NFL Notebook

While waiting to see if Sebastian Janikowski has sobered up enough to kick for the Raiders on Monday night, I thought I'd share some thoughts on this past weekend's NFL action. Let's get started...

* Big surprise that Janikowski was arrested Saturday night in Walnut Creek, California. He was charged with suspicion of misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor vandalism and public drunkenness. The guess here is that he's kicking Monday night against the Broncos.

* It looks like that after three weeks, Laveranues Coles is worth all of the $35 million Redskins' owner Daniel Snyder paid him. Coles entered this past weekend leading the NFL in receiving yardage and had another big game against the Giants.

* I guess Giants' fans will go a little bit easier on Jim Fassell this week after his team scored on the first drive of overtime to beat the Redskins. It was amazing last week hearing all the sports-talk callers calling for his head. This guy may not be Bill Parcels, but he is a very good head coach.

* Norman Chad of the Boston Globe brought up a point I had been thinking about recently. Why do pro football players in opening intro's always give the college they played for? (Notice I didn't say attended?)

* As if the Rams weren't in trouble already, Marshall Faulk's broken hand will keep him out for a reported four weeks. Fortunately for the Rams, they have Arizona at home and then a bye week. The two weeks after the bye bring Atlanta, without Michael Vick, and then the disappointing Packers to St. Louis.

* The talk of Brett Favre's decline seems to be a bit premature. He is certainly off to a slow start, but both Green Bay wide receivers, Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson, are banged up, and Jevan Walker is very young and inconsistent. When it's late in the season and it's cold in Green Bay, that is when he will be at his best. He has at least a few good years left.

* Even though Brian Mitchell had a nice run back in overtime against the Skins (it was negated by a penalty), Delvin Joyce looks much more explosive.

* The Chiefs look really good right now, but let's not forget the three teams they have beaten are San Diego, Pittsburgh and Houston -- none of which will be around come playoff time. Let them go into Baltimore next weekend and come out with a win before we put them with the NFL elite.

* One of the Redskins' goals this week against the Giants was to cut down on penalties. So, what do they do? They tie a franchise record with 17 for a whopping 142 yards. Steve Spurrier said, "I didn't think it was that hard to play within the rules, but we are having a hard time doing it." He also called it "pure bad discipline." Hey Steve, isn't that a coach's job, instilling discipline?

* I wanted to see which team he liked in tonight's Raiders-Broncos match up, but Jamal Lewis didn't answer his phone.

Comments? Ed Duffy can be reached at eduff56@yahoo.com