Chiefs Chronicles Leap Day Special Edition: Super Bowl LVIII Thoughts- Welcome To The Chiefs Dynasty
Redeemed & Released, All The Crazy Chiefs' Hate Reminds Me of Gym Class, Over Two Weeks Since The Win & I Still Don't Know How To Feel, & Videos/GIFs/Links!
The MVS Redemption Tour Concludes
Before I get to MVS, I’d like to offer a quick apology. I know this has taken way too long to write. I could bore you with excuses (most of them valid-sounding and understandable) but instead, I’ll tell you what really happened:
Not a clue.
The last thing I remember is the Chiefs winning the game. I jumped up, cheering, and then I must have blacked out. No memories until just (wait for it)… now.
Just insert the word “Chiefs” in place of “Alamo” and that about sums it up. My house is still standing, I’ve gained a few pounds, and the cats are alive, so I guess nothing too terrible happened. The only thing that worries me is that a goatee has appeared on my face which, as we all know, means that I’m now the evil version of myself. I’m still checking local news websites for any Chiefs-themed crimes in the area. Here’s hoping I remained law-abiding during my time “away.” I don’t want to be California’s version of Chiefsaholic.
The only receiver in the league who might have had more of a rollercoaster season than Mecole Hardman (AKA “Mr. Walkoff” or “The Leaker”) was Marquez Valdes-Scantling (AKA MVS because it’s so much easier to type/spell). He went into 2023 with a plan of building on last year’s decent numbers:
2022 Regular Season: 42 RECs/687 YDS/2 TDs
2022 Postseason: 7 RECs/122 YDS/2 TDs
He probably didn’t expect the waking nightmare this season was to become.
Here are his numbers:
2023 Regular Season: 21 RECs (on 42 TGTs)/315 YDs/1 TD
Those numbers came with high-profile drops or mistakes in big situations, meltdowns (both in-game and with the media), and a drop to almost zero usage by year’s end.
He could have easily shut down completely (see Mecole Hardman in NY or me whenever things get too complicated or this) but he didn’t. By all accounts, he put his head down and kept working. And that work paid off. Here’s what he did starting with the Miami game in frosty Arrowhead through Super Bowl 58:
2023 Postseason: 8 RECs/128 YDs/1 TD
Those numbers don’t tell the full story of his impact either. He iced the game with a huge reception against the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game and he had a wide-open TD in the 3rd quarter of the Super Bowl to give the Chiefs their first lead. According to Patrick Mahomes, MVS suggested the 4th down, do-or-die play the Chiefs called in OT of their Super Bowl-winning drive.
So, in the end, what is MVS?
Like all of us, he can’t be defined easily. He’s a human being who happens to play football at the highest level. He’s had bad days as a Chief, sure, but the good days have outweighed the bad, in my humble opinion. Thank you for the great moments you gave all of Chiefs Kingdom, MVS! We wish you the best in your career going forward.
The Anti-Chiefs Movement Needs To Calm Down
The following statements (or similar) have been posted online in the last month or two:
“The Chiefs never get called for holding!” “Mahomes asks for a penalty and he gets it!” “The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes stink! My team the (insert any non-Chiefs team here) would have won the game but the refs/NFL/Illuminati want the Chiefs to win, so I’m going to be mad online and in-person to anyone who will listen until my team wins the big game or beats the Chiefs!” “The NFL is rigged!” “Taylor Swift secretly rules the world and is dating Travis Kelce to raise her profile and follower/fan counts!”
Ok, rabid lunatics of the NFL world. We hear you. Perhaps a quick story from high school gym class will explain how we feel about your thoughts.
The year was 1990 and I was a sophomore in high school. It was the time of year for the unbridled chaos that is gym class basketball. Something like 12 half-court games spread over two gyms would be played at once, with anywhere from 2-14 players per game, each of whom had a skill level from “I don’t play sports” to “I’m Varsity, so stay out of my way.” I can almost smell the raging hormones, Oxy 10 acne cream, and lack of deodorant.
(Quick note: I didn’t play for the school, but not because I wasn’t good enough to. Having a hyper-competitive relationship with an athletically talented younger brother who LOVED basketball and was 7 inches taller than me, guaranteed that I knew how to handle myself on the court- especially from beyond the arc. I might write about some of our epic/hilarious battles during the offseason…)
Because I had accidentally given one of the Junior Varsity players (was his name Winter?) a bloody nose while driving to the hoop in a competitive game, I had been banished to the last court in the gym for playing “too rough.” There were four of us there so, after shooting around for a minute, we decided to play 2 on 2. My friend Sean (who was a star on the tennis team- BTW we destroyed during badminton season (and there’s another story for later!)) and I were playing against some kid whose name I don’t remember and this loudmouthed guy named Dustin (I think).
Sean and I had played together before and were quickly beating Dustin and the anonymous kid. Dustin was not taking it well. He had all the athletic ability of Sandy Lyle from Along Came Polly (as previewed above) and a mouth to match. Every shot Sean made, Dustin would scream: “LUCK!” When Dustin, by some unlikely chain of awkward movements, would score, he would dance away from the basket with his hands raised, crowing in Sean’s direction: “That’s what skill looks like!” or “Do you like THAT?!?” When he didn’t score, there was a lot of: “FOUL! That was a FOUL! Our ball!” He had quite the repertoire.
The longer the verbal abuse about the game in general and Sean’s skills (or supposed lack thereof) in particular continued (in defiance of all the facts and the score- sound familiar Chiefs Kingdom?), the redder Sean’s face became. He was a bit of a nerd (I’m aware that this is a “pot calling the kettle a nerd” type of situation- yes, it’s ironic) and, as I’m sure you’re aware, nerd-rage is real and it’s terrifying.
After we won, Dustin turned away to grab the ball off the gym floor and threw a: “You guys really suck,” over his shoulder. That was it for Sean. By the time Dustin had straightened up, Sean was at ramming speed (⬅️that clip has a before he was famous Adam Scott!). He led with his shoulder and blindsided Dustin full force, just as he was turning towards us. Dustin went from vertical to horizontal in about half a second and hit his head on the gym floor. That was followed by some crying and a genuinely puzzled Dustin asking Sean, “What did you do that for?” Sean got in trouble, but I’m pretty sure he thought that was a good trade.
The long-winded point of this story? We of Chiefs Kingdom are sorry that you (this only applies to the sore losers- no broad generalizations here) were never taught to lose gracefully. We apologize that you weren’t taught that sometimes life isn’t fair (go ahead and ask me how fair life is- I dare you). Just because your team lost doesn’t mean they (and by extension, you) were cheated and everything is rigged. Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we think they should (no, you’re crying).
As for all of the “NFL is rigged” aluminum hat loonies out there, c’mon people. Get real. Believing a conspiracy that big could be kept a secret for longer than about 5 minutes is ludicrous. As Benjamin Franklin said: “Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
My Thoughts On Super Bowl 58
During the game, I was rotating between grim joy after the good plays and completely freaking out during everything else. Except halftime. Then I was just bored. In retrospect, though, it was a great game. The 49ers had several opportunities to put the Chiefs away (I was stressing hard during the Niners’ last drive of the 4th quarter- all they needed was a 1st down and it was over for KC), but the Chiefs were able to ride their stout defense (which I wrote about before the game) and hang in there just long enough for San Francisco to make a baffling OT coin flip decision. The Mahomes Magic took care of the rest.
I thought two-time Super Bowl Champ Mike Pennel was a stud during the game (a great pickup for the Chiefs!) and I hope the Chiefs reward him with a multi-year contract. He brings some more attitude to the D-line (you can never have too much) and Chris Jones (who I hope is signing his long-term contract right now) seems to like him. Lock him up, KC!
The Rashee Rice pick just keeps looking better and better. He had some key catches during the Super Bowl and was so, so good for the Chiefs during the stretch run and throughout the playoffs. I looked back through my mock drafts from last year and I actually drafted Rashee Rice several times. Maybe I should work for the Chiefs in some capacity? Now get Patrick some more guys like that and let’s see how far the Chiefs Dynasty can go! How many do you think they can win, LeBron?
On a serious note, that shooting at the Chiefs’ victory parade was a terrible thing and it contributed to my hesitation in writing this. I just didn’t want to ignore it and write my semi-funny football column (or whatever this thing is). It felt like the right thing to do to let it breathe for a little while and get back to the less important topic of football after a break. I hope that those who were injured or impacted in any way by that senseless act of violence recover soon and I’d also like to send my condolences to the family and friends of Lisa Lopez-Galvan.
Well, that’s all I have for this week. If I want to honestly call this a “Leap Day Special Edition” it has to be published in the next 11 minutes (I was one minute late!). It’s time to dive into Free Agency and the 2024 NFL Draft! (BTW, I put all those ‘Leave A Comment” buttons to see if I can get more comments. C’mon Chiefs Chronicles Community, let’s do this!) I hope you all are enjoying
The Chiefs Dynasty!
Stay safe and, as always, GO CHIEFS!!!!!!