Super Bowl Preview - Chiefs Edition.
I'm right now watching the Pro Bowl, and over the past few years I've never really enjoyed this game because Chiefs were in it. What? Because Chiefs were in it? The idea: if you're in it, you're not in the Super Bowl. Even though the representative Chiefs players have actually done really well in the Pro Bowl, and they've actually really played -- remember a few years ago when they split up the conferences and Derrick Johnson just plowed into Jamaal Charles almost giving us all heart attacks? -- I mean the Chiefs fine Pro Bowl play is a really good thing, actually, for the Kingdom's cred, but it is of course much more desirable to see our guys in the game a week later.
After winning the AFC Championship game victory I actually thought this'd be great, this year, because we get to see all the players not the Chiefs who're not in the Super Bowl! We're there, and not here, you are, and we're not. Woo-hoo!
Thing is, two things have dampened that poor-winner sentiment.
The first one is what they just shared right here at the beginning of the game. Basketball great Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash. Really puts things in perspective. I've even thought this week, wow, this is great, we got what we want, we're in the Super Bowl. We could win it. We could be on top of the world. Yeah.
Don't get me wrong, all of this is wonderful. Even so -- then what? Can we see and know and act on the million-times more important things?
The second thing is while looking of all these great players not in the Super Bowl, you can't help but realize, ahem, they are all here because they are very good. And as very good players, what happens next year when we play them? Um, yeah. No wonder the NFL does at least something of a good job to ensure the players have a distinctive camaraderie among themselves.
As for the Super Bowl itself, this post is really not going to be much. I have a whole catalog of notes I've made, many about the last game we played which I've really not written much about. And I honestly don't know how much I'll be covering any of that or even writing preview posts this week.
The main reason is I just want to spend the time soaking up all the stuff happening, and just get into what everyone else is thinking and saying and posting. So many are sharing so many good things, I just want to revel in it. I so want to be in the mix of sharing, too, but there is that second reason...
It is just reality that I have a full-time job that is really full-time, and a full-time family that is also truly full-time. Oh they too are all very excited for the Kingdom, but we will also be traveling far away at the end of the work week to join more family to enjoy the game together. All of that is on the plate for this week.
Again, I so want to blog like crazy about everything Chiefs right now. Much of it will just have to wait until the down-time off-season, and I hope you'll stay tuned.
In the mean time, what is the key for the Chiefs next Sunday, straight away?
They can certainly win on the merits. Many actually think they can -- they've been up 1.5 points by the oddsmakers and that's held steady. I believe they've just got avoid that crazy-ass insane play that has been their undoing before -- yeah, still. That is the key.
As far as the talent and playmaking, the 49ers have a phenomenally good front four, so our offensive line with face its biggest test. Will Mahomes be able to thread the needle with his throws and will our receivers hold on to those passes? Will Mahomes be able to scramble effectively when he must?
A lot has also been made of the Niners running game, and yeah, earlier in the year we were very soft with the run. Hopefully Spags has got these guys in a position to continue doing what they eventually did to Derrick Henry: shut him down soon enough, take a lead, then get them pass the ball. Thing is their QB Jimmy Garoppolo and his crew of receivers are exceptional, so we'll have to be stellar in the pass defense area too.
What I'm sharing is nothing new. Much of the navel-gazing prognostications have been exceedingly broadcast already. And really, every NFL game has its own unique nature, its own idiosyncratic character. Will the matchup be favorable for the Chiefs? It's why we play the game, we get to see.
To be honest what I'd like to see is a close game with some successful dipsy-do trickery on both sides that makes this year's Super Bowl one of the greatest ever -- topped off of course with a thrilling Chiefs win!
Again, maybe more preview to write later, but for now, just delightfully riffin' on the moment!
Go Chiefs!
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The photograph above was from Ben Green at the official Chiefs website.
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