If the first four weeks of the season are any indication, Cam Newton might well be the NFL’s rookie of the year. But despite his record passing pace, the Panthers’ exciting young quarterback has yet to be voted the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week. Will this be the week he captures the honor? You can help decide by logging on to vote.

Here’s what else is on tap for Wednesday:

• The Detroit Lions hit the big stage in Big D last Sunday, and their stirring comeback (or the Cowboys’ shocking collapse, depending on your point of view) was the talk of the league. If you missed the game, catch it on NFL Network Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

• The Miami Dolphins held talks and/or workouts with veteran free agent quarterbacks David Garrard, Jake Delhomme, Trent Edwards and Brody Croyle on Tuesday as they searched for a possible replacement for injured starter Chad Henne.

• Redskins tight end Chris Cooley breached NFL etiquette this week and rubbed salt in Tony Romo‘s wounds, calling the Cowboys quarterback a choker and revelling in his NFC East rival’s 24-point collapse against the Lions.

• Packers wideout Greg Jennings talks about Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay’s scorching offensive performance this season on NFL Network’s “Total Access” Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.

• Week 5 features two high-profile rematches of last season’s playoff games: Jets-Patriots and Packers-Falcons. Find out what NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora thinks of those grudge matches and the weekend’s other games.

• Find out who NFL Network’s “Playbook” crew of Sterling Sharpe, Brian Baldinger, Matt Millen and Joe Theismann are picking to win this week’s key matchups.

• Tony Romo‘s meltdown against Detroit makes Dave Dameshek‘s list of Week 4′s most shameful performances, alongside Hank Williams Jr., Madonna and Victor Cruz.

• Check out Rich Eisen‘s latest podcast with guests Wes Welker, who’s on pace to shatter NFL receiving records, and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” writer Jeff Schaffer, whose fantasy football-inspired comedy “The League” has its third-season premiere Thursday night on FX.

• Come up with names for the week’s most exciting plays, and tweet your way into the NFL history books. We’ll pick our favorites, and let users pick the final winner each week.

• Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

The Buffalo Bills’ upset at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals dropped them from the heady ranks of the top 5 in NFL.com’s latest Power Poll, but otherwise there wasn’t much change at the top, with Green Bay and New Orleans leading the way. Find out where your team stands in our experts’ rankings, and log on to enter your own choices in our fan rankings.

Here’s what else is on tap for Tuesday:

• With efforts like Monday night’s 127 yards rushing in a victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blount is making fans forget his troubled past and look forward to his bright future, writes NFL.com’s Jeff Darlington.

• If you missed Sunday’s action, you can catch the best games again on NFL Network. Tuesday offers Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers going up against Brian Urlacher and the Chicago Bears at 8 p.m. ET, followed by San Francisco’s shocking comeback against Philadelphia at 9:30 p.m. ET.

• Fans of teams suffering losing starts to the season are already up in arms. Listen in to radio callers in Dallas, New York, Philadelphia and Minnesota as they rant about their teams.

• With Hank Williams Jr.‘s familiar theme song possibly gone from “Monday Night Football” for good after the singer’s comparison of President Obama to Adolf Hitler, our Adam Rank nominates six performers who should be considered to replace him.

• A quarter of the way through the season, Jason La Canfora says surprise teams like Tennessee and San Francisco are starting to prove they have staying power.

• Who’s your first-quarter MVP? The “NFL Total Access” crew hands out awards to who they think are the best players through Week 4 on both sides of the ball.

• Is your team plagued by quarterback struggles? It’s never too soon to think about the future, and NFL.com draft expert Bucky Brooks offers up his weekly look at future prospects in his College Stock Watch.

• It’s already time for you to start thinking about how you can fix your fantasy team for Week 5. NFL.com fantasy editor Michael Fabiano has 10 names you should be targeting on the waiver wire.

• Come up with names for the week’s most exciting plays, and tweet your way into the NFL history books. We’ll pick our favorites, and let users pick the final winner each week.

• Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

There’s nothing like losing a bunch of football games in a row to make otherwise reasonable people lose all perspective. That appears to be the case for Minnesota Vikings receiver Bernard Berrian, who told off a wounded Iraq war vet who criticized Berrian on Twitter, and Pennsylvania Gov. (and notoriously vocal Eagles fan) Ed Rendell, who said the 1-3 Eagles need someone to inspire them like Todd Beamer inspired Flight 93′s passengers on 9/11.

Here’s what else is on tap for Monday:

• Sunday was another day of dramatic comebacks around the NFL, highlighted by the Lions’ stirring effort in Dallas, the surprising 49ers’ rally in Philadelphia and Eli Manning‘s deja-vu performance for the Giants in Arizona.

• Catch up with all of Sunday’s action at NFL.com’s exclusive Game Center, and take a wild ride around the league with NFL Network’s GameDay Express.

• Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo‘s amazing roller coaster ride of a season just took another sharp turn down, writes Steve Wyche.

• In Sunday’s most controversial play, Giants receiver Victor Cruz wasn’t touched when he went to the ground and let go of the ball, but the officials ruled him down. Were they right?

• In his six observations from Sunday, NFL.com senior analyst Pat Kirwan says some big-money running backs finally came through.

• Injuries to Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Texans receiver Andre Johnson and Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo highlighted Sunday’s NFL injury roundup.

• Panthers tight end Jeremy Shockey thought he’d scored a touchdown on Sunday, but when officials called offensive pass interference, it set the volatile tight end off on a stinging rant.

• If you took Aaron Rodgers in the first round of your fantasy draft, chances are you’re smiling all the way to the win column. Michael Fabiano takes a look at the players who put up the biggest stat lines in Week 4.

• Come up with names for the week’s most exciting plays, and tweet your way into the NFL history books. We’ll pick our favorites, and let users pick the final winner each week.

• Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

Week 4 marks the end of the first quarter of the season, a significant landmark for most coaches, and that means a lot of teams will have their first-quarter “grade” on the line when they take the field this weekend, says NFL.com senior analyst Pat Kirwan. Get ready for all this weekend’s contests with NFL.com’s exclusive Game Center.

Here’s what else is on tap for Friday:

• NFL Network analyst Brian Billick worries that the unprecedented proliferation of passing in today’s NFL is jeopardizing what makes the game special.

• Former Redskins quarterback and NFL Network analyst Joe Theismann has some harsh words for Bears wide receiver Roy Williams in the latest episode of “No Huddle.”

• Congress has invited NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the NFLPA’s DeMaurice Smith and the chief executive of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to Capitol Hill for a discussion on human growth hormone.

• The Lions and Steelers invade the state of Texas this week looking for big road wins. Find out why they have what it takes in this week’s installment of Greatness on the Road.

• Quarterback stability and the presence of strong playmakers have done wonders for the Raiders’ pirate crew. Jason La Canfora breaks down the factors that have brought the swagger back to Oakland.

• In the animated Twilight Zone known as the N “if” L, Dave Dameshek explores what would have happened had the infamous “Tuck Rule” been called another way. Let’s just say it’s good to be Shaun King.

• In his latest Pick Six, Adam Rank offers an alternative to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for players who feel slighted about not making it to Canton.

• Most of the attention going into games is on the stars, but lesser-known players often end up being difference-makers. Bucky Brooks looks at guys to watch in Week 4.

• The “NFL Fantasy Live” crew discusses four surprise fantasy stars whose production could take a turn for the worse in the coming weeks. Find out if your fantasy QB is in trouble.

Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

The Philadelphia Eagles defense from 1987-92 was one of the greatest in NFL history, and at the heart of it were Reggie White and Jerome Brown, two players whose legacy you can remember in a special documentarythat premieres on NFL Network Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.

Here’s what else is on tap for Thursday:

• Who would have thought a year ago that Buffalo and Detroit would be among the NFL’s elite? Tune into NFL Network’s “Total Access” today at 7 p.m. ET to hear the Lions’ Nate Burleson and the Bills’ Nick Barnett discuss some of the pressing issues of the week.

• Get a handle on this weekend’s slate of games with NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora‘s weekly Inside Slant.

• Is it possible that New England could lose two games in a row? NFL Network’s Albert Breer has the latest from Foxborough, where the Patriots are preparing to take on former teammate Richard Seymour in Oakland on Sunday.

• Who are the 10 most deserving candidates on Wednesday’s list of first-time nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame? NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison presents his choices.

• In honor of the Boston Red Sox and their epic collapse this season, Adam Rank offers six of the worst second-half chokes in NFL history.

• NFL.com national reporter Jeff Darlington takes a look inside the Miami Dolphins’ turbulent start to the 2011 season, and wonders whether things can still be salvaged in South Beach.

• Colt McCoy‘s arm and stature were questioned coming out of college, but he’s among a group of 10 that scouting legend Gil Brandt says have overcome any perceived weaknesses and are putting the league on notice.

• Police in Detroit are trying to shut down a mobile strip club operating outside Lions games that’s been giving a whole new meaning to the term tailgating.

• Come up with names for the week’s most exciting plays, and tweet your way into the NFL history books. We’ll pick our favorites, and let users pick the final winner each week.

• Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

Will Bill Parcells and Bill Cowher — or their longtime running backs, Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis — be taking their place in Canton next summer? Will 2012 finally be Cris Carter‘s year? What about great linemen like Will Shields, Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman and Charles Haley? Or former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue? Get an early clue when the Pro Football Hall of Fame releases the nominees for the Class of 2012 on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET. Log onto NFL.com or tune into NFL Network for full coverage.

Here’s what else is on tap for Wednesday:

• If you like offense, don’t miss NFL Network’s replay of Sunday’s shootout between the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints tonight at 8 p.m ET.

• The chorus of Miami Dolphins critical of their teammates’ practice habits grew a lot louder Monday and Tuesday, stoking the fire under coach Tony Sparano‘s hot seat.

• NFL Films goes inside the X’s and O’s to show fans how Oakland Raiders rookie wide receiver Denarius Moore is having such a big impact in the NFL.

• Dave Dameshek goes to town on Michael Vick for whining about late hits, Tom Brady for forgetting that he plays tackle football, Matthew Stafford for his TD celebrations and more in this week’s Shame Report.

• Is Nnamdi Asomugha a bust? The early returns for the Eagles’ high-priced secondary are not good, and NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks explains why in his weekly scouting notebook.

• The Philadelphia Eagles defense from 1987-92 was one of the best in NFL history, and at the heart of it were Reggie White and Jerome Brown, two players whose legacy you can remember in a special documentary on NFL Network Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.

• Some coaches play golf or go fishing, but Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander — a true Renaissance man — has a unique way of escaping from football.

• Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has quietly posted better numbers than some QBs who were much more highly rated, and NFL.com fantasy editor Michael Fabiano says he should be a popular waiver wire target heading into Week 4.

• Come up with names for the week’s most exciting plays, and tweet your way into the NFL history books. We’ll pick our favorites, and let users pick the final winner each week.

• Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

Relive two of Sunday’s most dramatic games as they happened, with NFL Replay Tuesday night on NFL Network. First, watch the emotional upset at Ralph Wilson Stadium, where the Buffalo Bills snapped a 15-game losing streak to the New England Patriots, at 8 p.m. ET. Then, at 9:30 p.m. ET, catch the action from the West Coast, where the surprising Oakland Raiders outran and outhit the New York Jets.

Here’s what else is on tap for Tuesday.

• The Dallas Cowboys couldn’t find the end zone Monday night, but they found a way to beat the Washington Redskins and grab a share of first place in the NFC East. Plus, Steve Wyche on how Tony Romo is writing a new chapter in his legacy.

• Say it ain’t so: Joe Namath takes a shot at Rex Ryan, who fires right back at the legendary former Jets QB.

• The Bills’ upset of the Patriots and Eagles’ rough start have shaken up the NFL landscape. Find out who’s up and who’s down in this week’s NFL.com Power Poll.

• Everyone knows Jay Cutler is taking too much abuse, but another NFC team’s QB was knocked around Sunday as well. Pat Kirwan reveals which one and much more as he wraps up Week 3.

• No player would welcome the pressure of being called the next Ray Lewis, but that’s what some people are calling Arizona State LB Vontaze Burfict. Get NFL.com draft expert Bucky Brooks‘ take in this week’s College Stock Watch.

• Fantasy owners worry about Michael Vick‘s vulnerability to injury. Is it time to trade the Eagles QB while you still can receive value in return? Find out.

• Many people believe coach Tony Sparano‘s job is on the line after the Dolphins started the season 0-3. Find out what Miami’s players think.

• Week 3 was full of exciting comebacks and acrobatic highlights. Check out the best action in this video wrap-up.

• Come up with names for the week’s most exciting plays, and tweet your way into the NFL history books. We’ll pick our favorites, and let users pick the final winner each week.

• Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

Michael Vick keeps taking a beating, and he’s not happy about it. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback suffered a broken right hand during Sunday’s 29-16 loss to the New York Giants and afterward vented about what he believes is unfair treatment by officials. Is Vick right, or is he making excuses? “NFL GameDay” has the debate.

Here’s what else is on tap for Monday:

• Washington Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman has his best chance yet to redefine fans’ image of him when his team takes on the Dallas Cowboys on “Monday Night Football.” Find out what makes Grossman tick in a profile from NFL.com national reporter Jeff Darlington.

• Buffalo picked off Tom Brady four times and the undefeated Bills shocked the league with their streak-busting upset of AFC East rival New England.

• Catch up on all of Sunday’s Week 3 action at NFL.com’s exclusive NFL Game Center, and catch the “GameDay” Express as it travels around the league recapping all the winners and losers from Sunday’s action.

• It’s only Week 3, but some teams are clearly getting a little too pass-happy, notes NFL.com analyst Pat Kirwan in his latest Six From Sunday.

• NFL.com senior writer Steve Wyche says Sunday’s high-scoring win over the Houston Texans shows why Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have what it takes to stay one step ahead of most NFL teams.

• If you know any Minnesota Vikings fans, you might want to give them a call. They could use some cheering up after their team blew a third straight double-digit halftime lead.

• Get a sneak peek at episode 3 of “A Football Life,” which chronicles Eagles defensive linemen Reggie White and Jerome Brown in life until their untimely deaths.

• Wes Welker and Darren McFadden combined to score more than 60 fantasy points on NFL.com, but did either of them earn the title of fantasy player of the week? It’s your time to vote and decide!

• Come up with names for the week’s most exciting plays, and tweet your way into the NFL history books. We’ll pick our favorites, and let users pick the final winner each week.

• Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

Get ready for all of Week 3′s matchups with NFL.com’s exclusive Game Center previews, featuring stats, stories, videos and more.

Here’s what else is on tap for Friday:

• Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick practiced in full on Thursday, and the Eagles plan for him to start against the Giants, while the outlook for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is less certain.

• Tune into NFL Network’s “Around the League” Friday at 5 p.m. ET to hear from Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson on his team’s upcoming clash in Chicago, a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game.

• NFL Network analyst Brian Billick says the Patriots and Jets will attempt to do the most difficult thing in team sports this week: win a tough game on the road.

• Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson will appeal the three-game suspension dished out by the NFL for his latest off-the-field incident.

• Cam Newton went undrafted in many fantasy leagues. Nobody’s sleeping on him now, though. Michael Fabiano says it’s time to make the Heisman winner your starting fantasy QB.

• Eighteen teams sit at 1-1 in the standings entering Week 3. What to make of the morass in the middle? Elliot Harrison lists the teams to buy, the teams to sell and those on the fence.

• Behind a record-setting offense, the Patriots had a perfect regular season in 2007. With another high-scoring attack, can they do it again in 2011? Our experts debate which team will be the last to lose.

• Most of the attention going into games is on the stars, but lesser-known players often end up being difference makers. Bucky Brooks runs down several players who could be in the spotlight in Week 3.

• Come up with names for the week’s most exciting plays, and tweet your way into the NFL history books. We’ll pick our favorites, and let users pick the final winner each week.

• Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been called a genius at game-planning, but just watch him struggle to change the clock on his car’s dashboard. Plus Willie McGinest, Mike Mayock and Michael Lombardi share their favorite memories of Belichick when Part 2 of NFL Films’ highly anticipated documentary, “A Football Life” debuts Thursday night at 10 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

Here’s what else is on tap for Thursday:

• Tune into NFL Network’s “Total Access” Thursday at 7 p.m. ET to hear from Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew — whose team starts rookie Blaine Gabbert against Cam Newton and the Panthers Sunday — and Washington linebacker London Fletcher, whose Redskins travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys Monday night.

• An NFL memo sent out to all 32 teams Wednesday seeks to put a quick halt to the practice of players faking injuries. Meanwhile, players say it’s an accepted practice, and some even say they’ve known coaches to teach the technique.

• Twenty-six years after they stormed through the NFL on their way to 15-1 record, a dominating Super Bowl XX victory and an atrocious music video, the 1985 Chicago Bears have finally been invited to the White House.

• Police said a package containing 2 1/2 pounds of marijuana was delivered from Eureka, Calif., to the suburban Kentucky home of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson on Tuesday, where authorities say they found six more pounds of marijuana inside.

• Three upstarts — the 2-0 Bills, Lions and Texans — face tough tests in Week 3, which also features several key divisional matchups. Jason La Canfora breaks down every game.

• Blaine Gabbert‘s Jaguars teammates say the rookie quarterback, who was named Jacksonville’s starter on Wednesday, has the “swagger” necessary to lead the team.

• Gil Brandt has scouted players for more than 50 years, so when he calls Cam Newton the most impressive rookie quarterback he’s seen, it’s worth taking notice.

• In this week’s Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em, NFL.com fantasy editor Michael Fabiano explains why Ahmad Bradshaw should put up big totals against the Eagles — and why fantasy owners should beware of some big stars in Big D Monday night.

• Come up with names for the week’s most exciting plays, and tweet your way into the NFL history books. We’ll pick our favorites, and let users pick the final winner each week.

• Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

Okay, so Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn’t thrown for a gazillion yards in his first two games like Tom Brady has, but he is tied with Brady and Matthew Stafford for the NFL lead with seven TD passes. Three of those came in Buffalo’s wild 38-35 win over Oakland on Sunday. In case you missed that thriller — or just need to see it again — you can relive all the action on “NFL Replay” Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Not that you’ll need an appetizer for that football feast, but you can also hear from Fitzpatrick himself on “NFL Total Access” at 7 p.m. ET. No doubt, he’ll have lots to say about that Raiders-Bills game — not to mention his Sunday showdown with Brady and the Patriots.

Here’s what else is on tap for Wednesday:

• New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin said his team expects quarterback Michael Vick to start for the Eagles Sunday despite Vick’s concussion, while New York safety Antrel Rolle said he doesn’t want the Eagles to have any excuses when the Giants “put it to ‘em the way we will.”

• As the St. Louis Rams prepare to file a complaint with the league office about the Giants’ alleged stalling tactics in Monday night’s game, NFL.com’s Marc Sessler explains that faking injuries is nothing new in the NFL.

• NFL Network’s Albert Breer reports that the Baltimore Ravens locked up All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata with a five-year, $61 million contract.

• Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon refuted pre-draft critics who said Cam Newton didn’t have the chops to succeed in the NFL. Look who’s laughing now.

• The Ravens’ surprising loss to the Tennessee Titans dropped them from the rarified air of the No. 2 spot in NFL.com’s weekly Power Poll. See who else is down, and who is on top.

• If NFL Network analyst Heath Evans wanted to make friends in Detroit, it certainly isn’t going to happen now after his latest comments about the Lions’ postseason chances.

• Willie McGinest, Mike Mayock and Michael Lombardi share their favorite memories of Patriots coach Bill Belichick when Part 2 of “A Football Life” debuts Thursday night at 10 ET on NFL Network.

• Come up with names for the week’s most exciting plays, and tweet your way into the NFL history books. We’ll pick our favorites, and let users pick the final winner each week.

• If your fantasy team has been ruined by injuries — or if you just did a lousy job of drafting — NFL.com gives you the chance to start all over again. And the best thing? Your statistics are retroactive! So stop by the NFL.com draft lobby and start over.
• Want to get NFL.com’s top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin brushed off suggestions that his players faked injuries Monday night to slow down the Rams’ no-huddle attack. Regardless if the Giants are guilty or innocent, it wouldn’t be a revolution. This has been happening (at least it has been accused of happening) for years.

A few of the more memorable examples:

1988 AFC Divisional Playoff: Seahawks at Bengals

This one caused a firestorm. Seahawks coach Chuck Knox admitted that his nose tackle, Joe Nash, had faked injuries four times (hugely subtle) in order to stop the clock against the Bengals’ no-huddle offense. Cincinnati won 21-13 on its way to losing Super Bowl XXIII to the San Francisco 49ers.

1995: Bills at Browns

After the Bills beat the Browns 22-19 in a Monday night game in Week 5, coach Marv Levy accused Cleveland of faking injuries to slow down Buffalo’s no-huddle offense. Browns coach Bill Belichick wasn’t shy in taking exception to that hypothesis.

“I think that’s a bunch of garbage,” Belichick said. “It’s hard for me to have respect for Levy for saying that. It’s demeaning. We had guys out there playing as hard as they could play, with as much courage as they could show. For this guy to come back and make a ridiculous comment like that, I see where he had some players hurt in the game. If Levy thinks he’s the only coach that’s ever had a guy hurt, then I think he ought to take a look around the league.”

Belichick — just a sliver crankier back then — went on: “Here’s a guy offensively who came in and tried to run the wing-T offense in Kansas City. That was brilliant. And the best thing he did was turn the offense over to Jim Kelly in the second half of the Carolina game and against us. There’s a guy, Jim Kelly, who can run an offense and move an offense. Unfortunately, he (Levy) didn’t call more plays against us, like he did against Carolina. I would much rather go against him than Jim Kelly. I think it’s a disgrace for him to make comments like that.”

Fourteen seasons later, the Browns found themselves in another mess:

2009: Browns at Lions

Belichick disciple/nemesis Eric Mangini, at the helm of the Browns, accused the Lions of faking injuries to slow down Cleveland’s no-huddle offense during a 38-37 loss at Ford Field. Like you, we’re trying to imagine a scenario in which the 2009 Browns — ranking 32nd in total yards — could have moved slower. We’ll keep working on that.

– Marc Sessler

File this one under: Pays to be a supermodel and the wife of Tom Brady in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Gisele Bundchen was driving 70 mph in a 55-mph zone on state Route 6 in Barnstable, Mass., when she was pulled over by a state trooper Saturday, according to the Boston Herald.

“He did give her a warning and let her go on her way,” state police spokesman David Procopio said. “He reminded her that the speed limit on (Cape Cod) is 55, not 65 as it is in other parts of the state.”

Procopio told the newspaper that two children — presumably son Benjamin and stepson Jack — were in the vehicle, properly fastened in car seats.

“That trooper (identified as Michael Hopper) stopped 25 cars that day, five were given warnings, including Gisele,” Procopio said. “The other 20, who were doing more egregious things, were given tickets. She got no special treatment. If he stopped Mrs. Rex Ryan for the same thing, she also wouldn’t have gotten a citation.”

The Herald, not buying it, went deep enough to capture a tweet from the trooper’s son, William J. Hopper.

“He let her go. But in return, she signed her autograph on the citation with kisses,” he wrote.

We feel it’s unlikely that Gisele, who earned $45 million last year, went out of her way to dodge the infraction.

– Marc Sessler

Giants coach Tom Coughlin met with reporters Tuesday to unpack the previous night’s 28-13 victory over the Rams. And he had some questions to answer.

Coughlin shared his perspective on first-quarter injuries to safety Deon Grant and LB Jacquian Williams that — because of how quickly the players bounced back — raised speculation New York was buying time against St. Louis’ no-huddle attack.

“Well, from my standpoint on the sideline, I thought (Grant) was cramped,” Coughlin said. “They were in a no-huddle situation, a hurry-up deal. I just thought he cramped at that time or definitely had something that was bothersome to him.”

Said Coughlin: “When I looked out on the field, all I saw was the injured player.”

Coughlin then was asked if employing faking injuries to slow the action could be categorized as smart football.

“That’s not very smart,” he said. “That’s a penalty. … It did force a rule change, too. The only thing I would comment on is at that point in time, the only thing I noticed was a player down.”

Did we expect the veteran coach to say something different?

– Marc Sessler

With two weeks of football in the books, the numbers don’t lie. We’re in the heart of an offensive explosion.

A few factoids from our very own Jon Zimmer, lead editor of NFL media publications:

• Through two weeks of play, three of the top six NFL pass catchers are running backs. Chargers RB Mike Tolbert leads all players with 17 receptions. Bears RB Matt Forte and Saints RB Darren Sproles are tied for third with 15 catches each.

• We’ve witnessed 172 touchdowns and 15,771 net passing yards so far in 2011, the most after two weeks of any season in NFL history.

And two gems from Michael Signora, NFL vice president of football communications:

• Since realignment in 2002, 29 of 32 teams have made the playoffs. The three who’ve missed out? The Bills, the Lions and the Texans — and each stand at 2-0.

• The 1,502 points scored through Week 2 stand as the most after two weeks in NFL history.

– Marc Sessler