Good morning, all! And for those impacted by the weather, I hope you are on the road to recovery!
Many Pittsburgh Steelers fans are not happy with the hire of Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. But why? I break it down in the above video.
Here are some other thoughts, as the interminable countdown to Super Bowl LX begins:
What the Patriots have done this season is remarkable, but can we stop with the Drake Maye to Tom Brady comparisons? Within seconds after the Patriots 10-7, AFC title clinching win at Denver on Sunday, Jim Nance - one of my favorite broadcasters, by the way - was emphasizing Maye had done something Brady had never accomplished: win a playoff game in Denver. So what? Come talk to me when Maye has won one Super Bowl, let alone the seven Brady has won. Look. I like Maye, think he has a promising career, but let’s not start comparing him to Brady just yet.
Speaking of quarterback, the New York Jets keep looking for there next signal caller. And to think they threw the towel in on Sam Darnold. Yes, that Sam Darnold, who has led the Seattle Seahawks to this season’s Super Bowl. Good for him.
By the way, you think the Minnesota Vikings regret not signing Darnold, when he became a free agent after last season? The Vikes put all their eggs in one basket with J.J. McCarthy and had to scramble to finish 9-8. Still, they did not make the playoffs. With Darnold, they might have been playing deep into the postseason.
So much for the Philip Rivers story line from high school to NFL coach with a stop as an NFL QB in between, all within five months. Rivers pulled himself out of the running for the next coach of the Buffalo Bills on Monday.
The San Francisco Giants will not regret signing free agent OF Harrison Bader to a two-year deal. He brings plenty to the table. Just watch, Giants fans. By the way, Harrison’s mother worked in marketing at Time-Life, helping to promote Sports Illustrated, when that magazine actually meant something.
Rumors are running rampant that the venerable Washington Post is about to shutdown its sports department. The paper had to do an about face, after the rival New York Times reported the Post would not send any reporters to next month’s winter olympics. The Post then changed course and stated it would send a contingent to Italy. But now there is word the Post will not send its two beat writers, who cover the Washington Nationals, to spring training next month. The times, they are a-changing.
ESPN will be all over the return of Brooks Koepka to the PGA Tour, after he left the tour to join LIV Golf. The all-sports network will televise the first two rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday and Friday from noon to 3 p.m. ET, with the primary focus on Koepka. As noted in the newsletter last week, Koepka is paying mucho money to be welcomed back to the tour, after leaving to take big dough from Saudi-backed LIV.
By the way, for those wondering about “Just a little Koepka…” If you grew up in Connecticut, when I did, you listened to the late, great Bob Steele mornings on WTIC-AM. Back in the day, his ratings were off the charts, with one-third of the market listening to his show. Unheard of today. Anyway, he used to play a song “Just A Little Lefse,” by Stan Boreson. For some reason, I think of that song, when hearing the name Brooks Koepka. So substitute the words and have fun, as I link to “Just A Little Lefse…” I guarantee the song will stick in your head the rest of the day.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you so much for subscribing and have a terrific Tuesday!
DAN
