This week, we saw something that doesn't happen very often. An animal played special teams.

I'm sure that, by now, you have seen the pigeon that played on the raiders special teams.

Maybe mascot wars are for real. This pigeon is giving the NFL franchises some tape to look at in hopes of being an NFL mascot. Honestly, I think the pigeon would be great. Just look at the gap control on that kick coverage. The pigeon is definitely disciplined on special teams.

What would make a pigeon so great as an NFL mascot? Firstly, they travel well. As you can see, they can fly and cover a large distance in a short amount of time. Pigeons can reach speeds up to 40 miles per hour. Not too shabby. Al Davis would even hire that speed........... oh wait. HE DID!!!

This pigeon also showed the capability of playing in hostile environments. There is nothing more hostile than the playing in the black hole (unless you meet a raider fan after they lose by 40+). 

They would also make life easier on the grounds crew. This pigeon was munching on some grass after the play. NFL franchises would save money because they wouldn't have to pay for grounds keeping, while at the same time having a mascot that plays special teams.

This mascot was out there for the love of the game. He got his fifteen minutes of fame and a few nibbles of turf and that's it. Seeing this pigeon, who isn't even the mascot of the raiders, leaves a lot to be desired from mascots around the league. Other mascots need to step up their game.

I wanna see Tom Brady trying to throw passes to the skeleton of George Washington. I want to see Peyton Manning taking snaps from a colt. I want to see OchoCinco tell jokes to a tiger. Most of all, in a little over a week, when we play the ravens, I want to see Knowshon Moreno ride Thunder II up the gut and see how many defenders want to step in the hole and tackle him.