This just in…
Most – okay, not all – sports media types are jock sniffers. In some cases, glorified, nerd jock sniffers.
I realize this may not be wildly surprising, but it’s a good jumping off point to talk about Star columnist Vahe Gregorian’s piece about Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes breaking former Chief’s star Len Dawson‘s touchdown record.
Lame because anyone who knowns Dawson, knows he has an ego that won’t quit.
Case in point, when KC signed legendary quarterback Joe Montana in the early 1990s, Chiefs fans were delirious over the prospect of landing the greatest quarterback that ever lived. In 14 seasons with San Fancisco Montana started and won four Super Bowls.
That while wearing a jersey with No. 16 emblazoned on it.
Which some of you may recall, was Dawson’s number here.
Chiefs fans flooded talk radio saying Montana should get to keep No. 16.
Dawson appeared to take the high road – acting as if he didn’t care – but his wife told me the opposite was the case. That he felt betrayed that the team and fans would even consider letting jolting Joe use his hallowed jersey number.
In the end, Montana joined the Chiefs wearing No. 19, so Dawson’s sanctity was preserved – but it was clear he didn’t want anyone messing with his legacy.
Which brings us to Gregorian’s column about Mahomes breaking Dawson’s single season touchdown record.
“Dawson relishes Mahomes breaking his TD mark,” the headline reads.
Right…
“Owning the record surely was a fine thing for Dawson though, really it was merely a minor distinction in a Pro Football Hall of Fame career that included three AFL titles and the only Super Bowl the Chiefs have ever won,” Gregorian writes.
Kinda like the Chiefs letting another QB wear Dawson’s number was a “minor” thing as well.
“I didn’t even know it was still there,” Gregorian quotes Dawson as saying about his 30 touchdown record. “I had no idea until the last week or so.”
Look, the fact that Dawson – assuming he’s not off the chart senile – would not know or remember that his record still stood until last week is absurd and defies believability. It also calls into question the truthfulness of his not being bothered by losing it.
Like Babe Ruth didn’t recall his home run record however many years after the fact.
Let’s get real, professional (and even college) sports is all about records…
It’s probably safe to say Dawson watches a Chiefs game here and there on any given Sunday when he’s not out blowing leaves. And announcers have been blathering about Mahomes breaking his record for weeks.
Okay, so Gregorian needed a column topic and wants us to believe that in the era of fantasy sports – where statistics are poured over like never before – it slipped Lenny the Cool’s mind that his 54 year-old touchdown record with the Chiefs – one that had never been broken – bit the dust Sunday.
Totally believable, right?
“anyone who knowns Dawson, knows he has an ego that won’t quit.”
– what is it HC, pick on Len day? Did I miss the memo/run out of wings to pull off the KC Star’s non-sports sections?
Walk a mile in Len’s cleats: ego isn’t unique a Dawson, QBs or players in every pro sport generally speaking. More so an matter of ‘chip upon the shoulder pads’ likely fueled his career, with good reason my opine.
Any age-related decline aside (‘now where did I leave my audibles, Hall of Fame jacket and individual team records?’), course his career Dawson was accused by the media of being too small, weak armed, overly conservative the field and according to one article “possessed of a personality sparkling as a piece of wet liver”… talk about giving a guy a complex.
“You have to have some ego to be a pro QB. I think I’m as good as any QB in the game. If I didn’t I’d run scared all the time. It would be reflected in my play.” – Dawson, after the Chiefs won Superbowl IV while suffering ‘may I have another sir!’ – being accused height his career guilt by association, nod a gambler with the same last name. All that insufficient deter him implications variously that he wasn’t good enough, persevered, reproved his critics and earned self-satisfaction.
Like his contemporary Bart Starr, Len wasn’t a self-promoter but low-key comparison a convicted horn-blower Joe Namath and an accused one Daryle Lamonica (the latter labeled by a female scribe as ‘the most egotistical player in pro football’.)
Afield, public perception Dawson was a no-nonsense guy (“there is a time and a place to fool, but the playing field is neither the time nor the place”) as well constraint (“we got the ball to him” reference throwing a td pass to his teammate at WR, emphasis on ‘WE.’) Off the field? Other than New Orleans are no Saints in football; choice between Dawson or Namath/Lamonica, et al, give me #16 – the only one who should ever wear that Chiefs numeral.
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The helping hand massaging modern day $port$, and a media/fandom embraces said – a place where merely running past the finish line a race was already won by another, is referred to as superior… no team/player/record/reverence left behind.
Upshot – as it pertains to lame td passes or every other lame stat sports world century 21, an era has lost all semblance integrity, and lame sports articles same KC Star: give me Dawson’s 29 td passes in 310 attempts ’62 over any beneficiary the rule-massaged present 2018, totals a mere 31 in 354, despite advantages yesteryear’s QB’s never had.
Playing in an era when rules were legit instead manipulated to benefit offense, stats were earned in lieu gifted and QB’s hits were devastating rather than the pansy-fied world today’s signal callers operate in (unlike yesteryear, QB’s do not even call their own plays now), ersatz is the buzz word for stats today… bogus and illegitimate.
Some say Bonds has the record for home runs and that makes him better than a Ruth. Games/seasons played are irrelevant: opportunities at bats ‘are’ ad rem, as playing in one era less teams (only the creme de la creme) contrasted playing the modern one is legitimate as the contracts are $mall.
When Bonds and Ruth had the same # of at bats, Ruth had 714 hrs to Bonds 619 – affirmation modern day players are ‘not as good’ or efficient statistically, despite modern benefits and advantages massaged rules, juiced equipment, PEDs and an watered down talent/over-expanded universe teams, annually pulled kicking and screaming into post season by the bushel barrel hand, enabled by that misnomer today’s players/teams are somehow ‘better’… sure pal.
😎
Just busting Sir Vahe for mailing in a naive take on “Lenny”
Getting punchy waitin’ for the recount Florida to conclude prevent cheatin’ libs from shanghaiing any more votes they already have, so, back to sports:
“KC signed legendary quarterback Joe Montana in the early 1990s, Chiefs fans were delirious over the prospect of landing the greatest quarterback that ever lived. ”
– HC, you’re channeling CG by way proclaiming such a subjective statement; Kerouac is feeling feisty, so rejoinder: according what final arbiter?
Pass blocking rules were liberalized in 1973, which allowed offensive lineman greater leeway hand use/placement, resulting more time to offense get a pass off. A five yard bump rule came into being ’78, providing easier completions (toss in 2018’s ‘breathe on a QB and get tossed from the game’ modus operandi, and it’s like shooting fish an barrel today (why offensive yards in general and td passes in particular are up across the league, not just KC; perspective as always $tepchild to flavor the moment, NFL.)
That Montana and Rice both came along post ’78/played their careers together under rule changes provided offense/QB’s/WR’s, copious advantage theirs over yesteryear’s counterparts. Thus did stat became easier to gain mid-1970’s on and less meaningful purposes comparison, past era players to present. All to say, for anyone to arbitrarily proclaim Montana (as Rice, that matter) the greatest ever, naive. The ‘best’ their era? In the conversation. As for Chiefs fans being delirious, long as there’s bbq sauce on it they’re like Mikey… will eat anything.
“In 14 seasons with San Fancisco Montana started and won four Super Bowls.”
– ‘San Fan’… nice; comparison, Montana’s better/predecessor Bart Starr started and won 5 in just 7 seasons – including 3 in a row – then as now, unmatched pro football history; the Starr shines brightest in Green Bay, brighter than it ever did Montana.
😎
Somebody could start a campaign to knickname Mahomes “Patrick the Cool.” His pocket presence certainly fits it.
This Chiefs team is so damned entertaining to watch. I ALMOST feel sorry for all those snowflakes which publicly announced they were boycotting the NFL this year.
Vahe is much like his sister-in-law Maggie Haberman of the NY Times. It’s all about access journalism not real journalism.
Sure glaze didn’t write this column before he left. In other words: WHO CARES! And
Len is one of the nicest guys around. HE IS A REAL CHAMPION!
Fair enough, you’re certainly entitled to your opinion and you’re somewhat obviously not alone…
Most people however don’t really know or see the other side of celebrities and those of us who often do sometimes know better. This story was not about his temperament so much as it was his vanity and the fact that he was obviously fibbing to Vahe who didn’t really care enough to drill down into the obvious. Instead, he opted to take the easy peasy route and let Dawson get away with it.
Np biggie, but when you’re a suck up…
No more jock sniffers apparently at Fox 4.
https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2018/11/29/kc-talent-take-buyouts