Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 538: Happy Troubles
The most important reason why NFL has been the most watched TV program in North America for many years, besides the huge football fan base, is the suspense.

Thanks to the existence of a hard salary cap, teams often find it difficult to gather a group of top players to jointly challenge the championship. The gap between strong teams and weak teams has narrowed. Coupled with the planning of team tactics, the suspense has risen sharply, and there are countless possibilities for playoff spots and championship competition every year.

It is precisely because of this that the spectators and passers-by fans are not stingy with their attention.

In the half-century history of the Super Bowl, only seven teams have ever defended their title: the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, and New England Patriots.

Among them, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the only team to defend the title twice in different periods; and the last team to defend the title was the New England Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In the thirteen years since then, no team has been able to defend the title.

As for the three consecutive championships?
not a single one.

This is the evidence that directly shows how fierce the competition in the NFL is.

Obviously, the hard salary cap is key.

Now, the overall trend of the league is to focus more and more on the draft.

The team can take advantage of the low salary of rookies in four-year contracts to gain more salary cap room, and then recruit players through the free market to build a strong team and lay the foundation for competing for the Super Bowl championship.

Among them, the quarterback is the top priority.

Therefore, it is common to see a team select a quarterback in the draft every now and then, select a rookie quarterback every two or three years and then start over again, just like a child building a sand castle.

New York Jets: Why not just say my name?

Now, the Kansas City Chiefs are facing the same test.

Only a few people know that Mahomes was recommended to Reid by Veach with a keen eye, rather than being selected by Reid, the quarterback scout, from countless gravel.

Mahomes, despite becoming a starter in his sophomore year and showing incredible arm strength, has always been a underdog in the draft.

Outsiders believe that this is the reason why college teams have more losses than wins; in fact, this is not the case.

Of course, a quarterback who cannot lead his team to victory or advance to the national championship game will indeed affect his draft stock; but the real reason is that scouts' evaluation of Mahomes is average.

First, his technique is rough and there is still a lot of room for improvement in his passing accuracy.

Second, his playing style is reckless. Indeed, Mahomes has excellent arm strength. He can make long passes and aim for the end zone for a fatal blow; but his will to pass the ball forward and deep is too firm and too impulsive. Regardless of whether there is an opportunity or whether he is facing difficulties, he often likes to take risks and gamble with long passes. This is obviously not the correct attitude of an excellent quarterback.

Therefore, even though Mahomes had excellent passing yardage in his sophomore and junior years, scouting reports generally predicted Mahomes to be in the third round.

It was not until the rookie training camp that Mahomes showed excellent physical fitness and attracted a wave of attention, which made Mahomes enter the team's sight; then, Mahomes' agent seized the opportunity to push his quarterback to the front of the stage and appear on an NFLN show.

In the show, Mahomes competed with former No. 62 pick quarterback David Carr in passing speed. Mahomes threw a cannonball at 99.8 miles per hour ( kilometers), which made him famous.

This has caused Mahomes' draft stock to rise all the way, between the first and second rounds, and he is considered likely to be the third or fourth quarterback selected.

In fact, there is a small twist here.

At last year's draft, the Chicago Bears, who had the third pick, were widely believed to be the first to select a quarterback, so when the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers traded for the second pick, the Chicago Bears panicked and made a series of aggressive moves to get the second pick back.

When the Chicago Bears announced their draft picks, Mahomes was thrilled.

He didn't tell anyone until much later, when he told Levi privately that during the rookie training camp, the Chicago Bears had a very pleasant interview and they showed a positive inclination. The two sides then called each other many times, and the Chicago Bears finally said that they would use their first-round pick to select Mahomes.

However, the Chicago Bears chose Trubisky.

Mahomes didn't understand what happened. Instead, the Kansas Chiefs, who had never had any contact with him, selected him with the tenth pick in the first round.

This is where Vicky comes in.

Veach has been keeping an eye on Mahomes. He even read the scouting report before the rookie training camp, and he agrees with the scouts' judgment; but there is one slight difference. He believes that Mahomes' recklessness, impulsiveness, and determination, with the right guidance, may become the driving force that changes the game.

After all, at the critical moment of a life-and-death battle, what is needed is a little courage.

Just as Reid was impressed by Levi's calmness in the decisive moment, Veach was impressed by Mahomes' audacity no matter what the circumstances.

However, last year was Veach’s first year as a team manager, and he has always believed that reaching a consensus between the team manager and the head coach is the correct rule for building a team.

Also, avoid taking risks as soon as you take office and making fans and owners sweat.

Therefore, after making a bold move and trading with the San Francisco 49ers, Veach's first reaction was to be more cautious, taking into account the market and public opinion.

Trubisky or Watson?

However, after a series of twists and turns, the team selected Levi with the third pick, which meant that they had stirred up a hornet's nest. Since they had already taken the risk, they might as well carry it through to the end. Vic's idea began to stir.

Vic imagined the scene of Levi and Mahomes partnering together.

So, Veach boldly recommended Mahomes to Reid.

Everyone knows the story behind it.

From the beginning, Vicky had already made his plan.

Mahomes is the future of the team. Smith will guide Mahomes for one season, and then the team will be handed over to Mahomes next season.

What if Mahomes can't keep up?
It doesn’t matter, Vic has a backup plan.

In the 2018 season, Smith may be the starter in the first half and Mahomes may take over in the second half. Smith may also be able to lead the rookies.

In fact, after Mahomes joined the Kansas City Chiefs, the progress was also very smooth.

Smith had no reservations and taught Mahomes everything he knew. If things continue like this, the quarterback position of the Kansas City Chiefs will be able to complete the transition from old to new in a harmonious atmosphere.

perfect!

But unexpectedly, an accident happened.

Smith had the best season of his career and the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl.

On the other side, the Philadelphia Eagles are faced with a dilemma: should they continue to use Foles or trust Wentz? Here, the Kansas City Chiefs are also in a dilemma.

The media, in particular, like to watch the fun and add fuel to the fire.

"Don't forget that Rogers of the Green Bay Packers also played as a backup behind Favre for three years, and there is no problem for Mahomes to continue to play as a backup behind Smith for another year."

"The Kansas City Chiefs should keep Smith."

Vichi: The baby is feeling sad but can’t say it out loud, and all the plans are messed up.

(End of this chapter)