Thankfully the Super Bowl and its aftermath are over. What looked to be a great game on paper resembled a practice game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And now the G.O.A.T. is even more firmly ensconced in history.
Yes, Tom Brady won the game for Tampa Bay. That happened the moment he left the New England Patriots of Head Coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft where he established himself as the premier QB in the NFL with his 6 Super Bowl championships in 9 tries.
It wasn’t an easy season for the Buccaneers. They muddled through the better part of the season, which included getting torched at home by the Kansas City Chiefs.
That Chiefs’ loss became a lightning rod for the Bucs. They never lost another game, which included 3 big wins on the road in the playoffs in Washington, New Orleans and Green Bay.
The offense came together under Brady’s astute leadership. But it was the defense which became stronger and harassed QB’s in a way it hadn’t previously.
Former Jets head man Todd Bowles, who was not given much of a team by then-GM Mike Macagnan, showed his forte in raising a defense to elite levels. The swarming front seven, with blitzing packages, along with tight coverage by the defensive backs, caused Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes II to repeatedly run for his life.
Tampa Bay absolutely deserved to win this game. It was a no doubter. I was avidly rooting for KC, because I like the way Mahomes plays—hard and determined.
But the Chiefs were at a decided disadvantage. The KC offensive line was decimated from the start of the year when one other starting lineman opted out of the 2020 season. To treat people with COVID-19, since he is a physician. Add in a couple of injuries and shifting of roles up front, the Chiefs stood little chance against the formidable rush of the Bucs’ D-line.
Mahomes tried valiantly—some of his desperation throws showed how well he can improvise, even if they weren’t caught. Considering he had turf toe, which was so severe that it required surgery which was successfully completed on Wednesday, Mahomes played incredibly.
Even so, the fact that his Chiefs team was held to less than double digits for the first time with him under center, showed how much the Bucs dominated the contest. Tampa Bay was stopped early on a fourth down near the goal line.
It was widely thought that would be the turning point for the Chiefs to come back. Except it wasn’t. My F&M roommate was prescient on Saturday when he told me to watch out for the “Gronk factor.”
Of course, he was alluding to Rob Gronkowski, Brady’s favorite target at New England, and the best tonight end ever to play the game. Gronkowski snared 6 passes for 67 yards while scoring 2 TD’s. In his fifth Super Bowl, Gronkowski is second to Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice in Super Bowl catches 33 to 23; yardage 589 to 297; and TD’s 8 to 3.
When Gronkowski returned to the game for the chance to reunite with Brady on a new quest, skeptics wondered if either had anything left in his tank—even if Gronkowski was only 31. Those skeptics should have known better than to bet against the certain Hall of Fame duo.
Look, I don’t like Brady. I think he has been lucky much of his career—witness the “tuck rule” play which led him to his first Super Bowl win. He gets calls that other QB’s and teams are enraged about—how come there was so little pass interference by the Bucs and the Chiefs seemed to be cited for violations every other play?
Brady cheated. We all know that. Yet I don’t dispute his talent or dedication to perfection in his diet and preparation.
His verbal exchange with Chiefs DB Tyrann Mathieu—some very heated trash talk—was instigated by number 12 and resulted in Mathieu being flagged, not the Golden Boy. The fact that he engaged in such arrogance annoys me—you don’t see Mahomes or a lot of other QB’s doing that. It is more reminiscent of Michael Jordan, perhaps the worst (or best) trash talker of all time.
I hate that kind of playing. Let your actions on the field speak loudly for how you play the game.
I looked at some of my favorites—Derek Jeter, Mickey Mantle, Jim Brown, Curtis Martin—a list which goes on and on. They didn’t have to resort to taunting and running their mouths on the field.
Brady cannot accept that he is the best. He needs to be angry and has to further motivate himself in this way.
What kind of example does Brady set? How many kids are going to talk smack and want to be like him like they wanted to be like Mike—Jordan that is. We have enough division in this country.
Again, it is Brady. He is a polarizing figure no matter what he does: he brings on hatred and anger. He is both a positive and negative media figure.
I am hoping that the youngsters coming into the league and those yearning to attain stardom do not envy him. Play the game right and your team will win its share of games and, perhaps, Super Bowls. Listen up Trevor Lawrence. It will be good to see Brady win less—maybe even the Jets might win some more, too.
And for the Giants fans who read this, I am happiest that good guy Eli Manning, now coaching his daughter’s youth basketball team in Summit, took down Brady and the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl. Young QB’s—look at Eli and comport yourself in that manner and the world will be your oyster.
QB trade hysteria is gripping the NFL in the throes of the off season. Started by the Matthew Stafford- Jared Goff swap between the Lions and Rams (reminiscent of the trade in the 1960’s where the Eagles sent Sonny Jurgensen to Washington in exchange for Norm Snead), it seems that a large number of QB’s will be shopped for relocation purposes.
In addition to Deshawn Watson wanting out of Houston, names like Dak Prescott in Dallas, Carson Wentz in Philadelphia, the Jets’ Sam Darnold and even Seattle QB and NFL Man of the Year Russell Wilson have been mentioned to be moving on to a new destination. Jimmy Garoppolo, once the heir apparent to Brady and traded by New England to San Francisco where he led the Niners to the Super Bowl, has been linked to a return to the Patriots. Add uncertainty regarding Mitchell Trubinsky, Aaron Rodgers, Nick Foles along with at least three blue chip college QB’s available in the upcoming NFL Draft, we may see QB movement in record numbers. Be prepared for the unthinkable.
Then there was the late breaking story that J.J. Watt, the star defensive lineman and icon in Houston for his charitable endeavors, was granted his release by the Texans. Team Turmoil had its 2 top players, Watson and Watt, disgruntled in the way the team approached playing for championships.
While Watt was granted his release to pursue greater opportunities at age 32, the 24 year old Watson is facing enormous resistance from the Texans management and ownership about moving on. If Houston really wants to build from the ground up, maybe this is the time to start anew by letting Watson go and receiving a bevy of draft choices and serviceable players in return.
I don’t see Watt in New York, and I wonder if he could be reunited with his brothers in Pittsburgh. A Wisconsin native, Watt could be like Hall of Fame defensive lineman Reggie White, who, at the same age, left his storied career in Philadelphia and wrote a new chapter, which included a Super Bowl title in Green Bay…or wherever he lands.
One last football commentary. The Hall of Fame released the newest additions to the Hall of Fame on the night before the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning led the star-studded array.
Two names stand out for me. First there is offensive lineman Alan Faneca. Faneca had a great career, then moved over to the Jets where he continued his excellence.
My favorite in this class is Drew Pearson. The Dallas wide receiver should have been in the Hall of Fame much earlier.
I know Pearson differently. I saw him play football and basketball at South River high School, a rival of my alma mater, Highland Park. In 1966, he was the receiver and sometimes QB for the Rams, as they were led by Joe Theismann, who had storied career at Notre Dame then with Washington until the super human Lawrence Taylor of the Giants broke Theismann’s leg in half.
What I saw from Pearson was incredible athleticism, phenomenal speed and a cannon for an arm. He was a fair basketball player—South River was known for its football, not hoops.
While I knew that Theismann was headed for greatness, I always thought that Pearson was even better. He never disappointed me while at Tulsa, where he is the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
When he arrived at Dallas, I predicted stardom. And I was right. He was a 3X First Team All-Pro; a member of the 1970’s All-Decade Team; the NFL receiving yards leader in 1977; a Super Bowl champion; and his name is on the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. Pearosn made some great catches—the most memorable on a frozen day outdoors in Minnesota when he caught Roger Staubach’s Hail Mary pass to win the game.
Starting his career as a third string wide receiver who made the team to play on special teams, Pearson ended up among the all-time Cowboys greats. He even threw a couple of passes with that golden arm.
Tragically, Pearson fell asleep at the wheel of his Dodge Daytona and caused a crash with a parked tractor-trailer. He suffered a career-ending liver injury and his brother was killed.
I am happy for Drew Pearson. This is a feel good story.
Just a quick Rutgers comment. They look good winning some games in a row and the team is back in the Top 25. Then they promptly go out and lose to Iowa on the road.
This team is a Top 40 team. Not a Top 25 team. Because they have only 1 win over a highly-ranked team this season with their win in January over Illinois at the RAC. Until they beat someone good, I don’t think that they are all that others believe they are. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make the NCAA’s but lose in the first round. But they at least finally reach the tournament.
Those believing that Seton Hall is any better than RU are wrong. They are a very average team in the Big East. Which, quite frankly, is a very average conference. Which is unlike the Big Ten, where it is a battle night in and night out. And I don’t see the winner of the NCAA’s coming from the Big Ten, although with the tournament in the Indianapolis area, it is nearly a home court advantage for the Big Ten.
It is going to be a year of the blue bloods—Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina—being supplanted by Gonzaga, Baylor, Houston, or anyone else you might fancy. This will be a wide open tournament. Expect upsets and who remains standing at the end will be difficult to predict—unless Gonzaga and Baylor are THAT good.
In a matchup of the two top women’s college basketball teams, #2 UConn downed #1 South Carolina in overtime. Leave it to Geno Auriemma to have another top notch squad led by a rising freshman, Paige Bueckers. Remember that name as she accents to the pantheon of UConn women’s greats, like Bird, Taurasi, , Moore, Stewart et.al.
In a four game swing through Texas, Steph Curry averaged over 35 points per game as the Warriors split the contests with the Mavericks and Spurs. What made the trip more memorable was Steve Kerr’s pronouncement that he will not alter Curry’s minutes because he is thinking about the longevity of Curry’s career, which has four or more good years left.
No championship will be won this season. But next year, when Klay Thompson returns and James Wiseman is a second year pro, along with any free agent signings, the Warriors will be back in the hunt, with a durable and rested Steph Curry.
Curry made a no look, facing away from the basket shot while being fouled. He also calmly threw in an underhanded three pointer after the final buzzer sounded on Wednesday.
His brother Seth, a member of the 76’ers, actually leads the NBA in three point field goal percentage while playing for his father-in-law, Doc Rivers. Yet Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon both agreed on PTI that if you had to give the ball to either in the clutch, it would go to Steph.
Steph’s performance is evoking M.V.P. thoughts. I say that he has elevated the Warriors to the cusp of playoff status. However, there is this guy down in Los Angeles named Lebron James. He is the M.V.P. Plus Kevin Durant, his former teammate with the Warriors and who leads the Nets, Kyrie Irving and James Harden into San Francisco for a nationally-televised contest on Saturday night, is also up for consideration.
Look at who I am talking about here. Brady. Gronkowski. Mahomes. Pearson.
Theismann. Steph Curry, Durant. The better teams RU cannot defeat. Gonzaga. Baylor. UConn. Bueckers. Bird. Taurasi. Moore. Stewart.
What do they all have in common? They all are top dogs.
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