Week 4

Week 4

October 2, 2012

Welcome back! Read this Week 4 recap as you prepare for Week 5!

The big topic lighting up sports talk radio was the Tony Romo five-interception bloodbath in Chicago. Is this yet another vaunted QB on the downslope? Do the Cowboys need to accelerate their search for a quarterback of the future?

They need an heir apparent. Romo has never been great. The Cowboys just can’t seem to perform in the playoffs, when they make it there at all. I don’t even remember Romo ever being considered a “vaunted” quarterback.

There was also much talk of Jay Cutler dismissively walking away from offensive coordinator Mike Tice -- when the team had a lead! This guy's sourpuss is becoming the stuff of legend. Do you think a quarterback has to be lovable to lead a team?

Well, it certainly plays a role. A leader has to be well-liked by his or her subjects. Because a quarterback leads the offense, they shouldn’t be disdained by their teammates.

Many pundits claim the Houston Texans are the league's best team. What do you think? Has Matt Schaub joined the ranks of elite quarterbacks?

The Texans are a good team all-around. With a solid defense that has stayed strong despite losing Mario Williams and an offense that is far from one-dimensional, they have a chance to go far this season. Matt Schaub is very underrated.

We saw the ups and downs of the irritating ice-the-kicker timeout yet again this week. What do you think of this tactic? Does it work? Should it be outlawed?

I think it could work, but kickers have probably gotten used to it right now. I don’t think it should be outlawed; there’s no real rule that could be made that would prevent icing the kicker. Coaches would find another way.

Four weeks in, what offensive and defensive trends do you see emerging?

Rookie quarterbacks are quite mercurial. That’s something that I’ve noticed. As far as defense is concerned, a lot of teams are lacking. We’ve had some very high-scoring games.

What can be done about the epic disaster that is the New York Jets? This is a team that can't seem to do anything right. If you were to take over as their head coach or GM tomorrow (and you might), what are the first three things you'd do to rebuild this team?

1) New quarterback. 2) New running back. 3) New wide receiver. There are a lot of things wrong with the way this team is built. I think they could use a full overhaul. A lot of players have stuck around from past regimes.

What the heck happened to the Lions? This was a team that opened last season 5-0. Do you think they can pull it together?

It’ll be hard for them, but they still have a chance at a wild card. I think they need a running game free from injuries, suspensions, and random people like Joique Bell.

Would you agree that the season's biggest surprise is the Minnesota Vikings? Name three things this team is doing right. Do you think their good fortunes can continue?

I’m not sure they’re the biggest surprise, but they’re certainly doing well. I don’t think they’ll continue this, though. Remember that they barely beat the Jaguars, and they’re in one of the top divisions. They do have a great running back, great defensive end and a surprisingly good receiver in Percy Harvin.

I meant to ask this last week: Who are your favorite NFL broadcasters? Who does the best job with play-by-play and who's the best color man? Talk about their strengths. If you were to go into broadcasting, who would you like to emulate?

I really like Jim Nantz and Joe Buck as far as play-by-play is concerned. I don’t know any specific ones, but I like color commentators who are actually knowledgeable. If I were to be a broadcaster, I would be a calm, composed kind of guy, more like Jim Nantz than someone like Gus Johnson or Marv Albert.

Suddenly some questionable prospects like Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden are playing pretty well. Who are the other notable rookies (on both offense and defense) at this point in the season?

RG3 is a big standout. The RG3 vs. Luck debate is something that I think will be going on for the entire duration of their careers. Trent Richardson looks like an elite running back in the making. I’m glad to have him on my fantasy team.

I am well pleased with the performance of the Atlanta Falcons thus far, particularly last week's gutsy comeback against the Panthers. Does this team have what it takes to go the distance?

I think they’ll win the division. They have little competition besides Carolina (the disorganized Saints and mediocre Buccaneers), and they just showed that they can beat the Panthers.

On the other hand, a week ago we were talking about a Russell Wilson coming-out party, and now the cries have gone up in Seattle for Matt Flynn. Who's the better choice to lead this team?

Russell Wilson deserves to start, but I think he should be on a short leash. Matt Flynn is much more experienced. Both have different skill sets.

A final wild-card question: How long do you think it will be before we see a female coach -- even an assistant coach -- in the NFL?

That could take a while, but I believe that a woman with a lot of expertise could be hired sometime in the next decade. It’ll be hard to overcome the prejudices, but we’ve already seen a female referee on the replacement crew.

Now comes the part where Hen gets to type whatever he wants.

So much for Javon Ringer. He had two carries for 14 yards.

This week’s prediction: Tim Tebow will throw an interception.