing and is the second player -- Stump Mitchell is the other -- in league history to rush for 100 yards in each of his first three starts.

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We thought St. Louis, Tennessee and Kansas City were some of the toughest places for visitors to play.

We now know they were ... but are not anymore. The Rams, Titans and Chiefs, who were a combined 23-1 in front of their hometown fans last season, are 1-5 at home.

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We thought that Curtis Martin’s best days were behind him.

We now know that the only thing behind the New York Jets’ Martin, 31, are defenders diving at his feet. This is the first time in his career that Martin has opened the season with consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He also turned in the best rushing performance of the season with 196 yards in Week 1.

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We thought Coach Cunningham would at least give Kansas City a defense.

We now know we jumped the Gunther on that one.

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We thought streaks were made to be broken.

We now know we were right. San Francisco was shut out for the first time in 421 games, dating to 1977. Jerry Rice went without a reception for the first time in 275 games. When Brown ran for 101 yards Sunday, it was the first time in 18 games a runner broke the century mark against Jacksonville’s defense.

All that, and Detroit’s winning streak ended at two.

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We thought the new emphasis on eliminating downfield contact would boost receiving numbers in a big way.

We now know that rushing numbers are up instead. So far there have been 30 100-yard rushing games, the most through a season’s first three weeks.

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We thought converting third downs was essential to winning.

We now know that Jacksonville is 3-0 despite having converted only six of 34 third downs, worst in the league.

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We thought that Roy Williams was among the best safeties in the league.

We now know that Roy Williams is also among the best receivers. That’s Detroit’s Williams -- not to be confused with the Dallas defensive back -- who leads rookies with 17 catches, 277 yards receiving, an average of 16.3 yards a catch, and four touchdowns.

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We thought Seattle was all about offense, especially with defensive leader Chad Brown sidelined because of a broken leg.

We now know that the defense deserves a lot of credit for Seattle’s 3-0 start, having not only shut out San Francisco but ranking first with 13 points allowed and second in total yards allowed with an average of 242.3.

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We thought Jacksonville rookie Ernest Wilford might have a hard time catching on as a fourth-round pick.

We now know Wilford has caught on quickly. Two of his first three receptions went for game-winning touchdowns.

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We thought the new coaches in Buffalo were going to revive Drew Bledsoe’s career.

We now know that’s a lot of Mularkey.

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We thought Quentin Griffin was the next Terrell Davis after Griffin had run for 156 yards in his debut.

We now know how “Q” -- who has fumbled three times in three games -- lost all the other letters in his first name.

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We thought that the triplets -- Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James -- were the heart of the Colt offense.

We now know that Indianapolis has discovered a long-lost quadruplet in Reggie Wayne, who leads the team with 19 receptions for 345 yards. If he keeps up this pace, they’ll start referring to the RCA Dome as Wayne’s World.

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We thought, speaking of naming rights, that the San Francisco 49ers had struck a deal to call their stadium Monster Park.

We now know Monster Park is right across the bay from the home of the Oakland Raiders:

Jurassic Park.