One of the most striking stats to come out of Super Bowl LVII is that the Philadelphia Eagles defense wasn’t able to sack Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes once. While some would credit the KC offensive line for their efforts, others have pointed to the poor conditions of the turf at State Farm Stadium as a factor as well. That distinction is at the heart of Monday’s Twitter beef between NFL analyst Brian Baldinger and Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick.
As he commonly does, the NFL Network analyst took to Twitter the day after the football game to break down some key plays. In one specific instance, he broke down a play by Chiefs right tackle Andrew Wylie, whom he praised for his effort against Reddick during the game.
“You can’t say enough good things about Andrew Wylie in this game. You want to give a co-MVP? Give it to Andrew Wylie,” Baldinger said in his video. “Here he is against one of the best pass rushers in the league. Here’s Haason Reddick chopping down that right arm. But see — that’s what wrestlers do. Put that head right into the chest. And then once he gets down, turn it into Monday Night Raw. Give him the club right to the back of the head. Don’t let him up, don’t let him breathe. It’s Super Bowl Sunday. You win the down. Andrew Wylie, stud in this game.”
.@Chiefs @RealAndrewWylie was a Super Bowl Stud in #SBLVII CO-MVP? ??? #ChiefsKingdom #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/1JuZFm86Se
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) February 13, 2023
In less than an hour, Reddick not only became aware of the analysis but decided to offer up a rebuttal to why Wylie’s efforts weren’t as impressive as Baldy was making them out to be.
You made a video about how it was slippery all game. And on this play it’s clear I slipped like I did most of the game. You know better than this Baldy
— Haason 7 Reddick (@Haason7Reddick) February 13, 2023
“You made a video about how it was slippery all game. And on this play it’s clear I slipped like I did most of the game. You know better than this Baldy,” Reddick wrote.
Not one to take the criticism laying down, Baldinger responded, asking Reddick if he proactively changed cleats as other players had done.
“I know guys who changed spikes. Did you. Everyone was slipping all game. I wasn’t trying to show you up,” Baldinger responded.
“I did and was still slipping,” responded Reddick. “Check your other video. You’ll see that my spikes are changed. Once again, you know better than this Baldy.”
I did and was still slipping. Check your other video. You’ll see that my spikes are changed. Once again, you know better than this Baldy
— Haason 7 Reddick (@Haason7Reddick) February 13, 2023
That’s where the discussion between the two ended, though Baldinger continued to respond to feedback from those who thought he wasn’t taking into account the field conditions in his analysis.
So no analysis. Every bad play was because of the field ? Gotcha.
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) February 14, 2023
Reddick also told reporters after the Super Bowl, “I’m not going to lie, it’s the worst field I ever played on. It was hard. I beat my man a couple times, trying to turn the corner and just was slipping. It was very disappointing. It’s the NFL, you’d think it would be better so we can get some better play. But it is what it is.”
The field conditions at Super Bowl LVII certainly played a factor in the game. Whether or not the Eagles would have beaten the Chiefs, or at least sacked Patrick Mahomes once, if the turf had been better, will be a discussion that rages on for all time.
