BONUS BLOG: Behind the Scenes of my First Chiefs Game

By this point, all of my readers have heard the story, or read the blog of my first Chiefs game, the tailgating, the throwing of the first pass and my walk down the concrete path that led into the Chiefs’ tunnel, surrounded by pumping music and the smells of beer and BBQ.

For all these things, it was a day that will live on in my memory for the rest of my days.

There’s was one more thing that will stick in my mind and resonate with me at my deepest and most emotional core. It has been a jealously guarded secret that has been kept until the typing of these words.

But now the time is right for my readers to know the full and true story.

Let’s go back.

Back before the tunnel, before the tail gating and even before my wife and I were picked up to leave for the game

I sat on my couch, excitement stirring in my mind and heart, as I mentally prepared for my first Chiefs game and what would probably be the only pass I would ever throw in the National Football League. I was flipping channels on the TV, trying to distract myself from the excitement, finally settling on Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - my favorite of the Star Wars original trilogy.

My beautiful wife brought me a cup of coffee and sat down next to me with her own cup. We sipped our coffee infused with pumpkin spice creamer and talked about the events of the day, speaking in quiet tones, so as not to wake our almost two year old daughter.

We were enjoying each other’s company.

Just as we finished our cups of coffee, I stood up, took my wife’s cup and my own, walked into the kitchen and deposited them into the sink, my light perception registering the bright sun light coming in threw the window above the sink, a perfect day for Chiefs football.

I went back into the living room and sat down next to my wife, while Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher flew the Millennium Falcon threw an asteroid field on the T in the background

“I have something for you.” My wife said to me. “It’s not much, but I wanted to give you a little gift, to let you know I’m proud of you.”

She walked off down the hall, returning a few seconds later with a small gift bag in her hand. I took the bag from her, and began to unwrap the ribbon and tissue paper.

“I was going to give it to you later tonight, but knew we would get home late and be tired.”

I reached inside the small bag, and drew out a small stuffed mini football which was tied to an object, with football ribbon. It halted my breath, stopped my heart and made the rest of my life, entirely and utterly complete.

“Looks like you’re getting another football buddy.” She said.

Chalkboard with "Drafting a New Player...July 2019...", a sonogram picture, a mini Chiefs' helmet, white knit booties and a football.

When the moment of realization hit me, and the full effect of what was tied to that mini football washed over me, I looked up at my wife, my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide.

I held the mini football in one hand and the positive pregnancy test in the other.

I took my beautiful pregnant wife into my arms, held her tight for a long time, then we parted, kissed and went to our first Chiefs game.

About nine hours later, I walked down that concrete path, leading down through the Chiefs’ tunnel and set foot on that oh so hallowed ground at Arrowhead Stadium, knowing that it wasn’t just my first Chiefs’ game or me throwing out the first pass or sitting in the booth with Mitch Holthus or even the beating the Chiefs gave the Bengals with a 45-10 victory.

That day of was also the day my little family grew.

Enjoy this time with your families, football fanz!

Struck by a Lightning Bolt

Dejected fans filed out of Arrowhead, having just watched their Chiefs lose their first home game of the season – by one point no less. But in Kansas City, there are no fair weather fans. We shall stand by our Chiefs, win or lose.

Now, let’s highlight some of the more exciting moments for us from last night, like the return of Eric Berry!

Loud applause erupted from a sea of red from the stands at Arrowhead the moment that Berry and the other defensive players raced on to the field. Berry had not been seen since his injury in the 2017 season opener. 

Now #29 was storming back onto the field, and assuming his position at strong safety. Berry made his presence known right away. 

On the second play of the game, Chargers’ QB Philip Rivers dropped back to pass. Berry stormed in on a blitz, and while he did not get to the QB, he helped hurry a deep pass attempt that was overthrown and picked off by cornerback Steven Nelson. The Chiefs offense would capitalize off this early pick provided by the Chiefs D, by marching down the field, seeming to stall in the red zone, then, with a defender wrapped around him and the play seeming to be all but dead. 

It took Pat Mahomes a whole 6 seconds to zip the ball to Demarcus Robinson in the end zone for the first Chiefs touchdown. This cannot be over described. Mahomes had a defender wrapped around him, almost forcing him into a sack. Mahomes appeared to throw the ball away, knowing he was about to be dragged to the turf. Then, when the play appeared to be over, almost lazily, Mahomes shot a dart of a pass to Robinson in the end zone. 

One thing is for sure.

Whether the Chiefs win or lose, there will be at least one moment in the game, where QB Patrick Mahomes will leave you with your mouth a gape, at a loss for words of what you just saw. This most recent TD pass would tie Mahomes with Dan Marino in 7^th place for single season touchdown passes at 44. 

Later in the first quarter, Mahomes would connect with rookie Darrel Williams, for an 11 yard pass, giving the rookie his first TD catch of the season and giving Mahomes his 45th TD pass, tying Aaron Rodgers at 6^th place for TDs in a single season.

While running back, Spencer Ware was missed in the offensive huddle, Damien Williams - a former Oklahoma Sooner by the way (insert BOOMER SOONER chant here) - filled in for him admirably, starting off with a nice 22 yard run on the Chiefs first drive, then catching a six yard pass from Mahomes a few plays later, converting a 3^rd and 5 to achieve the all-important first down. On the Chiefs second drive, a screen pass from Mahomes to Williams turned into a 32 yard gain by the elusive running back.

Damien Williams led the Chiefs in rushing and receiving, gaining 123 yards of total offense, 74 receiving yards, and 49 rushing yards and 2 TDs. Mahomes finished the night 24-34, for 243 yards and 2 TD passes.

The Chiefs defense held their own as well, picking off Rivers twice, once on the opening drive of the game, then again by Kendall Fuller, as Rivers threw a pass into the end zone. Chris Jones continued to uphold his reputation as a one man wrecking crew, wrapping himself around Rivers’ ankles and sprawling him onto the turf, giving him his 10^th consecutive game with a sack which ties a league record and gives Jones 12 1.2 sacks on the season. Just for good measure, he would add another sack later in the second quarter. Then Jones and Justin Houston would team up for another sack, placing Jones at second place in the league of single season sacks, ahead of Von Miller and trailing only Aaron Donald, with 16 and 1.2.

It ultimately came down to Chiefs: 28, Chargers: 21.

The Chargers had the ball with a couple minutes to go. Aided by big yardage plays and Chiefs penalties, the Chargers were able to march down the field and score. This tied the game, and would have forced the game into the second Chiefs overtime in the last one week, but Rivers had none of that.

He held two fingers up in the air. The Chargers were going for two. Rivers completed the 2 point conversion pass to Mike Williams, breaking a 9 game losing streak against the Chiefs, and putting a stop to the Chiefs clenching the AFC West title for a 3^rd year in a row. 

The Chiefs still have the opportunity to do so, for they do hold the tie breaker against the Chargers, but we must see how these last two games of the season will play out.

The Chiefs have a good 10 days to rest up, before they board the plane for Seattle to take on the Seahawks in their final road game of the season. Then it’s back to Arrowhead to finish off the division - and the regular season - with a showdown against the Raiders.

Disappointments and hard losses come with being a sports fan – and it hurts. That is our cross the bear, but you better believe, that as I sit, writing these final words, wearing a Chiefs hoodie and Chiefs hat, that the BQB will never give up on our Chiefs.

Be sure to stay tuned after the upcoming blog about the Seahawks game. There could be a very very special bonus blog in the making…Stay tuned.

Bonus Blog: College Bowl Mania

It’s the month of December. There is a cold chill in the air, and it is the season of giving, so what could the world of college football possibly give us now that the regular season is over and the playoffs await? 

About 40 completely meaningless but incredibly fun games of college football!!! 

That’s right football fans, its Bowl Season. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this bonus blog is for you.

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What is the Bowl Season?

The Bowl Season starts on Saturday, December 15. A bowl game (excluding the semi-final bowl games) are basically reward games, given to the players and coaches at the end of each season. For a school’s team to be “bowl eligible”, they must win at least 6 games in the regular season. The more wins a school has, the more prestigious the bowl is. 

If a school ends the season with one loss - or perhaps no losses -but is not invited to the playoffs, the school will most likely get to play in a New Year’s 6 bowl games which are games that air during the weekend of New Year’s Day. 

If the school just barely scrapes together enough wins to be “Bowl Eligible,” then that school may get an invite to the Motel Six Bowl (yes that is a real bowl sponsor). 

If the school has a fairly decent season, with 8-10 wins, then the school can expect an invite to the Outback Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, the Liberty Bowl and others.

What’s the Reward?

While these games may have no effect on the college football landscape, it is well worth the team’s time to participate in the bowls. The players are, more or less, treated to a week-long vacation, where at the end of the week, they have to play in a meaningless game of football.  

They will arrive in the city where their specific bowl will take place a week before the game begins. During that week, they are wined and dined and given free tickets to tourist type excursions in that city. Last year when the Oklahoma Sooners went to the Rose Bowl, they went to Disneyland! 

The teams and their staff are also given a “swag bag” or “bowl swag” with prizes from that particular bowl’s sponsor. Sony PlayStation sponsors the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and every player received a PlayStation 4 bundle. The sponsor of the bowl determines the quality of the prizes in the “swag bag”. The higher ranked bowl games may have up to $2,000 in “swag bags"

Sponsors also give a monetary compensation to the school itself for that school’s team appearing in their bowl game. Large bowl games like the Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl may pay out $10 Million to the two schools for appearing in their bowl games.

How to Choose a Bowl:

This is different for each game and each game. It is very common, for a player considered to be a high draft prospect to opt out of his team’s bowl game to begin training for the NFL combine and the NFL draft. Since his regular season is complete, he may not want to play a meaningless game, to risk injury and possibly damaging his draft stock.

The team’s motivation to win the bowl game also factors in. College football staples, like Oklahoma, Alabama, Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State and others, typically expect to go to one of the prestigious bowl games every year. If they were not “bowl eligible” to play in one of those higher bowls, it becomes very hard to motivate them to play their best. 

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Preview:

We do not have time for me to give you my insights on all the bowl games so I will focus on the big week – The New Year’s Six.

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, Arizona - LSU vs. UCF:

With Joe Burrow at QB for LSU and a very stout defense, this will be the first true test for UCF, who is now approaching two undefeated seasons closing out this season with 23 consecutive wins.

Citrus Bowl – Orlando, Florida - Kentucky vs. Penn State:

It has been an incredible year for Kentucky, for bowl eligibility is not always a given. This BQB predicts they will come out swinging because they are facing a Penn State team that also feels their season could have gone better, and are looking to end it on a strong note.

 

Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California - Washington vs. Ohio State:

The Rose Bowl usually features the winners of the Pack 12 Conference (Washington) and the winner of the Big 10 Conference (Ohio State). Ohio State is a little sore, because they feel they were skipped over for the playoffs by Oklahoma (despite a loss season) so they will be coming after quarterback Jake Browning and the Washington Huskies. This will be the last game for Ohio State head coach Urban Myer, who announced his retirement earlier this month. His team will want to send him out on a Rose Bowl win.

Allstate Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, Louisiana - Texas vs. Georgia: 

This bowl typically features the best team in the Big 12 Conference and the best team in the SEC Conference (providing those teams didn’t make the playoffs). Texas was the runner up in the Big 12, but were defeated by Oklahoma. So they are having to settle for a trip to the Sugar Bowl. Georgia was on top of Alabama for the entire SEC Championship Game, only to have ‘Bama come back and do what ‘Bama does, sending Georgia home with a loss – thus sending them to the Sugar Bowl.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl – Arlington, Texas - Clemson vs. Notre Dame: 

The ruler of the ACC Conference - the Clemson Tigers will take on one of the oldest institutions in college football, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Will the luck of the Irish prevail? Or will Clemson dominate the Irish, just as they have dominated every other team before them this season? 

Capital One Orange Bowl – Miami Gardens, Florida - Alabama vs. Oklahoma:

Heisman Winner, Kyler Murray and his OU Sooners will face off against the formidable forces of Tua Tagovailoa, (runner up to Murray for the Heisman) and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Can the explosive OU offense out score Alabama? Or will the Alabama offense tear right through what has been a questionable - to put it mildly - Oklahoma defense?

 

CFP National Title Game 2019 - Santa Clara, California - Cotton Bowl Winner vs. Orange Bowl Winner: 

This is it. The Super Bowl of college football. This is the very last game of college football. The winner will be crowned the College Football National Champion. Will it be: Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame or Oklahoma? Tune in and find out.

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There you have it! The Bowl Season Mania for you.

My holiday wish is that you all have a wonderful holiday, relax, and watch tons of football!!! 

Happy Holidays everyone, your BQB