Carey

What's different between Indianapolis and New England is that the Colts only made it twice during Manning's tenure, whereas the Patriots were there 9 times with Tom. Speaking of Peyton, to the surprise of no one, he'll be headed to Canton. David Baker didn't wait until Saturday to give him the good news. Totally have no problem with the super obvious getting the nod ahead of everybody else. I think they did this with Favre. FWIW, the voters had decided their 2021 Hall of Fame class a couple weeks ago (likely due to no one being in Tampa Bay for the Super Bowl this year)

You know Adam Schefter is a big fuckin' deal when this story broke (NFL Network) at the beginning of the week, and yet Schefty gets credit for it as if it was developing until Wednesday when it would only become an official story because ESPN "broke the news"

In terms of the TOC, I would be stunned with anyone other than Mike Richards or Ken Jennings hosted Jeopardy! Unless Pat Sajak does it, it would make no sense to have a guest host for that week. Okay. Yeah, I'll pass on Dr. Oz as well. I wouldn't be doing myself any favors wasting time watching a show with him hosting when there are hundreds (of thousands) of things to do in life during that period. As mentioned, several of the people hosting are just doing it as guests. No way several of them are legitimate candidates. That was one reason why I originally wasn't livid about Dr. Oz. I guess he's "done well" over the years, but the fact is that no one's forcing me to watch the show when he's on. Same with everybody else, but definitely Dr. Oz. It is helpful that they warn us about who's coming up. Mike Richards isn't the one making the calls on who would guest host, I'm willing to bet that he didn't even ask to guest host himself, but he has some experience, and possibly enough. Sony is not going to get the "perfect" person for the role. Ken Jennings would be the "definitive" choice, but not the perfect choice. I'd love to see LeVar Burton as well, but even he wouldn't be the perfect hire. I don't know if he passed on the chance, especially if he wasn't looked at as a valuable replacement. With a mention of someone with a news background: that is pretty important. Especially if you combine that with someone that's been a part of news and entertainment or news and sports. James Brown would actually be a nice choice. Wouldn't bet on it, but at the end of the day, there were better options than Dr. Oz regardless of whether Dr. Oz had zero chance at succeeding Alex Trebek. Elsewhere someone questioned why Steve Harvey would ever be considered. You can blame me for that one. That was a joke. OTOH it's still a fair enough prospect. Unlike Jennings, Steve actually has the credentials. The man won more emmys for his work than all of his predecessors combined (albeit for a more down the line gameshow). To be fair, and unlike Harvey, Ken has the familiarity. Ken wouldn't struggle over basic stuff like Steve does. Struggle might be a bad choice of words, but Steve comes off as a new host on his show more often than not when, after over a decade, he shouldn't need to defer to the producers. He has experience, but he would never work for Jeopardy! Speaking of which, I brought this up with a friend. You know Dr. Oz is a very, very, awful choice when it was said that they would take Steve Harvey on his worst day before Dr. Oz 11 times out of 10

They say the greatest game ever played is, was, and always will be the Colts vs the Giants in 1958. Superbowl XXV is the greatest Super Bowl ever played. My favorite, and it will be forever. That is fair enough. To defend myself, I never said I felt bad for him; I just said it sucks for him. On the other hand, it shouldn't suck, and there are 110 million reasons why. Or 109; money can't buy happiness in Detroit. The Superbowl 43 blocking was phenominal. That catch at the end wasn't even "The Catch" but seeing that around this time over the past 12 years gets better with time. Probably the only thing people will remember in Holmes short career. Speaking of remembering anything, maybe Jimmy Johnson remembered that Bruce Arians, not Bill Belichick, will be on the sidelines opposite Andy Reid on Sunday

I believe it's a combination of losing Hopkins and starting off with several very good teams to go 0-4. The AFC South also had to face the AFC North (who was really good this year) and the NFC North (slightly above average this season)

Why bother thinking about what happened on this date SIX years ago, when you can think of what happened on this date TWELVE years ago?! Maybe xaxat will agree (or not)! For a second, mojoween, I thought your post read as 25 and not 35. Coming from you, I was shocked for a second and then saw three X's, not two X's. IMHO, the only way 35 is the worst is if you remove XXX from NFL history

Well, it's finally Super Bowl week. BTW, I'm with mojoween and ChitChat as it relates to Super Bowl talk, as of last week. I might get into that later, but after months and months of football, there was no need to listen to any NFL talk two weeks before gametime. Personally I'm worn out in terms of football. No, I'm not saying I'm sick of it. I think it's just the time of the year that I'm really to be done with it, and then half a year later, ready for its return. Over the past week, I mentioned Detroit as being a dumpster fire of a franchise. Things suck for Jared Goff anyway, and this is adding insult to injury. The kid seems like a nice guy. While I’m not optimistic for him turning it around, maybe another scene might work. Not really optimistic for the new head coach either, but it is a new direction for the Lions and not Matt Patricia being there. Speaking of Patricia, man did the Patriots screw their situation up! Matt Stafford saying no thank you to a winning culture in New England just because Patricia returned there says something about the past three seasons in Detroit. On the other hand, I hardly think Belichick wanted him anyway. Given the current era of the NFL, I can’t fault the Rams for going without a first-round pick for most of a decade period of time. You have to get your QB when you can. However, that is way too long to be going year to year without a first-round pick. It’s imperative to make your team the best they can be. I would hate for Los Angeles to completely blow this during the best years of Aaron Donald. AD’s eleventh season comes when LA finally gets a first-round pick, unless McVay trades that away for someone down the road. One thing that I admire about New England is that they annually picked outside the first 25. Well, within the past decade. However, somehow Bill and company were clever and smart enough to either trade up or acquire picks before their original selection to maintain their success. That’s something LA is not doing well at all. As mentioned, they needed a QB, but it sucks that it was not a successful one

I'm pretty certain that if you told TPTB at that network that Marcus Mariota was truly the first and only QB to beat Mahomes in regulation, you'd get a shoulder shrug meme/emoji/gif/whatever. At the very least. A backup version of Patrick Mahomes against an opposing quarterback is just as ineffective as a starter version of Patrick Mahomes against an opposing quarterback named Tom Brady. It's true! Pat doesn't play defense

To be fair, McVay can defend himself saying that Goff was Jeff Fisher's player

To the surprise of less than nobody, the Texans have "ZERO" interest in trading DeShaun Watson. Based on the Texans situation, and IMO as of right now, I think the next move for incoming players from the collegiate level is to avoid the draft / not enter it. Then the draft comes and goes and they would be a free agent. I think that cannot happen, but I haven't seen it yet. In other words, I can recall a recent and rather modern situation where a human being that's good enough to be a high draft pick, says "No thanks!" and then post-draft, wants to / is ready to enter the league. As for Watson, maybe just play the season, and turn the ball over a lot more than Jameis and crush Houston

It's not just you. A similar comment was made two years ago with Jared Goff being born during Tom Brady's senior year

It does suck for Bieniemy, but I think I got over it in time. Despite the final vacant spot being filled, it was probably for the better. Who wants to go to a recent joke of a franchise? While being a HC is a valid goal, going to Houston would have been being a coach just for the sake of being a coach. Personally, outside of Jacksonville, there really wasn't any decent openings this year. For what it's worth, the notion of "hiring the best candidate" is somewhat flawed. I do support hiring the best, but while that is the case in several cases, it's a complete dumpster fire in the NFL. The notion that NFL teams hire the best person possible is total crap, and I say that because so many teams lose game after game after game, and year after year after year. Around this period next year (January 2022), there will be 20% head coaching vacancies, which is the norm. It probably isn't going to be easy to argue the fact that a team took the best candidate when 6-8 coaches are let go, on average, and on an annual basis. Who know whether Eric will be any good or get a fair chance. If it's true that people are hiring or sticking to the best, then there shouldn't be that much turnover every season. With the exception of 2012, owners have kicked out their coaches mid-season. What sucks for Eric Bieniemy is that he's in a similar spot that Dan Quinn was 6 years ago. Conference champion a year removed from being a Superbowl champion. I don't think Quinn did a great job at all, but Atlanta was a much better vacancy and the Falcons had some success during his tenure. Eric ain't getting that in Houston. He might in Minnesota (or Chicago) in the future, but it's saddening right now. This is typically when someone in Bieniemy's shoes would've gotten a spot as a HC

I wouldn't bet on it. On second though: maybe I will. I'd add a Million off of a one-dollar bet in 2026. Two tight ends, two quarterbacks, and a man of the year Canton bound

An ESPN talking head vomited out “what Tom Brady has done these last two weeks, beating Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers ON THE ROAD...” and then I didn’t hear the rest because my head exploded. I calmly turned the TV off. I think I would've used the term that was used for Joe Flacco when he defeated Peyton Manning AND Tom Brady on the road 8 years prior. Flacco out-dueled both of them. And he did. For Baltimore's case, that defense made Brady's life miserable, and in an unprecedented way. He had a lead, albeit a very small one, and did nothing in the second half. The amazing thing was that Flacco crushed a Belichick-owned defense while trailing in one half, also unprecedented. At least Manning was able to score on the Ravens defense but Joe was just unstoppable. I don't know whether I'll rank 2020 Brady over 2012 Flacco (or the reverse). Either or is fair enough. Flacco did it opposite better QBs, while Tom did so as a human being in his mid-40s. Brady did enough to beat New Orleans, but Drew Brees sucked that game. Meanwhile, Brady was able the same at Brees at Lambeau, but by default, he did enough to beat Green Bay. It's not his fault Rodgers didn't capitalize, but I definitely have to thank the defense for that one. To close, Brady didn't single-handedly beat the Saints & Packers, but he out-dueled them. Definitely Brees but for Rodgers, Brady did more toward victory

Even though Los Angeles was originally slated to host Super Bowl LV, as mentioned by ChitChat, Raymond James Stadium was booked to host it for quite awhile now. Based off of the rules, the league doesn’t want first-year tenants hosting the big game. It might be due to safety and assurance but the NFL would want to have a team playing in a new stadium to go through at least one full season before having them host the in the future. For example, the 49ers played in Levi Stadium for the first time in 2014. They hosted Super Bowl 50 a season later (2015 Season on 02/07/2016). Other examples include the Vikings in playing at US Bank Stadium for the first time in 2016 and the Falcons playing at Mercedes Benz Stadium for the first time in 2017. Respectively, US Bank and Mercedes Benz Stadiums hosted the big game the following years (2017 season on 02/04/2018 & 2018 Season on 02/03/2019). Therefore, the move was done to stay consistent. It actually was made official all the way back in May of 2017, prior to a couple more Superbowls for Tom Brady and when the Patriots were still rolling. Nobody was dreaming of Bucs QB TB12 in 2017. No conspiracy with this. It’s just purely coincidental. There were construction delays but that was an issue 4 years ago, not 4 months ago to benefit Tom Brady. If Tampa wins, it’s because they were the better team. FWIW, Kansas City did escape there in a legitimate road game earlier in the year. The game would have been moved to Raymond James Stadium anyway given the nature of California. Tampa was the runner up originally to host Super Bowl LV

I heard it was a torn Achilles but it really doesn't matter: He will not be protecting Mahomes' blindside a week from Sunday. Even if it was minor & he avoided serious injury, he would've have played anyway. IMO, Tampa's defense is good enough to make the stops with or without Fisher. Likewise, I imagine Mahomes being able to get his with a depleted O-Line. Wisniewski's return following his release from Pittsburgh couldn't have come at a better time (or season, as it happened over a month ago). Kansas City made adjustments on the line so it's not too bad. I don't see the Chiefs blowing out the Buccaneers, but if they win, it'll likely be by single digits. The Chiefs defense would have to produce a fleet of turnovers in order to win going away. I assume that KC will make TB pay if they turn it over to them several times. The game should come down to the end, and I don't know if I would bet on the Chiefs for the win if Mahomes has the ball last. Pretty much every other time I would, but Tampa has the personnel to get the turnover. A championship winning turnover that is!

Maybe he could go to New England for a year, win there, and then 12 months will pass to where Kirk gets kicked out of Minnesota in favor of Rodgers. That would be hilarious, I agree. Unless Aaron is a free agent before 2021, I don't think he'll be playing in Chicago, Minnesota or Detroit (who needs a new QB now). I too could see him going to L.A. The Rams have the defense to win, and possibly the best defensive player in NFL history (not counting LT). Though I wonder about San Francisco. That would be interesting down there. Seattle and Arizona are out, but the NFC West is the only division in the NFC that makes sense. In the AFC, they're set at QB in the North (save for Pittsburgh, but that's a bad spot as they have a lot to address there with or without Roethlisberger). The Steelers have the defense too, but no to that. The Pats make the most sense. The AFC South would be the end of Rodgers career, and the West? Nah. Really, the AFC would not make too much sense unless it's imperative to go there in order to get to pick his next destination in 2022. I think the NFC West is his best option. At least for 2021. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if he's back in Green Bay next season. Sometimes the questions surrounding one's future is considered "in the moment" as the Packers fell victim to a painful loss at home to the rising Bucs. I'd be less than that if he left, as it's gotten stale in Green Bay. Looks like that window closed yesterday

I really didn't have a problem with Allen hitting Okafor there. It was a post-whistle hit where Kansas City got credit for the sack but then they completed the play. It might have been unnecessary for the Chiefs to do that, but they were in the process of taking Josh down. It was hilarious while unsportsmanlike for Josh to toss the ball at the guy's helmet, which led to the stare down, which led to chaos. I think it's part of the frustration of getting pummeled topped with the Chiefs maybe sending a message to Tampa Bay. At the end of the day it's not a big deal. Nothing really unprecedented. Glad no one got tossed & nothing happened. The NFL likely will fine the violators and that'll be the end of it. Even without it, Bills/Chiefs could be a nice rivalry in the coming years, definitely in 2021 and 2023. Meanwhile, you can blame me if the Buccaneers win one week from Sunday. I made mention/reference to that a while back (as did mojoween I think); it back in October around the time L.A. doubled up in championships. I likely will be off the day after, but even if I'm working I hardly think that Brady winning again will wreck my day (let alone week, month and year). Personally, apart from winning and losing, I'll be relieved that the NFL would have officially completed the 2020 NFL Season within a pandemic, which several saw as doubtful-to-questionable. Following the Superbowl I'll be able to get a little bit of a break, about a month or so for the most part at least, before Selection Sunday and the dance. Similar to the final NFL game, I'm optimistic that the NCAA Tournament including the Final Four will make it through successfully, and that would be very special, given that March Madness was the first (and really only) casualty thanks to the pandemic

Including a rerun of the one that ran last year either in Week 17 or the Wildcard weekend. I'm talking about the one with Baker's wife having him turn the lights off. In the stadium, and out they go, "See you next season!" Saw a ton more Mahomes commercials. Sucks that we couldn't get the State Farm Bowl, but if they do add a 17th game, I think we definitely see it in 2021. The plan is either to have a division face whoever they played against in 2019 (for example, the AFC West played the NFC North). That or the conference placement (I.e. Packers vs. Chiefs and Ravens vs. Buccaneers)

No need to mute the TV, when you've got Westwood One starring Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner! Similar to Cleveland, great year for Buffalo, I agree. They both were trending that way over the past few years, and both lost to the champ in Arrowhead. The Bills will get their shot at Brady (if he returns for a 22nd NFL season); it just won't be until the 2021 season at Raymond James Stadium. Speaking of hurting, that's what Mahomes will be on February 8th as offensive lineman Eric Fisher is hurt to where he probably will not be available for the game in a couple of weeks. I may have an idea and will decide before the day of the game, but there's no reason to post who I think will win with a couple weeks before gametime. I somewhat thought that it would've been a pick em but unless you bet your life on the game, no one cares about that; it's all about what happens on the field. I don't think Pat will get blasted if all goes well. However, losing Fisher is a significant loss for Kansas City against a team that embarrassed Aaron Rodgers and the Packers

Opening line has Chiefs favored by 3 over Tampa

I'm not trying to hate for several reasons, but I will never put Brady ahead of Michael Jordan as the G.O.A.T. of sports. The NFL? Sure. Just not all of sports. It'll be like trying to invalidate Phelps epic record in the Olympics. No one's getting paid exclusively for placing Brady over M.J. and I'm not getting paid exclusively for the opposite. However, Jordan's accomplishments were clinched well before the age of 40. Whatever happens in two weeks with Tampa Bay happens. I think the Bucs are going to be a tough out in 2021 and in 2022 (and beyond) while Tom is playing there. He'll be adding to his legacy beyond an age where everybody before him had given his or her Hall of Fame speech during their respective HOF ceremony

By tomorrow at the latest, I can't get mad at the situation. Green Bay's rally fell short, but the 28-point swing did happen. More important, it's not the Buccaneers fault that the Packers are kicking for 3 points, down 8, with the league MVP on the field!

Despite my previous comments, I do think that something should be done as it relates to concussions. I still think that it's going overboard to end one's season over their first concussion, but people are different. Some people have had their seasons ended over one, and that is fair enough to be cautious. During last year's rushed CBA renewal, one of the things that were omitted from it were protections from CTE and concussions. Well, not completely, but the new CBA lacked awareness of the issue. Personally, down the road, if the league were to face a lawsuit over it, I think they will prevail. I say that because the NFLPA didn't address the issue hard enough IMO. What should have been included was something stating that if a player gets more than one concussion within a short period of time, they are out indefinitely. It could be similar to the PED ban for MLB. In this case, if a player gets more than one in a season, they're done for the year, or if it's one in a future year, they have to sit out at least 4 weeks. A third one would be indefinite, including missing out on the season all the way up to being barred from the game. Of course more than that and they would be banned for life. It really isn't that hard to implement something similar to that. It wouldn't even affect one's pocketbook, but showing actions instead of words and wishes is the better way to go. As for today's games, man, I can see any team winning. It would be a total copout to say Tampa and Buffalo cover but Green Bay and Kansas City will survive. While I think we'll finally get that State Farm Superbowl (or simply a State Farm Bowl) the recipe for Tampa to win is so there. Plus I almost never pick against Brady. IMO, I think Buffalo has a better chance of pulling the upset over KC than Tampa Bay against the Packers

The hit that Mahomes and Lamar received where no different than the hits delivered by people like James Harrison, TJ Watt, and Clay Matthews. It didn't stop the officials from penalizing those individuals...and each and every one of them were fined. Harrison got picked on by the league multiple times, to the tune of $100,000, and he was even suspended for a key game due to repeat violations. Like James, Clay was targeted repeatedly and people were complaining that these guys were taught to play a certain way, and were getting punished for their efforts. FTR, I'm focusing on legal plays that the refs threw the flag on and the NFL fined the players for that were considered unnecessary. Helmet-to-helmet hits (or other hits with the intent to injure or whatever) should be handled appropriately. Fukai San & Irlandesa, it looks like we're going have to agree to disagree when it comes to this topic. However, I do respect your arguments. I have to be clear on a couple of things. I definitely am not a fan of someone missing significant time unless it is absolutely necessary to do so. It's stupid for a player to miss an entire season over one concussion, if it's their only one. I think it's dumb for that kind of precaution unless the independent physicians deem it so or advise against a return to action. If the independent doctors, along with the team doctors, staff and the player in question say that the player is good to go, then he should play. The owners are not in the business of paying people to sit if they're able to play. Of course, as mentioned, they don't care about the players. TBH, despite my comments & my stance, I would be upset if someone did get disciplined for a legal football play that caused a concussion. The problem I have is the inconsistency with the league; hits that hurt an opposing player are hardly flagged/disciplined but hits that do nothing to an opposing player are often flagged and/or disciplined (like the play against Josh Allen against Baltimore). Again I see the explanations; I may not be a fan of it, but I understand it. I also understand the severity of concussions and CTE, but I'm sorry; I can't get onboard with someone missing so much time over their first one if they're truly okay to return. One game, sure, but that's it. Apparently the Browns players were laughing at Mahomes when they knocked him out of the game. I didn't see it & I can't say I agree, but that was according to Travis Kelce. I do totally agree about Patrick Mahomes having to become a strict pocket passer down the road. Despite what he's done, there is no way he's playing as long as Brady if he sticks to his current game. If he channeled Aaron Rodgers or better yet, Russell Wilson, he could be okay. The thing is, I think he can tone it down. Unlike Lamar, Patrick is pretty good without taking off. The sooner the better. BTW, I think Mahomes is learning to throw with his left hand to where he could actually play like an on-field lefty