It’s time to get your head straight.  It’s back to work for everyone today after the better part of two weeks of holidays, sick days, and “use em up, or lose em” vacation days.

Randomly on the menu today is a big serving of NFL wild card weekend, some pop entertainment, increased tensions with Iran, and a golden Golden Globe master of ceremonies opening speech.  Chow time.

1. Three of four home teams (division winners) historically win on wild card weekend.  Road winners Tennessee, Minnesota, and Seattle made it three of four road teams this weekend though.
2. Two words of advice for the media and over reacting fans and foes regarding Tom Brady and Drew Brees are “CALM Down!”  Both of them (Brady, perhaps a bit more than Brees) has lost a bit off of his fastball.  Brady was never mobile and Brees looked ordinary in a collapsing pocket yesterday.  But, both of them are the primary reasons why their teams got to the three seed to begin with.
3. Both of them had fewer reliable weapons around them this year than in year’s past.  Tennessee and Minnesota both saw this and schemed effectively to make NE and NO earn every yard.  Brady wonders where Gronkowski is.  Brady wonders where the NE run game has run off to.  Brees has no WR target that can gain separation besides “Can’t guard Mike” Thomas.   Thomas was targeted 185 times and caught 149 balls because he had to.  No one else gets open.  Kamara was very ordinary due to injury?  Fatigue?
4. How many quarterbacks in the NFL currently would you take in an open draft over Brees for next year or 2021?  Mahomes? Yes.  Jackson?  Yes.  Rogers? Yes.   Wilson?  Yes.  Watson?  Yes.  Garoppolo?  Maybe.  Stafford?  Maybe.  Prescott?  Maybe.  Everyone else who took a snap this year?  Probably not.
5.  Four numbers to consider for your lottery card this week are 38,33,40, 26.  That’s how many points the eight wild card teams scored in the four games prior to an additional 3 and 6 in the two overtime games.  If you bet the under all weekend good for you.  All season long the public is enamored with the dazzling offenses on display.  Bad teams give up a lot of points.  They also sit home during the playoffs.  Good teams play defense.  They advance in the playoffs.
6.  How weak was the NFC East this year?  Very.  Philly scored 9 at home against Seattle yesterday.  Yes Wentz went out with an injury.  Who says with him the would have scored more anyway?  Dallas sat home at 8-8 and is interviewing new head coaching candidates.   The New York Football Giants are a hot mess and have the fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft.  That’s a nice way of saying they finished 4-12 and were the fourth worst team in the NFL.  Washington fired their coach in October and have the second overall pick in the draft.  That’s a nice way of saying they finished 3-13 and were the second worst team in the NFL.
7. Historically three out of four home teams advance in the divisional round that takes place this coming weekend.  They are the #1 and #2 seeds for a reason.  Having this past weekend off and staying home for this weekend is a big advantage, perhaps the biggest advantage in all of major sports in playoff seedings.  Vegas agrees.  The 49ers are a 6 and 1/2 point favorite pick over the Vikings.  The Ravens are a big 9 point choice over the Titans.  The Chiefs home field advantage is factored into them being a 9 and 1/2 point pick.  And the Packers are favored by 4 over Seattle.
8. Changing gears Madonna announced via Twitter that she moved her family to Portugal.  She abhors what America has become under President Trump.  BBR says kudos to her for that decision as at least she followed through on her “threat” to leave if Trump was elected.  Portugal is a socialist country, so she’ll get to sample what some on the far left want this country to become.  In fact a Gallup poll taken in May of this past year shows 40% of Americans favor it.
9. If you missed Ricky Gervais obliterate Hollywood last evening in his Golden Globe opening monologue, it’s totally worth the 7 minutes and 43 seconds of your time to watch.   It’s candid, frank, and funny.  Besides, you need to pace yourself in the workplace in 2020.  It’s a leap year.  You will need to work an extra day.
10.  Numerous candidates for president for 2020, “media experts,” and the Twitter tweets have taken their turn telling America how bad it was for us to take out the Iranian bad guy Qassem Soleimani.  Joe Biden says “it will drastically increase our prospects of going to war with Iran.”  Perhaps.  But, perhaps the reason our prospects of going to war with Iran increased is because Solemani orchestrated one too many  bombings, assassinations, or IED strikes against Americans and its soldiers?  And, US intel said he was deep into yet another devious plan.  Is it a case of the chicken and the egg?  If so, BBR thinks that Trump has been pushed far enough and he isn’t going to play the role of the chicken in this one.

Speaking of chicken, we hope you enjoyed these nuggets.  Get to work.