Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night: Week 5 Picks

Photo Image By Chris Sorrell

A couple years ago we gave you these pearls of wisdom from Theia Anthi: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks unless you're the one with his favorite treat."

We were talking about Bill Belichick's last year with the Patriots when he was 71-years-old. Now comes 74-year-old Pete Carroll, head coach of the floundering Raiders. Some NFL pundits wonder if being old is too big of a barrier for running an NFL team.

We know Carroll is a special case. He's spry, he chews gum like a 20-year-old and still does push-ups. But can he still get to the team facility at 4 AM and stay until midnight on a Monday? Does he still have the chops to make the winning in-game adjustments and clock management decisions? Is a Sunday afternoon kickoff interrupting his nap time? 

To be fair, the team has major talent deficits along the offensive line and most of the defense except for the unstoppable Maxx Crosby. But that's probably part of the reason why ownership chose ol' Pete to coach the team.

If Carroll could just get 12% more buy-in from talent bereft roster then perhaps the Silver and Black would be able to shill competency to a fan base dying for success. Some of the peiratēs (πειρατής) already look dead, to be honest.

The Raiders face the Colts this week and the matchup is not favorable. The Colts could've easily won their game against the Rams last week if receiver Adonai Mitchell hadn't lost control of the ball accidentally as he entered the end zone for a touchback.

The vagabond Raiders lost their best offensive lineman Kolton Miller to a high ankle sprain and will struggle to open holes for the diminutive rookie back Ashton Jeanty. This doesn't seem like the week to pick the Raiders. Take the Colts (-6.5).

DJ McDaniels has saved his job for now even though he is still the betting favorite to get fired first. The Dolphins have a tasty matchup against the Panthers' terrible run defense. Take the Dolphins (-1.5) and Achane to score an anytime TD.

Last Week 1-2.

Season Total 5-4.