Manning-Brady showdown fit for Hollywood COMMENTARY
Made in Hollywood. Most sports movies made in Hollywood (or Vancouver in today’s topsy-turvy world) have similar plots: There is a good guy who has an evil but devilishly handsome rival. The good guy achieves greatness, but then has a terrible fall. And at the end of the film, the aging good guy has one last chance to rise up and beat his evil rival to go out (or go to Disney World) bathed in glory. Today that movie actually happens. Meet heroic but clearly aging
(played in the movie by Tom against evil but devilishly handsome Tom Brady (played by Matt (The movie has a clever cameo as New England Coach is perfectly portrayed by
ine.)
Really, the only major change Hollywood would demand is that the meeting would be in Super Bowl 50 instead of the AFC Championship because the superiority of both the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals just wouldn’t do. In fact, the NFL agrees and is tempted to declare that regardless to today’s outcome, Denver and New England will meet again in the Big Game.
Corn ball title of the movie: “The Last Rodeo.”
And this is where reality should copy fiction: Regardless of the outcome today and/or the outcome of the Super Bowl if Denver gets there, this should be Manning’s last season. Come on, Peyton, it should end either with being beaten one last time by Brady or by reaching one last Super Bowl, win or lose. If you rise up today and defeat the Evil Empire, it will be the perfect ending, again regardless of the anti-climatic Super Bowl. But if Brady beats you for the 12th time in 17 showdowns, this will be the gracious time to quit. Don’t force
and the Broncos into the uncomfortable corner of having to cut you for the good of the team.
And don’t force Papa John into dropping you for
Of course you won’t listen to me — nor should you, I guess. After all, it is your life. But it’s also our entertainment — and choosing this as your final season will be a wonderfully dramatic ending to your career.
An ending that really will make a terrific movie one day.
John Elway
J.J. Watt. Champs revealed
Last week:
The perfect example of why you should never wager on football or, at least, the perfect example of why I should never wager on football. Straight up, I was a perfect 4-0 by
Peyton Manning
Bill Belichick
sticking with the home teams. But when you factor in the Las Vegas point spread, I plummeted to 0-3-1. That’s really no fun. Anyway, Spoiler Alert! Here’s how a terrific Sunday will end:
New England (13-4) at Denver (13-4) — Patriots favored by 3 on Sunday at 3:05 p.m.
Comparing this to an actual movie soon to be released, we have the plot of Batman vs. Superman in Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, although this is an aging Superman who can feel the Kryptonite in his bones. But what’s misleading about all this is that the Brady-Manning showdown won’t actually happen. Brady will have to face the Denver defense, which certainly should shut down any attempt at rushing. And yet, do not forget that the Patriots know they finished
30th
Hanks) Damon). Emperor Palpat-
in rushing so they barely try. That leaves Brady and his healthy receivers against the league’s best pass defense. That’s the true story here, with and Rob
being the key elements. Meanwhile, Manning probably will “game manage” and count on Denver’s running attack to save him. If that’s a wash, too, we are left with special teams and coaching, which means I’m looking to kicker and Coach Belichick for the winning edge. Also, this is the fifth consecutive conference title game for the Pats, so they know it well.
Patriots but just by 2.
Julian Edelman Gronkowski
Stephen Gostkowski Jerry says: Arizona (14-3) at Carolina (16-1) — Panthers favored by 3 on Sunday at 6:40 p.m.
Then we have “the other game” that real football fans will anticipate as this season’s true championship match. And if you haven’t noticed, this game involves the league’s highest scoring clubs in Carolina (31.2 points per game) and Arizona (30.3). But they are the total packages, looking like the league’s best since at least midseason — and that hasn’t changed. If you want a quarterback match, it would be difficult to top Cam with 35 passing TDs vs. with 35 passing TDs. Both defenses are outstanding as are both special team units. The Panthers are at home, but the Cardinals may have the coaching edge in and his staff even though Ron
staff has quietly won three consecutive division titles. In other words, flip a coin — and make sure it turns over.
Rivera’s
Heads,” so Cards by 3 in a Coin-Flip Upset Special.
Cheers for beers
On Jan. 24, 1935, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company provided 2,000 cans of its brew to the lucky citizens of Richmond, Va., with 91 percent of the drinkers saying they liked beer in a can. By the end of the year, more than 200 million cans had been sold. The rest, of course, is history. In honor of this day, here are three beer quotes provided by reader Don L.:
“Sometimes, after playing golf, I reflect on all the beer I drink, I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and I think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. I think, ‘It is better to drink this beer and let their dreams Denver’s Peyton Manning, left, and New England’s Tom Brady face each other in another AFC title showdown.
Jerry says: “
Newton Carson Palmer
Bruce Arians
come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.’ ’’—
Ruth
“24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not.” —
H. L. Mencken
Babe
“Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.” —
Dave Barry The notes, folks
Sia’s
Check out new album, “This Is Acting,” especially the ballad “Alive,” co-written with
Adele.
Smart money of this year’s Puppy Bowl (on Animal Planet) is on Atticus, a 12-week-old HuskyLab mix. Good legs, quick reflexes.
Give Georgetown credit for finding the glass half full (of ice). They have two home games this week despite a major blizzard — so they are discounting tickets based on how much snow falls. If the snow totals more than 20 inches, tickets are 50 percent off — so fans will only lose half the normal amount when they stay at home.
Finally, my new favorite sporting group: The Washington D.C. Snowball Fight Association. I saw snow for the first time and had my first snowball fight in our nation’s capital in 1960. Aw, memories.
Jerry also remembers that was the day he got snookered on too many rum balls. Snowball fights and rum balls are just two of the things discussed on The Beat of Sports, hosted by Marc Daniels weekdays from 9 a.m. ’til noon on FM 96.9 The Game. All topics open at osogreene@aol.com. Enjoy one of the best football days of the year before we talk about the Arizona-New England Super
Bowl next Sunday.