Most sports observers have learned that it's usually a bad idea to spout definitive platitudes, because we've all been proven wrong likely more than once. For instance, saying team X, franchise Y or athlete Z will never win a championship, ostensibly because they've never done so before, has historically graded out as a fool's errand.

Advertisers seem most eager to spend on NFL games and the Super Bowl in early talks tied to the TV industry's annual 'upfront' ad sales market