January 31, 2022
The Rams are going to the Super Bowl! Yesterday’s NFC Championship showdown with the 49ers was a game that up until the final minute, I never really thought they were going to win. No matter how much of a bum Jimmy Garoppolo is, they always come up with big play after big play, and they always seem to get the breaks. It felt that way for 3.5 quarters yesterday, until the Rams rallied in the 4th quarter. I’ve gotta give Sean McVay and his squad credit for bearing down and playing tough against a gritty, and very physical football team. However, I do think Sean McVay with his challenge flags has become the drunk guy at the bar that needs to be cut off. He must also be getting terrible insight from his coordinators in the booth. Matthew Stafford deserves all the credit in the world for delivering on the big stage, when nobody believed he could do it, just because he once wore a Detroit Lions jersey. It was also impressive how the entire roster contributed in that win, especially for a team that is typically dependent on it’s stars. There’s plenty of time ahead to break down the matchup with the Bengals, which won’t be easy by the way. As for the fans though, I can tell you after attending yesterday’s game, a 60-40 split in favor of the 49er fans was accurate. It doesn’t matter though. Half of those 49er fans are going to flip to Rams fans the next time those teams play!
Meanwhile in the AFC Title Game, everyone should have known that the Bengals were gonna win when Joe Burrow walked in the building like he was Leonardo DiCaprio about to claim a couple of Oscars. The Bengals completely stunned the Chiefs in the 2nd half, rallying from a 21-3 deficit to advance to the Super Bowl. There’s also no question the NFL fans across Twitter couldn’t have been happier that Brittany Matthews and Jackson Mahomes were eliminated from the playoffs as well. The Chiefs were looking unstoppable for weeks, then their offense completely stalled in the 2nd half. It was like they went back to being the Chiefs of the first 5 games of the season. Meanwhile, the Bengals look like the have the pieces to become the NFL’s next dynasty for the next 5 years. I’m also pretty sure their fans are going to be selling their houses to afford Super Bowl tickets because they haven’t been to the playoffs in 30 years.
This Tom Brady retirement story is hilarious. Everybody is so desperate to be first on a story, they fail to consider the consequences of being inaccurate. Tom Brady is probably retiring, but he wants to control the narrative, and wants the news to come out on his own terms. I can’t wait until Brady comes back and win comeback player of the year in 2022. Then again, Gisele is probably going to win this battle in that household, and finally get him to retire, which she’s been trying to do for years.
On to some topics that are not as enjoyable to discuss these days like the Lakers. I don’t want to hear this crap that Anthony Davis is back and looks like 2020 AD. I don’t want to hear it because Lebron went out of the lineup the next night, and so did AD against Charlotte. The team can’t stay healthy, and even when they are healthy, they stink. We’re more than 50 games into the season. This is what it is, and there is no trade out there that is going to fix this by the trade deadline. I’m also beginning to think that Frank Vogel could murder someone in the middle of broad daylight, and that the Lakers wouldn’t fire him. I’m actually ok with it, because none of this is his fault. Sure a lot of you are hanging your hats on the fact “nobody wants to see the Lakers in the postseason.” That’s cool and all until things keep going the way they are and nobody actually sees the Lakers in the postseason.
On the other hand, you’ve gotta give the Clippers credit. They have been completely undermanned all season long, yet they are the 7th seed in the West. It’s really amazing how many games you can win just by playing hard. Of course it also helps when the Washington Wizards are willing to hand over a 35-point lead and give away games, but they are where they are because they have consistently given maximum effort. That alone looks like it will get them in the play-in tournament. Whether or not they become sellers at the deadline will tell you everything you need to know about how they feel about a potential return of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George this season. I have my doubts either will come back, but come mid-February, you will get your answer.
UCLA B-Ball is finally looking like they are back in rhythm. The Bruins took care of #3 Arizona at home last week, and then took down Stanford over the weekend while shorthanded. Do you realize that the Bruins are +1500 to win the National Title? Since I’m assuming that not all of you that read this column are degenerate gamblers, that means that if you bet $100 you win $1500. That is basically saying that the Bruins are the 15th best team in the country. I think the Bruins are no worse than a top 5 team, and probably even higher than that, which gives them a real shot at winning the National Title. Everyone is also loving the energy Jake Kyman is bringing off the bench. When this kid gets in the game, he is making the most of it, and now everyone wants to “feed the Keaster!”