SI

The Single Best Moment From an Incredible Wild-Card Weekend: TRAINA THOUGHTS

Mike Vrabel gave Bill Belichick a taste of his own medicine.

Jimmy Traina

The Single Best Moment From an Incredible Wild-Card Weekend: TRAINA THOUGHTS
The Single Best Moment From an Incredible Wild-Card Weekend: TRAINA THOUGHTS /

1. And, we're back! 

It's been a couple of weeks since I've had any thoughts to share with all of you, so I'm going to empty out everything that's been stored in my brain over that time. Given my brain size and the fact that I checked out a lot during the holidays, it won't be as overwhelming as you'd think.

I have to start with what was the highlight of the weekend. We were treated to three great wild-card games and one OK game. Yes, Seattle-Philly went down to the wire, but a lot of the air was taken out of the balloon when Carson Wentz left the game.

For me, though, the greatest moment was watching Bill Belichick have a pissy fit when Mike Vrabel gave him a taste of his own medicine Saturday night. Earlier this season in a game against the Jets, Belichick used a loophole in the rules have the Patriots take multiple delay of game penalties in order to bleed the clock. With the Titans holding on to a 14-13 lead late in the fourth quarter on Saturday, Vrabel had Tennessee pull the same stunt. 

And how did Belichick respond? Like a baby. And it was GLOOOOORIOUS.

I'm not a Patriots hater and I'm not one of these people who is happy to see Tom Brady be done with New England. In fact, I think it would be awful is Brady played for any other team beside the Patriots. When you have a career like Brady has had, it shouldn't be sullied by hanging on with diminished skill while playing for a rogue team.

However, it was still delicious to see Belichick snap when someone gave him a taste of his own medicine.

2. One more thought on this sequence: It's not a surprise, but CBS's Tony Romo was all over this from the start. He knew what Vrabel was doing, broke it all down for viewers in a clear way and even called on rules analyst Gene Strattore to chime in and explain what was going on. Romo's contract is up after this season with his final call being the AFC Championship game on Jan. 19. It will be fascinating to see if another network makes a run at him and if CBS will match any offer.

On a side note: Romo, the best predictor in the business, said Tom Brady will be back next season.

3. Speaking of Brady, I've said several times in this column and on the SI Media Podcast that I don't understand why a guy like Tom Brady would ever be on social media since there is no upside for him. Apparently, there is a downside, because Titans players used this hype video that the Patriots legend posted before the wild-card game as motivation.

4. While the clip of Belichick losing his mind was the top highlight of the weekend, this picture of Stefon Diggs dancing in Sean Payton's face while the Saints coach was trying to congratulate the Vikings wideout on the win is a close second.

5. If you missed it over the New Year's Eve holiday, I taped a new edition of the SI Media Podcast. It was a short episode in which I broke down the 10 Worst Things That People Tweet and I spoke to my dad for a few minutes.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.

6. I just want to address a tweet I sent over the break about Uncut Gems, starring Adam Sandler.

Most people took the tweet for what it was: A simple observation about the movie with a touch of sarcasm. Some dopes took it literally and thought I was implying that the movie was ruined for me because of this mix up. And many people responded that the reason the character said "put on ESPN" when he wanted to watch a game that was on TNT was because he was frazzled over his bet and the craziness in his life. 

Two things about this: 1) If there's one thing degenerate gamblers know it's what network the game they bet is airing on, and 2) according to Adnan Virk, the director had no idea the mistake was made in the film and it was not intentional.

7. Yes, the story of the Golden Globes on Sunday night was the hilarious and fearless Ricky Gervais, but for many of us, seeing an Eric and Tami Taylor reunion was a beautiful thing.

8. For those of you wondering why the Clemson-LSU national title game isn't being played tonight (as I was this morning), here is your explanation.

9. Like I said at the top, I checked out a lot when it came to keeping up with things on the Internet over the holiday, so imagine my surprise this morning when I saw a colleague just flat-out disrespect me.

I saw that SI's Hot Clicks guru Dan Gartland had put together a monster year-end edition featuring the 100 best stories, tweets and videos of 2019. I thought "this is right up my alley, let me check this out and enjoy it." 

However, Dan quickly came out of the gate with a swift kick to my sensitive area with this opening line: "It’s been an honor to be so warmly received by readers who have been on board since Jimmy Traina started Clicks when I was in middle school (seriously) and to hear from new readers who’ve made Clicks part of their routine since I took over."

Feel free to hit him up on Twitter and tell him he should respect his elders.

10. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: The Top Trick Plays of the 2019 NFL season.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

Published
Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

Home/Extra Mustard