nfl

WHEN DID THE NFL KICKER/PUNTER TURN INTO SAVAGES?

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The job as a kicker or punter in the NFL was always a quiet position. They were two positions that were known as your outcasts on the team’s roster over the years. Kickers and punters don’t get down and dirty. The only time you would hear about a punter was if their kick was blocked or if he somehow botched the punt and it cost your team. The regular kicking job was a different story as you are either loved or hated. If you deliver a game winning kick on Sunday, they may be hoisted on the team’s shoulders in celebration. If these kickers miss a game winning field goal, they may be shunned in the locker room by their teammates. They may receive hate mail with death threats. The kickers/punters jobs are no longer the guy from the soccer team booting the ball for his team. No longer the foreign guy kicking the ball for your team. The positions have evolved as they are no longer the hush puppy on the sidelines. In the game of football, many players turn into savages in a violent game. It’s no longer the big guys in the trenches that have lost their marbles on the football field. It’s no longer the primadonnas at the wide receiver position talking foolishly. Suddenly the kicker and punter are contributing to those dramatic off the field stories like the rest of the players.

We start with our Deshaun Watson of the kicking world. The last player from the Baltimore Ravens team that won the 2012 Superbowl is Justin Tucker. He’s 35 years old and has played 13 seasons in the NFL, all with the Ravens. Tucker has played in 212 NFL games and has hit 417 field goals while knocking through 524 extra points. He has made quite the name for himself on the football field kicking winning field goals and burying long distance kicks through the uprights from high 50’s to 60-something yards out. He is a 7 x Pro Bowler and was part of the HOF All Decade 2010’s team. Tucker, like Watson, has the same problems on the massage table as he wants to fondle the merchandise. So far 16 massage therapists have come out of the woodwork just like in Watson’s case as he had more. All of them from the Baltimore area which makes sense. All the allegations are from 2012-’16 so Tucker eventually stopped. Or found the right girl with everything in the package deal. He exposed himself during the massage and probably handled all the girls stroking them on the inner thigh while leaving a wet spot on the table when concluded. More details will emerge.

Other recent news is a former Viking punter from 2005-’12 was arrested in California at a city council meeting. Chris Kluwe is 43 years old and he spoke at the meeting as he made his feeling clear that he is not a Donald Trump supporter. He compared the Make America Great Campaign to the Nazi Party. He compared Trump to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. He had to be dragged out of the meeting during his speech as things got heated. It was the Huntington Beach city council that were installing a plaque at the local Library of Donald Trump’s slogan Make America Great Again and giving MAGA their support. This is not the first time Kluwe has had words against this same library who were banning books a few years back. Kluwe said he’d rather play video games than be a politician which the Democrat party has been knocking at his door. He may consider running as multiple topics have him venting against the Trump regime. He played in 127 games in the NFL which was 8 seasons all with the Vikings. He says when he became an activist for gay rights and same sex marriages, his career was terminated by the Vikings and the NFL after the 2012 season.

The Kansas City kicker used his soap box in 2023 in a commencement speech at his Alma Mater, Georgia Tech University. Harrison Butker is the opposite of what Chris Kluwe is preaching. In that speech he said women that get degrees get excited more about getting married and having children than having a career. This is freedom of speech. It can be true and false, just an opinion. He goes on saying Catholic leaders are pushing ideologies on the youth of America. He ripped Joe Biden’s stance on abortion. Made comments on Pride month and the LGBTQ community. Butker did not get in trouble for his speech but did get some backlash. It’s freedom of speech but using all your political stance in a commencement speech is a little odd. He did not do it on the Chiefs clock. Maybe Butker and Kluwe will debate in the future of this country.

Then you have a former Buffalo Bills punter who was drafted in 2022 in the 6th round who got cut from the team because he was involved in a group rape back at his college, San Diego State. Matt Araiza calls himself the punt god. The girl in this sticky situation said she was 18 years old and she was at the college campus partying. She was only 17 years of age. At first it was said that Araiza got oral sex from the Jane Doe 17 year old, outside somewhere during the parties. Then led her back into the house where his teammates got a turn on Jane Doe as she was drunk and most likely everyone had a fair share. It went on for over an hour where three of the punt god’s teammates gave her a ride. The Bills did cut ties with Araiza who turned out to be innocent as the case was dropped. Araiza played his first season in the NFL with the Chiefs this season and played all 17 regular season games including the playoffs. You have to wonder why this kid put himself into a situation like this. Sure he is probably innocent, but some truth even if it’s a sliver of it means this kid made a bad decision. I blame the girl as well and whoever she hangs out with should not be called a friend of the future. She may have been embarrassed and was caught in a pickle or more. Someone could have paid her to go away. Maybe the others got the blame. The nickname punt god… give me a break. Kick the ball and that’s it. Do your job.

Marquette King played 84 games as a punter in the NFL. He played six seasons in the NFL 5 with the Raiders and one with the Broncos. He is now kicking in the UFL United Football League for the Arlington Renegades as he may tell you the NFL black balled him. King was a solid punter and he still is presently. In football, every player has to use the referee’s signal for first down when they achieve one. You have your touchdown celebrations. You have your sack dances on defense. Now on a turnover from all the defenses in the league you have, your group dances for that particular celebration. It’s really pathetic. King had his punt dances which would draw flags from the referees. King would also get in fights with the special teams coaches because he would call his own plays on the field. Like instead of kicking the ball, he’s going for the first downs and not getting them – putting his team in bad field position. Which some of these calls surely resulted in losses which head coaches are not going to like. King is a talent as he is also a pop and hip hop artist. Just do your job on the field and do your other stuff on your own time. No fan wants to see their punter dance or call plays on the field. Stay in your lane. King suffered an injury in his last season in Denver which may be the NFL’s excuse not to bring him back.

I remember when Todd Sauerbrun was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1995 NFL draft from West Virginia University. He purchased a sports car he showed up to training camp in with vanity license plates that said “Hang Time.” It’s better than punt god. Why does a punter or kicker have to be flashy or use their position as a soap box opportunity? Justin Tucker is hot garbage like Deshaun Watson. The old days you never heard anything about kickers or punters off the field. Present days with social media everything is game and out there to read. You would think being in the spotlight just playing the game would be hard enough and not add off the field issues to the situation. All athletes are under the microscope. For Tucker he should be arrested. For Harrison Butker and Chris Kluwe, wait until your career is over and then get into the politics game. Look what happened to Colin Kaepernick. No team wants him bringing that kind of baggage to any locker room in the league. It would be stupid talking about day in day out “Colin this Colin that.” He was just an average QB. If a player is average or below average and your off the field issues are loud, you’re expendable. Marquette King is a solid punter but an easy change of the light bulb as a replacement. I think Tucker will be out of a job soon. Even if Tucker was winning Superbowls with the Ravens, he would still be kicked out the door. He is not a QB. Even though Watson should be done in the NFL because he not a very good QB anymore. The Browns are heavily invested and have their hands tied. Only a few kickers and punters play in the NFL. Only 32 punters and 32 kickers. Maybe some teams keep an extra kicker to do kick offs. Imagine how many kickers and punters that play in college and want a job in the NFL. Many!! You can replace a kicker and a punter easily. The best referees are unknown in the game. The best punters in the league are unknown. The best kickers you know because they convert when they are called upon in the clutch. Tucker will not be remembered now by those big kicks. He will be remembered as a sexual predator like Watson. Two peas in the same pod could compare their war stories on the massage table. The world has turned the footballer into a common savage like all of the others.

REMEMBERING THE 2001 CHICAGO BEARS WITH HEAD COACH DICK JAURON

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When it comes to the Chicago Bears, decades and decades have gone past without a franchise quarterback. The jury is still out on Caleb Williams’ rookie season this past season. When it comes to head coaches, the Bears have had a list of clunkers since the team fired Mike Ditka in 1993. The Bears have been looking for a solid coach since they fired Lovie Smith in 2012. He led the Bears to a Superbowl loss in 2006, the last time they made it to the big game. We know with Ditka the Bears won their only Superbowl in 1986. We know before Ditka, Papa George Halas was a legendary head coach in Chicago for decades. The Bears have not figured out a way to find a head coach better than Smith. Many will say the Bears have not found a better replacement than Da Coach. In between Ditka and Smith, the Bears did find success. It was 2001 when the Bears went 13-3 under the former Yale graduate of Dick Jauron who had the Bears in the post-season in one entertaining magical year in team history. Jauron coached 28 seasons in the NFL and played 8 seasons as a player. He was loved by all whereever he worked as a coach and a player. It’s a shame when good people pass away as Jauron quietly did less than a week ago at the age of 74.

Dick Jauron was born in Peoria, Illinois. Jauron would attend grammar school in Rensselaer, Indiana. He played his high school football at Swampscott High School located in the state of Massachusetts. He was named top ten best high school players in the state of Massachusetts. He then played his college football at Yale University where he was 3 x First Team all Ivy-League. The Detroit Lions drafted Jauron in the 4th round of the 1973 NFL draft as a safety. He was also drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals as a short stop in the 1973 MLB draft. However he chose football over baseball. He played 8 years in the NFL with two teams. The Lions for 5 seasons and then the Bengals for 3 seasons. He earned his only pro bowl nomination in 1975 as he was still with the Lions. He played in 100 NFL games as a free safety and had 25 career interceptions. He had two defensive touchdowns. His NFL career ended after the 1980 season. In 2015 Jauron made it to the College Football Hall of Fame for his stellar play for the Yale Bulldogs.

Dick Jauron then took his talents to coaching as he started in 1985 with the Buffalo Bills as a defensive backs coach. Then from 1986-1994 he held the same job he had in Buffalo, only he did it with the Green Bay Packers. From 1995-98 he was the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars under Tom Coughlin. Then the Bears gave him his first head coaching job from 1999- 2003. In 2001 he led the Bears to the post-season as they were one and done. They were quickly dispatched in the wild card round by the Eagles. Jauron would get fired by the Bears and finished with a 35-45 record in 5 seasons in Chicago. In 2005 Jauron was defensive coordinator in Detroit the last few years after Chicago and he took over the head coaching duties. In the last games in 2005, he finished 1-4 as the interim HC. It was good enough that the Bills gave Jauron his next head coaching job in 2006. He was fired in week ten of the 2009 season as he lasted 4 seasons. Jauron had three straight 7-9 seasons in Buffalo until the 4th year when things got worse. He started the season with a 3-6 record and was fired. He finished with a 24-33 record in Buffalo. In 10 seasons as head coach he had a 60-82 record and only coached one playoff game which was the loss to the Eagles. After Buffalo, Jauron did one season in Philadelphia as defensive backs coach.Then got the defensive coordinator job in Cleveland for another three seasons.

The Bears before the 2001 season were picked by the experts to be one of the bottom feeders in the league. The Bears most likely played a weak schedule from being a bad team the year before. Like the LA Chargers this season played well, got into the playoffs, and looked like they did not belong. I think the Bears may have gotten lucky in some of these games they played in this magical season where they went 13-3. It was a year that they were 8-0 in games decided by 7 points or fewer. The things most Bears fans remember were the back to back overtime games they won that year with Dick Jauron as the head guy. These two games were comebacks by the Bears to send them to OT. The Bears then won both overtime games against the Browns and 49ers with Bears safety Mike Brown scoring two defensive touchdowns to seal the deal in back to back regular season games. Jauron instilled a work ethic with these guys in 2001 and it was working.

Mike Brown was Johnny on the spot as you would think he had some magnet that had the football go to him like a dog bringing back a stick after you tossed it. Every winning season has some luck. Look at the Kansas City Chiefs blocking a field goal to deny Denver an upset this past season. Then all those games where the zebras gave the Chiefs the call that sent Kansas City home with a slew of victories and followed that same MO throughout the postseason until they were denied in the Superbowl. What comes around goes around.

Dick Juaron won 13 games with quarterbacks named Jim Miller and Shane Matthews as the starters. Miller was one of my favorite Bears quarterbacks of all-time. Miller arrived in Chicago in a clunker he drove from Pittsburgh. Probably his high school car. He was a fat guy who tested positive for steroids. Something has to be wrong with the NFL testing when you see a QB fleshy and gooey. Miller that season was 11-2 behind center as the Bears’ main guy. Matthews went 2-1. The Bears had the A-Train at running back.

Anthony Thomas was bruising back the Bears drafted from the University of Michigan. He had a solid season for the Bears rushing for 1,183 yards with 7 touchdowns. Jauron had the defense playing well and the offense. The QB’s were game managers taking what the defense gave them and not making the mistakes to cost their team. It was the last year in Soldier Field before the city gutted the insides and put a space ship on top of the stadium in an all out makeover.

The next season the Bears played all their home games at the University of Illinois while the makeover was going on.. That did not help Dick Jauron’s team. It would also be the quarterback play that eventually doomed Jauron’s first head coaching job. The Bears signed former Falcons veteran Chris Chandler who was at the end of his NFL career. Chandler made 7 starts in 2002 and went 2-5 as the starter. The Bears also gave another washed out veteran a chance in former Steelers QB Kordell Stewart, aka Slash. The Bears then drafted Rex Grossman in the 2003 NFL draft as Chandler would linger another year after 2002 to be the bridge guy. The Bears did not play well after 2001 and Jauron was fired.

Dick Jauron was a players’ coach like Lovie Smith. These coaches were always calm, cool, collected and more like father figures than an NFL head coach. Jauron was head coach of two of my favorite teams that I follow to this day, the Bears and Bills. He came into both jobs when both franchises were not playing well. He was a guy that was a straight shooter to his players, media, and people in general. He did things his way. You knew where you were at with Jauron. He treated everyone like how he would want to be treated. Both the Bills and Bears did not have a solid team built for him to work with. He took average guys and made them better. You would have loved to see what he could have done if he had a solid roster to work with. Smith had the horses as he was the guy hired after Jauron. Jauron was hired by a different General Manager than the one that fired him. Jerry Angelo was the guy that fired Jauron and he probably had no choice to keep Dick after that 13-3 record. Angelo did more moves-wise for Smith than Jauron. You could say the deck was stacked against him after that 2001 season.

Watching Bears football over the years Dick Jauron would not be the worst coach I’ve seen on the sidelines. He definitely is one of my favorites. In Chicago we have had a lot of bad teams in the Windy City landscape. Jauron would not make that list of all the bad coaches we had in this town in the four main sports. He was a brilliant mind. Played the game smart. He was a better college player than professional. In 28 years of coaching in the NFL he called some great games on the defensive side of the ball for many teams. Jauron was diagnosed with cancer and lost his battle at the age of 74 years old which is a shame. He stepped away from the game to help his wife deal with dementia. He always put others ahead of himself. The NFL world lost a wonderful guy, husband, father, coach, and friend. The 2001 Bears team was one of the best seasons being a fan of a very bad franchise. You have to thank a guy like Dick for giving us something to cheer for in bleak times. As Bears fans, we hope Dick RIP!!!

PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM

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Back in 1787 the United States constitution was signed at the Assembly Room of Independence Hall in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. The city of Philadelphia has the cracked Liberty Bell that has rung since the 1800’s. It’s a town that packs quite a punch with the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich on hand. It has seemed like the city of great underdog stories that is home to the Rocky Balboa movies with the Rocky statue perched on top of the many stairs of the Museum of Art.. Rocky is the greatest underdog story ever to have hit the big screen. The Philadelphia sports landscape has always been blue collar teams like Charles Barkley bringing the toughness to the hardwood court. The Broad Street bullies, those Flyers teams, that dished it out in the 1970’s on the ice. From Mike Schmidt hitting those towering home runs for the Phillies on the baseball diamond. The Philly faithful are dedicated to their teams and if they don’t like what is going on, just ask Santa Claus as he’s been pelted with snow balls because of what took place on the field. They get fired up and will be heard if they don’t like how things are going. They are passionate. The Philadelphia Eagles football team now has taken down two evil world power tyrannies in the NFL world. Nick the Dick Foles in 2018 defeated the Evil Empire of the Patriots in the Superbowl with a play called the Philly special. On Sunday, the Eagles gave Patrick Mahomes and the hated Kansas City Chiefs a beat down in the Superbowl 59 we will never forget.

Andy Reid has the most wins in Eagles history, but he has never won the Superbowl in Philadelphia. Reid has the most wins as a head coach in Kansas City and has helped them win three Superbowls including one against his former team, the Eagles, two seasons ago. Then you have the great Patrick Mahomes coming into this Superbowl with a 17-3 record in post-season. Mahomes had an 8-0 record versus Vic Fangio as a defensive coordinator. Fangio has been a D-Coordinator for a few teams as he took the job in Philadelphia after the Dolphins fired him after one season in Miami. The Chiefs had the best record in the AFC and were the conference champions once again going for the 3-peat, something that never happens in the sport of football. The Chiefs going into the Superbowl seem to have the referees behind their back like an angel all season steering them out of any trouble they got themselves in. How many games did Kansas City win by one score or few points with some break from a penalty called on the other team or a no call favoring them? The Chiefs threw that 3-peat phrase around like they were the showtime LA Lakers of the 1980’s. If the Three-peat occurred, then would we have seen the meat head Travis Kelce propose to the annoying pop singer Taylor Swift? The state farm commercials of the Chiefs would have lingered all the way to next season if the 3-peat would be pulled off. The Chiefs were favored but not by much. For any team beating the Chiefs, it seems the odds are stacked up against you like prisoners versus the guards in a friendly death match of a football game.

Jalen Hurts played a very good game versus the Chiefs. More on him later. It was the Eagles defense that made this victory happen for Philadelphia. Vic Fangio remembers the times he has played Mahomes in the post-season with the 49ers and Dolphins. He made some adjustments. The Eagles were able to establish a nice healthy system of a 4 man front that was in the face of Mahomes the entire night. The Eagles contained Mahomes in the pocket most of the night and sacked him six times. Josh Sweat had 2.5 sacks in the game. They were able to rush his passes and Mahomes made mistakes throwing two interceptions and one, a pick six from Cooper De Jeans. Then the other was a diving snatch by line backer Zack Baun right before halftime. The Eagles blanked the Chiefs in the first half 24-0. The Chiefs offense had 23 yards total offense in the first half.

Jalen Hurts earned the MVP of the game which should have went to the entire Eagles defense. “Hurts So Good,” the John Cougar Mellencamp song played in my head as he rushed for 72 yards and scored a rushing touchdown on the tush push. Hurts was not impressive versus the Commanders in the NFC Championship holding on to the ball way too long and taking the bad sacks. Hurts threw one interception. He threw some nice touchdown passes as he had two for the night. The 46 yard throw to De Vonta Smith was a work of beauty by Hurts which made 34-0 in the second half and one of the final nails of the Chiefs’ coffin. You know the Chiefs defense zeroed in on running back Saquon Barkley as he rushed for only 57 yards on 25 carries. It was Barkley that got the Eagles back in the Superbowl. The Chiefs were baffled by a few misleads going after Barkley when Hurts would take the ball the other way. Barkley did add a few big catches as that Eagles offense rolled like a well-oiled machine. By the time the Chiefs found the scoreboard, it was in garbage time. The beat down was for real as the Eagles got their revenge against the Chiefs and their old head coach Andy Reid knocking the nuggies out of the bully.

I bet every Superbowl party across the nation looked like some kind of St. Patrick’s Day party with everyone wearing some kind of green. Andy Reid now has lost three Superbowls, two with the the Chiefs and the other one with the Eagles earlier in his career. The meathead Travis Kelce finished the night with 4 catches for a meager 39 yards. We did not have to listen to his Rocky-style slurred speech at the end of the game licking Mahomes’ tush because they did not win. Balboa in Rocky 4 rambled on after beating the Russian in Russia in that movie. The pop singer was MIA most of the game which was priceless. Who was Travis’ brother rooting for? His old Eagles team or Travis? Jason Kelce looks like the guy you call if you need a possum removed from your attic. Who felt sorry for poor old DeAndre Hopkins wide receiver for the Chiefs telling the world that no flags were called against the Eagles defense? The Chiefs all year get all the calls their way & now will react by crying like they always do when things do not go their way.

The Philadelphia Eagles win their second Superbowl in their history. Now the league has a blue print for how to beat the Chiefs which will be in all stores next season when everything gets fired up once again. How many University of Georgia defenders do the Eagles have on that defensive unit? That might be the pinch of salt in the blue print recipe to beat up on Patrick Mahomes and company next season. Do the Eagles become the next dynasty? Is this the end of the Chiefs dynasty? I believe these two teams will be in the thick of things next year. Just like Ivan Drago in Rocky 4, once you draw first blood you can beat Mahomes just like Rocky beating the Russian. Goat like? Mahomes has been impressive in the post-season. However Tom Brady was never blown out in a Superbowl. Brady took three Superbowl losses. All close games. Now Mahomes has been blown out twice in Superbowls. One last Sunday and let’s not forget about Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers who gave Mahomes the first beat down. In that one the Buccaneers defense pressured him all night long like a hooker that was going to get paid for that act she just did. I feel that Philadelphia freedom Eagles are like the resistance. They have slayed the Evil Empire in 2018. Now they have come back after another evil-doer treated them like the Empire Strikes Back. They returned as the Jedi and brought much needed peace to the NFL and the football world to prevent the league from toppling in a Chiefs three-peat that would have left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths all year. Finally Good has prevailed over Evil at least for one night and the future is hopeful once again.

REMEMBERING WHEN WE ALL ROOTED FOR THE PATRIOTS AND THE CHIEFS BEFORE THEY TURNED INTO THE MACHINES THAT RAN OVER THE ENTIRE LEAGUE

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How long ago was it when we could stomach the Chiefs and the Patriots? Do you remember the New England Patriots before Tom Brady? Do you remember when we rooted the Chiefs on during those Marty Schottenheimer days when they would go pretty much one and done in post-season play? That after some stellar regular seasons in the late 80’s and 90’s. Right before Patrick Mahomes, who did not root for Alex Smith? The Patriots in their first ever Superbowl were blown up by the Chicago Bears, 46-10.

That was 1986, Chicago’s only Superbowl with the great Walter Payton and perhaps the best defense of all time. I rooted for the Patriots when they played the Bears’ arch-rival in 1997. The Packers beat up the Pat’s in that one 35-21 as Brett Farve had a better day than Drew Bledsoe. One of my favorite running backs of all-time suited up for the Chiefs.

I wanted that poster above of Christian Okoye who had one of the greatest nicknames in sports aka the Nigerian Nightmare. I believe Priest Holmes was one of my first ever selected running back in my first ever fantasy football league I joined. Derrick Thomas tallied up over 100 sacks during his days in a Chiefs uniform. I remember rooting for the Patriots in February of 2002, who were heavy underdogs versus the greatest show on turf. Love Kurt Warner back then but his wife led the league back then in side line camera shots like the annoying pop singer Taylor Swift. Back then we did not really know that Tom Brady was a nozzle. Warner may have the best underdog story – bagging groceries & then playing arena ball before taking the Rams all the way to the promise land and winning. The Patriots had their own underdog story which was Brady, a quarterback drafted in the 6th round in the year 2000. Bledsoe was the next Walley Pip story.

Walley Pip played first base for the Yankees and got hurt. Then Lou Gehrig took over and his MLB career was launched with the pinstripes. Then the saying was, “Don’t get Walley Pipped.”

Tom Brady would take over for Drew Bledsoe and the Patriots were suddenly in the Superbowl. It should have been the Rams blowing out the Patriots in that game. The Rams out-gained the Patriots that Superbowl, 427-267. It was Adam Vinatieri and a walk off boot of 49 yards that gave the Pats their first ever Superbowl while ending the Rams’ potential dynasty in St. Louis in 2002. Now we regret that. Bledsoe would be elsewhere the following season. The Pats and Tom Brady would win 5 more titles as the Evil Empire dynasty collected a six pack of titles. The Patriots did lose three Superbowls as they made 9 total. Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Julian Edelman, and Rob Gronkowski became annoying and still may be the most hated dynasty in sports history but Mahomes and company are catching up.

Then came the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes only played one game in his rookie season. That was all Andy Reid needed to see as the Chiefs future was bright. Everyone was rooting for poor ole Andy Reid. A hard luck loser in his Philadelphia days with Donavan McNabb never winning a Superbowl. Mahomes showed the entire NFL he could razzle dazzle all his opponents playing the Quarterback position like a basketball point guard on the hardwood. In 2019, everyone wanted the Chiefs to knock off Tom Brady and the Patriots in post-season. It was the Chiefs and Patriots in the AFC Championship. Tom Brady showed he was the GOAT and knocked off the future GOAT of present day in the NFL. Mahomes was able to beat Brady in regular season going 3-1 against him. In the playoffs, Brady beat Mahomes twice. Sounds very familiar with Josh Allen and Mahomes.

Before Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady squared off in the Superbowl in 2021, Mahomes won his first ever Superbowl in 2020 as the Chiefs beat the 49ers. Then Tom Brady left New England, and signed with the Buccaneers, and he had Tampa Bay in the Superbowl in 2021. Everyone was rooting for the Chiefs still. Brady and the Buccaneers would prevail 31-9 versus Kansas City. Brady would never get back to the Superbowl after that season winning his 7th title of his career. I’m sure that was fine with the Chiefs who then became that dynasty everyone hates as they beat the Eagles in 2023. Then last year in another rematch with the 49ers, they beat them again to win their 3rd Superbowl since Mahomes became the starting QB for Andy Reid. Now the Chiefs will go for the three peat which does not happen in football. As they have a rematch against the Eagles who they beat in 2023. They even call it the Andy Reid Bowl II, because he was the best head coach in Philadelphia by wins and best ever in KC history.

Remember all the breaks the Patriots used to get? The NFL let New England go on plenty of scandals involving cheating by the Patriots. From deflate gate to Bill Belichick recording teams’ practices. The tuck rule when Tom Brady fumbled versus the Raiders and how magically the call gets reversed in a divisional game. Look at the Chiefs getting away with murder versus the Bills. The first down by Josh Allen in the AFC championship. Two officials had opposite spots on that 4th and 1 play at a pivotal point in the game. One saying Bills got the first down. While the other saying Kansas City stopped them. The Chiefs got the call and avoided a back breaker play that could have ended them easy and scored the right way on turnover on downs. The Chiefs squeaked by many of their games this season. The Chiefs won most of these games on some kind of play that went their way late in the game. It was the same thing in the divisional round when Chiefs finally knocked off the Texans. The joke is why does Mahomes wear number 15? It’s a 15 yard penalty if you make contact with him or if you even try to tackle him you may be flagged. In the Texans game ghostly penalties called on Houston costed them.

Many people may boycott Superbowl 59. They think the league is rigged. They see it with their own eyes how the Chiefs get away with bloody murder especially this season. Since 2002, the Patriots and Chiefs have won 9 Superbowl titles combined. They have been involved in 13 Superbowls combined. If you count Tom Brady’s Buccaneers Superbowl that is 14. In a total of 24 Superbowls since 2002 including this season in a game not yet played the Chiefs, Patriots and Brady have been involved in someway for 15 of them. I can see why people across the nation and perhaps around the world are pissed off. It’s the same script with basically two teams and the rest of the league are moving parts thrown a bone. You can say this sport is hovering around at the wrestling level of being fake with written scripts. Is this not why the NFL went with a salary cap? So the league would have some parity? That science experiment has blown up all over the faces of all these NFL executives. Everyone will be wearing green like it’s St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday going Eagles. It may not matter because Mahomes may need to tie Tom Brady in titles. Will we have to relive the same game like in the movie Groundhog Day as Bill Murray lives the same day over and over. Not sure the teams that I like in the NFL will get selected as the next dynasty. Let’s get some new writers in the NFL script department and give another team a whirl. The NFL All-Star game has gone to flag football. The Superbowl has gone to Harlem Globe Trotters versus the Washington Generals.

Hopefully Jalen Hurts’ Eagles are the Generals that are due and need to win against this SKY NET machine the Chiefs are. It’s time to terminate the Nuggies and the State Farm commercials. Take Taylor Swift with you as well. Maybe next year we can have the Go Go’s band in some team’s box. Not in the script.

PETE CARROLL IN SIN CITY LEADING THE RAIDERS MAKES SENSE ON ALL LEVELS

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In Steven King’s masterpiece, The Stand, the devil at the end of civilization set up camp in Sin City, Las Vegas. The Stand is about a pandemic that wipes out most of the population. All the survivors find their calling to be good or evil. The good set up in Colorado. The evil were led by a character named Randall Flagg, the devil. He had a full head of hair, trimmed up beard, had probably even seen the fountain of youth. You would think Satan or vampires that are hundreds of years old never age. The owner of the Raiders, Mark Davis, is trying to get back that razor’s edge that made the entire league regret playing the silver and black a long time ago, in a galaxy far away. Since the Raiders have moved from Oakland to Las Vegas, it has been musical chairs at the head coach position. The Vegas Raiders finally found their Randall Flagg to get back that edge and that is the ageless wonder 73 year old Pete Caroll who some may think is the spawn of the devil.

By the time next season starts up again in 2025, Pete Caroll will be 74 years of age. He for sure does not look like a guy in his 70’s. Caroll still has that upbeat energy and is a players’ coach. He can still build your franchise a winning culture and that’s why he got a three year deal with an option year for a 4th season with the Raiders. When Caroll took over Seattle, the only Superbowl the Seahawks ever made was in 2005 when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Carroll’s first season, the Seahawks won their division with a 7-9 record. They even won a playoff game that season. Carroll turned the Seahawks franchise around quickly as he started in 2010 and they won their first ever Superbowl with him in 2013. The Seahawks went to back to back Superbowls, but only won one of them. They should have won their second, but a bad play call in the last minute of the game down at the goal line ruined that as the Patriots intercepted a Russell Wilson pass that gave Tom Brady and New England another title. In 14 seasons in Seattle, Caroll had the Seahawks to the post-season 12 times. His record in Seattle was 137-89-1.

When the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020, they were a team on the rise. The Raiders had a solid head coach in Jon Gruden that was bringing back that winning excellence, “Just win Baby,” in his second stint with the franchise. In 2020 the Raiders finished 8-8. In 2021 the Raiders were off to a pretty good start with a 3-2 record. Then the league uncovered Gruden’s old racist emails from the days he was just a coach in Washington. Those were dark times just after the pandemic as there were plenty of racial tensions throughout the United States. The league was investigating Dan Snyder, the owner of the Redskins, and his dysfunctional franchise at the time. Gruden would step down from his head coaching duties and the interim job went to Rich Bisacia. It was Bisacia who went 7-5 as the H.C. and the Raiders made the playoffs but were a quick exit in the wild card round. The owner of the Raiders decided against giving Bisacia the permanent gig as the head coach. Instead Mark Davis would hire Josh McDaniels and that was a complete disaster. The interim head coach duties went to Antonio Pearce after McDaniels was fired and he led the Raiders over the Chiefs in a Christmas Day victory in 2023. That victory sealed the deal for Pearce. This time Davis gave the Interim Head Coach the full time gig the next season. Pearce and the Raiders in 2024 were one of the bottom feeders in the NFL. The Raiders would clean house and start fresh with a new General Manager and new Head Coach.

The last time the Raiders have been to the Superbowl was 2003 when they lost to their former head coach Jon Gruden who was traded to the Buccaneers. If you remember, Gruden’s Raiders had Tom Brady and the Patriots on the ropes in a 2002 divisional playoff game as they forced a fumble on the legendary quarterback and recovered the ball. A turning point in the game which could have been a dagger in the Patriots coffin but was overruled as the referees would dig something so deep out of their assholes. Suddenly the tuck rule was formed as his arm was going forward. The Patriots would win that game. The Raiders would trade away Gruden the next season which might have been the worst mistake this franchise ever made because of Tom Brady. If Raiders win the tuck rule game, do they get to the Superbowl in 2002? If the Raiders won that tuck rule game they may have kept Gruden for 2003 and may have beat the Buccaneers. Gruden with the Buccaneers knew everything about his former team the Raiders in that Superbowl to give Tampa Bay an advantage. The Patriots QB played well enough to beat the Seattle Seahawks in 2015, but Tom Brady was not on the field to seal the deal. The Patriots defense, which was led by Bill Belichick, and Pete Caroll letting his offensive coordinator call a pass play. This instead of giving the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch to run the ball in at the goal line cost Seattle and their head coach another Superbowl title. The Raiders have made Brady 10% of their ownership after he retired. Brady most likely is calling most of the shots. At one time, Brady, Raiders and Pete Caroll versus the Patriots were enemies of the state. They now have joined forces to resurrect Raider nation who last won a Superbowl in 1984 versus the Washington Redskins.

The AFC West is loaded with each team having one of the brightest minds in the game as their head coach. First the Kansas City Chiefs and Andy Reid are looking for a three-peat. Then Jim Harbaugh had the Chargers in the post-season in his first season in LA being hired by one of the worst franchises in football. Harbaugh has a great track record leading the 49ers to the Superbowl years ago and then recently he led his old school, the University of Michigan to a national championship win. Sean Peyton won a Superbowl title with the Saints and found a QB in the draft, Bo Nix, and he had the Broncos in the post-season this season. The Raiders were the only team in the division not to make the post-season.

The Raiders would be bringing in a very decorated head coach in Pete Caroll who has only sat out one season after leaving Seattle. Before Seattle he won the National Championship with USC in a 9 year stretch where he went 7-2 in bowl games. His college record in regular season was 97-19 overall. What if Seattle won back-to-back titles? You would be saying Seattle had their own dynasty, although not as big as the Patriots or present day Chiefs. Before Pete Caroll took the job at USC, he had gigs that did not go well with the Jets and Patriots in the NFL. That was many moons ago and Caroll has evolved and learned from those experiences. As an NFL coach, Caroll has a record of 170-120-1 as he is 30 games away from 200 wins in the NFL.

Every team in the AFC West has a better roster and quarterback than the Raiders. If you are Pete Caroll, do you think Aidan O’Connell can be the guy behind center in the future? He has made small strides. Do you think the Raiders set up a Caroll reunion with Russell Wilson? Wilson versus the Broncos intensifies that rivalry with all the wasted money Denver spent on the former Seattle QB and how he irked some of his teammates who are still playing there. Can Caroll set up that Legion of Boom defense like he had in Seattle? Maxx Crosby is a nice starting piece building that kind of defense. Caroll has his work cut out for him as this will be a project for him. His presence in Seattle meant he was an instant winner. For a guy like Mark Davis, who can’t even get his hair cut right with that bowl style do. He has not done well as an owner like his father Al Davis. You have to make a deal with the devils of the past to be the devils of the future like the red team in the division. Tom Brady was the first Lucifer who he let buy in. Now Brady thinks Carroll will give this Raiders team stability in the future starting with present times. The Raiders got their Randall Flagg. Now the AFC West teams not named the Chiefs have followed each other’s path of getting the MAN to help their own franchise get better and knock off Andy Reid and Kansas City. The sin city team may be behind the 8 ball, but these new hires could be in the Chiefs rear view mirror soon as objects are closer than you think.

NFL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: THE 2025 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

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LAST WEEK RECORD: (DIVISIONAL ROUND 3-1)

WILD CARD RECORD: (3-3)

POST SEASON RECORD: (6-4)

In the divisional round we rebounded from a horrific wild card weekend of predictions going 3-1. Our one blemish came from the Commanders beating up on the Lions as they knocked out the number one seed in the process. My thoughts before that match up were how can a rookie quarterback beat a Detroit team that many had winning the Superbowl. That’s why they play the games because anything can go down on any given Sunday. With two games this Sunday, we have to get them both right to have a great week. The two winners will go the Superbowl.

NFL PLAYOFFS ROUND THREE (CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS) STRAIGHT PICK-EM

THE SUNDAY SLATE

#6.WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (14-5) AT #2.PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (16-3)

PLAYOFF HISTORY WASHINGTON (1-0) PHILADELPHIA

The Commanders and the Eagles will meet up for the third time this season. Both teams reside in the same division, the NFC East, and know each other well. They split the series during the regular season with each team winning one game. Last week the Commanders gave the Lions a beat down scoring 45 points while knocking off the NFC’s number 1 seed. The Eagles took care of the Rams in a game that got too close for comfort late in that one.

Jayden Daniels has had an impressive rookie season as he helpped turn around a Washington franchise that was face down in the gutter. Daniels has won his first two playoff games. He led a come-from-behind victory in the last meeting versus the Eagles with under a minute drive that he capped off with a touchdown pass. Meanwhile the Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts. is banged up which could be a concern. Jalen Hurts did not really do anything special versus the Rams last week. He will be looking to get the Eagles back to the Superbowl for the second time of his career. Hurts is now 4-3 in the post-season play for his career.

This will be the fifth time that two teams from the NFC East have squared off in a conference championship. The last time time was 1986. The winners of the last two of these conference championships with NFC East teams went on to win the Superbowl. The 1986 NY Giants and 1982 Washington Redskins. In this match the Commanders will have the better quarterback due to Jayden Daniels is playing lights out and is healthier than Jalen Hurts who suffered a knee injury against the Rams. The Eagles have the advantage with their running game versus the Commanders run defense. Saquon Barkley has had 3 rushing touchdowns on just 3 carries totaling 130 yards versus the Commanders defense in two meetings. Barkley is playing his best football right now. He should feast on the Commanders defense that plays 95% in nickel coverage. Look for Hurts and Barkely getting off the bus and running in this one. Daniels has had something brewing the last two playoff games with wide receiver Dyami Brown who has 11 for 187 yards and touchdowns. As a fan I would love to see the Commanders make it to the Superbowl. Can a rookie QB accomplish that tall task? The Commanders will be without some big guys in the trenches in this one. Sam Cosmi, the right guard for the Commanders, tore his ACL against the Lions. In the first two games he has squared off against Eagles stud defensive linemen Jalen Carter. The Commanders will also be without one of their starting defensive linemen Daron Payne who has issues with his knee and fingers. Daniels will not have that protection even though he can run and make plays on the run. Stopping Barkley will even be harder for this Commanders team. The Eagles really should have won the second meeting as they had dropped a pass by one of their receivers. If he caught it, it would have been a first down and they would have run the clock out before Daniels’ epic game winning drive. I like the Eagles defense. I think Barkley is too hard to handle for this Commanders defense.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

#2.BUFFALO BILLS (15-4) AT #1.KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (16-2)

PLAYOFF HISTORY: Chiefs (4-2) Bills

Did the Chiefs benefit on some calls by the referee last week as they put away the Texans at home? The Bills got a break when Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dropped a ball that could have tied the ball game on a two point try late in that contest.

Patrick Mahomes is now 16-3 in post-season play. Josh Allen finally gets the Bills past the divisional round and now improves his playoff record to (7-5) for his career.

Here we go again!! Bills & Chiefs squaring off for the 4th time in recent years. The Chiefs have wiped out the Bills out of the playoffs three straight times including a AFC Championship game in 2021. Patrick Mahomes vs Josh Allen in a total of 8 games are even at four a piece. Mahomes is 3-0 versus the Bills and Allen in post-season. Allen has dominated Mahomes and the Chiefs during the regular season. The Bills have lost 7 straight road playoff games. Four of those road playoff games were with head coach Sean McDermott. You have to go back to 1992 when the Bills beat the Dolphins on the road in the AFC Championship. The Chiefs are looking to head back to the Superbowl to win their third title in the last 3 seasons. The Bills are looking to get back to the Superbowl since 1994, the last out of 4 straight losses in the 1990’s. The Chiefs have the edge being at home. They also have the psychology aspect as they owned the Bills in the post-season. The Chiefs defense can get to the quarterback as they sacked CJ Stroud 8 times last week. Meanwhile the Bills defense has forced the most take-a-ways, a league high of 35 which that total includes post-season. From the eye test right now, Josh Allen is playing at higher level than Patrick Mahomes. In the post-season Mahomes has a switch that brings him to the same level as Allen or beyond. How lucky can the Chiefs get? Winning that thriller overtime game years ago during which the Bills had the lead by three points with 13 ticks left on the clock. Mahomes and company drive down the field and get the game tying field goal to send it to OT. Then Mahomes and the Chiefs get the ball first and game over. Then the missed field goal that could have tied the game last year in Buffalo by Tyler Bass. Can the Bills fight through all their bad playoff history? How do the Bills defense stop Travis Kelce? This will be another chapter in epic playoff games by these two teams. The Bills defense is healthier than they were last season when they met in post-season. They say three is the charm. Sometimes on the 4th try in sports, you are golden. The Michael Jordan Bulls cleared that hurdle getting through the Pistons in the 90’s in post-season. The way Josh Allen and that Bills offense is playing, who do you cover? The Bills offense adapts to whatever the opposing defense gives them to control the ball most of the game. That could lead to an ice cold Mahomes and Kelce. I think it’s time that the Chiefs take the fall and Bills move on. I think the Bills defense will play a big role like they did versus that Ravens offense last weekend.

OUR PICK: BILLS

THE ASSASSIN NEVER ENDED THE STINGLEY FOOTBALL FAMILY

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Back in the 1970’s, football on the gridiron was a much different game than present times. The vicious hits a defender could get away with. In today’s game the league and fans would want the defender’s head using their helmet as a wrecking ball. Launching your self in the air like a heat seeking missile. Don’t get me wrong, today’s game is still violent. Yesterday’s game was an MMA fight in the octagon. Perhaps a better way of describing it it is Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome. In 1978 in a preseason game, the Assassin struck a vicious blow on the Stingley family. Nicknamed the Assassin, Jack Tatum played for the Oakland Raiders at the safety position. He was nicknamed the Assassin because he laid people out. In that game in 1978 between the Raiders and Patriots, he put a vicious hit on wide receiver Darryl Stingley and ended his career. Darryl was paralyzed and would never walk again. You would think that would be the end of football in the Stingley family for generations to come. However that was not the case as Darryl’s son would play football and his son Derek Jr. is in his third season with the Houston Texans, made the Pro-Bowl, and was named All-Pro corner back this season.

Darryl Stingley’s son Derek was 7 years old when his father was paralyzed. Darryl was born in Chicago in 1951. He played his college ball at the University of Purdue. In 1973 he was drafted by the Patriots in the 1st round of the NFL draft 19th overall. He played 5 seasons in the NFL, all with the Patriots. He was coming off his best season in the NFL before his career ended with that vicious hit that compressed his spinal cord and broke his cervical vertebrae. All of which meant he had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. In 5 seasons Darryl played 60 games in the NFL, caught 110 balls tallying up 1,883 receiving yards, and hauled in 14 touchdown passes. From the wheelchair he never forced his son to play the game that sent him to that chair. His son Derek almost went in another direction. Instead of football he was going to play baseball.

Derek Stingley was born in the Windy City of Chicago in 1971. He followed his father and went to Purdue University. Derek played both football and baseball. He would end up graduating back at home from Triton College. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. He played three seasons in the Phillies farm system. Then decided football was his real passion. Derek would make the Jets practice squad which is the furthest he ever followed his dad’s footsteps in the NFL. Derek had a solid life in Arena Football as you remember where quarterback Kurt Warner came from. After baseball he played with a semi-pro football team, the Louisiana Bayou Thunder. He played nine seasons in Arena Football and played a different position than his father. Defensive back. His father Darryl was on hand when he saw his son take a horrific hit by Thomas Orr of the New York City Hawks on June 14th, 1998. Derek was unconscious for ten minutes on the turf. Many thought this was going to be like father like son. That did not happen as Derek suffered a concussion and would play again. In 1999 the Jets signed Derek to their practice squad. In 1999 he made the All Arena team. He was part of the Arena Bowl championship team with the Albany Fire Birds. He did play for his home team, the Chicago Rush. He racked up 443.5 tackles with 19 interceptions in his Arena Football career. He also went into coaching after his playing days came to an end. As a Arena Football head coach, he had a record of 9-32 which is not very good. He is still coaching today.

I was watching the Texans’ last two playoff games and I was impressed with how Derek Stingley Jr. played. I would definitely want him on my team. Derek Jr. was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on June 20th, 2001. You have to wonder if his father, Senior, set down roots in the state of Louisiana when he first played semi pro football after he was done playing baseball. At the age of 5 Derek Jr. had his grandfather Darryl die in 2007. He always remembered getting the cool Darth Vader stuff from his Grandpa for his birthday. Derek Jr. would take a different path than his father and grandfather. He would play his college football at LSU and he would follow his father and play defense. Derek Jr. was drafted high like his grandfather. In 2022 the Houston Texans selected Derek Jr. in the first round number 3 overall after one hell of a career at LSU. Derek Jr. has three full NFL seasons under his belt. He had 5 interceptions this season on Houston’s defense that had the most interceptions in the league during regular season. In the wild card round, Derek Jr. intercepted two Justin Herbert passes versus the Chargers, a game the Texans won. One of those interceptions he ran back for a defensive touchdown. Derek Jr. made the Pro Bowl this season and has 37 games under his belt with 11 career regular season interceptions. Derek Jr. is heading down a path where he may be the best ever to play the game in the Stingley family. A family where they bleed football. It could have easily been a different story after that devastating hit that crippled his grandfather. Or even his father being knocked out for ten total minutes laying on the turf with everyone watching breathless. Praying and hoping another family nightmare would not be happening again. In the military, how many families lost a loved one on the battle field which did not stop others members of those families from joining up to serve their country. You can say this about the Police getting killed in the line of duty. Then another member of your family follows your footprints. Actor Tom Selleck’s Blue Bloods, is a police drama that lasted over a decade where policing was the family business. In the 1990’s movie, Back Draft, their is a family of firefighters. Killed in the line of duty from a bad fire. Never stopped the family from following in the footsteps of their loved ones. Theses things happen from occupations that are dangerous to mankind.

What could have Darryl Stingley’s career been if he did not get paralyzed? He came off a 39 catch year with 657 yards and a 5 touchdown season. His best season. As for Jack Tatum he would play 136 games in the NFL in a football career that lasted ten seasons. He had 37 interceptions in his career. He played 9 seasons wearing the silver and black. He played his last season as an Oiler for the city of Houston in 1980. The Assassin was a 3x Pro Bowler. He was part of a Raiders Superbowl title. In 1979 after that Tatum hit on Darryl, the NFL changed their rules outlawing the use of the helmet to butt, spear, or ram a opponent. Not to use the top or crown as a weapon of mass destruction. Let’s remember Tatum did not get flagged from that hit on Darryl. He did not get fined or suspended by the NFL. They say that Tatum never apologized after ending Darryl’s career. Jack Tatum did try to visit Darryl shortly after that game in the hospital, but the Stingley family turned him away. That hit defined Tatum for the rest of his career. Tatum would later show no remorse in two books he wrote about his playing days and his life. The first one was called “They Call Me the Assassin,” and the second one, “They Still Call Me Assassin: Here We Go Again.” You have to imagine that hit and other hits made Tatum extra money in his life because of the nickname, assassin. It is a sad story because Darryl may have definitely lived a longer life not being confined to a wheelchair. It shows you something about a family overcoming tragedy and able to persevere like the Stingley family has. Derek Stingley Jr. may be the best yet. Perhaps another generation will appear down the line if he has kids. The Stingleys are the Blue Bloods and not even an assassin can stop them from having football in the blood because the family is stronger than anything.

JOSH ALLEN NEEDS TO BE AIR JORDAN-LIKE TO SLAY HIS KANSAS CITY DEMONS

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Before Michael Jordan won his first NBA title, his Chicago Bulls teams were bullied by the Detroit Pistons aka the Bad boys. Three straight seasons from 1988-1990, the Pistons eliminated the Bulls from the Eastern Conference post-season. Two of those seasons the Bulls and Pistons played in the Eastern Conference finals. The Pistons were nicknamed the Bad Boys because they completely mugged the opposing teams when they had the ball. The NBA actually played defense back then. The Pistons won back to back titles in 1989 and 1990. Many fans and experts thought Jordan would not get over the hurdle of the Pistons getting in their way. In 1991 the Bulls finally got past the Pistons in grand fashion and Air Jordan’s legendary status would take off and soar to new heights. The Bulls slayed their bully by sweeping the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. The Bulls would go to the finals, beat the LA Lakers, and win their first NBA title in their history. It was the first out of six from Air Jordan led teams. Can Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills finally get over the Chiefs hurdle, slay his demons, and do it in the Air Jordan style of fashion?

The Kansas City Chiefs have eliminated the Buffalo Bills from the post-season the last three seasons. This started in 2020 when the Bills and Chiefs met in Kansas City in the AFC Championship. Chiefs gave the Bills a beat down 38-24 ass kicking. In 2021 these two teams met up in the AFC Divisional round in an epic thriller. Perhaps one of the best games of all-time. The Chiefs beat the Bills 42-36 in overtime. Then last year again in the Divisional round, the Chiefs escaped Buffalo with a 27-24 win. It was the kick that went wide right for Tyler Bass and the Bills. The Bills found a way to get out of the divisional round yesterday by holding off the Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs beat the Texans at Arrowhead on Saturday afternoon. Here we go again; the 4th playoff meeting between these two teams in Kansas City with a trip to New Orleans on the line for all the marbles – the AFC Championship. Can Josh Allen beat the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes in the 4th try in his back yard?

When Michael Jordan tangled with the Detroit Pistons, his nemesis was Isiah Thomas. Do you remember what Air Jordan said about Thomas on that ESPN documentary called The Last Dance? It was not love that Air Jordan was expressing about the former guard for the Pistons. For Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes is obviously his nemesis especially in the post-season. Allen has Mahomes’ number in the regular season as he has beaten Patrick 4 times, which you may call that the booby prizes.. Which is the most wins by any opposing Quarterback has beating the turd named Mahomes. Allen gave the Chiefs and Mahomes their first loss of the season in regular season. That was a 30-21 win by the Bills in front of the home fans, the Bills Mafia. The Chiefs only suffered two losses this season. The second loss by the Chiefs came from the Broncos in the last game of regular season when KC rested ten of their starters.

The Bulls/Pistons and Bills/Chiefs have other similarities. The Pistons and Chiefs both have that X-Factor playing the meathead role. The Pistons have center Bill Laimbeer who tortured teams with cheap shots after cheap shots on defense and going to the boards. The flagrant elbow calls that Laimbeer got away with back then. The Chiefs have Travis Kelce as their meat for brains. Every time that douche speaks to defend Patrick Mahomes, he sounds like Rocky Balboa on steroids. “Yo, Taylor Swift get over here.”

Taylor Swift is another reason most of America will get behind the Bills against Kansas City because of the camera shots of her during the game. Who cares about Swift and what the hell she is wearing? If the Chiefs win next Sunday then here we go again with Swift invading the sacred Superbowl show like bad halftime shows. Josh Allen and the Bills could save America just by exorcising their demons and slay the Chiefs dynasty. Will the NFL script allow that to happen? The Chiefs are nauseating as they won most of their games this season with some kind of break from a fluke blocked kick or penalty. I guess you can say the Bills got one of those Chiefs breaks when Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dropped the tying two point conversion try. However there was plenty of time on the clock left for the Bills to have won last night if the conversion was a success.

This is the game of sports where the ball can bounce your way at times. I think the Kansas City Chiefs had to use up all their 9 lives on breaks in these playoff games. We want to see the Chiefs fall flat and get knocked out. We want to see Josh Allen take his legendary status to the next level. Allen has played like a beast. Alien-like all year. It may be his time. His turn. It would not feel right if he did it without knocking off his nemesis, the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. Not saying the Bills would be instant winners in the Superbowl if they do beat Kansas City. Not sure how you would bet against them. I think it is time for Josh Allen to do his Michael Jordan impression finally taking down the bad boys. For Allen beating the Chiefs could change the NFL football landscape for years to come. The Patriots dynasty crumbled. Who would not want to see the Kansas City get the Nuggies kicked out them and finally see less of these nauseating State Farm commercials. Let’s root for Josh Alien Allen to have his finest moment of his career and end the tyranny of the Chiefs. Hope he does it Air Jordan-like where the Pistons refused to shake the Bulls’ hands after being eliminated.

NFL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: THE 2025 DIVISIONAL ROUND

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Wild Card record last week: (3-3)

The Wild Card weekend was a disappointment in picking the winners. We got the easy ones. The two games that could have gone either way, we lost on them. I think most people had Chargers picked over the Texans. This weekend we hope to redeem ourselves with a better day at the office.

NFL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND (DIVISIONAL) STRAIGHT PICK-EM

THE SATURDAY GAMES

AFC

#4.HOUSTON TEXANS (11-7) AT #1.KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-2)

PLAYOFF HISTORY: CHIEFS (2-0) TEXANS

The Chiefs were the number one seed, had a bye last week, and are well rested. In the last game of regular season, Kansas City rested 10 starters including Patrick Mahomes. The Texans throttled the Chargers in the Wild Card round. Either the Texans found their mojo from last year or the Chargers are a very bad team.

The road to the Chiefs three peat starts in this match up. Patrick Mahomes has another switch in post-season as he is (15-3) all-time. Just sick!!! Meanwhile CJ Stroud in his first two seasons in the NFL has notched a playoff win in the Wild Card round.

The Chiefs and Texans met up in December in which Kansas City won that game (27-19) and did it rather easily. The Texans will need their defense to stand tall like they did against the Chargers putting pressure on Justin Herbert and forced 4 turnovers. The Texans pass rush did well but now face a different animal that is impossible to cage in. Patrick Mahomes can pull the ole Houdini act on any defense in the league and make plays happen on the fly. The Texans will need another big game out of that nut job running back they have, Joe Mixon, comparing these Texans to the past Bengals team that went to the Superbowl. This Texans team is nowhere close to that Bengals squad. CJ Stroud has two of their biggest weapons out with season ending injuries. Meanwhile the Chiefs aerial attack just got better with Hollywood Brown back from an injury and he has the rust knocked off him as he has played a few games to close out the regular season. They have the speedster Xavier Worthy. Let’s not forget the meathead at tight end position Travis Kelce. It’s not happening at least this round that the Texans can go on the road playing in the cold at Arrowhead Stadium and winning. That would be like the Washington Generals beating the Harlem Globe Trotters. It’s not happening. The Chiefs defense will play well. Mahomes will razzle dazzle the crowd like a point guard on the hardwood floors and dish out the ball to all his guys as the Texans will have no clue how to stop it. Mahomes stays a BEAST in the post-season.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

NFC

#6.WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (13-5) AT #1.DETROIT LIONS (15-2)

PLAYOFF HISTORY: WASHINGTON (3-0) DETROIT

The Lions carved up the Vikings in the last game of regular season to get the number one seed. They had a week off earning themselves a bye. Jayden Daniels had himself an impressive playoff debut as the Commanders knocked off the Buccaneers with the walk off doink kick in the last few ticks left on the clock.

The Commanders had a stretch back in regular season where they lost to teams with winning records in close games. It seems like Jayden Daniels has figured out how to win close games against good teams. Daniels led a nice drive down the field to upend the Eagles late in the season. The Commanders beat a solid Buccaneers team with Baker Mayfield who was coming into post-season as one of the hottest quarterbacks in the tournament. The Lions will get their two headed monster at running back for this game. David Montgomery will be suiting up for this one. Montgomery has been out for several weeks with a knee injury. The Lions defense played well against the Vikings offense who can put up points on the scoreboard. They held them to 9 in that last regular season game. That is the biggest question for this Lions team. Can they defend in the playoffs with all those injuries? The Lions offense have tallied up 2,669 (YAC) Yards after the catch which averages out to 6.7 per reception which is one of the top in the NFL. The Commanders defense can tackle. They have allowed a league low of only 1,551 YAC after the catch. Who wins that battle should decide this game. I think the Commanders will give the Lions a scare in this one. Look for Detroit to run a well balanced attack with the run game and aerial attack to bleed the clock dry most of the game. Daniels will make some big plays in this one. I think the pressure will mount too high on the rookie quarterback and that will lead to some mistakes. You know Jared Goff will have a mistake free game is what my gut is telling me. The Lions at home will rule this jungle. After Saturday both number one seeds stay alive.

OUR PICK: LIONS

THE SUNDAY GAMES

NFC

#4.LA RAMS (11-7) AT #2.PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (15-3)

PLAYOFF HISTORY: RAMS (2-1) EAGLES

The Eagles churned the Packers into Swiss cheese last week in the Wild Card round. The Rams adjusted going on the road to Arizona to play their home game there due to the wild fires in LA. The Rams took care of business at Cardinals stadium and put down the Vikings with ease.

Jalen Hurts evened up his playoff record at (3-3) with the win at home last weekend. Matthew Stafford now is a game over the .500 mark with his win in Arizona and is now has a 5-4 record in post-season play.

In week 12 the Eagles gashed the Rams defense for 314 rushing yards for the win. The Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley had 255 yards on the ground. The Rams are 3-2 on the road under Sean McVay in post-season. The Eagles defense had a solid week forcing the Packers into multiple mistakes and coming away with turnovers. I think the Rams will throw everything including the kitchen sink at the Eagles running game. They want Jalen Hurts to throw the ball to beat them. The Eagles defense will face their challenges with Matthew Stafford’s aerial attack. Stafford really did not have access to all his weapons in that win last week versus the Vikings. Stafford has played well in post-season wearing a Rams uniform. Can LA who are coming all the way from the warm west coast win a playoff game in cold conditions? At Philadelphia with a crazy fan base that will be loud and energetic. This will be a close game. I think Hurts will just do enough in this one to get his Eagles by the Rams. I like the Eagles defense who are coached by Vic Fangio. That is my decider in this contest. Eagles defend their home from the invaders.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

AFC

#3.BALTIMORE RAVENS(13-5) AT #2.BUFFALO BILLS(14-4)

PLAYOFF HISTORY: BILLS (1-0) RAVENS

The Ravens beat up their division rival the Steelers last week at home. The Bills gave the visiting Broncos a second half beat down in Buffalo last weekend.

Lamar Jackson looks like he now has the Steelers’ number which was not the story coming into the season. Jackson now has beaten the Steelers in back to back games going back to the regular season. He improves his post-season record to 3-4 all-time. Josh Allen has mastered the Wild Card round and is now 6-5 in the post-season.

This is the game of the weekend. You have two quarterbacks that have been the debate all year by the experts or at your bar stool over who should be the MVP. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are duel threats and they are number 1 & 2 in NFL playoff history with rushing yards for a quarterback. Jackson has 602 yards and has played less post-season games than Allen. Allen has ran for 609 rushing yards and has played more post-season games. These two teams met during regular season and the Ravens gave the Bills a beat down at home in that one. The Ravens unleashed Derrick Henry on the Bills banged up defense as he steamrolled for 199 rushing yards in that Ravens win. This go around the game is in Buffalo and the Bills will have their linebackers for this one. The first meeting the Bills were without three defensive pieces that start with Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard and Taron Johnson. The last time the Bills and Ravens met in post-season was in the divisional round in 2020 as the Bills advanced to the AFC championship game when they met the Chiefs in that epic playoff game that went to OT. Can the Bills stop the Ravens running game? That is the biggest key for Buffalo. Can the Ravens defense contain Allen in the pocket? That is a key for Baltimore. The Ravens defense is stout versus the run. Allen may have to beat them with the pass. However it will be in single digits in Buffalo on Sunday. The running game for both teams will be high priority. This game could go either way. As a football fan which team would you rather see knock out the Chiefs next week? Kansas City has gotten both these franchises and knocked them both out the post-season last year. If you could only combine both teams against Kansas City. That is not going to happen. Lamar Jackson really has not played in any games this cold. The coldest game for him was in the 20’s. The Bills are undefeated at home this season. I like Allen breaking through this divisional round as history does repeat itself in these NFL games. Allen to me has the better completion percentage and can beat you with his arm if he has to. This Bills offense is designed to beat you a few ways. Jackson will look like a freeze pop and make the mistakes that will cost the Ravens this game. The Bills defense my gut feeling says will play their best game of the year as they are healthy.

OUR PICK: BILLS

THE LUCK OF THE FITZMAGIC

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In the wild card round last weekend, the Bills Legend of the Game was former defensive lineman, Kyle Williams. The Legend of the Game’s job in Buffalo is to pump up the crowd before the game. Right before the kickoff between the visiting Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills, Williams’ speech was an oldie but a goody for the Bills Mafia.

Kyle Williams delivered as he screamed through the microphone as every Bills fan even not at Highmark Stadium around the nation had that ringing through their ears sending goose bumps in a feeding frenzy on their arms. Kyle used the Bills former legendary head coach Marv Levy’s line. “Where else would you rather be as the crowd screamed… BUFFALO!”

The Bills went on and won that game with the second half slaughter of the ponies from Denver. Now the Bills brass turns the Legend of the Game to former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick as the Legend of the Game in the divisional round on Sunday night versus the Baltimore Ravens. The Bills Mafia are excited as Fitzpatrick has been a fan favorite and they are hoping to have the luck of the FITZMAGIC paying off dividends in this clash of titans match up between the visiting Ravens and Buffalo.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was originally drafted by the LA Rams back in 2005 in the 7th round of the NFL draft from Harvard University. He has played for nine different teams in the NFL. The list starts with the Rams, Bills, Jets, Dolphins, Bengals, Buccaneers, Titans, Texans, and the Redskins. Fitzpatrick played in 166 NFL games and had a record of 59-87-1 with 34,990 passing yards. He threw 223 touchdown passes and was always a gunslinger at heart. When you’re a gunslinger, you are going to throw interceptions and he had 169 of them. Fitzpatrick’s 17 year NFL career he played with the Bills the longest which was 4 seasons. During those 4 seasons he had a 20-33 record completing 59.8% of his passes for 11,654 passing yards with 80 touchdown passes and 64 interceptions in 55 games. The Bills went through a 17 year post-season drought and during that span Fitzpatrick was probably the team’s best QB. After Buffalo, Fitzpatrick and his beard became a mercenary, a QB for hire, and went team to team. He never guided a team to the post-season but came close. During 17 years in the NFL, his 223 touchdown passes were the most thrown ever by an Ivy league graduate. In 2018 wearing a Buccaneers uniform, he threw over 400 passing yards in 3 consecutive games which is a NFL record he has to himself. He has thrown 4 total games with 400 or more passing yards in his career which is tied with the great Dan Marino and Peyton Manning for the most all-time in NFL history. Being QB for hire has set some other NFL records. He is the first ever QB to start for 9 different teams. He is also the first QB to throw at least one touchdown pass for 8 different franchises. The Redskins were the only team he played for that he did not get that touchdown pass.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has a 17 year career in the NFL and is now an analyst for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime video. Obviously still saving that Harvard education for a rainy day. In 17 years in the NFL with multiple teams, he probably had great memories at each place. His home was where he played the most games. The place he became a bonafide NFL quarterback wearing a Bills uniform. Wearing that number 14. As he built up a relationship with one of the best fan bases in sports, the Bills Mafia which never forgets. In January of 2022 when the Bills were at home for a playoff game against the hated Patriots, guess who was shirtless in the crowd with his sons rooting on the Bills.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was. The Bills won that game against their archrival that night. Fitzpatrick as an Amazon Prime analyst always shows the love of the Bills over the years. After one of the Thursday night games, Josh Allen met with the post-game show which included Fitzpatrick wearing one of his old number 14 jerseys. Then this past season Fitzpatrick went shirtless on the set after a Bills win during the post-game show.

That night Josh Allen was the guest once again and Fitzpatrick finished the show shirtless. So obviously Fitzmagic is a great pick for the Legend of Honors guest this weekend when the Bills will need that crowd pumped up and more versus a great Ravens team. The biggest question of the day: Will Fitzpatrick be firing up this crowd shirtless in single digit weather this Sunday night or will he be covered from his waist and up? If you’re a Bills fan, your pecking order of favorite QB all time might be Josh Allen Jim Kelly flipped either way at 1 and 2. I was not around for the 1960’s or the 70’s watching the Bills quarterback play back then. Number three could be Doug Flutie or Ryan Fitzpatrick. You could flip those two choices either way as well. We know Fitzpatrick pumping up the crowd will be legendary and “must see” television. If the Bills win, Fitzpatrick may be a staple at the Legend of the Game status for years to come. Let’s hope they do win. Nothing wrong with a little luck of the FITZMAGIC for the Buffalo Bills and the Mafia.