SUPER STUFF
Raheel Ramzanali: The 5 most memorable moments from the Super Bowl
Feb 6, 2018, 6:20 am
Nick Foles was excellent when it counted. Eagles.com
Now that we’ve had some time to reflect on Super Bowl 52, I wanted to recap the five most memorable moments from Super Sunday:
5. Never underestimate how unathletic the greatest quarterback really is in the grand scheme of things. Before you get at me with your “SUCK MY D*CK, A**HOLE! BRADY IS THE GREATEST” nonsense, just know that I’m with you - Brady is indeed the greatest player I’ve ever watched, but that doesn’t mean he’s not that athletic in the grand scheme of things. No number of pliability sessions with the great Alex Guerrero can prepare Brady to catch a pass off a trick play on the biggest stage. This was Brady’s chance to show the world that he’s somewhat capable of making a non-throwing athletic play in the NFL, but he didn’t. If he completes that pass, the TB12 Method is blowing up even more. We would have evidence that this REALLY works across multiple disciplines like throwing and catching, but instead we’re left with the same ol’ Brady isn’t athletic jokes. Don’t get me wrong, I think throwing for 3 TDs and 505-yards is super impressive, but in my opinion him completing the reception would’ve changed the course of history in how we talk about Brady. Now we’ll always revert back to his Combine picture and the still of him dropping the pass.
4. Kevin Hart is the biggest comedian on the planet. He’s found a niche in Hollywood as The Rock’s comedic relief and literally everyone knows him. With that being said, one of my fondest memories from this Super Bowl was watching Kevin Hart get heat checked after the game when he attempted to get on stage with the Eagles to celebrate their first Super Bowl win ever. I think Kevin Hart’s story is awesome. He’s paid his dues and is now enjoying the fruits of his labor. From being the MVP at the NBA Celebrity All-Star game to making the rounds on Radio Row, Kevin Hart loves being part of big events. So, it was no surprise that after the biggest win in franchise history that Kevin Hart would try to work himself into the mix with the Eagles. Seeing Kevin Hart try to get on stage and then be denied by NFL Security was fantastic. I think at one point he played the “Do you know who I am?!” card, but the NFL does not mess around. They denied him and eventually the camera panned away so we didn’t see how it ended. I could have watched that interaction for an hour to see what other cards Hart would’ve played to get on stage.
3. More and more stories will come out about why Malcolm Butler was benched, but this game will forever be remembered for the sideline shots of Butler just standing there for four hours. Bonus: at first I thought Butler REALLY REALLY REALLY loved the USA or REALLY REALLY REALLY loved Pink’s rendition of the national anthem, but it turns out he REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to play but found he wouldn’t be playing. Bummer.
2. The Eagles really pulled off the upset. Now, it wasn’t a monumental upset in terms of Vegas odds, but still how many of us really thought the Eagles would pull it off? I certainly didn’t and MyBookie.AG can verify it. Nick Foles and Doug Pederson really did it. They were supposed to be the easiest 1 seed to upset going into the NFC side of things, yet they kept winning games and Foles kept on getting better. At no point during the Super Bowl did I think Foles was in over his head. That’s a great lesson for every young player out there on being ready and confident enough when your number is called. We’ll also never forget the “Philly Special” on fourth down and Pederson’s gutsy call. At the party I was at, when the Eagles called the timeout I immediately said Foles was going to run it in, but boy was I wrong when they decided to go all college football on us with trick play. That’s how Super Bowls are supposed to be won. GO TAKE IT!
1. This Super Bowl will forever be known as the game the Eagles finally won it all and the game that inspired an Eagles fan to eat horse turd. That’s right, my number one most memorable thing about Super Sunday was this Eagles fan enjoying himself an entree of horse doodoo during the championship riots. Once you’re done burning things and flipping cars, you’re really out of things to do in a riot, so naturally they decided to munch on some horse crap to pass time. I’m not sure what this dude was on, but I feel like the great Rick James quote applies here: Cocaine is a hell of a drug. There is no amount of money you could pay me to eat horse dung, but this dude here did it for free in honor of Nick Foles. Philly, you will forever be known for Rocky, Cheesesteaks, Nick Foles, and people that eat turd cakes from horses.
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Rich Eisen lays out how Stefon Diggs trade will impact Texans next season
Apr 19, 2024, 3:03 pm
Impersonal as it might seem to have their dynamic on-field relationship end with an exchange of phone texts, Bills quarterback Josh Allen made it clear on Thursday how much receiver Stefon Diggs meant to him during their four seasons together in Buffalo.
Allen made no mention of Diggs’ mercurial temperament or the occasional sideline flare-ups by expressing only praise in his first opportunity to discuss his now-former teammate being traded to the Houston Texans earlier this month.
“Just thanking him for everything that he did for me, and (I’ll) always have a spot in my heart for him. I’ll always love that guy like a brother. And I wish him nothing but the best,” Allen said, in disclosing what he texted to Diggs. “My lasting memory of Stef will be the receiver that helped me become the quarterback that I am today.”
Brought together in March 2020, when Buffalo gave up a first-round draft pick to acquire Diggs in a trade with Minnesota, the duo went on to re-write many of Buffalo's single-season passing and scoring records, and lead the team to four straight AFC East titles.
Diggs, now 30, also brought an inescapable sense of drama with him in raising questions about his commitment to the Bills and whether his tight relationship with Allen had soured.
A day before being traded, Diggs posted a message, “You sure?” on the social media platform X in response to someone suggesting he wasn’t essential to Allen’s success.
Whatever hard feelings, if any, lingered as Buffalo opened its voluntary workout sessions this week were not apparent from Allen or coach Sean McDermott, who also addressed reporters for the first time since Diggs was traded.
“Stef’s a great player, really enjoyed our time together. Won a lot of games and he was a huge factor in winning those games. We’ll miss him,” McDermott said. “You never replace a player like Stef Diggs, and we wish him well.”
Allen turned his focus to the future and a Bills team that spent much of the offseason retooling an aging and expensive roster.
Aside from trading Diggs, salary cap restrictions led to Buffalo cutting respected center Mitch Morse, the breakup of a veteran secondary that had been together since 2017, and the team unable to afford re-signing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis.
“I don’t think it’s a wrong thing or a bad thing to get younger,” said Allen, entering his seventh NFL season. “I think it’s an opportunity for myself to grow as a leader. And to bring along some of these young guys and new guys that we’ve brought in to our team. And that’s an opportunity, frankly, that I’m very excited about."
Despite the departures, the Bills offense is not exactly lacking even though general manager Brandon Beane is expected to target selecting a receiver with his first pick — currently 28th overall — in the draft next week.
Receiver Khalil Shakir enters his third year and tight end Dalton Kincaid enter his second following promising seasons. Buffalo also added veteran experience in signing free agent receiver Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins.
While Beane acknowledged the Bills lack a true No. 1 receiver, he noted there’s less urgency to fill that spot now than in 2020 because of how much the offense has developed under Allen.
“Now that Josh has ascended to the player he is, is that a requirement? I don’t think so,” Beane said.
Diggs’ role also began diminishing in the second half of last season, which coincided with Joe Brady replacing Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator. Brady placed an emphasis on adding balance to a pass-heavy attack and getting more receivers involved, which led to an uptick in production for Shakir and Kincaid.
While Diggs’ numbers dropped, Buffalo’s win total increased.
With the Bills at 6-6, Diggs ranked third in the NFL with 83 catches, seventh with 969 yards and tied for third with eight TDs receiving. Buffalo then closed the season with five straight wins in which Diggs combined for 24 catches for 214 yards and no scores.
”(Diggs) meant a lot. You look at the statistics, they don’t lie,” Allen said, in referring to Diggs topping 100 catches and 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons in Buffalo. “I don’t get paid to make changes on the team. I get paid to be the best quarterback that I can be and try to lead the guys on this team.”