Tom Brady’s whole thing has been hard work, chip on my shoulder, put in the time. He cannot do that as a broadcaster right now. It’s not possible because of his ownership interest in the Raiders.
Obviously, if you’re the Raiders and you have someone like Brady as part of your ownership group, you want his input on who to select as the franchise’s next quarterback. But this goes to the quandary of the situation.
What is it that Tom Brady wants? Does he want to be an owner — which is fine — or does he want to be the best broadcaster he can be?
FOX is paying him $37.5 million a year to be their lead broadcaster. They want Brady to be more X’s and O’s on the broadcast, instead of talking about things that happened during his playing days. By rule, he’s not allowed to do the things that would make him the best possible broadcaster because he’s not allowed access to the information he needs due his role with the Raiders.
It’s hard to be the best at both of those things because of the restrictions placed upon him. He just needs to figure out what he wants to do.
Dan Campbell is going to cost Detroit another game
At some point when you’re a coach, you have to also weigh the “what if” scenarios. “What if we don’t make it? How does that impact us winning or losing a game?”
At some point, discretion is the better part of valor. Everyone wants their coach to be bold. “We’re going for it. It’s what we do. It’s who we are.” No. At some point, you have to decide what’s the best way to keep you in a game.
What are the odds that’s going to keep you in the game longer? Giving Josh Allen a long field or giving him a short field following a dynamic return?
Not to mention, Campbell almost cost them in Week 14 vs. the Packers. The Lions went for it on fourth-and-one when they were well inside field-goal range, and Jared Goff fell while making the handoff. They got away with it when they probably shouldn’t have.
It’s like Campbell doesn’t recognize the downside risk. That’s half the job as the coach. He just refuses to do that, and it’s going to cost them, like it did on Sunday.
Bills defense is getting torched
Good thing the Bills have Josh Allen. Their defense has given up 86 points in the last two games.
If you’re not a little concerned about Buffalo’s defense, then you’re choosing to ignore what’s right in front of you. Goff threw for almost 500 yards and five touchdowns without any interceptions. Matthew Stafford had 320 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions the week before.
If Allen wasn’t all-worldly, the Bills are in real trouble. Their defense is a problem for them.
Not too concerned about Patrick Mahomes’ ankle injury
If this were any other player, I’d think that they’ll be out of a while. Mahomes may miss a game, especially with the Chiefs playing on Saturday then on Christmas. But I know that he and his trainer, Bobby Stroupe, specifically go through stuff during the season to work on recovering from injuries. They are religious about it.
The other thing: The Chiefs are prepared for this situation. With Carson Wentz at backup, the Chiefs arguably have the best quarterback room in the league. Wentz has some issues, but under Andry Reid’s tutelage, he’s going to be the best Carson Wentz he can possibly be if he has to play.
Watch Pregame PowerUp on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Google TV, Sling Freestream, Vizio and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 6-7 p.m. ET on Monday and Thursday nights before primetime matchups! Follow Trey Wingo on X @wingoz.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a paid sponsor of DraftKings and all views expressed are my own.