1. I told you in yesterday’s Traina Thoughts that I hate Super Bowl week. However, there has been one shining light in the darkness: Andy Reid.
The lovable head coach of the Chiefs has been a breath of fresh air during his interviews this week.
He has said his three keys to life are “rock the Tommy Bahama, eat some cheeseburgers and be happy.”
He’s broken down the keys to a great cheeseburger. (He is so right about the bun.)
He revealed how he functions each day as a noncoffee drinker.
He weighed in on the three greatest rappers alive.
He’s discussed mac and cheese recipes.
Who needs X’s and O’s? This is the stuff we need from NFL coaches.
In addition to his outstanding quotes, another reason to admire Reid is the respect all his players have for him. Chiefs players are constantly raving about Reid.
And his embrace on media night with the four Eagles who remain on the team from when Reid was the head coach there—Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox—was very touching.
If you’re someone with no dog in the fight on Super Bowl Sunday and are looking for some rooting interest, you can’t go wrong pulling for Andy Reid to win his second Super Bowl.
2. TNT’s Brian Anderson had an excellent call last night on LeBron James’s bucket that made him the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
The local radio call, handled by Lakers play-by-play man John Ireland was very good, too.
3. Can we kindly stop with this tired take every time something like this happens?
It’s 2023. Everybody has a phone and everyone under 40 films everything and everyone is looking for social media clout. You don’t have to like it, but that’s reality.
4. This was vintage Aaron Rodgers. Go on one of the biggest sports shows in existence, tell everyone that you’re gonna lock yourself in darkness for four days and then act like the victim when people make fun of such an extreme act. Rodgers knew he’d get mocked, but instead of keeping his “darkness retreat” to himself, he tells the world about it so then he can complain about how he gets treated. The act is so tired.
5. Terry Bradshaw is ready to sacrifice it all for some pregame show ratings.
6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with ESPN legend Chris Berman.
Berman talks about anchoring ESPN’s Super Bowl postgame coverage each year, why NFL Primetime is still so beloved, offers he had to leave ESPN over the years and whether any athletes ever complained about the nickname he gave them.
We also discuss the best sports studio shows of all time, the NFL getting so deep into the betting world, why the NFL even thinking about playing the AFC and NFC title games at neutral sites is a terrible idea and more.
Following Berman, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins Jimmy for their weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, Jimmy and Sal discuss why NFL rules analysts on TV are annoying, the Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl, Sal getting recognized at an NHL game, Jimmy’s mom getting into a Facebook tiff and much more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
