David Bell Kansas City Chiefs

Getting the Mind Right: Just Be Who You Are

David Bell January 26, 2020 No Comments Gallery

 

 

Getting the Mind Right: Just Be Who You Are – the mini-bye week is in the past. This week, the team puts together practices and goes through the preparation for a game against the San Francisco 49’ers. The Chiefs players are now at the annual NFL Big Circus.

 

Countering The Big Hype

It is a football game. The surrounding hoopla can be a difficult distraction, which must be put aside from the awareness of the task at hand. There is nothing else that is important except to not create a media stir over comments in front of the press and media. Other than this? It’s all about preparing to win the next game.

 

Sure there are going to be interruptions. The Chief’s organization as a whole, Front office, staff, coaches and players will be honing their practice and preparation to get the mind right: to be totally focused on playing the game with all their individual talents and abilities. The most difficult of these is getting the mind right.

 

By the time the team arrives at South Beach, they will have dealt with a week of practice but they have also become center ring with the local media, dealt with personal business, some have dealt with illness and then family, friends and ticket pursuing friends and acquaintances.

 

The spotlight in Miami will be a complete 3-ring circus and it is difficult to keep the mind focused on the single task at hand as the week comes to a close — playing the football game. The Chiefs have had a lot of attention all year with the hype and hyperbole of playing big NFL Football games. They have walked away from the division round as well as the conference championship so they know exactly what all of the attention is like. They just haven’t got to the big circus yet but they arrive Sunday. They will be hounded by animals worse than dogs (just before Super Bowl XXII, the Redskins, who won that game, had their QB Doug Williams asked the following insane question: “How long have you been a black quarterback?“). See, animals.

 

One thing to observe about the players arriving in Miami: most of the players have never played an NFL Game with such import and glitz. Individually and collectively the team should lean on the experience veterans on the roster and especially men such as Terrell Suggs who has all of the experience and hoopla and a Super Bowl Ring to go with it.

 

What Andy Reid said about the upcoming week:

 

“You try to keep consistent, the same… and even with the fluctuation you might have when you go down to Miami, you give them itineraries so they know where they need to be and what they’re going to do…. You don’t throw a lot of surprises at them. That’s not what we’re doing. Within all the media and the hype, you’re still trying to get ready to play a football game against a good football team.”

 

On Friday when asked about the curfew he said there was one that is set but that the players are mature men so he expected no difficulty.

 

Patrick Mahomes has said that he might have to reach out to “Rodgers” (meaning: Aaron Rodgers), as he prepares for the big game. Maybe he should also get tight with Tom Brady while he is at it. Tyreek Hill stated in a brief interview on Friday that he is “Fired up and ready to go.” Hill is always ready to go from what I can see and he is a “Cheerleader.”

 

Tyrann Mathieu, “the Landlord”, has taken a subdued and mature approach in his interactions with the media but as always, you get the intensity that you can hear in his voice.

 

Andy Reid, who was fired up himself last Sunday has prepared for a Super Bowl before. His team lost Super Bowl XXXIX. Philly HC Doug Pederson, winner of Super Bowl LII two years ago and one of the many head coaches in Reid’s coaching tree, has come out swinging in defense of Andy Reid. He’s on Reid’s side and has defended Big Red this week in press interviews about Reid’s success but failure to capture the Lombardi Trophy.

 

 

I am sure they have personally had exchanges on their common experience this past week.

 

Having been there? Reid has stated multiple times that they have tried to keep things in line with the weekly status quo as far as game prep and practice goes. He said that would occur this coming week as well. Reid observed on Friday:

 

“This is the Super Bowl, so there are only two teams practicing… there’s a certain energy that comes with that, but it takes a certain energy to play in the game, too.”

 

He also said he sensed the energy among his players.

 

Remember Kelce’s rallying teammates on the sidelines when they fell behind the Texan’s 0-24? He constantly was hollering the word “Energy” as a major theme of all he said to the guys on the bench while the defense was on the field.

 

Defeating the 49ers Ground Game 

Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, and Matt Breida, their three-pronged running attack, is going to be the 49’ers major focus offensively. All three RB’s have more than 500 yards on the ground and the 49’ers will employ them at will. It is the strength of their offense and has been within the 49’ers game plan week after week in route to a 13-3 season. The ground game must be countered by the Chiefs defensive sets called by Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

 

The big “IF” for the defense is then to counter the Frisco running attack and force them to the aerial game with Jimmy Garoppolo throwing passes into the strength of the secondary. To counter the Frisco ground game, the Chiefs defense needs to contain them enough to force 3rd and long pass plays.

 

To succeed, the defense must force the 49’ers out of their comfort zone enough to be able to make a play and stop a drive and making the 49’ers play against the Chiefs with the aerial game. That, is not their strength, nor is Jimmy Garoppolo a quarterback that will be able to compete with the Chiefs, mano-a-mano, by throwing the ball. Beyond this the Chiefs have a strong pass rush and defense against the pass. They have proven this week after week since week. The Chiefs defense has risen through the ratings during that time frame.

 

It’s my view again this week that the Matt House Linebacking crew will again need to do their job, pursue properly behind the front four and meet the force of the running game while their teammates follow through to contain break-away runs and gang tackle the 49’er RB’s. It’s a simple proposition as long as the players “Do Their Job”… as Bill Belichick often laments. They must make those tackles with force and bone bruising efficiency, which they did versus the Titans. Linebacker Anthony Hitchens in response to questions on Friday that the Chiefs mindset for the game was to “stop the run!” That nails it right there.

 

Slow Starts and Execution

Chiefs right tackle Mich Schwartz talked about the slow starts that the team has had as well as mistakes which he characterized as “beating ourselves.” For him? It all comes down to doing what they have done week after week in their 8 game win streak: execution. He noted that guys on the defense had jumped into the neutral zone several times in the AFC Championship game countering: this is handled by discipline.

 

Just Be Who You Are

Eric Bieniemy told the players that: “I don’t need you to be anything out of the ordinary… just be who you are.” To this he added after stating that the staff wants the team to come and play fast but “If we come out slow? That’s okay….ideally we want them to come out and play fast.” He added a moment later that either way there is only one thing of import: “The only thing that matters is the next play… go out and play as hard as you can and as fast as you can, the very next play.” These are words of quiet wisdom from the Chiefs Offensive Coordinator and is the key component to getting the mind right… as I see it. Back in the day, my round ball coach would say: “Play within your speed and game” when talking to individuals. That’s it. That is getting the mind right.

 

Conclusion

I think the game will hinge on the defenses. I do not think the 49’ers can counter the Chiefs offense, possession by possession. If that is the case, the 49’er game plan must count on their ground game to keep pace with the scoring ability of the Chiefs offense, which includes the added dimensions of the Chief’s field general who will use his legs and arm to move the chains and to score. I cannot see this as an easy contest. I think the 49’er defense is tough as well. Later this week, I will posit what the final score will be as the Chiefs fight their way to win the Lombardi!

 

David Bell — ArrowheadOne

 

 

 

Don’t miss reading an article by David Perkins

at noon tomorrow called:

“Super Bowl MythBusters”

 

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