5Hundred: Yes, That Just Happened #SB51 (2/6/17)

Alright, let’s skip the intro and get straight into it.  You know what the top story of the day is.

1) Patriots Win Super Bowl LI 34-28 in OT: Is this real life?  I’m still in recovery mode from the insanity that was yesterday’s Super Bowl.  I’ve got a full recap coming tomorrow, but here are a few quick thoughts.  I’m amazed by the mental fortitude the Patriots showed after trailing 28-3.  How is a 25-point comeback against the league’s #1 offense even possible?  Also, the Falcons’ play calling up 28-20 on the Patriots 22 has to be called into question.  Any points virtually end the game, so why wouldn’t you run the ball three times?  Instead, a sack and a holding penalty on passes take the Falcons out of field goal range.

2) NFL Honors 2017 Results: On Saturday night, Matt Ryan was awarded NFL MVP for the 2016 season.  I completely agree with the decision, but the full voting results were interesting, to say the least.  Six guys received votes in total, and I was surprised six votes went to Derek Carr and Dak Prescott even got a vote while Aaron Rodgers earned just two (despite receiving 11 votes for Offensive Player of the Year).  Additionally, Ezekiel Elliott received six MVP votes to Prescott’s one, but Prescott won Rookie of the Year.  I’m mostly fine with the other results, but you have to question the voters’ rationale here.

3) Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017 Announced: Also announced at the NFL Honors were this year’s Hall of Fame class.  Among the inductees are LaDanian Tomlinson, Kurt Warner, Terrell Davis, Morten Andersen (the NFL’s all-time leading scorer), and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.  However, one person not among the seven to be enshrined in Canton on Aug. 5 is Terrell Owens.  The controversial T.O. spent 15 seasons in the league from 1996-2010 and currently ranks second in league history with nearly 16,000 receiving yards and third with 153 touchdowns.  Regardless of your opinion of Owens, there is no doubt he should’ve made the Hall of Fame this year.  The numbers speak for themselves.

4) The Crowd Blows it for the Bonnies: St. Bonaventure’s men’s basketball team was playing a huge home game against first-place VCU, with the opportunity to earn a huge win for their resume.  Down two points, the Bonnies hit a three-pointer with .4 seconds left in the game.  However, fans stormed the court, and the crowd was issued a technical foul, allowing VCU to hit a free throw, sending the game to overtime.  They eventually won.  There is much controversy surrounding the call, but I side with the referees on this one.  It’s a terrible situation, but rules are rules.  The fans really blew this one for their team.

5) Will the UConn Women’s Streak Ever End?: Will the Huskies ever lose?  The UConn women have now won 97 straight games following a 97-50 victory over Tulsa on Sunday.  This season, Geno Auriemma’s team are 22-0 with an average margin of victory of 32 points.  Since the start of the 2013-14 season, UConn is 138-1, and over the last ten seasons, they are 356-14, with six National Championships.  They’re unbelievable, but I’m undecided on whether their success is helping or hurting the game.  On one side, the incredible streak brings attention to women’s basketball.  However, since they always win, many people might find it pointless to watch a game with such a predictable result.

I’m really interested in what you think on some of these stories.  Should Prescott have won Rookie of the Year, or was Elliott robbed?  What about the St. Bonaventure refs?  Did they make the right decision?  What effect does UConn’s dominance have on women’s college basketball?  Comment below.