Dateline: May 2, 2021 Tampa Florida
Patrick Mahomes broke the hearts of Florida residents when he thwarted the Tampa Bay Bucs’ attempt to become the first home team to capture a Super Bowl by leading a 42-12 trouncing over Tom Brady and the Bucs. Mahomes threw 5 touchdown passes at Merrill Lynch Stadium to lead the rout in dehydrating spring-time heat. The game, finally played after the season was delayed repeatedly, and the playoffs took two months to complete, was a blow out reminiscent of old Super Bowls. Said losing coach Bruce Arians, “I feel like I aged two years during the playoffs, and I was obviously not the only one on my team who felt that way.” History was made even during the 3 week break before the game when Merrill Lynch bought the naming rights to the stadium from Raymond James for a record $4 billion, just days before kickoff. That transaction almost matched the bizarreness of the halftime show pairing of Taylor Swift and Jimmy Buffett, continuing the recent trend of “more is less.” All of this finally brought down the curtain on the longest pro sports season ever, which was not surprising after the NBA finals ended right before their next season began, and the World Series had to be moved due to December snow storms.
That’s how the NFL Season will end. How will it begin? The NFL barrels into the season with billions of dollars of revenue at stake, and millions to spend to protect that flow. Amidst the twin 2020 crisis of civil unrest and pandemic, they’ve got the resources to tackle both head-on. Thus they have implemeted sophisticated testing, contact tracing, and social distancing that communities can not afford. The show must go on. The NFL is too big to fail
As for the social issues, there’s a scene in my favorite movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in which Senator Jefferson Smith, played by Jimmy Stewart, is beginning his famous filibuster and is asked by a fellow Senator if he will yield the floor. He replies “no sir, I yielded the floor once before, if you can remember, and I was practically never heard of again.”
Which brings me to Drew Brees, who made one seemingly patriotic comment in an interview in the offseason. To put it mildly, he failed to read the room, and he was almost buried. It went viral, and a firestorm began which will probably taint him forever. Imagine now what his life will be like from this day forward. Instead of people walking up to him (literally, and on-line) and saying how much they appreciate all he has done for Louisiana, or recalling where they were when he threw a certain pass, won a Super Bowl, or broke a record, there is a 50/50 chance he will get scorn. Somehow he has become the face of a political issue, which if on-line chatter is to be believed, will lower interest in pro sports (although a poll shows that 62% of the public support pro athletes taking a social stance.) His picture is featured on memes that are circulated daily. Not Colin Kapernick. Drew Brees. I often say we live in a 50/50 world now, where you can say “the sky is blue,” and half the world will say “it’s beautiful,” and the other half will say “it’s a conspiracy.” Brees is the victim of the division haunting our country, but he seems as focused and motivated as ever. If he wants to cap his career with a Super Bowl victory, there is one clear way to do it – take the lead as the clock expires. He has almost been too efficient, leaving the Vikings, Rams, and the Vikings again too much time on the clock to mount playoff comebacks of their own. Too efficient – sad but true.
So, with the season about to start with no fans in stadiums, and pumped in crowd noise, (a big mistake in my opinion - I’d rather hear grunting and colorful language) the political atmosphere can’t be ignored.
It will hang over the NFL season and make each pre-game ceremony a yakking point for the week. At this time of year, I usually predict how the Saints will fare. This year, I have no idea. Talent wise, they are strong. But will their locker room stay united? And how the NFC South has changed! Carolina has a new hot coach and Teddy Bridgewater, and Tampa Bay has stockpiled a nuclear arsenal on offense. Yet, it’s not usually that simple. As the season ended last year, I had convinced myself that San Francisco and Kansas City were super teams which would meet in Super Bowls for years to come. In fact, they are so loaded, that they would return to the Super Bowl in a clash of undefeateds this year. Then came a pandemic and protests, and the world went crazy.
So, back to the chemistry. While Brees has apparently reconciled with his teammates, not so with some of the opponents he will play. The NFL has approximately 70% black players (the NBA is about 75%) and several players have said they want to take Brees’ head off. The Brees/Payton years have brought the Saints into an era of sports relevance that many fans may now take for granted. Sure, we probably should have won another Super Bowl or three, but in a year that is probably the last for Brees, I had hoped to savor the moment. Instead 2020 and real life has intervened. While Brees and Brady have slowed their aging process, Father time is still undefeated. I remember Brett Favre’s last few years when he was a turnover machine late in playoff games (once to our great relief) and we can’t ignore that while the Saints’ seasons have ended with Brees on the sideline, let’s not kid ourselves. The Saints made critical mistakes late. Time’s running out. Before long Brees (and Brady) will be looking for their keys just like the rest of us.
So, my prediction is this: 11-5 at best for the Saints and that’s if Alvin Kamara is healthy and all-in and our defensive backfield is better than I think it is. The offense may lead the NFL, but will stall in the playoffs. As always, the NFL will be heavily influenced by injuries and possible illness. I think Tampa Bay will start slowly, but get stronger as the season progresses and get past New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, Green Bay, Philladelphia and Dallas in the NFC. In the AFC I think the Ravens will threaten Kansas City, although I think if Lamar Jackson continues to run, he’s going to get hurt. It’s not if but when. So I see Baltimore, Indianapolis, New England, Houston, Buffalo and Pittsburgh falling short in the playoffs.
The important thing is that the NFL gets us to 2021. It’s too big to fail.
Isn’t it?
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