The NFL playoffs delivered another treat this weekend in the two Conference championship games. SU is proud to say that its pick of the LA Rams winning it all is still alive while the Bills succumbed last weekend (no doubt their coach is running simulations of a squib kick with 13 seconds left in the game every day. SU noted that the Bengals did just that in the 4th quarter and as the models show, it burned several seconds for a short return. And so it goes…).

Anyway, some observations from yesterday’s games:

1. What happened to Tony Romo? SU likes him but he must have been on his 9th cup of coffee in the 4th quarter of the Chiefs’ game. He was saying that the Chiefs, down by 3 with under a minute left, should actually have a running back go to the 1 yard line and fall down, so that they could try and score a touchdown in the very final seconds. SU understands the logic in a tie game but when you are trailing by 3, scoring a touchdown puts you up by 4 with probably less than 30 seconds left. Also talked about having a coach throw the red challenge flag to review the offense’s formation for an illegal formation on the prior play. Not reviewable. SU says sometimes less is more. Too many words to process.
2. The Rams-Niners game featured two quarterbacks who make poor decisions in key situations. Both did the usual yesterday but fortunately for Stafford, his 1st quarter interception did not come back to haunt him, and his long pass that was more like a punt was dropped by the defender in the 4th quarter. San Francisco has a good team with talent in all of the skill positions but Jimmy Garappolo really holds them back. They scored so few points in the playoffs and they would be smart to move on from him.
3. The NFL was faced with a possible replay of the Chiefs winning the coin toss in overtime and going down the field to score and win the game but fortunately we had a different outcome. I am not sure of the exact stat, but Jim Nance said something like the team that had won the toss in the playoffs for an overtime game had won the last 10 games. SU believes the rule needs a facelift. True, it’s up to the defense to stop the offense there but each team should have its shot.
4. No doubt Andy Reid will be regretting the decision to run another play late in the 1st half with 5 seconds left and the Chiefs up 21 – 3. Take the field goal and the 2nd half kick-off. He got greedy there. SU also felt like the Chiefs pulled back offensively in the 2nd half and were content to run out the clock. Amazingly, Burrow finally had some time to throw the ball and their running game wore down the Chiefs’ defense as they tired in the 4th quarter having been on the field for most of the 2nd half.
5. It should be a good Super Bowl as neither team is a world beater.

Rafa Nadal won an epic Australian Open final in nearly 5 and a half hours. Good for him. SU was surprised to learn that this was only his 2nd career Australian Open championship. Medvedev received the treatment that Djokovic normally receives in New York, Paris and London when he plays either Nadal or Federer and ultimately was not able to cope. Stories keep surfacing about Djokovic perhaps forging the failed Covid test in December and SU believes that he may be suspended by the ATP Tour if there is definitive proof. That may not ever come out as the test was administered by the Serbian government and they will no doubt protect him. SU is a Djokovic fan but he is destroying his legacy in real time. He’s too old to pull a Marv Albert and take a year off but he needs to do a 180. Getting vaccinated and use his Foundation to launch a vaccine drive in Serbia would be a good place to start.

Finally, for those of you looking for something new on Netflix, etc., check out For All Mankind on Apple TV. It’s 2 seasons (season 3 on the way) and basically charts NASA and the space race with the Soviets in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, but with the premise that the Russians land on the Moon first. History changes from there. It’s a good watch. SU has started on season 4 of Ozark now. If anyone has some other shows to recommend, I am all ears.

Finally, finally, no winners on the SU Super Bowl predictions so the SU logoed back pack and water bottle go unclaimed.