Weekly Takes - Monday, February 7 Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, February 7 Edition

1. My three stars from the Maple Leafs ugly (again) 6-4 win over the Devils on Monday…

1. Auston Matthews

2. Morgan Rielly

3. Ilya Mikheyev

Back to back embarrassing starts before their talent simply was too much for a bottom-feeder to overcome.

May want to start better as the schedule gets tougher.

2. All season long, I have written about the Raptors future, but the reality also is, they are going to be a tough out come playoff time, should they survive the play-in round, which they are destined to end up in.

Their starting five, when everyone is healthy, is one of the better starting fives in the league, they have an elite head coach, and they still have players on their team who have rings on their fingers.

I would be a nervous wreck if I was a contending team having to face the Raptors come the spring, more so if they can add a bench piece ahead of the deadline.

3. The “Rooney Rule” has to advance beyond mandating teams to interview black coaches for openings and instead mandate that teams actually have a certain amount of black coaches on their staff.

The common response to this train of thought is “teams should hire the best available person for the job, regardless of race”, but the reality is that is not happening, because if it was, the Brian Flores’ and Eric Bieniemy’s of the world would be head coaches.

They are not, while lesser, white coaches are.

4. Super Bowl Predictions…

• Moneyline: Rams (-200)

• Point Spread: Rams (-4.5)

• O/U: Under 50.5

• Total Touchdowns: Under 5.5

• Total Field Goals: Under 3.5

• Joe Burrow: Under 11.5 Rushing

• Matt Stafford: Under 5.5 Rushing

• Joe Mixon: Under 64.5 Rushing

• Cam Akers: Under 62.5 Rushing

• Joe Burrow: Over 273.5 Passing

• Matthew Stafford: Over 278.5 Passing

• Ja’Marr Chase: Under 80.5 Receiving

• Cooper Kupp: Over 103.5 Receiving

• Aaron Donald: Over 0.5 Sacks

• Von Miller: Over 0.5 Sacks

• Longest Field Goal: Over 47.5

• Will there be special teams or defensive touchdowns scored? No

• Where there be a successful 2 point conversion? Yes

• Team to Score Longest Touchdown: Rams

• Overtime: No

• Coin Toss: Tails (Sorry, Josh Allen)

• National Anthem: Under (One Minute 35 Seconds)

5. Tom Brady retires as the greatest team sports athlete in history, while also retiring at the peak of his career, despite being 44.

There is no reason to believe that he could not play well into his late 40s, if he wanted to.

The true definition of a GOAT.

6. Canada completing a perfect window without Alphonso Davies, the best player in CONCACAF, is obviously breathtaking, but it sure helps that they have Jonathan David, who is the second-best player in CONCACAF.

Sorry, Christian Pulisic.