Category Archives: 2025 NFL Post Season

Super Bowl LX Fallout: Sam Darnold & The Moving Goalpost

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Its amazing how some in the media don’t want to anoint Sam Darnold to an elite status calling him Trent Dilfer etc. Over the last 15 years coverage of the NFL has turned into fan-boy central with most media only supporting the players of their favorite teams. Its cheap and it robs players of coverage they’ve earned and cheats them out of accolades. Once a player they don’t covet turns their career around several don’t want to admit he should be seen differently. It shows they were wrong or need to see it differently and they let their egos get in the way.

Don’t listen or watch these idiots!

First off Sam Darnold had a moderate perfromance in Super Bowl LX and came out a champion. He went 19 of 38 for 202 yards and a 4th quarter TD pass to AJ Barner which showed the Seahawks were about to be crowned. Detractors kept waiting for Darnold to fold but wait….he already made his bones when he struck down NFL MVP Matt Stafford in the NFC Championship. You can’t overlook his 25 of 36 for 346 yards and 3TDs when you picked him to lose. Well he had a defense and a running game. Well in that game Walker only had 19 carries for 62 yards not the MVP performance (135 yds rushing) we had from him last night.

They’re not in position if he didn’t take over the NFC Championship Game then play a supporting role in LX. He and Walker III flip flopped these roles and as a team came through with the biggest win in their careers. Compare his performance with Tom Brady’s first win in XXXVI. He went 16 of 27 for 145 yds and 1 TD but media acts as though he threw for 500 yards in all his Super Bowls.

Last week the national media on ESPN and elsewhere no one wanted to anoint him with that performance treating it as an abberation. Performances in championship games are not abberations and they need to be lauded or I’d be a hypocrite anointing Doug Williams Super Bowl XXII MVP performance. Its not about having to do it all the time but doing it when your team NEEDS you to.

You CAN’T downplay great performances just because Darnold proved you wrong lighting up Golden Child Coach Kyle Shanahan 41-6 in the NFC Divisional Playoff. Then you stayed silent with your firngers crossed he would falter in the NFC Championship Game to offer “I told you so” then were thwarted. Now he “didn’t turn the ball over” in the Super Bowl vs he made the plays to win the game where other more celebrated QBs like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson haven’t been.

  • Super Bowl LX – Darnold: 19 of 38 for 202 yds 1TD
  • Super Bowl LVI – Stafford: 26 of 40 for 283 yds 3TDs 2 Ints *Super Bowl MVP*
  • Super Bowl LIX – Hurts: 17 of 22 for 221 yds 2TDs  1 Int  *Super Bowl MVP*

Here are the stat line for 3 of your Super Bowl winners in the last 5 years and only Stafford has been considered elite by the sporting press. His LVI win seems to have erased a decade of marginal play and blew him up to being an elite QB but it hasn’t for Darnold and hasn’t for Hurts. The elite mantra has followed Stafford ever since propelling him to this year’s MVP in the eyes of the voters. Even though he hasn’t always played elite over the last 4 seasons.

So they are moving the goalpost on Sam Darnold, not Taylor Blitz Times. His win last night validates his complete career and draft status. Period. He never has to answer to those lows again now that he’s scaled the mountain. You cannot talk to me about the potential of Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Bo Nix, Baker Mayfield, or any of the “Rudy try hard” types who can’t win 2 playoff games or even show up in the conference championship game.

Its time to cover players for what they’ve performed and not “cheerleading” about their perceived potential. When you get it wrong, re-evaluate how you got there and make changes when new informati0n about a player comes in. Don’t dismiss it because it doesn’t fit the narrative of your slanted view. This type of b.s. with the national media / writers not only cheated football with the Pro Football Hall of Fame vote this year, it allows them to roll the goalpost out to 150 yards in the covering judgment of Sam Darnold.

This is completely wrong… you’re supposed to cover players for who they are and what they have accomplished. Not cover them as you wished they’d be had you been in their shoes. Now they’re waiting for next year’s performance for their “Aha…see!” moment. Disgraceful…

Darnold is an elite quarterback and he has a chance to grow as Tom Brady did from his Super Bowl XXXVI stats (16 of 27 145 yds 1 TD). By the way “It was a different league then) doesn’t count as an argument since they beat The Greatest Show on Turf who amassed 7,075 yards in 2001 which is still 4th highest in NFL history.

Congratulations Sam Darnold on your elite status and Super Bowl LX  champi0nship

 

 

Super Bowl LX Prediction

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This game begins and ends with the Seahawks #2 defense gettinf after Patriot QB Drake Maye.  He is the 1st in the 60 year history of the Super Bowl to be sacked 5 times in both playoff games before.

The Patriots have to start off with turnovers but the Seahawks defense will force 2 1st half turnovers that will put them on cruise control.

Sam Darnold vindicates his 2018 draft status by winning this game 34-15.

The NFL is A Quarterback Driven League Eh??

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Sorry for the interruption, but really quick I wanted to touch on this as I’ve written countless times – football is about the team and there are many ways to build a championship unit. It takes balance and good quarterbacking but more importantly defense. The propaganda of covering just the quarterback has been constantly overblown and its simply not true. Well Super Bowl LX is being played in 4 days and none of these top 10 paid QBs are in it.

In fact 4 of them didn’t even make the playoffs and 3 are on teams that just hired a new head coach.  Not only that, no one in the Top Ten highest paid quarterbacks even bothered to make it to their respective conference championship games. Tell me again how its just about the franchise quarterback?

Back in 2013 I wrote a series Huge Quarterback Salaries: Feast or Famine with a follow up in 2022. With a resurrected Sam Darnold just 60 minutes from possibly winning a Super Bowl teams need to rethink their whole approach.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming of propaganda from traditional media outlets.  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

No Black Coaches Hired & Time For The Players To Take Action

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Placism is still racism…

This has been long overdue. The NFL has been 67-72% black annually since the AFL/NFL Merger in 1970. In fact the 1st leaguue champion that had a majority of black team was the Kansas City Chiefs who won Super Bowl IV 56 years ago. Yet only coach’s sons who couldn’t play are the only one’s who can lead a team?? Know the “Xs” and “Os”?? Have meetings and teach techniques? Give me a break and now the branch of nepotism extends with the Cardinals hiring Mike LaFleur as their head coach. He is the brother of Packer Head Coach Matt LaFleur. All this to go with John & Jim Harbaugh with the Giants & Chargers respectively.

Especially given our political climate of black erasure our current President has spearheaded, the hiring of all 10 NFL HC openings and not one black coach named is a travesty and a choice. Its much more nefarious than that as mainstream media has turned into white writers backing white OCs pretending their all quarterback whisperers.

Funny but 6 months ago I wrote an article and showed that EVERY MAJOR NFL PASSING RECORD was held by quarterbacks led by defensive coaches with none held by any of these guys being touted. I had first described the media’s role of selectively omitting genius of black coordinators and here we are. What happened to Eric Bienemy in this race to anoint the next offensive mind if that was the real reason.

Bienemy was the Chiefs OC from 2018-2022 when Patrick Mahomes won 2 MVPs and Super Bowl LIV & LVII under his watch. Remember that team?? They scored a team record 565 points (’18) and Mahomes threw for a team record 50TDs. Wait I thought y0u were after offense? Wasn’t the 565 points 3rd most in NFL history? Yes right behind the ’13 Broncos (606 pts) & the ’07 undefeated Patriots (589 pts). So why wasn’t he hired again? Who do you think spread that rumor he didn’t interview well?

So you want offense but don’t hire the Offensive Coordinator of a record setting offense?? Hmmm?

He interviewed well enough to be hired back to the Chiefs as OC where ’18-22 his Chief offenses were 1st, 6th, 1st, 3rd, & 1st in his tenure. Yet they plummeted to 9th in ’23, 17th in ’24 & 20th in ’25 under OC Matt Nagy but he parted ways believing he would get a 2nd Head Coaching job? Hmmmmmmm…when Bienemy couldn’t?? So it isn’t about offensive prowess then huh? Didnt Bienemy have the NFC’s 5th highest passing yardage leader in Sam Howell (who?) with 3,946 yds passing in their only season together?? Wasn’t Matt Nagy the same quarterback whisperer who failed with 1st rounder Mitch Trubisky in Chicago? The best Trubisky ever threw for was 3,223?

On what planet would Nagy’s resume look better than Bienemy’s? You’re right… Nagy didnt get hired but a lot of others like him did. Ok Show me where their resumes outdo Bienemy’s?

What about Byron Leftwich who was Tampa’s Offensive Coordinator (7th ranked offense) that won Super Bowl LV?? Of course supremist detractors will just point to Tom Brady but he didnt call plays. How do we know this? For one he wouldn’t have been signaling 4th down looking for a play to come to him from Leftwich in that Thursday Night debacle in Chicago when he forgot the down. Remember that? Just reverse image search the Brady pic…

So if black offensive coordinators can’t get the nod you don’t even need me to bring up black wizard DC Brian Flores who has been covered by Taylor Blitz Times on multiple occasions as why he should be a Head Coach again.

The truth of the matter is NFL players are going to have to collude themselves and go play for the black coaches in the NFL only when it comes to free agency. They need to voice their opinion through their union and then force teams hands when they all consolidate their prowess on just a few teams. Once teams start losing top free agents and they start gathering only with those teams with black coaches will they bring other teams to the table.

Some players may have to sacrifice a few dollars but the greater good for the rest of the black players who wish to be taken seriously as coaches after their playing days will be the long term benefit. We either start our own league or consolidate all your power on just a few teams forcing Owners out of their prejudiced/racist edict of hiring just white coaches.

Just imagine if WRs George Pickens, Rashid Shaheed, Mike Evans, and RBs Kenneth Walker III, Travis Etienne, TE Kyle Pitts, & David Njoku all signed with Head Coach Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets. Then go get DE Josh Sweat, CBs DJ Reed, and Asante Samuel Jr. Since these are the biggest free agents of this year. What would happen if this happened over the next two years? Two years? Yeah…the 2nd offseason come back and snatch WR Justin Jefferson, Khalil Mack,  and Patrick Surtain II next year.

When they can’t sign important black free agents because they don’t have a black coach how fast do you think they’ll cave?

Its time to send American Football League sized shockwaves through the NFL Owners and front offices. Those that forced the NFL to merge and operate differently with the respect they had to afford the new league. Several of the coaches just hired are good coaches and wish them well… not Kevin Stefanski. Definitely not Kevin Stefanski… You’ll have to bring the current owners to their knees in much the same fashion. They won’t leave their placist/racist ways without being forced kicking and screaming. Its the only way…

Just sick of the prejudiced attitudes… time to make a move guys and the time is now!!

Terrell Owens & Bill Belichick’s First Ballot Hall of Fame Snubs

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Can you tell the story of the National Football League without ______?? Were you among the best at your position for a 5 year period?? What historic feats did you perform during your career?? Feats…not one… feats! It goes beyond just the numbers…. its not The Hall of Accounting. Its the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Rarely do you hear from me on who should be a 1st ballot selection for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I just get excited to see that player or coach to get in. Until now. There isn’t a world where Bill Belichick and his 6 Super Bowls and 333 victories, just short of Don Shula’s 347, should be in Canton the second he was up. I waxed philosophically just a few articles ago why I thought the Buffalo Bills should have hired him. Its abysmal to have media members who vote enact a vendetta against a player or coach who earned their way to cementing their legacies in the PFHoF.

No one anywhere appreciates the PFHoF as I do as I have written letters and articles here advocating for players and coaches. What bothers me is now we’re going to have media members pay back Belichick because he was caustic in press conferences. This isn’t about your personal feelings, this is about honoring the integrity of The Hall and you’re a steward to ensure those deserving make it. Especially when it comes to coaches who are more advanced in age retirement wise vs players. He is 73 years of age and tomorrow is not promised.

You want the Hall of Famer to be able to enjoy the honor among family, teammates and furthermore to be ambassadors of the game. I watched the late Kevin Greene addressing an All America High School team and saw how those players eyes wide and quiet enough to hear a pin drop. You knew they understood they were listening to greatness. In a world devoid of this due to immediate and empty social media type popularity we need more to inspire others to aspire to be the best they can be.

Those who had the greatest careers and deserve to be in on the 1st ballot earned that right. A competitor wants to be the best and have that one up on their contemporaries. To have that stripped away by some writer who was jealous of your success and voting against you to get some revenge is horrible. Are there prejudices that are rearing their head as well?

I thought this when Terrell Owens was passed over when he was up to make the PFHOF on a first ballot in 2017. I applaud him for standing up but held indifference when he decided not to attend the 2018 ceremony and had his own at University of Tennessee Chatanooga. I owe T.O. an apology as I thought he should have attended the festivities in Canton. In the weeks leading up to the ceremony I rememeber having a back and forth with his former receivers Coach Ray Sherman and 49er teammate Derrick Deese on my old Facebook page that went on for several days. Not going in on the 1st ballot cut T.O. deep.

I was invited to attend the enshrinement ceremonies and went to everything. The Gold Jacket Dinner, Enshrinement Ceremony, Jerry Kramer’s party the day of Enshrinement, and the Sunday Round Table Discussion with the enshrinees. On social media I heard so much venom from white fans and I worried it would carry over to the events. I applaud then President David Baker as every time he addressed the audience he made sure to mention Terrell Owens respecfully and when there were murmurs in the audience (Gold Jacket on Thursday) he reiterated “he is a Hall of Famer and we respect his decision and he’s welcome here!” and set the tone the rest of the weekend. I got the chance to thank him for that at the end of the  ceremony.

That Saturday getting ready for the Enshrinement Ceremony I watched TO’s ceremony online at his alma mater and it was bittersweet. He should have been in Canton but due to voters who were holding a grudge didn’t vote him in on 1st ballot.

Its time to reorganize the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting. We need some new blood in the arena and some independent voices need to be included who love this game and not leave it to just sportswriters. I, The Chancellor of Football would like a Hall of Fame vote.

After thanking then PFHoF David Baker

Too many old timers are holding grudges, forming subcommittees negotiating “vote for my guy and I’ll vote for yours.” They’re also campaigning against players and coaches which is an embarrassment for Canton.

In 2016 I can remember Kenny Stabler being selected posthumously who should have been in years before. There wasn’t a dry eye in that Gold Jacket arena when his grandson came up to to the stage to accept his HOF crest. Think to Steve McMichael’s enshrinement at home in Chicago. Or former Bengal Reggie Williams today expressing the angst and disappointment his teammate Ken “The Rattler” Riley felt on being overlooked by Canton for many years. He was another voted in posthumously.

Lets stop playing games when legacies are at stake. Make an exception and put Belichick in!!

Kiss the rings.

Super Bowl LX: Sam Darnold Has A Chance To Become An Elite Quarterback

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Sam Darnold is arriving at Super Bowl LX much like Jim Plunkett arrived at Super Bowl XV many moons ago. A 1st round draft pick who was a bust & the team that drafted him jettisoned him off like garbage. He had become a punchline with his “seeing ghosts” comment while being interviewed after a game in New York. Had stops at Carolina and San Fran before taking the Vikings to a 14-3 season last year and then dumped for unproven JJ McCarthy. The Vikings opting for #9 unstated told us they believed Darnold’s last 2 games in ’24 over the first 16.

Minnesota had their best record dating back to their 2009 NFC Championship Game run with Brett Favre at the helm. However all year long fans (and quietly the Vikings brass) waited for the shoe to drop & the jittery knock kneed Darnold of old would show up. He didn’t until a winner take all for the NFC Championship Game against Detroit where he had his worst game of the season. On a Sunday Night with the nation watching he went 18 of 41 for 166 yards in a 31-9 undressing in a game that didn’t appear that close.

It all fell apart with a 27-9 loss in the wildcard round to Los Angeles. Darnold was sacked 9 times and never had his team in the game. They were down 24-3 at the half and the Vikings had seen enough. In the offseason they gave him a low ball 1 year contract and Darnold left for Seattle. Had he really turned his career around? Was the ’24 season he had in Minnesota a mirage??

  • ’24 Vikings season: 361 of 545 – 4,319 yds 35TDs 12 ints. (7.92 yds per att.)
  • ’25 Seahawks season: 323 of 477 -4,048 yds 4,048 yds 25TDs 14ints. (8.48 yds per att.)

The truth of the matter is that gaudy 8.48 yards per attempt is 2nd in the league to Drake Maye. If you’re new here I wrote out on Dec 9th “The Lie Behind Quarterback Passer Rating & Several Useless Statistics” where I told you yards per attempt is the statistic that equates to team success not passer rating… well #1 and #2 in yards per attempt are facing off in LX or 1st vs 11th in passer rating … yet I digress

The truth of the matter we kept holding our breath waiting for Darnold to falter in the end like he did last year, check it… how he has dating back to the 2018 draft. Its not that he rode the coat tails of his team to make it to Santa Clara, he outgunned Matthew Stafford in a career defining NFC Championship Game. Throwing for 346 yards going 25 of 36 with 3TDs. When he came out and hit Rasheed Shehee with that 51 yard bomb 0n the first drive you knew he came to play. He was laughed out of Sofi Stadium losing to the Rams and ultimately his job and came back to excorcise several demons.

To see him stay the course, make the adjustments in his career when he could have slunked away as the draft bust he came to be known for, its impossible to not pull for him. He just stared down his bully in the NFC Championship Game and carved a Ram defense up that gave him nightmares in ’24. He is one game away from validating his 3rd pick in the NFL draft status with his performance in LX.

LOL Now he is in a Super Bowl where fellow draftees who have won NFL MVPs in Lamar Jackson & Josh Allen have to sit and watch and neither have made it this far. Neither has 1st pick in the draft Baker Mayfield. He wins this game and you have to call him an elite quarterback. Period. With new information we have to change our perspectives.

You’re one game away. San Darnold… Your mission, should you choose to accept it…