25-0. I really like Jon Gruden. He's the former Super Bowl winning coach (with the Buccaneers in 2002) who is now the color guy in ESPN's announcing team. He's just so exuberant and goofy, kind of today's John Madden.
At one point in the Texans game, sometime during the second half when we had a comfortable lead, he went off on how unbelievable the Chiefs were playing and how obscure some of their players were.
"Where did the Chiefs get these guys?" you know, that kind of thing. "Charcandrick West, where'd he come from? Look at this guy, and that guy [he names names] Who are these guys? And look at this -- check out this offensive line. They've got this guy playing here and that guy playing over there [more specific names mentioned] and they're playing terrific football."
As I beamed with pride for our beloved team, being celebrated so enthusiastically there by the top ESPN color guy, I thought of a couple things. Did you think these things?
That we're just sooo obscure and that its just sooo unbelievable that this piddly little team from some podunk town in some benighted midwestern place somewhere nobody else cares about would actually be playing truly exceptional, genuinely quality football. Huh, who'da thunk...
Should I be insulted? Even more, isn't this a plain indication that the Chiefs are simply never really considered seriously, especially by the eastern media snobbery who seem to take such affront that any team not a New York or Boston or Washington team would deign to be remotely competitive in a major professional team sports league?
My two sons (one is in college on winter break and the other works nights) told me two days after the game they spent two hours just chillin' watching Monday morning quarterback stuff on whatever sports station it was. They told me there was a ton of coverage about the all the other playoff games yet a scant couple of minutes on the Chiefs win. In fact, when the station boasted about their brief preview of the Chiefs-Patriots game, they ended up spending 90% of it on how great the Patriots were. It was so aggravating that they ditched the whole thing and just played video games.
Now I know two hours is not the most thorough sample, but it is indicative enough.
Whuh?
I know whuh.
I wonder what to think. I could think, as I usually do, that we're getting shafted, and think, "Hey, media blowhards, give the Chiefs a little cred!"
Or, how about I just ride with it?
How about we just let people be surprised by our accomplishments, simply because they've never seen us before? I'm great with that. It's always neat to find something new and exciting, and maybe people being introduced to the Chiefs this way will be the thing that gets us the most meaningful cred. And really, we've already got it whether or not people notice, so who cares?
The not-so-great thing has to do with the stuff that the powers-that-be/media-darling-exploiters do to manipulate things in their favor. Here's what I heard one sports item somewhere (I forget where) declare...
26-0. "Will we see one more Brady-vs-Manning matchup?"
Sorry, but this stuff is criminal. Sure it's all entertainment. Sure they're trying to draw the viewers. I get that. And yes I know they would have to go out of their way to unfairly mess with competitive integrity to make something like that happen, and no matter how much they try, it is hard to do. Yes, I'm afraid I do give them the benefit of the doubt -- they have to understand that to deliberately work a game to acquire some kind of outcome is indeed ultimately going to drive people from the game because they know it isn't all on the up-and-up.
I mean, really, why should I root for the Chiefs if I know the system has stacked it all against us? I do indeed stay and cheer on the Chiefs because I know there is enough there to keep the integrity intact. Do officials make calls that favor the home team or the darling teams? Yes, they do, it's been proven they do. (Check out the book Scorecasting for more.) Is it done with diabolically prearranged intentions? I don't think so, but sometimes I've had my doubts.
The last time we had a Divisional Playoff Game was 2003 against the Colts. But the time before that? Know when that was? 1997 season, against Denver. We all know so well how that went. More on that after Saturday if it merits mention.
For now I should add that I still kind of keep my Chiefs rooting interest healthy because I feel that the Chiefs are better served when they know what they're up against and employ the best football play to beat it. That's a lot of what makes this special. (See the video at the end of the third post in this series. It says everything.)
So yeah, we're not only facing the Patriots on Saturday, but we're facing all the east coast favoring biased media manipulation crap that goes with it. It will take a Herculean effort to take on that.
Our Chiefs have it to get it done.
27-0. One brief mention must be made of this, something that made me especially proud.
Seeing Clark Hunt up in the booth at the Texans stadium. It was at a point when the Chiefs were comfortably ahead, and they showed that gratuitous shot from every playoff game of the owners, enjoying things up there in their boxes. You know, you always see the Robert Krafts and Dan Rooneys and Jerry Joneses up there, all the time.
Wow. To see Clark there, finally, on the left half of the screen with the Texans owner on the right, it was just neat. I do firmly believe a lot of the Chiefs success right now is because of him, and it was good to see him get a good six seconds of recognition.
28-0. Now, to the facet of the game that gets its share of mentions, but not like this one.
When they talked about how the Chiefs won with "three phase" football, sure there's offense and defense, but damn.
Yes we need good play from the offense. Yes we need good play from the defense. Got all that. They get their proper respect, yes, it's all good.
But I'm going to go ahead and say it, say something that may be a bit radical.
This Chiefs special teams unit controls the game.
Do you know what I'm saying when I say that? They control the game. They actually take the reigns of the entire rhythm of the game's progression, and put it in a stranglehold that fully favors the Chiefs.
One of the Chiefs main weapons is field position, and you barely hear a thing about that. But do you notice that more times than not the opponent's offense is starting drives deep inside their 20, while the Chiefs are starting drives around their 30 or 40? It happens all the time. The most instrumental reason that happens is our special teams.
One, Dustin Colquitt. I've said time and time again how valuable this guy is. On Saturday he looked to be in his standard future Hall-of-Fame punter form -- yes, I think the guy should be in the Hall, though punters, regrettably, are rarely considered. He was pinning the Texans back deep at their end every time he punted (which wasn't much in this game, granted) and that gives the defense that much more of an edge.
Two, Knile Davis. Now I mention his name, but the entire kick return team's names should be here because they opened a lane as wide as the Grand Canyon for him to sprint through on the opening kickoff. Know how many times they returned a kick on Saturday? Easy question. Answer, one. Thing is, when they do, they run it out. I like that. Any time a team gets a kick they can even remotely run back, they should. Don't down it in the end zone! You're not even trying when you do that! The Chiefs run it out, that's awesome.
Three, Cairo Santos. We already mentioned the field goals, but want to know something amazing? When Andy Reid gave his official post game remarks Saturday, he made mention of a single Chiefs player, then he fielded questions. Know who it was?
Cairo Santos. Guh? He he was mentioned because on the seven kickoffs we had, Santos got a touchback on every single one. 7-for-7. Reid knows the value of that field position edge, and Santos got us that edge every single time.
Not only do we have an incisive, grinding offense led by a smart, agile quarterback, not only do we have a defense that smothers the passing game and deftly contains the run, but we have a special teams unit that controls the game.
Very nice.
Remember when the Kansas City Royals had almost every member of its team voted to the major league baseball All-Star Game this past summer? Everyone went apoplectic. Their All-Star Game is in the middle of the year. Well, turns out the team won the World Series in October, if you didn't notice.
I mention the Royals because few teams I've ever witnessed play baseball had as much Got-It as those guys did. Sure I'm biased, okay. But they still had record levels of Got-It.
Remember when the Chiefs won the first game of their current 11-game winning streak? Against the Steelers at Arrowhead on that sunny October 25 day? The Royals had just won the American League pennant, and guess what.
Several players came to the game.
Just want to thank you, Royals, for giving us that extra measure of Got-It.
It's awesome to keep enjoying it deep into January.
Again, the focus this year is the joy. The joy of seeing these guys go to the mat with devotion and dedication, soaring out of the ashes of despair, of facing death in the face as Eric Berry did. To go to battle with the thoughts and prayers in all of our hearts for people like De'Anthony Thomas, here's to hoping things are well with him.
Oh I do so want to watch the Chiefs beat the Patriots on Saturday, don't get me wrong. But as of now we're one of the best teams in the AFC, holding our own among the premier teams of this football era -- Denver, New England, Pittsburgh -- how much prouder can you be?
Just seeing them take the field on Saturday...
What pride we will feel.
Except, the greatest thing...
They're not done.
The Chiefs players and coaches, they've got unfinished business.
Awesome.
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