Super Bowl week starts
Yes, the Super Bowl is the world biggest media and TV event. At last check, 19 of the top 20 TV audiences in history were watching Super Bowls.
Yes, the Super Bowl is that big, an event that has created more than a groundswell of support for a national holiday on the following Monday. And still, the Super Bowl feels overhyped, right?
The extra week hurts in that regard. (We still prefer the extra week just to let as many of the players as possible get as healthy as possible for the big game.) The circus atmosphere also does not help. Here's a Jimmy Kimmel staffer asking Bill Belichick to smile (didn't know he had teeth) and to sign his futbol. Yes, it's embarrassing.
But this circus also revealed a real moment Monday night, and amazingly, the question was asked by a 7-year-old. (Fitting, right, that a kid shined the best in the circus.)
The numbers overwhelmingly support Brady as the greatest quarterback ever. The combination of individual stats and team accomplishments and success and dominance are clear.
Yes, there are a lot of folks who will offer another option. Peyton Manning has better individual stats. Joe Montana was 4-0 in Super Bowls. (We've always wondered why the idea of getting to the Super Bowl and losing was viewed as a bad thing. Is getting to four Super Bowls and winning them all really better than getting to six Super Bowls and winning four of them? We don't think so.) There are others as well.
In truth, the argument for a lot of us comes down to Manning vs. Brady, and stats or playoff wins aside, want to know the biggest difference between the two?
We all feel like we know Peyton. Be it the commercials or the interviews or even the local connection here and to UT, we all feel connected to Manning in some way. Yes, that way may be an seven-syllable Nationwide jingle, but we feel the connection.
With Brady, not so much.
Maybe that's why the interview Monday where we saw a real human side to the man who looks like central casting's choice for the part of superstar quarterback - right down to the supermodel wife - was so touching.
Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones smiles as he answer a question during a news conference before an NFL football practice , Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, in Flowery Branch, Ga.. TheFalcons will face the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship on Sunday in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Super Bowl analysis
OK, we're in.
We're locked, and we're loaded. (Well not yet, but the day is still young and there are Co-Colas on the horizon.) The big game is days away, and for a lot of us who grew up Falcons fans, this represents a chance to reach a place we never really believed we could get.
Truthfully.
With that, we're going to breakdown the game each of the next few days, taking a piece of the game and looking at how the Falcons can exploit it, and how they may be hurt by it. Deal? Deal.
(Also of note, we'll put our 20-8 against the spread record on NFL games on the line Thursday with a few picks. And yes, those picks are for entertainment purposes only, unlike the dude who put $5,000 on the Falcons to win it all in September at 40-to-1.)
Today, let's look at the Falcons' secondary in the spotlight.
If there is a reason to believe the Falcons can slow down the Patriots and Tom Brady, it's because of Dan Quinn and the pieces he has assembled to defend the pass.
The Falcons secondary is fast and young and deep. And more important than that, they tackle exceedingly well. It's very much built in the image of the Seahawks. Yes, Desmond Trufant's presence would be much appreciated, but it is what it is. (And in truth, in the star injury swap, the Falcons come out to the good with Trufant out compared to the Patriots missing Rob Gronkowski.)
Yes, the short stuff will be there. Yes, Brady will complete something like 35 passes. But that's OK, as long as drives become field goals more often than they become TDs. As for the spacing and the multiple looks, well, that's something the Patriots do very well. Exceedingly well in fact.
It also magnifies Brady's mental acumen, and while Manning is the Dumbledore of presnap reads - "Omaha. OMAHA." - Brady is very underrated in that aspect.
We believe the Falcons will be better against the pass than the Steelers simply because the Falcons are not afraid to play man, and that gives them a chance to slow down Brady and the Beatles (the Patriots wide outs are a bunch of 5-10 white dudes with interesting hair after all) in what we think could be a high-scoring game. And in high scoring games, forcing field-goal tries is almost as good as forcing punts.
Charles Barkley (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)LeBron has had enough
OK, this basketball tussle puts between a rock and a hard place.
For those who are regulars around these parts, we are clear in our fandom of one LeBron James. Dude is incredible, and one of the five best overall athletes we've ever watched. Also, the regulars will know that we are a big fan of big Charles Barkley.
Well, those too NBA icons - and yes, as an announcer, we believe that Chuck is that highly renowned - are in a spat. Actually, it sounds like more than a spat.
Barkley took some shots at LeBron last week, and in truth, the comments had merit. Barkley said the Cavs have given James everything he has asked for, and that's true, but considering what LeBron has brought to Cleveland in his return, well, that's not that surprising.
Yes, James has been bellyaching about how much money the team has spent (the Cavs have the highest payroll in the league) and that the team needs another playmaker.
Barkley, who has been critical of James for a while now, took it further and calling James 'whiny' and ranting like only Charles can.
Well, Monday night, James fired back. With both barrels and every bit of ammo he had. This was not to the podium, mind you, this was in response to a question from Dave McMenamin of ESPN about Barkley. Buckle up.
James to McMenamin: "I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that. I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying. All I've done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that."
James has been way more emotional the last couple weeks than maybe at any point of his career. Yes, the Cavs are 7-8 in January - a wretched mark for the defending champs who are clearly the best team in the East. The media is a pretty universal target, whether they deserve it or not.
Barkley has taken a lot of shots at a lot of people. In fact, James asked "What makes what he says credible? Because he's on TV?" in his diatribe.
Man, we hate it when mommy and daddy fight.
This and that
- As for the rest of the Super Bowl craziness, well, here's a pretty thorough detailing of the event from CBSsports.com. Of interest in that little exchange is someone asking Patriots owner Robert Kraft who is the most famous name in his cell phone. While President Trump was an option - and Tom Brady is a pretty good default answer, Kraft said, "Elton John." So there's that.
- Wow, the power of momentum is nothing compared to the power of money. Sheldon Adelson, the Vegas billionaire who was in on the Raiders move to Las Vegas, pulled out of the talks and now the entire deal looks iffy.
- Thought this was a cool story. Remember Jimmer Fredette, the former BYU sharpshooter who took college hoops by storm a few years ago? Well, he was a first-round pick and became a bust. But now he is setting China on fire with the Shanghai Sharks.
- Here's hoping this gets worked out and the egos involved get out of the way so Devon Gales gets what he needs. You remember Gales, right? He is the Southern University football player who was paralyzed by a freak accident against Georgia a couple of years ago. A lot of supporters rallied and pledged to help him with costs and build him a handicap-accessible house. Well, a lot of that funding is fading for a lot of reasons, including, get this, Triumph Over Tragedy - the group formed to help Gales - feels like they are not getting enough credit for their efforts.
- Nicholas Cage may be a lot of things - Oscar winner, punchline, Cameron Poe, that guy early in Fast Times, you get the idea - but he also is pretty popular. In fact, there is an annual CAGED film festival that is hours of his movies. It happened last weekend, and this time Cage made a surprise appearance, which seems pretty cool for everyone involved. (I mean except for watching hours of Cage movies and all.) ---
Today's question
It's a true or false Tuesday. Hooray.
True or false, LeBron was right to call out Charles Barkley.
True or false, Trump is right to call out the media.
True or false, you have differencing answers on that question depending on your view of LeBron and Trump.
True or false, Brady is the best quarterback ever.
If we are dealing in anniversaries, well, 18 years ago today the Falcons lost in their only Super Bowl appearance. So answer this sports fans, in your time as a fan, what's the most painful loss for your team?
Go and enjoy the day.