Screaming disrespect, real or not, is a time-honored motivator for the highest level champions.
After an offseason that didn’t make them Super Bowl favorites, the Kansas City Chiefs – Travis Kelsey in particular – leaned into perceived contempt on their way to their second championship in four years. The theme continued during Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade in Kansas City, with Kelsey and Patrick Mahomes taking center stage.
“Before we started this season, the AFC West said we were rebuilding,” Mahomes said. “I will be honest with you. I don’t know what recovery means. In our recovery year, we became world champions.”
Recovery?
AFC West was definitely overrated in the last off-season and ended up falling short of expectations. And the Chiefs retooled the offense into a pass after trading Tyreke Hill to the Miami Dolphins.
But it was a team fresh from the AFC West title that advanced to the conference championship and brought back much of its core, including Mahomes, Kelsey, Chris Jones and an offensive line that produced two All-Pros in Joe Tooney and Creed Humphrey. Not to mention capturing Orlando Brown in the Pro Bowl.
Mahomes wasn’t the only Chief to be disrespectful. Sunday Kielce demanded respect while stating that “none of you said the Chiefs were taking him home this year, not one”. He backed the theme on Wednesday.
“Let me take you back to 2022, maybe April,” Kelsey said. “Guys were signed right and left. Haters said the Chiefs would never make the playoffs. The haters said the Chiefs were done.
Surely there were some stupid tricks there. Always is. Such is the nature of the media game. But there was nothing like a consensus that the Leaders were “finished”. Few believed that the Chiefs would not be able to compete for the Super Bowl, let alone miss the playoffs. This is a great core of the Chiefs, who were expected to struggle this season and plan to do so in future seasons.
The Chiefs were betting on the favorites to win AFC West. And while they weren’t the preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl, they had the third shortest chance of 32 teams behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the overall favorite of the Buffalo Bills.
But the highest level championships are won marginally. Players find motivation wherever they can, and disrespect – feigned or not – is a powerful motivator. Was cries of disrespect from Georgian football en route to their second straight national championship in January. Michael Jordan famously found snub wherever he could to fuel his exceptional determination to win.
The Chiefs have definitely used disrespect as fuel this season and have done it effectively on their way to the championship. But Wednesday wasn’t all about disrespect. Actually, it was mostly about parties. And the party of leaders did.
Head coach Andy Reid watched the front row from the top of the bus during the parade.
Brown and fellow offensive lineman Trey Smith had a report of the Eagles’ vaunted passing rush that failed to sack Mahomes on Sunday.
Kelsey found extra fuel at a fan and showed off his All-Pro hands in the process.
He also escaped the grip of one tame, overzealous Chiefs supporter.
Meanwhile, Mahomes has reached a level of applause simply for doing his job.
He also raised concern for giving away the Lombardi Trophy to a random fan.
But don’t worry. It turned out to be a replica. The Chiefs’ last Super Bowl trophy was safe and sound for the official celebration.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
