Chapter 732: Crowning the New King
Recalling last year’s draft, the Kansas Chiefs’ Veach performed magic and made dazzling moves to select Levi with the third pick and Mahomes with the tenth pick. It sparked a whirlwind of exclamations and stole all the focus and buzz on the first draft day.
At that time, the season had not yet begun, and the performance of Levi and Mahomes was still unknown, but Veach's magical operation still became the benchmark for the entire league. The bustling discussion continued for a long time, and every move of the two rookies Also always under the spotlight.
The aftermath has continued, from Levi's emergence last season to Mahomes taking over the starting position this season, high expectations and high attention have always brought high doubts, surrounding Levi and Mahomes like a shadow. , which also allowed the Kansas Chief to stand in front of the gun.
However.
As the regular season comes to an end, people are finally realizing what Veach's actions last year meant to the Kansas City Chiefs and the league.
Mahomes ranks second in the league in quarterback passing yards, passing for more than 5,000 yards in his first career starting season.
Mahomes ranks first in the league in the number of quarterback passing touchdowns, leading the way with fifty passing touchdowns——
In the ranking of passing touchdowns, Andrew Luck, who ranks second, only has 39, and the gap is obvious.
Of course, is Mahomes perfect?
No.
This young man is still growing, still a little green, and there is still room for improvement. He sent twelve interceptions in the season, ranking sixth among all quarterbacks. Although other statistics are very impressive, this one The turnover data still affected the quarterback rating.
In the end, Mahomes' season quarterback rating was 113.8, ranking second in the league behind the aging and stronger Brees.
Amazing, even crazy.
Mahomes emerged as Levi, putting the Kansas City Chiefs in the spotlight for the second consecutive season.
At this moment, let’s look back at Vicki’s actions in the 2017 draft——
A stroke of genius!
I'm so impressed, I can't stop.
But... overall, the quarterbacks are still in chaos this year:
Players such as Roethlisberger, Ryan, Luck, Goff, etc. all have their own highlight moments, but it is difficult to say a breakthrough.
Rivers, Manning Jr., Rogers, Cousins and other veterans performed strongly and brought unexpected surprises.
Watson and Dak-Prescott have become eye-catching presences among young people.
It is precisely because of this that the emergence of Mahomes became more and more prominent. For a while, the bustling discussion focused on Mahomes.
"Regular Season MVP".
Immediately, some media shouted loudly, eager to prepare to crown the new king.
Judging from the data and the Kansas Chiefs' record, there is no doubt that Mahomes is right to appear in the regular season MVP discussion.
Although he is only a sophomore, and even though it is only his first starting season in his career, Mahomes delivered a perfect answer with an unparalleled performance. Coupled with the characteristics of the quarterback position, Mahomes stands under the spotlight. It is an expected result.
However, different voices exist objectively——
Has the controversy from last season not completely cooled down?
In a season where the overall performance of the quarterback is mediocre and other positions are experiencing full-scale explosions, the regular season MVP votes are still brainlessly directed to the quarterback. Is this normal?
Indeed, the quarterback is the brain of football and the key position that receives the most attention; but don’t forget that football is a collective sport. The reason why football is football is because of the unique turn-based structure and the collective strength of the team. Received unprecedented attention, when people praise the quarterback, they should not forget the players at other positions. For example, Levi and Donald last season.
From all aspects, Levi and Donald are equally worthy of the regular season MVP title, and they are as worthy of the MVP award as Brady.
Now, we are facing a similar situation again this season.
Mahomes' performance is indeed outstanding, but he is not perfect; at the same time, there are other players who are as good as Mahomes, or even better. Should the regular season MVP vote be boringly focused on the quarterback? Continue to ignore the efforts of players in other positions?
Especially the core controversy throughout this season, the running back.
To be more precise, Le'Veon Bell, how will his strike affect the Pittsburgh Steelers, is the running back really a dispensable substitute, and is the impact of the top running back on the team real?
All of this, as the Pittsburgh Steelers missed the playoffs, reached a new peak. Looking at Roethlisberger playing such a strong passing offensive season, the quarterback still failed to turn around the Pittsburgh Steelers. The key to the season.
Of course, there is controversy here. It cannot be simply attributed to Bell's absence, nor can it be simply attributed to Roethlisberger's failure to turn the tide despite his top performance. There are more complicated reasons behind the Pittsburgh Steelers' failure to qualify for the playoffs.
But it is precisely this kind of controversy that leads to the conclusion that "the unexpected position of the quarterback cannot be ignored", "other players also need to be paid attention to", and "football is more than just a quarterback sport".
Disputes and debates, oppositions and differences have always existed, but the core ideas have parts that echo each other, and they spread out from here as a starting point.
And, the most important thing is that other players performed really well and proved with practical actions that they are no less than the quarterback.
First and foremost, it’s the running backs.
In the 2018 season, the running yardage rankings were also announced.
First, Levi, Kansas Chiefs, 1,667 yards.
Second, Elliott, Dallas Cowboys, 1,434 yards.
Third, Barkley, New York Giants, 1,307 yards.
Fourth, Gurley, Los Angeles Rams, 1,251 yards.
Fifth, McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers, 1,168 yards.
In addition, there are five running backs who have exceeded 1,000 yards, which also brings the number of running backs in the league who have run for 1,000 yards in a single season to ten.
The data is encouraging.
Among them, there are rookies like Barkley, sophomores like Levi and McCaffrey, and senior players like Gurley and Elliott who have been in the league for several years.
Plus, there are veterans.
Henry of the Tennessee Titans ran for 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season, and Adrian Peterson, who transferred to the Washington Redskins after returning from injury, also had a 1,000-yard season.
Peterson is undoubtedly an inspirational story, as is the racehorse named Seabiscuit.
The entire league almost believes that Peterson's career is over, and the veteran will never be able to return to his peak. Injuries one after another are a heavy blow to professional players, and even more devastating to running backs; but Peterson once again proved himself and returned to the top.
Last season, Peterson spent some time with the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints, but failed to receive corresponding attention. This season, he finally regained his place in the league after scoring his eighth 1,000-yard season with the Washington Redskins. eyes focused on the veteran.
In the post-game interview, Peterson said, "Thank you Levi."
(End of chapter)