Glauber: Eli believes he's entering his prime

Eli: I'm in my prime

For many NFL players, turning 30 signals the beginning of an eventual decline. But for quarterbacks, especially the good ones, it signals the beginning of his prime years. Joe Montana said it when he was with the 49ers. Steve Young, too. And Phil Simms and Dan Marino.

It's the age when a quarterback still has all of his physical strength, yet possesses such an innate knowledge of the offense that he combines the two for some of his best performances.

So it's no wonder that Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who is off to a terrific start after last year's career-high 25 interceptions, believes he's just now entering his prime.

"I think there's definitely a lot of upside," Manning said this week. "I hope these next seven years of my career are my best. I've been fortunate to be in the same offense all these years."

Wait, did Manning, who turned 30 on Jan. 3, just announce that he'll play seven more seasons? Not exactly.

"Maybe," he quipped. "If I play until I'm 37, I'd be very happy."

Manning likes the idea that his new cast of receivers featuring Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and now Victor Cruz, will be around for several more years

"Having some young guys be here a while, and train them, and get them comfortable with what's going on is big,'' Manning said. "I feel like I have a great understanding of what we're doing, what our offense is, and have an understanding of defenses. Now it's a matter of going out and executing."

Through three games, Manning has six touchdowns and two interceptions to go with a quarterback rating of 104.3. His career rating is 80.8. He was the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week off his four touchdown, no interception performance in last week's road win over Philadelphia.

Is Fitzpatrick for real?

At 3-0, the Bills are the surprise team of the season and Ryan Fitzpatrick is the surprise quarterback.

While it's still early to pronounce the Bills a legitimate contender and Fitzpatrick a big-time quarterback, the numbers put up by the former Harvard star are downright stunning.

The seventh-year passer is tied for second in the NFL with nine touchdown passes, and he's sixth with a 103.5 rating. And get this: The Bills lead the NFL in scoring with an average of 37.6 points per game.

Fitzpatrick is thriving under the tutelage of second-year head coach Chan Gailey. The two have now been together for 16 games, the equivalent of a full season. Fitzpatrick's numbers in that span: 32 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

"He's done an amazing job," Gailey said of Fitzpatrick, who has produced consecutive comeback wins over the Raiders and Patriots. "The highest compliment you can pay a quarterback is that he wins. It doesn't matter whether we're up or down or what, he keeps playing well. He's a winner, obviously."

Stafford to Johnson . . . touchdown

The Lions are off to their first 3-0 start in more than two decades (1980), and one of the big reasons is the Matthew Stafford-to-Calvin Johnson connection.

Stafford, who is healthy again after suffering another injury-shortened season in 2010, has connected with Johnson on two touchdown passes in each of the first three games. That's the first time a receiver has had that kind of production in the first three games in NFL history.

Johnson leads the NFL with six touchdown passes, and since the start of the 2008 season, his 35 receiving touchdowns are the most in the NFL.

Up next for the Lions: a huge one in Dallas, where the 2-1 Cowboys are coming off a gutty win over the Redskins.

Quick hits

* Despite reports that Dolphins coach Tony Sparano is safe for the time being, there's no question he'll be let go if the losing continues, possibly before the end of the season. The most likely replacement on an interim basis if team owner Steve Ross decides to pull the plug early: defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, the former 49ers head coach.

* The 0-3 Chiefs might make a coaching change with Todd Haley, and if they decide to remove him early, look for defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, the former Browns head coach, to take over on an interim basis.

* The Cowboys had the worst defense in the NFC last season. Through three games, they have the best, allowing an average of just 288 yards per game under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

* Darren Sproles, signed by the Saints to take over for Reggie Bush, already has made an impact. The former Chargers running back/returner has a touchdown in all three games, one each via punt, rushing and receiving.