Almost every Saturday morning in the fall, there is a familiar layout on my small kitchen counter: a half scribbled to-do list that always includes "oil change" (spoiler: The engine light will remain on all winter); one of my toddlers' "masterpieces" might be a barn (maybe it's a meatball?); and without fail, newly purchased Powerball tickets, because THIS might finally be our week.

Now, to be clear, we're not trying to gamble our way out of working. (I have a dream job, thank you very much, Steven Ginsberg.)

We're just trying to work ... less.

Which brings me to the perfect job of 2025: Indianapolis Colts punter.

This man, Rigoberto Sanchez, has perfected the art of doing absolutely nothing. The Colts are the first team in the Super Bowl era to go two straight games without punting at the start of a season.

Simply put, no work for him to do!

(Sanchez has said he punts into the net throughout the game on third downs to stay warm. He has still been useful, as a holder, captured dramatically by NFL Films.)

So while Rigo is over there mastering the art of standing still (and cashing checks for it), the rest of the league is grinding -- especially the backup quarterbacks, and a future Hall of Fame QB who has more on his to-do list than any of us.

This week, I'll also tell you what I'm hearing on:

There's been plenty of noise about the conflict of interest Tom Brady presents as both Fox's lead analyst and a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. After cameras showed him sitting in the Las Vegas coaches' booth with a headset, the rest of the world finally caught up to what many around the league already knew: Brady is running the Raiders.

What Brady himself needs to own is that his role looks far less like that of a quiet minority investor and far more like that of a president of football operations.

It's the type of role Tony Boselli has in Jacksonville, and John Elway once had in Denver. These are all-time legends, handed the keys to shape and influence a franchise's football decisions.

This isn't just superficial or surface-level involvement. Brady is talking with Raiders coaches and players during the week -- not small talk, either -- keeping in close touch with general manager John Spytek, and even has his longtime trainer and business partner Alex Guerrero on staff as "wellness coordinator," overseeing the training staff and strength and conditioning. He's getting direct information and updates about the roster. Brady may not physically always be in the building -- he lives in South Florida -- but he is Viva Las Vegas.

One rival front-office executive put it bluntly to me this week, "I'm just confused. What does he want to do? Owners own, coaches coach, players play. Broadcasters broadcast. You can't do it all."

And that's the rub. Brady is trying to do it all. He wants to be the voice of Fox's NFL coverage while also being a decision-maker in Las Vegas, without ever fully admitting it. That's where the integrity question becomes impossible for the league to ignore.

Brady's role at Fox drops him right into production meetings, even if they're virtual. Every coach and player handles those meetings differently -- one team instructs their coaches and players before any production meetings "Bare bones. Keep everything basic and simple" -- but the sessions aren't all fluff; some supply plenty of meat, and there's a firm, unspoken trust between broadcast crews and teams that confidential information will remain in those rooms.

The Chicago Bears are on Fox this week, with Brady on the call. Next week they play the Raiders. So in theory, Las Vegas ownership just got a direct line into the Bears' scouting report on themselves. No other team in the league has that advantage.

This week, Brady spoke to Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen before the Bears face the Cowboys on Sunday. He could have discussed what the Bears like on third-and-long, which packages they trust, which players are banged up and maybe even their recovery timelines.

Even Antonio Pierce recently said that Brady would share information and observations last season, when Pierce was the Raiders' head coach. Didn't help the record much, sure, but the point is, this isn't theoretical -- Brady is offering up information to with the Raiders.

Does anyone care? It's mixed. A head coach told me, "Good! He's busy doing lots of jobs. Less time to improve the Raiders." Another GM countered with, "It's Tom Brady. He's one of the most shrewd quarterbacks to ever play football. Of course he's going to soak up everything he can to give the Raiders an edge." One team instructs their coaches and players before production meetings "Bare bones. Keep everything basic and simple."

One NFL owner explained, "They are getting an unfair advantage whether they capitalize on it or not. You don't think he's getting info from the crew that is allowed at practice? Of course he is."

So where does that leave us? For now, the NFL isn't planning to step in. But it's hard not to wonder, what would this century's most paranoid sports organization -- the New England Patriots -- have said if a rival owner had such an information pipeline?

You already know the answer. Brady would have hated it.

(I did reach out to Brady for this story, but he did not return my message.)

Turf toe troubles, ankle sprains and concussions, oh my. Let's spin through the QB carousel:

The Cincinnati Bengals are turning to Jake Browning with Joe Burrow out for months following Friday's surgery for Grade 3 turf toe. The hope is Burrow could return in December, but talking to players who've suffered the same injury, that's a long shot for anyone, even if it's not off the table. For now, the Bengals are sticking with Browning -- no veteran QB hunt yet.

(Did you know turf toe doesn't just happen on turf? It can happen on natural grass surfaces, too. Turf toe is about the ligaments in the foot, not the material.)

In Minnesota, Carson Wentz, who grew up a Vikings fan, gets the start as J.J. McCarthy recovers from a high ankle sprain. McCarthy could miss a few more weeks, but there's some good news. (And more on Wentz below.)

The New York Jets are going with veteran Tyrod Taylor, while Justin Fields sits in concussion protocol.

In Washington, reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels is nursing a knee sprain. They've ruled out an MCL sprain, but he won't play. Marcus Mariota steps in against a Raiders team he once played for.

Out west, Brock Purdy returned to practice on a limited basis after his turf toe injury, but the San Francisco 49ers are playing it safe. That means another week for Mac Jones as the starter, coming off the best game of his career against the New Orleans Saints. Purdy could be the backup or emergency quarterback.

Here we go again.

The tush push was nearly banned last offseason, and just two weeks into this season, the momentum against it is stronger than ever.

One head coach vented over the phone: "It's getting very sloppy and officials can't officiate it. They have to make sure no one is in the neutral zone and that no one moves before the ball. There are just a lot of missed calls on the play."

That frustration is exactly why so many teams wanted it gone in the first place. The pileup of humanity makes it nearly impossible for officials to properly monitor the line of scrimmage.

The league's weekly training video sent to NFL referees and teams this past week flagged at least one of the Philadelphia Eagles' tush push plays against the Kansas City Chiefs. Officials were told to be more attentive to pre-snap movement during plays.

In May, a proposal to outlaw the play came within two votes of passing. Influential voices inside 345 Park Ave. Influential voices inside 345 Park Avenue still believe that the tush push doesn't belong. Multiple people who were in those rooms during league meetings came away convinced the ban could finally happen this offseason, and now that it looks a mess on television ... this may be the end for the Brotherly Shove. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie may need something bigger than a passionate speech from Jason Kelce to save the tush push this time. May I suggest a pitch from Kelce's soon to be sister-in-law?

The reigning Coach of the Year leaned on conversations with Sean McVay and Andy Reid before signing Wentz less than 30 days ago. And Vikings QB coach Josh McCown was teammates with Wentz in Philadelphia in his final season as a player. All three told Minnesota's Kevin O'Connell nearly the same thing about working with the veteran backup: Trust the process and let him handle the game.

Last Thursday was a perfect example. Wentz took every rep while McCarthy was at the hospital for the birth of his son. Wentz ran the show, and O'Connell said the ball only hit the ground once and that Wentz was in complete command. And after a full week of practice with Wentz getting all the first-team reps, the Vikings are even more enthusiastic.

Coming off the season-opening win over the Bears, O'Connell wanted to speed up the entire operation at the line of scrimmage. That kind of pressure usually falls hardest on the quarterback, but Wentz had no trouble. He made the throws, flashed the athleticism that once made him an MVP candidate and used his size to see the field.

The Vikings don't need Wentz to be a savior while McCarthy is out. They just need him to execute.

McCarthy, meanwhile, has stayed present. Though he didn't practice Friday, he was alongside O'Connell throughout the session, and he continues to sit in on meetings. McCarthy has been in a walking boot to aid his recovery from a high ankle sprain. Similar to last year's approach, the team believes the more engaged he remains mentally, the smoother his transition will be once he's cleared to return.

In the meantime, O'Connell is tasked with making magic once again, with his sixth different starting quarterback in three seasons.

Ben Johnson's offense with the Detroit Lions had been one of the NFL's most creative and effective units over the past few seasons, and at times was simply electric. So when John Morton, a former offensive coordinator with the Jets and a guy who's worked under Jon Gruden and Sean Payton, stepped in, the question was: Can he keep Detroit's offense humming?

So far, the Lions' offense looks familiar ... and that's not a bad thing.

Just ask an opposing defensive coordinator: "They still want to run the ball, lean on play-action and take their shots downfield to Jameson Williams. Amon-Ra St. Brown remains the security blanket on crossers and gets sprinkled into the gadget game, whether it's a reverse or even a backfield handoff on third down. The formula hasn't really changed: run, play-action, sprinkle in some wrinkles."

That's been Jared Goff's sweet spot since his McVay days, and it still is. Play-action is where he's most comfortable, and Detroit knows it, so why change?

As long as the ground game keeps doing its job, the offense moves exactly how Morton and Dan Campbell want it: steady and efficient.

There's been a lot of discussion about second overall pick Travis Hunter and his role on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Through the first two weeks, his impact has been muted -- he has 55 receiving yards on offense and three tackles and one pass defended on defense -- and the question some around the league are asking is why?

Jacksonville gave up massive draft capital to land Hunter. Two games in, he just hasn't popped. To be fair, he missed time in training camp due to an upper-body injury, which likely affected the trajectory of his development.

It's evident the Jaguars are still working on defining his role, although he saw an uptick in snaps on both sides of the ball in Week 2 -- 42 on offense and 30 on defense. Hunter is an undeniably talented player with a rare skill set. Right now, though, his usage is very much a work in progress, which highlights just how demanding playing both ways can be at the NFL level.

Jaguars new general manager James Gladstone clearly wanted to make a splash with Hunter. But could the Jaguars be better off by focusing on getting early returns on their investment rather than trying to change the game with a two-way phenom?

The good ol' 0-2 start isn't exactly how Bears fans pictured this season beginning, not after landing the most sought-after coaching candidate on the market in Johnson. But here we are: Chicago is still holding its breath with Williams and hoping to get its first win of the season Sunday against the Cowboys.

Evaluators have agreed that Williams' talent has never been in doubt, going back to the 2024 Draft. When he has time and trusts the pocket, he looks every bit the franchise quarterback Chicago envisioned when it took him No. 1 overall. The coach then: Matt Eberflus, who will face Williams this week as the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys.

What coaches in Dallas are seeing: In moments Williams drifts outside the pocket, it starts to get ugly. Williams can be vicious on the move, but he can just as easily turn the ball over.

But they're noticing some good, too. "We're seeing less of that freelancing so far," one league source said. "Williams is standing tall, trusting his line and delivering on schedule more often. Whether that's improved protection or Johnson drilling patience into him, it's a subtle but meaningful shift."

I'm not here to play Pollyanna or hand Bears fans false hope -- you don't get cute when you're staring down the possibility of 0-3. But if Williams can continue to marry his playmaking abilities with good pocket work, this might finally be the beginning of something different in Chicago.

Finally, one of the sneaky early storylines worth watching is the number of former NFL head coaches who've slid back into coordinator roles this season.

Some of them look completely refreshed, thriving with a little less pressure on their shoulders. For others, the jury's still out.

Robert Saleh, the former Jets head coach, is off to a hot start running San Francisco's defense. Eberflus? He's bringing his juice back to the Cowboys defense and sorting it out without Micah Parsons. Former Chargers HC Brandon Staley has landed in New Orleans as the defensive coordinator. Allen (Bears) and Steve Wilks (Jets) are also running defenses. Former Eagles HC Chip Kelly is dialing up plays in Vegas. And, of course, former Raiders HC Josh McDaniels is back in New England, where he feels most at home.

It's a full-on trend this year. And over the next few months, we'll find out who's best suited in a secondary role, and who's going to be back calling all the shots -- with a to-do list far bigger than the one on my kitchen counter.

What I'm hearing on the Tom Brady problem, the tush push's future and Caleb Williams