The 2021 NFL Week 10 Roundup | Let’s Take a Walk
AND Now a Word from Our Sponsor
THIS past October 24th, the city of Austin, TX welcomed 110 million global television viewers to brilliantly sunny 81 degree picture-perfect weather and downhome Texan hospitality. It also set the turnstiles spinning freely with a staggering 140,000 in-person attendees. The event which might have escaped your radar detector? Formula One’s 17th Calendar Event of the year (of 22), the first and ONLY pitstop in the United States since 2019. A word salad, it’s officially entitled The United States Grand Prix Circuit of the Americas. It was with much fanfare that the trumpets blared, the 1050 horsepower engines revved and the high-tech carbon fiber monocoque bodies glistened alluringly in the bright sunshine. AND the marketing muscle of Disney conveyed the noisy motorsports action to American viewers via ABC and ESPN (head-to-head with NFL). It was a well-publicized and slickly-crafted production of, essentially, racecars going in circles 75 times over the course of two hours. Pass the popcorn…and the remote please. Well, that’s just the type of gut reaction that Formula One is attempting to dispel. And what better way to showcase the storied glamor, fevered competition and the personalities inhabiting it ALL than with the much-celebrated Grid Walk? So THAT Grid Walk! Eeeeech Let’s just say that the softball, boilerplate pre-race tradition didn’t quite unfold as planned. You might have seen it making its rounds on social media, no not on TV because who watches F1 stateside? The Grid Walk that transpired went viral for all the wrong reasons, involving pop rap star Megan Thee Stallion and setting the stage for a Formula One policy overcorrection so tone-deaf that powerful shudders of cringe are still being felt to this day.
BUT to understand the Formula One’s much-heralded Grid Walk is to understand its namesake. The Grid in Formula One racing is a carefully calibrated reflection of the ambitious worldwide Sport it aspires so desperately to be. You might have seen one without actually noticing especially if you happen to be a NASCAR fan. For the uninitiated, The Grid in Formula One is comprised of all 20 cars in a race (2 per Team) arranged in pairs front to back. Race car drivers battle in pre-race day qualifying heats to place as close to the front of the Grid as possible with the lead position termed the familiar Pole Position. In any event, the Grid is the locked starting position for all participating drivers. It also showcases for fans and the world the pantheon of talent the Sport regularly makes into household names; Lewis Hamilton for starters. Arguably in 1997, UK TV network ITV debuted what is now celebrated as the Grid Walk. In it, viewers at home were treated via untethered reporter/camera to pre-race on-track interactions with the nerve-wracked drivers, up-close 360 degree panoramas of their $700,000 machined thoroughbreds and the randomized chaos that can befall a live event complete with harried pit crews, surly Ownership, and detached Formula One leadership. It was an instant, unscripted classic that brought in-home viewers a measure of immediacy, relatability and aspiration that oceans of booth commentary could never deliver. Formula One officials were scribbling notes furiously especially as ratings data illustrated that Grid Walks frequently outrated the celebrated races they proceeded. And the Grid Walk was soon to find its lead singer.
Martin Brundle is a storied Formula One driver whose contemporaries include the legendary Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. In 1996 after 19 successful years in the Sport, Martin officially retired from racing after failing to field a Team to employ him. And as luck would have it, as a Formula One door slammed shut an ITV broadcasting one beckoned. ITV had landed Formula One television rights and needed an on-air commentating team to accompany them. And so it was a natural fit for Martin to come aboard. His depth of knowledge, improv skills, wealth of relationships with the sport’s royalty, unvarnished honesty and self-deprecating humor lent themselves favorably to the standout debut he was slated to enjoy. Martin’s 1997 seminal Grid Walk for ITV is the loosey goosey template upon which all others who have come forth since, rest. The roving reporter with camera in tow freewheeling about the Grid bounding from driver to driver in real time with no discernable production plan or off-limits topics was instant TV gold. It was also a model that served him well, perfecting it along the way, as Formula One rights hopscotched from ITV to BBC and finally to Sky Sports in 2011 where he’s been based ever since. In the United Kingdom, Martin Brundle is the voice of Formula One. In the United States, he’s an undisciplined sideline reporter without boundaries speaking for a Sport still struggling mightily for relevancy.
Martin’s inability to connect these two parallels (arising from pride or ignorance, maybe a little of both), did him little favors as he reported from the Grid Walk three weeks ago in his irreverent stream-of-consciousness trademark style ricocheting between the freshly painted concrete K-barriers. NOW in the 24 years since its inception, the Grid Walk has mushroomed into its own cottage industry overstuffed with marketing tie-ins and paid promotions, closely mirroring the cautionary evolution of its host Sport. Look no further than the race cars themselves to capture the scope of sponsorships involved; 27 for Team Mercedes (Marriott among them thank you very much), 38 for Team Red Bull Racing and 52 for Team McLaren (Hilton interestingly enough) to render a few in painstaking detail. And as the sponsorship rolls lengthen, so too does the red carpet at signature Formula One events. With hundreds of sponsors, it’s very easy to imagine a velvet roped line of corporate marketing staffs armed with sharp elbows. And that’s what Grid Walks in 2021 have devolved into. Armies of marketers and the occasional celebrity flooding the Grid with hyperventilation thirsting for that sublime Insta-trap. It’s become so commercially chaotic that drivers now rarely venture out onto the Grid until the last minute just before its cleared of the roving circus.
Which brings us to the hapless Martin Brundle as he happened upon megawatt superstar rapper Megan Thee Stallion, surrounded by her entourage, making her way from the Team Red Bull Racing paddock. Megan, ever the business person, was there for Business. She revels in a 9-figure partnership deal with Cash App which in turn sponsors Team Red Bull Racing. The invite to a paid appearance flew out the door on its own and Megan’s Team happily accepted. She even got into the festive mood embroidering the Cash App logo onto her outfit, painting her nails in the Cash App theme colors and offering up a Cash App takeover of her Insta and Twitter feeds for the special occasion. Pit appearances and photo ops consumed most of Megan’s time on the Grid and in remarks to Team Red Bull Racing thoroughly enjoyed her time but that she needed to catch a plane to her next event. She thanked everyone and made for a gracious retreat. Well with her engagements completed for the day, Megan headed swiftly for the exit. And THAT’S when Martin sprang into action. It begins innocently enough as Megan approaches Martin waving hello warmly, still briskly walking. Martin introduces himself as he outlines her fame. So far so good. Just then, her foremost bodyguard slows down and pushes Martin away as if a swatter to a common housefly. It’s clear at this point his introduction landed on deaf ears. Martin persists with his line of questioning and Megan is OPEN to it, playfully shooing away her protective guardsman. She’s all-in UNTIL IT happens. Martin veers wildly into Category CRINGE. He presumptuously asks for an impromptu Formula One rap right there on the Grid, on the spot. AS if she were some on-demand puppet. Megan laughs — incredulous — and good naturedly declines his request: I have no rap today, I’m sorry, she replies. At this point, her Team gets the message and en-masse brushes past Martin shoving him aside. Megan and her entourage slink off into the distance, the camera whips around to Martin where he does his best to spin the awkward encounter, complimenting Megan. He zigged to her zag and all was right in the world once again.
Watch the interaction unfold here:
BUT In a tweet almost 21 hours after the incident went viral, Marin had some thoughts. He felt the entire episode was avoidable and that “bodyguards visiting the Grid for the first time don’t bother [him], everyone’s got a job to do…but they could maybe learn some manners and respect on our patch [thinking emoji]”. Further, in televised remarks covering the Grand Prix Mexico City two weekends ago, Martin’s revisionist history took root where he complained of Megan completely ignoring him. Watch the clip again, your eyes do not deceive as Martin is attempting. He jarringly goes on to equate rejection of an interview request as evidence of the interviewee’s non-seriousness with the Sport. Judgey and galling at the same time. Perhaps the most damning outcome of this whole nothingburger on the periphery of Formula One sports, FIA (the Sport’s governing body) has enacted a rule forbidding celebrity bodyguards from the Grid Walk. Because THAT’S the answer. Effective immediately. Jeez, overreaction maybe? It’s clear that Martin is still in his feelings. And that the Sport capitulated to its supposed Voice. What’s worse — beyond his sense of entitlement — is Martin’s incapability of empathy, placing himself in his subject’s shoes. Not everyone responds well to being pointed at and asked to follow. And invisible to Martin, the Sport and the Business it inhabits have changed around him. The heady Formula One days of the 90s with Grid Walks populated with just pitcrew and drivers is LONG gone never to return. Formula One is now a high octane commercial enterprise, a two-headed beastly necessity in the Sport’s yearning for global growth and credibility. Grid Walks have followed in lockstep. And the Business ecosystem the Sport supports is carefully honed, vetted and scripted to gain maximum exposure for Formula One and the sponsoring companies that write the checks. In a perfect world, Martin sees this and might have pre-emptively reached out to Megan to perhaps sketch out a bit, possibly including an “impromptu” rap. Respectful. It’s simply an evolution of a reporter-interviewee relationship more in keeping with the Sport both are there to promote. And it’s a more even-keeled approach than the frantic reporter-on-the loose model Martin once made famous but is now largely confined to a clump of amber. Sure Megan might have still denied him, but at least it wouldn’t have occurred on live international television. And Martin needn’t have been humiliated and exposed as a vengeful spoilsport to the moneyed American audiences Formula Once so despairingly covets. [The United States Grand Prix Circuit of the Americas garnered 1.2M viewers on ABC, a small fraction of concurrent NFL’s 21M-strong viewership on FOX and CBS].
Turning now to Week 11 in the NFL, as with Martin Brundle, there are sour faces sprinkled liberally throughout the League; especially after another upside down week. Having just gotten their messy affairs in order and coming off a blistering road victory in Cincinnati, the Brownies felt confident in taking the road show to Gillette Stadium. That confidence was misplaced as the Pats served up a brimming mug of lukewarm reality paired with 53 full-length vanity mirrors. In a humbling 45–7 battering, Captain Belichick reminds us to never count out NE. Strategic supplements to surround his first round draft pick QB Mac Jones have done wonders to turnaround a ship one thought to be hopelessly out to sea. The Team’s DEF is similarly on-message where they, for instance, sacked CLE QB Baker Mayfield five times. They’re on a 4 game winning streak with their sites set squarely on January. CLE wimpers home, tenants of the ACF North basement. Former NE GOAT, Tom Brady, had his own issues down in Washington where his Bucs suffered an embarrassing defeat to the WFT, 19–29. Things were so bad for Tom Brady that by the end of the 1st quarter, he had thrown for 4 complete passes to receivers: 2 on his Team and 2 to Washington’s DEF. Yikes. Such was the tenor of the game and yard stick for the Tampa Bay loss. Notably, WAS QB Taylor Heinicke had a terrific outing continuing his up and down Season. Over in Glendale, the Cards continue to suffer under the weight of their injuries. Stars Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and Chase Edmunds witnessed the CAR caravan drive into town and burn down the house, 34–10. Sam Darnold who? Cam Newton’s triumphant return to the Team he signed with precisely a decade ago fresh from Auburn was a sight to behold and a hint of the energy he’s ready to showout with. Cam was impactful and credible in the moments he was on-field though sustainability and age crowd the parade. OTHER CAR QB PJ Walker offensively shouldered the balance of the game capably. At 8–2 though, ARI’s nest remains sound. For now.
To the West Coast we go and the Game of the Week honors with Packers at Hawks. The anticipation and will-he-play-won’t-he-play conjecture clouded what was in the end a letdown of a game. SEA was shutout for the first time ever in the Russell Wilson era, evidence that the QB’s rushed return to the field after hand surgery was a pinch hasty. Russell played like a QB who just had surgery on his hand unfortunately for SEA fans. Aaron Rodgers, back from COVID, did manage a W. But his performance was relatively lethargic especially considering the defensive woes SEA is perennially mired in. GB continues to glide atop the NFC North while Seattle at 3–6 hopes to for just a winning Season. Down the coast at SoFi, the Chargers mid-season slump remains undisturbed. QB Justin Herbert doesn’t seem to be connecting as effortlessly, accurately or consistently as he so wonderfully demonstrated in September. The Team endures their 3rd loss in four games. Kirk Cousins and his Vikings, meanwhile, were happy to exploit whatever troubles are roiling the LAC waters, 27–20. Over in Dallas, Dak Prescott rebounded from last week to more closely resemble the MVP-caliber Dak he’s presented the League so far this Season. A 43–3 drubbing of the Falcons resulted. Sure it’s the lowly Falcons but the magnitude of the WIN is stunning nevertheless and buttresses the Team’s NFC East lead . ATL QB Matt Ryan, playing horribly with a hold-you-nose 21 QB rating, is still catching his breath hiding from sunlight. And speaking of resurrections, all of a sudden Patrick Mahomes is BACK. Holy Cow! All of that speculation of spectacular demise in KC were overblown. For a week at least. Patrick offered a 2020 trademark performance (35/50 406yds 5TDs) that pulled his team along with him. The DEF heeded the call and hampered the Raiders to just 14 points in a 41–14 blowout. This week’s victory is a reminder of how this Team can be to dangerous. The weary Raiders continue to wobble like a spinning top.
Finally in our Round Robin, the Colts returned the Urban Meyer-led Jags melee to their downward trajectory, 23–17. This after the Jags impatiently upset the BUF cereal bowl last week. Speaking of the Bills, they’ve refilled their cereal bowl and course-corrected the Jets, 45–17. That Mike White moment burned bright for a while. It’s now out. Lions at Steelers resulting the Season’s first tie doing either Team no favors. With Big Ben out on COVID leave, the Black and Yellow were black and blue trying and trying and trying to put this one away and failing. It was a messy, penalty-laden and sloppy affair that did both opponents in. DET’s Jared Goff has yet to throw a W up on the board as his Team slumps to 0–8–1. NOLA visited the Titans but were turned away disappointed, 21–23 despite a late-game surge and reversed INT that might have knocked down the reigning AFC South champs. And about last night. The battle of two NFC heavyweights has onlookers thinking maybe there is something in the expensive water down in SoFi. The Team entered last night at Levi’s Stadium the odds-on favorites but left for home with reflection. The offensively surging 49ers pummeled LAR, 31–10. The glittery addition of OBJ to the receiving lineup did little to differentiate his diluted time with CLE. Though to be fair, QB Matt Stafford was no Bueno. SF QB Jimmy G? En fuego! AS the Rams attempt to ward off the mid-season slump so entrenched with their co-tenants LAC, SF (lost at 4–5) revels in toppling the Los Angeles apple cart.
