The List: Chiefs win first title in 50 years, plus NFL Awards and Hall of Famers named
The List: Chiefs win first title in 50 years, plus NFL Awards and Hall of Famers named
The biggest and most-watched football game of the year took place on Sunday, but there were some memorable moments in the final full week of the football season. The Pro Football Hall of Fame named five new members, the NFL handed out its annual year-end awards and the commissioner delivered his “State of the NFL” address. Unfortunately, the game lost two of its greats when Hall of Fame defensive end Chris Doleman succumbed to brain cancer last Tuesday and Packers Hall of Fame safety Willie Wood passed away on Monday.
CHEERS
Mahomes, Chiefs outlast 49ers to with Super Bowl LIV – The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions! Many people watching the 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday were not alive the last time it happened. Kansas City toppled Minnesota, 23-7, on January 11, 1970, the last time the game was played before the AFL and NFL merger.
There are some similarities between the teams. Both had respected coaches (Hall of Famer Hank Stram for the 1970 club and Andy Reid, who cemented his legacy with this victory) and both featured a passing attack with an underrated defense. Quarterbacks were the MVP of both victories, although Len Dawson was much older (34) than his modern counterpart, Patrick Mahomes who, at age 24, was the youngest player ever to win the award.
San Francisco deferred after winning the coin toss (with the coin delivered to the referee by retired Tuskegee Airman Colonel Charles E. McGee, one of four 100-year-old veterans on the field to honor the NFL’s 100th season). The Chiefs did not start with their usual strong offense, and after a three-and-out, and the 49ers took over on their own 18. Jimmy Garoppolo hit tight end George Kittle with an 11-yard pass, and a 32-yard run by rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel moved the ball into Kansas City territory. The offense stalled, but Robbie Gould hit a 38-yard field goal for the game’s first points.
Mahomes answered, engineering a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly 7½ minutes off the clock. While there were no big plays, Damien Williams ran for 26 yards overall and Kansas City was able to get key first downs when needed. On 3rd-and-11 from the San Francisco 15, Mahomes saw open space and took off running. His 12-yard run would have given his team a 1st-and-goal situation, but safety Jimmie Ward laid into Mahomes with his shoulder, knocking the ball out of his hands and out of bounds at the five, a yard short of the marker. Williams converted with a fourth-down run and Mahomes reached the end zone two plays later for a Chiefs lead with 31 seconds left in the first quarter.
San Francisco started strong with an 18-yard pass from Garoppolo to Emmanuel Sanders, but two plays later, the young quarterback tried to force a pass and was intercepted by Bashaud Breeland. Mahomes began his next possession with a 28-yard pass to Sammy Watkins that moved the ball into 49ers territory, but despite Williams converting another fourth-down run, the offense could not reach the end zone, instead settling for a 31-yard field goal by Harrison Butker for a 10-3 lead.
The 49ers were successful both on the ground and through the air on their next drive. NFC Championship Game star Raheem Mostert had 21 yards rushing and Tevin Coleman, who returned from a dislocated shoulder sustained two weeks ago, added a 17-yard carry. Garoppolo completed a pair of passes to Samuel, setting up a pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who rumbled into the end zone from 15 yards out to tie the score with 4:27 left in the first half.
Kansas City drove into San Francisco territory on its next possession, but the 49ers snuffed out a Sanders attempted run and forced a punt. With all three timeouts and 59 seconds, San Francisco was expected to at least get into field goal range. However, Garoppolo’s final drive was too slow-paced, despite a 20-yard pass to Jeff Wilson Jr. A 42-yard pass to Kittle was negated by a questionable offensive pass interference call and the game went into halftime tied for just the fourth time in Super Bowl history.
San Francisco’s first drive of the second half started out well with Garoppolo completing a 15-yard pass to Sanders and a 14-yarder to Juszczyk, with a Samuel 14-yard run in between. However, the Kansas City defense held, with Gould’s 42-yard field goal putting the 49ers back in front. On his next possession, Garoppolo took advantage of a short field after beginning on his own 45. He completed passes of 16 yards to Samuel, 26 yards to Kendrick Bourne and 10 yards to Juszczyk to set up first and goal. Mostert scored on the next play to put San Francisco up, 20-10 with 2:35 remaining in the third.
Mahomes threw interceptions on his first two drives of the second half. After pouncing on a ball knocked out by rookie sensation Nick Bosa during a sack, Mahomes’ next pass ended up in the hands of linebacker Fred Warner. Following the 49ers’ touchdown, Mahomes moved his team deep into San Francisco territory, only to see a third-down pass deflect off the arm of Tyreek Hill and picked by Tarvarius Moore.
Thankfully for Chiefs fans, the defense held, forcing the 49ers to punt on two straight drives while Mahomes righted himself. He engineered another 15-play drive, although he used a no-huddle offense this time, so only 2:40 came off the clock. Mahomes had a 10-yard run, but the biggest play was a 44-yard pass to Hill. Moore was called for pass interference in the end zone while trying to cover Travis Kelce, and Mahomes found his star tight end on the next play to cut the deficit to 20-17.
Another punt set Kansas City up on the 35 and a Mahomes 38-yard pass to Watkins set up possibly the most questionable play of the game. Mahomes found Williams in the flat, and Williams turned and stretched the ball over the pylon as his foot stepped on the sideline. There was not enough evidence to overturn the call and the five-yard touchdown stood, giving the Chiefs a 24-20 lead with 2:44 remaining.
San Francisco started with a Mostert 17-yard run and Garoppolo’s 16-yard pass to Bourne got the ball onto Kansas City’s side of the field. Three straight incompletions followed, including one pass that was nearly intercepted by cornerback Kendall Fuller. On fourth down, Frank Clark, who was acquired in a trade from the Seahawks in the offseason, took down Garoppolo to give the ball back to Kansas City on the San Francisco 42.
Two plays later, Williams put the game out of reach with a 38-yard touchdown run that made the score 31-20. San Francisco had one last possession, but this time Fuller succeeded in picking off Garoppolo, and the Chiefs ran out the clock. Kansas City became the first team in NFL history to win three straight playoff games in which they trailed by at least 10 points.
Mahomes completed 26 of 42 passes for 286 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 29 yards and a score. Williams had 104 yards rushing and 29 yards receiving with two touchdowns in total. With nine catches for 105 yards, Hill was Kansas City’s top receiver. Travis Kelce had six receptions for 43 yards and a score and Watkins added five catches for 98 yards as the Chiefs put up their usual solid passing game.
Garoppolo went 20 of 31 for 219 yards with one touchdown and two picks. Mostert led the 49ers with 58 yards and a score and Coleman added 28 yards on the ground. Samuel not only had 39 yards receiving, but he also set a Super Bowl record for a wide receiver with 53 yards rushing. Bourne (42 yards) was San Francisco’s top receiver, followed by Juszczyk (39), Sanders (38) and Kittle (36).
Five new Modern-Era Hall of Famers named - Two weeks ago, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 15 “Centennial Slate” selections in a special election to mark the NFL’s 100th season. Joining them in the largest class in the Hall’s history will be five modern-era players who were named during Saturday’s NFL Honors event in Miami. Here is a look at the selections:
Free safety Steve Atwater was one of the league’s hardest hitters in the 1990s, and he might just be one of the most patient players after his career. The eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro had to wait 16 years for his name to be called. Atwater was a two-time champion with the Broncos and ranks third on Denver’s franchise list with 1,125 tackles to go along with 24 interceptions.
Troy Polamalu didn’t have to wait quite so long, reaching Canton in his first year of eligibility. The Pittsburgh strong safety made his mark as a tackler at the line of scrimmage as well as in coverage. Thanks to 783 tackles, 32 interceptions (with three touchdowns), 107 passes defended, 14 forced fumbles and 12 sacks, Polamalu earned eight Pro Bowl and four All-Pro selections. The 2010 Defensive Player of the Year also played in three Super Bowls with the Steelers, including two wins. All of this while having the best hair in the league.
Steve Hutchinson was a quiet leader and one of the most dependable offensive linemen in the NFL over his career, which spanned 12 seasons from 2001-12 with the Seahawks, Vikings, and Titans. He made seven straight Pro Bowls from 2003-09 and was also a five-time All-Pro. Hutchinson was a key piece in Shaun Alexander’s MVP season in 2005 (a league-leading 1,880 yards and a then-record 27 touchdowns), which ended with Seattle reaching Super Bowl XL. After signing with Minnesota, Hutchinson blocked for Adrian Peterson, who averaged 1,350 yards and 13 scores in their five-season together. The Vikings reached the 2009 NFC Championship Game before losing to the Saints.
Edgerrin James was one of many stars with the Colts in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was a four-time Pro Bowler with Indianapolis, including his first two years, when he led the NFL in rushing (1,553 yards in 1999 and 1,709 in 2000) and had 13 touchdowns in both seasons. He ran for 1,000 or more yards seven times in 11 seasons, including twice in Arizona, leading the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII against the Steelers.
Speaking of offenses with several stars, there might not have been one better than the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams that breezed through the NFL on the way to a Super Bowl XXXIV title against the Titans. While quarterback Kurt Warner was named the MVP of that game, 2020 Hall of Fame inductee Isaac Bruce had a memorable moment as well, producing a 73-yard catch-and-run touchdown that gave St. Louis the lead for good. Bruce played 16 years in the NFL, amassing 1,024 receptions (13th all-time), 15,208 yards (fifth) and 91 touchdowns (12th). “The Reverend” was a four-time Pro Bowler who had eight 1,000-yard seasons, including a career-high 1,781 in 1995 and a league-leading 1,338 the following year. He holds club records with catches (942), yards (14,109) and scores (84).
MVP, Man of the Year highlight NFL awards - In the end, there was no controversy. Lamar Jackson earned all 50 first-place votes to become the second unanimous MVP in league history, joining Tom Brady in 2010. Jackson also earned FedEx Air Player of the Year after throwing for 3,127 yards and an NFL-high 36 touchdowns. He also set a record for quarterback rushing with 1,206 yards.
One of the other prestigious honor was the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which was given to Jaguars defensive lineman Calais Campbell. The award is given to the player who best demonstrates both outstanding community service and excellence on the field. Campbell joined with his mother and seven siblings to form the CRC Foundation in honor of his late father, Charles, in 2009. The charity focuses on enhancing the community through teaching critical life skills to young people. Campbell is also involved with several charities in the Jacksonville area, including youth football camps, holiday shopping sprees and Salute to Service events. Campbell made his fifth Pro Bowl and his third straight with the Jaguars after registering 6½ sacks and 56 tackles in 2019.
Although Jackson had an incredible season, he did not add the Offensive Player of the Year Award to his MVP. That honor went to Saints wideout Michael Thomas, who set a league record with 149 receptions, to go with an NFL-leading 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 19 first-place votes to 17 for Jackson and 12 for Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.
Stephon Gilmore won the Defensive Player of the Year Award with 21 of 50 votes, edging Arizona defensive end Chandler Jones (14 votes) and Steelers edge rusher T. J. Watt (10). The All-Pro and Pro Bowler tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions and topped the league with 20 passes defended. Gilmore helped the Patriots finish first in yards allowed (275.9 per game) and interceptions (25).
Jackson’s performance certainly had something to do with other awards. John Harbaugh won both his and the Ravens’ first NFL Coach of the Year Award. Harbaugh has a 118-74 record over 12 seasons in Baltimore, including a franchise-best 14-2 mark in 2019 and a victory in Super Bowl XLVII. Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman took home Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
Rookies were showcased as well on Saturday night, with the top two picks from the 2019 NFL Draft winning awards. First overall selection Kyler Murray took home the honor on the offensive side after throwing for 3,722 yards and 20 touchdowns, while ranking second among quarterbacks with 544 yards for the Cardinals. He had 26½ votes to edge Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (13 votes) and Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown (nine). The defensive honor went to 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, who joins his brother, Joey (in 2016), as the recipient of the award. Nick Bosa, who also won the Pepsi Rookie of the Year Award, was only non-special teams rookie to be selected to the Pro Bowl after posting nine sacks and 47 tackles, but he did not play in the game due to his Super Bowl obligations. Bosa got 43 of 50 votes.
At one point in time, Ryan Tannehill was supposed to be the face of the Dolphins. After being traded to Tennessee for draft picks in the offseason, Tannehill took over for the ineffective Marcus Mariota in Week 6 and led Tennessee to the AFC Championship Game. He was named the Comeback Player of the Year on Saturday. Tannehill earned his first Pro Bowl selection after throwing for 2,742 yards and 22 touchdowns in 10 starts this season.
Here are the rest of the NFL Awards: FedEx Ground Player of the Year - Titans running back Derrick Henry (led the league with 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns); Salute to Service Award - former Chiefs and Chargers star linebacker Donnie Edwards (his Best Defense Foundation supports youth outreach and military programs); Anything But Ordinary Player of the Year Award (a first-time honor given to a player that has the best social media presence) - Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (for photos of his charity work, hobbies, and world travels); Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award - Redskins running back Adrian Peterson; Deacon Jones Award (NFL sacks leader) - Buccaneers defensive end Shaquil Barrett (19½); Daily Fantasy Player of the Year - Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (1,357 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing, with a position-record 116 catches with 1,005 yards and four scores receiving).
In addition to players, there were two awards given for top performances. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes won the Courtyard Unstoppable Performance of the Year after throwing for 443 yards and four touchdowns in a 28-10 win over the Raiders in Week 2. The Dolphins didn’t have many things go right for them in the early part of the season, but arguably the trickiest of trick plays was named the Bridgestone Clutch Play of the Year. During Miami’s 37-31 upset of the Eagles in Week 13, punter Matt Haack threw a shovel pass to kicker Jason Sanders on a fake field goal that turned into a one-yard touchdown.
Finally, the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award was given to Matt Land, who leads Dalton High School in northwest Georgia. Each team nominates a coach for the honor, which is given to a recipient who exemplifies character, integrity, dedication to the community, commitment to player health and safety and on-field success. Land was a player at Dalton (1988 graduate) and had a four-year stay at Auburn as a walk-on at defensive back. He has been the head coach at Dalton for the past 10 seasons, winning three Region Coach of the Year awards and leading the Catamounts to a 78-36 record and eight playoff appearances.
Giants, Vikings add to coaching staffs, Texans’ O’Brien adds GM title - Another week, another vacancy filled on the Giants’ staff by new head coach Joe Judge. This week, it is the tight ends coach, which will be manned by former Browns head coach, Freddie Kitchens. Before his one season as head coach (a 6-10 record in 2019), Kitchens was an offensive coordinator and running backs coach in Cleveland the season before. He started his career coaching Cowboys tight ends in 2006, then spent 11 years with Cardinals coaching tight ends, quarterbacks and running backs. He was in his second season in Arizona when the team lost to the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
Last week, the Vikings named former Houston and Denver head coach Gary Kubiak their new offensive coordinator. Now, they have filled five more coaching spots. For the 2020 season, the team will employ co-defensive coordinators. Andre Patterson has been coaching since 1983, and he has experience in high school, college, and the NFL. His only head coaching role was a three-year stint with Cal Poly in the mid-1990s, which resulted in a 17-16 record. He has held defensive line coaching positions at several professional stops including New England (1997), Dallas (2000-02), Cleveland (2003-04) and Denver (2005-06). Patterson also held that same position from 1998-99 and again beginning in 2014, a role he will continue to hold even with his promotion. Joining him is Adam Zimmer, the son of head coach Mike Zimmer, who has been the team’s linebackers coach since 2014. Like Patterson, he will also pull double-duty coaching roles. Zimmer began his career as assistant linebackers coach with the Saints (2006-09) and Chiefs (2010-12) before moving on to become an assistant defensive backs coach with the Bengals for one season. Minnesota also added Andrew Janocko (wide receivers), Phil Rauscher (assistant offensive line) and Daronte Jones (defensive backs) to the staff.
The Browns looked to their interstate rival for their next offensive coordinator, hiring former Bengals quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt on Wednesday. After an 11-year career as a quarterback with the Chiefs and Bills, Van Pelt was a quarterbacks coach with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe. He came back to Buffalo, where he spent four years as an offensive quality coach, quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator. Van Pelt spent two years as Tampa Bay’s quarterbacks coach, then coached running backs and quarterbacks with Green Bay from 2012-17 before joining Cincinnati. In other news, assistant general manager Eliot Wolf decided to part ways with Cleveland after two seasons. He spent the previous 14 seasons in Green Bay, where he worked under his father, longtime Packers general manager Ron Wolf. His final role was as director of football operations before leaving for the Browns.
Bill O’Brien has amassed a 52-44 record in the six seasons since joining the Texans as head coach for the 2014 season. Now, he is the team’s general manager. Houston fired the previous holder of the position, Brian Gaine, in June. O’Brien had control over the roster moves this past season, and he used that power to add left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills in trade with the Dolphins and also dealt former top draft pick Jadeveon Clowney to the Seahawks. The move pretty much guarantees Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio will not leave New England and come to Houston.
Goodell addresses the state of the NFL - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took an opportunity this past week in Miami to address several of the league’s most pressing issues in his “State of the NFL” press conference. Here are some takeaways:
The league is not doing enough to hire minority candidates. Goodell had this to say on the matter: “Clearly, we are not where we want to be on this level. … It’s clear we need to change and do something different.”
The Patriots videotaping issues will be taken seriously: “We have a responsibility to our partners, we have a responsibility to our partners, we have a responsibility to fans to understand all of what happened…”
There is no timetable for NFL expansion to cities such as Toronto or even London.
The league will explore a 17-game season, but will not negotiate in public.
All the safety initiatives, despite the rise in reported concussions, are creating a safer environment in the NFL in general.
The NFL may feature the new stadium in Los Angeles in the opening weekend of the 2020 season, whether on Sunday or possibly the Thursday night game.
Mexico City will host one game in each of the next two seasons. London will also host four games in 2020, with the Jaguars hosting back-to-back contests at Wembley Stadium. The Falcons and Dolphins will host a game either in London or Mexico City.
Reed returns to coach at alma mater - Ed Reed has done just about everything in football a player could hope for: Two-time collegiate All-American, National Championship with Miami in 2001, nine Pro Bowl selections, five first-team, and three second-team All-Pro honors, NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner in 2004, an NFL championship with the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, plus spots on the 2000s All-Decade Team and 100th Anniversary All-Time Team and induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019. What else could someone with all those accolades need? How about coaching? On Thursday, Reed was named the Chief of Staff at his alma mater, where he will advise head coach Manny Diaz in all aspects of the football program, including strategy, quality control, player evaluation and development, team building, mentorship and recruiting. He played with the Hurricanes from 1997 to 2001.
Gibbs a multi-sport Hall of Famer - Former Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs became the first person inducted into both the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Friday, two days prior to a Super Bowl event he won three times, Gibbs joined 1980 Daytona 500 winner Buddy Baker, former Xfinity and Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte, longtime crew chief Waddell Wilson and three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart in the 2020 class. Gibbs had a 154-94 record in 16 seasons with the Redskins and started Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992, which competes in the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). The 79-year-old is the owner of five Cup Series, two Xfinity Series and three Daytona 500 championships.
Ex-Cowboys rusher gets college coaching gig - Reed wasn’t the only former player returning to coach at his alma mater. Former Cowboys, Eagles, and Titans rusher DeMarco Murray was hired as Oklahoma’s running backs coach under Lincoln Riley. After setting Sooners records for touchdowns (65), all-purpose yards (6,718) and receiving yards by a running back (1,561), Murray went to three Pro Bowls in seven NFL seasons. He earned his lone All-Pro honor after leading the league with 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns with the Cowboys in 2014.
Lewis named ASU co-defensive coordinator – Marvin Lewis amassed a 131-122-3 record over 16 seasons as head coach in Cincinnati, and he led the Bengals to four division titles and seven playoff appearances. After losing out to Mike McCarthy for the Cowboys head coaching job, he was given an upgrade at the college level, joining former Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce as the co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State under head coach Herman Edwards. Cincinnati let their longtime head coach go after the 2018 season, and Lewis spent last year as a special advisor to Edwards. He filled in as defensive backs coach during the Sun Devils’ appearance in the Sun Bowl after Danny Gonzalez was named head coach at New Mexico.
Seahawks’ Wilson and Ciara are having another baby - Six-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson is having another child with his wife, Ciara. The pop star hinted at the pregnancy for weeks on her Instagram account, but the couple made the official announcement on their social media accounts on Thursday. The child will be the second the couple has had together, but Wilson is also the stepfather to Ciara’s son with rapper Future. Wilson reached the 4,000-yard mark for the third time and also threw 31 touchdowns for Seattle in 2019. Ciara was scheduled to perform at the Rolling Stone party during Super Bowl weekend in Miami.
JEERS
Hall of Fame defensive end loses battle with cancer - Chris Doleman won many skirmishes with offensive players on the football field, but the 58-year-old died on Tuesday after a two-year battle with brain cancer. The 2012 Hall of Fame inductee underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor in January 2018 that was later diagnosed as glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer.
Doleman played 15 seasons in the NFL and ranks fifth all-time with 150½ sacks, including eight seasons with 10 or more and a league-leading 21 in 1989. The eight-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (three first- and two second-team selections) spent his first nine seasons with the Vikings, then two with the Falcons, three with the 49ers and ended his career with Minnesota in 1999. He appeared in 17 playoff games, including NFC Championship Games in 1987 and 1997, but never played in a Super Bowl.
“The legacy of Chris Doleman will live forever in Canton, Ohio, for generations to learn from how he lived a life of courage and character,” said Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker.
Packers legend passes away – Kansas City played in their first Super Bowl in 50 years on Sunday, but the Chiefs also appeared in the first of these “big games.” In 1967, the Packers and Chiefs played in what was then called the AFL-NFL Championship Game, with Green Bay winning, 35-10.
One of the starts of that game was safety Willie Wood, an eight-time Pro Bowler, a five-time All-Pro and a five-time champion who later was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Wood died on Monday at age 83. He had been in an assisted living facility for about 13 years and had been suffering from advanced stage dementia for around a decade. In Super Bowl I, Wood intercepted Len Dawson early in the second half, and his 50-yard return set up an Elijah Pitts touchdown that put the Packers up, 21-10.
Wood was not always a defensive standout. At USC, he was the first African-American starting quarterback in Pac-12 history (it was called Pacific Coach back then). He went undrafted, but played in 166 games over 12 NFL seasons, all with Green Bay, amassing 48 interceptions, including a league-high nine in 1962. He also still tops the Packers all-time list with 1,391 punt return yards.
“The game has lost a true legend with the passing of Willie Wood,” Baker said. “He had an unbelievable football career which helped transform Green Bay, Wisconsin, into Titletown U.S.A.”
Super Bowl entertainment, commercials fall flat – Thankfully, Super Bowl LIV the game included some suspenseful moments and great football overall because Super Bowl LIV the spectacle did not live up to the hype.
The halftime show featuring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez included reliving some great songs, but it was not a great performance, especially if you have read any comments on social media. The halftime performance, along with one outside the stadium by Pitbull before the game, featured scantily clad women twerking, pole dancing and just gyrating in general. For all politicians, entertainers and other “celebrities” talking about empowering women, this definitely did not help their case. If you want us to focus on your actual talents rather than your bodies, please stop showing so much of them off. No one will take your message about not “looking at you as nothing more than a sex object” seriously if you are objectifying yourself by showing off 90 percent of your bodies in a performance that was viewed by more than 100 million people.
The commercials might have been even worse. While we didn’t get anything like Mountain Dew’s “Puppy Monkey Baby” or the ad featuring a premature birth while the baby slid out of his mother’s womb to chase a stray Doritos chip, that doesn’t mean most of this year’s offerings were good.
Winning the award for the most annoying is Tide, which continually kept telling us to do our laundry “later” as the ads followed a guy who walked around with a stain on his shirt for years. Other commercials included: A bank robbery getaway that had to wait for the show on Quibi to end; Bostonians using their accent for Hyundai’s new smart car; Halftime act Jennifer Lopez getting her “bling cup” stolen; Aquaman actor Jason Momoa ripping off “fake” muscles revealing him to be a balding, middle-aged man; People falling into a “Snickers hole” while taking a selfie, MC Hammer getting paid to endorse new Cheetos Popcorn for some reason; Avocados in chest carriers, on pool floaties and wearing bicycle helmets; People doing their taxes while doing the “funky chicken” dance; Cartoon characters Rick and Morty trapped in a Pringles ad; Stars loving hummus; Martin Scorcese needing Jonah Hill’s help at a party; Someone’s brain malfunctioning while deciding what to make of Bud Light Seltzer; Lil Nas X dancing in the Old West; Little Caesars delivery being the “biggest thing since sliced bread”; An overload on clichés for Reece’s Take 5; John Cena and Jimmy Kimmel hanging out and training together and actor Anthony Anderson getting continuously bothered by his mother and her new phone.
The ads weren’t all bad, however. Google’s spot that showed an old man reminiscing about his wife brought a tear to my eye. Verizon touted its new 5G coverage, then released an ad saying that was not as important compared to real heroes like firefighters, police officers and military members. There were also ads for upcoming movies such as “Mulan,” “Fast and Furious 9,” “Minions: Rise of Gru,” and “Black Widow.” Super Bowl LIV also occurred on Groundhog Day, so thankfully Jeep took advantage and brought back Bill Murray to act out scenes from the movie with his favorite mammal, only this time, he didn’t get so tired of the holiday thanks to some outings in his Jeep.
Overall, I think we need a change in what is considered “entertainment.” No more pandering to the lowest common denominator with scantily clad women and low-brow humor. There are people in this country that have real writing, acting, and musical talent. Next year, please find some of those people and let them entertain us.
Two players leaving the Panthers - The Carolina Panthers and Greg Olsen have agreed to part ways (the team says it was “mutual” decision but the tight end disagrees). Releasing Olsen will remove his $11.6 million salary from the 2020 cap. After four seasons with the Bears, Olsen was traded to the Panthers, where he had three 1,000-yard seasons and three Pro Bowl selections. He ranks third in team history with 524 catches and 6,463 yards and fourth with 39 touchdowns. Olsen was a key piece to a Carolina team that went to Super Bowl 50, where they lost to the Broncos.
Olsen is not the only player involved in the exodus. Veteran defensive end Wes Horton joined All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly into retirement, leaving the game after seven seasons. The undrafted Horton played 83 games, starting 35, and posted 15½ sacks and seven forced fumbles with the Panthers. In his Instagram post, Horton said he was going to focus on coaching defensive lines, starting with his alma mater, Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California.
Longtime Patriots coach Scarnecchia will retire - After 50 years on college and high school sidelines, Dante Scarnecchia, New England’s offensive line coach, announced his retirement on Tuesday. Although never a head coach, Scarnecchia was well-traveled, especially in the college ranks, beginning as the offensive line coach at California Western in 1970. From there, he went to Iowa State, Pacific, Northern Arizona, and Southern Methodist, before turning to the NFL in 1982. Other than a two-year stint as an offensive line coach with Indianapolis (1989-90), Scarnecchia spent his entire professional career with the Patriots, coaching special teams, tight ends and the offensive line for 34 years in total. New England has played in 11 Super Bowls in its 60-year history and Scarnecchia has been on the sideline for 10 of them, missing just Super Bowl XLIX during his two-year retirement (in 2014-15).
Bears quarterback undergoes surgery - Mitchell Trubisky saw a drop off in his production in 2019. The Bears have announced that, at least for now, they will be sticking with him as their starting quarterback. First, he will have to recover after having surgery to fix a partially torn labrum in his non-throwing (left) shoulder. He suffered the injury during a Week 4 win over the Vikings, and he missed the following game before returning after Chicago’s bye week. Trubisky earned Pro Bowl honors in 2018 after throwing for 3,223 yards and 24 touchdowns.
The Continuing Story of Antonio Brown - Last week, former Pro Bowl wide receiver Antonio Brown was arrested for assaulting a moving truck driver. The ankle monitor and house arrest as part of the punishment for that incident lasted just four days before a judge released him. One more condition of release, a court-ordered mental health evaluation, was conducted. His lawyer, Lorne Berkeley, basically tried to excuse his “erratic” behavior (saying that others “have no idea because they don’t have any understanding as to the context”), Berkeley also said that, while he hasn’t seen the official results, he did talk to people familiar with the evaluation who said Brown is “perfectly mentally fine.” Sure, people who allegedly sexually assault multiple women, throw furniture off the 14th story balcony of an apartment complex, refuse to honor a lucrative contract while they complain about their helmet not fitting right and physically assault a moving van driver because they think the company overcharged them, that screams “mentally sane” to me!
NFL social media platforms hacked - If any of our readers are looking for another reason not to be on social media, there are reports that several sports-related pages were hacked over the past week. The social media accounts of more than half the teams in the league, as well as the official NFL account and some ESPN accounts, were hacked on Tuesday. The following day, the Twitter and Instagram accounts for the Ultimate Fighting Championship were hacked as well. The hacker group OurMine took credit for the incidents while also posting their email address and Twitter handle to contact for “security services.” (Note to readers [and the bosses at Inside the Hashes], I am NOT advocating leaving social media! If you do, you will miss all the quality content our writers put out.)
Thank you to everyone who found The List informative and entertaining. Hopefully, the series will return next season. For now, the Draft History series will feature multiple teams per week until the 2020 Draft at the end of April.
-By: Kevin Rakas
