NFL Week 4: Week 5 Predictions

The Art of Whining:
Some very interesting things happened following the Patriots-Ravens game on Sunday, lots and lots of whining and complaining. Naturally, players are upset after suffering a loss in a tight, hard fought game. However, the some choice Baltimore players showed their true colors and true intellect with their post-game comments. The controversy was over "Roughing the Passer" penalties that occurred on Tom Brady during the second half of the game. One thing I always find interesting is how stupid some NFL players are. For instance, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Ray Lewis said, "Those penalties were ridiculous, he is a man just like we are, he can get hit." He then continues to say, "Both of their touchdown drives had personal fouls that kept the drives alive. Did that win or lose the game? No, but it got them 14 points." Hmmm, did the penalties themselves award the Patriots 14 points, No. Did the Ravens hit Tom Brady, Yes. Should the penalties have been called, maybe. It was you Ray Lewis, that did not stop the Patriots from scoring, it was your defense that could n't hold them. It wasn't the referees that awarded a touchdown for a 15 yard penalty. It may have kept the play alive but it did not give them 14 points.

Ed Reed went ahead and made himself sound even more foolish by commenting on the spots given by the referees on two instances. First was on a fourth and 1 by Balitmore RB Willis McGahee. He says, "When Willis had his fourth-down try, it probably wouldn't have been a first down, but it probably should have been a little closer." Are you serious? If you get stopped short on fourth down, whether by two feet or one foot, it is still a turnover on downs Mr. Reed. That is elementary my friend. He then further makes himself out to be a fool by saying, "The Patriots spots, the guy stepped out of bounds, EVEN THOUGH WE GOT THE PENALTY ON THAT 4TH DOWN, the guy stepped out and reached the ball across for the first down." (Emphasis added). Once again, are you seriously arguing this? So what he is saying is that the Patriot player reached out for a first down after being out of bounds for the first down. The problem here is that he also states that it wouldn't have mattered because the Ravens got a penalty on that play that would have given the Patriots an automatic first down anyways. So why even make these comments? Both of the plays he was referring to had to impact on the game whatsoever, and he was simply digging for something to complain about because they could not get the job done against New England.

I just have to say, show a little class Baltimore. You guys played hard and you lost. Take that for what it is worth and don't embarrass yourselves by making these ridiculous comments that have no real bearing on the game. Own up to it when you lose, give credit to the other team and don't go sulking to the media about how you lost and it wasn't your fault because the refs let them score, the refs made us commit penalties. It is so unfair to the Ravens, poor guys, how will they ever come back from this. Man up, play like men, win like men, and lose like men.


UTE PLAYER WATCH:

Paul Kruger: 1 Tackle.
Sean Smith: 2 Tackles, 2 Solo Tackles, 2 Pass Deflections.
Eric Weddle: 7 Tackles, 5 Solo Tackles, 1 Tackle for Loss.




Week 5 Predictions: Record (15-9 Overall, 5-3 Last Week)

Philadelphia 31- Tampa Bay 17: McNabb is back and the defense should have no trouble with the lowely Bucanneers offense. May see more of Michael Vick in this game. The only question is whether Brian Westbrook will be healthy, even if he is not they have rookie LeSean McCoy who can fill in.

Washington 17- Carolina 10: Jake Delhomme is still struggling and I feel like the Redskins took that loss to the Lions as a bit of a wake up call. It wil be low scoring and close but I look for Washington to force enough turnovers and control the ball enough to hold on.

Baltimore 24- Cincinatti 14: Carson Palmer is not Tom Brady, so the Ravens shouldn't have to worry about what they are going to say if they lose. This will be a good division battle however but Baltimore's offense is too much for the Bengal defense.

San Francisco 24- Atlanta 20: This will be a close game throughout. I don't expect the 49ers to do much on offense other than run Glen Coffee. With Michael Crabtree signing, much of the media focus will be on that but little will be done on the field with him. 49ers defense wins this for them in the second half.

Arizona 37- Houston 31: I think that this game will have a lot of points scored. Neither defense is very good and both teams have explosive receivers and the QB's to get the ball to them. I have always thought the Cardinals would win this division. It will be tough with SF being 3-0 in the division.

New England 20- Denver 13: All the hype has been with how the Broncos are 4-0. They have a really good defense, but the truth is, they haven't really played anybody tough. This will be a huge test for them. It will be a fairly low scoring game but Brady finds a way to expose the Denver defense.

Indianapolis 35- Tennessee 21: I keep thinking that eventually the Titans are going to find a way to win a game. Unfortunately they play one fo the best teams in the league and the best offense. With Tennessee's defense showing very poor early this season, I expect Manning to pick them apart.

Miami 23- NY Jets 17: I like Miami in this game. I think that even without Pennington, Miami can move the ball with the wildcat format. The Jets defense is good but the Miami defense will get to Sanchez enough to make him press in the 4th quarter and the production will be limited.