The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

• "Miles Austin has really sparked the (Cowboys') offense. He added the big-play element that they thought they were getting when they traded for Roy Williams. Their backfield is one of the best in the league. They've got a lot of weapons. Most teams don't have a No. 1 tight end as talented as their No. 2 (Martellus Bennett). Tony Romo does not have a big arm. There is nothing special about him. But he distributes the ball well. It's difficult to concentrate on stopping any one guy because they have so many ways they can beat you — Jason Witten, Marion Barber, Felix Jones. Their offense has been humming."

• "Vernon Davis is a Pro Bowl-caliber tight end right now. (Michael) Crabtree is legitimate. Frank Gore is legit. (The 49ers) have three guys there who can make plays, but the offensive line is in disarray. Losing (OLT Joe) Staley really hurts them. (OLG Chilo) Rachal and (OLG David) Baas are bad. And the quarterback (Alex Smith) had one good half when he came off the bench, but he has come back to where he was when they benched him."

• "There is not a lot of heat in Charlotte. The media is not relentless like it is in Philadelphia and Washington and Chicago. I expect John Fox will be fine."

• "The problem in a lot of front offices is the head coach is not on the same page with the GM. They both have to be able to drop their egos at the door and feed off the same philosophy."

• "Everyone was surprised last year when Dick Jauron signed an extension after they fell apart down the stretch. I think Dick was even surprised. The problem with a lot of owners is that they rush to extend coaches when they have not shown enough consistency. Why was (ex-Browns GM) Phil ­Savage given an extension? They had one 10-win year against a bad schedule — they beat teams they should have beaten. It happens too much. The most difficult thing to do in this league is win consistently."

• "(Broncos S) Renaldo Hill is awful. He missed so many tackles against Pittsburgh. He was in cover-2 and not getting over the top. ... And the quarterback (Kyle Orton) (showed) who he is. They were moving the ball initially, but then he panicked with the rush getting to him and started staring at the rush instead of down the field. The league has started to figure him out. It's all dink-and-dunk."

• "(Colts WLB) Clint Session is explosive. He plays all four downs. He is a stud. But even before Tyjuan Hagler went down, there was nothing around him (at linebacker). It's incredible that the Colts are stopping people with the linebackers they have."

• "(Lions TE) Brandon Pettigrew played his best game against St. Louis. He struggled against Seattle when (Matthew) Stafford was hanging him out and he got drilled right in the chest. The safety knocked the (crap) out of him. He struggled against Green Bay — the whole team played poorly. But he is blocking his butt off. The Lions need to get the running game going. It's too timid."

• "I don't know why Aaron Rodgers holds the ball so much. I know the line is bad, but when you break it down, a lot of those sacks are on him. He just holds it and holds it. You've got to throw it away sometimes."

• "Clay Matthews was a good addition, but did (the Packers) need to take him in the first round? They already have some linebackers just like him. Then you look at Jordy Nelson and he is barely getting on the field. They could have solidified their (offensive) line the last two years with early picks. That's when you've got to find those guys. Instead they waited until the late rounds."

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