Super Bowl 52 preview, Mike Vrabel gets his chance and more
The New England Patriots punched their ticket to Super Bowl LII with a classic comeback. The Philadelphia Eagles needed no such heroics.
Everybody believed the New England Patriots would get to Super Bowl LII. Nobody felt that way about the Philadelphia Eagles.
Going into the season, there was ample talk about New England going 16-0, while the NFC East was supposed to be dominated by Dak, Zeke and the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, the Eagles flipped the script and overcame a devastating Week 14 injury to Carson Wentz to reach their third Super Bowl in franchise history.
Meanwhile, New England survived an ugly 2-2 start that featured the league’s worst defense to finish 13-3, winning the AFC East for the 16th time in 17 seasons.
After dispatching the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots reached the AFC Championship Game as 7.5-point favorites. The universal expectations were a win against the overwhelmed Jacksonville Jaguars, who turned out to be game and then some, leading 20-10 with less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
Then everything snapped back to normalcy, with Tom Brady authoring a vintage comeback. The likely MVP threw two touchdown passes to Danny Amendola in a six-minute span, finishing off a crazy 24-20 victory. With the win, New England reached its 10th Super Bowl and the eighth under head coach Bill Belichick.
The Eagles had no such problem with their opponent on Sunday, plowing the Minnesota Vikings and shattering dreams of a team hosting its own Super Bowl. Philadelphia got a virtuoso performance from Nick Foles, who played like the Pro Bowl version of himself that tossed 27 touchdowns against two interceptions in 2013.
Now, the stage is set for what should be a Super Bowl billed as a massive favorite against a backup quarterback with nothing to lose. Brady has started on Super Sunday more often than Foles has started playoff games (7-3), and stats like those are aplenty. Still, all of that is missing the point.
The real matchup is going to be Philadelphia’s front seven against New England’s protection. The Eagles were able to force turnovers and score points on Case Keenum, who threw a crucial pick-six and fumbled on the edge of the red zone. If Fletcher Cox, Derek Barnett, Chris Long and Brandon Graham can get home on Brady, Philadelphia will have a chance to pull the upset. If that quartet is neutralized, the Super Bowl will go sour quicker than the punch at your party.
Incredibly, Brady is better now than he was in the first iteration of this Super Bowl matchup back in 2014. That year, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer totaled 3,692 yards, 28 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a 60.8 completion rate. All those numbers were bettered by a quarterback who by historic precedent, should be getting considerably worse at 40 years old.
All that said, the Eagles are the kind of team that can give New England significant trouble. The defense can get pressure without blitzing, the power running of LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi will exploit a weak front, and talented tight ends Trey Burton and Zach Ertz can explore mismatches against linebackers.
None of that means Philadelphia is a favorite two weeks from now — it isn’t — but dismissing the Eagles as an inconvenient speed bump to another Beantown celebration is a mistake.
Power rankings
Top 10 Super Bowl performers of all-time
1. Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 49ers
2. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
3. Lynn Swann, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Emmitt Smith, RB, Dallas Cowboys
5. Manny Fernandez, DL, Miami Dolphins
6. Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco 49ers
7. Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
8. Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis Rams/Arizona Cardinals
9. Terrell Davis, RB, Denver Broncos
10. Franco Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Quotable
"“Greg, Benjamin and J.J. have changed countless lives with their generosity and commitment to helping others,” Goodell said. “As remarkable leaders on and off the field, they personify the character of the late Walter Payton. We commend them for using their platforms to leave a positive impact on communities across the country.”"
– NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on the three finalists for the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year award
The Walter Payton Man of the Year award is the most prestigious honor given by the league, and all three finalists have a great case. However, while Greg Olsen and Benjamin Watson have been credits to the NFL throughout their careers, it’s tough to see either beating out J.J. Watt.
Watt famously started a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area, hoping to raise $400,000. Incredibly, the donations ended up totaling $37 million.
Podcast
Matt Verderame and Josh Hill recap the conference title games and look ahead to Super Bowl LII. Make sure to check out iTunes every Monday afternoon for a new episode of Stacking The Box!
Random stat
Tom Brady has reached eight Super Bowls. The four teams constituting the NFC South — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints — have reached six in a combined 168 seasons.
Info learned this week
1. Titans hire Mike Vrabel as head coach
On Saturday night, the Tennessee Titans announced that Mike Vrabel would replace Mike Mularkey as the team’s head coach. Vrabel, 42, comes over from the Houston Texans, where he served as defensive coordinator in 2017. In the three years prior, Vrabel was the linebackers coach in Houston as an assistant to Romeo Crennel.
The Titans moved aggressively in firing Mularkey, who was coming off a pair of 9-7 seasons along with an upset win in the AFC Wild Card round over the Kansas City Chiefs. Still, general manager Jon Robinson didn’t feel confident in Mularkey’ ability to develop Marcus Mariota, who threw 13 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in the regular season.
While Vrabel is a former NFL linebacker and subsequently a defensive mind, he brings a younger look at the game. Tennessee is following the trend of youth at the head coach post, and if Vrabel can bring a good offensive staff together, the Titans may have hit a home run.
2. Former Redskins GM takes shot at Kirk Cousins
The Washington Redskins and quarterback Kirk Cousins might be parting ways this spring, but former general manager Scot McCloughan doesn’t think the team should be worried. Speaking to 104.3 The Fan, McCloughan stated that he “does not see special” in Cousins, but merely a good player who needs significant help around him.
It will be fascinating to see whether the rest of the league agrees with McCloughan’s assessment. The guess here? Cousins gets the richest contract in NFL history in both total value and guaranteed money. He’ll have a bidding war for his services, potentially including the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Jaguars.
3. Jets’ Robby Anderson puts future in jeopardy
The New York Jets had to be thrilled with wide receiver Robby Anderson’s development this season, but not the off-field issues. Anderson was arrested last week on two felonies among nine criminal counts, including driving 105 MPH in a 45-MPH zone, and subsequently threatening to have sex with the arresting officer’s wife.
The 24-year-old caught 63 passes for 941 yards and seven touchdowns this season, but has also been arrested twice since May. With one year left on his rookie deal at $630,000, the Jets have to decide if the talent is worth the headache. If not, it will be interesting to see how his market develops, provided he stays out of jail.
4. Seahawks making big changes in staff
On Tuesday, the Seattle Seahawks announced that Ken Norton Jr. would be returning to the Emerald City, replacing Kris Richard as defensive coordinator. This news on the heels of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell being fired with Brian Schottenheimer hired as his replacement. The moves follow the first non-playoff season for Seattle since 2011.
Norton Jr. was fired midseason by the Oakland Raiders after watching his defense rank 22nd, 26th and 23rd over his 2+ years there. Norton had been the linebackers coach under Pete Carroll from 2010-14 before leaving to join Jack Del Rio’s staff.
The moves are a bit puzzling considering the track records of the men leaving and those coming into the fold. Schottenheimer’s offenses have consistently ranked toward the bottom of the league, while Bevell has always been creative with Russell Wilson. Richard was also considered a high-end coordinator and schemer, something that Oakland had been sub-par with under Norton.
5. Giants plan to keep Manning
New York struggled to an ugly 3-13 season that saw the head coach fired and Eli Manning briefly benched, but reportedly the two-time Super Bowl champion will be back as the unquestioned starter in 2018. General manager Dave Gettleman has repeatedly said that Manning will return for another season in Gotham, even if the Giants decide to draft his eventual replacement with the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
This could play out much like Alex Smith’s situation in Kansas City. Smith watched as the Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes in the first round last spring, but then started 15 games on the way to a Pro Bowl berth and AFC West title.
The only difference would be that Manning, 37, is four years older than Smith and has little trade value. His contract runs through 2019 with $45.4 million remaining on the deal, and while teams are desperate for quarterbacks, that’s rich for a guy who is likely released after the upcoming year barring a huge resurgence.
History lesson
The Cincinnati Bengals hold the NFL’s longest active drought for a postseason win. Cincinnati last won a playoff game in the 1990 AFC Wild Card round, making it 27 years and counting. The Detroit Lions have the longest NFC streak, dating back to the 1991 NFC Divisional playoffs.
Those two teams have nothing on the Cardinals, though, who went 50 seasons between postseason victories (1948-97), setting the NFL record.
Parting shot
When the offseason gets rolling in a few weeks, watch the Green Bay Packers. Usually, the Lambeau faithful can tune out until the draft, knowing general manager Ted Thompson wouldn’t dabble in free agency.
Things should be different this time around, with Thompson’s replacement, Brian Gutekunst, at the helm. Gutekunst has talked about having to explore every avenue to get better, and considering Green Bay has a projected $22 million in cap space, potential deals are out there. There’s also the matter of Jordy Nelson, and whether to keep him at a cap hit of $12.55 million or whether to release the veteran for a savings of $10.25 million.
With Aaron Rodgers being 34 years old, the time is now for the Packers to make one more significant push for a few championship runs.