Full disclosure: I was pretty sure “80 for Brady” was either a joke I half-remembered from a podcast or a fragment of a fever dream. Imagine my surprise when the ads started running (and boy oh boy did they ever run) and it became clear that, neither humor nor hallucination, this movie was real and it was happening.

Four iconic actresses of a certain age – Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Rita Moreno – star in a story revolving around the quartet’s adventures in Houston as they attempt to watch their beloved hero Tom Brady win the Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons.

(Seriously: read that sentence aloud and tell me that you sound anything other than crazy.)

I’ll confess that I wasn’t sure who this movie was for or why it even existed, but as it turns out, that “who” was a far larger group than I ever would have imagined. It’s a weird amalgam of interests. People like sports movies, but are those the same people who like movies starring women of a certain age? You wouldn’t think so, but here we are. You see, lots of people went to see it opening weekend. LOTS. Not “Avatar 2” lots, but enough to climb to the top of the box office.

As for the movie itself? Honestly, it could have been worse. SHOULD have been worse, frankly, except that the filmmakers benefitted from an incredibly talented central cast that elevated a too-thin concept and a below-average script into something genuinely pleasant to watch. Utterly lightweight and disposable, but not a terrible way to spend a couple of hours – particularly if you’re a fan of these four women and/or of reliving Super Bowl LI.

We’re never going to see another one like Tom Brady.

The 44-year-old quarterback continues to etch his name into the NFL’s record books on a seemingly weekly basis, although the truth is that we’ve reached the point where he’s doing things that have literally never been done in the league before. He’s not just breaking records – he’s putting those records far enough out of reach that we’ll likely have to wait at least a generation before anyone approaches them … if they ever do.

His latest accomplishment is one that has never before been seen in NFL history. With his second touchdown pass of Sunday’s game against the Bears, Brady became the first quarterback ever to throw at least 600 touchdown passes; he’d go on to throw two more and end the contest sitting at 602.

Five months ago, 32 NFL teams set out on what would be one of the strangest seasons in the history of the sport. Playing games in the face of an ongoing pandemic, the league weathered some unique challenges. Should they have played? Depends on who you ask. But play they did.

Now, after all that, just two teams remain.

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off on February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It’s a historic matchup for a number of reasons – you’ve got the returning champion Chiefs looking to go back-to-back, while the Buccaneers become the first team to ever play a Super Bowl on their home field. Oh, and there’s this Brady guy who is about to quarterback in his record 10th title game.

There’s a lot happening here, is what I’m saying.

Let’s take a stroll through the teams and break down some of the positional matchups to get a sense of which squad stands superior. Of course, the most talented team doesn’t always win. The most prepared team doesn’t always win. The team we think will win doesn’t always win.

You get the picture. Anyone who tells you they KNOW what will happen is a charlatan who is almost certainly trying to sell you something. No one knows how this will all play out, but here’s my best guess – the best guess of a guy who, in the interest of full disclosure, got absolutely housed by his dog in picking winners this season (though my postseason run was solid).

Let’s break it down.

The NFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame have officially announced the roster of the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team, naming 52 players and two coaches to the list.

It’s a who’s who of gridiron greats, packed with players whose careers will likely end with the donning of gold jackets at Canton. However, even among these legends, there are those who stand just the smallest bit taller.

Eight of these players – Tom Brady, Aaron Donald, Von Miller, Adrian Peterson, Joe Thomas, Justin Tucker, J.J. Watt and Marshal Yanda – were unanimous selections, named on every single one of the 48 ballots cast by the selection committee.

Let’s look closer at those eight, in alphabetical order; the full roster will be posted at the end of the story.

What do you even say at this point?

The Patriots somehow managed to dominate the competition even more thoroughly in the season’s second quarter. The last four games have seen New England ruthlessly dispatch every team they faced, never winning a game by fewer than two touchdowns and often winning by more than three.

This team is 8-0 and has yet to really break a sweat. There’s no question that the schedule gets more difficult from here on in – you’d think that there would have to be some regression eventually, particularly on the defensive side. And yet … will there? We’ve never seen anything quite like it.

And if the Pats should fall back to Earth a little going forward, well – we’ll always have the first half.

On to the Progress Report.

It’s safe to say that the second quarter of the Patriots season was a heck of a lot better than the first quarter. After a rough start to the season, New England has cruised to victory in each of the last four games.

They haven’t all been easy. And a couple of them have been quite a bit closer than fans might like. There has been an uncomfortable amount of doing just enough to win – one-score victories over the Chiefs and the Bears left us sweating it out until the end.

But in the end, a win is a win. And four wins is four wins.

The offense definitely picked up steam and the defense held up its end of the bargain (albeit just barely at times). It’s the sort of strong stretch of play against some good teams that instills confidence in the team’s viability going forward.

The .500 team from the first quarter is gone. This is the New England Patriots squad we expected to see – one that appears poised to march to yet another AFC East title and a deep postseason run.

On to the Progress Report.

It seems safe to say that the New England Patriots are currently firing on all cylinders.

The Pats have looked dominant in winning their last four games – a stretch that runs their overall streak to eight straight. Sure, their opponents haven’t been great teams, but wins are wins.

It looks as though New England has things figured out on both sides of the ball. The struggles of the season’s first month are little more than a fading memory at this point – this team looks very much like the squad that had pundits drooling in the preseason.

Will they be able to keep it up against a higher echelon of competition? That remains to be seen. But right now, we’re talking about what has been, rather than what will be.

And what has been is four wins. Another great month.

On to the Progress Report.

If this first quarter of the season is any indication, 2017 is going to be one hell of an up-and-down roller coaster ride for fans of the New England Patriots.

Considering that there were serious conversations about New England’s chances of running the table before the season started, it’s tough not be disappointed with a 2-2 start. Yes, there have been a number of injury issues that have contributed to these early struggles, but still – sitting at .500 after four games is not where anyone expected this team to be.

That’s not to say that the season’s first month has been all bad. There have been plenty of things to be excited about. And hey – up and down, round and round, it’s still the Patriots.

And now, the Progress Report.

By Eddie Pells

The Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) - Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the rest of the New England Patriots have long been reluctant to rank their victories. They've refused to label any given season, or title, sweeter than another.

It's time to put that to rest.

Patriots, Falcons meet in Super Bowl LI