1. The final score of Monday-night’s wild-card matchup between the Cowboys and Bucs was 31–14. The over/under for the game was 45.5.
With Dallas kicker Brett Maher remarkably missing FOUR extra points during the game, he sent Peyton Manning into a tailspin during ESPN’s ManningCast presentation.
Maher also quickly became Public Enemy No. 1 with over bettors and was the target of some wild speculation.
Here we have two former NFL players, running back Fred Taylor and wide receiver Derrick Mason, tweeting that Maher’s kicks may actually have been connected to point shaving, which, even as a joke, is a stunning thing for former players to even mention.
Of course, anyone who thinks Maher would miss extra points on purpose is not playing with a full deck. The kicker makes just about a million dollars a year. He doesn’t need to be part of a point-shaving scandal.
However, this didn’t stop a lot of people who lost money on the over from hilariously calling for Maher to be investigated, with some of these angry folks even tagging the FBI.
This individual who did not hit the over 45.5 not only wants the FBI to look into Maher’s actions but is also involving God and Oprah.
Meanwhile, the scene at a Dallas watch party for Maher’s PAT attempts was highly amusing. Look at the reaction after Maher missed his fourth extra point.
After Maher finally nailed his fifth extra-point attempt, the crowd went wild.
Anyway, this is as good a time as any to say: Kickers don’t have it easy. They have to trot out there once in a while to do something that everyone watching at home thinks they can do and if they screw up, they get mocked.
Hell, they get mocked even if they don’t miss. They get mocked just for being kickers.
2. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy celebrated his team’s playoff win last night like a man who just saved his job.
3. I can’t remember a player ever ripping the refs as badly as Joey Bosa did Monday.
4. This was a great exchange between the Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. and LeBron, who couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
5. WFAN morning host Gregg Giannotti is a Vikings fan. Not only did he have to watch this team lose to the Giants on Sunday, but he had to do it while being annoyed by family members. If you’re a football fan in any way, you will appreciate this clip.
6. This week’s SI Media Podcast features an interview with ESPN’s Troy Aikman. Topics covered include:
• Being on-air for Damar Hamlin’s injury
• NFL’s quality-of-play problem
• First year at ESPN
• Why Tom Brady is still good
Following Aikman, Sal Licata from WFAN in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss the best bets for wild-card weekend, the problem with the national title game, a tipping dilemma and 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.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 92nd birthday to the great James Earl Jones.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
