“Yesterday little lady #3 joined us,” the pair wrote on Instagram alongside a sweet snap of the newborn dressed in a daisy onesie.
Bennett Llewellyn Kelce was born Thursday and weighed 8 lbs., 5oz. and measured 21 in., the couple shared.
The new bundle of joy joins big sisters Elliotte Ray, 23 months, and three-year-old Wyatt.
Proud uncle and Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce rushed to the comments section, writing, “Baby Bennett!!! 😍😍”
Jason Kelce and his wife Kylie welcome their third child into the world, daughter Bennett Llewellyn Kelce.Instagram
Shortly after sharing the exciting news with their combined 680,000 followers, Kylie posted a collage of their three kids — while newborns — on her Instagram Story.
“I know that they all just look squishy at this stage,” she wrote. “But I really feel like Bennett is pretty much a clean split.”
The NFL star, 35, went head-to-head with brother Travis at this year’s Super Bowl on Feb. 12.
Jason (L) and his brother Travis Kelce onstage during Super Bowl LVII Opening Night in Phoenix, Arizona, on Feb. 6, 2023.Getty Images
Jason Kelce’s Super Bowl weekend was made doubly exciting as it was possible that Kylie would go into labor during the big game, prompting her to travel with her ob-gyn.
“Kylie’s bringing her OB because she’s going to be 38 weeks pregnant at the game,” Jason told Travis during the Feb. 1 episode of their “New Heights” podcast. “That could be a super Kelce Bowl. If she has a baby in the stadium, it’s officially scripted.”
The Kelce’s first daughter, Wyatt, was born in 2019, and their second daughter, Elliotte, was born in 2021.Instagram/kykelce
Jason and Kylie got married in 2018 and now have three daughters together.Instagram/kykelce
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Jason and Kylie Kelce with their two other daughters. Instagram/kykelce
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Travis Kelce laughed and said, “Dude, dude!…We’re in ‘The Matrix.’ There’s no f–king way.”
Jason Kelce brought Kylie’s parents, along with his and his wife’s daughters to the big game.
The family announced in a September 2022 Instagram post that they are expecting, with Elliotte and Wyatt wearing “Big Sister” T-shirts at Weaver’s Orchard in Morgantown, Pennsylvania.
The couple met on a dating app in 2015 and have been married since April 2018.
Now that the Super Bowl is done and dusted, Americans are tuning into our true national sport: public penance.
Within the pigskin universe, we recently saw one person who had absolutely nothing to atone for give a thoughtful but unnecessary mea culpa — and another who has a lot to learn about the concept of grace call for one.
And the bookend examples say a lot about the current state of apologies. They’re rarely offered from the heart, and instead bitterly demanded or coerced to satisfy a tiny, offended class.
The first instance came courtesy of Buffalo Bills miracle Damar Hamlin, a modern-day Lazarus who was barely five minutes from his resurrection when he was called out for an imaginary offense.
What should have been a triumphant moment that united all football fans was later turned into a nitpicky and cynical questioning of his Christian faith. All because his blue varsity jacket, a collaboration between rapper Travis Scott and artist Takashi Murakami, featured an abstract depiction of Christ.
Damar Hamlin offended Adrian Peterson with his jacket. Dave Shopland/Shutterstock
“After talking with my parents I understand how my coat could have offended some people. It was never my intentions to hurt or disrespect anyone, the coat is abstract art to me. It says Eternal which I am Eternally thankful to my Savior! My beliefs and Relationship with God is not tied to symbolic images. I will learn from this and continue to walk in Love as I ALWAYS have. Matthew 7:1-5.”
Hamlin, who is clearly a self-reflective type, didn’t owe anyone anything — especially Peterson, who forgot the ol’ Christian wisdom: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.”
Brittney Mahomes demanded people apologize to the Chiefs.John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
Intent should matter and he was obviously making a fashion statement, not a religious one.
Then, on the other side, we have the aggrieved Brittany Mahomes. The wife of supremely talented quarterback Patrick Mahomes wanted Chiefs naysayers to grovel in the aftermath of the team’s Super Bowl win.
“I think a lot of people need to apologize for what they said about this team at the beginning of this season,” she tweeted with the bravado of a wrestling heel. Instead, it conveyed the delusional entitlement of a grown woman in a “wine o’ clock” shirt asking to speak to the manager.
Forget winning with dignity or enjoying the glow from the Lombardi Trophy in your hands. No, she’s looking for subjugation and media consensus by pushing a make-believe storyline that her husband’s team was disrespected.
Mahomes, who has appeared in three Super Bowls, has two championship rings. This victory is fodder for a “30 for 30” on the Chiefs dynasty — not the next big Hollywood underdog flick.
Brittney Mahomes celebrated her husband’s Super Bowl victory and then demanded an apology from naysayers.Getty Images
The team was not Rocky Balboa fighting Apollo Creed at the Spectrum in 1975; or Hickory taking on the South Bend Central Bears; or even the sad-sack Buffalo Bills of the early ’90s.
As a Catholic, I’m well-practiced in the art of contrition. But the act has become a hollow gesture. So I tend to defer to the problematic 21st century philosopher, Conor McGregor, who once said:
“I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, I’d like to take this chance to apologize … to absolutely nobody.”
Tom Brady’s decision to take a gap year before potentially starting as Fox Sports’ No. 1 game analyst will be worth $7 million for Greg Olsen next season.
If Brady showed up for Fox next fall, Olsen not only would be knocked down to the No. 2 game analyst spot, but his salary would drop from $10 million to $3 million. The $3 million is a livable wage, but the extra $7 million is a significant difference.
With Tom Brady set to take some time away from football next season, Greg Olsen will remain in Fox’s top NFL broadcast booth.Getty Images
Last offseason, Olsen signed his contract after Fox announced Brady would join the network. (The Post subsequently reported that Brady would receive $375 million over 10 years.) Olsen’s contract could be worth $50 million over five years if he remains in the No. 1 booth. It would have fallen to five years and $22 million if Brady started this fall. Now, at worst, Olsen will receive at least $29 million over those five years. Olsen also has an opt-out if he is bumped down and an opportunity to be a lead NFL game analyst for another platform arises.
Quick clicks I
Derek Jeter stopped by the Super Bowl on Sunday to announce he would be joining his former teammate Alex Rodriguez, and former rival David Ortiz, as an MLB analyst for Fox.Fox Sports
The biggest part of the Fox Sports Super Bowl pregame was the announcement that Derek Jeter would be joining its MLB pregame show. Though it got a little lost because of the enormity of the Super Bowl, it is a big deal. Alex Rodriguez was one of the folks who presented the news, which was funny considering their frenemy history. Jeter has been gravitating toward doing more media and has had talks with YES about doing games. Jeter didn’t say much as a player, but Jeter is expected to only be on during big events, so it won’t be heavy lifting. He will be able to joke with A-Rod and David Ortiz, so while he probably won’t set the world on fire, he should be OK. … Fox Sports insider Sean Payton had a funny, “Everybody wants to cover sports media” report when he revealed that the new Denver Broncos coach and former Fox Sports analyst interviewed current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan for the Broncos’ defensive coordinator position. Payton worked the Super Bowl pregame on Sunday. … ESPN had Oz Pearlman, “Oz The Mentalist” on “Sunday NFL Countdown.” If it wasn’t staged, it was kind of crazy as he predicted things that would seem impossible to get right without a cheat sheet. … Early in its pregame, Fox Sports used actors to portray the undefeated 1972 Dolphins on the 50th anniversary of their Super Bowl win. It could have been cheesy, but with Larry Csonka narrating, it was quite good. … The big question that will be answered in the next few days is if this year’s Super Bowl will be the highest-rated game in history. It would need to reach 115 million viewers to top the 2015 Pats-Panthers game.
Quick Clicks II
Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s chief media and business officer.YouTube/Sports Business Journal
We had the NFL’s top business official, who is considered the No. 2 executive in the league after Roger Goodell, Brian Rolapp, on “The Marchand & Ourand Sports Media Podcast,” and he talked about Sunday Ticket becoming more “interactive.” He didn’t detail what that would mean, but I kind of wonder if that may eventually involve fantasy sports or betting. To be clear, this is a bit of speculation on my part. I agree with Rolapp that the main viewing experience will not be focused on gambling. (It also won’t be on fantasy, but Rolapp did not address that in the interview.) The mainstream viewer doesn’t want gambling or fantasy to be the focus — and I’m not sure they ever will. Gamblers know what their bets are on games, while fantasy players know which players they are looking out for. With the unlimited channels available on streaming, bettors will be able to seek out an alternative viewing experience that caters to gambling. For fantasy players, and Rolapp is one, could the NFL and YouTube create a way that you could view your players and your opponent’s players in real time? It seems very feasible with the current technology. … Rolapp made it sound like it will use “Monday Night Football” flex scheduling as sparingly as possible. It will begin next season and I’ve heard it could be put in effect six times, however it likely will be used on much fewer occasions. The idea is to not have really bad games later in the season. For MNF, there is a big difference between moving games later in the same day, like the NFL does for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” as compared to switching a matchup to a completely different night. It is also going to put late season trips for fans in flux. If you travel for a 1 p.m. Sunday game and it gets moved to 8:15 p.m. on Monday, that would be two more hotel nights and a change in airfare for fans. …
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell raised the possibility that Amazon could get some flex scheduling for its ‘Thursday Night Football’ schedule, which had its share of unappealing matchups in Year 1.Diamond Images/Getty Images
During his Super Bowl press conference, NFL commissioner Goodell mentioned the possibility of flexible scheduling for Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday night games. The NFL has a vested interest in making Amazon successful. It had a very good first year, but the NFL wants to see it build. Still, I think they will see how MNF goes before lessening the amount of 20-year-old MazdasAl Michaels has to sell. … Condolences to the family and friends of longtime ESPN producer, Barry Sacks. Sacks passed away from a heart attack at the age of 63 this weekend. An Ithaca College alum and a huge Giants fan, he had a huge influence over ESPN programming and those on-air. Suzy Kolber mentioned during “Sunday NFL Countdown” that when Chris Berman said his trademark “G-Men,” it was an ode to Sacks’ fanhood. A common tribute from broadcasters was how Sacks always said, if you say, “Wow” when viewing a play, then it belongs in the highlight package.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Harrison Butker grew up an Adam Vinatieri fan, and anyone with a firm grasp of the early Patriots dynasty understood that Vinatieri, the kicker, was always one of the toughest players on Bill Belichick’s team.
So there Butker was in the final seconds of Super Bowl 2023, the score tied and the world waiting to see if he could boot the Kansas City Chiefs to a championship. One of the NFL’s most reliable kickers, Butker had injured his ankle in the season opener in this very building, State Farm Stadium, causing him to miss some games and to tweak his technique.
“The only reason he had problems [this year] was the high ankle sprain, and that’s rough on a kicker, especially on that front leg,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “And so it was a matter of just getting through that, and the tweaks that that thing presents to you really for the rest of the season from when he was hurt.”
Overcoming all of that was one thing. Overcoming an early field-goal miss in the Super Bowl is quite another.
Harrison Butker kicks the game-winning field goal in Super Bowl 2023.USA TODAY Sports Harrison Butker reacts after the Super Bowl-winning field goal. REUTERS
But sure enough, on his first field-goal attempt against the Eagles, Butker pulled his 42-yarder and bounced if off the left upright, leaving him to confront an unforgiving truth on the sideline.
“You’ve got to focus on the next kick, and that’s what I was doing,” Butker said. “You do look at the scoreboard and think, ‘Wow, if I did make that field goal, we’d have three more points.’ But is that going to help me make the next kick? Probably not. You’ve got to get that out of your mind and just focus on the process and the next opportunity you get.”
And that opportunity came when the Chiefs executed their decisive drive in the final minutes, refusing to take the touchdown that was there and choosing to bleed the clock and try the field goal instead. It was only a 27-yarder, a gimme. But with the Super Bowl on the line, try telling a kicker who had missed an earlier attempt that anything is a gimme with 100 million or so people watching.
Harrison Butker (7) reacts after kicking the game-winning field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 2023.USA TODAY Sports Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker celebrates with his children.USA TODAY Sports
Butker handled the pressure like the pro’s pro he is. He nailed the kick, and soon enough the Chiefs were celebrating and the confetti was flying.
“I didn’t grow up a kicker, but it’s hard not to notice a kicker like Adam Vinatieri,” Butker said. “And as a kicker, that’s how you get noticed — those big kicks and those big moments. It’s just very surreal to be sitting here right now to have won a second Super Bowl in six seasons and to have it come down to a field goal.”
Why did Butker have the poise to win a Super Bowl in Vinatieri form?
“Normally the kickers aren’t the toughest guys,” Reid said. “But this one here, he’s a tough nut, man.”
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Before kickoff, Nick Sirianni shed more than a few tears.
By the end of the night, it was Andy Reid who had the last laugh.
There is no doubt the Eagles play the way Nick Sirianni coaches. There is an “I don’t give a damn’’ attitude that permeates his team and all of that attitude was needed Sunday night during a wild and tense Super Bowl 2023 battle at State Farm Stadium.
Sirianni, the 41-year old in his second year as a head coach, got his team out of the gate fast but could not get his team across the finish line first. The Eagles dominated the first half but got overrun in the second half, losing 38-35 on a late field goal by Harrison Butker.
As country singer Chris Stapleton was singing the national anthem, Sirianni could be seen getting quite emotional, tears flowing down his cheeks. During the week, Sirianni predicted standing on the sideline before the game would lead to an introspective moment.
“I’ve been dreaming of this since I’ve been 2 years old,’’ Sirianni said afterward. “I was telling the guys some of you have been dreaming about this since you’ve been 2 years old. We’ve all been dreaming of it. Growing up in the family of a football coach, this is what you dream of being in this moment, just emotional in that moment.’’
Nick Sirianni’s aggressive play-calling had the Eagles offense rolling, but his team couldn’t quell the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes-led attack.Getty Images
The Eagles were dominating the game but not the scoreboard, tied at 14 after Jalen Hurts dropped the ball for a fumble that Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton scooped up and returned 36 yards for a touchdown. On the next Eagles offensive series, Sirianni showed either the aggressiveness or the arrogance that has come to define the sensational start to his NFL head coaching tenure.
The Eagles were on the Kansas City 45-yard line and faced a fourth-and-5. Clearly, they were not in field-goal range and this was not a short-yardage situation. Sirianni certainly could have called for a punt and no one would have questioned his decision. If he opted to go for it on fourth down and failed, he would hand Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs the ball near midfield — not an attractive option.
Sirianni does not think much about failure. He never hesitated at all as he kept his offense on the field. Hurts made his head coach look smart, taking advantage of a gaping hole up the middle to scoot 28 yards to the Chiefs’ 16-yard line.
Three plays later, Sirianni did it again. It was fourth-and-2 on the Kansas City 8-yard line, a chip-shot field goal for Jake Elliott. No chance. Not for Sirianni. He goes for the jugular. The Eagles, the most lethal team in the NFL in converting quarterback sneaks, never had to snap the ball. Defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi was called for a neutral-zone infraction, handing the Eagles a first down. Hurts ran untouched into the end zone from 4 yards out and it was 21-14.
Sirianni was on the ball late in the second quarter, alertly calling his first timeout with 1:33 remaining before halftime before the Chiefs lined up to punt, realizing he should save some time for a final scoring thrust. Sirianni used two more timeouts during the possession, leaving just enough time for Jake Elliott to hammer home a 35-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead at the break.
Sirianni was tearful during Chris Stapleton’s national anthem performance.Getty Images
One of the Eagles’ top A-list fans has been an active participant in Super Bowl 2023 against the Kansas City Chiefs. From a Super Bowl commercial to a meme-worthy moment with some nachos, Bradley Cooper has been everywhere.
The 48-year-old is a lifelong Eagles fan, growing up outside Philadelphia in Abington Township. His links to the city don’t stop there. The nine-time Oscar-nominated actor had a lead in “Silver Linings Playbook” — a film set in Philly that features several game-day moments — and he was the voice for an Eagles apology to Santa Claus in an ESPN promo for the infamous snowball-throwing incident.
For the year’s big game, Cooper called up his mom to act opposite him in a T-Mobile commercial, advertising their 5G services. The ad opens with T-Mobile explaining they tried to create a commercial with the mother-son duo, with Cooper as a company rep while his mom plays a customer. The commercial shows the two’s endless laughter as they mess up several takes.
Bradley Cooper snacks on pregame nachos before Super Bowl 2023.Twitter
Bradley Cooper cheers during NFC Championship game for the Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers.Twitter
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Bradley Cooper has been all around this Super Bowl 2023, including making a commercial with his mom for T-Mobile.YouTube
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Cooper’s mother opens up with “I don’t like the way you look” after he asks how he can help her.
Cooper was also the narrator for Sunday’s game introduction and was the voice behind one of the Eagles’ hype videos.
“We have an obsession around here,” Cooper opens with between flashes of video of the team, Eagles fans, and the city itself. “To stay in the moment. To focus on every single detail. The next minute. The next meeting. The next practice. The next game.”
Cooper is in attendance at State Farm Stadium for the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, wearing an Eagles shirt. He even fueled up on some pregame nachos to cheer on his hometown team.
“Together, we’ve got one goal: Bring that Lombardi Trophy back home,” he concluded in the hype video.
JuJu Smith Schuster turned heads when he arrived to Super Bowl 2023.
The Chiefs wide receiver rocked a light green kilt as he strolled into State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Sunday.
Smith-Schuster, who’s known for his eye-popping fashion choices, paired the knee-length skirt with a white collared shirt with long sleeves and black boots. He accessorized with a black hat and sunglasses and carried a black bag.
“This sh-t not for everybody,” the 26-year-old wideout wrote on his Instagram Story, including a photo of his pregame look. He added a graphic that said, “Paris.”
The Chiefs captioned their post: “JuJu on that Super Bowl beat 😮💨.”
Meanwhile, Smith-Schuster’s quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, looked dapper in a patterned suit and mirrored Oakley sunglasses. The two-time NFL MVP joins Tom Brady as the only quarterback all-time to start three Super Bowls in their first six seasons.
Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster arrives at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona for Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023. Twitter/Fox Sports Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster arrives at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona for Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023. Twitter/Fox Sports
Smith-Schuster made a fashionable entrance to play in the first Super Bowl of his career.
The receiver, who signed a one-year $10.75 million max deal with the Chiefs this past offseason, will earn an extra $1 million if Kansas City defeats the Eagles in Super Bowl 2023 and he plays 50 percent of the snaps.
Smith-Schuster finished his first season with the Chiefs with 933 yards and three touchdowns.
The former Steelers receiver, who’s set to become a free agent in the offseason, told NFL Network’s Mike Giardi on Saturday that he’s hoping to remain in Kansas City.
“Yeah, I want to come back,” Smith-Schuster said. “Of course, man. Look where I’m at? I want to come back to this.”
We find it hard to stray too much away from the fundamentals of the Chiefs-Eagles matchup. We’re more comfortable where we stand than we were just a few days ago, but our basic perspective has not radically changed.
Do we respect Patrick Mahomes and the monstrous, versatile Kansas City offense, even against a defense as good as Philadelphia’s? For sure, but to not respect the defensive proposition in a game this significant would be folly, unless multiple significant injuries come into play in short order.
We continue to suspect the offenses will maintain a meaningful edge versus the defenses they’ll be facing. The two worthies you’d expect to garner the bulk of the MVP attention (those top-drawer quarterbacks) continue to draw numerous hearts and eyeballs. It’s a challenge to tear your attention away from Mahomes and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts.
The four most recent Supes have trended toward more moderate Over/Under ledgers, with the last quartet featuring 43, 40, 51 and 16 points. The last two scoring explosions came when the Eagles made the most of their opportunities and took out the Patriots, 41-33, in the Super Bowl LII overtime hard-knocker.
Patrick MahomesGetty Images
The Chiefs are blessed with a multiplicity of talented athletes on both sides of the ball. Even more impressively, they displayed an uncanny improvement advantage during the course of the season, though much of that could be attributed to their facing lesser quarterback talent during the final third of the campaign.
We’ll also readily agree that the Chiefs have proven themselves to be effective in varying defensive sets — not the least of which is their broad effectiveness when playing many varieties of zone defense, which has posed the Eagles’ offensive talent sustained difficulties. And when you’re talking about Hurts, you’re talking about a quarterback who has been less than bulletproof when attempting to make optimal throws to his right, causing him considerable discomfort on multiple occasions.
At first glance, I was considerably optimistic and bullish about the Eagles in this affair — especially if they came to the game relatively healthy, with most of the major players in reasonably good form and optimistic about the likely outcome from their sides’ perspective.
I currently believe that I was simply too optimistic about the level of stalwartness of the Eagles’ defense during my early research, especially when you consider the degree of schedule (not all that tough, boys and girls) the Eagles found themselves coming up against during the course of the long, hard season.
Jalen HurtsAP
Bottom-lining this, I can’t deny that the Eagles could turn out to be excruciatingly vulnerable to the size, type and style of offense that the Chiefs are likely to pitch at them for well over three hours on national television.
I can still envision the Eagles winning, but they’re going to have to get off to that snappy start that many of the optimists expected they will generate. When they have wrested early command, they have been the devil to beat, but when many things don’t quite go precisely as they’d like, they’re not quite the locks to overcome all obstacles we originally envisioned.
Five years later, it remains the gold-standard good-teammate moment.
Five years later, even with all Jalen Hurts has accomplished, even as he stands a week away from leading the Eagles into Super Bowl 2023 against the Chiefs, it is still a defining glimpse into his soul, and perhaps explains why he has been able to develop, so rapidly, into one of the NFL’s most electric quarterbacks.
This was the night of Monday, Jan. 8, 2018. Jalen Hurts began that night owning one of the best spots in all of college football: quarterback of the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked No. 1, 12-1 on the season. Hurts had won the QB1 gig the year before as a true freshman, the first time that had happened in Tuscaloosa in 32 years.
His record heading into that College Football Playoff national championship against Georgia was 23-2. He could run. He could throw. There were Saturdays when he looked like the best quarterback in America. Life was good. Life was perfect.
And then he got benched.
The Crimson Tide trailed 13-0 at the half. The offense was stagnant. You figured that head coach Nick Saban was cooking up something in the halftime locker room, but it was stunning when Alabama’s offense came on the field and a freshman named Tua Tagovailoa came trotting on. And he was brilliant, leading ’Bama to a 26-23 win, including a 41-yard touchdown strike to DeVonta Smith that won the game in overtime.
Tua Tagovailoa (l.) celebrates a touchdown pass with Jalen Hurts of the Alabama Crimson in the 2018 CFP title game.Getty Images
And all across the second half, the TV cameras went searching for Jalen Hurts. That was what they had to do. A star quarterback gets sent to the bench? Surely, at the least, there would be a few shots of eyerolls. Maybe, if they got lucky, they’d see Hurts actually pouting on the sidelines, or yelling, making a prima-donna nuisance of himself.
What the cameras found was remarkable.
But for different reasons.
For all the right reasons.
When Tagovailoa threw his first TD pass and gave the Tide life, it was Hurts who was first to greet him, pounding on his shoulder pads. When the kid had his second scoring throw, again it was Hurts who ran onto the field and hugged his erstwhile backup. And at game’s end, after his replacement had made one of the forever throws in college football history, Hurts ran around in spastic glee just like every other one of his teammates.
If you didn’t know he’d been benched, you wouldn’t know he’d been benched.
And it got even better.
Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates with Jalen Hurts #2 after beating the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP title game in 2018.Getty Images
“It was important for me to stay true to myself and be the person I am, and the leader I am, regardless of the circumstances,” Hurts said in the locker room later on, as reporters replaced the cameramen fruitlessly looking for signs of bitterness or envy. “It’s my duty to do things like that, and to do all those things genuinely.”
That was an OG reaction from a 19-year-old kid, and immediately the reaction was palpable and visceral. I wrote about Hurts and the replies flooded in, folks taken by a strong picture of sportsmanship and selflessness at a time, especially in college sports, when both seemed in such short supply.
It was assumed that Hurts would transfer within a few days. He didn’t. He stuck around Alabama for another year, competed with Tua, but served as a backup. He did get one moment of glory, relieving an injured Tagovailoa during the 2018 SEC Championship game, guiding ’Bama into the CFP. He graduated that December, but still had a year of eligibility.
Jalen Hurts has the Eagles in Super Bowl 2023.AP
At first he thought about Maryland, where he could’ve put up some absurd numbers. But Saban — perhaps touched by Hurts’ own unselfishness — suggested Oklahoma would be a better fit, with better receivers and an offense-minded coach, Lincoln Riley. Saban did that knowing Oklahoma would be far more of a potential threat to him than Maryland ever could be. Hurts went to Oklahoma, had a great year, led the Sooners to the playoff. And now he sits one game away from a Super Bowl.
Sometimes, it turns out, Leo Durocher was dead wrong. Sometimes nice guys finish first.
Vac’s Whacks
Was on the FAN with Joe Benigno Saturday and he mentioned something that hadn’t occurred to me and is a little bit sobering. We used to treat the Rangers’ 54-year drought like a Biblical plague around here. The Jets last won the Super Bowl — yep — 54 years ago. Good thing “1969!” isn’t as rhythmic as “1940!” was.
Davey Johnson turned 80 this week, and it says here that if David Wright hadn’t commandeered No. 5 and made it his own eternally, it would soon be hanging in honor of the other Davey.
Former Mets manager Davey Johnson is 2016.Paul J. Bereswill
It isn’t often you can call a movie both “delightful” and “disturbing” but I would say “The Menu” qualifies.
Think it might be time we all started taking a harder look at Fordham, which is making a whole lot of noise in the Atlantic 10 this year thanks to Keith Urgo and a batch of scrappy and fun players.
Whack Back at Vac
John Visconti: So Kyrie Irving wants to be traded, eh? I have been a die-hard fan of this hard-luck franchise for 55 years and I say, good. Let this pathologically self-centered, emotional train wreck, with his insatiable desire for attention and his childlike grasp of world affairs, take his nonsense elsewhere.
Vac: I suspect when this happens, Nets fans will feel like they can breathe for the first time in forever.
Alan Hirschberg: Monday, LeBron James had “serious” soreness, so he (and Anthony Davis) didn’t play in Brooklyn. But on Tuesday, there they were on the Garden court. Two miraculous recoveries! When did the East River acquire the healing power of the Grotto of Lourdes?
Vac: I believe it also shows that the distance between MSG and Barclays Center remains far greater than the 8 miles as the crow flies.
LeBron James at Madison Square Garden last week.Getty Images
@DigiElon: The Empire State Building has a good chance of being here 100 years after every single one of its critics are gone. I got the building -110.
@MikeVacc: Let’s hope so. And let’s hope the next time it goes green and white it’s to celebrate the Jets (speaking of 100 years) …
Frank Giordano: If the Jets get Aaron Rodgers (I hope not!), despite what the great Joe Namath has said … the Jets cannot give him number 12, can they?
Vac: It was a nice gesture, but I think the Jets would sooner open the gates at MetLife missing a goalpost than Joe Willie’s number off the wall.
An expected $15 billion will be bet illegally worldwide on Super Bowl LVII. More than half the adult population of the United States will have a stake in the Eagles-Chiefs game via U.S. and offshore bookmakers, internet wagers, office pools and person-to-person bets at Super Bowl parties. It is the single biggest sports betting event annually — and there is no close second or third — which is the main reason it is the highest-rated TV show every year.
Currently, 33 states and the District of Columbia offer legal sports betting. Three more states are legal, but not operational. Seven states have active legislation and the remaining seven states have no legislation.
Five rules, which have helped me correctly predict 21 of the last 22 Super Bowls versus the spread and 19 of the last 22 Over/Unders, will help you wager correctly and win or save money on Super Bowl LVII:
Rule No. 1: Don’t sweat the spread
Only seven times has the winner of the Super Bowl failed to beat the spread, a record of 46-7-3. That means winning favorites have covered the number or underdogs have won outright at a combined rate of 86.8 percent. So ignore the point spread and wager on which team you think will win the game. One exception came last year when the Rams (-3.5) defeated the Bengals, 23-20. You have to go back to 2009 for the next most recent example, when the Steelers (-7) topped the Cardinals, 27-23.
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Rule No. 2: Secret about the total
Points wagering (the combined score) has become the second-most popular Super Bowl wager. When offensively potent teams meet, bet the Under, as they tend to play conservatively, feeling they can score whenever they want. Also, many offensive juggernauts only open up after the teams have felt each other out for a half.
Last year, the Super Bowl featured Matthew Stafford versus Joe Burrow and went under the 48.5 total (23-20). In 2021, Tom Brady versus Patrick Mahomes (two Hall-of-Fame-bound scoring machines) went under the 56-point total (31-9). A year earlier, the Chiefs and 49ers (who scored 88 and 72 combined points, respectively, in their two playoff games), went under the total of 53 (31-20). In 2019, the total opened at an all-time-high 59 points (closing at game time at 56) and the Patriots and Rams, the two top-scoring teams in the league, scored a combined 16 points.
The Buccaneers-Chiefs Super Bowl feature Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes figured to be high scoring, but it was the Under bet that won the day.AP
Conversely, if two dominant defensive giants collide, bet the Over, because the offenses tend to open up. Coaches figure any scoring will help their defense and are less fearful of making mistakes. When these offenses open up, they are more prone to turnovers, which often leads to more scoring. In 2018, Philadelphia and New England, which had dominated their opponents defensively in the playoffs, combined for 74 points (41-33), easily beating the Over (49 points).
If one team is known for its offense and the other team for its defense, I’d recommend attacking your Super Bowl food and drink and passing on wagering on the total.
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Rule No. 3: Stop the props
Do not make any proposition bets. Sportsbooks will put up 400-500 of them. The public generally bets propositions to the Over (quarterback completions, player receiving and rushing yards, fumbles, field goals, etc) and loses doing this almost every year. One of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas and another offshore each reported before the 2022 Super Bowl that they had lost money booking prop bets just twice in 26 years. That tells me it’s not prudent to bet props, and doing so can be hazardous to one’s wealth!
Rule No. 4: Start again at the half
Bookies post a new point spread for the second half. Always bet the team at halftime that you think will beat the original Super Bowl line, as the team that has beaten the opening point spread also has beaten the halftime spread in 26 of the last 29 Super Bowls.
Rule No. 5: Don’t bet teasers
There’s a good reason they are called teasers, as they might look good, but your chances of betting them and making money aren’t good. Also don’t bet parlays, as more than one-third of a bookmaker’s profits come from them. Two-team parlays pay 2.6/1 (true odds are 3/1); three-team parlays pay 5/1 (true odds are 7/1) and four-team parlays pay 10/1 (true odds are 15/1). Hello!
Danny Sheridan has been handicapping football games nationally for 35 years. He provided the sports odds for USA Today for 30 years, and appears regularly on national TV, radio and in newspapers.
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