professional football

The Oakland Raiders quite possibly are setting up coach Tom Cable to walk the plank.

That would fall into the category of zany Raiders' hijinks, like the kind in which coaches get fired by the light of an overhead projector and assistant coaches attack filing cabinets with their jaws.

But we have entered a new territory: "Creepyland.''

ARLINGTON, Texas - Ever since T.O. left town, I have been up and down on whether handing him his walking papers was really the right decision for the Dallas Cowboys.

Love him or hate him, the guy is one of the best wide receivers in all of pro football.

Don't believe me. Just ask him.

GREEN BAY, Wis. - As a Green Bay Packer, Brett Favre always felt sympathy for opposing teams required to take the half-hour bus ride from Appleton, Wis. to Lambeau Field.

And those players didn't have to face the gantlet Favre did on Sunday, as Packer fans lined the bus route and offered specific and sometimes vulgar signals to their former quarterback.

The new ESPN documentary "Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL?" is a great piece of storytelling, especially for those of us who knew and loved the United States Football League back in the 1980s.

Jared Allen was so wild-eyed relentless with his pass rush against the Green Bay Packers four weeks ago that Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress later referred to it as a "feeding frenzy kind of deal."

With Packers rookie left tackle T.J. Lang set to possibly make his second career start Sunday, the Vikings Pro Bowl defensive end might smell blood in the water again.

Week 8 preview capsules around the NFL. All times Eastern.

SUNDAY:

Denver Broncos (6-0) at Baltimore Ravens (3-3), 1 p.m.

The Ravens have lost three in a row by a combined 11 points. This is the second of three consecutive games in which they play a team a week before the Steelers face them. There goes the unbeaten angle.

Prediction: Ravens, 27-24

Ordinarily, I believe that an NFL player should never miss a game for any reason other than an injury or a life-threatening situation at home. The impending birth of a child? Play the game, then rush to the hospital. A death in the family? Unless there are children to comfort, schedule the funeral around the game.

The first time Brett Favre faced the Green Bay Packers, he was as emotional as he has been before a game -- including his Super Bowl appearances.

And that was for a home game.

While Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress had to be pleased his defense held Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to 175 yards passing Sunday, he couldn't have been happy that, for the second consecutive game, an opponent used explosive plays to move quickly down the field near the end of the opening half.

Random observations of a Wednesday-morning quarterback ...

-- San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary will start Alex Smith on Sunday because Smith "gives us the best opportunity to win the football game." Has there ever been a more cotton-candy cliche?