Copyright © 2021 ESPN
Copyright © 2021
by Ralph F. Couey
Written Content Only
It's been almost a week, and the exquisite pain of Super Bowl LV is starting to become almost bearable. My last post was, shall we say, succinct, reflecting my stark emotional response to what could charitably be described as a total humiliation.
As in every battle, someone has to lose. And the loser has to be able to answer the inevitable questions of "why?" in response. In the Chiefs' case, it can now be said, with a fair amount of honesty that the loss to Tampa Bay involved two major failures.
First, the offensive line, a patchwork of out-of-position players, none of whom were opening day starters had been adequate during the 14-2 regular season, and for the first two games of the playoffs. But up against a ferocious defensive line, this gallant group had no chance for success. From the opening possession, Patrick Mahomes was running for his life. In past games, these sprints invariably resulted in unbelievably dynamic plays downfield. But the Buccaneers had a great scheme, which prevented the Chiefs receivers from getting open underneath, and getting behind the defenders downfield. Mahomes was heroic in his efforts to make something happen, only to see his receivers blanketed, and when he on several occasions threw perfect bullet passes saw the ball slip past their hands to doink off their facemasks. Even the Bucs, mic'd up on the sidelines were blankly astonished at the throws Mahomes made. But in the end, even Patrick was not enough to change the result.
Oh, yes; the receivers. Several analysts, most of them former NFL players, have been unanimous in their verdict that the Chiefs usually formidable group of receivers substantially let their quarterback down. It's still too painful to re-watch the game, or even to view the..<ahem>...lowlights. But still etched HD-sharp in my memory are the many times Hill, Kelce, Robinson, Watkins and the rest utterly failed in contested situations. Mahomes made vague references in his post-game interviews about people not being where he thought they would be, which has to be interpreted as poor or error-filled route running. One of the concerning incongruities at play has to be that even when the deep routes were covered, the intermediate or check-down routes were also unavailable. Up to Sunday, Mahomes and his receivers, particularly Travis Kelce, seemed almost to be able to communicate via brain waves. Not in this case.
Penalties. No team can win championship games while committing them. And there were some real doozies. But in the endless analysis since, even those who were vehemently pro-Brady spoke repeatedly of the questionable nature of several of those calls. Defensive Pass Interference called when the throw was clearly uncatchable. And the one called on Tyran Mathieu that sent him into dancing histrionics. Brady chased Mathieu across the field to deliver an angry message, but was not flagged. Mathieu, however, was. The analysts pointed out numerous times during that game when similar infractions were NOT called on the Buccaneers. Did the penalties make a difference in the final score? Possibly. The timing of many of those calls killed promising drives by the Chiefs. Since Sunday, a narrative has emerged that the history-making female, first one on a Super Bowl officiating crew, is a rabid Brady fan, even naming her dog after the Bucs QB. This could be apocryphal, but noteworthy are the very loud calls for an overhaul of the standards for NFL penalties rising around the media.
Everybody loves Andy Reid. He is, or will be, an eventual member of the NFL Hall of Fame. But when a team executes a collapse as complete and total as the Chiefs did, that finger has to be pointed straight at the coaching staff. It would be easy to assess that the Chiefs, as as team, were completely unprepared to play that game. It could be surmised that the disaster involving Britt Reid and the terrible accident that left a 5-year-old in a coma affected the Chiefs in general and Andy Reid in particular much deeper than they were able or willing to admit.
What happens going forward? Obviously, the offensive line must be restored, either through the draft or free agency to an effective wall to allow Mahomes to do his miracle thing. The Chiefs coaches will certainly dig deeply into the game tapes to plan around the Bucs scheme, one that certainly will be copied by other teams next year. Some members of this team will not be around next season. Sammy Watkins, despite his speed and ability, because of injuries was simply not available to play, and his contribution to Super Bowl LV was negligible at best. Mecole Hardman is an exciting player, fast, great hands, and a thrilling kick returner. But this is his third year in the league, and he is making far too many boneheaded mistakes. Eric Fisher will be recovering from a torn Achilles this offseason, but he is over thirty, and the Chiefs will have to make a decision, based on his recovery, whether he can still contribute at a high level. The other three spots on the line have to be strengthened. Clearly, you can't go into a Super Bowl with all the linemen playing out of position.
The Defense, while not in need of a major overhaul, needs some work, especially in pass coverage and to a lesser extent, being better at stopping the run. Also, some conferencing with NFL officiating about what exactly constitutes DPI, and when a pass is deemed uncatchable. The twosome of Chris Jones and Frank Clark were not the twosome of terror that they were last year, and that has to change. Brady, as everyone knows, is susceptible to a heavy rush, and he was not put to that test. Any Chiefs fan salivates at the thought of adding the former Texan J. J. Watt, but it would take a miracle of money management to make that happen. Still, there are some intriguing possibilities in the draft, even for the team picking next to last.
For Chiefs fans, this will be a long and grim winter. I suspect it will be for the players as well. This loss, as humiliating as it was, I think will be a powerful motivator for this team next year. It is interesting that both Mahomes and Brady needed post-season surgery, Patrick for repair of a turf toe, and Tom for a suspiciously undiagnosed and unannounced knee problem. Both will be fully ready for training camp, if COVID conditions permit one to be had. Fans can take comfort in the idea that on opening day, the Chiefs will come boiling out, laying waste to every team unfortunate enough to play them, which includes, interestingly enough, the Buccaneers. That emotion will carry us through the intervening months of waiting, while we all celebrate the impending birth of the next generation of Mahomes'.
Meanwhile, across the Truman Sports Complex parking lot, the Royals have been busy. Over the past few months, while people have been Chiefs crazed, some powerful pieces have been added to the lineup, an obvious declaration that the rebuild is over, and its time to win. Now. If that comes to fruition, it will make the summer far more entertaining than last year. MLB is intending to play the full 162-game schedule, and with the declining COVID infection numbers and the flood of vaccines sweeping across the country it now is beginning to look as an intent that will become reality.
Last Sunday was possibly the worst day, emotionally in Kansas City history. Now the time has come to put it the rear-view mirror and move forward, focusing on the promise of the future. After all, it wasn't 24 hours before the odds makers announced the likely favorite to win Super Bowl LVI next year.
The Chiefs.
Clearly, this is a team the hard-bitten Vegas handicappers are giving up on, even though they took a bath last Sunday. This will test us, the fans, as to whether we are fair-weather boosters, or true believers.
The odds makers believe; the team believes; so, too, must we believe.
And there couldn't have been a parade this year, anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment