Just pounding out some thoughts before our prime-time affair tonight against the Jags. I just noticed that, wow, the Chiefs have beaten them eight straight times including that playoff game a couple years ago. Before that, however, they beat us almost every game before that, so we're now about even.
During or after I'll punch out a few things related to the game, but first.
1. This thing with the Super Bowl halftime show this season. I've shared this idea before, but it doesn't seem to take. The NFLers could easily show their support for the BIPOC community like they've always want to by having a spectacular halftime show featuring one of those amazing HBCU marching bands, even with other dazzling things in the mix that make it special for everyone. Pretty much everyone would like it, I think, doesn't matter what class or influence or race you are.
But they refuse to do that.
Instead they select and even worse musical hip-hop rap oriented entertainer than the wretched ones they've had before. This time it is someone I'd never heard of before, "Bad Bunny," yet it has been somewhat ear-splitting listening to what has been said and written about this selection. So I checked it out myself, just to see if this performer's music is as objectionable as some are saying it is.
It is. Worse. Way worse.
Again, I've known not-a-single-thing about this guy or his music. Nothing. So I checked out a site with a list of his best songs. At the top is "Yo Perreo Sola," or in English, "I Twerk Alone." Just the title alone is beyond reprehensible. But hey, if he is as popular as it seems it must be perfectly fine for hundreds of millions of young people to imbibe.
The lyrics contain the worst obscenities -- nothing new there -- as well as references to loose females fully objectified and illicit drug & alcohol use -- yeah, more of the same.
Among other things about which the guy has brazenly boasted about, along the lines of if you don't like it then take a hike, he recently said for you to understand what he'll be singing in his halftime show, you'd better learn Spanish. Extraordinarily hateful and racist, but, well, he's a BIPOC himself with a story so he should be free to express himself artistically.
Except that it isn't just that. He's getting paid a very nice chunk of cash to blap his sewage to a huge audience of millions, most of them impressionable young people.
I could go on about the utter hellscape that this is all about, and how much our young people are diving headlong into this thing that is absolutely destroying their souls, but I'd just sound like an old cantankerous white heteronormative man, easily dismissed as ignorant and bigoted.
Doesn't make the thing itself less evil.
Nice going NFLers.
Well, I watched the replay, and really it was just rough handsiness on both parties with the Broncos guy maybe being a little more aggressive. Everyone screeched it was pass interference, but well, with the rules the way they are -- allowing lots of tussling before the ball gets there and full interpretation of those kinds of things allowed for the officials on the field -- it wasn't. It just wasn't.
Oh but we all must cry a river of tears for the poor, poor jobbed Eagles.
Please. Please please please.
For one thing the Eagles guy, a very good receiver in his own right, could fight through it and make the catch. Sorry, he could. That is part of it -- I'm so sick of watching these guys power up and go out there as fully stacked, exceptionally skilled, massively bulked millionaire 240-pound behemoths not fight through any kind of pushing and shoving that doesn't really impede his ability to get the ball and just make the play. Instead they flop and whine and moan and throw up their arms and all the rest of that silliness.
And then get the frenzied media narrative on your side.
Remember no one said anything about the call against Trent McDuffie in the Super Bowl last year when he was called for a helmet-to-helmet, I believe it was against the same Eagles receiver, when it wasn't, by miles. That call changed the complexion of the game right out-of-the-gate, as if the NFLers wanted to make sure it wasn't even a close contest because if it was close the Chiefs were going to win it -- they almost always do.
Where were the cries of injustice? Where was the frenzied response not just from Chiefs fans but -- look at the headline -- all NFL fans? Where was that on a call that was much worse than this game's non-call? I'll tell you why it was nowhere to be seen.
Because it was the Chiefs.
They are the current manifestation of the evil empire in the pro football world like the Patriots once were. Thing is the Patriots got all the lucky calls, they were just charmed, as well as favored by the NFLers because they're a genuine large-market media-darling team. The Chiefs have had to work their behinds off to overcome the obstacles against them, and one of the most important part of that -- really in all of NFL history -- is being blessed to have the best quarterback ever to suit up. That's what it has taken, really.
Oh, and the solution to the handsy stuff on pass attempts open to wide officiating interpretation? I've shared this before but it doesn't seem to take -- but, well, I don't have many readers, but I'll still make the firm and perfectly meaningful suggestion:
Make it so there is no tussling at all, no deliberate hands at all on either side before the ball arrives.
It is that simple. Unless your hands are up clearly and obviously going for the airborne football, if you extend to even touch the other guy, then it is pass interference. Could it get to the point where there are twenty PI calls a game? Fine. Make the point. Who cares if they get the message, back off on the touching of any kind, and we have a lot of high-scoring games with lots of pass completions to now more freely open receivers? Have a much more wide open game?
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By the way, right now into this game, and sure enough the Chiefs just got a 1st quarter touchdown (their first of the year, hard to believe), and they initially called a pick on JuJu that wasn't. He just went into his super-short route, but he did it in front of a defender and lifted his shoulder a bit. They picked up the flag likely because the officials determined it was just close enough to that one-yard allowance for a route-running receiver to make it not a pick.
So they called off the foul, very legitimate touchdown Chiefs, and of course, the announcers and the television referee screamed about the injustice. The Chiefs got another gimme call! They got an illegal touchdown! They get all the calls!
Crap. Not only did JuJu legitimately do it within that yard, barely, but he was just running his route. A few steps and turn to get a reception. That was it. So the Jaguars defender runs into him. Whose fault is that?
Point is it just continues the narrative. The Chiefs are cheaters getting all the calls unfairly, and yes that does impact how the game is called on the field, it does. Already in this game every - single - little - thing the Chiefs do is scrutinized that much more. Already the most egregious example so far is a call against us for illegal formation that was no different than 90% of the formations every team has trying to get their guys lined up in the right places so they aren't leaving someone uncovered or covered on the line and all that. When they made that call I couldn't believe. It was totally ticky-tack and only a call they will make against the Chiefs because the narrative is so pronounced.
It stinks.
But then, just means we must play that much harder to overcome that crap, and you know? Maybe, just maybe it all just helps with our success, really, just because we have to do that much more to overcome it.
Annnnnnd there's another one. Our D is playing lights out, we've got the Jags on their heels, and sure enough, a PI call against Jaylen Watson that was completely, fully, wickedly not a PI. Their guy slipped, the ball wouldn't have been caught, Watson was half-way falling down himself and barely touched the receiver. It would've been 4th-&-long, but instead, new set of downs, annnnnnnnnnnnd the Jags go on to score a touchdown.
Huh. I am so looking forward to seeing and hearing the enraged frenzy of all the NFL fans out there about that call. Let's see -- let's listen... (all hands folding ears forward...) Listening... listening...
Yeah. Non-existent.
Let's just see this through. Let's see, will this be a critical score that affects the outcome? Right now it is halftime with the score 14-7 us. That's good.
Let's see if that holds up.
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Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, now we're starting the second half and -- yeah, I confess I am getting really tired of this. I almost hate talking about it as much, but what difference does it make. Maybe by some miracle there'd be a critical mass of people...
Just wanting what's right.
Right now it is just therapy. Therapy from the keyboard. At least there's that.
Anyway, sure enough........ (for the eleventeen-thousandth time)... Chiefs have the ball, get to a 3rd-&-2, and Patrick throws a strike to Hollywood.
You know...
The Jags guy totally slams into him way before the ball gets there. Hollywood can't make the catch annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd................
No call.
Surprised?
We punt, they get it back, our defense suddenly realizes they have to play lightfooted, allowing the Jags to march right on down the field and score a touchdown. Now 14-14 thanks to the officiating and the narrative.
Maybe I just need a break from this. It is horrific.
Thank goodness we've still got Patrick.
Let's just see........................
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Okay I'm back and all I know is the final score. I watched nothing else of this nightmare. I do not know how we scored our other touchdowns. I did not see the silly interception that was taken for a pick-six by the Jags.
I saw nothing else but the final score. Sure enough we lost by three points, when we should have run away with this.
Even through just the first half and a small part of the second half I'd seen very few horrific games such as this one. Just pure agony. Why endure this. For all the reasons I detailed above. It'd be nice if even if just a peep from somebody about what happened, don't need a frenzy just a peep is all, it might be a little okay.
But I'm done talking about it. It's there, it's what it is, I'll still cheer on my Chiefs whether or not I care to behold the NFLer-empowered ugliness at any given time, and it is good that the Chiefs themselves still went out to play their hearts out and work like nothing else to overcome it all.
They won't give up -- not implying I gave up, I still wanted them to win the whole time. I just can't stand the injustice is all, I just can't. Call it a character flaw, go ahead, but I can't. Yes there are a million other things unjust that are waaay more evil and lethal, but I can't stand those things either, so there.
So out of that it is very good to know our Chiefs played Kingdom quality football for the duration. Here's to hoping they'll get even better to oversome the wretchedness for sure next time.
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