The Raiders and the Wonderlic

The Raiders are one of the smartest teams in the NFL based on a seven-year study of Wonderlic test reports by the Wall Street Journal. For such a smart team (wait for it), the Raiders do seem to commit an awful lot of penalties. For such a smart team (do not get ahead of us), they sure do seem to have an awfully lot of dumb fans.

Did we miss any?

You have to wonder if that data includes the Wonderlic test of Randy Moss who may be placed back into the league's drug program because of his comments in August on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel." Moss is waiting to hear from the NFL's medical director of substance abuse regarding whether his admission that he occasionally smoked marijuana will get him placed back in the program. When asked if he still uses pot, Randy told the show, "I might. I might have fun. And, you know, hopefully ... I won't get into any trouble by the NFL by saying that, you know. I have had fun throughout my years and, you know, predominantly in the offseason."

Yeah, the Raiders sure are one of the smartest teams in the NFL.

Sample Wonderlic question: Here is an actual question from the exam. Which is an antonym of Raiders: a.) cheaters; b.) cheap-shot artists; c.) losers; d.) poor sports; e.) smart.

Patriots Loss Hits Home With King: Respected columnist Peter King still cannot believe that the Chargers embarrassed the Patriots on their home field on Sunday.

I am surprised about this but I think readers are anti-Patriots. That's the way you sound. I made a point Monday that I think the Patriots win the right way, and the Chargers, in their locker room Sunday, echoed that. They were honored to beat the Patriots, at their place especially. That is why it's odd to me that there seems to be a lot of anti-Patriots chatter out there.

To suggest the Chargers were honored to beat the Patriots is as debatable as it is laughable. The Chargers were magnanimous in victory. How about giving them a little credit? It should not be odd that there is a lot of anti-Patriots chatter when football writers make statements like that. It causes resentment of the Patriots. It is cool to beat the defending Super Bowl champions, especially at home, especially to end a multi-year home winning streak. To say that a team was "honored" as they are somewhat less worthy than the Patriots is borderline moronic. All great sports dynasties receive a backlash. Why this is news to anyone is beyond us.

Smartest team in the NFL: The St. Louis football team scored the highest, meaning its players have to see what a dope coach Mike Martz truly is. The Packers were rated the lowest.

A Nation Mourns

Rest In Piece, Tin Man

The most obvious question is what are the Clippers now going to do about their vacant general manager's position? Just kidding. Is a world without Nipsey Russell worth living? It is hard to say. All game shows will observe moment of silence before each taping this week. The cause of death was unkown, but some doctors have mentioned that second-hand smoke from Richard Dawson might have been a factor.

From The Desk of Lil� Hater

[Editor�s Note: While HaterNation is busy getting his Rally Monkey stuffed animal dry-cleaned, the web site will offer the pointless ramblings of his sidekick, Lil� Hater. You will all be stupider for reading this.]

A few thoughts on last night's MNF broadcast:

Is there anything more depressing than a promo for a "special one-hour" George Lopez Show? Who watches this show, Raider fans? Do they have the attention span necessary to follow a plot for a whole hour?

Yes, actually there is something more depressing. The teaser from the local SoCal news anchor: "Both the Right and the Left are upset with the new Supreme Court nominee. Right after Wife Swap."

Is it possible for millions of potential viewers to be turned off a show in less than a minute? If you�re watching 60 Seconds with Jimmy Kimmel, it certainly is. Couldn't they just get the country singer dude to throw in a couple extra verses about Bill Parcel's waistline, and cut this Kimmel crap out altogether? Dude, you're on national TV. Open your eyes. And try being funny. Throw in a Ron Mexico joke or something. And speaking of Ron Mexico, do you think all the Raider fans in Stadio Azteca Sunday night [um, let�s not go there � Editor].

Anyway, Lil' Hater sobered up early enough on Sunday morning, and saw his first Raiders pregame show this weekend, featuring Norv Turner and Jim Plunkett. Again: Norv Turner and Jim Plunkett, in the studio. That's a sight for bleary eyes. Why haven't the producers of Extreme Makeover done a special episode with these two dudes is beyond me.

And finally, a belated shout out to Coach Norville, for his big W against The Big D. Yeah, it only took 12 years, but it looks like he's finally figured out how to beat his old team. Actually, Lil� Hater suspects the knowledge of wily special teams coach Joe Avezzano, who coached for the Cowboys from 1990-2002, had more to do with it than "Play Calling Genius" Norv, who wisely decided to put the ball in the hands of his best player four whole times in a must-win game. But then again, when you're averaging a mere 24.5 yards/catch for the season, as Randy Moss is, clearly it�s best not to exploit this clear advantage unless you�re down by two scores or more. The fact that QB Kerry Collins hasn't thrown an interception yet this year is actually an indictment of the team's play calling, rather than a positive. Collins should be taking more risks, and launch the ball upfield a lot more than is now the case. If 99-year-old Mark Brunnell and Santana Moss can go deep on the Cowboys, so can Moss and Collins.