attended last night at. So, Phi Stadium. The Chargers were
the home team
Home Team. The chiefs were the visitors. What was your sense?
Because I saw, I think it was you, it was you
the tweeted, when you get to the end of the national anthem
and they say, the home of the Chiefs, it sounded like
a Chiefs home game. What was your take on the split between
Chargers fans and Chiefs fans?
It was probably about 50, 50. I mean, it felt like kind of
a bowl game. Game, you know, in the sense that there were just
so many teaspoons, and
because they're red,
they stand out more
than you would see the Chargers blue, because the blue Blends
more in with the blue seats. But when you see that red, and
it was pretty clear. When I was walking in from the parking
lot, there were going to be a lot of chiefs fans in
the building.
That's usually the case here in Los Angeles. And we've talked
about it for the ram. We've talked about it for
the Chargers, it's just the way things are here in
a transplant City,
but yeah, It was at best for the Chargers. It was 50/50. And
there were, I mean, it was pretty much a wall of red
behind the Chiefs bench but and I think that the
it's not on The Telecast but you can see behind
the Chargers bench. It was more powder blue
but it was the Chiefs fans were making a lot of noise. A lot of
noise and it was something that both Andy Reid and the players
were acknowledging after the game, just how great the fans
were for them and when you have that and it away game, it makes
a huge difference.
Simple, take you, abandon a market. The second biggest
Market in the country. For 20 years, you invite everyone who
lives there, to be a fan of any team, a choose.
And then when those teams start coming to town
when you finally put two teams back in town,
those fans are going to want to go see
their favorite team
play and it's going to be away for a while. I think in Los
Angeles and it was a great game. I hope it keeps being
this way a while,
for Chargers Chiefs games, although
one of these days, the Chargers need to come out on top again,
I think. Back to
2018,
the Thursday, night's game, when Philip Rivers and Company
went into Arrowhead and
how to, how do you they were the one seed until they lost at
home on the Saturday night to the Ravens. They were the one
seed in the AFC and Patrick Mahomes first year as
a starter,
but the Chargers having a hard time
getting the better of Patrick Mahomes now.
But at least we're getting
great games
32:27. Evan is one of my all-time favorite final scores.
Even though that was the final score of the 1998, NFC
Championship game. 32:27 means the game was exciting.
It doesn't get into Arena Football territory, like 51-48
would 30 to 27 years is a good amount of scoring it was back
and forth and it probably had an exciting finish. And oh,
yes, mi you got to see a very exciting finish. Last night is
the Chiefs keep finding a way Sunday Night Football. Kansas
City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes.
It's Dominant but it's
ultimately successful.
The thing that stuck out to me in that in the press conferences
was when they asked Pat Mahomes what was the feeling in
the Huddle? You know that's one of those things sports bars always
ask and you know you wanted to get the uh-oh
he had the look in his eye and it was fire and you could just
tell that it was that
Emma home said you know when we got into the Huddle 146 left,
or whatever it was, Was a couple timeouts was just like,
okay, let's go do this,
it wasn't. Oh yeah, we need to go da da da, da da, and I need
to say this mess,
it was okay, we've practiced the situation we've been here
before. It doesn't really matter that the guys who are
out here are not necessarily the top guys.
Right there down, me Cole, Harmon
they're down Juju Smith Schuster
could areas choni, also went out there down a lot of guys,
but the guys that were in
he said I trust him.
I know that they're going to be where they're supposed to be
and wouldn't Travis Kelce is one-on-one. That's the guy, I'm
throwing you and lo and behold, it doesn't take very much for
them to go down the field and score it just it's one of those
things where the Chiefs, their mentality, their
mental fortitude,
it's all so strong. They just know what they're going to do,
and they go and execute.
Well, and when you come back and tie a playoff game,
a winner, go home contest with 13 seconds, left against one of
the best teams in football.
That just reinforces
that. There's nothing to freak out about. There's nothing to
panic. You don't need some moment that breaks the ice, you
don't need Joe Montana to say, hey, there's John Candy sitting
in the front row, you don't need anything like that,
everybody's ready to go.
Go, it's old hat. It's kind of like the Tom Brady Vibe and
it's what makes the Buccaneers dangerous in the postseason
if and when when they get there and it makes the Chiefs
dangerous,
every time they show up, they live for those moments.
Everything else is just kind of
humdrum and mundane
that's when you come to life and don't we all have those
moments in our own life, whatever it may be, whether
it's your job, where there's something at home,
you get that moment where
the Which flips and you know, it's time, I can you can't read
it like or whatever your however, you feel beforehand.
It doesn't matter
because once it's time,
it's time and you either get it done or you don't. And for
the Chiefs,
it's
okay. Let's go do it. And yeah, it was there ever. Any doubt
was, I've
what did we expect to see Patrick Mahomes get sacked.
Three straight times, did we expect to see him throw
an interception? It's not impossible, but we don't expect
that we expect to see them hot.
Knife through butter their way down the field
and get the win and then find a way to preserve the win. That's
just kind of the way it is. And it's the ultimate level of
confidence that is born of doing it
over and over and over again. Also helps when you've never
lost on the road to a division rival, 14, and oh there's
something wrong with that Patrick Mahomes. Has never,
I think it's so hard to beat division opponents.
They know you, they don't fear you.
Well they must fear the chief You go on the road and
constantly beat your division Rivals,
14, out of 14 times,
that's one of the most amazing stats. You can conjure in
today's NFL because we see, let me see what the Commander's did
in Philly division Rivals know how to play. They built
they draft and sign players aimed at stopping you.
They've been trying to do that. We are going to try to slow
down Bahamas, going to try to outscore mom's everything. They
try, it doesn't work. It can't beat him at home. It's amazing
miles.
You know I saw two yesterday and I wish I could remember who
I saw it from so I can shop them out but it was something
like the AFC West been about a billion dollars
to try to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, in
this offseason and the division re-review
race is pretty much over by Thanksgiving. It's done. They
are they have a three game lead in the AFC West
you know we see in the Broncos and the Raiders,
they are dog water. The Chargers are still the
Jurors. They're all right, they're decent. They have
a quarterback that we think should be great but at this
point he's not
and I don't know if it's a scheme, holding him back
the coaching, holding him back, whatever it is but the Chiefs
are still the Chiefs. And you know you go back to the 13
seconds, right? I mean in that particular moment, they still
have
Tyree kill. They still have Travis Kelce
shairi killing there anymore
and they still are doing what they're doing.
No, the fact that they can integrate these young guys,
the guys like the Pacheco, Goes with the world, the sky mores
of the world, and they just come in there and make plays
speaks to their culture. They've got such a good winning
culture, their of accountability,
right? And success
You Know About Skye more somebody who had some
difficulties with the punt returns earlier on in this
season and Andy Reid was saying last night that guys, on
the team just kept encouraging him
and he said that peer pressure in that way
is some of the best thing that you could ever have.
Because It means that those guys believe in you and so
you're going to start believing in yourself. So that culture
right now is as good as there is in football, when it comes
to making sure you have on-field success.
All those dudes are super competitive and they all want
to be great and that's why they continue to do the things that
they do in the division.
It was a point that Sims made when the Cowboys didn't have
Dak Prescott earlier this year and they really rolled up their
sleeves and worked on getting the most out of their offense.
When you have a great player, there's a temptation to kind of
slip into
autopilot, we got a great player,
we've got Josh down,
we've got Patrick Mahomes, we've got Tom Brady,
but you still have to have the determination to get the most
out of the team. It can't just be we're going to sit back and
fold our arms and let our great player. Go do great things. And
that's what the Chiefs have
always been with Patrick Mahomes.
And that's one of the reasons, frankly, Patrick Mahomes
became Pat Mahomes. There was a small handful of coaches. Who
knew this guy was going to be special.
There wasn't anything coming out of his time at Texas Tech
that screamed out potentially. One of the greatest ever, it's
easy to forget because we become so accustomed to fact
that Patra homes equals all-time greatness.
That wasn't the case.
That's why he went 10th. He would have been first, he would
have gone. Four miles Garrett
to Cleveland. He'd be the Browns quarterback.
If everybody knew he was going to be this good, but he
wouldn't be this good. If he didn't have a coach that set
that culture an organization that puts in place everything
around him. We're
when you do have various pieces that need to step up, they step
up and the other remarkable fact. The Chiefs haven't lost
a game in November or December since 2019,
that's crazy. I initially thought
I initially Thought Mi
it had to have been
one of the Patrick Mahomes knee injury
games. Remember, he got
hurt on a Thursday night against the Broncos and it
looked like it was going to be really bad and he just missed
a couple of games Packers Vikings
lost to the Packers, beat the Vikings,
their last loss in November or December.
I know what it is was to the Titans 3532
one Mahomes came back from the injury, so he actually played
in that game. It was his first game back barnburner against
the Titans. Wow,
wow. Yeah, so
You go. See. I put that was a pop quiz. I could have given
you the way you've gotten, right? I should have given you
a pop quiz because I didn't know, I didn't know. I thought
it was like the Packers game.
Yeah, it's because that was it was game
after this. I was covering the Raiders that year so
the Raiders had played on Thursday night and so I went with a few
buddies because they live in Nashville
and some of them Chiefs fans who came to Kansas City and we
all met up and we went to that game. So yeah, that's why
I know that that was, that was a crazy game to because they
should have won that game. Yeah, but the kick
got blocked at the end of it so that's why the Titans one say
they were either going to tie it up or something and it was
basically like the 13 seconds where I think Mahoney said
something like twenty Seventeen seconds or something like that
in order
to get them into field goal range, she did and then that
kick got blocked. So yeah,
that's the only flaw when Mahomes is the one, who is
saving you, he's not the kicker if Mahomes, right? Kicker,
he's making that kick, that's when you have to take him off
the field. Hope that I was, I really can get it done. Guy,
who got it. Done last night
for the Chiefs, was Travis Kelce with not one,
not two, but three
touchdown catches, including the game-winner, his Patra
homes from after the game, talking about his guy, Travis
Kelce, getting it done,
we do this a lot. Well coach re prepares us for these moments.
We knew we had a lot of time on the clock. We knew we had some
time out so we didn't rush. We just kind of went through
the went, through, what we do every single day at practice and
everything like that
and we executed. And I thought
I mean, obviously Travis,
I mean, it's Travis who makes these greatest Hideout of all
time. He makes plays like that, the win games. Give the, what's
special about them is you just competes. I mean at the end of
the day, he's going to keep fighting until the very end
and that's what you when you see that. I think it not only
is impressive for him, but it gets other guys going
it shows that I mean he's
I mean like I say he's one of the best, not the best idea of
all time and he's coming to work every single day to get
better. And so that shows you whenever you step in
the facility, you're like man I got to get to work at this guys,
doing
it. I have to be able to at least match that
and so that leads Ownership that he brings
as well as the play. He brings in the field is special and it
takes a lot off my shoulders.
Crocs going to hear that greatest tight end of all time
and unretire. Probably not, Kelsey, really is amazing and
look at how and I love that to he's got,
he's got just enough of that Showmanship and I think part of
that sin influence of Patrick Mahomes because there is
an element of that. Are you not entertained? We see, Kelsey do
that from time to time too. He throws his arms at Russell.
Crowe's style, are you
not entertained? He is very entertaining and he's clutch.
He gets open when he needs to be. And then after the catch,
like, he just,
you know, he doesn't look like he should be able to do that,
but he does it old man can run.
Now representing the suburbs of Cleveland Ohio, Travis Kelce,
just like myself. It's so fun to watch him. You know it's
funny Mike things they said after the game
that the Chargers apparently had a good plan
for him and boy even Travis, Kelsey was like man you know,
Derwin James, got the better of me throughout that game. I'm
looking at the stats of my kids, 64 115 with three
touchdowns and you think Derwin James, got the better you most
of
the game. Wow,
the Chiefs Stanzas are pretty damn high. If you can end up
with that and you still say I'm and boy, they did a great job
against me, did they? I
don't know.
I mean, I guess they did. If he didn't have like 200 yards then
I don't know, man.
He now does have the record for the most 100-plus yards,
receiving games by a tight end in NFL history with 33. And
I thought of something as you were saying that there was
a time
where the NFL's number one question was, how do you ever
defend Rob Gronkowski? What do you do? I remember was heading
into
the 2015
season. I believe that was the year that the Steelers
played the Patriots to start the year and they actually
automatically tried a very novel approach of Defending
Rob, Gronkowski with no one at all. That game included
a completely busted coverage where he was
wide open all alone. But
what do you do? Do you double him, do use the safety. Do you
use your top corner? Do you chip him at the line of
scrimmage and then pass him off to somebody else? Like nobody
could figure?
Why is there never been an obsession with how do you stop
Travis Kelce? Maybe they know
you just can't, it's not even worth wasting your time like
He's going to get his catches, he's going to get his yard, we
just have to minimize the damage that the others do to
us. And and that's why
I think there was an organizational shrug when Tyree
kill goes, one of the reasons we still got Travis Kelce, we
still know that Patrick Mahomes can rely upon him in key
moments
to make things happen when the game is on the line. And
everybody knows he's going to get it. We've seen games like
that, where everybody knows who's getting it,
everybody knows and they still make it work. And that's
a testament. Went to the greatness of Travis Kelce,
no doubt about it. He really is one of the greatest Tidings of
all time and a franchise that has had more than one of them.
Right. If you think about Tony Gonzalez, what he was able to
do for so many years there, Kansas City. And now
you have trying to call you all to.
I had no,
Tony Gonzalez is accomplishments, are even more
impressive. Now, that I know he can't function in the cold. Oh
boy. Okay. All right,
I really know we're gonna Rob servation.
Okay, I'm just saying,
anytime, I mean he's
Under to buy heated blank. And I mean, he can't talk right? In
the cold. Like, how did you ever play football in Kansas
City? If you can't function in the cold, when you're sitting
and talking anyway,
maybe needs to be running around, maybe needs to be doing
high knees on the side. Maybe. Yeah, he's on the sidelines.
Like, some people do on the plains allegedly before they
settle on it. You know, it's very my heat so
Mahomes last night,
he's talking about, you know, I
I go where the Reed is and less Travis Kelce is matched up
one-on-one, and then I just throw it to him and where
everybody in the room. Media room laughs. And so he follows
up like
really joking about that. Are you
and moms? Like no,
I'm not joking. Travis Kelce, he's matched up one-on-one.
He's one of the greatest Titans of all time. Not the greatest
look, yeah, I'm going to that guy. And so, that's why we see
what we see.
So, even when Derwin James does, apparently a good job
against Travis Kelce, there were points where Travis Kelce
still gonna get his, and that's just the beauty of the Chiefs
offense, that they've got all these weapons that they all
trust. And, you know, if you cover some guys,
sometimes trap, It's cause he's going to be one-on-one and
they're going to scheme that up and he's gonna be that Target.
That Patrick Mom's trust and he's gonna make the catch. He's
gonna do elusive things after the catch
and he's going to get into the end zone, especially against
the Chargers.
By the way, we should have known
that Travis Kelce was going to have the on-field trifecta
during the game because prior to the game, he had
the trifecta
on his T-shirt. I have to get me
one of these. This is going on. The Christmas list Santa
football, family Fonzie, ha ha.
Oh, when I saw that, I couldn't believe it
and I took a picture and tweeted. Of course, the picture
was all blurry and I you get dragged. If you don't if you
don't put Anil quality photos on Twitter, you will get
dragged. But I was so excited when I saw that and I know
somebody who's a
huge Fonzie fan and I texted it to him and there's fun Z
Henry Winkler fairly bizarre Rich eyes and show and he was
talking about how much he likes. The chiefs of my homes
and Fonzie
is in the building when Fonzie is on your side. People,
you cannot lose.
Do you know, fighting yet?
The Fonz I do that Monday. Tuesday. Happy day. Nevermind.
Alright. Very good. That that, yes, very good.
You know what? The original theme song to Happy Days was,
you know, the original theme song.
Now, you'll sell me on that rock around the clock, Rock
Around the Clock, really? Yeah. Okay, hit from the probably
better million comments, Winkler probably better known
as
the guy in Barry at this point, though. I think Mahomes
probably might know him is that more than knows him as the Fonz
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