1. You all know the deal about the Patriots’ 14–10 win against the Bills on Monday. The 40-mph wind conditions led to New England throwing only three passes in the game while rushing for 222 yards. It was a Bill Belichick classic, with the greatest NFL coach of all time embarrassing his counterpart, Sean McDermott.
After the win, a very happy Belichick briefly spoke to his team in the locker room and started his speech by saying, “That’s why we practice in that s---.”
If you’re a sports fan who has a thing for memorable quotes, Belichick’s line should’ve instantly reminded you of a classic moment from his former boss, Bill Parcells.
Who can forget the clip of the then Giants coach bent over on the sideline addressing his defense, telling them, “This is why you lift all them weights. This is why you do all that s---.”
Since we’re talking Belichick and Parcells, this is also a wonderful time to remember the time the two Bills teamed up to humiliate the Jets during an ESPN 30-for-30.
Legends.
2. Here is the latest installment of “Bad Beats.” Stanford Steve will be the guest on this week’s SI Media Podcast, out Thursday.
3. The ManningCast got a slight bump in viewers thanks to a great matchup this week. After drawing 1.55 million viewers and 1.57 million viewers for their previous two games, Peyton and Eli drew 1.63 million viewers this week.
4. Give this person an A+ for creativity after mashing up Lincoln Riley’s ridiculous introductory press conference and Saturday Night Live’s “What’s Up With That” skit.
5. This was a very cool goal scored by the Ducks’ Sonny Milano, thanks to a sick assist from Trevor Zegras.
6. This week's SI Media Podcast features a conversation with author and reporter James Andrew Miller.
Miller has a new book, Tinderbox, out about the history of HBO. During the podcast, we discussed how The Sopranos initially tested poorly with audiences and the huge curveball that was thrown at the show during the famous “Pine Barrens” episode.
Other HBO topics covered during our chat include the demise of Inside the NFL, the behind-the-scenes problems at The Larry Sanders Show, how Curb Your Enthusiasm was never intended to be a series and how House of Cards and The Crown had a significant impact on HBO.
Before we talked about Miller’s new book, we discussed the future of the ManningCast, the NFL’s big ratings this season and more.
Following the interview with Miller is the weekly "Traina Thoughts" segment with Sal Licata from WFAN. This week’s topics include the college football coaching madness, the breakup between Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, our Mount Rushmore of HBO shows and the latest episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
