Dwayne,
The realization that the days of you being a top receiver are in the past and the likelihood that your playing days as a whole could soon be over calls for reflection and remembrance of your NFL career.
Many people will look back on your time in the league and unfortunately focus on your stint with the Cleveland Browns or the overblown fact that the Chiefs’ receivers didn’t score a single touchdown during the 2014 season. Well, for myself and hopefully the majority of Chiefs fans, this isn’t and shouldn’t be how you’re remembered.
To start off, let’s put some numbers into perspective. You are second in Kansas City Chiefs history with 532 receptions, only behind future Hall-of-Famer Tony Gonzalez. You are third in receiving yards with 7,155, and the fifth in receiving touchdowns with 44. Those feats are impressive and are even more so considering the less than stellar quarterbacks and surrounding receiving threats you had.
Speaking of quarterbacks, let’s look back on who was throwing you passes during your career in Kansas City; Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen, Matt Cassel, Quinn Gray, Tyler Palko, Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn, Alex Smith.
With exception to Smith, who wasn’t the best fit for your style of play, that list doesn’t exactly seem like a recipe for a successful receiving career. Regardless, you stepped up and produced as the only real playmaker on the team for years. How could we ever forget your special 2010 season?
After a few early-season struggles, you led the league in touchdowns with 15 to go along with 72 receptions, 1,162 yards and a Pro Bowl trip. Going back to quarterback play, does anyone remember Bowe ever bad-mouthing his quarterbacks or the team?
For some reason, whether it be the harmless point to the back of your jersey after a touchdown or your signature underhand ball flip to the referee after a catch, many members of the media made you out to be a ‘diva’ or ‘pre-madonna’. Anyone who’s encountered you or closely followed your career knows that this is the farthest thing from the truth.
When Andy Reid came into town with his west coast offense and your production fell off a bit, did we ever hear you complain about your targets and usage? Absolutely not. Instead, we always heard positive things from Bowe about Reid, his offense, and the Chiefs organization as a whole. On top of this, you put a greater emphasis on your blocking and really made it a strength of your game in order to contribute to winning.
More importantly than your play on the field and handling of the media, and what I’ll always admire you most for, is your interactions with the fans and impact on the community. Since the day you became a Chief, you always went out of your way to give love to the fans whether it be signing autographs, taking pictures, or jumping into the crowd.
The lasting image I’ll have of you as a Chief is your touching bond with Betty Johnson. That relationship and those actions perfectly exemplify the type of character and man that Dwayne Bowe is.
All in all, if I had to say one thing about your career as a Kansas City Chief, I’d say thank you. Thank you for giving Chiefs fans the D-Bowe Show, thank you for the best fantasy football team name every year (Somewhere over Dwayne Bowe), and thank you for being the idol of both mine and others.
I’ll never forget my dad taking me to Arrowhead back in 2009, rocking my fresh Reebok Bowe Jersey, and being the happiest kid in the world seeing you beat Stanford Routt for a 29-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
I’m sure there’s a couple plays you wish you could have back and that you could’ve finished out your contract and career in Kansas City, but none of that takes away from the Dwayne Bowe that I’ll look back on.
I hope that this letter finds you well, and I look forward to hearing you as a feature on Migos’ next album. Until then, best of luck with everything and thank you once again for everything you’ve provided to Chiefs fans on and off the field.
Sincerely,
Dante Fargnoli and The Chiefs Kingdom