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jonathantaylorthomas · 6 months

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Hollywood heritage...

latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-chiefs-andy-reid-20181113-story.html

Andy Reid draws from California roots, and now brings his masterpiece of a Chiefs offense to face the Rams in L.A.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid grew up in Los Angeles and has frozen Tommy’s burgers flown to Kansas City. They’re “good for your joints — the grease. Keeps you lubed up, man,” he says.

(David Richard / Associated Press)

BY SAM FARMER

STAFF WRITER

NOV. 13, 2018 4:40 PM PT

Reporting from kansas city —

Every so often, the artist comes out in Andy Reid.

It has nothing to do with coaching, instead those times when he puts pen to paper and allows his mind to wander.

“One time when we were talking on the phone, and he was telling me how much he remembered about when we were growing up,” said his brother, Reg, nine years older than Andy. “While we were talking, he sketched a picture of me, then emailed it. It’s just a sketch of my head, but it’s pretty realistic.”

Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs have a deep appreciation for Reid’s creativity. He draws up the offense for one the NFL’s hottest teams; finds new ways to harness the spectacular talent of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Even now, in his 20th season as an NFL head coach, Reid remains a pigskin Picasso.

That figures. His dad, Walter, did jaw-dropping work as a scenic artist in Hollywood, creating backgrounds and props for film, television and stage production.

“My dad worked on all the Broadway plays that would come to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion,” said Reid, 60, sitting behind his desk at Chiefs headquarters. “They had these huge backdrops they’d lower from the second floor, whether it was ‘Annie Get Your Gun,’ or ‘The Wiz’ back in the day. My dad went down and worked on ‘Hair.’ It was unbelievable. You’d stand up there and look over the edge, and if you took a wrong step, you’d go down like a mile.”

The Chiefs too have reached toe-tingling heights. They’re 9-1 heading into Monday night’s game against the 9-1 Rams at the Coliseum, moved there by the NFL on Tuesday when field conditions in Mexico City became unsatisfactory. On paper, at least, it would have been the most compelling international game the league has staged. Now it will be the Rams’ first Monday night home game at the Coliseum since Nov. 19, 1979, when 54,097 watched a 20-14 victory over Atlanta.

Reid has been in plenty of huge games throughout the course of his career, including coaching Green Bay’s offensive line when the Packers won the Super Bowl in the 1996 season. Reid coached Philadelphia from 1999-2012, led the Eagles to five NFC title games and a Super Bowl, then took over in Kansas City in 2013.

There’s still a lot of Los Angeles in Reid, who grew up on Holly Knoll Drive, just around the corner from John Marshall High, his alma mater, and Walt Disney’s first California home. Reid still eats Tommy’s burgers, and not just when he’s at his offseason home in Capistrano Beach. He has frozen ones delivered by mail.

“I love those things,” he said. “It’s good for your joints — the grease. Keeps you lubed up, man.”

Comically gruff and unrevealing with the media, Reid is beloved by his players, who refer to him as “Big Red,” his hair color at an earlier age.

“He’s actually more funny than you would think,” running back Spencer Ware said. “Most people think of him as just serious. I can kind of relate to him because I always kind of have a serious look on my face and people think that I might be mean mugging. Maybe I’m joking around. So I can kind of relate to Big Red in that area.”

Reid might show his lighter side to his players, but he also gets to the point. They appreciate that.

“The biggest thing is he treats us well, treats us with respect,” tackle Mitchell Schwartz said. “I know he’s got a hard training camp and practices are long and all that. But we don’t have 20-minute meetings every day with rah-rah speeches. It’s just, ‘These are the goals, these are the expectations. Now, it’s on you to go do them.’ So he doesn’t have to be up there every day trying to get us to work hard.”

Reid, a onetime offensive tackle at Glendale College and Brigham Young University, developed his work ethic at an early age. His mother, Elizabeth, was a radiologist, and his father got him occasional work in the entertainment industry. Once, young Andy got a job serving food in the green room of a popular TV talk show, and his rule-following ways clashed with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

“I’m not sure whether it was the Merv Griffin or the Johnny Carson show,” he said. “But they put me in charge of dishing out the sweet-and-sour meatballs — they were unbelievable — and I was told I could only give three of them out to people.

“You name it, all of Hollywood would come through those shows. I knew all the athletes, so if it was Wilt Chamberlain or one of those guys, they’d get as many meatballs as they wanted.”

But when John Wayne asked for more than three, the kid had to break the bad news.

“I found out later he was a great athlete,” Reid lamented. “Maybe I should have given him a few more meatballs.”

Reid was enormous for his age. There’s a hilarious video clip of him in a Punt, Pass and Kick competition in the early 1970s. He’s a 12-year-old man-child in a Rams uniform, with a line of kids behind him no taller than his beltline.

“The kid behind me was 8,” Reid is quick to note. “I was like 12 or 13.”

Whatever. The YouTube video leaves his players doubled over.

“Damn, that boy was huge,” Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill said. “He’s the size of Justin Houston.”

Well, maybe Reid wasn’t the size of that 6-foot-3, 258-pound Kansas City outside linebacker, but he was big enough that when he was a waterboy at Marshall, some of the varsity players asked him why he didn’t join the team.

“Mike Haynes was between my brother and me,” recalled Reid, referring to the future Hall of Fame defensive back. “He and his buddies were riding me, ‘How come you’re so big and don’t play?’ I said, ‘Listen, I’m in sixth grade.’

“They go, ‘No way!’ It’s like, I’ve been doing this waterboy thing longer than you guys have been around. I’m like the professional waterboy.”

Haynes recalls that, and more.

“I remember that when our kicker would kick the ball through the uprights, our field was so small that the ball would leave the school property and go across the street,” he said. “Andy would go get the ball and bring it back. He’d wear his youth football outfit.”

Nowadays, Reid wears shorts to practice, even when the temperature drops below freezing. He’s spent most of his adult life in cold-weather cities and is hardy like that, an artist whose medium is now Xs and O’s, a Southern Californian in spirit only.

[email protected]

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a-queen-of-the-clouds · 3 months

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PATRICK MAHOMES BELOVED PATRICK MAHOMES LEGEND PATRICK MAHOMES SEXY PATRICK MAHOMES MY BEST FRIEND

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rorygilmre · 2 years

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patrick mahomes and kelce TDs, my beloved

#leah talks football

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junker-town · 3 years

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8 players I’m watching this NFL season

You owe it to yourself to pay attention to these guys.

By this point you’ve probably locked your Week 1 rosters for fantasy football, and that’s a good thing. Truth be told, I’m really pretty terrible at fantasy football. It’s a world that demands a very different mind to that of just appreciating NFL games. It’s like watching someone good play Madden, someone really good, who has an innate understanding of what breaks the A.I. and will always pick up a big gain on offense.

Instead I want to talk about the players I just can’t stop thinking about. The guys who I know will do something incredible every week, and who I cannot wait to see back on the field.

Justin Jefferson

God, I’m such a sucker for LSU wide receivers. I have no idea what’s in that Baton Rouge water but the Tigers need to bottle it and give it to every pass catcher around the nation. It feels like it’s been such a long time since we’ve truly seen a receiver so good he makes up for his quarterback, but that’s exactly what Jefferson did for the Vikings in his rookie season.

I’m not here to litigate the skills of Kirk Cousins, because Kirk Cousins is too boring to even warrant time on the court docket. Instead we should focus on a dude who caught 88 passes for 1,400 yards in his friggin’ rookie season. Know the last time that’s happened in the modern era? How about never.

Anquan Boldin: 1,377 yards

Odell Beckham Jr.: 1,305 yards

The GOAT himself, Randy-freaking-Moss: 1,313 yards

I want nothing more in this world that to see Jefferson dominate again, because frankly it’s been too damn long since the league had a must-watch receiver. Hell, it’s probably been since OBJ was making stupid one-handed catches and flexing on the entire league, and go figure, he was from LSU too.

I’m a sucker for feeling like I’m a part of history, and the possibility of seeing the emergence of one of the greatest receivers of all time is enough of an allure that I’ll actually subject myself to watching Kirk Cousins play football.

Derrick Henry

I’ve been trying to limit my red meat consumption under the assumption that reducing my carbon footprint will help the world, so Derrick Henry is my giant weekly helping of beef.

Everything about football is time and place. Go back a decade and Henry would be in the mix with a lot of stellar, league-defining running backs. Now, he’s an iconoclast in a league that keeps pushing more and more towards passing, and ignoring the sweet science of mashing a dude into the turf with a stiff arm and a steely grin.

The season, perhaps more than any other, I cannot wait to see what Henry does in Tennessee. With Julio Jones in the mix it’s going to be a fascinating weekly drama of “who’s defending who?” with Henry more than likely getting a chance to do his own thing and obliterate people, because that’s favorable to giving up 20+ in the air.

Derrick Henry's tired of the helmet on a stick...he needs live bodies to stiff arm pic.twitter.com/A5QcDKIhny

— Buck Reising (@BuckReising) September 6, 2021

If Derrick Henry turns his own teammates into sacrificial lambs, then what the hell is he going to do to his opponents?

Every single poor sap on the Texans

Okay look, I know this breaks my conventions a little because “58 players I’m watching this NFL season” doesn’t have the SEO-friendly ring to it, but I’m lumping the entire Texans team into this scenario as one sorry player.

I truly did not believe things could get worse for Houston than last season, but by gawd they found a way, didn’t they? You know David Johnson? The running back they traded DeAndre Hopkins for? He’s their backup running back to a 31-year-old Mark Ingram now.

I honestly feel slightly bad for the individual players on the Texans, because there are a ton of genuinely delightful individuals on this team. Collectively their depth chart looks like Santa’s workshop if all the elves decided to run off and become dentists, so dolls were pieces together by unskilled labor.

The elves really should have unionized.

Daniel Jones

Let it be known that above all else I am a petty, petty bitch — and while Daniel Jones is, by all accounts, a nice gentleman, he does represent something I love to hate on with the fury of 1,000 suns: Dave Gettleman.

I watched firsthand while Gettleman systematically destroyed my beloved Carolina Panthers are turned away team legends like Steve Smith with a bedside manner best described as “imagine if Jason Vorhees was your orthopedic surgeon.”

Jones represents his biggest roll of the dice. The guy Gettleman took and told the world to “trust him.” He passed on Josh Allen, gave Jones the rope to let Justin Herbert fly by a year later, now he’s getting one more year to prove he’s the guy, following a draft where New York could have selected Justin Fields.

I know Giants fans have reached the same point Panthers fans did with Gettleman. He made us all chuckle with his old man phraseology to start his tenure, then it became abundantly apparent he was still looking at football as if it was being played during the Reagan administration with no appreciation for what was happening in the modern game.

I don’t think this story is going to end well, and while I’m sorry for Giants fans, I promise it’ll be worth it to get rid of Gettleman.

Justin Herbert

Hey, it’s the guy I just talked about the Giants passing on. Cool.

Anyway, I love watching Justin Herbert play ... a lot. He looks like a 12-year-old and plays like a 40-year-old veteran. In fact, I’m not 100 percent sure Herbert really is entering his second year, and he’s not some wily veteran like Peyton Manning aging backwards like Benjamin Button.

I’d really like Herbert to succeed because dammit, I want the Chargers to succeed. I don’t know if there’s a more historically likable team than this one, but who never, ever seems to catch a break. Philip Rivers was a really nice guy, LaDanian Tomlinson was also a delightful fellow — I want Herbert to succeed where they didn’t and finally, FINALLY pull the Chargers out of the doldrums.

Also, it would be fun as hell if we get another elite quarterback in the AFC West for the next decade next to Patrick Mahomes.

Brian Burns

Here’s a guy who nobody outside of the Carolinas really talks about, but totally should. Sure, Burns doesn’t have a double-digit sack season to his name ... yet, but I think it’s about to happen.

The reason I just want to see him play is baked entirely within that sentence: I just want to see Brian Burns play. Last season he registered 9.0 sacks, but these weren’t effort, fight his way into the pocket type sacks. Burns flies off the line with unnatural speed and even without a tremendous array of pass rushing moves, he’s able to overwhelm defenses with his first step.

Burns ranked Top 10 in the NFL in total QB pressures last season, and I think that will jump ahead again. This could be a breakout season, and it’s just fun to see how this guy plays football.

Trevor Lawrence

I’ve just gotta know. I have to know if all these years of watching, and waiting for the best college QB since Andrew Luck actually materializes in Jacksonville and FINALLY gets that team over the hump.

The Jaguars got so monumentally lucky to have this situation fall in their laps and get to take Lawrence, and this was a franchise in dire need of luck. Oh god, that’s three mentions of “luck” in two paragraphs, my editor is going to hate me (sorry Ricky). Shit, now it’s four. Better quit while I’m ahead.

I just want Jaguars fans to be happy in a way that doesn’t require copious amounts of pre-game liquor and vandalism. Is that so much to ask?

Kyle Pitts

In a similar vein to Lawrence I’m just fascinated by seeing what Kyle Pitts does this season. The rookie tight end is being asked to fill some tremendously large cleats with Julio Jones being traded away, but thankfully he is a large man who I presume has feet to match.

Before I get too carried away with feet references and y’all start rumors about me on the internet, let me just say that I think Pitts can be one of those iconic, league-defining players that makes us totally re-think the tight end position. I believe he’s that damn good.

Now, I know there’s also a learning curve here and that transitioning to tight end in the NFL is damn, damn difficult (I mean hell, no rookie TE has broken 1,000 yards since Mike Ditka), but there’s just something transcendent about how Pitts plays football. I need to watch him play and develop this season to satiate my own curiosity.

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thedenfantasyleague · 3 years

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The Den Fantasy League Weekly Recap - Season Finale and Recap

Fellas,

I’ll admit it’s taken me a while to get to this recap. I couldn’t face it. The championship was there and I blew it. I let the guy who auto drafted win. Will I go back and watch the tape? I don’t think I can. I may never get over this loss and I’ll be better for it. On to the final recap for the 2020 season.

Kalabar’s Revenge v. Viking Quest

It’s tough to admit you got ahead of yourself. That’s exactly what I did on Friday when Alvin had the game of his life and, quite possibly, one of the greatest fantasy performances of all time. There obviously was some reality on Sunday but guys like Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Kelce, and Dobbins gave me more confidence. Then, it got ugly. Keenan Allen didn’t play, Jalen couldn’t repeat his performance, and DJ fell flat. As is that wasn’t bad enough, then came the now JJ Watt-less Texans to murder me. At first, there was some concern but then that concern turned to full-on panic as they kept bleeding points to the CINCINNATI BENGALS. The Bengals ripped my heart out. For G, it was slow and steady wins the race and that’s how things turned out. Despite a slow start, it was easy-street for G with big games from Rodgers and Engram. To seal his victory, monster performances from Davante (duh) and my new sworn enemy, Mike Evans. G didn’t even need to play his kicker because of the -9 my defense put up.

All in all, congrats to G on his win. GG.

Final Power Rankings

Kalabar’s Revenge

Best Pick: n/a

Worst Pick: n/a

Viking Quest

Best Pick: Alvin Kamara, 1

Worst Pick: DJ Moore, 3

Team Timshel

Best Pick: Russell Wilson, 5

Worst Pick: David Johnson, 2

Wilmore Cinderella

Best Pick: Deshaun Watson, 6

Worst Pick: Austin Ekeler, 2

Debbie Rowe

Best Pick: Josh Allen, 9

Worst Pick: JuJu Smith-Schuster, 3

Mr. Magorium

Best Pick: Stefon Diggs, 5

Worst Pick: Tie between Mixon, 1 and OBJ, 3

Perfect Ten

Best Pick: Patrick Mahomes, 2

Worst Pick: Christian McCaffrey, 1

Hank Mardukas

Best Pick: Dak Prescott*, 5

Worst Pick: Saquon Barkley, 1

Tua Days

Best Pick: Mark Andrews, 4

Worst Pick: Nick Chubb, 1

Virgin Red Roosters

Best Pick: DeAndre Hopkins, 2, and Kyler Murray, 6

Worst Pick: Michael Thomas, 1

11-4-1 PVO

Best Pick: Terry McLaurin, 5

Worst Pick: Ezekiel Elliot, 1

Mixon It Up (Cabana Boy)

Best Pick: Tyreek Hill, 2

Worst Pick: Miles Sanders, 1

Commish Transish

Immediate press release from the Office of the Commish:

“I’m back.”

I can’t let the haters (Rob) win.

YOUR beloved Commissioner,

Jared R. Mosqueda

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racingtoaredlight · 4 years

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RTARL’s NFL Conference Championship Sunday Gathering

How are we already at the penultimate football weekend of the season? Time really flies when you spend your Sundays watching beer commercials interspersed with moments of tackle football. Let us not begin mourning the season before it’s gone, however. There are still a few delicious bites of football left to tide us over until autumn comes around and we begin our penalty flag-filled and morally dubious journey once again.

Of the four teams remaining, I think Kansas City is the only one that most people would’ve penciled into a conference title game before the season. Green Bay headed into this year with a declining Aaron Rodgers and a brand new head coach, San Francisco was coming off of a 4-12 season with a still unproven Jimmy Garoppolo returning from a knee injury, and Tennessee is possibly the most nondescript team in the league. The lesson here is that everyone making predictions about football games is an idiot and nobody knows what they’re talking about. Let’s get to my conference championship picks!

AFC Championship Game

Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs (-7)

3:05 PM EST on CBS

With apologies to the thousands of Tennessee fans who read RTARL religiously, nobody wants the Titans to win this game. Patrick Mahomes is so absurdly entertaining to watch that fans of other teams would protect him with their lives. For all the comedy Andy Reid’s disastrous in-game decisions have brought football fans through the years, the guy is damn-near universally beloved at this point, and seeing him get another chance at his first ring (or the chance to blow it in the most cataclysmic way yet, if you’re a nihilist), is something we can all get behind.

The Titans have won their last two games largely because they’ve been ruthlessly efficient at capitalizing on their opponents’ mistakes. They’re built to win a certain way, and they’ve been doing it PERFECTLY. Hats off to them. But, I think the Chiefs have such an overwhelming amount of firepower that even if they’re a little sloppy at times, and even if their possessions are limited, they’ll still put up too many points for the Titans to match. Everything went wrong for Kansas City in their Week 10 loss to Tennessee, yet the final margin was still only 3 points. I don’t think Tennessee can win that way again.

I’m taking Kansas City (-7).

NFC Championship Game

Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers (-7.5)

6:40 PM EST on FOX

The Niners pass rushers straight-up assaulted Kurt Cousins in last week’s divisional-round mauling, and while Green Bay’s pass-blockers are among the best in the league, I think it’s a safe bet that Aaron Rodgers will be feeling some heat throughout the game. Now, if this were the Aaron Rodgers from a few years ago, this might not be such a bad thing due to his incredible ability to scramble away from defenders and launch precision missiles to receivers downfield. His ability (or inability) to make these kinds of plays will be the difference in the game, in my dopey opinion.

The San Fran pass rush is fantastic, but the Packers defensive line can bring it, as well. Sort of lost in the shuffle of last week’s easy win is the fact that Jimmy Garoppolo did NOT have a very good game. He made a bunch of inaccurate throws and made some truly awful decisions when the Vikings were able to get someone in his face. If the Niners don’t win this game, I have a feeling it’ll be because Handsome Jimmy craps the bed.

He’s gonna crap the bed. I’m taking Green Bay (+7.5), and I think they’ll win outright.

#Sports!#Football #NFL

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biofunmy · 5 years

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Everything you need to know about football video game

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in “Madden NFL 20.” (Photo: Electronic Arts)

For parents, it’s back-to-school season. For vacationers, it’s (still) summer season. If you are a fan of video games – and sports – it’s officially Madden season.

On Friday, Electronic Arts formally launched “Madden NFL 20,” the latest version of its popular pro football simulation. Although the video game has finally gone public, some players have been hitting the digital gridiron as early as last week by preordering Madden.

This season, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, fresh off his NFL MVP season in 2018, appears on the cover of the game.

So what can players expect this year? Here’s what you need to know about “Madden NFL 20”:

More: Who are the four top-rated NFL players in ‘Madden NFL 20’? Only one plays on offense

Madden goes back to school

It’s not “NCAA Football,” the beloved college football simulation EA stopped making after 2013, but it’s close enough. In one of Madden’s multiple game modes, players will take a budding superstar and enroll them in college. There are only a handful available, such as Clemson, Florida State, Oregon, Texas and USC. Also, players only get the college experience during the College Football Playoff, playing in both the semifinal and championship game. Even still, it was a fun flashback to the college days.

Longshot is now Face of the Franchise

Players’ return to college is available through Face of the Franchise, which replaces Longshot as Madden’s attempt at building a story through the eyes of one player. It starts with a high schooler on national signing day. After finishing college, he participates in the NFL Combine for a series of passing drills before hearing his Draft Day fate.

From there, Face of the Franchise plays similarly to Superstar, an option in Madden that lets you create a player (or use a current player) and guide them throughout their career. Special “missions” pop up throughout the season to boost your experience and teammates. So, if a running back is not happy with his production, you may have a “mission” where you need to get him 100 yards and a touchdown to give your team a boost. Sometimes you’ll get asked questions by coaches or reporters during the season that help chart your legacy as a budding NFL star.

The one drawback here is, unlike most Madden modes that let you control nearly every player on the field, Face of the Franchise only lets you control one player. It becomes problematic when relying on AI teammates who sometimes aren’t that smart. Dropping passes is one thing, but having an open lane to run and actively seeking a defensive player to tackle you is too much.

A scene from “Madden NFL 20.” (Photo: Electronic Arts)

It’s all about the superstars

The other big draw of “Madden NFL 20” is X-Factor Players. When a player pulls off specific feats in a game, their X-Factor activates to give them extra perks. For example, if Saints quarterback Drew Brees completes three passes of five yards or more in a row, he activates Fearless, which makes him unaffected by defensive pressure. If he gets sacked or turns over the ball, he loses the X-Factor. It gives the league’s premier players some extra benefits and makes them a lot more enjoyable to play.

It ain’t Madden season without the glitches

Did the weird bugs that appear to accompany Madden every year become part of its charm? Most notable: the ball sticking to players’ helmets.

Madden glitch season is upon us (@Drakegoat) pic.twitter.com/uAj2y3CFM8

— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) July 28, 2019

Is this funny? Yes. Is it also kinda frustrating since this seems to happen pretty much every season? Also yes. Some other glitches I spotted: my receiver celebrating a touchdown then suddenly disappearing, my Cincinnati Bengals quarterback deciding to wear a Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey during training.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2019/08/02/madden-nfl-20-everything-you-need-know-football-video-game/1898094001/

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alicecpacheco · 4 years

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Congrats to Our Beloved Kansas City Chiefs!!!

What a team. What a run. What a city. Congrats to the @Chiefs on becoming WORLD CHAMPIONS.#AlwaysRoyal // #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/AiYuCD6KE5

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) February 3, 2020

On Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs became Super Bowl Champions for the second time in 50 years. It's been a long rough road for the city, but now it all seems worth it. The team beat the Minnesota Vikings in January 1970. It was their second Super Bowl appearance in 4 years and the city was optimistic that there would be a few more in the not too distant future. Unfortunately, the that team was the best of the best and things quickly degraded after the win. What followed was more than 2 decades of failure and horrendous football as well as horrendous decision making by the front office. Attendance plummeted and many games feature fans sitting in the stands with paper bags over their heads. Then in 1989 Carl Peterson was hired as general manager and he promptly hired Marty Schottenheimer as head coach. Even though the team never won a world championship under that regime, football greatness returned to Kansas City and the town responded with sellout crowds and a game day experience that has become legendary. Since 1989 the Chiefs have seen some amazing success. They have almost always been competitive and the city has maintained its love affair with the team. The bad news is that despite many great teams and terrific seasons, the Chiefs have failed to win a championship. Enter Patrick Mahomes. Football is a game where a few great players in key positions can make a tremendous difference. Mahomes is an incredible talent and the Chiefs have grown in domination along with him. The other thing about Mahomes is his personality. Although he is 24 years old, he conducts himself with the grace and personality of someone many years older. His interviews are a study in maturity and grace. Consequently, the city has fallen in love with him. Throughout the years since the 1989 rebirth of the team, Kansas City has always lacked a young, great quarterback. We've had some great ones (i.e. Joe Montana) but they were on the downside of their careers. We've never had the opportunity to have a truly young superstar quarterback to build a team around... until now. The city has embraced young Patrick Mahomes... and he has embraced the city. Although I love my Royals, Kansas City is more of a football city. This town has been salivating for a reason to celebrate a Super Bowl for decades now. I'm proud to say that moment has arrived. Thanks to the Chiefs for bringing the Lombardi Trophy to Kansas City. You guys have made the city proud and we are excited to see the next steps in this journey!

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kansascityhappenings · 4 years

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The last time the Chiefs went to the Super Bowl, this KC fan’s son was born at kickoff

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – One Chiefs fan had more than one reason to celebrate when the team last appeared in the Super Bowl.

When Carrol ‘Smoky’ Johnson’s wife woke him up early on the morning of January 11, 1970, the 32-year-old was thinking two things: He was about to be the a father for the first time and how in the world was he going to watch the game.

It was the day of Super Bowl IV.

“I told my wife, better not have the baby on Super Bowl Sunday,” Johnson recalled.

However, Johnson’s son wasn’t waiting on a game to come into the world. In fact, he arrived at exactly 2:35 p.m. — kickoff time for Super Bowl IV.

“First born child, you’re kind of anxious and excited, but I was also excited that the Chiefs were in the Super Bowl,” the now 82-year-old remembered.

Johnson ran around the hospital looking for a TV, so he could turn on the game. He eventually found one, but it didn’t work. So after making sure his wife and son were healthy, he went home and watched the Chiefs beat the Vikings in the second half of the big game.

“It was awesome because that was one of the best football teams,” he said.

Later that evening, back at the hospital, Johnson and his wife named their son Jerret Len Johnson.

“The running back was Mike Garrett, so Jerret and Garrett kind of rhymed, and then his middle name is Len after Len Dawson the quarterback,” Johnson said.

Jerret has heard this story countless times, but he understands his father’s choices that day and said he may have done the same — if put in his shoes.

“If you’re a real passionate fan in any sport, about anything, it can have almost or nearly the significance as the birth of a child,” he said. “There’s competing passions and one doesn’t diminish the other, but just like we do with most things in life, we try to have it all.”

Now 50 years later, the father and son are both anxious. Not because there’s a baby on the way, but because their beloved Chiefs are once again playing in the Super Bowl.

“I anticipate a win because we have one of the best quarterbacks that has played football,” said the elder Johnson, referring to Patrick Mahomes.

And this time around, they’ll get to share the experience together.

“This is a special moment in time for Chiefs fans, and I’m thankful and feel very blessed I have the opportunity to watch this with my father,” the younger Johnson added.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2020/01/30/the-last-time-the-chiefs-went-to-the-super-bowl-this-kc-fans-son-was-born-at-kickoff/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2020/01/31/the-last-time-the-chiefs-went-to-the-super-bowl-this-kc-fans-son-was-born-at-kickoff/

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junker-town · 4 years

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Chicago sports are trash right now

A Chicago sports fan laments the current state of Chicago sports.

Chicago sports haven’t always been ass. As someone born in 1987 who has never lived anywhere else, I can count 11 championships from the city’s teams in my lifetime. That includes six titles from Michael Jordan’s Bulls dynasty in the ‘90s, a run of three Stanley Cups in six years for the Blackhawks to start the 2010s, a beautiful White Sox World Series run in 2005, and the Cubs finally ending their 108-year World Series drought in 2016.

In that sense, Chicago sports fans have lived a privileged existence over the last three decades. It also doesn’t atone for the fact that, right now, Chicago sports are hot trash.

The football team is in the midst of a remarkable fall from grace that has the entire city calling for the quarterback and head coach to be axed. The basketball team, despite some preseason optimism, remains as garbage as ever. The Cubs would-be dynasty never got started and the Blackhawks’ dynasty is long dead. Meanwhile, the White Sox’s rebuild is entering a critical period that requires the type of financial investment ownership has never made.

Chicago sports are having a very bad, no good 2019, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get better any time soon.

The Bears are who they’ve always been

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The Bears were the best kind of pleasant surprise last season. Coming off the failed John Fox era that accomplished the impossible and actually made Chicago apathetic about the city’s most beloved team, Matt Nagy’s first season in charge was a delight. They traded for a superstar in Kahlil Mack, won 12 games (Fox won 14 combined in three seasons), ran lots of cool trick plays, turned their locker room into a nightclub after wins, and were both fun and good.

Then the double-doink happened. Now everything is terrible again.

The Bears have lost four straight games to put their season in a coffin. It’s hard to believe this team was ever 3-1 this season. There is so much blame to go around, so let’s just make handy list:

Nagy’s playcalling has been awful all year. Last season he seemed like the smartest guy in the room. This year he’s coaching scared and overthinking everything. The purported offensive genius has his team ranking No. 30 in yards per passing attempt and No. 27 in yards per rushing attempt. That is a nice way of saying the offense does nothing well.

All hope is lost for Trubisky. He has lost not just the organization but the entire city. Trading up to draft this man over classmates DeShaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes will haunt the franchise for decades. It feels like it might be the franchise’s biggest mistake ever.

The offensive line is an F- and has been getting manhandled every week

The defense is still good but no longer great ever since Akiem Hicks (last season’s second best player) got hurt. The unit has fallen from No. 1 to No. 7 in defensive DVOA. Eddie Jackson was giving the entire city Mike Brown flashbacks last year and now he doesn’t have a pick this season. Roquan Smith has gone from a future star to a huge mystery. Even Mack has been quiet during the losing streak.

The offense being terrible and the quarterback being the reason is a story just too familiar for Bears fans. It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s been this way for 100 years.

At this point, it’s fair to wonder about the psychological impact of Trubisky on the rest of the team. Bears fans know bad quarterbacks all too well but this one feels particularly painful given the stakes. Also, the Bears don’t even have their first round pick this year (sent to the Raiders in the Mack trade), so everything is bad and there’s nothing to look forward to.

Optimism is dying for the Bulls

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I am one of the harshest critics of the Bulls front office, but they even won me over with their moves over the last calendar year. After rock bottom last season with just 22 wins, it seemed like the Bulls could make a major leap up the standings following the trade for Otto Porter Jr. and a few uncharacteristically smart free agents signings.

So much for that. Through seven games, the Bulls have the NBA’s easiest schedule and are just 2-5. They have lost to the Hornets, Cavs, Knicks, and a Pacers team without three of its best players. Meanwhile, the Bulls are almost fully healthy and still look like a disaster.

Jim Boylen sure feels like the worst coach in the NBA right now. He went 17-41 upon taking over for Fred Hoiberg last season and nearly caused a player mutiny in his the first week on the job. He was saying a lot of smart things to begin the season, but then ruined all his good will by installing punch clock at the practice facility. OK boomer. More troubling is his lack of in-game adjustments this season: the rotation has been consistently awful and his pick-and-roll coverage schemes just don’t fit the personnel. He will tell you his spirit remains high despite all evidence pointing to the fact that he has no business being an NBA head coach.

Lauri Markkanen has been terrible to start the season. Shooting is the foundation of his game and he’s shooting 25 percent on threes so far. His defense has also been abysmal. He looks a lot more like a quality role player than a star.

Zach LaVine talked all summer about wanting to be an All-Star this season in Chicago. He has started the year looking like the same player he’s always been, capable of flame-throwing scoring outbursts but still a poor decision-maker on offense and an awful defender. He is very obviously pressing right now, but there has been no growth. If LaVine is the star of your team, that team is going to have a concrete ceiling on how much it can accomplish.

Otto Porter Jr. has scored in double-figures exactly one time and just doesn’t look like himself.

Coby White won the Bulls a game vs. Memphis but has been pretty bad ever since. It would be foolish to count on a 19-year-old to carry the team this season.

Wendell Carter Jr. and Thad Young rule, but everyone else has been underwhelming.

You know things are going sideways when the team’s least bad loss was losing at home by 24 to the Raptors. This team still doesn’t have a star on its third year without Jimmy Butler. Boylen will also never lose his job because he kisses up to his bosses every chance he gets.

I still believe (maybe foolishly) the Bulls won’t be one of the very worst teams in the NBA this season despite losing to many of the worst teams in the NBA already. All that means is they will probably get the No. 7 pick again.

The White Sox need to get serious about contending

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The White Sox have not made the playoffs in the last 11 seasons. The last time they did make the playoffs, their roster featured Ken Griffey Jr. There have been multiple failed reboots since, with the common theme being the White Sox never make a splash in free agency. The biggest contract the team has ever handed out is $68 million.

It has to change this winter. The Sox actually made some meaningful progress last season, with young studs Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, and Eloy Jimenez all looking like cornerstones. Meanwhile, starter Lucas Giolito blossomed from afterthought to Cy Young contender. The Sox badly need to make a big signing or two going into next season. Will they?

Gerrit Cole would be ideal. Giolito remains the Sox’s only proven starter, behind him is prospects with varying degrees of upside. They also need an outfielder. Will Jerry Reinsdorf spend the money to make them a contender? Most of the fanbase will believe it when they see it, especially after last year’s lowball offer for Manny Machado.

I am hopeful about the future of this team. I just want to see them act like a serious big market club. They can spend $60 million this winter and still only have baseball’s No. 13 payroll. Make it happen.

The Cubs are fading fast

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The Cubs made three straight NLCS appearances and won the World Series, but this purported golden era of the franchise has left the fanbase wanting more. Wasn’t this supposed to be a dynasty? Weren’t there supposed to be multiple waves of talent? Instead, the Cubs built a horrid bullpen last year, didn’t have enough contact hitters in the juiced ball era, and seem a little too comfortable to hang on to the World Series heroes.

The team mercifully fired Joe Maddon this winter a year too late. It did not inspire much confidence by hiring one of his former players on the 2016 team, David Ross, to be his replacement. The Cubs still have a ton of talent, but you won’t find much optimism anymore. They also made Wrigley Field feel corporate and soulless in its redesign.

As a lifelong hater and one of 18 living White Sox fans, this does not upset me.

R.I.P. to the Blackhawks dynasty

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The dynasty is dead even if so many familiar faces remain. Cap constraints robbed the team of so many promising young players because the team had little wiggle room to get out of the contracts they once gave to their Stanley Cup stars.

The defense has been a major problem for a few years now. The forwards can score but lack the depth they once had. The goaltending has been inconsistent at best. No one wants to root for Patrick Kane anymore.

The Hawks had the second fewest points in the Western Conference last season and have the third fewest at the start of this year. The tickets might be cheaper now, but this team has fallen a long way.

Chicago sports may be wholly uninspiring right now, but there are a few teams worth caring about.

Get on the Sky bandwagon

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The Sky were the best story in the city this past year. Diamond DeShields is a worthy face of the franchise as one of the most athletic wing scorers in the WNBA. She is a star in the making. Courtney Vandersloot is dazzling with the ball, giving the team a veteran point guard who controls every aspect of the game and plays with a flair that recalls Steve Nash. The rest of the roster is young and emerging and should have the Sky in the WNBA playoff hunt for a long time.

But also: Sky fans just had to watch Elena Delle Donne win a championship with the Mystics, the MVP they once traded to Washington. So it’s not all good.

About the Red Stars ...

I’ll let my colleague Kim McCauley take this one:

“Chicago’s one good team lost a final 4-0 and its best player immediately announced she was bouncing. That’s worse than just being bad.”

This is par for the course for Chicago sports at the moment. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

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