What's next for Tom Brady? Elsa/Getty Images
1. The Rams win the toss and take the ball
Most teams defer to the second half but the boy genius will take the ball and try to steal early momentum. Their offense is their best unit and if they lose the toss they will be on the field first and my guess is McVay pulls a fast one and has the offense ready to get after it. The Rams didn't take the ball once this season when they won the toss. That changes Sunday.
2. The first commercial after kickoff will be a car commercial
We just won't know it until halfway through. Car commercials are often too basic or try too hard. This year feels like a try too hard moment for car companies. Funny from car companies is safe, too. Can't be too risque in 2019 as a car company.
3. Todd Gurley is dominant on the first drive
The Rams star back hasn't been anywhere near himself recently. He claims he is healthy but what we see doesn't show it. They have to prove he is going to be a threat so feeding Gurley is the only option. A couple of passes and slamming the rock with Gurley will set a tone for the Rams that Gurley is healthy. I don't know if he can hold up the whole game but making the Patriots account for him is a must.
4. James White has a better first half than second half
The same theory about Gurley applies to White. He is one of the most important players on the Patriots and he will have to be good in shaking loose fast. Aaron Donald is the most prolific pass rusher up the middle in all of football. White has to be the quick outlet. If Brady is getting hit the Patriots are going to lose. The safety valve is White and after the Patriots wear the Rams down they turn to their hammer back Sony Michel.
5. Brandin Cooks has one of the worst games of his season
If the Rams are going to beat the Patriots they will have to find other playmakers outside of their deep threat pass catcher. Cooks was very good during the regular season. He did a lot of the heavy lifting for the offense but not a lot of the scoring. Taking him away will force the rest of the Rams to show up. He's a former Patriots player going against the best unit on the opposing defense. He's in for a long day.
6. Maroon 5 will put on the worst Super Bowl halftime show since 2011
The pressure is getting to them. They canceled their media availability this week. They couldn't get in front of the microphone and answer questions? While I am thrilled for Travis Scott to be on this show Maroon 5 doesn't do it for anyone right now. Their songs are annoyingly repetitive and they don't have any surefire bangers. Short of Outkast showing up they are doomed and could be the worst halftime show in years.
7. Aaron Donald gets his lone sack in the first drive of the second half
Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is a wizard. He and his linemen somehow held the best defense in the league for sacking the quarterback to zero sacks in the AFC championship game. In fact, the last time Brady was sacked more than once was early December against the Dolphins. I'm not foolish enough to believe they can keep Donald off Brady but I am confident they can keep Brady standing.
8. The refs let them play
The NFL will really be under the microscope if the officials aren't calling this one good. They can't miss any big calls and one of the ways to make sure they don't miss a big one is to not call soft penalties. Don't get me wrong, if Nickell Robey-Coleman blows someone else up there will be laundry. Small stuff would lead to a big play being marred by a penalty so it is best to let the game be physical.
9. The best and worst commercial will both be beer
If Bud Light is sticking with the knight and the medieval theme they could take last place. Budweiser is always good for a commercial that pulls at the heart strings. There are plenty of other beers trying to sneak into contention this year and they could easily fall flat compared to the market powerhouse of Bud. It is dangerous to try to pry the beer commercial crown away so it could end up awesome or terrible for another company.
10. A non-quarterback wins the MVP award
Obviously Tom Brady and Jared Goff are the huge favorites. But lets say the Patriots have a two score lead late in the second half, it could be Sony Michel time. If you believe the Rams are going to win you would think Todd Gurley would have a big day or maybe even C.J. Anderson. Von Miller had two forced fumbles and two and half sacks when he won. It doesn't seem crazy Donald could compile that if the Rams are having a great day. What if Stephon Gilmore made a huge play early and deflected a couple more passes? It is hard but it is doable.
11. Tom Brady nor Rob Gronkowski retire after the game
I am totally positive about Brady. Despite his skills diminishing a bit he still plays a high level and the team is still good. They might take a couple of weird losses in the regular season but in the postseason they're still a really tough out. Brady is getting a first round offensive lineman back (Isaiah Wynn was lost to injury in August), they have six picks in the top three rounds, and no really significant free agents outside of Trey Flowers. Gronk is beat down but with just one year left on his contract and some management of his snaps in the regular season it isn't too hard to see him grinding out just one more year.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.