Add it up: Brady’s still the best

by Gary Shelton on February 12, 2025

in general

Brady has numbers on his side./TIM WIRT

Wednesday, 4 a.m.

We all thought the Super Bowl was about history. Turns out, it was about math.

As in, Tom Brady still rules history. Anyone who doubts it simply can’t add.

To remind you.

Seven is still more than three.

Two-hundred and 51 is still more than 89.

Forty-six is still more than 23.

And so on.



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Look, win or lose, Patrick Mahomes is a great quarterback. He can improvise better than any other quarterback playing. His team believes in him. He’s already punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame.

But no, he was never on the verge of becoming the greatest player of all time. Not even close.

I get it. We love the now. It’s human nature. We see greatness, and we believe that no one else ever could be greater. The NFL has become a league of highlights and replays and social media, and all of those are just logs on the fire of discussion.

But let’s get real. Mahomes still hasn’t climbed the Brady Mountain. And a three-peat would not have changed that.

Look, it’s all about winning rings. In any discussion of great quarterbacks, that’s the tie-breaker. And Brady has won seven of them. Mahomes is on three. Frankly, he’s still chasing Joe Montana (and possibly Terry Bradshaw).

Five times, Brady has been the Super Bowl MVP. Mahomes is at three.

Brady threw for 89,214 yards. Mahomes is at 32,352.

Brady made 15 Pro Bowls. Mahomes has made six.

Brady had 46 wins after trailing in the fourth quarter. Mahomes has 23.

Brady has 649 touchdown passes. Mahomes has 245.

Brady has 251 regular-season wins. Mahomes has 89.

Right, you say. But Mahomes is still just 29 years old. He’s got time.

And that’s the point. Mahomes still has a chance to get there. But his loss to the Eagles is a reminder that he’s just partway there. If his next seven seasons are as successful as his first seven, well, he’ll still be a Super Bowl shy of Brady.

Again, it’s not an insult to suggest a quarterback is among the best five ever to play the game.

But no, he’s not the goat.

Check back in a half-dozen more seasons.

Eagles’ Super Bowl comes with lessons

by Gary Shelton on February 10, 2025

in general

Monday, 5 a.m.

Perhaps the result pleased you.

History, with the help of the Philadelphia Eagles, stomped all over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night. It was loud, and it was flattening, and it made a strange little noise.

Given the backlash over the Chiefs recently, that must have pleased a great many people.



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It’s odd. Some people admire greatness, and others resent it. So instead of applauding the Chiefs and their pursuit of three straight Super Bowls, a lot of fans seemed bored by it. For those people, their 40-22 battering at the hands of the Eagles was probably a welcome change.

Those people, of course, are petty. There is nothing to feel for the Chiefs but admiration. They were a great team on a great run. No matter what you read on the internet, the NFL wasn’t rigging games because they wanted Taylor Swift tickets. The refs weren’t cheating to protect Patrick Mahomes. The competition didn’t get robbed.

The Chiefs were simply good.

But not good enough.

If you are an official with another team — such as the Bucs — there were some lessons to be had.

— One, you need a relentless pass rush. The Eagles won the Super Bowl over the Chiefs in the same manner the Bucs did under Tom Brady. They hounded Mahomes all the way to mortality. They had a relentless pass rush. The Bucs, as you might have heard, do not.

— Two, you need solid pass coverage. When the game was still a game Sunday night, the Eagles held the Chiefs in check. They covered without giving up medium-level passes the way the Bucs do.

— Three, they need a solid offensive line. The Bucs have improved greatly, but they’re still behind the Eagles.

— Four, they need a solid, feisty quarterback who doesn’t mind running the ball. The Bucs are actually in decent shape there. There isn’t a lot of difference between Jalen Hurts and Baker Mayfield

— Five, they need a dominant running back. Oh, it’s a stretch to compare Bucky Irving, great as he is, to Saquon Barkley. But he gives the Bucs a threat of a balanced offense.

— Six, they need a solid offensive coordinator . The Bucs keep playing tag-team with coordinators. We’ll see how next year’s version does.

In other words, there are things to learn. 

Personally, I think the Bucs have players who can  play at a Super Bowl level — Tristan Wirfs, Mike Evans, Mayfield, Irving. But their holes are too gaping to expect them to get to one Super Bowl. Let alone three.

Lightning keep hot streak going with win

by Gary Shelton on February 10, 2025

in general

Vasilevskiy was solid again./TIM WIRT

\

Monday, 4 a.m.

Do the Tampa Bay Lightning have to take a two-week break?

For the Bolts, things are suddenly going swimmingly. They’ve won four straight games, all against division opponents, and have taken over the third spot in the playoff standings. They’ve averaged five goals a game in the stretch. Goaltender Andre Vasilevskiy has won four of his last five games.

And now you’ve got to leave the ice for a fortnight?



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The Bolts continued their hot streak Sunday, holding off Montreal 5-3. They scored on their first two shots and held off the Canadiens the rest of the way. The Bolts had a 4-1 lead, but Montreal came back within a goal under Anthony Cirelli scored an empty-netter with 15 seconds to go. It was his 20th goal of the season.

“That’s why you play 82,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “You never apologize for winning. We played four games in six nights. IT’s a grind. This league is tough. We were 3-9 in the division going into these games.”

Cooper had particular praise for goaltender Andrei Vasilevski, who played both ends of a back-to-back for the first time in three years. Vasilevskiy stopped 32 of 35 shots. For the last two games, both on the road, he stopped 72 of 78 shots,

The big save, Cooper said, was stopping a penalty shot by Josh Anderson,

Also scoring for the Bolts were Nick Paul, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point  and Zemus Girgensons. The Bolts played without Nikita Kuchereov, who was out injured.

For Girgensons, It was his first goal in 60 games as a member of the Lightning.

The Bolts are next on the ice against Seattle on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m.

Bolts start fast, beat Red Wings

by Gary Shelton on February 9, 2025

in general

Hagel scored twice./TIM WIRT

Sunday, 4 a.m.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are trying to squeeze in a bit of a hot streak before the season takes a break.

The Lightning won their third straight game Saturday afternoon, calming a hot Detroit team in a 6-3 victory. The Bolts, who have scored 15 goals in those three wins, remain third in the Atlantic Division of the NHL’s Eastern Conference.

Tampa Bay got off to a fast start, scoring twice in the first three minutes of the game and four times in the first 15 minutes. But Detroit pushed back to come within 4-3 going into the third period.



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The Bolts controlled their final period, in which rookie Dylan Duke scored his first NHL goal.

Brandon Hagel scored twice for the Bolts — his sixth goal in five games. Hagel has 26 goals on the season. Also scoring were Eric Cernak, Brayden Point (his 30th) and Nick Paul (his 15th).

The goal by Duke may be the most memorable. It came against a Wings team that was on a seven-game winning streak, in an arena not far from where he played college hockey (at the University of Michigan) and at a crucial point in the game.

Nikita Kucherov had three assists for the Bolts.

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy won his 24th game of the season. He stopped 34 shots of 37. Vasilevskiy has won four of his last five starts.

The Bolts play their final game before the four-nation tournament today in Montreal at 1 p.m.

Will referees affect the Super Bowl?

February 8, 2025 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. Things being what they are, I suspect the Kansas City Chiefs are going to win another Super Bowl this week. Yawn if you will. Things going the way they go, I suspect it will come after a controversial call. Scream if you wish. I say that because the Chiefs win a lot […]

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Once again, Bolts beat Ottawa

February 7, 2025 general

Friday, 4 a.m. Ditto. Once again, there was Andre Vasilevskiy. Once again, there was Brandon Hagel. Once again, there was a strong third period. So, do you think the Ottawa Senators are a little weary of the Tampa Bay Lightning, or what? The Bolts beat Ottawa for the second time in three days Thursday night, […]

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Bolts slide by Ottawa to remain in race

February 5, 2025 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. For now, they are in the playoffs. In five minutes? Better check back. The Tampa Bay Lightning edged Ottawa Tuesday night, winning a 4-3 game that left the team tied for the wild card spot of the Eastern Conference. However, six teams are within eight points, meaning it’s liable to be a […]

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Lightning loses to Isles in overtime

February 2, 2025 general

4 a.m. In one heartbeat, the Tampa Bay Lightning could feel pretty good about itself. In the next, they could not. The Lightning lost a wild, 3-2 game in overtime to the New York Islanders. Seconds after tying the game and forcing overtime, they gave up a breakaway goal. New York won its seventh straight […]

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Bolts snap losing streak in shutout

January 31, 2025 general

Friday, 4 a.m. For Andrei Vasilevskiy, the cure for illness is this: Stop 28 pucks and call me in the morning. Vasilevskiy, who missed the Lightning’s previous game due to health woes, came back Thursday night to shut out the L.A. Kings, 3-0. It was just the Bolts’ second win in six games. Content beyond […]

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Bolts extend their current slump

January 29, 2025 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. In their race for the NHL playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning are heading in the wrong direction. The slumping Bolts lost again Tuesday night, falling to last-place Chicago 4-1. That made it four losses in five games. The Bolts have scored just 10 goals in those games, and just one in their […]

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