Super Bowl 51: What Kansas City Chiefs can learn
This Sunday, the biggest game the NFL has to offer, the Super Bowl, will be played between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. What do these two teams have to offer to the Kansas City Chiefs to learn from?
The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t in the Super Bowl this year. We had a window, we had a chance. The offense let us down though. That’s where these lessons to learn from the Falcons and Patriots come in. Both of these teams have very strong offenses, what can Kansas City learn from them?
A franchise quarterback is a must.
The most obvious difference between these teams and the Chiefs is the quarterback situation. Tom Brady at the helm of the Patriots and Matt Ryan leading the Falcons. Is it any coincidence that the top two rated QBs by PFF are playing in the Super Bowl? Let’s look at what makes each of them the franchise QB for their teams.
Matt Ryan
Ryan joined the NFL in the 2008 draft, taken by the Falcons in the first round to be their franchise man. He has achieved elite status according to Pro Football Focus three times in his career. This season finished as the No. 2 overall quarterback behind Tom Brady. Ryan’s pocket awareness and presence are impressive. Moreover, pressure rarely gets to him. He has earned that nickname of Matty Ice. His season numbers capped off at 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a completion percentage of 69.9.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady, comparatively speaking, is everything Matty Ice is on steroids. Brady is a living legend. His story of being a chance selection in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, to his rise to becoming a superstar is truly one for the ages.
Brady will be long remembered after he hangs up his cleats. To say nothing of his pocket presence and awareness, Brady has one powerful arm. Likewise, the accuracy on his throws Brady demonstrates is otherworldly. Brady finished this season as PFF’s No. 1 overall quarterback with 3,554 yards, 28 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a completion percentage of 67.4. In the light of this, it comes as no surprise that Brady is once again in the Super Bowl.
Do the Chiefs have a franchise quarterback?
One could argue this point to death. One camp will tell you that Alex Smith is our franchise QB because he has put the team on his back and won games on his own. By the same token, another camp will tell you that Smith is not a franchise QB because he has been what lost games for us.
Coupled with those two points, I find myself in a middle ground of sorts. The stats put up by Smith are nowhere near the same level as either of these two men. Usually this strict numbers only view would end the talk right away. However, Smith has been able to win games on his own, but overall is lacking what is to be found in a franchise quarterback. What should the Chiefs do then?
Draft, Draft, Draft!
As most teams have drafted and then developed their franchise quarterbacks, the Chiefs must do the same for theirs. This is IMPERATIVE to our success as a team. As a matter of fact, I have a proposal for a draft selection: Pat Mahomes of Texas Tech is that guy. Read what Walter Football says about Mahomes here.
Mahomes possesses the natural arm strength and pocket presence to succeed in the NFL. In addition, Mahomes is also naturally athletic enough to extend plays when needed. Additionally, Mahomes gains comparisons to Derek Carr of the Raiders, a Mahomes pick will make this fan very happy!
Thanks for reading, Chiefs Kingdom. The Super Bowl is almost here, party hard, stay loud, and Go Chiefs!