What are we going to talk about after Football?

All football today even though the NBA has plenty of DRAMA to get into later.

Here’s a book recommendation of a book I haven’t read: Football by Chuck Klosterman. Klosterman’s making the rounds on the podcast circuit promoting his latest publication. He even mentioned that most people (me) might only experience his book through podcast discussion. Meta. Beyond that, Chuck introduced me to the concept of monoculture and his writing aims to answer: Why Football? Why is Football the country’s last monoculture when all other elements of the nation are fractured. Not in a negative way - just the reality that the nation’s attention is spread across such a diverse range of interests but we still rally behind the NFL. Yes, demographics, the internet, and even economic growth are giving people more and more options. Klosterman looks into how football continues dominate not just television but most of our sporting culture. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll get an answer to exactly how much of the country shut everything down to watch the Super Bowl. And if you weren’t, what the hell were you doing?

HO HO - analysis time! Time to dust off my football noodle and act like I actually watch the games. BIG THOUGHTS COMING:

- The Seahawks switched their defense and New England never saw it coming. The best way to win any Super Bowl is to get consistent pressure with four down lineman and drop seven in coverage. Seattle had done that about as well as anyone during the regular season, but come Sunday, they decided to turn up the heat. From the game’s opening third down, you could expect the Hawks to send one or two extra rushers. Typically a safety. And why not? It’s not as if the Pats had any receivers that could get open. Forget for a second that the refs stuffed their flags entirely in their pockets. The Hawks secondary was never going to let anyone from New England run wild. When you lose a big game, you’re biggest weakness gets exposed. For the Pats, a leaky offensive line ran into defense unlike any butterball unit they faced in November. Welcome to the Big League’s, Will Campbell.

- It’s no coincidence the Seahawks made it here. Look back here: KMARK NFL Mock Draft Breakdowns. You see Nick Emmanwori anywhere near the first round? Course you don’t. Why? Emmanwori lit the combine on fire. He had scouts buzzing over his measurables and ability to play a modern hybrid nickelback. Nick was a first-team All-SEC safety who put up a near perfect combine performance. In what world does he fall to the 35th spot in the draft? 34 picks went by before the Defensive Rookie of the Year. It’s not luck. Sometimes you have to trust the tape, trust the athlete, pick him and then coach him up.

- Relax about Drake Maye. He didn’t play great. He didn’t have a great postseason. He was bad. But the overwhelming narrative of this entire exercise is that Sam Darnold was bad too once upon a time. And look at Sammy now! So don’t think two ways about Drake. There’s a million things to watch on a given NFL play. I don’t have to tell You that you’re supposed to be watching the line play. Beyond that, I like watching a QBs feet. When Collinsworth is describing how a QB can’t read a defense, you have no actual ability to get inside that man’s eyes or brain. But you can watch his feet. The feet don’t follow the eyes. The eyes follow the feet. Maye could never get his piggies set under him. A QB struggling is a QB literally stumbling over himself. It leaks into decision making. It ruins accuracy. Feet determine posture, vision, and first downs. Drake’s feet failed him. Enough foot talk. Yeesh.

I’m pushing back on the Bad Super Bowl narrative. This game was close for three quarters and I enjoy watching dominant defense. Yes, the real Super Bowl happened weeks ago between the Rams and Hawks. But altogether, Sunday was a great show and highlighted Mike McDonald’s excellence and Sam Darnold’s redemption. And man, I’m going to miss Football for 6 months.