NEWSLETTER
Brett shared Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ in today’s Cubs Bullets.
And then I saw the NFL tweeted this:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” #MLKDay pic.twitter.com/Xlhb6xcDxH
— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2021
I’m sure that, somewhere in the league offices, there is a belief that this is coming from a good place. But actions speak louder than words. Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a thing we should all do today. However, the sharing of a quote and a black-and-white image feels a bit hollow coming from the NFL considering the events of recent years.
Here’s hoping the league continues to go about making real, progressive changes in its hiring policies. Because actions toward equality should be seen more than a timely quote.
• Conference Championship Sunday is set. Buccaneers-Packers will be your early game at 2:05 p.m. CT, while Bills-Chiefs serves as your nightcap at 5:40 p.m. CT. It’s as good as it gets from a projected competition standpoint. A Brady-Rodgers showdown could provide an instant classic between all-time greats. On the other side of the ledger, an Allen-Mahomes matchup could be the first of many we see between the two moving forward. Putting aside our obvious biases, as a football fan, I’m ready to cram my eyeballs with football next Sunday.
• Storybook endings aren’t for everyone. And among the many lessons I’ve learned in the last year is that even the best-written scripts deviate from what you might think an ideal ending should look like. Take Drew Brees for example, who Jay Glazer reported during Sunday’s pre-game show would be retiring at season’s end:
.@JayGlazer: Today will be Drew Brees' last game in the Superdome. pic.twitter.com/7ecSRUswFL
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 17, 2021
• Brees declined to make an announcement after his Saints lost to the Bucs on Sunday. However, if Sunday proved to be his final game as a pro, it will come with his last throw being an interception — his third of the day. And it will have come on an evening in which he completed just 19 of 34 passes, averaged 3.9 yards per attempt, threw only one touchdown and finished with a 38.1 passer rating. Yuck. That’s not how we expect the greats to go out, but things don’t always work out as expected. It’s one of the reasons we watch the weekly drama of the NFL in the first place.
• Even though the Bears were eliminated on Super Wild Card Weekend, their presence lived on in the Divisional Round:
“They’re running the Bears play.”
“OH MY GOD THEY RAN THE BEARS PLAY!”
“AND HE CAUGHT THE BALL.”
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) January 18, 2021
https://twitter.com/catchcamarillo/status/1350969211628224521
Jameis Winston's Pass TD to Tre'Quan Smith was the first Rec TD with at least 10 yards of separation in the playoffs in the last 5 seasons, per @NextGenStats pic.twitter.com/7pfOLtEW7r
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 18, 2021
https://twitter.com/BN_Bears/status/1350984952196771842
Critical play in the 3rd QTR from safety Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Man-coverage (bottom of the screen). Pick concept. Effort to get back in-phase.
Attack the ball — and punch it out.
This looks like drill tape — with Devin White on the recovery. @NFLMatchup pic.twitter.com/GxyQdQ2yPw
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) January 18, 2021
• The Pro Football Hall of Fame is a museum that showcases the history of this game we know and love. Moving forward, I’m not sure you’ll be able to tell the history of defensive football without mentioning the contributions of Charles “Peanut” Tillman, and what has turned into the revolutionary “Peanut Punch.” With that being said, Peanut Tillman should be in the Hall of Fame some day. I know what the statistics say. But if you combine a successful career with long-term impact on the game, and you don’t settle in on Tillman being HOF worthy, then we’ll pick up the debate later and won’t stop until you agree with me.
Is that a kidney shot….no place for that in the game pic.twitter.com/rH1eehKoni
— Dustin Colquitt (@dustincolquitt2) January 18, 2021
• It’s almost as if there’s a reason three different dudes — including one of his own teammates — have thrown hands at C.J. Gardner-Johnson this season.
• Throwing it on 4th-and-1 is crazy ballsy. But it works when you’re Andy Reid scheming for Tyreek Hill. Not so much when Matt Nagy does it, though:
.@TonyRomo is LEGENDARY on this call 😂 #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/0JSzsCYMvR
— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2021
• It will not be lost on me that the 4th-and-1 rollout play the Chiefs used to ice their trip to the AFC Championship Game was essentially the same 4th-and-1 rollout play the Bears used in Week 17, failed to convert, and ultimately served as the beginning of the end of any shot Chicago had at knocking off Green Bay. Above all, the Chiefs did it with their backup quarterback. I’m so salty about how it went down.
• Poor Nagy. In the early game, he sees his idol get praised for throwing it on 4th-and-1 with the game on the line in the afternoon game. After that, he watches Sean Payton steal his play, get credit for drawing it up on his own, and witnesses the Saints score a touchdown with it. Tough break, coach. But if anything, this should inspire you to get back in the lab and be better next year. And at least Joe Buck acknowledged Nagy’s play-call and design later in the game. Better late than never, right?
• So long as field position matters, the return game is still important:
Deonte Harris showing some serious SPARK on the Saints' first punt return 🙌✨
(via @Saints) pic.twitter.com/F4GiQjfctF
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 17, 2021
• This was wholly and totally unnecessary:
The #Bears and Chiefs each fired their head coach on Dec. 31, 2012. The Chiefs hired Andy Reid four days later. The Bears needed 16 days to hire Marc Trestman.
— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) January 17, 2021
• As was this:
Please…don’t https://t.co/ujfYReCgxR
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 17, 2021
• The Bulls are one Luka away from being A Thing™, change my mind:
Mavs 0-3 in their last three games vs. the Bulls.
If you can't beat them, join them … right Luka?
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 17, 2021
• Filing this tweet away for December 2021, just in case:
Source close to Brian Daboll “He’ll be the big name for head coach next year”
I sense from talking to agents and other candidates tonight —this was a “surprise pick” by the Chargers
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) January 18, 2021
• Yeah, uh, maybe not the BEST idea.
Texans Fans Are Organizing a March to Keep Deshaun Watson in Houston, and He’s Like “… Remember COVID?”https://t.co/DsKYaqqcZL
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) January 18, 2021
