Special to The Era
In hockey, flopping — or diving, or fishing for calls from the
officials — is the sort of thing that could get you punched in the
face.
Tom Brady flopped twice last week in the Patriots’ game against
Baltimore and Ray Lewis was so irritated by the calls that he spoke
out after the Ravens’ 27-21 loss.
He said, “It’s embarrassing to the league to let a defensive
player play his heart out and you call that. A personal foul and he
(Brady) isn’t even touched. He’s a man. They (quarterbacks) can be
hit, just like us. It’s embarrassing to even keep the momentum
going like that when we go three and out and then we stop them and
then you look back and see a flag or a personal foul and Tom Brady
is laughing. It wasn’t no personal foul if he’s still smiling.”
I propose the NFL should adopt hockey’s stance on fighting so
that Lewis could have taken care of the problem himself. He implies
that he knows what a personal foul really is and would like to show
us. We’re watching …
Another NFL quarterback flopping at the moment is Trent Edwards,
although not in the aforementioned sense. Edwards looks like a fish
out of water. He is not the future of the Buffalo Bills.
He’s regressed so much, taken so many steps backward, that I
think he’s playing at Stanford again (Get it? It’s 2,700 miles
away).
Nor is Dick Jauron the coach for the job. Take, for instance,
the manner in which he throws the challenge flag. He walks along,
holds the flag at his side and then drops it like it’s a booger he
just picked and is trying to get rid of without anybody seeing him
do it. Show some passion!
You can argue that it’s not the coach’s fire that wins football
games, but at least it lets you look like you care. I’ll dare to
speak for Bills fans and say we’re tired of having the cameras pan
to Jauron only to watch him standing there deadpan with his arms
crossed on his chest.
An alarming statistic, reported at firejauron.com, shows that Jauron’s
record against winning teams in his three years in Buffalo is 2-23.
What’s more: He is 0-8 against the AFC East dating back to
2008.
Meanwhile, I was 9-5 last week. That brings my overall record to
43-19 (.693). Here’s Week 5. On byes this week are the Bears,
Packers, Saints and Chargers.
CINCINNATI AT BALTIMORE — The Ravens have to want to hit
somebody. They should be 4-0, and I know they want to own the AFC
North. Here it is, theirs for the taking. BALTIMORE 37-20
CLEVELAND AT BUFFALO – Here’s as good a chance as any for
Buffalo to win a game, especially with Braylon Edwards having been
traded to the Jets. A chance? Yes. A choice? No. A loss here and
heads will roll, guaranteed. BUFFALO 23-15
WASHINGTON AT CAROLINA — In the per-game categories, Washington
leads Carolina in every category (total yards, pass yards and
points) except rush yards, and the Panthers are only ahead by 1
yard, 101 to 100. So, that’s not saying much for Carolina because
when you think of Washington, you think stinky offense. They also
top the Panthers in several notable defensive categories.
WASHINGTON 17-13
PITTSBURGH AT DETROIT — It just doesn’t sound right to say the
Steelers have to beat the Lions to move above the .500 mark. They
will though. PITTSBURGH 30-16
DALLAS AT KANSAS CITY — When Tony Romo’s passer rating climbs
into the triple digits, the Cowboys are 20-3. Is it safe to assume
he’ll do that against the league’s 28th-ranked pass defense when
he’s thrown four interceptions over the last three weeks? DALLAS
27-18
OAKLAND AT NEW YORK GIANTS — Whether Eli Manning plays or he
doesn’t, NEW YORK GIANTS 34-10
TAMPA BAY AT PHILADELPHIA — This one could be laughable. Tampa’s
defense allows 394 yards per game (222 passing, 172 rushing) to
Philly’s 262 (156 passing, 106 rushing). The Eagles, meantime,
produce 383 yards (264 air, 119 ground) and 31 points per game to
the Bucs’ 280 yards (183 air, 97 ground) and 13.5 points.
PHILADELPHIA 35-19
MINNESOTA AT ST. LOUIS — No question, MINNESOTA 28-12
ATLANTA AT SAN FRANCISCO — The 49ers shut out St. Louis 35-0
last week and, while maybe that’s not saying much, their defense is
only giving up 74 yards per game on the ground. Atlanta’s offense
is a touch better with more weapons, but SF actually averages more
points per game, 25.5 to 19. Surprising? SAN FRANCISCO 22-15
HOUSTON AT ARIZONA — This shall be a rather high-scoring affair.
The Cardinals will get the last possession and Tim Hightower will
win it with a 32-yard run. What if I called that? ARIZONA 35-34
NEW ENGLAND AT DENVER — The Broncos’ defense is markedly better
than the Patriots’ so far this season and Kyle Orton has been
steady, with five touchdowns and no interceptions through Week 4.
Sure, the Patriots hold onto the ball longer and convert more third
downs, but I’ll take the Denver D at home (of course). DENVER
22-19
JACKSONVILLE AT SEATTLE — I’ve picked against the Jaguars for
the last time! JACKSONVILLE 23-14
INDIANAPOLIS AT TENNESSEE — A win here and maybe — maybe — the
0-4 Titans can salvage their season. Lose and it’s all over.
INDIANAPOLIS 31-20
NEW YORK JETS AT MIAMI — Lots of people seem to pick the
Dolphins in this one. Am I missing something? Chad Henne has done
OK when he has time to throw, but when he faces a pass rush he has
struggled. And you better believe the Jets will bring it to the
rookie Sunday. NEW YORK JETS 24-20
