Film School: Championship Game Picks

“Hope is a waking dream.” -Aristotle

Under the spattering of August stars, a 500 ml glass Coke in hand and the latest silver screen film rolling at 24 frames per second, Takis felt alive, limitless, and transcendent. Ciné Lux, Argos’ open-air cinema, was the one place Takis wasn’t a villager. He was an Al Pacino gangster, a Clint Eastwood outlaw, a Humphrey Bogart lover, and a Bruce Lee Kung Fu master. 

He’d do whatever he could to save up a few drachmae for the next release. He was persistent and found his way into the rotation for post-show cleanup in between the early and late showings. Maki, the cinema owner, admired Taki’s passion and saw his younger wanderlust self in him.

They’d sit around stacking flyers and ticket books, discussing the merits of Hitchcock, Coppola, Welles, Wilder, and Scorsese. They’d talk framing, angles, lighting, and composition. Taki would batter Maki with questions about faraway places and peoples. 

It was no surprise that with Makis’ help and against his parents' wishes, he mailed off an application, stashed away savings, and bolted off to La Femis film school in Paris. No one from Argos did anything like that, but cinema had transposed him literally as well as figuratively. His curiosity and wonder could not be undone.

The day he invited Makis to Cannes for a walk down the red carpet and a Palme d’Or celebration of his editing excellence was a full-circle moment.

While he’s a pigskin guy at his core, McVay is a student of leading men. He honors and hones this craft with a hunger and curiosity that belie his Daytona and Georgia roots. His leadership inspiration extends beyond the gridiron as he counts Mikel Arteta of Arsenal FC, Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, and author Jon Gordon as personal confidantes and inspirations. The Rams about-faced in 2017, from the lowest-scoring offense to the division title and the league’s highest-scoring offense, and it was just the beginning. Now the league is littered with young, offensive minded coaches and quarterbacks he helped as a pupil. His people first, players second philosophy instills confidence and perhaps the kind of outsized confidence that will take Seattle, the “12th Man” and their upstart Birds to the woodshed. 

When Kyren Williams broke his foot during his rookie training camp as a fifth rounder, McVay took him under his wing. "Coach McVay, like I said, he's more worried about me as a human being than as a player…” He inspired Shula with John Carroll D3 references, recounting his success there when self-doubt tried to creep in. In that environment, players and coaches are free to experiment and play freely. 

It’s this mythic mastery of something intangible that gives the Rams the edge here. Between the experience and McVay's understanding of how to attack Seattle's vaunted defense, the Greek Uncles in Chicago take the Rams (+2.5). Seattle looked great last week when they took apart the Niners, but beware of the team that looked too good the previous week in the playoffs. 

The New England at Denver game is difficult to predict because of the Stidham factor. It swung the line about 5 points in the Pats favor. Does the loss of Nix warrant that big of a shift? Did he get injured in the game, or are the rumors true that he hurt himself in a locker room celebration after the game last week?

Denver's talented defense has not looked great in the last month or so. The Pats defense, meanwhile, has gotten better and is healthy. Maye had a spectacular season, but he has started slowly in the playoff games, and his offensive line has not protected him enough. The potential for turnovers should be limited if the Pats take care of the ball. Go with the Pats (-4.5) despite the obvious value in going the other way.

Last Week 2-2

Season 34-28