February 06, 2021

Super Bowl pick: Bucs-Chiefs! Brady-Mahomes! And the winner is...; plus 'Super Bowl With a Smirk': I, II, III, IV and the new V, all here!; also, Greg Cote Show podcast with Magill on goats, PFPI Gala & more

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND

Bhm1) It's SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6. Celebrate Black History Month February 1-March 1. Some of that history has only recently happened with the birth of the BLM movement. 2) The Greg Cote Show podcast is separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Why Brady-Mahomes Super Bowl is nightmare for Miami fans, Schilling has only himself to blame, Greg Cote Show podcast new episode & more. 4) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.

Hitting the trifecta on Le Batard: A new, well-received Back In My Day. A Greg's Lobos update (a.k.a. PFPI Gala/podcast plug). And an unexpected return of Soup of the Day. Hear it all here, in Hour 1, at Magic Tuesday. 

CoteshowGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: MAGILL TALKS GOATS, PFPI GALA IN NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our Miami Herald podcast debuted last March and our new Episode 5 of 2021 (47th overall) is out now! A new pod drops every Monday morning on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Megaphone -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 47 we've done so far RIGHT HERE for free; please listen, subscribe, rate and review. In the new Ep6 of '21, we christen Super Bowl Week as special guest Ron Magill discusses goats and how that foretells the Brady-Mahomes matchup, and we also bring you exclusive highlights from Sunday's legendary PFPI Gala, the Cote family tradition since 1969. Also, a new Mount Gregmore of TV insurance ads! Hear all of that and more in our fifth new episode of the new year! Thanks as always for the support. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe.

SUPER BOWL PICK: AND THE BUCS-CHIEFS / BRADY-MAHOMES WINNER IS...: The NFL somehow managed to survive this pandemic season with zero games canceled and only five even postponed, and, now, like a reward at the end, we get a Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes Super Bowl. We get the greatest champion in league history vs. the young, reigning king. So who wins? Right out front here, for me the safest play might be the ‘over’ on 56, because I do not see two pretty-good-but-fallible defenses stopping two offenses Patrick Tomcapable Picksof being unstoppably great. The harder job is settling on who’ll win outright and against that steady 3-point betting line favoring the Chiefs, a number that has nudged to 3 1/2 at some sportsbooks but not many. Not only would a Tampa Bay win not surprise me, I see it as about dead-even likely. I was going back and forth on this pick like eyes at a tennis match. The case for the Bucs — Well, Mr. Brady, no duh, in his 10th SB and after his seventh ring. The untouchable G.O.A.T. Tampa is the first team ever to play a SB in its home stadium, and is better on both the offensive and defensive lines. The Bucs expect to have top LB Lavonte David back, and have a chance to pressure Mahomes without blitzing thanks to KC missing both its top tackles including left-side guardian Eric Fisher. And history makes the odds against the Chiefs winning a second straight crown. Back-to-back hasn’t happened in King Sport since 2003-04 when the Pats — and Brady — did it. The case for the Chiefs — Start with Mahomes and Andy Reid. Chiefs beat Bucs in late November. It was by only 27-24, but KC dominated time of possession and Mahomes pitched for 462 yards — 269 to Tyreek Hill. Chiefs’ speed led by Hill is a big edge over Bucs‘ secondary. KC is better in the kicking game and special teams. And two weeks off to heal his injured toe should give Mahomes the added mobility to help offset the absence of his two best tackles. And with the very notable exception of Brady, the Bucs surrounding him are no match for the Chiefs’ overall postseason experience. And the winner is... For our winner, final score and why we went the way we did, visit Super Bowl LV Gem.

SblvIT'S 'SUPER BOWL WITH A SMIRK' WEEK IN AMERICA!: Super Bowl With a Smirk returns again this year with a daily needling of the self-important NFL and the gravitas of its big game. Flying under the banner, "Make Fun, Not War," Smirk is an annual Super Bowl Week feature in the Miami Herald except years we forget to do it.

StevehSmirk V (5th of 5, out today) -- Starring: Dolphins up for NFL Honors awards including Zach Thomas and Hall of Fame. Also: Ben & Jerry's; virtual Taste; national anthem odds; Gloomy Goodell; favorite halftime shows; the coin flip; Lester Holt. For the whole thing: Smirk V.

HeyeugeneSmirk IV (4th of 5, out Thursday) -- Starring: Our Top 10 Super Bowl scandals/controversies/things gone wrong. Also: Chiefs trail Bucs (in arrival); "Mattress Mack"; Madden '21 predicts a winner; Filipino balut. For the whole thing: Smirk IV.

WayneSmirk III (3rd of 5, out Wednesday) -- Starring: The sad, gradual death of the mystique of the Super Bowl commercial. Also: Two old crones in Budapest; the most boring TV show ever; CBS Sports' inundation; the house (almost) always wins. For the whole thing: Smirk III.

TigerSmirk II (2nd of 5, out Tuesday) -- Starring: Brady-Mahomes as bitter Joe Exotic/Carole Baskin/Tiger King rivals. Also: Old Friends keep SB streak alive; injury report; Sad Sad Radio Row; 55 greatest players; favorite foods by state; betting trends; National Chicken Council. For the whole thing: Smirk II.

RudySmirk I (1st of 5, out Monday) -- Starring: A virtual Super Bowl Week not remotely like usual. Also: Rudy Giuliani; noisemakers vs. cheering; Amanda Gorman; 55 vs. LV; Pro Bowl; counterfeit ticket alert; cheapest ticket prices; The Weeknd's halftime show; SB Party Tip do Jour. For the whole thing: Smirk I.

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ARCHIVES:

Select other most recent columns: Why Schilling Is To Blame For Falling Short Of Hall / Why A Brady-Mahomes Super Bowl Is Torture For Dolphins Fans / Chad Henne: Ex-Dolphin An Overnight Sensation, 13 Years Later / Final Herald NFL 2020 QB Rankings / Saban the New G.O.A.T. as Alabama Reigns in Miami / Dolphins' Re-Commitment to Tua is Smart, And Well-Timed / Promising Season For Dolphins, Tua Ends In Crushing CollapseIt Was the Overshadowed Bowl, but A&M and UNC Deliver An Exciting OB / 'A' For Effort, But King Hurt As Hurricanes' Bowl-Woes Continue yet Again / The King Is Dead! Dolphins Win Signals End of Era For Belichick, Pats / and Heat Are Getting No Respect, But Didn't Earn Much In Opener.For Dolphins' Tua, Now Is When We Begin to See If Greatness Is In His Reach / Le Batard Leaving ESPN, But Assures Fans They'll Hear From Him Again Soon / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / Stop the Silly Noise And Speculation. Give Dolphins' Tua Time And a Fair Chance / Fans of ESPN's Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz Should Prepare For Another Change / Turner, With COVID, Joining Dodgers Celebration A Sadly Fitting End to Season  / and Heat, Marlins, Canes -- now Tua. Miserable 2020 Suddenly Great Time To Be Miami Fan.

Heat NBA Finals last column: Game 6--LeBron Reigns, But Credit Heat For Unexpected Run to Finals.

Marlins postseason run last column: NLDS Game 3--Marlins Season Was A Miracle But Way It Ended Is Lesson On Work Still Ahead.

Select other 2020 columns: Boycott Of NBA Playoffs Shows Nation That Injustice Is Bigger Than Sports Right Now / Having Fans at Dolphins, Canes Games A Bad Idea And Big Risk / As Panthers Move on From Tallon, Who's Next Miami Team Executive on Hot Seat? / 'Perfect Storm For Virus Transmission': Why Football Is Struggling to Lift Off / Marlins Delaying Home Opener For COVID Outbreak a Scary Lesson For All Sports / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. They Boy Was Me / It Took George Floyd To Finally Wake Up White America / Goodell's NFL Response to Floyd Killing Is Hypocrisy At Its Most Ironic / and George Floyd Is Why Kaepernick & Sports Must Continue Fight For Social Justice

Revisit this blog often because it updates regularly. The Associated Press Sports Editors writing awards ranked the blog's author a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Greg is also a regular on the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz on ESPN Radio. Finding Greg: TwitterInstagramFacebookColumnsPodcastPodcast on TwitterPodcast on InstagramLeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio) and The Ballad Of 1440 (video).