Some Football Thoughts

Here are some random football thoughts at the midpoint of the NFL postseason. 

1. The Divisional Round brought wonderful, edge-of-your seat football. All four games ended with walk-off winners. Three last-second field goals broke ties. One last-second field goal forced overtime. Comebacks. Wild finishes. Outstanding football games. 

2. I’m reading Brad Schultz’s The NFL’s Greatest Day. It’s a fine, well-written read on the day in the 1972 playoffs that brought us the Immaculate Reception and Roger Staubach’s brilliant comeback against the 49ers. The 2021 Divisional Round may have brought us The NFL’s Greatest Weekend. 

3. Football is fun.

4. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings will be interviewing the finalists for their general manager position. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is interviewing tomorrow. Ryan Poles is interviewing on Wednesday. The Vikings general manager search is winding down. The head coach search will then ramp up. 

5. The Vikings have had initial head coach interviews with eight candidates.

Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator

Nathaniel Hackett, Green Bay Packers Offensive Coordinator

Dan Quinn, Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator 

DeMeco Ryans, San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator

Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordinator 

Jonathan Gannon, Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator

Kevin O’Connell, Los Angeles Rams Offensive Coordinator

Raheem Morris, Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator

6. I’m hoping for a general manager/head coach duo of Ryan Poles and Raheem Morris. DeMeco Ryans is head coach 1b to Morris’ 1a.

7. A lot has been made of the fabulous start to Matt LaFleur’s head coaching career. All the fluff makes the following interesting.

Playoff W-L

Matt LaFleur: 2-3

Mike Zimmer: 2-3

This might look like an anti-LaFleur/pro-Zimmer stat. It should be noted that it took LaFleur three years and Zimmer six years to reach five playoff games. 

8. After finishing short of the Super Bowl (again) sad, pouty, lying Aaron Rodgers said that he doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild. I don’t think that Rodgers understands what a rebuild is. No surprise there. He shouldn’t worry. If there’s a rebuild in Green Bay, he won’t be a part of it. 

9. It feels like Aaron Rodgers will be handed another MVP trophy in a couple weeks. That trophy should be going to Cooper Kupp. Rodgers had a very good season. He had an ordinary season for him. Kupp had a great season. He had an extraordinary season for a receiver. The vote shouldn’t even be close. 

10. Aaron Donald and T.J. Watt are also more deserving of the MVP than Rodgers. So is Jonathan Taylor. 

11. Of the eight quarterbacks that played this weekend, Rodgers was probably the least fun to watch. He’s grown so tiresome so fast. 

12. I’ll never understand the media asking players about career plans immediately after a playoff loss. 

13. Saw this from Sports Center Facts:

This is the first time in 12 years that a conference final game won’t include Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady. 

14. A future of quarterbacking duels between Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrows is so damn exciting. 

15. The NFC needs to up their young quarterback game. 

16. Football is fun.