Can Connor Cover? The King, The Big Game And The Final Pick
February 8, 2023 at 11:30 p.m.
I can’t really believe it, but we’re finally here.
After spending the last five to six months picking every NFL game every week, oftentimes unsuccessfully, we have finally reached the biggest game of them all. We will get to the Super Bowl in a second, and my good friend Chip Davenport will go through his Super Bowl do’s and don’ts in his column in our Weekender paper. But first, I want to talk about what should be the sports story of the week, the month and the year.
I want to talk about LeBron James breaking what many thought to be one of the most unbreakable records in professional sports Tuesday night: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA scoring record.
In what was a vintage performance from the King against Oklahoma City late Tuesday night, James scored the 36 points he needed to surpass The Captain in just three quarters using an incredibly efficient shooting night. It was the perfect display of what makes LeBron so great. Coming in at 38 years old, wearing the headband for the first time in forever and needing 36 points to reach the top of the mountain. Everybody who has watched and rooted for him for years knew he was going to get it.
Now, I know many people don’t like LeBron James. It was very evident on Twitter after he broke the record with there being one tweet bashing the King for some dumb, petty reason for each tweet congratulating him. Some were making fun of the fact that the Lakers still lost the game. Others wondered why they stopped the game to honor him as if that wasn’t the only reason many were tuned in. They’ll be shocked when they find out they did the same thing when Kareem passed Wilt Chamberlain in 1984 to hold the record himself.
Perhaps the most egregious thing I saw was people immediately posting pictures of Michael Jordan with captions detailing how LeBron will never be better. In my opinion, that’s a pretty insecure move.
The night was not about Michael Jordan. The night was not about the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate. I wasn’t surprised that it quickly became that, but it didn’t change the fact that I was disappointed by it. This was supposed to be a celebration of the beautiful game of basketball, one of the greatest NBA moments in its illustrious history. It instead turned into a clowning of one of the sport’s all-time greats. I know there were many people giving him his flowers, but I can get caught up focusing on the negative sometimes. But my goodness, can’t anyone just keep the negativity to themselves? Ever?
I don’t want to only focus on the negativity though. It was awesome to see all of the people who were in attendance to witness this remarkable accomplishment. From Nike founder Phil Knight to rap mogul Jay-Z, along with pretty much every star LeBron has played with over the years, it was almost surreal to see life pause for a second while all of these larger than life figures took the time to honor the greatness of one man.
For the record, LeBron is my GOAT. I’m 25 years old. I never saw Jordan play with my own eyes. I’m not going to cape for a man who I never got to see. I grew up watching LeBron dominate from the second he came into the league at 18 years old. No player in any sport has ever had as much pressure coming into the league as he did. No player has ever had as many expectations. He surpassed every last one. He led a 50-win team to the NBA Finals at 22 years old. He won Ohio its first professional sports championship in over 50 years as a homegrown kid, coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to do so. He helped changed the way player empowerment worked in sports with “The Decision,” despite it being one of the worst PR moves of all time. He somehow rebounded from “The Decision.” The list goes on and I would need another thousand words to go into detail on all of my favorite moments.
As a lifelong fan of the King, I had spent the last five or six years trying to do the math in my head to figure out how he could become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. In the last few seasons, “if” turned into “when.” Being able to watch it happen live the other night is something I will never forget.
One last thing. At my age and being from Chicago, 99% of my friends gave me all kinds of grief growing up for being a LeBron fan as hardcore Jordan guys. A good chunk of them read my column online every week so this next statement is specifically for them:
They can tell me whatever they want. They can shout “6-0!” from the rooftops until their lungs give out on them. They never got to see their GOAT do anything with their own eyes that compares to what I saw LeBron do on Tuesday, as well as the greatness I’ve been lucky enough to witness for his entire career. That’s something they can never take away from me. Long live the King.
*deep, deep breaths*
Okay, now that I’ve got all of that off of my chest, let’s get into the Super Bowl.
My favorite and least favorite Super Bowl moment of all time happened in the same game. My favorite moment came on the first play of Super Bowl XLI, when Devin Hester took the opening kickoff 92 yards to the house to give the Bears the quickest lead in the history of the big game (14 seconds). My least favorite moment in Super Bowl history was the next 59 minutes and 46 seconds of that game. Though Prince did put on a great show at halftime.
The most fun I’ve ever had watching the game was my freshman year of college. I was rushing a fraternity and pretty much everybody in the house was watching the Atlanta Falcons go up 28-3 on the New England Patriots. We all know how that turned out. Sitting in a room with fans of both teams as well as innocent bystanders like myself went from fun to chaotic as Tom Brady stormed back to win his most improbable Lombardi Trophy yet.
As someone who watches the Super Bowl from home every year, there is nothing that makes or breaks the experience like a collection of good snacks. My personal favorite is pigs in a blanket, but wings, fried potatoes in many different forms as well as a good plate of nachos also crack the top five.
I am excited to see Rihanna perform at halftime this year. I am not ashamed to admit I will be singing along word for word to more than a few songs. I always thought it was kind of crazy that we sandwich a massive performance from one of the biggest stars alive in between the two halves of the biggest game of the year, but I’m not complaining.
Without any more introduction, here is the official Can Connor Cover Super Bowl pick.
SUPER BOWL LVII
Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5) at Kansas City Chiefs
The TEAMS
Let’s start with the Eagles. Tied for best record in football (14-3) with none other than the Chiefs, the Eagles boast the best defensive line in football, compiling 70 sacks this season with four players having eleven or more. Haason Reddick leads the squad with 16. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was probably the MVP of the league before missing a few games at the end of the season due to a shoulder injury.
It’s more than fair to say that you can only play the team that’s in front of you, but I do think it’s worth noting that the quarterbacks that Philly has faced so far in the postseason have been Daniel Jones, rookie Brock Purdy for a series, 15-year veteran Josh Johnson, best known for playing for 14 different teams in that span, for two series and Brock Purdy with a torn UCL. The Eagles will have quite the step up in competition on Sunday night when they face off against the best QB in the league, Patrick Mahomes.
If the Eagles can run the ball well and Hurts can hit star receiver AJ Brown deep a few times, they will be in good shape. Their defensive front has torched pretty much every offensive line that has been put in front of it and will definitely be the X-factor for them to bring home the title.
The Chiefs have the aforementioned Mahomes, but how healthy he is remains the big mystery of the big game. He’s still dealing with at least some effects of the high ankle sprain he suffered three weeks ago against Jacksonville. How much mobility will he have in the pocket? If it collapses, which it most likely will, is he a sitting duck? I’m not worried about him making some magic happen, but I do have to wonder how much he’ll be able to create.
Kansas City also has a pretty nifty defensive line to work with as well. Frank Clark and Chris Jones are two absolute game-wreckers that can cause your team to lose yards in a hurry. Behind them is one of the best linebackers in the game, as well as a guy I had the pleasure of watching at Mizzou, Nick Bolton. On offense, Travis Kelce will definitely be making his presence felt if KC wants to put up points and stay in the game.
The odd thing to me about the Chiefs is how experienced they seem despite starting a good amount of rookies on both sides of the ball. Having a QB that’s been to three Super Bowls in five years as a starter definitely helps in that regard.
THE VERDICT
This is a lot tougher than I initially thought. When I break it up by positions, the Eagles seem like they should take care of business. When I think about who the Chiefs have playing at quarterback, I feel like they should be able to find a way to win. Before I change my mind one more time, I’m going to call my shot. I think this is going to be an absolutely awesome game that’s decided in the fourth quarter, with Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes finding Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the end zone for the go ahead touchdown.
The Pick: Chiefs +1.5
Final Score: 34-31
I’ve had so much fun writing this column this season, and I hope you all have had some fun reading it. I may not have any more games to pick, but if I know myself, I will definitely have some more opinions to share. I’ll be sure to publish them when I do. It’s been a pleasure, cheers.
I can’t really believe it, but we’re finally here.
After spending the last five to six months picking every NFL game every week, oftentimes unsuccessfully, we have finally reached the biggest game of them all. We will get to the Super Bowl in a second, and my good friend Chip Davenport will go through his Super Bowl do’s and don’ts in his column in our Weekender paper. But first, I want to talk about what should be the sports story of the week, the month and the year.
I want to talk about LeBron James breaking what many thought to be one of the most unbreakable records in professional sports Tuesday night: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA scoring record.
In what was a vintage performance from the King against Oklahoma City late Tuesday night, James scored the 36 points he needed to surpass The Captain in just three quarters using an incredibly efficient shooting night. It was the perfect display of what makes LeBron so great. Coming in at 38 years old, wearing the headband for the first time in forever and needing 36 points to reach the top of the mountain. Everybody who has watched and rooted for him for years knew he was going to get it.
Now, I know many people don’t like LeBron James. It was very evident on Twitter after he broke the record with there being one tweet bashing the King for some dumb, petty reason for each tweet congratulating him. Some were making fun of the fact that the Lakers still lost the game. Others wondered why they stopped the game to honor him as if that wasn’t the only reason many were tuned in. They’ll be shocked when they find out they did the same thing when Kareem passed Wilt Chamberlain in 1984 to hold the record himself.
Perhaps the most egregious thing I saw was people immediately posting pictures of Michael Jordan with captions detailing how LeBron will never be better. In my opinion, that’s a pretty insecure move.
The night was not about Michael Jordan. The night was not about the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate. I wasn’t surprised that it quickly became that, but it didn’t change the fact that I was disappointed by it. This was supposed to be a celebration of the beautiful game of basketball, one of the greatest NBA moments in its illustrious history. It instead turned into a clowning of one of the sport’s all-time greats. I know there were many people giving him his flowers, but I can get caught up focusing on the negative sometimes. But my goodness, can’t anyone just keep the negativity to themselves? Ever?
I don’t want to only focus on the negativity though. It was awesome to see all of the people who were in attendance to witness this remarkable accomplishment. From Nike founder Phil Knight to rap mogul Jay-Z, along with pretty much every star LeBron has played with over the years, it was almost surreal to see life pause for a second while all of these larger than life figures took the time to honor the greatness of one man.
For the record, LeBron is my GOAT. I’m 25 years old. I never saw Jordan play with my own eyes. I’m not going to cape for a man who I never got to see. I grew up watching LeBron dominate from the second he came into the league at 18 years old. No player in any sport has ever had as much pressure coming into the league as he did. No player has ever had as many expectations. He surpassed every last one. He led a 50-win team to the NBA Finals at 22 years old. He won Ohio its first professional sports championship in over 50 years as a homegrown kid, coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to do so. He helped changed the way player empowerment worked in sports with “The Decision,” despite it being one of the worst PR moves of all time. He somehow rebounded from “The Decision.” The list goes on and I would need another thousand words to go into detail on all of my favorite moments.
As a lifelong fan of the King, I had spent the last five or six years trying to do the math in my head to figure out how he could become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. In the last few seasons, “if” turned into “when.” Being able to watch it happen live the other night is something I will never forget.
One last thing. At my age and being from Chicago, 99% of my friends gave me all kinds of grief growing up for being a LeBron fan as hardcore Jordan guys. A good chunk of them read my column online every week so this next statement is specifically for them:
They can tell me whatever they want. They can shout “6-0!” from the rooftops until their lungs give out on them. They never got to see their GOAT do anything with their own eyes that compares to what I saw LeBron do on Tuesday, as well as the greatness I’ve been lucky enough to witness for his entire career. That’s something they can never take away from me. Long live the King.
*deep, deep breaths*
Okay, now that I’ve got all of that off of my chest, let’s get into the Super Bowl.
My favorite and least favorite Super Bowl moment of all time happened in the same game. My favorite moment came on the first play of Super Bowl XLI, when Devin Hester took the opening kickoff 92 yards to the house to give the Bears the quickest lead in the history of the big game (14 seconds). My least favorite moment in Super Bowl history was the next 59 minutes and 46 seconds of that game. Though Prince did put on a great show at halftime.
The most fun I’ve ever had watching the game was my freshman year of college. I was rushing a fraternity and pretty much everybody in the house was watching the Atlanta Falcons go up 28-3 on the New England Patriots. We all know how that turned out. Sitting in a room with fans of both teams as well as innocent bystanders like myself went from fun to chaotic as Tom Brady stormed back to win his most improbable Lombardi Trophy yet.
As someone who watches the Super Bowl from home every year, there is nothing that makes or breaks the experience like a collection of good snacks. My personal favorite is pigs in a blanket, but wings, fried potatoes in many different forms as well as a good plate of nachos also crack the top five.
I am excited to see Rihanna perform at halftime this year. I am not ashamed to admit I will be singing along word for word to more than a few songs. I always thought it was kind of crazy that we sandwich a massive performance from one of the biggest stars alive in between the two halves of the biggest game of the year, but I’m not complaining.
Without any more introduction, here is the official Can Connor Cover Super Bowl pick.
SUPER BOWL LVII
Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5) at Kansas City Chiefs
The TEAMS
Let’s start with the Eagles. Tied for best record in football (14-3) with none other than the Chiefs, the Eagles boast the best defensive line in football, compiling 70 sacks this season with four players having eleven or more. Haason Reddick leads the squad with 16. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was probably the MVP of the league before missing a few games at the end of the season due to a shoulder injury.
It’s more than fair to say that you can only play the team that’s in front of you, but I do think it’s worth noting that the quarterbacks that Philly has faced so far in the postseason have been Daniel Jones, rookie Brock Purdy for a series, 15-year veteran Josh Johnson, best known for playing for 14 different teams in that span, for two series and Brock Purdy with a torn UCL. The Eagles will have quite the step up in competition on Sunday night when they face off against the best QB in the league, Patrick Mahomes.
If the Eagles can run the ball well and Hurts can hit star receiver AJ Brown deep a few times, they will be in good shape. Their defensive front has torched pretty much every offensive line that has been put in front of it and will definitely be the X-factor for them to bring home the title.
The Chiefs have the aforementioned Mahomes, but how healthy he is remains the big mystery of the big game. He’s still dealing with at least some effects of the high ankle sprain he suffered three weeks ago against Jacksonville. How much mobility will he have in the pocket? If it collapses, which it most likely will, is he a sitting duck? I’m not worried about him making some magic happen, but I do have to wonder how much he’ll be able to create.
Kansas City also has a pretty nifty defensive line to work with as well. Frank Clark and Chris Jones are two absolute game-wreckers that can cause your team to lose yards in a hurry. Behind them is one of the best linebackers in the game, as well as a guy I had the pleasure of watching at Mizzou, Nick Bolton. On offense, Travis Kelce will definitely be making his presence felt if KC wants to put up points and stay in the game.
The odd thing to me about the Chiefs is how experienced they seem despite starting a good amount of rookies on both sides of the ball. Having a QB that’s been to three Super Bowls in five years as a starter definitely helps in that regard.
THE VERDICT
This is a lot tougher than I initially thought. When I break it up by positions, the Eagles seem like they should take care of business. When I think about who the Chiefs have playing at quarterback, I feel like they should be able to find a way to win. Before I change my mind one more time, I’m going to call my shot. I think this is going to be an absolutely awesome game that’s decided in the fourth quarter, with Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes finding Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the end zone for the go ahead touchdown.
The Pick: Chiefs +1.5
Final Score: 34-31
I’ve had so much fun writing this column this season, and I hope you all have had some fun reading it. I may not have any more games to pick, but if I know myself, I will definitely have some more opinions to share. I’ll be sure to publish them when I do. It’s been a pleasure, cheers.