James Lofton on Eric Berry, home cooking and J.J. Watt

12/02/2014

Out and Up James Lofton NewEach week, Hall of Fame wide receiver and Westwood One Sunday Night Football analyst James Lofton tells you about the teams, players and trends that are on the way out and those that are on the way up around the NFL.

UP! Up to the social awareness of the five St. Louis Rams players – Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Chris Givens, Kenny Britt and Jared Cook – for their show of solidarity with the peaceful protestors in Ferguson, Missouri. Cook went on to say, “No matter what happened on that day… there has to be change.”

IN: In our prayers, Chiefs safety Eric Berry. Berry has a mass on his chest. Early reports are unconfirmed as to exactly what it is. Berry is one of the many good guys in the NFL, with his work with kids and education, and he has the personal courage and the support of the NFL community going forward.

OUT:  Out on a limb. Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson boasted all week long he wanted to match up against Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones. The two had squared off against each other when Peterson was at LSU and Jones was at Alabama. Can you say “Roll Tide”? Jones got the better of Peterson with 10 catches for 189 yards and a touchdown. The win helped the Falcons stayed tied atop the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints.

GO: Go home, young man, go home. Five teams remain undefeated at home — and all five sit atop their respective divisions. Not surprisingly, all five would like for you to have to go to their home when the playoffs begin. Those five teams also all sport identical 9-3 records: Denver, New England, Arizona, Philadelphia and Green Bay.

DOUBLE MOVE:  It’s well past time to jump on the J.J. Watt bandwagon. Offensive coordinators have to game plan how to stop him, offensive linemen lose sleep the night leading up to a game against the Texans. And now defensive coordinators are being called on the carpet to retool their red zone defenses to account for Justin James. Watt went in motion to become a slot receiver (there should be a weight limit on who can go in motion), made a move that would put half the wide outs in the league to shame, then laid out for a terrific hands catch that marked his third touchdown reception of the season (are you listening Kansas City?)!  What’s next, kickoff returns? Don’t give him any more ideas!!!

– James Lofton

Pro Football Hall of Famer James Lofton is the analyst for Westwood One’s coverage of Sunday Night Football. This weekend you’ll find James at home in San Diego, where the Chargers will play host to the New England Patriots. Coverage begins Sunday at 7:30 PM Eastern.

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