RIP Sixteen Games

It's weird that a good deal of why I love the NFL's 16-game season is that it is a square number. 4x4 = 16. Square numbers are cool for a reason. The season broke down into four neat sets of four. The schedule was based on fours. There were two conferences of sixteen teams, four divisions of four in each. It all worked so nicely.

That perfect period seems to be over, with the NFLPA membership likely to approve a CBA that will net us a seventeen-game season probably starting in 2021. Seventeen games just seems wrong. We're literally going straight from a square number to a dirty prime number. I'm no numerologist but it bugs me to go to a damn prime number.

Everything is going to go askew. As it was this isn't the first time the NFL changed lengths, going from 14 games to 16 in 1978. But this seems different. At a time when offensive numbers have already risen to dramatic proportions it is only going to get worse now. 5,000 yards passing will become commonplace. A team limiting opposing offenses to under 300 points will become a once-a-half-decade occurrence. The established milestones will become meaningless. I know I may be overreacting - at the end of the day it is just one extra game, but it matters.

Oddly, I don't really mind the addition of a seventh playoff team - a six-game Wild Card Weekend sounds amazing. Very often the '7th' team is anyway better than the worst Wild Card team. Yes, it gives a larger than ever edge to the #1 seed, but I'm fine with that.

The NFL won't be the same though with those damn 17 games. First of all, it should've just been a move to 18 or just stay at 16. The fact that some teams will get nine home games with other eight is ridiculous. But c'est la vie. We'll adjust. Players will adjust. We'll come to understand the new normals, that 530 points is the old 500, that 35 TDs is the old 32 and so on.

That said, I can't get the idea of moving away from a sixteen game season being a mistake. The perfect square number was perfect. 15-2 doesn't have the same ring as 14-2. Both 12-5 or 13-4 don't seem as cool and as indicative and meaningful as 12-4.  I like math, always did, and football just became a slightly less mathematically cool sport. 

Familiarity

Many people asked me why I went back to Cape Town. I could have written that in September 2018, before I went there for a 3rd time. More asked it when I just went two weeks ago, going for a 4th time. Sometimes I try to defend this - saying from a longitudinal distance, and time zone perspective, this isn't so different than going to Europe. But as that is normally parried away as it should, I'm left to wonder why I keep going back - to this place a good 7,900 miles away, and one theme keeps repeating: familiarity.

Familiarity is something I strive for, it has defined a lot of my life. It's the reason my closest friends are those I made in High School. It's why I have a routine I like to follow each Saturday, with a run followed by a visit to my local Barnes & Noble. It's why I take a 9pm flight back from Toronto - hours after the other people on my team - so I can go to Bellwoods Brewery. It's why I've watched things enough to have a series like 'The Nostalgia Diaries.' And of course, it is why I keep going back to Cape Town.

I love traveling to new places. I've crossed 50 countries visited - a good 15-20 of those in my time as an adult ever since my Round the World Trip in 2013. That said, I love going back to Cape Town, going back to familiarity as much. Going back to The Waterfront. Staring at the beautiful Table Mountain. Taking the same hikes, visiting the same restaurants, and going to the same bar drinking the same pint of Milk & Honey beer. There's a safety in that, a safety in going to a place that while not 'everybody knows (my) name', it may as well be that way.

I don't know if resting on familiarity is an inherently bad thing. There's a lot of joy in experiencing the same things that give you little doses of pleasure over and over again, be it going to a local restuarant I've been to dozens of times, to Cape Town, or Count the Dings live shows. There's safe hapiness in knowing that you will get good joy and benefit out of an experience, instead of risking the dice-roll that is something new.

I say this as I get very close to embarking on the biggest 'new', non-familiar decision of my life, in buying a condo in Hoboken. I know the area, and know people who live in it, and it is still in striking distance of either my old house in Plainsboro and my work and social life in New York. It is still new, however, a momentous change, one that brings with it adult responsibilities that I should have taken on many years ago.

Familiarity won't leave me, however. You can replace that term with safety or cowardice if you want, and there is reason to do so. But being a 'safe' person is not a black mark I shy away from. I love the fact that part of my 'familiar' world is going to a picturesque, magnificent city half a world away, full of surprises and passion. There are new aspects to each trip, a few times I've ventured out of the norm, be it to EDM clubs, or new restaurants, or cocktail bars. But doing what I've done and what I love to do is part of it.

As I take a most unfamiliar step in my personal life, having to pick furniture, budget my salary into paying bills, and being a homeowner, a term that has as much caution as joy, I try not to lose my love of familiarity. There is a yearning for more familiarity as well, be it short trips to Mumbai (something I've done twice now - each more ludicrous than my last trip to Cape Town), or hopeful trips back to Salt Lake City. When I found something I like, a beat the ever-living s**t out of it, wringing that experience for all I could.

Maybe this has kept me from experiencing a lot of things I otherwise could have. This passion for the familiar definitely combines with a self-actualized introvertedness that has plagued my life for eons. That all said, there is beauty in the familiar, and nothing presents itself so strongly as when I go to Cape Town. I know there's irony in saying visiting what is to most objective outside viewers a 'dangerous' city is indeed safe, but it is. It is the sheer certainty of goodness - be it the weather, the people, the experience - that I go back. And when I take this step of moving into a place I own, the certainty of Cape Town will only become more pronounced.

In the end, my life has been battling familiarity, but I am approaching a point where I can expand my sights beyond that. Not around Cape Town, but on how it dominates my day to day, my weekends, my weekday evenings. There is a sense of missing out during these periods that I need to grow out of, go away from, and the house is a step in that direction. The presence and everlasting lust of Cape Town is my connection back, one I will not give up.

2020 Cape Town Trip: Day 5 - Lightness in the Pocket

Two years ago when I was last in Cape Town I left my phone in a bathroom in a bar. For a good 18 hours, I assumed I lost the phone period. By some incredible bit of chance, the person who took it was not planning to do anything nefarious (she even said she took it so no one else would steal it) and got in touch with me on my work phone.

Two years later, I left my phone in an Uber. This time, apparently whoever took it (not the driver, who I spoke to and asked his then passenger to look for it but it had already been taken) is planning to do something nefarious, as he did not pick it up on repeated attempts, and then after a while it was shut off / went straight to voicemail. I'm not going to get it back. Lukcily I have theft protection, so it won't cost me too much to replace it. If anything, the bigger loss is that of the some 200 or so photos of this trip. If the meals, of Table Mountain's beauty.

Of course, on the other hand I've been here three times before and will probably be back again at some point so these aren't truly unique pictures in that sense. Also I shared enough of them with my family on WhatsApp there's a reasonable representation of the three or four days of the trip.

The real coincidence was I went back to Kirstenbosch to roam around after losing my phone (the uber was taking me to Stellenbosch for a wine tour, but I had to miss it as I was still desporately trying to get a hold of the Uber driver. Kirstenbosch was also the place I went to two years ago when I lost my phone that time - the few photos on that visit that were taken with my work phone was of the same park.

Kirstenbosch was as beautiful as eve - I even stayed a bit to catch their free summer concert in the concert stage they have there. There's few more serene places to be when you realize you suddenly lost a phone. At the end of the day, the vacation cotninues, I have my work phone, adn there's stuill more of Cape Town to enjoy. I just have to start thinking on future trips to tie the phone to me on a leash.

The park is sprawling but still small enough to easily walk around. There's so much beauty, so many strange plants and trees, so many ppen areas to sit and read a book (admittedly, I didn't do this), and ponds and tea houses and all the rest. You really can just spend a full day there if you were so inclined.

Kirstenbosch and aimlessly calling uber drivers and leaving frantic texts took up much of the day. The rest of the day was largely spent in and around the waterfront. I have tickets for Table Mountain that can either be used today or tomorrow, but today is the one actaul cloudy day were most of the mountain is not even visible - the view from the top would have been just a pillow of clouds. Trusting a bit that tomorrow is not this way.

The waterfront is commercial, but some of that commerce is actualyl quite good. I spent most of the pre-Kirstenbosch time around the Watershed and V&A Food Market. The Food Market is a really appealing place with a good mix of stands all run by local businesses. Only a few serve African food (one serves classic home cooking, another with stuff from Tunisia, one serving just Biltong - the everpresent jerky-esque meat), with the rest serving a mix of Asian, Indian, Vegan, Dessert (ice cream, belgian waffles), Japanese, and a few store-focused stalls. 

I finally did have a meal at the Food Market, getting a lamb roll from a place nicely named LambRolla. It had a nice line, and served shawarma-esque stuff with such care - the pita made on-demand, the lamb being a slow-cooked lamb being spooned directly from a pot sitting on a low-flame oven. It had a line that represented its quality. Admittedly, almost every stall was crowded with the Waterfront being fully alive on this Sunday.

I also had a few Roobois iced teas, a specialty red-bush tea from South Africa, which were perfect. The final goal from the food market was to pick up a few things, namely a gin to take home (South Arica loves its gins - as I'm finding out at Cause | Effect), a few pate's (crocodile and ostrich) and maybe a honey or jam or two. Left some of this for tomorrow, as I had more shopping to do.

The Watershed is overpriced, but the stuff in there is also excellent quality. The number of stalls they have, with crafts and art on one side and clothing and jewelry on teh other is astounding. As with anything in Cape Town, all the small touches are there as well - the buskers, the coffee and tea stalls, the few tourist trap stalls seling cute stuffed lions and zebras. In the past, I've bought a bunch of random, small stuff. This time I was a bit more targeted, buying really nice, novel pillow covers - showing old Cape Town stamps from teh 50's, and then a ceramic penguin. I haven't experienced the penguins since my first trip in 2013, but damn if I still don't find them so adorable.

There's another Watershed-esque mall of wares near where I am having lunch tomorrow (my last pre-set meal in Cape Town :( ), so I held off on anything further.  But given that I'm now adding the $150 deductible for the new phone to the price of this trip, I can't say I can keep on just acquiring more stuff willy-nilly.

After my dalliance in Kirstenbosch and some brief R&R I went back to the waterfront to enjoy a Milk & Honey. I've been to this bar probably a dozen times now, getting basically the same thing each time. I'll admit the beer isn't as good as I remember it, but also I've expanded and broadened my beer experience in the seven years since my first visit. It is still a fantastic setting, though today the rolling clouds obstructed the view of Table Mountain. 

Dinner was at The Shortmarket Club, one of the restaurants within a group that includes Cape Town's most famous/popular restaurant The Test Kitchen. The Shortmarket Club has a tasting menu which is five selections from their a-la-carte menu. Each was presented and prepared well - the best probably being the final dish which had lamb prepared three ways, one with a brilliant Harissa sauce. Other dishes included tuna tartare, fois gras, bream and others. It was another nice meal. It probably didn’t match either Belly of the Beast or Janse & Co, but that says more about those two places than Shortmarket.

After dinner, I went back to a far emptier Waterfront and Cause | Effect. It was interesting to see it so empty given this still is peak tourism season. The bartender at Cause | Effect did mention that this Sunday was far emptier than most Sundays. The scene at Long Street was similar, with a nice crowd at Beerhouse – a place that serves 20 beers on tap and 99 more by bottle – and then a good run with live music at The Dubliner which was chock full of German tourists that were fun to hang out with. They were here in Cape Town for two weeks, this being their middle weekend. I truly felt jealous my trip ends tomorrow, while they get another week in this paradise. Of course, it’s less of a paradise when you are without your phone.

2020 Cape Town Trip: Day 3-4 - A Capetonian Weekend

There are so many incredible aspects about Cape Town, but the most lasting, and to me most piercing, is that view of Table Mountain in the distance on a cloudless day. The weather has seemingly got increasingly good each time coming here. My first time in Feb 2013 - we are quickly approaching the seven year anniversary mark of that fateful visit. Table Mountain's imposing vistage is one of the world's great sights. Way too often the top is partially layered with clouds, but these last two days have been perfect.

With Friday being Valentine's Day - a pretty big event in South Africa (thanks American Capitalism!) - the city was a bit more alive than normal. It was tough to secure reservations for places and generally there was an unease about how busy things would be. Walking around the Waterfront area  both in the morning and then again when going for post dinner drinks, you notice the number of couples, both locals and tourists, and the sense of energy in the area. The V&A Waterfront itself, on any day, is among the most incredible too-touristy things I've seen. It is like a Times Square if instead of a baseless maw of capitalism it had actual good restaurants and shops (if overpriced), and if instead of immigrants paid too little to dress up as power rangers you had actual good buskers busking.

I can waste too much time walking around the Waterfront, which I definitely did on Friday mid-day after waking up too late with the last of my jet-lag wearing off. I romped around The Watershed, Cape Town's beautiful warehouse ode to African arts, craft and clothing - again all fairly pricey in South African terms, but great place to roam. The food market next door has become an increasingly fun random assortment of stands as well - including a few quick lunch options that I would definitely partake in more if I lived in Cape Town and wasn't just visiting for a few days.

Because of the short time, and also due to Cape Town's incredible culinary scene, my meals are mostly all pre-planned and booked ahead of time. I tried out a few new places this time, mostly for my lunches. The first was La Tete, which was slightly disappointing in that the menu was quite small. The food I did order, however, was excellent. First was a salad with crispy duck, which came with a great sauce. The main was a roasted quail served with chips in a gravy, which was also quite good.

The other lunch, though, was truly great. Oddly the restaurant was fairly empty - but based on Google's accounting it generally does much better for dinner. The place was called Upper Bloem, oddly not on Bloem street. They serve essentially a mini-tasting menu type deal, with a set of three starters and mains in little plates, all plated with gourmet brilliance. The starters were a tomato salad with buffalo cheese (given my hatred for tomato I left most of it, but the pickled tomato was excellent), two cheese croquettes with mint (excellent) and a potato and raw tuna mixture in a cup.

The mains were similarly good, with a mixed beet salad (great), a fried cauliflower curry (apparently this place specialized in Cape Malay cuisine, something I haven't tried too much of), and then a chicken curry dish with potato balls. Each dish was small, but overall it was quite a filling and excellent lunch.

The dinners were also both quite good, and of course pre-planned. Friday night at Miller's Thumb was somewhat fortunate, as they don't take online reservations. You can call them in advance, but for whatever reason I didn't. Honestly, I'm in love with this place. It is a Mom & Pop operation in a town that is increasingly a hotbed of cuisine. It has somehow held its rankings on all types of lists over the past seven years. The 'Mom' of the operation is there every day, and is the one who answered the phone. They have a weird orange and green decor which they've stuck to. The main part of the menu is simple. They write four or five fishes on the chalkboard, most local to South Africa, and there's six or seven ways to prepare them (Cajun, Moroccan, Grilled, etc.). The starters are a mix of normal asefood fare. They serve meat - no idea why anyone would get meat here - and other dishes like a fish curry and jumbalaya, but stick to the chalkboard man.

I got grilled Calamari that was grilled 'Moroccan' style, and then the Kob fish (a game-fish, whatever that means) done Cajun style, so blackened with Jalapeno. Both were great. This place is grat. Every other palce I go to has fancy websites and Youtube videos and semi-celebrity chefs. Miller's Thumb is the exact opposite, and still excellent.

The other dinner was probably the one I was looking forward to the most on the trip, at a place called Belly of the Beast. Housed in a weird part of town that is getting redeveloped, Belly of the Beast serves a six-course tasting menu with various meats and seafood, with just incredible culinary heart. The first dish was a South Arican take on babaganoush along with venison tartare, to be eaten on local Kaboors bread. The second was squid with a lot of other things I don't quite remember. Prior to the meal beginning we had three giant mussels with a salsa on top thaht was so sweet and fresh.

Fourth was beer-battered hake that was lighter and flakier than almost any battered fish I've had, perfectly mixing in with the sauce around it. The final main was a Karoo Lamb cut with another excellent accompanying sauce. The desert was a lovely chocalate and banana cake. They took their time, wit the meal running about two to two-and-a-half hours but it was so well paced and presented you felt at home.

The other place I'm slowly starting to feel at home in is Cause Effect, a cocktail bar that opened at the edge of the Waterfront. This might be one of the most impressive cocktail bars I've seen. The mixologists are brilliant in their presentation, turning it into truly an artform. The cocktails themselves were so inventive - one called the 'membrane' was poured into a plate with a round middle, with a fondant drawing placed on top that you had to pierce through to get to the drink. Overtime, the fondant would melt into the drink and add to it. The place was crazy.

On the tourism side, I didn't really do too much different this time. There's a Stellenbosch bike tour lined up for Sunday, but the first couple days mostly saw me amble around the Waterfront, adn take a hike on the pipe track from the bottom of Table Mountain back towards Camps Bay - the beach town directly to the Southeast of Cape Town. The hike took me about 90 minutes (better hikers could do it in an hour) with stunning views of the back of Table Mountain, Lion's Head (the hill next to Table Mountain) and the Pacific Ocean.

On the whole Cape Town remains a truly incredible place, something only reinforced in my first couple days there. It was Valentine's Day weekend, and I was in a place I love which was the best gift imagineable.

2020 Cape Town Trip: Day 1/2 - Polaris

Day 1/2 - Polaris

**Yes, I'm going to Cape Town again. Yes, I realize how weird this is. Here's my slight defense: I'm using miles to get there and back. United started a direct flight from Newark (making me get quite a bit more time in Cape Town. When you add in the cheaper cost of stuff when you are there, this is basically, economically, like going to Europe for a five-day weekend. Anyway, I'm done justifying this.**

It's been three-plus years since United introduced the Polaris branding for their International Business Class product. It took this long for me to really spend time in their Newark Polaris Lounge, getting my access after getting upgrade to business on my flight. Now, as United is taking painfully wrong to outfit all their widebody planes with the Polaris product, the flight itself will be on their 'Diamond' design, which is still lie-flat but not the same.

That all said, having five hours to kill in the Polaris Lounge was a treat - especially since I arrived far before the mad rush of Europe flights in the evening. When I arrived, it was fairly empty. I was greeted warmly and entered into this giant lounge with huge windows facing out to series of United widebodies. United's newer more-blue livery is starting to take hold with more planes sporting it.

The lounge itself is gigantic, reportedly with seating for 250. They have a buffet area, three different sitting areas, includng a long section with little cubicle like set-ups with a half-desk and couch. There's showers, sleep rooms, work rooms, a long bar, and a full service restaurant. All outfitted with the Polaris star branding and deep blue and charcoal colors.

I hadn't had lunch yet having caught a 11:50am flight from Toronto (work). That gave me a good excuse to try out the restaurant, where they have a small, but well thought out, menu of four appetizer choices, three mains + burger and three desserts. What I really appreciated was the portions weren't so big. Now, some may point to this being a cost savings measure, but to me it was nice to not be pilloried with heavy food.

I went for a Portugeuse sausage and kale soup (very good, if slightly salty) and a lamb sausage orrechiete which was well plated and delicious. The apple fritters with vanilla ice cream (again, these sound decadent/heavy but are smaller portions) was a ncie capper. Accompanying all this was an old fashioned which was probably the only miss of the meal - though they use top-shelf alcohol and I could have been more inventive.

The design of the lounge is incredible form functional, with USB and outlets accompanying every table in the dining area, adn basically every seat in the main seating areas. Those couch/cubicles were more comfortable than they looked, but functional enough to actually answer e-mail and do the last couple hors of work I plan to be doing over this weekend.

After taking a couple calls, itw as nearing 5pm and the club was slowly filling up. When it just opened only a few flights on Polaris outfitted flights were allowed access (basically Asia). Slowly United outfitted Polaris on many of their Europe-flying planes, and basically opened up the Polaris lounge to any business class passenger flying International apart from northern South America (e.g. Bogota). Because of this it definitely gets more full but never came close toreaching capacity.

I enjoyed a quick shower, which was great. They have fairly sizable 'shower suites' (oversized gym-type bathrooms) with Saks towels and slippers (probably more name than game) and a waterfall shower that got hot instantly. Again, it hit the damn spot.

After my shower, I got myself an Ommegang Beer, cuddled into a couch/cubicle and then went to the buffet. It was interesting - the selection simultaneously having fewer options than I imagined, but higher quality than I would ahve guessed. Their butternut squash ravioli and miso salmon were both excellent. Their salad options were well sauced. It was definitely quality over quantity, which seems to easily be the style of the Polaris Lounge in general.

Overall, the experience in the Polar Lounge was great. It will probably be a while before I get a chance to use this again - the next time I fly UNited internationally and can get myself upgraded - but I may never get a chance to explore its world for five hours. Though if I do, I will definitely take the chance.

Before long, I was situated outside Gate 110 at Newark Airport, awaiting boarding United's B787-9, their long-haul powerhouse. Somehow, this would be my first time flying a United Dreamliner - and quite a good route to start it on. United started this direct Newark-to-Cape Town flight last December, running every other day seasonally. It's an interesting flight that by great circle distance has the longest time above water. Basically, after crossing the Hudson and entering the Atlantic, you never leave the Atlantic until the good ol' Western Cape.

After having done Newark-Singapore (or the reverse) three times, Newark-Mumbai four times, and New York-Johannesburg three times (all longer), this flight didn't seem particularly long, but the 14h30m is easily a good enough length to well experience United's business class product - the only other even medium-haul flight I have done so on was Newark-London, which is short enough you actually just want to sleep.

Here you want to sleep, but also eat, drink, watch movies and be merry. As mentioned, the flight didn't have the Polaris seat, but did have the rest of United's Polaris branding, including the bedding, back-rest, amenity kit and menus.

The food, I have to say, was better than I expected - definitely better than what they served when I took it to London. Their dinner service started quite promptly - about 30 minutes after take-off - with drinks, followed by a nice salad and duck pate. They had four choices for the main, and I went with a Korean spice glazed short rib, which was slightly tough, though that is expected with airplane beef. The sauce was tangy and spicy, which was nice to see. The desert was in their famous cart, where I went with an apple pie that was also warmer and softer than expected.

Before landing they had a breakfast/lunch course, which I went with a Portobello Mushroom ravioli which was also quite nice if a bit too saucy. In the middle of the flight, tehy had their normal set of snacks in the galley for anyone to grab and go - and a drink cart kept open which was nice. They also had a mini-'meal' of grilled cheese and tomato soup, which actually was excellent. Overall, the food was great.

So was just being able to get a full eight hours of sleep on a plane and not feel like garbage. The lie flat worked as well as ever, and the saks bedding, while not notably more comfortable than, you know, normal sheets, was still good at keeping you cozy in that confined space. My only criticism of the whole package probably amounts to United having a pretty bad eye-mask compared to other airlines.

Before I knew it, I landed in Cape Town, whisked right through security (seriously, it was empty - United picked really good timing for this flight) and then ran my way into a roadblock: namely the roadblocks that the police put in place heading into town as the South African President was delivering his 'State of the Nation' Address that evening in Cape Town. The major highways were all blocked off. The Uber driver found some side route through some less than stellar outskirt towns. In the end, it took about an hour to reach Cape Town central.

My AirBNB is inconveniently located close enough to the Waterfront and/or Long Street to walk to either (during the day - again don't tempt fate at night), but far enough to make either a distinct event. This first night I had no time for all that. After some quick R&R and shower, I headed out to Janse & Co, on Bree street, the South end of Cape Town central. I had been to Janse last time, but for whatever reason didn't realize it had an outdoor seating area in the back that was gorgeous. The weather in Cape Town is almost always amazing, and this was no different.

Janse & Co basically serves a tasting menu where you can pick a certain number of courses (anywhere from three to seven) out of a set of 15 or so choices. It takes a long time to actually decide what to get, but after I made my decisions I was pleased with each dish. First was a raw South African fish served with watermelon and lime. Then a apple gnocchi with a South African sea-weed type thing. Then four oysters served on a bed of ice with apple granita as the garnish (amazing). Then a bream with mint and tomatillo salso, and finally a lamb purse with friend onion. All were excellent - Janse & Co is truly a great restaurant and quite affordable for hte type of food you are getting.

My night ended a few hours later after trolling around Long Street like we are wont to do. The Waiting Room was my main haunt, with its dependably great vibe, great DJs, cheap drinks, and grainy atmosphere. The place was rocking, with more recognizable songs than usual - but in the good way that everyone was into it. The Waiting Room shuts down at 2, a couple hours before some of the other Long Street locations. I grabbed a quick pint at The Dubliner, which always has dependable live music, and called it a night. The vacation is just starting, and it just feels so damn good to be in Cape Town again.

2019 NFL Playoffs: Super Bowl Review

Player of the Game: Patrick Mahomes, QB-KC

Look, I get the arguments that Mahomes was bad for three quarters, though I think that overstates things. He was mainly bad for only a 20 minute span from the start fo the second half through to his second interception. In that period he was missing throws, throwing bad interceptions and behind receivers. It was bad. THe rest of the game? Magical. In the first half he routinely escaped from constant pressure. In those last few drives he was pure magic. Maybe one or two other players in the league have the presence to backtrack away from a near sack and still fling the ball 60 yards to Hill. Mshomes 'bad' game ends up being a net positive game against a top defense. That is special. He is special. This is close to being his league/


Runner-Up: Chris Jones, DT-KC

To me, if you were to give MVP to someone not named Mahomes, it was Chris Jones, the biggest question-mark heading into the game. He should not have been healthy. Instead, he was a monster, probably helping him secure quite a big bag in the offseason. He was dominant against the run. He pressure Garoppolo into his first interception, deflected two passes (including that critical deflection on 2nd and 5 when Kittle was wide open for a first down), and pushed Garoppolo back into a sack that clinched the game. Just a monster game.


Goat of the Game: Kyle Shanahan

Honestly, my issues with Shanahan aren't the late game playcalling. He called plays that got guys open, but was felled by Chris Jones tipping a pass that was a sure completion, a bad Garoppolo mis-throw, and a throw pushed by pressure. No, what Shanahan did that was so incredibly short-sighted and stupid was throw away a posession at the end of the 1st half. I have never seen such afraid coaching before. Actually, let me be clear - I have, and usually we pillory those coahces (unless it is Belichick doing it in Week 17 against Miami in a game that would cost them a bye). That was cowardly, showed no faith in his offense, and given the guy they were playing made absolutely no sense.


Runner-Up: San Francisco 49ers O-Line

They opened up some holes early, but generally got pushed around way too much. Garoppolo was pressured often, and then in teh second half they acted as if they had never seen a blitz before. Spagnuolo's defensive play-calling was on point, but it was shockign to see a line that just abused a good Packers' and VIkings' lines in the last two games look so suspect.


Team Performance of the Game: Kansas City Skill Position Guys

Once again, all the players came to play. Williams got low-key MVP buzz for his great game, breaking or juking past a lot of tackles, and scoring the TD to win and then ice the game. Tyreek Hill had a truly quiet 100 yards. Sammy Watkins had a great 98 and abused Richard Sherman at various points. Kelce was great over hte middle. All of them were excellent. Mahomes didn't even need Hardman or Drops McGee (Robinson) because the top guys all balled out.


Runner-Up: San Francisco 49ers defensive line

In defeat the 49ers still showed just how good a rush unit they have. Nick Bosa was unblockable, with a game that was reminiscent of Demarcus Ware in Super Bowl 50, with seven hits. Buckner and Armstead both had strong games. Even in the last few drives they kept up the pressure, pushing Mahomes 10 yards back on the key 3rd and 15, forcing a quick throw on what would be the Kelce DPI, and even in that last drive getting a few rushes on Mahomes. They were truly great all year and nearly pulled it off.


Team Laydown of the Game: San Francisco Special Teams

It's hard to remember a time when a return unit was worse than the 49ers kick return game in this one. They weren't bad for most of the season, but Richie James and the blocking unit were so consistently awful getting returns between the 15 and 20 yard line. Their punter also had an average game, with a terrible short punt that had the Chiefs start their game-winning drive at the 35. It was a game where nearly every unit played well, so we have to dig a bit to see one that played poorly.


Runner-Up: San Francisco 49ers DBs

The 49ers pass defense was incredible all year, but as this game slowly revealed, it was more about their dominant front than their defensive backs. Sherman allowed completions on each pass thrown his way - granted msot he tackled well for short games. Mosely was burned a few times by Watkins and Hill. Tartt had one of his lesser games. Overall the front end kept up their end of the bargain, but the back end was awful.


Surprise of the Game: Kansas City Chiefs Blitz package

It took a while for Spags to let loose, but man did he to take back the game. He had generally left his blitz-happy tendencies away, leaning on Clark and the rest to really deal blows, but to throw Garoppolo off he brought the house, complex 5-man and 6-man pressures that the 49ers OL had no idea how to handle. Garoppolo didn't either. At his peak in New York, he was one of the more creative blitzers in the league, and he brought that out in full force.


Runner-Up: Damien Williams, rushing monster

Damien Williams is a nice player, but I never knew how shfity he was. He slithered through little holes, juked past people with ease on the edge. It was great to watch. I don't think he deserved MVP, mainly because ~30% of his offense and his second TD came on a fairly meaningless TD late - one wehre in theory he would have been better off going down when he broke free. 


Disappointment of the Game: Lack of Hill vs. Sherman

I wanted to see how Sherman would handle the fastest, most dynamic threat on KC, but the Chiefs mostly played Hill away from Sherman. THe few times they were together, Hill caught a couple catches (advantage Hill) but Sherman wrapped him up quickly (advantage Sherman). It was a fine matchup, but in the end didn't reach the high-profile matchup we all wanted. Sherman got roasted once - and nicely took his lumps online for it - but we never got the great matchup we could have.


Runner-Up: Slow pace

The game went too fast man. I get the 49ers like the run (at least early), and both teams were generally successful at moving the chains and not throwing incompletions (the things that stop the clock and/or cause stoppages), but for what is the last game of the year, when the sense of dread of 'the season is over' sets in about halfway, we didn;'t need it to end so quickly man...


Storyline that will be Beat into the Ground: The rise of Mahomes

Mahomes is special. That much si obvious. The line that got repeated roughly 800 times is that he is the youngest player to win an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP. Nice stat. He has had the best start to a career of any QB ever. He is the alpha and beta reasons the Chiefs are where they are, and why they'll be among the favorites year in and year out. Why am I saying all this? Well, asides from being 2-3 years older, all of that was basically true of Aaron Rodgers after 2011 - just reverse the Super Bowl coming before the insane MVP season. Rodgers has still not made it back. Rodgers is an eternally great player, but he still hasn't made it back. Mahomes should, Mahomes is the most talented player right now, but we aren't so far away from bim being another Rodgers - and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.


Storyline that should (ALSO) be Beat into the Ground: The rest of KC

That all said, the reason why they may actually win another Super Bowl or two? Well, because the rest of that team is pretty damn good too. The offensive skill position players and great, and young. Kelce is the oldest at 30, but Hill adn Watkins are both 26 and under. Hardman is 24. Williams in 25. The defense gelled under Spagnuolo and also has some good young pieces. The Chiefs are set to be a great team for the next few years because they have Mahomes, but also because they have a bunhc of other great players.

Stupid Early 2020 Preview

AFC East
1.) Buffalo Bills  =  10-6  (4)
2.) New England Patriots  =  10-6  (5)
3.) New York Jets  =  7-9
4.) Miami Dolphins  =  6-10


AFC North
1.) Baltimore Ravens  =  12-4  (2)
2.) Cleveland Browns  =  9-7  (6)
3.) Pittsburgh Steelers  =  6-10
4.) Cincinnati Bengals  =  6-10


AFC South
1.) Indianapolis Colts  =  10-6  (3)
2.) Houston Texans  =  9-7
3.) Tennessee Titans  =  8-8
4.) Jacksonville Jaguars  =  5-11


AFC West
1.) Kansas City Chiefs  =  13-3 (1)
2.) Denver Broncos  =  9-7
3.) Las Vegas Raiders  =  6-10
4.) Los Angeles Chargers  =  4-12


NFC East
1.) Philadelphia Eagles  =  13-3 (1)
2.) Dallas Cowboys  =  9-7
3.) Washington Redskins  =  7-9
4.) New York Giants  =  5-11


NFC North
1.) Green Bay Packers  =  11-5 (3)
2.) Minnesota Vikings  =  8-8
3.) Chicago Bears  =  5-11
4.) Detroit Lions  =  2-14


NFC South
1.) New Orleans Saints  =  11-5  (4)
2.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers  =  10-6  (6)
3.) Atlanta Falcons  =  7-9
4.) Carolina Panthers  =  3-13


NFC West
1.) Los Angeles Rams  =  12-4 (2)
2.) San Francisco 49ers  =  10-6  (5)
3.) Seattle Seahawks  =  9-7
4.) Arizona Cardinals  =  6-10


Playoffs - and yes I know how stupid this is

AFC
Wild Card
(6) CLE 20  @  (3) IND 23
(5) NE 13  @  (4) BUF 23

Divisional
(4) BUF 16  @  (1) KC 23
(3) IND 24  @  (2) BAL 31

Championship
(2) BAL 27  @  (1) KC 24


NFC
Wild Card
(6) TB 23  @  (3) GB 20
(5) SF 23 @ (4) NO 20

Divisional
(6) TB 13 @ (1) PHI 30
(5) SF 27 @ (2) LAR 24

Championship
(5) SF 20 @ (1) PHI 24


Super Bowl LV, Tampa, FL
(A2) BAL 27  vs  (N1) PHI 24

Super Bowl LIV - The 'Even' Game

Everytime there is either a high scoring game or a low scoring game, people come out of the woodwork to extol or bash the quality of the game. Be it the 54-51 Rams win over the Chiefs last year (or this year's 48-46 49ers win over the Saints), or the 6-6 tie a few years back between the Cardinals and Seahawks. In each case, I always wonder what a perfect, evenly played, enjoyable game would be. What would it look like if both offenses and defenses play well.

It would look like mistakes were made. There probably would be a turnover or two and a sack or three because the defenses played well. There would probably be decent scoring, guys running open, time in the pocket, amazing throws, because the offenses played well. It would be a mix of both. These types of games are rare, with generally one side of the ball winning the batlle, be it both offense or both defenses, but if you had such a game it would look a hell of a lot like Super Bowl LIV. It wasn't the most dramatic. It wasn't nearly the best. But it was about as well played a game by all units as possible - and that will stay with me.

The last time I felt this way about a Super Bowl probably was Super Bowl XLVI, when the Giants upset New England 21-17 (not hte perfect season time). In that game you could make a case both offenses and defenses played well. Eli strung together a series of long drives. The Patriots in the middle of the game had Brady throw 19 straight completions. The Pats also made multple red zone stops, forced a few fumbles and sacked Eli three times. The Giants returned the favor with two sacks and a safety forced, plus an interception and consistent pressure at times.

This game was very much like that, but with the added bonus of these being two teams that were consistently great all year and came in with good-to-great units on all sides of the ball. The Chiefs offense was already great, but so were the 49ers defense, and despite the score, that played out to an even draw in my mind.

Patrick Mahomes still hasn't played a bad game, but this was the closest, and it was due mostly to a defensive line that kept consistent pressure up. Nick Bosa had seven hurries. Buckner and Armstead each got sacks. The linebackers were great against the short stuff and screens. They had good awareness on the intereceptions.

But between all that, the Chiefs offense still played well, running for nearly six yards a pop, Mahomes still have nearly 300 yards, with two receivers (Hill, Watkins) combining for 200. Kelce was great in the short zone. The OL paved the way late to give Mahomes slightly more time while doing great against the run. That whole matchup lived up to expectations, even if it was the 49ers dominating first and the Chiefs late.

The other side of the matchup was even more interesting to me. We can pull out those ill-fated last three drives and say the 49ers offense blew it, but that both removes any cognizance of the Chiefs defense coming to life late, and also how good hte 49ers offense was to that point. Pitch-plays, end arounds, options, the 49ers pulled out all stops and were great - utilizing Deebo Samuel and Emannuel Sanders well. They ran the ball for nearly six yards a carry. Their OL was creating holes early. It was all humming.

And then, as much as you want to say the 49ers offense failed, the Chiefs defense exploded. Chris Jones pushed pocket after pocket and deflected away passes, one from what would have easily been a conversion to George Kittle. Spagnuolo's blitzes were perfect on those last few drives, pushing Garoppolo back, never letting him throw clean, getting free rushes. It was magical.

That game changed quick, but mostly because the Chiefs came to life in a way they did early and absolutely did not for the middle 40 minutes of the game. That was about as even a game as I think you can expect to get. The defense had its big plays, five sacks, four interceptions, four forced fumbles. The offenses had their big plays, bombs to Hill and Watkins, Deebo running wild, great running by Mostert and Williams. It was just great, pure football.

This Super Bowl will be lost over time to the other madnses that has hsppened in the last 20 years, starting with the first 'modern' Super Bowl in 1999 (XXXIV, with teh Rams beating the Titans by a yard - another game where every unit conceivably played well). But it was mightily better than last year's, and a game shorn of the historical stakes of Brady and Manning playing in it (first time since 2012), breathed new, fresh life into the game. This was a season of change, but it ended with a classic in terms of how good football can be if everyone is playing well.

2019 NFL Playoffs: Super Bowl Pick

(A2)  Kansas City Chiefs  (12-4)  vs  (N1)  San Francisco 49ers  (13-3)

Sun, 6:30 - FOX  |  Chiefs -1.5

State of the Teams: The only real injury of note to watch out for is Chris Jones, but it is a hugely important one. The largest edge in this game is the 49ers run game against the Chiefs porous rush defense. Now, as we saw in the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs rush defesne can play well, or their offense can make the lack of rush defense a moot point, but Chris Jones was not healthy in that game. He should be somewhat closer to 100%, but it seems he just won't be 100%. On the 49ers side, Tevin Coleman is somehow going to be available himself, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has a larger role on Sunday as he's more of a weapon in the passing game than Mostert.

It's great to have both teams fully healthy (or as close as could reasonably be expected) in what should be a great game. Both teams also come in having played truly well in the playoffs. This is the first time since 2016 where both Super Bowl participants won all their playoff games by 10+ points. The Chiefs faced tougher situations falling behind by 10+ in each game, but by halftime they had leads they would expand on. The 49ers haven't trailed for a second. It will be interesting to see how the 49ers play early on with a bit more impetus to get up early. Do they push Garoppolo more than he has been the last two games.

For the Chiefs, you imagine there's a good chnce they fall behind again early, but this is a worse team to do that against. The 49ers have been incredible front-runners all season long. The largest deficit they faced all season was being down 13 a couple times againts the Saints. Then again, that was the only time they faced an offense this dynamic (maybe Baltimore) and the Saints dropped 46 on them. Of course, back then the 49ers were missing half their secondary and a few key rushers. Their defense is full, healthy, and back to their dominant ways.


The Matchup: The more marquee matchup is the Chiefs offense against the 49ers defense. There's been so much talk about historical precedents of great offenses and great defenses playing, and the defenses normally winning. I have to say in those past examples, either one or both of the units were more 'great' than these two. The Chiefs were the 2nd best offense in teh NFL this season. The 49ers the second best defense. They match up well too. The 49ers are great at stopping TEs, and great on 3rd down - league's best 3rd down hurry and sack rate. The Chiefs are the best 3rd down offense. Neither team is all that good in the red zone in this matchup, the Chiefs ranking 20th on offense adn the 49ers 22nd on defense. The 49ers main goal was not letting teams get into the red zone period. To me, this matchup comes down to whether the 49ers pass rush can keep up. They'll win early, and have a great rotation, but can they keep it up. Also, which receiver gets sacrificed to Richard Sherman, and if it is Tyreek Hill, can they get shot-plays against the slower Sherman.

The other matchup ironically may well decide the game. The 49ers offense was a solid unit, ranking #7 in DVOA, #5 on 3rd down, and top-5 in most conventional metrics. Even against a still middling Kansas City rush defense, you won't expect them to have the same level of success on teh ground as they did against Green Bay. The 49ers OL should be able to win its matchup against the Chiefs hit-or-miss pass rush. A lot will come down to how the reworked and reborn Kansas City secondary plays. They were great at times against Houston and Kansas City, but their speed approach may be susceptible against the play-action heavy 49ers offense. The Chiefs do have a slight advantage in the red zone here, with a Top-10 red zone defense, good enough to force the Titans to kick field goals (something no one did for months), against the 21st ranked red zone offense for 49ers.

Neither special teams unit is all that good. The Chiefs have more potential in the return game, but also have a habit of penaltes and even fumbles. The Chiefs have a more solid kicker, so if it comes to kicking late in the game, you may give them a slight edge. The coaches are fairly even, a nice representation of the wider Walsh coaching tree that still dominantes all non-New England success in teh NFL, with a branch on the Shanahan side playing a branch on the Holmgren side. Reid's biggest failing in clock management hasn't bugged him yet this year, and if anything Kyle Shanahan has shown some isues in that regard. In the end, all for playcallers (Reid/Bieniemy, Shanahan, Spagnuolo, Saleh) are in the zone. The most conventional is Spagnuolo, but even he has a blitzing philosophy that might make an appearance.


The Pick: This should be a great game. There are no bad units involved. Both teams are playing exceedingly well. There are stars and great players all around on both teams. Each unit has something special to watch. I can't wait to watch it, and if anyting just to watch a Super Bowl without a rooting interest. I do think the Chiefs are a slightly better team all things considered, mainly because they have the best peak upside in Mahomes and that offense. The 49ers secondary is good, but not the fastest. Their pass rush is somewhat neutralized against Mahomes who rarely takes sacks. Their rush defense has improved in the playoffs, and if the offense can get to the high-20's it will probably take some of the rushing opportunities away. I have little confidence in the pick, just confidence that this should be a great game.

Chiefs 34  49ers 29  (Chiefs -1.5)