The 2021 NFL Week 3 Roundup | Justin Time
Band Geek
Three years ago in a one-off outgrowth of the NFL’s relentless pursuit of synergistic dominance of American pop culture, the League along with CBS, Sports Illustrated and the NFL Players Association launched a talent show of sorts. Think America’s Got Talent — NFL Edition. Meant to bridge the gap between the post-Season playoffs and the impending Super Bowl (Pats defeating Rams), it was a low-rated televised affair done in by clunky execution and an overestimation of fan interest layered over a Holiday-busy 8 week life span. Nevertheless, waves of online voting at SI.com commenced on December 1, 2017 to identify the six most noteworthy contestants from among the 32 Teams in the League. The absence of fan engagement contrasted mightily with the comical range of talent on offer. From Acro-Yoga (Ameer Adbullah/Lions) to Cooking (Patrick Chung/Pats) to the requisite Juggling act (AJ Green/Bengals) to Archery (Bennie Logan/Chiefs) all the way to Dog Tricks (Kevin Zeitler/Brownies), Poetry (Corey Nelson/Broncos) and Rubik’s Cube domination (Joe Thuney/Pats). You name it, someone in the NFL can do it.
And so it was to be that on Thursday, January 25th at 8pm, they DID. Live on national television the 6 most popular vote-getters vied to be crowned the 2018 NFL MVP — Most Valuable Performer. Don’t worry. I told you there was clunky execution to be had and true to form, viewers of the live CBS broadcast were forced to choose the Top 3 by voting in real-time at CBS.com. CBS.com! Who ever goes there deliberately. THEN the MVP was chosen by — naturally — a celebrity panel: singer Katherine McPhee, “Superior Donuts” star Maz Jobrani and WR Brandon Marshall. Did I mention your host, Sharon Osborne. Well, if there is any such thing as entertainment manufactured by consultants and committee, this show was the poster child. Independent of all this, however, was the distillation of pure inspiration in the final trio. Jonathan Stewart (Panthers) wowed with his alacrity for the ivories in his moody rendition of Adele’s “Hello”. Kevin Zeitler had dog lovers’ hearts apatter with a series of tricks including several touchdown passes thrown to successful completion to his rescue dog, Amber. To be clear, Amber was the receiver not the QB. And finally, who could forget the indelible Justin Tucker (kicker for the Baltimore Ravens). Conveying to the world the NFL’s worst kept secret, Justin belted out the operatic Ave Maria, a signature of Luciano Pavarotti, known for its technically challenging composition, lyrical Latin melancholy and sonic beauty. Justin NAILED the performance, stood humbly silent before his standing ovation and was crowned the 2018 MVP. And with it, $50,000 to his favorite charity, the Baltimore School of the Arts. Bravo, maestro!
Watch the Performance here:
But for Justin, his love affair with music and sports began in the 8th grade and was as interwoven as it was conflicting. He adored the way it made him feel and became addicted to the soul and purpose that to him only music could provide. Versatile and self-taught with such instruments as the trumpet and the guitar, Justin was soon subsumed in a protective paper forest of sheet music, enswirled in melody. At the same time, Justin’s on-field high school talents were just beginning to gain traction. A kicker with unusual distant range, pinpoint accuracy and an odd approach, Justin quickly turned heads both on field and off. Justin knew in his heart of hearts that certainly a student athlete could walk and chew gum at the same time. His Band Director thought otherwise; he forced Justin to choose: Band or Football. Annoyed, Justin spat out his gum and ran toward the uprights. Football carried Justin to loftier heights at the University of Texas where he became a campus celebrity as the prized kicker for the vaunted Longhorns. But the gravity of classical music remained irresistible. Enrolled as a Broadcast Journalism student, Justin famously dropped his chosen major after only one week. He followed his inner tessitura and found home at UT’s famed Butler School of Music. Justin eagerly switched his major to Music and it wasn’t long before fully developing his bass-baritone and effortlessly delivering opera in seven languages (English/French/Spanish/German/Latin/Czech/Russian) to so-called Voice Juries who alone determined one’s ability to remain in the School of Music. Twice per year. At the same time, Justin accelerated ever higher on the field of play, tying a ribbon on his last-second Longhorn victory over Texas A&M with a 40 yard field goal in 2011 (his senior year). For fun, Justin chewed gum the entirely of the game. The irony was probably lost on his high school Band Director watching — cluelessly — at home.
That irony was palpable to the Ravens who wisely picked up the undrafted rookie the very next year in 2012. The consummate professional, Justin relished in working with kicking coaches, and taking 60 practice kicks daily. And THEN studying film of each attempt in agonizing detail. Such is Justin’s dedication to his craft. That dedication has rewarded the Ravens and fans alike with his decorations of operatic proportions: Most accurate kicker in NFL history, Most Seasons with 30 made FGs, Fastest kicker to 1000 points EVER. The list goes on an on and on. And that list got longer by one just two days ago when Justin kicked into the history books the longest EVER field goal in NFL history at 66 yards with 3 seconds left in the game. That’s 2/3 the length of the field itself. Bonkers is the confidence exhibited in landing such a heroic feat and delivering a knockout punch to the opposing Lions. Sure it bounced jussssssst ever so gently on the upright crossbar, but the dramatic flourish that resulted was unmistakable. Scarier still, Justin routinely fields successful attempts at 85 yards in practice at which point the collective thought is that he’s just showing OUT. Nevertheless, While the Ravens shook their tailfeathers, the Lions were seen slinking away singing the blues.
Which brings us right back to where we began and Justin’s anointment as the one and only NFL Most Valuable Performer in 2018. Subsequent iterations were shelved due to widespread disinterest in the concept. Which is not to diminish Justin’s trophy one iota. In accepting his award, he recalled what it takes to maintain such a classical skill. Muscle coordination. Serene calm. Stone-cold confidence. Practiced dexterity. Instinctual focus. Dramatic storytelling. Exuberant stamina. Blind-folded, you’d be hard-pressed to discern whether he was speaking of his Italiianesue bel-canto-style side hustle or his main gridiron gig. Which is just as well. What Justin was told he could not do at age 18, he manages as effortlessly and with all the ironic comedic sparkle and elan, of say, Le Nozze di Figaro. To all those Band Directors out there: Turns out you CAN bellow out arias AND kick with precision through uprights at the same time. The audience erupts and the house come crashing down. Now THAT’S synergy! Not too shabby for an MVP.
Turning now to Week 3 action, it was quite the MVP week for Los Angeles. First up, Chargers at Chiefs resulted in a surprising KC deflationary effort. The Chiefs didn’t play like the defending AFC champions from just this past year and they certainly looked like they were being stress-tested in real-time. VERY unusual for a team so offensively gifted. The illness even afflicted star Patrick Mahomes (27/44 260 yds 3TD 2 INT) who just doesn’t seem himself of late. Known for pressure-free strategic, painfully accurate bombs, Patrick was intercepted twice. WOW. ON the other side of the ledger, the Charges exploded for the WIN, 30–24. Sophomore QB Justin Herbert is developing nicely into the sensation he’s likely to become. An incredibly efficient outing (26/38 281 yds 4TD 0 INT) and offensive onslaught that simply outgunned the Chiefs had them on their heels knocked ALL the way over, guns tightly holstered. At 1–2 on the Season, a 3 alarm fire rages in KC as Chargers yelp: Hold my beer. Meanwhile, LA’s OTHER team, the Rams, were busy yanking Tampa Bay back down to reality and extinguishing any talk of some theoretical unbeaten 2021 Season. Just three weeks in, LAR’s savvy trade for veteran Matt Stafford is looking more and more like a heist carried our in broad daylight while no could be bothered to care. Well they care now; now that they see and feel the apocalyptic force Matt’s delivering with his offensive squad, including WR Cooper Kupp. Bucs Defense could not bail out enough water fast enough to save the sinking ship amid the offensive downpour. Tom Brady continued in his ways but as is the adage, one man a team does not make. The Rams snatch victory, 34–24, and TB’s much dreamed for unbeaten Season (so far) at 3–0.
Over in Minnesota, yet more Cracker Jack surprises, where the Vikings dispensed a surprising Loss to the visiting Seahawks, 30–17. Kirk Cousins pulled out yet another incredible performance (30/38 323 yds 3TD) in the journeyman’s career already overflowing with them. The strong offensive showing easily diffused SEA’s traditionally weak Defense. Sunday proved no exception. Unexceptional, too, was Russel Wilson as he maintains he’s staying in Seattle despite the chattering class. More Team performances like that on Sunday and a continued underwater Season (at 1–2) might have him reconsidering never saying never thing. That same chattering class was busy watching, absorbing and receiving Pittsburgh’s stunning LOSS (10–24) to AFC North running joke, the Cincy Bungles. The inevitable talk of Big Ben succession plans surfaced yet again with the star QB, injury recovered, struggling and being outplayed by a QB half his age in Joe Burrow. An injury-depleted Defense offered no help to Pittsburgh’s already bleak situation. Quite the comedown for a Team who just last year went 11–0 before collapse. 2021 is unfolding unfortunately in catastrophic fashion for Steel City. As For Cincy, the W is perhaps more a momentary shiny object than a queue to stop the laugh track. NO laugh tracks for the Cards who offed the Jags with Arizona ease, 31–19. QB Kyler Murray and RB James Connor (formerly of the Steelers) together were unstoppable. Urban Meyers continues to flounder along with rookie Trevor Lawrence, who collects 2 more INTs this week. Remember Minshewmania from last year? JAX fans do.
And lastly in our Round Robin, Buffalo vanquished Washington (43–21) in a game noteworthy for a splashy BUF QB Josh Allen outing. More of that please as the Team looks to further their progress in the post-season versus a tough 202 loss to KC in the AFC Championship Game just short of the Super Bowl. AS for New England, looks like last week really was a fluke. A strong showing against the lowly Jets didn’t translate so easily to this week’s loss to the Saints, 13–28. A contention-caliber Team in NOLA and another rock-steady outing from QB Jameis Winston was the recipe for Pats disappointment. A NE offensive collapse led and let down by rookie QB Mac Jones worsened an already grim situation. The Pats stand at 1–2 and Captain Belichick was seen hodie-WITH-sleeves for a change, the better to weep into. The Raiders coast to 3–0 on the Season behind yet another masterclass Derek Carr offering while their opposing Dolphins flop to 1–2 and wonder when exactly the good times are supposed to start. Green Bay fans know when that point is and it began in Week 2. It vividly flows into Week 3 where Aaron Rodgers sealed a signature last-second comeback victory over the 49ers in a game that was beset with an uncharacteristically error-prone SF QB Jimmy G. Last night’s DAL-PHL game showcased the powerhouse that America’s Team can alloy into and the promise that bubbles so vigorously beneath the surface. Such was the skilled and powerful might displayed on both sides of the DAL ball. The Cowboys are to be the ones to beat in the NFC Least. OH ya, the Giants, the Colts, da Bears and the Jets plumb the depths of the distaste their fans can stomach. That smell you’re recoiling from? It’s them.
