Tom Brady didn't take a snap in a preseason game. Neither did Peyton Manning.

Brady's New England Patriots staggered to an 0-4 record while Manning's Indianapolis Colts came home 1-4. Might as well write those two off. No way the last two AFC champions recover from that string of defeats, right?

Ah, well, the preseason is the preseason. Past is prologue. Go ahead. Ignore the Pats and Colts when the games truly count. You'll be sorry.

Not that it isn't fair to ask some questions as the 2008 season gets fully into its schedule on Sunday. There's a lot to wonder about as the 32 teams begin the chase for Super Bowl XLIII.

So what's the story with Brady and Manning? Are they OK? Their teams don't look like it.

Remember that the Colts hadn't had much success in the preseason. Their record over the last four years: 3-15. Manning, who had surgery to remove an infected bursa sac from his knee, began practicing a week ago. He expects to play in the Sunday night opener at home against the Chicago Bears — their Super Bowl opponents two years ago who since fallen on hard times.

"That's certainly my plan," he says. "I'd say we're on point for that."

The enforced idleness and rehab after surgery weren't easy for Manning, who has started 160 consecutive regular-season games — every single one in his 10-year career.

"I'd have hated to be his nurse," jokes his father, Archie.

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The Patriots took no chances with Brady as he nursed a foot injury. They went with their backup quarterbacks and struggled offensively. Brady is expected to start Sunday when they host the Kansas City Chiefs.

He set a single-season NFL record last year by throwing 50 touchdown passes and he took part in all of the spring workouts. So how rusty can he be?

"Well, there is nothing like playing," he says. "You can't replicate the speed of that, the decision-making that goes into it or your level of energy. I think the fortunate thing for me is that I have played in about 130 games. So I know that speed and my body knows that speed. Hopefully I can rely on that past history that I have had playing."

About the Patriots: Any chance they go unbeaten in the regular season again?

The Patriots have won 19 consecutive regular-season games and 23 of 24 dating to mid-November of 2006. Their 2008 schedule, based on their opponents' wins and losses last year, is the NFL's easiest. Their first three games are against the Chiefs, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, who were a combined 9-39. They play only four teams that made the playoffs. Coach Bill Belichick made a point of never addressing the winning streak last season and still refuses to take the bait.

"What we need to do," he says, "is focus on today. That's what we can control and do something about."

Obstacles to perfection: A road meeting with the San Diego Chargers on Oct. 12, which will be the second consecutive West Coast game for the Patriots. The Patriots beat the Chargers in the AFC championship game last January, in Week 2 and in the previous season's playoffs. They'll also play the Colts on the road Nov. 2.

More important: Fast start or strong finish?

The New York Giants started 0-2 in 2007 and won the Super Bowl. The New Orleans Saints began 0-4 and never recovered. The Washington Redskins were 5-7 and then won their last four games to earn a wild-card playoff berth. Getting hot at the right time seems to be the motif of some recent Super Bowl winners.

The Giants, for example, strung together three road playoff victories and then knocked off the Patriots for the NFL title. Three years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers won seven of their first nine, then lost three in a row to seemingly jeopardize their playoff spot. Then they won their last four, added three road playoff victories and beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.

The Philadelphia Eagles have been to four conference championship games and a Super Bowl in Andy Reid's nine seasons as coach but they're 3-6 on opening day. It's no understatement to say they want to try a quick start for a change. Finishing with three consecutive wins last year did not salvage a 1-3 start and the 8-8 Eagles were the only NFC East team to miss the playoffs.

"To get wins in this league is tough," quarterback Donovan McNabb says. "To set the tone at the very beginning of the season will do a lot for you as the season continues." If there's a best of all possible worlds, then, it includes a fast start and a strong finish. Failure from the get-go can't always be overcome when expectations are high.

Such is the weight of expectations.

What, exactly, is the weight of expectations?

Let's go back to the Patriots for a second. They came within 35 seconds of a 19-0 record and their fourth Super Bowl victory in seven years. Instead, thanks to their shocking 17-14 loss to the New York Giants, they'll be remembered as the most glorified runner-up in NFL history. Given the soft schedule, they're widely predicted to make it back to the Super Bowl.

A burden? Maybe not.

"The bar has been raised so high that it's actually a little bit easier to focus because we know what we have to do," says Randy Moss, whose 23 touchdown receptions last season set an NFL record.

Let's look at the Saints. They followed their near-miss of their first Super Bowl with a 7-9 slip back into mediocrity.

"Are we the team of 2006 that made it to the NFC championship game or are we the team of last year? Well, we think we're the team of 2006 but we have to go out there and prove it," says Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.

Maybe that's why there's such a turnover among playoff teams each year. The 2007 field of 12 featured six teams that weren't there in '06. Only four of the '05 playoff teams repeated the following season.

"It's harder to win when everyone expects you to win," Brees says. "You can look at a couple of Super Bowls the past few years where a two-touchdown underdog won. How is that possible? … It's harder to go out and win when everybody expects you to win than it is to win when everybody thinks you're terrible."

Where might some coaching jobs be open after the season?

There seems to be a disconnect in Oakland between second-year coach Lane Kiffin and owner Al Davis over personnel (players and coaches). Kiffin has a quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, who has made one start, and a couple of receivers (Javon Walker, Ashley Lelie) of questionable durability and productivity. Across the bay, the San Francisco 49ers have had four consecutive losing seasons, three under Mike Nolan.

"Mike's very aware of what this season means for him and I think he feels pretty good about the group around him," says Brian Billick, the former Baltimore Ravens coach now working for Fox. Nolan served on his Ravens staff from 2001-2004.

Others who may want to insulate their backsides against heat damage: Rod Marinelli, 10-22 in two seasons with the Detroit Lions; Brad Childress, 14-18 in two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings; Scott Linehan, 11-21 in three seasons with the St. Louis Rams.

Perhaps no coach is under a biggest microscope than Wade Phillips in Dallas. If the Cowboys, 13-3 last year, don't advance in the playoffs, Phillips could be in jeopardy. The Cowboys haven't won a playoff game in 12 years and Phillips hasn't either as coach of the Cowboys, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills (0-4).

"I think Dallas is the most talented team in the NFC and as talented as any team in the NFL. It's one thing to say you're a talented team but it's another thing to say you are a good team," says Troy Aikman, the former Cowboys quarterback. "They have to be able to pull this collection of talent together to play well when it matters most. That is something they struggled with last year."