By Joe Torosian
In picking a winner for Super Bowl 58, I can’t get away from Kansas City Chiefs right guard Joe Thuney.
As of now, Thuney has a pectoral issue that will likely keep him out of the lineup on Sunday. But if he can play and be effective, the 49ers will get blasted.
As it stands, the interior of the KC line is strong. The San Francisco front is susceptible, as Green Bay and Detroit demonstrated.
Right now, I’m leaning toward a two-possession win for the Chiefs.
Once In A Life Time:
Since 2010, 43 quarterbacks have been drafted in the first round.
Only one of those quarterbacks drafted in the first round has won a Super Bowl. That’s a lot of “once in a lifetime” or “once in a generation”…talent falling flat.
Four have made it to a Super Bowl: Cam Newton, Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes, and Joe Burrow.
But only Mahomes has a ring.
Super Bowl Stuff:
57 Super Bowls have been played.
34 different quarterbacks have won.
19 First-Round QBs have won the Super Bowl.
Only nine quarterbacks taken first overall have won a Super Bowl. Joe Namath, Terry Bradshaw, Jim Plunkett, John Elway, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Matthew Stafford.
Note: Namath was taken first overall by the AFL but only 12th overall by the NFL Cardinals.
Note 2: Steve Young was already playing in the USFL when he was the first overall selection in the 1984 Supplemental Draft.
Yeah, I’ve always leaned KC.
The Jersey:
Chiefs #15: Patrick Mahomes, 49ers #13: Brock Purdy
Quarterbacks wearing #15 have won five times.
Quarterbacks wearing #15 have lost three times.
Quarterbacks wearing #13 have won once.
Quarterbacks wearing #13 have lost three times.
The only quarterback to win wearing #13 is Kurt Warner, who played at Northern Iowa.
Brock Purdy wears #13 and he played at Iowa St.
Weird History:
The 49ers have shared five quarterbacks as starters. Moving from San Francisco to Kansas City, all five started a playoff game for the Chiefs.
Steve DeBerg: Started 35 games for Frisco, 52 for KC.
Joe Montana: Started 139 games for Frisco, 25 for KC.
Steve Bono: Started six games for Frisco, and 31 for KC.
Elvis Grbac: Started nine games for Frisco, 47 for KC.
Alex Smith: Started 75 games for Frisco, 76 for KC.
Note: Montana, Bono, Grbac, and Smith appeared in playoff games for both franchises. DeBerg only with KC.
Bob Gagliano (Utah St.) played for the Chiefs and the 49ers…But he appeared in only two games for the KC and threw just one pass…In 1987—the strike year—Gagliano appeared in three games with the 49ers and started one.
And…
Blaine Gabbert started 13 games for the 49ers over three seasons (2014-2016) and started one game for the Chiefs this season—no playoffs for either team.
Harbaugh to Seattle:
Jay Harbaugh will not be joining his father in Los Angeles; instead, he has joined Mike MacDonald’s staff in Seattle. Harbaugh will be the Special Teams Coordinator.
Good move…He needs to build his brand away from Pops and Uncle John.
Retirements:
Former Rams backup QB Sean Mannion has retired and will be the QB coach in Green Bay. Mannion was drafted by the Rams 3/89/2015 out of Oregon State.
He only appeared in 14 NFL games, starting just three. Most Rams fans may remember him as the quarterback who kept feeding Nelson Spruce in the 2016 preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
This was the Rams first game back in Los Angeles.
Rex Burkhead announced his retirement. Burkhead came into the NFL as a 6/190/2013 draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals out of Nebraska. He appeared in 115 games with Cincy, New England, and Houston. Burkhead rushed for 1,908yds and 17Tds…He caught 192 passes for 1,534yds and nine scores.
Career earnings: 18 million.
Pretty good for a 6th round pick.
No Home For Bienemy:
Eric Bienemy was a hot ticket for several years while serving as Offensive Coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. After winning the Super Bowl last year, he became the OC in Washington.
Now, with the cratering of Ron Rivera’s run as TaxSkins HC, he’s unemployed. His only HC interview was in Washington, but Dan Quinn got the job and hired Kliff Kingsbury as the OC.
Eight HC openings in the NFL this offseason, four went to minorities…so the race issue is being blown out of the water (no matter what Stephen A. Smith says), and it may be time to acknowledge that Bieniemy just does not interview well.
Everyone has interviewed him, and until there’s a massive turnover of General Managers around the league…Bieniemy does not seem to have a market.
He should seek a UFL gig.
Beginning to Wonder:
Is Colin Cowherd on Taylor Swift’s payroll?
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