The ESPN Daily: The record belongs to Brees, how a Voodoo priestess lifted the Superdome curse and the rapid rise of the deep 3 in the NBA …
Did you know today is National Maple Syrup Day? Well, you do now. I sort of think maple syrup doesn’t get enough love. I bet people hailing from Vermont and Canada would back me up on this. Anyhow, we have some interesting sports-related stuff for you today, including Drew Brees making history. Here’s your ESPN Daily:
Fullback comeback szn …
Where have all the fullbacks gone? It isn’t hyperbole to say the modern NFL has all but abandoned the position. During the 2006 regular season, there were 13,157 offensive snaps from formations with two running backs. By 2018, that number had plummeted to 3,714.
Historically, NFL fullbacks have been some of the hardest working, most beloved players in the sport, but these goliaths of the gridiron have struggled to find success in the spotlight in recent years. However, things are different this season. On today’s episode of the ESPN Daily podcast, FiveThirtyEight’s Josh Hermsmeyer joins host Mina Kimes to explore the decline and recent rise of NFL fullbacks and discuss why utilizing the two-running-back personnel package has been the secret weapon for some of the most successful offenses in the league.
Who ya gonna call? A Voodoo priestess …
I’ve lived enough life to know that a curse is not something to be trifled with, as Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs fans can attest. You see, the New Orleans Saints had not won a playoff game in their first 33 years, going 0-for-3 in their iconic home building. It might feel like ancient history now, but there was a time when the Superdome curse seemed like a very real thing, and people feared that the decision to build the Dome on top of the old Girod Street Cemetery in the 1970s maybe wasn’t the smartest.
Before the 2000 wild-card playoff game against the reigning Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams, the Saints decided to “bring in the big guns” to cleanse the stadium of negative spirits. Voodoo priestess Ava Kay Jones wore a large boa constrictor around her neck and carried a custom-made Voodoo doll, a gris-gris bag and a bottle of gin while being accompanied by drummers and dancers from the Voodoo Macumba Dance Ensemble.
If you fancy yourself an NFL history buff, you already know the Saints got the best of the Rams, securing a 31-28 victory as St. Louis receiver Az-Zahir Hakim dropped a punt in the final minutes. The Saints have won six playoff games in the Superdome since … and that’s all I have to say about that.
McShay mock draft 1.0 … Rejoice, NFL fans: Todd McShay’s first mock for the 2020 NFL Draft is here! You might be interested to know McShay currently has three quarterbacks being taken in the first round (and two going in the top five). Or perhaps you will be intrigued by who he has lauded as the best edge-rushing prospect to enter the draft since Von Miller. Then again, maybe it’s the fact that a certain university (cough, Alabama, cough) could become the first program to have three wide receivers go in the first round that will catch your eye. Whatever it is that gets you fired up, I promise this first run at all 32 first-round picks — since May’s way-too-early predictions — does not disappoint.
He got range ... Just a few years ago, pulling up a yard beyond the arc was a fast track to the bench, where a heavy dose of mocking would inevitably ensue, followed by a guest appearance on Shaqtin’ A Fool. Then Steph Curry happened. In his back-to-back MVP campaigns, Curry single-handedly changed the perception of appropriate shooting distances. Now, these long-range 3-pointers are exploding in popularity across the league.
The rapid rise of the deep 3 is perpetuated by a small group of long-range specialists (Curry, Damian Lillard, James Harden, Luka Doncic and Trae Young) who are changing the way we think about acceptable shots in pro hoops.
“It’ll be, like, an Aflac trivia question in, like, 20 years.”
— Gardner Minshew on beating the Raiders in their final home game in Oakland Read more
On this date in 1978, Manny Pacquiao was born. He went on to be the only boxer in the history of the sport to win 12 major world titles in eight weight divisions. HBD, Pac Man.
Aston Villa vs. Liverpool (2:40 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
North Texas at No. 13 Dayton (men’s basketball, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Hurricanes at Jets (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
North Florida at No. 19 Florida State (men’s basketball, 8:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
Penguins at Flames (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
In exactly two weeks, we’ll be ringing in a new decade. That means it will have been 20 years since Y2K. Remember that? Scary stuff. Pretty relieved the world didn’t end. Whether you’re a Saints fan basking in the wake of Drew Brees’ accomplishment or a big maple syrup enthusiast, here’s hoping you have an above average Tuesday. This has been your ESPN Daily for Dec. 17, 2019.