Tony Romo learned from Troy Aikman that it’s not always “lollipops and chocolates and fun times” for the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. These days, Romo’s chats with former QBs amount to therapy while he endures talk that he’s gone from an undisciplined turnover machine to a conservative handoff fiend who misses receivers when he does throw. Or talk that he didn’t know it was fourth down before the final end zone incompletion in Sunday’s 17-10 loss at Denver.

Brett Favre’s presence in Minnesota galls most Packers fans. And the nausea level could be off the charts tonight if Favre leads his latest team past the one he quarterbacked so successfully for so long.

The Super Bowl-winning Steelers’ season was starting to unravel with consecutive losses in the final 15 seconds to the Bears and the Bengals. Determined to make sure their bad start didn’t last a moment more, they needed less than 15 minutes to effectively put away one of the AFC’s best teams.

TAMPA BAY (0-3)
AT WASHINGTON (1-2) Time: 1 p.m. Line: Redskins by 7½ On the air: TV—Fox; radio—WXGI (950), 10 a.m. Inside slant: Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache took the heat for last week’s loss to woeful Detroit. Does coach Jim Zorn take the fall if the Skins lose today? Wrath of Woody: Yep, the Redskins are bad, but they’re not Tampa Bay bad. Washington 17, Tampa Bay 3

Walk into any crowded room and you will find someone who has experienced the ravages of cancer, either first-hand or through PAUL
WOODY
a family member or friend. Cancer never is far from anyone’s mind. No one is surprised to receive the diagnosis. Shocked. Saddened. Frightened, perhaps, but not surprised. The disease is too prevalent, an equal-opportunity scourge.

Nike says it does not have a “contractual relationship” with Michael Vick, a day after the quarterback’s agent announced a deal with the manufacturer.

ASHBURN—As if they needed any more problems on offense, the Washington Redskins have been having a hard time figuring out who should replace starting right guard Randy Thomas, done for the season after arm surgery. Here’s the troubling thing: The Redskins (1-1) do not have a single backup offensive lineman on the 53-man roster who played a down in the NFL last season.

The former Giants star and Norfolk native tearfully told his family goodbye as he surrendered to begin his prison stint for attempted criminal possession of a weapon after accidentally shooting himself in the thigh.

While the Miami Dolphins’ celebrities were making a Hollywood-style grand entrance, Peyton Manning slipped in a side door and stole the show.

Washington Redskins rookie linebacker Robert Henson has apologized for calling the team’s fans “dim wits” on his Twitter feed.

If there’s such a thing as a demoralizing win, the Redskins got one yesterday. They couldn’t even score a touchdown over a reputed pushover, and a popular veteran offensive lineman appears done for the season.

NFL ticket prices climbed 3.9 percent to an average of $74.99 for the 2009 season. According to Team Marketing Report’s survey released yesterday, 21 teams either kept prices the same or lowered them. The main reason for the percentage increase was the new Dallas Cowboys’ stadium that cost $1.2 billion to build. The average ticket to a Cowboys game costs $159.65, a record for the Fan Cost Index survey, which dates to 1991. The New England Patriots previously had the priciest ticket in pro sports and that cost remained the same at $117.84.

Duane Brown, Team: Houston, Position: Offensive lineman . . .

After making plays for Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez in the offseason, it is clear Redskins owner Dan Snyder doubts Campbell’s ability to take the team to the playoffs and beyond. It is equally clear Campbell’s teammates stand behind him. “I think Jason took a lot of heat last year when we didn’t do a great job in pass protection,“ offensive tackle Chris Samuels said. “He got hit a lot, and when you’ve got 330and 340-pound guys running into you, it takes a toll.

CINCINNATI—Kyle Boller gave the St. Louis Rams one frightening moment along with a little bit of relief. Boller played better last night in his second game filling in for Marc Bulger, completing a flurry of short passes during a 24-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The one problem: He didn’t duck. Boller got his helmet knocked off on a hit by linebacker Keith Rivers at the end of an 8-yard scramble, waiting too long to start his slide. Unfazed, Boller got to his feet, found his helmet and completed his next two passes, including a 3-yard shovel pass to running back Samkon Gado for a touchdown.