Sam Presti has his little saying he shares with the passive submissive Oklahoma sissy-boy scribes who attend his annual State of the Thunder address.
It goes like this:
“Scared money, don’t make none.”
In the world of big-time pro sports…I would agree with him.
“Scared money, don’t win championships, either.”
And that’s why the Oklahoma City Thunder are never going to win a championship and the LA Rams just won a Super Bowl.
Cooper Kupp won the MVP, which I don’t have a problem with because he just had the best ever season by a wide receiver in the history of the NFL. Period. Jerry Rice was great, but what Cooper did this football season will be one of those records you can’t ignore. So, I think it’s cool he had this moment.
But long story short, it’s hard to win a Super Bowl when your quarterback is a decision-making liability trainwreck. Ask LeBron and Anthony Davis how they feel about that statement.
Ask yourself this… “Does Jared Goff make all those passes on that last drive to win a Super Bowl?”
Or ask the 49’er players if they think they can win a Super Bowl with Jimmy G?
As I wrote in my Super Bowl preview…the Rams knew their window with Aaron Donald was closing. The Rams didn’t go out and acquire Randy Foye, Dion Waiters, and Anthony Morrow to win Aaron Donald that imaginary ring he immediately pointed to on his on finger as time expired in So-Fi Stadium.
No. No… and no.
The Rams listened to Sam Presti and said to themselves…”Scared money don’t make none.”
That’s what they did, pure and simple.
They traded Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford. They acquired Soni Michell. They acquired Von Miller who recruited Odell Beckham-Junior and it all came together just right.
The Bengals will be kicking themselves for losing this game. They led almost the entire second half. It was their game, but when push came to shove… they couldn’t make the winning plays at closing time.
Zac Taylor is a young coach and I think he got exposed in the second half kind of like Sean McVay did in his first Super Bowl where he got beat by Bill Belichick.
He kind of lost himself in the second half. Didn’t stay with Joe Mixon and the run game which was gashing the Rams and thus giving Joe Burrow time enough to throw.
Stat of the game, easy…when the Bengals stayed committed to the run Joe Burrow was sacked but one time in the first half. When they strayed from the run…Aaron Donald and Company teed off on Joe Burrow sacking him six times in the second half. A Super Bowl record of seven sacks in total.
When the Bengal coaches watch the film in that second-half they’ll kick themselves for what could have been.
It was their game, but they didn’t close. Didn’t ring the bell.
Sure…they’re young, but getting back to the Super Bowl won’t be easy with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Derek Carr with possibly a good quarterback moving to Denver.
Just because you have a young team doesn’t mean it’s an automatic you get back to a Super Bowl.
In the age of collective bargaining, NFL dynasties minus Tom Brady, aren’t an easy thing to maintain.
Ask Sam Presti…his Thunder team never got back to the NBA Finals after the 2012-13 season. Chances are they won’t ever again in my lifetime.
And you know why?
I can tell you why…just how I told you what it would feel like for the Lindsey Grahams and Ted Cruzes of the world to feel between Liz Cheney’s legs.
Sam Presti…if you’re reading…here we go.
Here’s the answer…. “Scared money don’t make none or win championships, either.”
If you’re scared… then move the team to either Seattle or Las Vegas.
The end.