Fancy Boys founder Matt Drufke doesn’t know anything about football. Lucky for him, Brandon Andreasen and Jack Baker do.
Each week, Matt emails Brandon and Jack NFL questions, they then immediately go and make fun of his lack of knowledge in a secret group chat. They then go and answer the questions. Here are those answers.
So, we’ve finally figured out who is playing in the Super Bowl. Let’s start with the AFC champion Chiefs, who had to overcome an early double-digit deficit for the second time in as many weeks. Why can’t the Chiefs have good starts to games? And why can’t teams keep them down?
Brandon -The Chiefs are well-coached, and are able to take an opposing team’s best shot, then counter punch. The Chiefs have a level of confidence in their offense in which they know that as long as they have given their quarterback some time, they can scheme their way back into any game.
It also helps that Patrick Mahomes is a generational talent at quarterback.
Jack – Teams can’t keep them down because Mahomes is like a more athletic vintage Aaron Rodgers. Did you see that TD run that gave the Chiefs the lead they never gave up? He probably has the best arm in the NFL, plays in the best offensive system in the NFL, has the fastest group of pass catchers in the NFL, and can move like that? I don’t know how anyone stops the Chiefs. They probably just take it easy the first couple drives to make their games more exciting.
Moving to San Francisco, let’s talk about Jimmy Garoppalo. All playoffs, the 49ers philosophy with their QB has been simple: you don’t have to do a lot, but don’t lose us the game. Is this all Jimmy G can do? Or is this all the 49ers need from him?
Brandon -This is all they needed from him, but in many ways, this was a Milton Berle game for the 49ers.
The story goes that Berle was well known for having a legendary dong. One day, someone came up to him and said his was bigger. Well, needless to say, they decided to find out whose was bigger. The first man flops his out. Milton then pulls his out and wins easily. When congratulated by someone else over this (the old days sure seemed like a wacky time) Berle responded with “I only showed enough to win”
The 49ers only showed what they had to so they could win. If the Packers were unable to stop Raheem Mostert from one cutting into wide open rushing lanes all game, then why do anything else?
Garappolo only threw eight passes in the game, but there is a lot of evidence showing this team can get downfield through the air. George Kittle caught one pass all game. Emmanuel Sanders was a non factor. The passing game will factor in heavily in the Super Bowl, and the 49ers will be ready.
Jack – The 49ers will need more than this from him in the Super Bowl. Whether or not he can do it is the question that will decide the game.
- I know it has to suck to be a Packers or Titans fan right now, but let’s look into both teams. I think it’s fair to say that no one really expected either of them to get as far as they did. Does this mean that Green Bay and Tennessee have promising futures, or were these teams who needed to win this year and will now decline?
Brandon – On Sunday morning, a buddy asked me about the Titans from a gambling perspective. I said that the Titans remind me of the 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars. They made a surprise run to the AFC Championship game on the strength of great defense and surprisingly good quarterback play from a guy who had never shown he could keep it up in the first place.
The Titans fit that mold exactly. Ryan Tannehill is Blake Bortles. Bortles reverted back into a pumpkin the next season and the Jags fell apart. I can see the same fall for the Titans next year.
The Packers have a much better base for next season. They still have Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, Davante Adams, and two automatic wins vs the Lions every season. They have a general manager willing to spend resources to fix the offensive line. They have key contributors in the secondary that are still on rookie deals. I can’t imagine Green Bay falling off.
Jack – The Titans have a lot of big questions heading into the offseason. Do they give Ryan Tannehill big money? He was GREAT in the second half of the season but couldn’t make any big plays when they needed them the most this past Sunday. Derrick Henry is a world-beating god at running back, but how long can he keep pounding the rock like that before he starts to break down? He’s also a free agent and could command big money. What happens to the Titans starting backfield is one of the more interesting questions going into the offseason.
If I were a Packer fan, I’d be a little worried about their team. Adams is great. Rodgers is still Rodgers, but a lot more limited than he had been in the past. Jones is a prime candidate for regression next season. And they have big questions on the offensive line and every pass catcher who isn’t Davante Adams.
- We’ll talk Super Bowl things next week, so let’s get into some sexy, sexy Pro Bowl talk. The Pro Bowl sucks. It’s the worst all-star game of the major sports. The NFL did a better job making the weekend more entertaining by adding fun skills challenges for the players to compete in, but I don’t know anyone who watches the actual game, and I couldn’t think of a good reason to tell people to watch it. Be the commissioner of the NFL… how would you make the Pro Bowl better?
Brandon- Move it back to Hawaii, for starters. Nobody is getting psyched about going to Orlando to play.
Then, change it to flag football format. This promotes flag football at the lower levels of the game. 7-12 year olds should exclusively play flag football. This will give an appealing visual to the game.
Then, the winning team divides up 40 million dollars. The opposing team divides up ten million. There are a lot of people in the NFL that would still get their asses in gear for an 800k payday if they win. The 40 million can easily be obtained through sponsorship dollars. Under Armour paid to have their logo in the end zone=3 million. The halftime show featuring Lizzo was paid for by Coca Cola for 4 million. Put sponsor logos on the jersey. BMO Harris bank dropped a million for one team, and Golden Corral dropped a million for the other. It will add up in a hurry.
Jack – Here’s a secret, all star games are dumb. The best part of MLB All Star Week is the home run derby. The best part of the NBA weekend is the skills competition. The Pro Bowl should ditch the game and go full skills competition. Relay races, dodgeball, QB target contests, sprints, add in a 3 point shooting contest, pickup basketball, the whole 9 yards. Let’s add a 7 on 7 contest where players have to compete at other positions. Corners run routes. Hell, let a defensive tackle play tight end. NFL players are the best athletes in the world, let’s make a fun, silly event that really shows that off.
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