FOOTBALL FREAK: Quarterbacks who deliver wins deserving of big contracts

Every season fans complain when these elite quarterbacks re-sign these outrageous $25-million-a-year contracts, but The Freak believes they are worth every cent when they lead their team to a last-drive victory.  
Look at what Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers did last week. All three of them engineered game-winning drives that left their opponents no chance to win. Definitely worth the money. Priceless!

Sure thing
Tennessee travels to London to take on the Chargers in its home game. The Titans can’t score in North America, let alone Europe. Take the Bolts.
The Giants’ offence might not score enough points against the Summerside Clippers at cold Eric Johnston Field, let alone the Atlanta Falcons, who can score points, especially at home in the dome. Even with all the Falcons’ injuries it won’t matter. The Dirty Birds prevail, and it’s another loss for the Gmen.
Division games always scare The Freak as they end up much closer than the spread. The Rams like playing in warm weather, and have a warm-weather road game down the coast in San Fran. LA beats the 49ers in a close one to stay undefeated.
It’ll be another Sunday shootout in KC as the Chiefs host the Bengals. It’s exciting watching KC, which seems to score points on every possession. The Bengals lose again on the road in noisy KC.

Don’t mortgage the house
The rust has worn off Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz’s right arm as Philly hosts the Panthers. Carolina lost to an NFC East opponent on the road last week. Just like the movie “Groundhog Day,” it will be a repeat of last week. The Eagles win.
The Bills gave another team a scare last week on the road, and almost pulled off another huge upset. This time they head to Indy where this Colts team can score points. The Bills are starting Nate Peterman under centre, and he’s the worst quarterback in the league bar none. Indy pounds the Bills as their defence cannot overcome all of Peterman’s turnovers.
Has anyone heard anything from Jags mouthy corner Jalen Ramsay? Seems like you only hear from him when they are winning. He’s one of those guys! The Jags’ defence needs to rebound this week at home against the Texans in an important AFC South game. Expect the Jags’ D to show up in the win, and we finally hear something from Ramsay.
Can anyone shut down Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen? Hard to believe that all 31 teams passed on this undrafted free agent three years ago, and now he might be the best in the business. Don’t think the Jets have the secondary to slow him down. Take Minnesota on the road.

Flip a coin
Dallas can’t win on the road for whatever reason and neither can Washington, but both play well at home. This game is in Washington, so take the Redskins.
See above – the Saints are on the road and the Ravens are at home. New Orleans playing outside in the cold northeast with wind and rain is not its recipe for success. Take Baltimore and Joe Flacco, who has a big game.
The Browns are having trouble scoring points lately, and will need to put some up on the board against Tampa Bay. Jameis Winston plays well, and wins his first game of the season.
Detroit is coming off a bye and heading to sunny Miami. The Dolphins are a tough team to figure out as they beat the Bears with back-up quarterback Brock Osweiler, and The Freak is taking some heat from local fan Mike G. for not picking them. The Lions won’t get caught up in the vacation weather, despite the bye, and are ready to play a solid game. Sorry Mike, Detroit wins.

Upset special
The Bears are coming off a disappointing road loss to the Dolphins while the Pats won a big game against the Chiefs.  
The Freak smells a letdown game for New England and a fired up Chicago team, which will pressure Tom Brady into bad decisions. The Bears upset the Patriots at home, and Belichick is right – Khalil Mack is good, but not LT!

John Turner is a Summerside school teacher and coaches youth football. His column appears every Saturday during the NFL season. Feel free to e-mail questions and comments to [email protected].