8-bit, 12th man, and Andy Reid: The Man With The Plan – Time marches slowly, in the wait for the football season. Usually, by this time, fans have high hopes for players based on the avalanche of information that comes from OTAs and early training camp practices. That avalanche has been reduced to a mere trickle, with the first real glimpse being a 13-second video clip of Willie Gay running stride for stride with Clyde Edwards-Helaire and batting the ball away, at the last second. In these dark days, it’s important to have something to pass the time. Also note, that Andy Reid isn’t the only one who can help the Kansas City Chiefs, in their quest for back-to-back championship wins. Fans can’t pack the stadium, but their voice can be still be heard, not just in Kansas City, but across the United States.
8-bit Entertainment
A cure for football withdrawal fits in the palm of your hand. Anyone with a smartphone can pick up a little game called Retro Bowl. Its classic style graphics are fun to look at, and with sound effects and music, that match the genre. While the names of NFL teams are not prominently featured, it is very clearly based on the NFL with divisions, uniforms, and schedule perfectly aligned by city.
The app offers simple game-play that is fun, addicting, and offensively centered. Players manage a ten man roster of stars, who form the backbone of their team, with the remainder of on-field players being generic. A three round draft precedes each season, offering players the chance to draft and develop prospects in their system.
Football Addicts Beware
Many aspects of the game revolve around coaching credits, which are required to maintain facilities, retain staff and sign free agents. While the game offers to sell these, for real currency, to the player, it’s easy enough to acquire all you need, simply by playing and winning games. The game is free, but more enjoyable if you spend the 99 cents to unlock Unlimited Mode. This allows you to change the difficulty level from the default “dynamic difficulty.” With Dynamic Difficulty, the player will find the game progressively harder, until it ultimately becomes frustrating. This game is a lot of fun, but extremely addictive. Certainly a great way to pass the time until real football comes back.
Andy Reid: Man With a Plan
Chiefs were among the first three teams to have their Infectious Disease Emergency Response plan approved by the NFLPA. Earlier, in the off-season, Andy Reid talked about having multiple contingency plans, depending on what they were allowed to do. That level of preparedness seems to be paying off, as the Kansas City Chiefs have only had one player test positive for COVID: UDFA Aleva Hifo, who is no longer with the team. As of the writing of this piece, they are one of just six teams with no players on the Reserve/COVID list. Reid is known to be a player’s coach, but he’s also detail-oriented and his standards can be exacting, if that’s what a situation demands. The Chiefs ability to make it through training camp, and then win games, will largely depend on the overall health of the team. Fans should feel confident that, with Reid at the helm, flippancy will not be tolerated. Players will take NFL restrictions seriously, or face the consequences.
The 12th Man
In 2020, the loudest stadium, in the NFL, will fall quiet. Even if some fans are able to attend games, their numbers will be cut significantly. Their shouts and screams partially obscured by face masks. That certainly doesn’t mean that fans lose the potential to influence the game. The best way to keep players healthy is to lower the incidence of COVID-19 in the population. Practicing social distancing, wearing masks, avoiding unnecessary trips, all these things can help keep the Chiefs at full strength. As you strive to do your part, don’t forget about restaurants and other small businesses. Many of them lose money when you use a delivery service to order food from them. Consider calling ahead and then picking up your meal instead. In other words, be sure to support your local businesses when possible.
However you choose to pass the time, waiting for football’s return, do so safely. Andy Reid has a plan for the Chiefs, but we can all do our part to make it go as smoothly as possible. Questions about Retro Bowl? Ask them in the comments. Stay safe folks. Go Chiefs!
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
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