Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 1417 Three pillars
Autumn goes and spring comes, bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.

It is certain that the alternation of the old and the new is part of nature, as well as part of competitive sports and life, and we feel it every year.

However, when the Pro Bowl list came out, for the first time in a decade, people didn’t find Brady’s name. More importantly, people didn’t even notice it at the first time. They were still arguing about who should start between Jackson and Mahomes, who could challenge Levi’s position, etc., until the media noticed it and reported it, and realized that it entered their brains:

Brady was forgotten so completely.

Moreover, the New England Patriots advanced to the playoffs this season. Under such circumstances, everything happening before our eyes is even more shocking.

The Yangtze River's waves behind push the waves in front of them. Is the wave in front of it finally about to die on the beach?
The crueler reality is that when people realized this, their eyes still did not stay on Brady for too long and they turned around and forgot about it.

There's more to worry about than the rise and fall of Brady and the New England Patriots.

What's more, people inside and outside the league have been hoping for the collapse of the New England Patriots dynasty for too long, and now that the New England Patriots have finally disappeared, there is really no need for them to bring it up again. After all, the New England Patriots made the playoffs this season and have not completely declined. Maybe they will be back next season, so there is no need to mourn for the New England Patriots. Just enjoy this short period of happiness in front of you.

Outside of the Pro Bowl, the All-American First Team/Second Team lists have sparked even more controversy, and the heated discussions simply can't be stopped.

Although the All-American First Team/Second Team rosters, which are selected by professional journalists, have many overlaps with the Pro Bowl, because only one player can be selected for each position and there is no distinction between the AFC and NFC, this means that more than half of the players on the Pro Bowl rosters cannot appear on the All-American First Team/Second Team. You can imagine how fierce the competition is.

There are controversies and regrets every year, but this year the chaos has reached a whole new level.

reason?

Mahomes.

Although he led the Kansas City Chiefs to an undefeated season, Mahomes' individual performance is far from comparable to his superhuman state last season. Even excluding the three games he missed due to injury, Mahomes' statistics this season have fallen across the board, as if he had hit the rookie wall.

Naturally, voices of support and opposition are distinguished in this way.

In the end, Mahomes was not selected to the All-American First Team, but he was also not selected to the All-American Second Team.

This result caused a huge storm throughout the league.

People complained, "If a perfect season still doesn't secure a spot on the All-American second team, I really don't know how to work harder."

First-team All-American quarterback, Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens.

Second-team All-American quarterback, Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks.

Looking at this list, the bustling discussions simply cannot be stopped. Everyone has their own opinions, and the back-and-forth debate keeps the heat going.

Slightly different from the Pro Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens topped the All-American first/second team lists with seven players. They are undoubtedly the two best performing teams this season, with one undefeated and the other having 14 wins and two losses, and their records are indeed leading the entire league.

However, looking at the details, the professionals rated the Baltimore Ravens slightly higher, as the Baltimore Ravens had four All-Americans, while the Kansas City Chiefs only had two.

The key lies in the offensive line. There are five players in the offensive line, and the Baltimore Ravens occupy three All-American first-team seats, plus the quarterback, which means four positions.

In other words, in the eyes of professionals, the Baltimore Ravens have the best pocket protection and quarterback in the league, which is the most pleasing "pocket" this season; but if we discuss team balance and overall strength, the Kansas City Chiefs are the real king.

On this list, Levi and Kelce are the only two Kansas City Chiefs players to be named to the All-American First Team.

In addition, wide receiver Hill, wide receiver Hardman, offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz, defensive tackle Chris Jones, and safety Mathieu were selected to the All-American Second Team.

Among them, Schwartz and Mathieu were not selected for the Pro Bowl. In the eyes of fans, they seem inconspicuous and have no memorable moments; but in the eyes of professionals, their solid and stable performance is undoubtedly the cornerstone of the Kansas City Chiefs and the key to the growth of the Kansas City Chiefs this season.

Professionals said that cornerback Fowler and linebacker Ray Grande were also very close to being selected to the All-American Second Team, with the votes just a hair's breadth apart. These details show the overall improvement of the Kansas City Chiefs on the defensive end this season.

Thanks to the increased strength of the defensive team, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to have an undefeated season despite Mahomes's personal performance declining.

At a glance, all you see are the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens, and the New Orleans Saints, from the Pro Bowl to the All-American First Team/Second Team, forming a three-way competition. So, what about the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers? Will they be completely ignored?
The answer...is yes.

It’s not that they are “completely ignored”; but from fans to professionals, they all believe that there are many other reasons for the excellent records of these two teams.

In the Pro Bowl voting, the Green Bay Packers took five spots, while the San Francisco 49ers only took four.

The All-American First Team/Second Team is even more cruel, with the Green Bay Packers having only one and the San Francisco 49ers having two.

The Green Bay Packers declined to comment.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Shanahan seemed particularly calm, "We are a team, a complete team, each of us is indispensable, and we work together."

"Maybe we don't have a player who shines brightly and can turn the tide, but we have 53 players who are ready to play and be part of the team at any time. This is our greatest asset and the reason why we are standing on the Super Bowl stage."

"In the next Super Bowl, we will continue to play with this spirit and strive for victory. I believe we are on the right track."

To some extent, Shanahan is right, and this is also the idea of ​​Shanahan building the team.

He is the brain.

The San Francisco 49ers don't need superstars. They don't want to sign a group of mercenaries like the Los Angeles Rams, who gathered together briefly to hit the Super Bowl, but are like a pile of loose sand and may collapse at any time. They rely on a group of dedicated and down-to-earth blue-collar players to unite together, implement Shanahan's tactics and strategies with ease, and finally hit the victory.

Shanahan is convinced of this.

As to whether Shanahan is right, the Super Bowl in two weeks will reveal the answer and decide the outcome.

From the Pro Bowl to the All-American first/second team lists, the focus is one after another, but the cherry on the cake is yet to come, the annual regular season awards, the answers are about to be revealed.

(End of this chapter)