If it’s not occurred to you just yet, let me put this thought into your head. The NFL final four quarterbacks currently vying for the Super Bowl 52 title are Case Keenum, Nick Foles, Blake Bortles and Tom Brady. Let that really sink in. Marinate on it. Never in the history of the NFL has there been a bigger gap in talent and ability than three of those guys and the future Hall of Famer who will almost certainly destroy at least two of them in head-to-head match ups.
Tom Brady looking at the other remaining QBs pic.twitter.com/fqLG6shGcx
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 15, 2018
When was the last time something like this happened? Two of the four opened the season as back ups and only got onto the field because of injury. Bortles nearly lost his job in the preseason to Chad Henne. Brady was having such a dominant year that the Patriots traded off his on back up and insurance policy, Jimmy Garoppolo, who himself is arguably better than Bortles, Foles or Keenum.
What you do see, sometimes often, is the exact opposite. Three great quarterbacks and one guy who has no business being allowed onto the same field. We last saw that in 2015-16 when Cam Newton, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were the three and Carson Palmer was the guy that should have been sweeping up behind them. Before that, you’ve got the 2013-14 season with, again, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady along with Russell Wilson. The other guy? Colin Kaepernick. Three greats and a scrub happens often and usually gets sorted out in the championship game and, in rare instances, the Super Bowl. I’m looking at you again, Kaepernick.
If the final four quarterbacks in the NFL playoffs are Tom Brady, Blake Bortles, Nick Foles and Case Keenum I can tell you how this ends.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 14, 2018
We have to go all the way back to the 2000-01 season for a group as bad as this one. That year we saw Kerry Collins (Giants) face off with Daunte Culpepper (Vikings) on the NFC Side. In the AFC, it was Trent Dilfer (Ravens) vs Rich Gannon (Raiders). Gannon, Culpepper and Collins were at least supposed to start for their respective teams that season. While you could argue that this 2000-01 group is worse, and you’d be right, the disparity between the best guy (Gannon) and the other three is nowhere near that of Brady and the Three Stooges he’s matched up against. It’s not even close.
If any team other than the Patriots wins the Super Bowl this season, all you’re going to hear is how “defense wins championships” and how you don’t need a franchise quarterback to win a title. Don’t you buy it even for a second. Years like this are an aberration. Aaron Rodgers goes down with an injury. Drew Brees gets beaten on a last-second desperation heave. Andy Reid and Mike Mularkey are coaching in the playoffs. All these things created a perfect storm. Your good QBs knocked each other out in the playoff seeding in the NFC. You have Jared Goff and Matt Ryan facing off in one Wild Card. Brees and Cam Newton in the other. In the divisional rounds, Steve Sarkisian (of course) had first and goal with the Falcons and called plays like a cat walking across an X-Box controller. We should be looking at a Matt Ryan, Brees, Brady and Bortles final four at worst.
So now Tom Brady has to beat Bortles, Keenum or Foles to win the Super Bowl. It’s over. Congrats to Patriots on sixth title.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 15, 2018
But we’re not. Congratulations Patriots. If you don’t hoist the Lombardi facing off against this crew of dipsticks, it’ll be one of the greatest choke jobs of all time.
LAST WEEK’S PICKS
Needless to say, any hopes I had of a playoff picks comeback went right down the toilet on Saturday, then clogged up the line on Sunday requiring one of those shit-filled septic trucks to come and pump it out. It was bad.
Last week
Straight up: 1-3
Against the spread: 1-3
Playoffs
Straight up: 3-5
Against the spread: 3-5
Season
Straight up: 160-104
Against the spread: 123-135
I usually go over my best and worst picks at this point, but considering the Patriots over the Titans was the only one I got right, what’s the point? I had a horrible beat in the Vikings – Saints game. New Orleans had it won, salvaging at least a 2-2 finish for me and putting the hope in the world that Brees could somehow keep Brady from adding a sixth ring to his hands. Then Keenum pulled that pass out of his ass, Stefon Diggs caught it and not only won the game, but covered the spread. Just a horrible series of events.
https://twitter.com/BortlesFacts/status/952978700064010240
You know who hasn’t done awful in the playoffs? Adam Stites at SB Nation. He’s 7-1, only taking the Chiefs loss in the Wild Card round so far. Yeah, that’s right. He picked the Jaguars to beat the Steelers, going against 94 percent of the rest of us.
Jeff Ratliff of Pro Football Focus, by virtue of his Vikings pick, remains in the lead in the overall standings at 184-80. With just three games to go and a three-game lead over Jamey Eisenberg at CBS Sports, Kevin Sherrington at the Dallas Morning News and K.C. Joyner at ESPN, he’s at least guaranteed a tie for first place in all of pick-dom. Congratulations. I’m coming for you next year, pal.
Against the spread, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News is having a terrific playoffs, finishing 7-1. His only loss so far was New Orleans on Sunday night. Even with the bed-shitting I’ve done against the spread over the last four weeks, I’ve still got a two-game lead on him with three to go. Overall Frank Schwab at Yahoo’s 144-111 record continues to lead the way. He’s had a solid playoff run at 5-3, but Case Keefer’s 6-2 playoffs has helped him pick up a game. He’s 143-106.
Tom Brady has started 7 times as many playoff games as the other remaining QBs have, combined. pic.twitter.com/27ld7LowhY
— ESPN (@espn) January 15, 2018
EARLY NFC AND AFC CHAMPIONSHIP LINES
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots (-9), O/U: 47.0
Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles (+3), O/U: 38.5
I’m really shocked nobody’s going with double digits in that Patriots-Jags game. It may jump up there before Sunday. For the second week in a row the Eagles, the NFC’s No. 1 seed, are +3 dogs at home. They used it for motivation last week. Can they do it again?
Can't believe we get an AFC Championship game with the best quarterback of all time and Tom Brady next week! pic.twitter.com/UDzMDUq7HZ
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) January 14, 2018
To make a wager on any sport, go to the world famous Diamond Sportsbook by clicking here.
