The Super Bowl just happened. It was an amazing game. Everybody knows defense wins championships, but offense makes watching games somewhere between two and one billion times more enjoyable. The storylines coming out of the game for both teams are very compelling, and they will shape the foreseeable future for NFL football. In honor of the culture, here are the Culture II: Super Bowl Awards! (If you don’t understand the gimmick, each award is named after a song off “Culture II,” the new album from Migos).
Let’s start with some quick ones…
The MotorSport award: Bill Belichick.
Because he is mentioned in the song, and he probably isn’t aware.
The Crown The Kings award: Tom Brady.
C’mon everybody. Crown the King. Even in a loss, he’s the GOAT.
The Beast award: Corey Clement.
Clement is probably the least heralded of the Eagles’ four running backs, but he was one of their most effective pass catchers on Sunday, including receiving a beautiful touchdown pass from Nick Foles.
The Made Men award: Robert Kraft and Jeffrey Lurie.
These guys would have been winners regardless of the outcome. It is pretty hard to be a loser when you are raking in money hand over fist.
And now, the biggest awards…
The Higher We Go Award: The City of Philadelphia.
This works in two ways. A large number of citizens are still currently perched atop light poles, looking like a flock of, well, Eagles, I guess. I am still not sure if the city has slept since Sunday night. This also applies to the Eagles themselves, as I am not sure if this is their peak. Defensively, this was a top five unit all year, and they still gave up 33 points. Nick Foles did his best Carson Wentz impression, but I do not think it is crazy to think this team could be better next year. They currently have 20 of 22 starters under contract, including both Foles and Wentz, and will retain their offensive and defensive coordinators. I will wait until after free agency and the draft, but I really think Philadelphia has the tools to be atop the NFC again next year.
The Supastars Award: Alshon Jeffery.
After enduring five up and down years in Chicago, Alshon Jeffery was not the hottest commodity in 2017 free agency. Paired with Brandon Marshall in 2013 and 2014, he showed he was an electrifying talent, topping 1,000 yards in the both seasons. Following Marshall’s departure to New York, Jeffery struggled in his final two years with the Bears, before becoming a free agent this past summer. He received interest from the Vikings, but ended up signing a one-year “prove it” deal with Philadelphia. Ultimately, Jeffery proved it and earned a four-year contract extension in December. His touchdown in the big game was an exclamation point to his comeback season.
The Auto Pilot award: Matt Patricia.
As it was being reported, I was surprised to hear that Matt Patricia was in consideration for a head coaching job this offseason. With his hire on Monday to helm the Detroit Lions, I am downright dumbfounded. After being shredded for 41 on Sunday I am not sure who should be given the blame. But I do not think it bodes well for Patricia’s future as a head coach in the NFL.
The Walk It Talk It award: Brandon Graham and the Eagles D-line.
The most ferocious unit in the game was talking big over the week prior to the Super Bowl. Graham, along with Chris Long and Fletcher Cox, were adamant that they were going to get after Tom Brady. The plan did not quite work out that way, as Brady passed for a Super Bowl record 505 yards. However, Graham came up huge stripping the ball from Brady in the Eagles only sack of the game. At the end of the day, the Eagles walked it like they talked it.
The Notice Me award: Malcolm Butler.
This award should probably be called the “NOTICE ME!!!!” award. Did the Patriots forget that Butler, a Pro Bowl cornerback, single-handedly saved them a Super Bowl three years ago? Maybe while they were being carved up through the air, they could have turned to a player who played nearly 98 percent of snaps for their defense. Truly, the most head-scratching decision of the Super Bowl.
The Movin’ Too Fast award: Nick Foles and Carson Wentz.
It is important to step back sometimes and take stock of how fast things have moved for the Eagles. Wentz blossomed this year and was the probable MVP through three-quarters of the season. After Wentz went down in week 14, Foles took over and looked shaky through the final weeks of the regular season. A month later, Foles was named the Super Bowl MVP while Wentz leaned on his cane and watched. Now, I’m not saying there is a quarterback controversy a-brewing, but it is easy to see that one could eventually grow. So I am just going to ask some questions: What if Wentz is not ready to start the season, Foles fills in, and is still this good next year? What if they trade Foles? What if they trade him to the Vikings? I don’t have answers to these questions, but they must be asked. At the end of the day, having two good quarterbacks is a good problem to have.
Thanks for a great season everybody!
(Bonus Lock of the Week: Vikings Super Bowl 53 Champs, 7-1 odds)
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