Raider defender penalized for ... thanking God?

In the days where players that dance, gyrate and posture after making a simple tackle, Raiders cornerback Chris Johnson was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct during Sunday's 29-6 loss to the Texans. With the Texans on the Raider 19 yard line, with 51 seconds left in the 1st half, Johnson picked off a Matt Schaub pass in the end zone, intended for Andre Johnson. The 7th year defensive back dropped to his knees and threw up his hands in praising God. The official in the end zone threw a flag because he felt that gesture was an excessive celebration.

See Johnson Interception

I watched the much hyped Viking Packer game the next night where Viking DE Jared Allen celebrated after every sack. The Lambeau leap, whether it's the the Packers or Chad Ochocinco. There are blatant excessive celebrations every week that never draw a penalty. So, why throw a flag on a player who's giving praise to God? The fact of the matter is, the NFL suffers from inconsistent officiating. Especially when it comes to the celebration rules. I didnt think there was anything excessive about what Chris Johnson did. What do you think?

Browns ship Braylon Edwards to Jets

I guess Lebron James is truly the king...in Cleveland. Braylon Edwards who was involved in a scrap with one of Lebron's good friends over the weekend, has been sent packing by the Cleveland Browns, to the New York Jets. The Browns will receive WR Chansi Stucky, special teamer Jason Trusnik, and 2 draft picks form the Jets. Edwards is an extremely talented reciever, who has only shown flashes of his potential and has a been involved in his share of controversy in his short time in Cleveland.

As a Jet fan, I like the trade. Edwards was a talented player on a bad Browns team. Their quarterback situation has been unstable for the last couple of seasons and seems to been even shakier, since Ex-Jet coach Eric Mangini took over the head coaching reigns. Over his career he has averaged 60 catches, 925 yards per catch over his first 4 years. In 2007, he averaged 16 yards per catch 1289 yds, and 16 TD's, but last year, his 16 drops stood out over his 55 catches, and 15.9 average per catch. You can't ignore his off the field issues. The fight with James' buddy over the weekend. Last November, Edwards was fined $150 and given 30 hours of community service after he was found guilty of driving 120 mph. There was also controversy with the Browns over the way they handled his staff infection in 2005, his rookie season.

Sometimes good players need a change of scenery. (See Randy Moss) Edwards will be going from a team thats is wallowing in ineptitude, to a Jet team that seems to be on an upswing. Rex Ryan has brought some much needed swagger into the Big Apple and it seems to be carrying over to the team. The upside on marc Sanchez is tremendous, and they have a chance to develop into a potent pass catching duo. That Ryan defense is proving a force to be reckeoned with. Rex is a shoot from the hip type of guy so I'm sure he will let Braylon know what he expects right from the start. It will be up to Edwards to start over fresh, put his past issues behind him and get on board in New York. If he does, the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets Jets will be looking, not just to grab the division title that escaped them last year, but do some damage in the playoffs also.