Times NFL Writer T.J. Simers Poses--And Answers--The Burning Questions On GAME DAy

1) Question: If Heath Shuler plays better for New Orleans against Oakland, what will be the reason for such a turnaround?

Answer: An air horn. The Saints, concerned about the Raiders’ pass rush for some reason, decided to blow an air horn this week three seconds after Shuler took the snap from center to prompt him to throw the ball more quickly.

“When you get to three seconds, the wall starts crumbling,” said Saint offensive coordinator Danny Abramowicz. “[The air horn] is no miraculous, ingenious thing. It’s been done before.”

Ingenious Raider fans might want to bring an air horn to the game and blow it every two seconds.

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2) Q: What’s up with former San Francisco 49er coach George Seifert?

A: Nothing yet. He is earning $1.6 million this year from the 49ers to do nothing, and if he stays out of coaching for the next five years he will earn an additional $200,000 a year.

But will he coach again? “There’s an excitement about it,” he said. “I guess if anything, I’m kind of cautious with my emotions because I know it might not take place and yet I know if the right opportunity developed, I’d be excited about it. I think I’d have the energy to do it.

“It would be fun to go [to another team] because I would have to put all of my energy into that club, and then I’d become loyal to that club. I think I can do that. I almost look forward to that part of it.”

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3) Q: Is there anything wrong with John Elway’s arm?

A: Did you see him throw that 59-yard strike to wide receiver Rod Smith? “He threw a ‘go’ route against one of the fastest DBs [Shawn Springs] in the NFL,” Denver Coach Mike Shanahan said. “So the people that thought John’s arm might not be strong enough? Well, there are probably only two or three, maybe four or five, guys who can do that in the NFL.”

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4) Q: How does Raider receiver Tim Brown feel about his team’s defense?

A: Horrible. “We can’t continue to go on this way,” Brown said on his own radio show this week. “. . . I think any time our defense is giving up the points they’ve been giving up, giving up the yards, I think that a coaching change there may be inevitable.”

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5) Q: Why does surfer Bobby Beathard look so goofy?

A: Charger Coach Kevin Gilbride now makes Beathard, the team’s general manager, wear a coat and tie to away games. Beathard donned a sport coat for a recent trip to Cincinnati and found in his pocket a 1989 NFL schedule from Runyon’s restaurant in New York City. Beathard said he probably last wore the jacket in 1989 while working as a studio analyst for NBC.

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TODAY’S GAMES

ON TV

New York Jets at Miami

* Kickoff: 10 a.m.

* TV: Channel 4.

* Records: Jets 6-3, Dolphins 5-4.

* Storyline: Glenn Foley gets the start with Neil O’Donnell being sent to the bullpen. Does it matter? This team is all about Bill Parcells and his ability to win no matter what the situation. Parcells is 30-19 all-time in November, but can the Jets hang tough given the Dolphins’ success at home, which includes five consecutive division victories?

* Odds: Dolphins by 3.

* Pick: Dolphins.

New England at Buffalo

* Kickoff: 1 p.m.

* TV: Channel 4.

* Records: Patriots 5-4, Bills 5-4.

* Storyline: Is Bill Buckner playing quarterback, and we just don’t know it? Drew Bledsoe’s collapse in big games has taken the Patriots to the very edge of the cliff. Bledsoe is tied for first with Jeff George in the NFL with 20 touchdown passes, but like George he has been unable to carry them to victory. The Bills can’t score touchdowns, but still have won two of their last three games and will start quarterback Alex Van Pelt, who showed nothing in his initial start. Home team has won four of last five meetings between these two. Not this time.

* Odds: Patriots by 3.

* Pick: Patriots.

Carolina at Denver

* Kickoff: 1 p.m.

* TV: Channel 11.

* Records: Panthers 5-4, Broncos 8-1.

* Storyline: How interested is Denver in winning? A year ago, they jumped out to a quick lead and lost their edge trying to figure out how to finish the season without getting anyone hurt. Next week they play the Chiefs in a huge game, but now the Chiefs will be without Elvis Grbac. A big opportunity for a letdown here, and with the Panthers playing their best football, how about an upset?

* Odds: Broncos by 7.

* Pick: Panthers. And in Mile High Stadium, that’s some upset.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh

* Kickoff: 5 p.m.

* TV: ESPN.

* Records: Ravens 4-5, Steelers 6-3.

* Storyline: The Ravens have the No. 1 passing game in the league, but also have Vinny Testaverde playing quarterback, so it’s a wash. The Steelers are coming off a letdown defeat to Kansas City and catch a break against the 26th-ranked defense in the league. Final outcome could hinge on match race between Jerome Bettis and Bam Morris. Take Bettis.

* Odds: Steelers by 6 1/2.

* Pick: Steelers.

THE REST

Detroit at Washington

* Kickoff: 10 a.m.

* Records: Lions 4-5, Redskins 5-4.

* Storyline: Washington has whipped Detroit 15 straight times, but the Lions have the NFC’s No. 2 rushing attack and the Redskins rank No. 29 in the league stopping the run. Run, Barry Sanders, run. Sanders has rushed for seven straight 100-yard games, and needs two yards to become first player to rush for 1,000 yards in nine consecutive seasons. Still, make it 16 straight.

* Odds: Redskins by 3 1/2.

* Pick: Redskins.

St. Louis at Green Bay

* Kickoff: 10 a.m.

* Records: Rams 2-7, Packers 7-2.

* Storyline: Last team to beat the Packers in Lambeau Field were the Rams (Sept. 3, 1995). This undoubtedly will be mentioned by Green Bay Coach Mike Holmgren. The Rams have five interceptions in last two meetings with Brett Favre, and lead the NFL with 13. Big deal--the Packers are on a roll and should devour the human turnover, otherwise known as Ram quarterback Tony Banks.

* Odds: Packers by 14 1/2.

* Pick: Packers.

Tampa Bay at Atlanta

* Kickoff: 10 a.m.

* Records: Buccaneers 6-3, Falcons 2-7.

* Storyline: The Buccaneers are 3-1 on the road this season, but catch the Falcons at their feisty best with a healthy Chris Chandler and running back Jamal Anderson coming off a big game. As bad as Atlanta has been, it has won seven of last 10 at home against NFC Central opponents. Atlanta actually leads the league in sacks, and has the potential to rattle quarterback Trent Dilfer.

* Odds: Buccaneers by 3.

* Pick: A second upset special, the Falcons.

Arizona at Dallas

* Kickoff: 10 a.m.

* Records: Cardinals 2-7, Cowboys 4-5.

* Storyline: The Cardinals have already beaten the Cowboys once this season, and now they catch Dallas probably without running back Emmitt Smith (groin). One more loss and the locals probably will demand public lynchings at Valley Ranch. The Cardinals, however, appear sympathetic to the Cowboys’ cause and will start erratic Jake Plummer again, which almost guarantees a late game-saving try by Kent Graham.

* Odds: Cowboys by 8 1/2.

* Pick: Cowboys.

Chicago at Minnesota

* Kickoff: 10 a.m.

* Records: Bears 1-8, Vikings 7-2.

* Storyline: Minnesota has won eight of the last 11 games between these two, but the visiting team has won the last four. This time, however, the visiting team isn’t any good. However, it does have the bounce-back rule going in its favor: Teams that get slaughtered one week are a good bet to come back strong the next. The Vikings have been under pressure, won big games the past two weeks and are ripe for a letdown, but against the Bears?

* Odds: Vikings by 9.

* Pick: Vikings.

Kansas City at Jacksonville

* Kickoff: 10 a.m.

* Records: Chiefs 7-2, Jaguars 6-3.

* Storyline: The best game of the week until the Chiefs lost Grbac because of a broken collarbone. Rich Gannon, 21-21 as an NFL starter but only 1-3 with the Chiefs, faces the NFL’s No. 23 pass defense. So maybe Kansas City can score, but how do they keep up with Jacksonville’s Mark Brunell, who goes against the NFL’s 24th-ranked pass defense?

* Odds: Jaguars by 5.

* Pick: Jaguars.

Cincinnati at Indianapolis

* Kickoff: 10 a.m.

* Records: Bengals 2-7, Colts 0-9.

* Storyline: The Bengals ruined one of the year’s better matchups with a win over the Chargers, preventing this from becoming the Peyton Manning-Ryan Leaf Bowl. Kelly Holcomb, known well to family and friends, will start for the Colts. Joel Meyers and Beasley Reece will broadcast the game for NBC showing you just how far down the ladder Meyers and Reece are at NBC.

* Odds: Bengals by 3.

* Pick: Bengals.

New York Giants at Tennessee

* Kickoff: 1 p.m.

* Records: Giants 6-3, Oilers 4-5.

* Storyline: The Giants go after their sixth straight win, which ranks right up there with man walking on the moon and the Spice Girls becoming singing stars. The Oilers are 3-2 in Memphis and 2-0 versus the NFC East and are 7-2 when Eddie George runs for at least 100 yards. So how good is the Giants’ defense in stopping the run? Only four teams have done a better job as opponents are averaging 3.4 yards per carry. So Giants win, right? Wrong.

* Odds: Oilers by 3.

* Pick: Oilers.

Seattle at San Diego

* Kickoff: 1 p.m.

* Records: Seahawks 5-4, Chargers 4-5.

* Storyline: Oh, this is fair--Warren Moon versus Craig Whelihan. Moon has 268 career touchdowns to Whelihan’s one. The Chargers’ defense ranks eighth in the NFL, but 18th against the pass, and the Seahawks will be throwing. A week ago the Bengals had seven sacks in eight games, but picked up six against the Chargers suggesting Whelihan’s career might not be all that long.

* Odds: Seahawks by 3.

* Pick: Seahawks.

New Orleans at Oakland

* Kickoff: 1 p.m.

* Records: Saints 2-7, Raiders 3-6.

* Storyline: Network executives will be on hand to see if they want to pick this up as a potential sitcom. Ordinarily this would look like a slaughter, but the Raiders have shown a remarkable ability to squander winning opportunities and Jeff George will be playing with sore ribs. But the Saints have to run the ball effectively. Forget it.

* Odds: Raiders by 9 1/2.

* Pick: Raiders by default.

* Last week’s record: 10-4.

* Season record: 84-51.

* Upset special season record: 5-11.