Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Super Bowl Week, Giannis, Belichick, Olympics and more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (FEBRUARY 1): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Super Bowl Week, Giannis and Heat, Belichick’s Hall snub, Canes land QB, Winter Olympics, Australian Open, Team Messi, Panthers and more. Welcome to 137th edition of HB10, bringing you what’s on our minds from a Miami lens and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or worth needling as sports week past pivots to the week ahead:
1. NFL: Super Bowl Week as Patriots, Seahawks arrive: America’s most-watched, bet-on sporting event gets real as the Patriots and Seahawks arrive today for next Sunday’s Super Bowl LX (60) in Santa Clara, Cal. Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday begins the festivities with the media cattle call. The Pro Bowl, formerly a farce of a football game and now diminished further to flag football, is Tuesday.
2. HEAT: Miami in Bulls triple-play as it eyes Giannis by NBA trade deadline: Available Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo could be dealt by this Thursday’s (Feb.5) trade deadline -- and if so Miami is a major contender dead-even with the New York Knicks based on most betting odds, with Golden State and Minnesota close. Heat’s offer is thought to include Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, two first-round picks and more. Meanwhile 26-24 Miami and Chicago have split first two of three straight games and meet again in Miami this evening.
3. NFL: Voters shame themselves, Hall with Belichick snub: Arbiters of morality, the sanctimonious voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame have decided that Bill Belichick’s 2007 punishment over “Spygate” outweighs his record six Super Bowl championships as Patriots head coach. A report since confirmed said Belichick will not be a first-ballot inductee when the 2026 class is announced Feb. 5. As bad, it appears Robert Kraft will get in and lobbied behind the scenes to make sure his now-enemy former coach did not share the stage. Dirty. The shrine is Canton is demeaned and the Class of ‘26 stained.
4. HURRICANES: National runnersup land QB Mensah, top WR from Duke: Miami has rebounded fast from its national-championship loss to Indiana, with coach Mario Cristobal landing a third straight coveted QB from the portal as Duke’s Darian Mensah follows Cam Ward and Carson Beck. Also from Duke, Canes get Mensah’s top target in receiver Cooper Barkate. UM hosts Duke -- and former Canes coach Manny Diaz -- next Nov. 14. Spicy!
5. OLYMPICS: Women center-stage for U.S. in Italy Winter Games: The 2026 Winter Olympics are this Wednesday (Opening Ceremony Friday) through Feb. 22 in Italy, with Norway, Germany and the U.S. the 1-2-3 betting favorites for most total medals and most golds, followed by Canada and host Italy. Women dominate among American stars, including alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, snowboarder Chloe Kim and downhill skier Lindsay Vonn, making a comeback at 41 and nursing a knee injury but still hopeful to compete. Top U.S. man is figure skater Ilia Malinen.
6. INTER MIAMI: Team Messi wins friendly as Berterame debuts: MLS champion Miami defeated Atletico Nacional in Colombia 2-1 Saturday in an exhibition won on a Luis Suarez score and a late own-goal. It followed a sluggish 3-0 loss to Alianza Lima in Peru to open the four-game preseason tour. Lionel Messi played 76 minutes and making his debut was German Berterame, an Argentine and star Mexico national team forward recently signed by Miami. Reigning champs open MLS play Feb. 21 at L.A. FC and play five straight roadies before an April 4 home christening of new Miami Freedom Park. Team will bid adieu to its Fort Lauderdale stadium a last time on March 18 with a CONCACAF Champions Cup round-of-16 match there, foe TBD.
7. TENNIS: Alcaraz, Rybakina with major wins Down Under: Carlos Alcaraz rallied from a set down in Melbourne to defeat Novak Djokovic and become the youngest man, at 22, to complete the career Grand Slam. In doing so Alcaraz denied the 38-year-old Djokovic -- who had won all nine previous Australian Open finals -- his record 25th career major win. On the women’s side Elena Rybakina scored a surprise three-set win over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka for her second career major, following Wimbledon in ‘22. American Jessica Pegula reached the semifinals.
8. NFL: Spoiler alert! Favorites for NFL Honors awards show wins: The 15th annual NFL Honors with Jon Hamm hosting is this Thursday (Feb. 5) in San Francisco ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl. Draft King betting faves are Matthew Stafford (MVP), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (OPOY), Myles Garrett (DPOY), Christian McCaffrey (comeback), Tetaira McMillan (O-rookie), Carson Schwesinger (D-rookie) and Mike Vrabel (coach). Faves to make Pro Football, via Kalshi, are Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald (97% each), Adam Vinatieri (73%) and Luke Kuechly (70%. Longshots include ex-Canes Frank Gore (27%) and Reggie Wayne (19%).
9. PANTHERS: Cats lose third straight; Barky practicing: Two-time defending champ Florida officially is at risk of not making the playoffs, now 10 points off the second East wild-card spot with 28 games left. Panthers fell 2-1 to Winnipeg Saturday for a third straight loss. Jets were 1-20 when trailing entering third period and FLA was 17-1 when leading before Saturday. Cats are now below .500 (14-15) in Sunrise, where they’re back home Monday vs. Buffalo. Captain Aleksander Barkov is out with a supposed season-ending knee injury but is back at limited practice. Hope is he’d be ready at some point in playoffs ... if they make it.
10. WNBA: As Unrivaled chugs on, labor impasse threatens WNBA season: With Year 2 of the Miami-based Unrivaled offseason league halfway to its March 4 title game, the WNBA stars playing in it see their main season threatens by labor discord. The WNBA’s 30th season set to tip-off in May in some doubt. The league and its players’ union will meet face to face in New York City on Monday for the first time since last fall when bargaining talks stalled. The union proposes players share 30 percent of total WNBA revenue; the league’s last offer equated to closer to 15 percent.
THE LIST: SUPER BOWL HOSTS BY STATE AND CITY: These are the states and cities that have hosted the most Super Bowls, including next Sunday’s game:
STATES
17 Florida
14 California
11 Louisiana
Others: 4-- Arizona and Texas; 3--Georgia; 2--Michigan and Minnesota; 1--Indiana, New Jersey and Nevada.
CITIES
11 Miami
11 New Orleans
5 Pasadena and Tampa
Others: 3--Atlanta, Glendale, Houston and San Diego; 2--Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Santa Clara; 1--Ten cities.
Other select most recent stuff from me: Heat needs jolt & Riley needs last great whale. Giannis is the answer // Poll Dance: Belichick’s Hall snub // Belichick’s stunning Hall snub is a shame on sanctimonious voters // Dolphins, AFC East beware: Super Bowl signals rise of Patriots 2.0 dominance // Podcast: I take a (horse) quiz // Previous HB10 // Dolphins’ new coach, GM take on 25 years of franchise torpor and a QB mess // NFL Championship Sunday playoff picks // Canes title-game loss does not erase success of watershed season // Dolphins hire Jeff Hafley. Timing was bad. Is coach good? // In Hurricanes vs. Mendoza, Miami -- city and team -- will win it all // Canes’ tour de force now 1 home win over Indiana from new glory days // Flailing, failing Dolphins in latest reboot with McDaniel firing // Rams’ Stafford wins 1st season title in Herald’s 28th NFL QB rankings // Dolphins enter offseason with no answers at QB after loss at Patriots // Canes’ ‘violent, relentless’ defeat of Ohio State is Miami’s biggest win in 23 years // Step aside, other cities: Why 2026 in sports belongs to Miami // Stugotz signs major iHeart Media deal, but says not done with LeBatard Show // Canes stifle A&M with defense, advance in CFP to face Ohio State // Messi, Inter Miami win MLS Cup, crown 50 years of SoFla soccer // How Browns fan’s tragedy gave Bernie Kosar new life // How Miami project -- and forgiveness -- helped Marc Buoniconti turn tragedy to triumph // Barkov lost for season a mortal blow to Panthers’ 3-peat bid // 15 years later, Dolphins Cancer Challenge is life-saving legacy of Jim Mandich // And my latest podcast:
