Congratulations To The Kansas City Chiefs

Congratulations top the Kansas City Chiefs as this year’s Super Bowl Champions.  The game was exciting and entertaining down to the final 10 seconds; and while it is a fact that the defensive holding call in the final two minutes was a critical call, that is not why the Eagles lost that game.  The officials did not “steal the game from the Eagles”.

• The Eagles’ offense played well enough to win the game; the offense scored 35 points.
• The Eagles’ defense played well enough to win the game; the defense only allowed 24 points.
• The difference in the game came about because of two plays – – the fumble by the offense that was returned for a Chiefs’ TD and the special teams allowing a 4^th quarter punt return that was – for all practical purposes – a special teams TD.
• The Chiefs made the big plays when big plays were needed.

According to reports this morning, the Colts have decided to hire Eagles’ offensive coordinator, Shane Steichen, as the next head coach for the Colts.  I have not found a report as to the contract details today; I assume they will be reported very soon.  The Colts have the 4^th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and the expansion of the salary cap gives them the ability to dip into the free agent market if they choose to do so.  That makes the Colts’ job attractive.  What makes that job less attractive is a mercurial owner.  Jim Irsay has a knack of firing head coaches who have a winning record with the team; consider these data for the franchise since Tony Dungy decided to retire from coaching in 2008:

• Jim Caldwell 2009-11:   Record = 26-22-0
• Chuck Pagano 2012-17:   Record = 53-43-0
• Frank Reich 2018-22:   Record = 40-33-1
• Jeff Saturday 2022 (interim):  Record = 1-7-0

Ignoring the end of the 2022 season under Jeff Saturday which was the NFL equivalent of a goat rodeo, the last three head coaches for the Colts posted a combined record of 119-98-1 and all were fired.  In fact, the last time the Colts fired a coach with a losing record was back in 1997 when they parted company with Lindy Infante.

Moving on …  Over the weekend, I heard part of an interview with new Broncos’ coach, Sean Payton.  In that interview, he said that one of the potential purchasing groups for the Washington Commanders approached him to see it he might be interested in the Commanders’ job if indeed that group was successful in acquiring the franchise.  I assume that Payton is truthful there since he now has the job with the Broncos and has no obvious reason to make up such a story.  And if indeed that statement by Sean Payton is factual, it tells me that the process of trying to find a purchaser for the Commanders is not a sham.

And … if it is not a sham, then it seems to me that finalizing the deal quickly is in the interest of the buyers and the seller – – Danny Boy Snyder.  From the standpoint of the purchaser(s), there are decisions about the direction of the team under the new ownership group.  If in fact the deal does not close until May or June, that will hamper the new owners from starting to implement their “new vision” for the team for a full season.  If closing time is not until May of June, the Draft will already have happened and the free agent marketplace will have been picked over.  Delaying to that extent might make the buyer(s) less willing to pay a premium for the franchise – – and that is why a little giddyap on Snyder’s part might present some enlightened self-interest for Snyder.

Obviously, the parties to this auction and to this process will determine the pace of activity; but there does seem to me to be a window for action that is open now and should remain open through the end of March leading up to the Draft in April.  We shall see…

Switching gears …  The Aaron Rodgers soap opera is about to kick into gear as the QB has announced that he will put himself in total darkness and solitary confinement for 4 days of sensory deprivation.  He says that he expects to use the time for meditation and some hallucination as he determines what the rest of his life path ought to be.  This is red meat for reporters, columnists and podcasters; this story can fill space and fill air time in myriad ways.  There is but one little speed bump on this life path, however:

• Aaron Rodgers is under contract with the Green Bay Packers.
• His deal runs through the end of the 2026 season but there is a way out of the deal after the 2023 season.
• His contract calls for him to earn more than $50M in 2023.

The way I read those particulars is that IF Rodgers decides that he wants to continue to play in the NFL – – thereby earning that $50M+ next season – – it has to be with the Packers or a team that makes a trade offer to the Packers that acceptable to the Packers.  Now, that leverage that currently belongs to the Packers flips once the 2023 season begins and Rodgers is still on the Packers’ roster earning that hefty salary.  At that point Rodgers can see his way clear to voiding the balance of the deal and being an unrestricted free agent who would bring nothing to the Packers in exchange for his services in 2024.

So, forget the hallucinating in sensory deprivation and focus on the signs related to dealmaking and offers for Rodgers’ services by a variety of QB-needy teams such as the Jets, Raiders, Titans, Colts, Commanders, Bucs, Saints and/or Falcons.

Finally, as the NFL moves off in a different direction as teams begin to prepare for the 2023 season, it is worth reflecting on an observation by the Roman Stoic philosopher, Seneca:

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………