The Week 5 game picks are upcoming, but first ...
» With the loss of big-ticket free-agent Jairus Byrd, the New Orleans Saints are officially in real trouble. They oughta take care of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pretty easily on Sunday, but take a look at the 10-game gauntlet awaiting them when they come off their Week 6 bye: at DET, GB, at CAR, SF, CIN, BAL, at PIT, CAR, at CHI, ATL.
» The best thing the Saints have going for them: The rest of the NFC South is ... underwhelming.
» Florida State has been good at college football for quite some time now. Florida State quarterbacks who make it to the NFL have not been good for quite some time now. When Brad Johnson (aka The Worst QB to Win a Super Bowl) is your best ever, that's bad. Here are the lesser lights: EJ Manuel, Christian Ponder, Chris Weinke, Danny Kanell, Casey Weldon, Peter Tom Willis, Gary Huff. Maybe it'd be best for Famous Jameis to follow fellow Seminole/Heisman winner Chaz Ward and declare for the NBA draft.
» I'm not sure if Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is getting in on the Halloween spirit, but when he puts on a uniform, he is indistinguishable from Rob Gronkowski:
» Whatever else ails the game of football right now, football players showing joy after making a successful football play isn't one of them.
» As I've been telling you since May, Green Bay's defense is vastly improved from what it's been the last few seasons. That's not to say it ranks up there with Seattle's or Cincy's (especially against the run), but -- thanks to Aaron Rodgers & his highly offensive pals -- it doesn't need to be. Like the '09 Saints (who, you might recall, won the Super Bowl), this defense is forcing turnovers and getting to QBs. We hear a lot about how run-based offenses "complement" strong Ds ... but a pass-dominant O like Green Bay's complements the team's emerging defensive strength: making plays against the pass.
» By the way, I'm not getting much pushback today about who I put at No. 1 in my 2014 triplet rankings. Hmmm, wonder why.
» Fun times in Studio 66 this week on the Dave Dameshek Football Program: Elliot Harrison, Handsome Hank Hodgson & I offered our MVP candidates at the quarter pole. Forgive us for not mentioning Andrew Luck -- we got caught up trying to figure out the difference between "anomaly" and "aberration."
» Just went to Thesaurus.com and typed in "anomaly." Behold the results.
» More DDFP TV: Daniel "Move The Sticks" Jeremiah and I discussed whether the 3-1 Cowboys, Ravens and Chargers can keep it going all season.
» If Ole Miss beats Alabama this weekend, SEC wonks will say it proves their conference has unparalleled depth.
» Following Arizona's win over Oregon on Thursday night, SEC wonks are scoffing at how overrated the Pac-12's so-called "best team" is.
» By this time next month, heated debate about which four teams should get into the new college football playoff will be ubiquitous. Those aforementioned SEC wonks argue they deserve at least two teams (just like they've previously argued both spots in the BCS title game should've gone to SEC teams). Either way, it's absurd. After the Niners narrowly lost the Seahawks in the NFC title game last January, no one suggested San Francisco should get another shot at their rival. Why? 'Cause that's what the conference title game was for!
» Come to think of it, though, Seahawks-Niners would've been a better Super Bowl than the one we got.
» Here's an unimpeachably bad sports argument: "A starting pitcher shouldn't be allowed to win the MVP award." Over the course of the season, the number of batters a starting pitcher faces is roughly the same as the number of a batter's at-bats.
And with that, "We're on to Cincinnati ..."
... and all the other games, too.
WARNING: Do NOT continue reading if you don't want to know the final scores of the remaining Week 5 games.
(7-6 last week; 35-28 on the season.)
Jay Cutler: 25-35, 360 yds, 3 TDs, INT
Kelvin Benjamin: 7 rec, 120 yds, TD
BUFFALO BILLS 20
DETROIT LIONS 28
Kyle Orton: 22-38, 270 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Calvin Johnson: 6 rec, 100 yds, 2 TDs
HOUSTON TEXANS 20
DALLAS COWBOYS 23
Arian Foster: 16 car, 95 yds, TD
Tony Romo: 20-29, 290 yds, TD, 2 INTs
Le'Veon Bell: 220 yds/scrimmage, 2 TDs
Toby Gerhart: 16 car, 80 yds, 2 TDs
Doug Martin: 10 car, 30 yds
Brandin Cooks: 160 yds/scrimmage, TD
Julio Jones: 8 rec, 140 yds, TD
Rashad Jennings: 18 car, 110 yds, TD
Torrey Smith: 5 rec, 90 yds, TD
Hakeem Nicks: 3 rec, 60 yds, TD
Zac Stacy: 20 car, 115 yds, TD
LeSean McCoy: 200 yds/scrimmage, 3 TDs
Ben Tate: 14 car, 86 yds, TD
Bishop Sankey: 14 car, 36 yds, fumble lost
Larry Fitzgerald: 8 rec, 88 yds
Cody Latimer: 3 rec, 50 yds, 2 TDs
Chris Ivory: 24 car, 95 yds, TD
Malcom Floyd: 4 rec, 75 yds, TD
Jamaal Charles: 140 yds/scrimmage, 2 TDs
Vernon Davis: 4 rec, 45 yds, 2 TDs
Jeremy Hill: 15 car, 75 yds, TD
Tom Brady: 1-yd GW TD rush
Bobby Wagner: 33-yd fumble rec TD
Kirk Cousins: 2 INTs
Follow Dave Dameshek on Twitter @Dameshek.
