There aren’t too many athletes in today’s sports climate that can unite fans of major rivals together to root against them. Names like, LeBron James and Tom Brady come to mind. But nowadays, there’s only one name in the sports world that can manifest a visceral hatred like none other. That name is Patrick Mahomes.
Yes, I know. Those names above are generational talents and some of the best athletes this country has produced. Mahomes is right up there. He’s on the verge of an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl and he’s shed the “Only as good as his help” label that people, including this impartial observer, gave him. The man just keeps winning and seemingly there’s no end in sight.
But, the latest narrative around has become Mahomes ability to draw personal foul penalties that seem to be invisible to everyone. Even die hard Chiefs fans have had a hard time defending some of these recent plays. My guy VD on X even poked fun at the situation. I mean, come on. Did you watch the divisional round matchup against the Texans? Will Anderson Jr. hit Mahomes directly in the chest, had his head up, like you’re supposed to, and called for roughing the passer. What else was the guy supposed to do? What I’m saying is, it is clear that Mahomes gets calls that star players are going to get. Especially in the playoffs.
The problem I have is that this phenomenon is not new. It’s almost as old as time itself. No matter if it’s sports, or just real life, there are always double standards. We saw it in the NBA with Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. In the MLB with Ohtani, Trout and Harper. In the NHL with McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Alex Overchkin. Even in the NFL with Brady, Manning, Favre and Brees. These star players are going to seem like they get more calls. It’s just a fact of life we have to live with.
Now there are a couple reasons for this. The first is the most obvious. These kinds of players are what bring in the numbers. Stars making star-like plays are going to get the calls. The leagues want their biggest and best players to have a chance to win games at the end, and if that means giving them the benefit of the doubt in some situations, well that’s just going to happen.
The second reason, which a lot of people miss, is actually a mathematical issue. Think about it. Star players are in the most high profile games because they’re usually on the best teams and on the most televised games. We are just exposed to them more often than others. So due to the law of averages, it’s going to seem like these players get more calls. It’s a boring reason, but it’s just numbers. Star players literally play more games than others, so obviously they’re going to get more calls. I’m sure someone with more time on their hands than myself, has crunched the numbers on it and I’m sure the roughing the passing percentages are very similar to Dak Prescott or any other starting QB. It’s just that Dak doesn’t play in the playoffs very often. So it seems less.
So there’s that. A lot of you are going to disagree but it’s simply the truth.
Now, let’s get to what we do best here at BO Blogs. Let’s solve the problem. And as always, the solution is quite simple. As a matter of fact, it’s already been done to a lesser extent elsewhere in the NFL.
NFL players, fans and media members alike are bitching and moaning about how Mahomes seems to slow down purposely to draw late hit penalties. I’m not here to debate whether it happens or not, but it totally happens. You can’t blame the guy, he’s found an aspect of his game that he can use the rules to get a competitive advantage. Not for nothing, but that’s what Bill Belichick did for about two decades in New England. So anyone who’s mad at Mahomes is directing their ire in the wrong place. Direct your hate tweets towards the NFL that has allowed Mahomes to take advantage of the rules. Which I’m sure is happening behind the scenes from other teams and fans alike.
I don’t see these rules changing anytime soon, so I’ll tell you what you can do about it.
Remember a couple years back when Tua and the Miami Dolphins were lighting up the NFL with their high octane offense? Other than their allergy to sub-50 degree temperatures, they were a wagon to say the least. Well, I think we all know what happened to Tua. He took a few shots that turned his noodle into some kind of puree-like substance. It’s hard for him to light you up when he’s not in the game.
Now before everyone jumps off of their porcelain thrones where 90% of you read these blogs, I am not advocating for turning Patrick Mahomes’ brain into gray matter soup. What I’m suggesting is giving him exactly what he’s hoping for when he slows down at the sideline. Light, his ass up. Don’t take his head off, but put a shoulder right in his chest, or abdomen and make him earn that fifteen yard penalty. It’s a simple matter of classical conditioning. The same way we learned not to touch the stove as youngsters. If it hurts enough, he’ll stop doing it.
And I’ll tell you something, if Von Miller spears Mahomes on the sideline tomorrow in KC, and breaks a couple of Mahomes ribs, eliminating him from the playoffs, the NFL will take notice. Their golden boy being broken in half and missing the Super Bowl will damage their bottom line enough that they’ll take steps to correct the issue. It may take a couple good ones, but Mahomes himself I’m sure will get sick of being broken in half. The Chiefs will also get sick of losing their 2nd best player every now and then.
I know I sound like a neanderthal, but I’m sick of these supercut videos of Mahomes doing the same thing and people expecting different results. So send your issues to the league, if they don’t listen, take action. Don’t whine, fix it yourself.
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