Let's make our business happen amid the Ice-ageddon.
Rushmore of TV shows with a number in the title, and yes this one was tough -- "24" and "60 Minutes" and "30 Rock" and, because right when I was about to leave they brought a grown-up Kelly Kapowski into the mix, "Beverly Hills 90210."
Rushmore of non-biopic movies with a person's first and last name in the title -- "Good Will Hunting," all of the "Harry Potter" movies, "Austin Powers" and "The Godfather."
Rushmore of movies that have one of the four directions in their title -- "Once Upon a Time in the West," "Eastern Promises," "North Dallas Forty," and "North By Northwest."
Rushmore of movies that happen on an airplane -- "Airplane!" "Con Air," "Memphis Belle" (shut up, I love that movie) and "Top Gun: Maverick" because that movie saved movies as we know them.
As for the rules, here's Paschall on some UT football news.
Now, like Mick told Rocky, let's get to the bag.
From Spy
Boss photo from your better half, by the way. As if she doesn't take a boss photo.
You know who was really nice in person? OJ. Really cool.
Dale Murphy is so nice it hurts, because you know right away you could never be as nice as he is to people. It's not possible.
Concur on Dickie V. He is that approachable and likable. Just amazing.
When you giving weekend playoff predictions?
Spy,
As my Nanny used to say, "Be careful and don't get stabbed" would be my words of wisdom hanging in OJ's circle.
That said, everyone needs to know that Spy is a regular, but he prefers to comment through email, and that's cool.
Yes, the Mrs. 5-at-10 has way, way, WAY more talent than her husband. So it goes, and the frozen water photo is both art and science.
I bet OJ was super cool -- until he asked you to help him pick white women and offered you the chance to sleep on his couch.
Yeah, let's cut this here.
To the NFL playoff picks.
Houston plus the points against Baltimore. Not sure what the line is, but I love this bet even more if it moves from 9.5 to 10. Here's the thing: CJ Stroud is him. He's as much of him as Patty Mahomes and Josh Allen. He's more of him than Lamar Jackson, who likely will be the MVP, which is a regular season award because Lamar Jackson could not play dead in a Western in the playoffs.
Buffalo minus-2.5 over Kansas City. This is Patty Mahomes' first true road playoff game. And it is in Buffalo. And dare I say this: Josh Allen > Mahomes, and we can all agree that the Bills' skill position folks are better than the Chiefs' skill position folks. (Unless of course Taylor Swift has been added to the roster.)
Tampa Bay plus-7 against Detroit and over 48.5. Raise your hand if you had two former No. 1 overall QB picks in the conference semis, and those dues were Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff. I'll wait. Here's the thing though: Dome. Tons of skill position talent on each side. Defenses designed for the big play. That means, in my formula, close game and lots of points.
San Fran minus-9 over Green Bay. Yes, it is a ton of points. Yes, it is a playoff atmosphere where winning is the only thing. But here's the thing that keeps coming back to my brain: The Packers feel like mission accomplished because they won a playoff game with a first-year starting QB1; the 49ers are just starting the journey.
From JoeDon
I hope you're thawing out after Snowmageddon.
Should the Falcons decide not to hire Bill Belichick as head coach, how do you think that conversation with Arthur Blank will go?
JD,
Such a great scenario.
Let's roll the dice this way.
Arthur Blank: Hello Coach, did you bring a resume?
Bill Belichick: Yeah, sure. How about 28-3, does that work as a resume?
AB: (Mumble, mumble) Yes of course, as for this team how...
BB: You wanna win?
AB: Of course.
BB: I mean in football not in the lowest prices for dry wall in the greater Southeast?
AB: I'm not involved in Home Depot anymore ,Coach.
BB: Did you just offer me the job?
AB: If I did would you take it?
BB: Yeah and no. I'm the prom queen right now, and everyone wants to get into my hoodie. I'll get back to you.
AB: OK. Let me know.
BB: That said, can I get a deal on a faucet replace for the downstairs bathroom?
From John
Jay, what took so long for the NFL to launch into this new and enhanced era of streaming? It's really a stepping stone into pay-per-view. Pay-per-view used to be the domain of prize fights and MMA features?
I, too, scrambled to tune in last Saturday night to Peacock, as pathetic and as needy as all the other 28 million viewers. We've got no willpower, of course, and the NFL rules the kingdom. These streaming services treat us as their b@#$&*s after all. Soon they'll be able to reach out and slap us somehow. Taylor Swift helps these services with another delightful angle in our attention span challenged entertainment world.
I can remember when cable access was billed as having NO ads and that's why we paid for it. We have looked into future and it is gonna be expensive as shrewd and opportunistic minds find ways to charge us even more.
John,
Lots of truth in your question my man.
As for the basics of pay-per-view, the NFL still commands top-dollar in the advertising market so it will not completely go behind the pay-to-watch model.
In fact, everyone who wonders about the sustainability of sports broadcasting dollars, know this: There is not other TV/broadcast/streaming entity that draws folks in real time like sports.
Sure, there are some of you who are thinking, "I live to DVR the UT game and fast-forward through the commercials," and that is cool.
But there is an entire generation of folks who watch the Vols ot the Dawgs or the Tide or the Falcons or the whoevers in real time on their sofa and interact with social media.
Those folks can't fast-forward or step back. Those folks are willing to wait through the breaks.
And, unlike "Yellowstone" or whatever "Law & Order" you follow, that connectivity is extremely valuable to advertisers.
From Kris
Hi Jay. Always enjoy your column. I wanted to watch the Chiefs-Dolphins game, but no way was I adding another streaming service. I need to wean myself off football on TV and maybe this is going to be the answer if more and more games move to streaming. Couple of side notes. I have Netflix. There have been instances when I could not stream anything. No clue what the problem is. I had Direct TV until I realized Chattanooga gets lots of thunderstorms. I was watching the Super Bowl one year when my Direct TV went down. Not happy. I now have EPB. Great service and they will answer the phone when I call about a problem. Thanks
Kris,
Yes, I know there was not a direct question here, but good gracious, the unknown ventures that will be the broadcast platforms of our favorites sports/teams are staggering.
Think of it this way: Forever we wanted ala carte cable programming, and the biggest obstacle in that conversation was ESPN.
Now, ESPN wants ala carte broadcasting because they have spent a pretty penny on live broadcasting rights.
Also in that, "everything old-is-new-again-mold" where will the SEC Network fall?
Or could a MichiganTV try to follow the Longhorn Network, which failed but also was ahead of its time?
Kris, your points are valid, but I guess my questions for the group is this:
What team/sports league would you pay to watch?
Have a great weekend, friends.