The popular HBO series Game of Thrones returns Sunday evening for season 7, and I imagine a few of you will be watching. I read the first four books, but have only seen one episode of the TV series. I won’t be watching tonight, but at some point I would like to binge through the show and catch up.
Given the popularity of Game of Thrones, it is time to get those sweet, sweet clicks. CBS Sports took a look at all 32 NFL teams and suggested a comparable GoT character for each team. For the San Francisco 49ers, they Varys, a eunuch sometimes called The Spider. Here’s what they had to say about the comparison:
The Master of Whisperers, Varys is able to play any angle while remaining in the background of the show as a whole. The 49ers have quickly become a similar character this offseason, landing top coaching hire Kyle Shanahan, with whispers of Kirk Cousins wanting a trade to San Francisco to lead Shanahan's offense. Surprise GM hire John Lynch also proved Varys-level chess ability in his first draft.
I am kind of amused by this comparison given the recent history of alleged whisper campaigns surrounding Jed York and the front office. The writer seemed to completely missed that potential comparison, but it’s somehow perfectly apt.
Elsewhere in the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks are identified as Davos Seaworth:
Davos has proven to be a loyal character, though he's not afraid to speak his mind to his superiors against perceived errors in judgment, making him in a way the Richard Sherman of Game of Thrones. Davos still seems to be finding his way after losing Stannis Baratheon as a leader, and the Seahawks offense has yet to recover from the loss of Marshawn Lynch. The "Sea-" connection is just icing on the cake.
The Los Angeles Rams are Littlefinger. I’m not entirely sure this is a reasonable comparison given the Rams struggles.
Littlefinger has proven to be the mastermind behind many of the defining plotlines of Game of Thrones, and GM Les Snead's early defining masterstroke was the RG3 trade. The Rams recently greased the wheels to move to L.A. and traded up for Jared Goff, then followed that up with an awful year, a new coach, plenty of changes on offense and a new defensive scheme. Clearly they hope chaos will be a ladder.
The Arizona Cardinals are Olenna Tyrell.
One of the elder characters on the show, Lady Olenna is a good fit for the Cardinals, who have two key stars who could be heading into their final season in Larry Fitzgerald and Carson Palmer. Just like the Cardinals are all-in on 2017, Olenna is in win-now mode after losing her heirs in the explosion orchestrated by Cersei. Perfectly blunt in a quick-witted way, she's the show's closest thing to Bruce Arians.
Which Game of Thrones character do you think best represents the 49ers? Will you be watching tonight?