Playing The Spread 2K7, Week 4

Two weeks ago, in overtime, Sebastian Janikowski had kicked what appeared to be a game-winning 52 yard field goal against the Denver Broncos. Unbeknownst to him, Denver coach Mike Shanahan had signaled for a timeout just before the snap and the sideline official had blown his whistle to stop the game. Janikowski had to kick again and this time around, he plunked the kick off the upright. This past week, learning from Shanahan, Raiders coach Lane Kiffen called a last-minute timeout just before the Browns' Phil Dawson delivered his potential game-winner, forcing Dawson to rekick. This time around, the kick was blocked.

The tactic of icing the kicker with a late timeout is nothing new. What is new, however, is that coaches can now call timeouts themselves. When it was up to defensive players to make the call themselves, they would signal to the umpire who would blow his whistle and wave his arms. The umpire would be directly in the center's line of sight, so once he realized the play was dead, he wouldn't snap the ball. Now, when the side judge blows play dead, it takes a split second for the players and officials near the line of scrimmage to figure out what's happening and the kick takes place before people realize it's supposed to stop.

People disagree on whether taking field goal attempts that wouldn't count is even a bad thing. But the problem is that any attempt to curtail kicker-icing tactics is bound to make officiating more complicated. How are referees supposed to distinguish between a timeout to ice the kicker and a bona fide timeout called because one of the players noticed a last-minute flaw in his team's defense? Some might suggest that we forbid coaches from calling timeouts on field goal attempts, but again, what if it's a timeout for other reasons. The whole point of giving coaches the right to call timeout is to let them stop the game if they see something their players don't notice.

My feeling is that timeouts to ice the kicker and the occasional nullified field goal are just part of the game. We are dealing with professionals here who should be able to hit a 42-yard field goal on eight of ten attempts. They should expect that opposing teams will attempt to ice them, and if they don't hear the whistle before taking a kick, they should consider it a free warm-up. It's unfair to require officials to call the game based on speculation about the motives of certain teams. Just allow the last-second timeouts to take place and deal with them.

The following picks are for entertainment purposes only and should not be the basis for any actual cash wagers.

Last week: 7-6-3
Season to date: 23-19-6
Best Bets: 1-2
Eliminator: 3-0
The Monkey: 2-1

Packers (-1.5) over Vikings
Back when the Packers were perennial contenders, their annual trip to the Metrodome usually resulted in an upset. But that was before the Vikings had to make a quarterback decision between Damned If You Do Jackson and Damned If You Don't Holcomb. WIN

Texans (-3) over Falcons
When the schedule makers set up this game, it was supposed to be understudy Matt Schaub's return to Atlanta to face his former superior, Michael Vick. The best laid plans fall by the wayside when multiple sets of indictments are involved. LOSS

Jets (-3.5) over Bills
Poor Buffalo. No team deserves to have to deal with so many injuries. Then again, I remember a certain Patriots team that suffered injury after injury but still won the Super Bowl. LOSS

Ravens (-4.5) over Browns
The league office sent a memo to the Ravens this week informing them that they don't get bonus points in the standings for building up huge leads and then seeing how close they can get to blowing the game without actually losing. LOSS

Cowboys (-13) over Rams
There's one team in the NFC that's capable of giving the AFC a run for its money in the Super Bowl. I can't see the Rams posing much of a hurdle on the Cowboys' inevitable march toward Glendale. WIN

Bears (-3) over Lions
Four games ago, Rex Grossman was the starting QB in the Super Bowl. Now, he's warming the bench. My, how the mighty have fallen. (Then again, many people would insist that Grossman was never mighty.) LOSS

Raiders (+4) over Dolphins
Lane Kiffin actually won a game with the Raiders, which already puts him halfway to the number of wins Art Shell had last year. Maybe Kiffen will actually survive until next season. WIN

49ers (+2) over Seattle
If the entire NFC West finishes at 8-8 or below, can we just have them forfeit their playoff spot and give it to a team from the AFC that actually deserves it? LOSS

Bucs (+3) over Panthers
Jeff Garcia visits Charlotte is his continuing quest for a Super Bowl ring to share his fireplace mantle with his wife's Playmate Of The Year award. (I wouldn't have minded being at that wedding.) WIN

Steelers (-6) over Cardinals
So what if Mike Tomlin had no head coaching experience and spent only one year as a coordinator? When you have talent like the Steelers do, you don't really need to do much actual coaching. LOSS

Chiefs (+11.5) over Chargers
Somewhere, Marty Schottenheimer is watching TV and smiling. I hear there's a job with the Giants that's opening up pretty soon. Also, LaDanian Tomlinson is one reason why I'm glad I don't play in a fantasy league. WIN

Colts (-9.5) over Broncos
For all the people who call Mike Shanahan a tactical genius, I say this: 4th and 5, own nine-yard line, down 20-14, 4:19 to play, shotgun, deep pass over the middle, incomplete. Not so brilliant anymore, is here? WIN

Eagles (-3) over Giants
Philadelphia finally figured out that all they must do to start winning games is show up wearing heinous sky blue and yellow uniforms thus force other teams into a nausea-ridden visual stupor. LOSS

Patriots (-7) over Bengals
Can the Patriots score 38 points for the fourth week in a row? Against a Bengals defense that gave up 52 to the Browns, I'd be shocked if they didn't. WIN

BEST BET: Packers (-1.5) over Vikings WIN
ELIMINATOR: New York Jets LOSS

THE MONKEY: Jets (-3.5) over Bills LOSS