Janikowski Needs to be Out-ski

Riddle me this: What weighs several hundred pounds, kicks like a
mule and causes almost nothing but headaches?
Janikowski Needs to be Out-ski

Riddle me this:

What weighs several hundred pounds, kicks like a mule and causes almost nothing but headaches?

If you said Gus, Disney’s field goal kicking horse, you would be wrong. If you said an ass, you would be right. But a more proper title would be Sebastian Janikowski.

A first-round bust, which I believe has never been said about a kicker, Janikowski found another chance Sunday to torture Raider fans, teammates, coaches and ownership, by missing a game-winning kick that hit the top of the left upright. Of course, he had just nailed the same 52-yard kicker moments earlier, but Denver coach Mike Shanahan sneakily called timeout just before the snap.

Janikowski once again showed off his powerful yet inconsistent leg, giving Denver the ball and ultimately the game. It was the second week in a row he had cost his team a chance at victory (he was 0-3 for field goals in week 1).

Janikowski is a perfect example of talent not meeting up with expectations. His leg is a gift and a curse. He routinely gets trotted out to crush 50- and 60-yard kicks, but rarely makes them. The result is a letdown in momentum and confidence. While his career numbers aren’t bad, the 2000 first-round draft pick was expected to be a sure thing coming out of Florida State. Instead, he’s the goat (that seems to eat everything in sight).

Lane Kiffin sent a message in final preseason cuts by letting loose the team’s top third-round pick, defensive end Quentin Moses. The message being that no one’s job is safe on reputation or draft status alone. Maybe he should have done the same regarding his most recognizable special teams player.

What’s the difference between the Raiders and the 49ers right now? Not a whole lot to tell the truth.

The Raiders very well could be 2-0, rather than 0-2. And vice versa for the 49ers.

Alex Smith has been just slightly more impressive than Josh McCown, which is like saying Jim Druckenmiller had a slightly better career than Todd Marinovich. Neither has knocked anyone’s socks off.

What has carried the Niners to the opposite record of their Bay Area counterparts is defense and coaching. The defensive play shows that money was well spent in the offseason. The coaching can be attributed to Mike Nolan having two years of experience on Lane Kiffin.

All in all, though, Kiffin has made his team far more competitive than expected. But if he doesn’t get that first win this week against Cleveland, you can expect the rest of the year to start looking more and more like 2006.

Jim Harbaugh got his first head coaching victory at Stanford Saturday by beating San Jose State 37-0. It seems Dick Tomey’s crew (0-2) bought into the hype just a little too much during the offseason.

This Saturday the Spartans will have a chance to get a win at Utah State. Then they’ll have their hands full with the toughest former D-IAA team not named Appalachian State: UC Davis.

Like App. State, UCD gained notoriety by beating an upper tier opponent, Stanford, just two years ago.

Cal may have squashed Louisiana Tech 42-12, but losing three key defensive starters could be huge. With a Nov. 10 meeting against USC feeling very far away all of a sudden, the Bears better stay focused on each week’s opponents.

Arizona’s offense, the same one studied over the summer and being used by Gilroy High School this season, could have a very big day in Berkeley this coming Saturday. Despite being 1-2 and losing to New Mexico this past weekend, Wildcats quarterback Willie Tuitama could have a career day in game that might feature a triple-digit combined score.