Putting a Bow on the 2018 Season

Well, the best continue to prove why, well, they’re the best.  Tom Brady and Bill Belicheck were both on display on the biggest stage and out-shined their opponents in every aspect.  Belicheck held the 2nd best offense to 3 points, while Brady out-dueled the youngster, Goff, especially in crunch time.  Many will say that Brady is the Luckiest Athlete Ever, however winning 1 Super Bowl takes luck, 2 shows you have a knack of knowing how to win—winning 6?  Yeah, you’re the best ever, it’s not a conversation.  Goff missed a wide open WR (Cooks) in the 4th quarter for a potential TD, which would’ve tied the game. Then threw just an awful interception on a ball that should’ve never been thrown.  Meanwhile, when needed, Brady delivered a perfect throw to Rob Gronkowski to essentially seal his 6th Lombardi trophy.

For everyone that hates the Patriots, trust me, it’s much easier (and better) if you just accept their greatness.  It’s likely something we’ll never see again in sports in our lifetime.  In the meantime, how can the Packers become a dynasty (3 rings in 5 years)?  Well, it starts with cutting the fat on the roster (Nick Perry, Randall Cobb, Clay Matthews, etc.) and absolutely killing this draft.

Because the Packers traded back with New Orleans, they now hold 3 draft picks in the first 44 selections.  That’s a great opportunity to have a draft like the Indianapolis Colts did in 2018 (1st pick G Quinten Nelson, 2nd pick Darius Leonard, DROY) which propelled them to a 10-6 record, along with a new coach after going 4-12 last year—the Colts got a new head coach, their old QB back, and an influx of young solid talent through the draft.  The year prior, the Saints also had arguably the best draft ever, which catapulted them into the playoffs after three consecutive years of 7-9.  However, the goal is to win 3 super bowls by the end of the 2023 season—in order for that to take place, the defense needs to show improvement and Aaron Rodgers must outplay his counterpart in the postseason, just as he did in each game in the 2010 run.

Have fun watching the Bucks as they’re the best team in the NBA and they just added to their arsenal without giving up much.  I’ll be off until March (combine/draft lookout time), thanks again for keeping along with me throughout these weeks!

Wanna know who will win? (hint: you prob know which way I’m leaning)

The Big Game is upon us—the biggest single world-wide event, The Super Bowl.  This is the 53rd installment, pitting the team that’s increased their leading appearances (this will be their 11th), with the Rams appearing in their 4th appearance.  If you’ve watched any pregame, or have paid attention you’d know this is the matchup of Elder vs. Wunderkind.  While it’s been covered at nausea, it’s accurate.  McVay, since taking over as LA’s Head Coach in 2017, has been the darling of the NFL and has proven to get the most out of his team.  Belichick, as always, has his team playing their best football at the best time.

Why you should root for New England—No one will catch Brady and his 5 (6 if they win today) rings, so what does it really matter if the best adds yet another one?  Nothing, nothing changes.  Also, it would hold the Rams to just 1 Super Bowl title in 4 appearances (3 since 1992).  If the Rams win, they would be yet another team to equal the Packers, furthering many fans’ perspectives of the Packers “great success.”

Why you should root for Los Angeles—the Rams and Packers are built similarly in the essence that they have a young innovative head coach, a true west coast quarterback, decent weapons on offense, and threatening HB, and the defense is built around a great talent at the D-line.  The Rams never really seemed to have all that talent until McVay arrived and they acquired a few pieces (Suh, Peters, and Talib) that are good enough to be 20th in the NFL in points given up, which the Packers currently show to have a better defense.  So if the Rams can win, it should give hope (legitimate hope with thinking involved not just blind fandom) to Packer nation they can quickly right the ship and return to championship caliber.

Matchup—there was a matchup stat posted on NFL Network that showed McDaniels’ offenses vs. Wade Phillips’ defenses, with McDaniels getting the better of him 7 of 9 times and scoring over 29 points/game.  While I believe that’s a large enough sample size, it shouldn’t be the only indicator for what will happen in this game.

Pats’ Offense vs Rams’ Defense: 4th (27.2 pts/gm) vs 20th (24.0 pts/gm).  Edge goes to the Patriots for many reasons.  Mainly Tom Brady, but NE also is the best at attacking an opposing team’s weakness instead of playing to their own strength.  Expect to see many looks, but be surprised by nothing.  The Pats could open the game with 5-wide, no huddle (i.e. see the Packer game) to build a lead, or they could go heavy and establish the run with a ton of their running backs.

Pats’ Defense vs Rams’ Offense: 7th (20.3 pts/gm) vs 2nd (32.9 pts/gm).  Advantage Rams, however I believe it’ll be a slighter edge than the amount NE will have over them on the other side of the ball.  Expect a high-scoring game, after feeling each other out a bit, I think it’ll be a well-executed offensive game.  (Take the over).

Patriots 31
Rams 27