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Super Bowl sides
So the Philadelphia Eagles are in the Super Bowl. They will face the three-peat- hunting Kansas City Chiefs.
Who are you pulling for and why?
Granted, if you are a devoted fan of either team, you are psyched for the big game. But if you are the casual fan, who you got?
Are you team Taylor and pulling for the Chiefs, or are you team anti-Taylor because it’s Taylor and pulling for the Eagles?
Do you want to see history and a three-peat, or do you want the relative newness of a different champ?
Betting changes all of our perspectives in games without a true preferred team, but I am curious who you are backing.
As for me, I’m pulling for the Chiefs, and the Eagles fans in recent weeks are a big reason why.
You heard the story of the Eagles fan who berated a Packers lady and used vile language in a Philly blowout. That dude lost his job; Philly sports fans said that was not who they are.
That’s exactly who they are, and the next time a Philly sports fan says they get a bad rap and blame the “lamestream” media, forget the “booing Santa” scene and show them this one.
That’s a couple of Commanders backers leaving the NFC conference title game with mouths shut and eyes forward.
And they are getting accosted verbally to a place that it was either walk away or fight and get gang-beaten.
You stay classy, Philly. You should be ashamed of your rep and the folks who only look to perpetuate that rep.
Let’s go, Chiefs.
Hopelessness or heartbreak
I was pulling for the Bills to beat the Chiefs. I hope Josh Allen gets a ring at some point, and I really hope he does it in Buffalo.
Man, the dude who makes THE play to finally bring the Bills a Super Bowl title will never, ever have to buy a drink in upstate New York ever again, right?
Allen seems likable. He also is hooked up with a talented Hollywood A-lister, but that’s not being bandied about in every broadcast.
And the Bills’ plight is sympathetic, you know?
Which would be worse, being lovably terrible like the Browns or even the Cardinals, for example, or being pretty competitive for the better parts of multiple generations and never breaking through the glass ceiling?
The Bills’ four straight Super Bowl trips — something that is totally underrated— were derailed by bad luck and a couple of great Dallas teams.
Think about the great NBA players who banged their heads against the Jordan juggernaut through the 1990s.
That likely could be the outcome for a Josh Allen, a Joe Burrow or a Lamar Jackson.
Those guys are great and have been on some great teams, but as long as Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are at this level and together (and they keep DC Steve Spagnolo on staff), what could the Bills do differently to break through?
Add a No. 1 WR? Maybe, but these Chiefs lost exactly one game in five months, and I’m pretty sure this is going to be the worst statistical season of Mahomes’ prime.
Think about that.
Which leads me back to the question: Would you rather experience the heartbreak that the Bills — who have been bounced the last four years by Mahomes and Co. — or lean into the stinkiness of the Titans or Falcons or any of the other titleless NFL also-rans?
New faces, familiar problems
Gang, as the names come off the board as next or new head coaches in the NFL, know that everyone in those 32 elite jobs has the same Job No. 1.
No, it’s not to win. No, it’s not to keep the owner happy. Those aren’t jobs or goals. Those are understood requirements.
To accomplish that, everyone in a headset, from new HCs like Aaron Glenn to seasoned super-coaches like Pete Carroll need to have a QB1 they can work with.
Look at the teams in the final four last Sunday.
There is not a Jayden Daniels in this draft.
There is not a Jalen Hurts, who was a second-rounder for crying out loud and would be No. 1 overall in this draft.
And there almost is never a Mahomes or Allen in any draft, but especially this one.
So, what would you do?
Roll the dice with Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders — and unless you have a top 2 or 3 pick, you are moving a lot of draft capital to take that roll — or find a free agent retread?
You could ask the Falcons about Kirk Cousins.
You could overpay free agent-to-be Sam Darnold.
You could kick the tires on Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers.
But QB1 forever will be J-O-B 1, and all the new coaches know it.
This and that
› Yikes, that was a bad beat for those of us who had Iowa State getting a couple of points at Arizona last night. Double yikes.
› Speaking of college hoops, I have been pretty consistent that I think a fully healthy AU is the best team in the country. But I also now think Cooper Flagg is the best player in the game. Yes, even better than Johni Broome.
› Man, 10 SEC teams cracked the AP top-25, including Vandy, which deserved to be ranked after a stellar week.
› OK, who let the Rockets get good? Houston is 31-14 and second in the West. The Rockets beat Boston last night and, according to NBA.com analytics, have a better than 99% chance of making the playoffs. Man, Olajuwon must be having a great year, huh?
› Here’s Yahoo columnist Dan Wetzel — who is great at this job — on the poppycock assertion that the NFL is fixing games for the Chiefs. (Side note: Reading Wentzel’s column allowed a pop-up podcast discussion to reveal that Jason Fitz is with Yahoo now. Always enjoyed Fitz’s work. Thought he got the short straw at ESPN Radio.)
› Dave Portnoy founded Barstool Sports and made a mint. Now he says he is quitting football because of the bad “officiating” in Sunday’s Bills’ loss to Kansas City. Here’s more.
› Here’s Paschall’s preview of tonight’s rather important UK-UT tilt. More previews from me in this afternoon’s Plays.
Today’s questions
› True or false, it’s Tuesday. Morning, Ernie.
› True or false, if the Chiefs win next Sunday, they by definition become the greatest team in NFL history.
› True or false, if you were the HC of any NFL team, and you had zero qualified starter at QB1 — think like the Raiders’ situation — you would want Aaron Rodgers on your team.
› True or false, you knew the Houston Rockets were title contenders.
› True or false, you would rather play Pebble Beach than Augusta National.
› True or false, no one in current sports media has gone from the bees’ knees to total pariah like one Tony Romo has in the last five years.
› You know the drill — answer some T or Fs, ask some T or Fs.
As for today, Jan. 28, let’s review:
On this day in 1986, the Challenger exploded.
Forty years ago “We are the World” was recorded. Wow, that makes me feel Spy-level old.
Frodo is 44 today.
Alan Alda is 89 today.
Rushmore of Alan (and we can use any spelling). Go.