Weekly Takes - Monday, February 6th Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, February 6th Edition

1. I like the Islanders trading for and re-signing Bo Horvat.

They have a franchise goaltender, a great core on the back end in Adam Pelech, Noah Dobson, and Ryan Pulock, and now one of the better trios down the middle in Horvat, Matthew Barzal, and Brock Nelson.

Their quality of wingers is a concern but their roster is suddenly one that deserves respect.

2. The Chad Greene signing should not be understated if you are the Blue Jays.

Yes, he is not going to be a factor until the second half due to recovering from Tommy John surgery, but if he comes back and is his regular self, the Jays have signed a high-end, back-end reliever who is dominant against lefties.

His signing may very well complete the bullpen.

3. The biggest regret any team in professional sports can have is not taking advantage of your superstar’s window.

The Mavericks, throughout the entire career of Luka Doncic, have done just that, until now.

They are officially title contenders with Kyrie Irving in the fold, all though they need to address their defence ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

4. As for the Nets, the next step is surely a Kevin Durant trade in the offseason.

With Irving gone and Ben Simmons not even close to being the player he once was, they have no chance of beating the Celtics or Bucks in the Eastern Conference this spring.

5. The cost of landing Sean Peyton was a lot if you are the Broncos, but they are now one of a handful of teams who can say with absolute certainty that they have an elite, culture-changing head coach.

You pay that price every time.

6. Super Bowl Picks…

• Winner: Eagles (-120)

• Spread: Eagles (-1.5)

• Total Points: Over 50.5 (-110)

• Super Bowl MVP: AJ Brown (+1800)

• Jalen Hurts Passing Yards: Under 240.5 (-114)

• Patrick Mahomes Passing Yards: Over 292.5 (-114)

• Anytime Touchdown Scorer: Travis Kelce (-125)

• A.J. Brown Receiving Yards: Over 72.5 (-114)

• Harrison Reddick to Record a Sack: Yes (-164)

• Chris Jones to Record a Sack: Yes (-118)

• Length of National Anthem: Under 119.5 Seconds (-235)

• Coin Toss: Tails (-104)

• Halftime Guest Appearance: JAY-Z (-225)

• Colour of Gatorade Poured on Coach: Yellow (+150)

• To Appear on TV: Joe Biden (-500), Mike Trout (-500), Bradley Cooper (-500), Meek Mill (-300), Paul Rudd (-300), Brad Pitt (-200), and Henry Cavill (-200)

I expect this game to be close. Both teams have elite offensive lines and run games (the Eagles more so than KC in both areas), both quarterbacks have had MVP-caliber seasons (sizeable edge to KC), both teams have elite receiving options (the Eagles more so), and both teams have average pass-rushes (advantage KC, by a bit.)

The only lopsided areas are in special teams, where the Eagles are in a class of their own, and in the secondary, where the Eagles are well ahead of Kansas City.

At the end of the day, the Eagles have the better roster by a fair margin, but Kansas City has the ultimate X-Factor in Mahomes and Kelce. It is a true 50/50 game and has all the makings of a great Super Bowl.

What more can you ask for?