Flacco? Again?

The Denver Broncos have traded for Joe Flacco and I am forced to ask the question "Who the hell cares?" Flacco has been mediocre and largely disinterested for the past several seasons, and Lamar Jackson had clearly surpassed him on the Ravens' depth chart this year. The "IS JOE FLACCO ELITE?" conversations had long since turned to punchlines. Statistically, he was almost identical to Case Keenum, the guy he's being brought in to replace. The best the Ravens could get for him was reportedly a 4th round pick, which is quite the haul when you consider Flacco's age, results, and ginormous contract.
And yet the hot takes flowed on what this meant because it is NFL quarterback news and nothing is more important in sports than NFL quarterback news. Even if that quarterback is terrible or worse, mediocre, as long as there is some name recognition there we must discuss it, because of course we must.
Fine then. Here's my hot take. Denver's offensive line is terrible and Flacco's salary is going to make it hard for them to do anything about it. Ergo, Flacco won't do any better than Keenum did, and considering where he is on the career curve, may well do worse.
The only real point of interest here is the question of how many QB blunders will John Elway be allowed to make and still keep his job as GM? Keenum joins a long line of discarded Abs who couldn't get it done, though he's more expensive than most. Sooner or later, that's going to come home to roost, and Elway's going to have to answer for it.
Unless, of course, Joe Flacco really is elite. But I wouldn't bet on it.

Your Handy-Dandy Super Bowl 50 Translation Guide:

Sometimes, athletes, coaches and reporters at the Super Bowl say what they mean. This has happened as recently as Max McGee admitting he was hung over after Super Bowl I. Since then, the game has hidden behind an endless curtain of genteel weaselspeak. But that's OK, we're here to clear it up for you:

Denver Kremlinology

There are two narratives for what's going on in Bronco-land right now. 

One is that the 39 year old quarterback who was blowing the doors off the league early in the season got hurt but didn't come off the field. He spent the last 5 weeks of the season and the playoff round playing on a quad with less structural integrity than Paul Broun's understanding of The Origin of the Species, and for a precision passer like Manning that's death.

Bold Official Sportsthodoxy Super Bowl Prediction

Anticipated field conditions, Super Bowl XLVIII

After much analysis and at least five minutes spent watching game film, the editorial board of Sportsthodoxy has come to the following conclusion:

UnBradyed

The Broncos' deconstruction of the Patriots yesterday hinged on precisely two factors. One was the complete inability of the Patriots pass rush to even ruffle Peyton Manning's thinning hair. (Seriously. Paint the guy green and he's the spitting image of The Leader from the old Hulk comics.) The other was Tom Brady.

Ten Things We're Pretty Sure We Think We Think About This Weekend's Football Games

Starting with number 1. Because that's where you start.

1. At no point will Peyton Manning and Tom Brady be on the field of play at the same time. They do not face each other. They face each others' defenses. Unless the NFL's new overtime rules include either an arm wrestling competition between quarterbacks after a quarter of OT or putting both offenses on the field at the same time, they will never play directly against one another.