Look, I don’t know who will be called for pass interference on a critical play.
I have no idea who gets called for roughing the passer on 3d and 15.
I have no clue who drops an easy pass for a sure touchdown or who make the improbable catch against two defenders for a score.
No way I can tell you which lineman holds, wiping out a successful 3d and 12 conversion.
Impossible to pinpoint who misses a tackle that turns a 5 yard gain into a 40 yard TD.
I think you get the picture.
Predicting who wins Super Bowl 57 between the Eagles and the Chiefs is pure folly.
What is fascinating is getting into the nitty gritty of what and how these outstanding teams do to get ready for the Big Game.
What are the things coaches have looked at and put into play to give their teams the best chance to win.
We know the Eagles, slight favorites, are there because of their spectacular play on both the offensive and defensive lines.
It’s the foundation established by their long-time head coach Andy Reid who was let go a decade ago and was hired by the Chiefs. It’s a great formula that is talked about by every team but not constructed as well by the boys from Philly.
So Reid, has to face the enormous obstacle of dealing with many of the linemen he put into place when he guided the Birds.
The Eagles may not have had the best defense in the league statistically, but they were right there. And the key to any defense is the pass rush and the Eagles have had more quarterback sacks than any team in the past 38 years.
So,, imagine Andy Reid, armed with the best quarterback in the NFL, studying tape and looking for ways to keep his explosive attack in full gear.
How does he handle the Eagles pass rush?
Does he use an extra offensive lineman?
Does he employ his number one weapon, tight end Travis Kelce as a pass protector?
He can’t do that, can he?
Perhaps a second tight end for that purpose. Who knows?
We’ll find out.
I have to assume Mahomes has healed enough so that his banged up ankle will allow him to move around in the pocket, and even run when there’s an opening.
If not, oh oh.
This is just one of so many problems these teams try to solve.
How about the Eagles offensive line?
Maybe one of the best ever.
Jalen Hurts is the beneficiary, and that gives him an extra dose of confidence.
How do the Chiefs keep him in check enough so that KC’s offensive can outscore the NFC champs?
The same story goes for Philadelphia.
I am anticipating the moment when a maneuver, or a play the Eagles haven’t seen is run. How do they deal with it?
When and where does it occur?
And there’s always that one player who has been an after-thought all year, who enters the game and is the key operative on a play, or series of plays, that alters the contest.
Someone no one ever thought about.
What makes this game so intriguing, in my view, is that we will witness the results of the many hours of lab work done by scientists trying to find a solution.
One thing that dawned on me, was the fact that the Eagles haven’t really faced a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes all year.
The NFC was plagued by injuries to starting signal callers, and probably the best they faced was Aaron Rodgers.
They beat the Packers in that contest, but Green Bay did put 33 points on the board.
Then, you go back to that scary pass rush and wonder if that fact means anything.
The one feature of the Super Bowl that has been constantly emphasized by the media, is that for the first time in history, two Black quarterbacks are opposing each other.
The Mahomes and Hurts matchup is a great one, without doubt, but I kind of thought we were passed that time when color was a story in sports.
I guess not.
I recall the comment this season by Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles when he was asked by a reporter about his upcoming game with the Steelers, and their head coach, Mike Tomlin.
Two black head coaches.
Bowles said it simply, “we don’t look at color”.
I may be looking forward to this Super Bowl as much, if not more than any of the recent games.
Let’s see how it pans out.
The second headline……..Tom Brady retires.
He called it quits for a second time, and for good.
He goes out as the best ever at his position, but a strange phenomenon has been evident.
Brady is slated to become the lead analyst for Fox Sports NFL broadcasts.
He’s receiving over $300 million for 10-years, and Fox, I know, knew what they were getting.
Tom Brady will be doing more than calling games from a booth during the football season.
He will represent Fox at every big event they cover, meeting sponsors, corporate leaders, and enhancing the network’s coverage, on and off the air.
But, while Tom Brady, the quarterback has been celebrated and supported every step of the way, the media is now making him a villain in his new role in broadcasting.
Fox’ lead crew, Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen will call Super Bowl 57.
Brady was signed to become their number one expert-analyst.
But the media has made Olsen into a victim, discussing how he will now be demoted to the number two announce-team.
The critics have been kind to Olsen who is still relative new in the broadcast business.
He has gotten good reviews in a season in which the former tight end has been better than anticipated, but still has room to grow.
He is not yet as great as the media portrays, and neither is Tony Romo, CBS’ top dog, fallen to mediocrity as they say.
Tom Brady bears the brunt of critics who doubt he will be effective replacing Olsen, a plan that was made clear from the very start.
I have a hunch Brady will “surprise”, be well-schooled by the top production people at Fox, and deliver the way a successful person does.
Olsen has known the plan all along, and will be a professional in the way he handles it all.
If another network reaches out to him to be their top man, he is free to go, but I don’t see that option becoming reality at this point.
The media, which now includes the poorly labeled “social media” is loud and persistent.
We know this from more important aspects of our lives.
But it’s being heard regarding the future of Tom Brady.
Who would have figured?
Meanwhile, we’ll now put Tom Brady on the back-burner, and anticipate Super Bowl 57.