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| Friday, February 11, 2022 |
| Ladies and gentlemen, Super Bowl weekend is finally here! |
| Before we get to today's newsletter, I have some good news and some more good news (we don't do bad news here). The first bit of good news is that this ISN'T your final newsletter before the Super Bowl and that's because you'll be getting a special SUPER BOWL LVI edition of the newsletter in the early afternoon on Sunday. I'm going to wake up at roughly 5 a.m. PT to make sure that gets in your inbox well before the game kicks off. |
| The other good news is that I'll be at the game on Sunday and if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, I promise to keep sharing photos until my phone dies, which will probably happen before the end of the first quarter, because I like taking photos. |
| Although the Super Bowl is just two days away, that won't be the only thing we're talking about today and that's because there was an AWARDS CEREMONY last night. We'll go over the winners of all the NFL's major awards, plus take a quick look at this year's Hall of Fame class. |
| Basically, we have got a huge newsletter today, so let's get to the rundown. |
| Remember, if you're hanging out with family and/or friends this weekend, you should tell them all to sign up for the newsletter, and if your family/friends happen to be Bengals fans, then you should definitely tell them to sign up. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them. |
| 1. Today's show: Super Bowl LVI best bets |
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| For the Friday episode of the podcast, Will Brinson has spent all season hanging out with R.J. White and Pete Prisco to make picks for the weekend and this Friday is no different. |
| In their final picks show of the season, the three guys spent nearly 40 minutes discussing who's going to win the Super Bowl. Two of the three guys are riding the Rams' bandwagon going into the weekend, which means it's probably for the best that I wasn't on the show, because I would have spent 40 minutes alone telling them why they're wrong. |
| Since there's only one game this weekend, the three guys made their best bet for the game, plus added two more prop best. And I feel like I should note that Will Brinson has been ON A ROLL in the playoffs. Since the start of the postseason, he's 9-0 in his picks that we've featured here. |
| Pete Prisco (Prisco went 2-1 with his conference title game picks) |
| First TD: Tyler Boyd (+1200)Cooper Kupp UNDER 105.5 receiving yardsBengals (+4) to cover against the Rams |
| Will Brinson (Brinson went 3-0 with his conference title picks and is now 9-0 on the postseason) |
| Rams (-4) to cover against the BengalsOdell Beckham OVER 5.5 receptionsJoe Mixon UNDER 25.5 receiving yards |
| R.J. White (White went 1-2 with his conference title game picks featured here) |
| Rams (-4) to cover against the BengalsMatthew Stafford to win MVP (+120)Cooper Kupp longest reception OVER 28.5. yards (-135) |
| To hear the rest of the best bets for the Super Bowl -- and there are quite a few -- be sure to click here so you can listen to the entire episode of the podcast. You can also watch the trio give out their picks and props on YouTube by clicking here. |
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| 2. NFL Honors: Aaron Rodgers takes home MVP for second straight year |
| For the first time in the 11-year history of the NFL Honors show, the event wasn't held the night before the Super Bowl. Instead of airing on Saturday, the awards were handed out on Thursday, which meant the Super Bowl teams were allowed to participate, which was a good thing, because the Bengals and Rams combined to win four awards last night. |
| Besides those two teams, the other big winner during last night's show was Aaron Rodgers, who won his fourth MVP award, which is the second-most in NFL history, trailing only Peyton Manning. |
| Here's a look at all the awards that were handed out on Thursday night: |
| AP Most Valuable Player: Aaron Rodgers (Packers)AP Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel (Titans)AP Offensive Player of the Year: Cooper Kupp (Rams)AP Defensive Player of the Year: T.J. Watt (Steelers)AP Comeback Player of the Year: Joe Burrow (Bengals) AP Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals)AP Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons (Cowboys)AP Assistant Coach of the year: Dan Quinn (Cowboys)Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year: Andrew Whitworth (Rams)FedEx Air Player of the Year: Tom Brady (Buccaneers)FedEx Ground Player of the Year: Jonathan Taylor (Colts) Bridgestone Performance Play of the Year: Justin Tucker (66-yard GW field goal) |
| If you missed the NFL Honors ceremony, you can relive it by clicking here and checking out our live blog from the event. |
| 3. Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 revealed |
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| Although the NFL's biggest awards were handed out on Thursday night, that wasn't the only thing that went down during NFL Honors. The Pro Football Hall of Fame also revealed its class of 2022 and here's a look at who got in: |
| S LeRoy Butler: Packers (1990-2001). Butler was named an All-Pro a total of four times while leading a Packers defense that made it to two Super Bowls during his time in Green Bay. DL Bryant Young: 49ers (1994-2007). Young was dominant from the start of his career to the end, recording 89.5 sacks, including a career-high 11.5 in 1996. LB Sam Mills: Saints (1986-94), Panthers (1995-97). Mills had a prolific career with the Saints before signing with the Panthers in 1995. Mills then helped lead them to an NFC title game in 1996, which was just their second year of existence. WR Cliff Branch: Raiders (1972-85). Branch was named an All-Pro three times while also winning three Super Bowls with the Raiders. DL Richard Seymour: Patriots (2001-08), Raiders (2009-12). Seymour played a key part on a Patriots defense that won three Super Bowls in a four-year span. Art McNally: Served as an NFL official for nine years (Field Judge, 1959; Referee, 1960-67) before he was hired as the NFL's Supervisor of Officials in 1968. OT Tony Boselli: Jaguars (1995-2001). Boselli was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team in the 1990s even though his career didn't start until the decade was halfway over. Dick Vermeil: Eagles coach (1976-82), Rams coach (1997-99), Chiefs coach (2001-05). Vermeil led the Eagles to Super Bowl XV before finally winning a Lombardi Trophy with the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV. |
| You can take a closer look at each player's career on the Hall of Fame's website by clicking here. |
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| 4. Super Bowl LVI picks |
| I've basically spent half my week tracking down everyone's Super Bowl pick here at CBSSports.com and although we don't have every pick in yet -- I promise I'll have all of them by Sunday -- I did have several sent to me over the past 48 hours, so I'm going to share them with you now. |
| As the resident Bengals homer here, I was hoping to see everyone pick the Bengals, but it appears that basically EVERYONE has decided not to take MY feelings into account with their pick. Nearly everyone is picking the Rams and I would just like to put it out there now that I will definitely be giving the silent treatment for the next six months to all Rams pickers. |
| With that in mind, here is what five of our writers see happening in the Super Bowl: |
| Jason La Canfora: Bengals 31-30 over Rams (Cincinnati covers +4). "The Bengals have something special going on here. The win at Arrowhead will only further their belief and determination and I think they have one more upset in them." For a full explanation of La Canfora's Super Bowl pick, be sure to click here. Jeff Kerr: Rams 30-23 over Bengals (Los Angeles covers -4). "Cincinnati is no fluke with their offensive playmakers, second-half defense, and clutch kicker in Evan McPherson. But an offensive line that doesn't give Burrow enough time to make plays against a Rams defensive front loaded with stars is not ideal for a Bengals team trying to win its first Super Bowl. If this game will be determined in the trenches, I have to pick the Rams and that defensive line against the Bengals' biggest weakness." For a full explanation of Kerr's Super Bowl pick, be sure to click here. Cody Benjamin: Rams 29-26 over Bengals (Cincinnati covers +4). "If Aaron Donald and the L.A. D-line show up, and Jalen Ramsey makes a play or two in coverage, Sean McVay's offense should have ample opportunity to get out in front. It'll be close (and confirm the Bengals as legit players in the AFC), but the lean here is a Rams win, marking two straight years where an NFL team proves it can buy its way to a title." For a full explanation of Benjamin's Super Bowl pick, be sure to click here. Jordan Dajani: Rams 27-24 over Bengals (Cincinnati covers +4). "My lean is to the Rams, BUT, I'm not betting on them to cover the spread. I'm taking the points with the Bengals. Out of six games since the divisional round, five have been decided by exactly three points. The only game that was not was the Buffalo Bills vs. Chiefs matchup -- and that went to overtime! Why should we not expect a close game in the Super Bowl? I wouldn't be the least bit shocked if the Bengals win, but I'm more comfortable taking the points." For a full explanation of Dajani's Super Bowl pick, be sure to click here.Tyler Sullivan: Rams 28-23 over Bengals (Los Angeles covers -4). "The Bengals have been a fantastic Cinderella story throughout these playoffs and are an extremely likable club with all their young faces. That said, I do think we're about to strike midnight on this run. A big reason why I'll be laying the 4-point spread and backing the Rams is thanks to a clear mismatch between Los Angeles' pass rush and the Bengals' offensive line." For a full explanation of Sullivan's Super Bowl pick, be sure to click here. |
| 5. Three monstrous bets placed on the Super Bowl and they're all on the Bengals |
| It seems there is someone in existence who has more confidence in the Bengals than I do and I know that because someone just bet $5 MILLION on Cincinnati to win the Super Bowl. That bet is one of three that have been placed this week for more than $1 million. |
| Here's a quick look at the three biggest bets we know about heading into Super Bowl LVI: |
| "Mattress Mack" is betting $5 million on the Bengals money line. This bet is so big that it's THE LARGEST SINGLE BET ever made at a legal sports book in America. The Houston-area mattress king got the Bengals odds at +170, which means if the Bengals win, he'll pocket a cool $8.5 million profit. "Mattress Mack" bets $4.5 million on the Bengals money line. Mack doesn't just have the biggest bet of Super Bowl week, he also has the SECOND biggest bet. Not only does he have the $5 million bet on the Bengals money line, but he also has a separate $4.5 million bet. Basically, if the Bengals win, there's probably going to be a big party at Mack's house. If Mack wins both bets, he'll take home $16.2 million in profit. Someone bet $1 million on a Bengals parlay. It's not often you see someone put $1 million on a parlay, but that's exactly what happened at the Draft Kings sports book . The bettor is taking the Bengals money line and the under (the total set at 48.5 points). If the parlay hits, the payout will be $4.15 million. It seems that "Mattress Mack" and I aren't the only two people who are confident in the Bengals this weekend. |
| I will also be betting on the Bengals, but I won't be placing a $1 million wager and that's mostly because my wife would kill me, and also I don't have $1 million. |
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| 6. Rapid-fire roundup: Tom Brady's final TD ball is being auctioned |
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| It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. |
Tom Brady's final TD ball is being auctioned. For the second time this season, Mike Evans accidentally gave away a historic football and for the second time this season, someone is going to cash in on his decision. Evans caught the final TD of Brady's career, but since he didn't know it was going to be the final TD, he threw the ball in the stands. The fan who caught it is now auctioning it off for a serious amount of money. You can read Evans' take on the situation by clicking here.
Jaguars expected to hire Press Taylor as offensive coordinator. Doug Pederson appears to have found his offensive coordinator and for the hire, he decided to go with a bloodline that's having a lot of success in the NFL right now. Pederson is expected to hire Taylor, who is the brother of Bengals coach Zac Taylor. Wes Welker likely to join Dolphins coaching staff. The longtime NFL receiver, who retired as a player in 2015, is expected to continue his coaching career in Miami. Welker is set to be hired as the Dolphins receivers coach after spending three years in San Francisco in the same position. Super Bowl ticket prices are plunging. Last week, the cheapest ticket to the big game was more than $5,000, but that price has cratered over the past 48 hours. Tickets were selling for under $3,000 this week, which is basically dirt cheap for a Super Bowl. Emmanuel Sanders contemplating retirement. During an interview on Thursday, the Bills receiver dropped a bomb: He's considering retirement. "I've got a daughter getting older. And for the past three years, [I've] been traveling and moving from team to team, trying to win a Super Bowl. But I've got some reflecting I want to want to do and possibly retire. I don't know yet." Sanders, who has played for five teams over a 12-year career, will turn 35 in March. |
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| | | | | PGA on CBS | | Presented By Marines | CBS heads to the WM Phoenix Open this weekend where defending champion Brooks Koepka, along with Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm are just a few of the big names who will be competing. Tune in for third-round coverage Saturday at 3 PM ET with final-round coverage Sunday at 3 PM ET.
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