Also in Traina Thoughts: another disaster robbing the passer-by; Derek Jeter and Eli Manning engage in a diaper change match; The NBA team makes the wave and more.
1. Brock Purdy came on the scene three weeks ago when he had to take over as Niners quarterback from Jimmy Garoppolo due to an injury. He’s already become one of the most popular players in the NFL.
Sports fans love Cinderella stories, and when the final pick of this year’s draft takes on a team that has a real chance of winning the Super Bowl, Cinderella is about as it gets. Especially if he plays well.
Also, people seem to really take off when they say, “Mr. Irrelevant.” It’s like those random sports facts that people keep bringing up as if it’s news. Like how Todd Frazier once stood alongside Derek Jeter at a game as a kid and then became a Yankee. Or, “Ryan Fitzpatrick went to Harvard. “
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Part of the appeal of Purdy’s story is that he’s just a 22-year-old rookie who looks 16 but plays like he’s 30.
In his three games since taking over from Jimmy G (all wins), including two starts, Purdy has completed 58 of 84 passes for 612 yards, throwing six touchdowns, pushing for one more and throwing just one interception.
All of this means Purdy is becoming an iconic figure in the NFL world. Here’s a recap of how social media is reacting to the NFL’s newest star.
2. On Monday, I wrote that Sunday’s Chargers-Dolphins game featured the worst roughing-the-passer call of the season. The judges clearly wanted to make the competition for the honor tough, so they gave us this gem last night.
3. Derek Jeter was a guest on Eli Manning’s internet show, and at the 13-minute mark, the duo had a contest to see who could be the quickest to change a diaper, double-knot a pair of sneakers, and make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich could .
4. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen players join the fans at the wave before, but that’s exactly what happened Thursday night as Grizzlies players got in on the action while blowing out the Bucks .
5. ESPN is going all out for the two college football playoff semifinals that will be played on December 31st. Each game will have nine different TV shows for you to tune into.
6. The Latest SI Media Podcast consists of three segments.
The show opens with a chat with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim about longtime colleague Grant Wahl, who tragically died at the age of 49 while covering the World Cup. Wertheim opens up about Wahl’s love of football, his rise at SI and the kind of person Grant was.
After Wertheim, Fox Sports’ Greg Olsen joins the podcast to talk about his first year as the network’s senior NFL analyst, what it’s like to have Tom Brady raring to go to take his job, and what he said to Brady than he’s seen before this season, what he wants to improve about his shows, his partnership with Kevin Burkhardt and much more.
Olsen is joined by Sal Licata from WFAN Radio and SNY TV in New York for our weekly Traina Thoughts segment. This week we’re covering some awesome stories from Bill Belichick, Twitter’s new tick system and the stress of tipping while on vacation.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it from Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I saw this video about old pirate manager Jim Leyland and his temper on TikTok last night and had to share it because it’s so good.
Be sure to catch up on previous issues of Traina Thoughts and watch the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
