The Thurman Thomas Helmet curse of Buffalo will end the night of February 13, 2022 with a city-wide party/riot that is only dampened by the blizzard conditions and sub-zero temperatures. Fortunately, it will be hard to turn cars over in 4 feet of snow. When your fifth Super Bowl trip finally results in a 35-30 victory led by NFL MVP Josh Allen, you are entitled to a celebration. It was Allen's 28 yard touchdown strike to Stefon Diggs with 1:01 remaining in the 4th quarter that effectively ended the Brady era. Brady had apparently stiffened up during the hour-long halftime show "the greats of hip-hop." Buffalo’s notoriously big four straight Super Bowl losses are a distant memory, after they beat Nashville in the AFC Championship to get back to the Super Bowl.
That it was Buffalo that emerges as the champion after a season marred by injuries and disease is pretty amazing, as the revolutionary play of young quarterbacks with over 5000 yards passing dazzled America.
The NFL continues its March towards a March Super Bowl with
a money-grabbing 17 game schedule. By 2050
expect the Super Bowl nickname to go from “The Big Game” to “The Spring Game.”
I know this prediction is counter to my previous instinct that Patrick Mahomes would survive the State Farm curse to go to 10 straight Super Bowls. I think Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Ryan Tannehill are in his rear-view mirror gaining at Dominic Toretto speed, and anything can happen, especially if Mike Vrabel can keep new acquisition Julio Jones healthy with a little prudent game rationing. Would you like to tackle Derick Henry and cover Julio Jones in the same game? I think there will be a lot of noise in Nashville, and it won’t just be Country Music.
In the NFC, all eyes will be on Matthew Stafford, who will suddenly be the senior citizen of the circuit surrounded by more talent than he is accustomed to. It will be interesting because, once the season starts, the media has to cover teams other than the Dallas Cowboys, and Colin Cowherd has to talk about quarterbacks other than Russell Wilson. We will find out that Sam Darnold is no better than Josh Rosen, Justin Fields may be the football Michael Jordan Chicago has been waiting for, and Aaron Rodgers has his suitcase packed. Buyer beware. Many would like to be Aaron Rodgers. He wants to be Alex Trebeck.
So how will the Saints do? Probably better than you ‘d expect. My prediction is that the Saints finish 11-6. How do I figure? Well, with their lack of depth, particularly in the defensive backfield, I would peg them as a .500 team – let’s say 6-6, and Sean Payton is worth 5 games. Remember the Saints are 7-1 in games started by Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill over the last two seasons when Brees was hurt. Now that Brees has retired, Payton has the much more talented, but less decisive Jameis Winston at the controls. I would be pegging Winston for a 5000-yard season if Michael Thomas were starting the season. If Marquez Callaway a) stays healthy, and b) is as good as he looked in the preseason, the Saints just need one more receiver to step up, maybe Lil’Jordan Humphrey, or the even littler Deonte Harris.
What am I worried about? I’m worried that the Saints extended quarterback battle will actually cost us the productivity of Taysom Hill, who has prepared all season to be a quarterback, not a multi-use player. I’m also a little worried about the length of schedule as it pertains to the aging roster. Do you give Cameron Jordan, for example, a game off to keep fresh?
Everybody has penciled in the Brady Bucs for the Super Bowl, but at some point, Brady has to slow down with age, doesn’t he? I ask this as someone who has recently had “old age” take a bat to my knees and back. How long can he go? Could the Bucs really go undefeated? Well, I’ll say this – if healthy, their defense is good enough.
Am I writing the Saints off from a 5th straight division title? Not really. The Saints made Brady look human for 2 and a half games last year, until a certain tight end, whom we will never mention again, fumbled the ball and momentum over to the Bucs. It was a shame, because it is obvious that Payton is a great one-game coach, until the playoffs arrive. Deep down, I think that will be the case again this year.
The breaks have gone against the Saints in the playoffs, and while we are not as haunted as Buffalo, It’s almost as if we live in a football cone of uncertainty, never quite out of danger while that clock is still running.
No comments:
Post a Comment