Man, if this is the sort of trenchant football analysis NFL.com’s Pat Kirwin comes up with every week…well, I’ll probably stick with David Roth‘s coverage. But let’s give Pat credit for a Week 10 talking point no one else has come up with (and for good reason).
Before I address any interesting matchups, game plans, injuries or highlights, I simply ask Raiders defensive tackle Tommie Kelly to stand up for the National Anthem this week. Your team is hard enough to watch, but you sitting on the bench disrespecting America is the only thing that’s worse than the performance of your team. Like it or not, you are a role model and I’m sure some young high school player will follow your lead and take a seat before his game. Thanks for nothing, Kelly!
It would be fascinating to learn exactly how many high school football players closely follow the behavior and mannerisms of the 2008 Oakland Raiders. I’m gonna guess the number is somewhere between zero and zero. And rather than accuse Kelly of disrespecting America, perhaps Kirwin might consider that for the better part of 3 hours most Sundays, the Raiders’ D is going to be on the field after their offensive counterparts have gone 3 and out on almost every occasion. The dude’s got to conserve his strength.