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[Teach]

Mercedes-Benz

“Oh lord, wont you buy me a mercedes benz?
My friends all drive porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So lord, wont you buy me a mercedes benz?”

- Janis Joplin

“Everything’s up to date in Kansas City…” Or, is it? Many imponderables.
Who, from the AFC, is going to Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta for the Super Bowl?: The Patriots or the Chiefs? The AFC Championship game is this Sunday at 6:40 p.m. at Arrowhead.

The Chiefs are favored by 3 points over the Patriots. When was the last time that happened? This is the first time in 68 games that a Tom Brady-led Patriots team has been cast as the underdog. The over-under is currently 56 points.

The weather forecasts have changed. I personally don’t see the weather, i.e., cold weather, as that much of a factor as I had previously thought. It now appears that tomorrow, Saturday, is the “cold-weather” day/evening. Sunday should be warmer, upper 20s, and less blustery. Oh, it’ll be cold, but certainly not nearly as cold as it would have been had the game been played Saturday evening.

I would be the last one to tout you on whom to bet. In fact, if I picked someone, I’d encourage you to bet the other team. Yet, the over-under number still intrigues me. I believe a lot will be determined by the condition of the playing surface. That won’t be known until Sunday. There’s certain to be snow from the previous day. In the Chiefs vs. Colts game, the previous snow was negligible on the playing surface. In that game, both teams seemed to have good traction.

As I see it, one of Patriots' main advantages is their coaching staff. Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick, now in his 20th season as Patriots mentor, is a “master” at seeking out and exploiting opposing teams’ weakness. He is ably assisted by a host of assistants, e.g., Josh McDaniels, Brian Flores, Dante Scarnecchia, etc. This isn’t to say that Chiefs coach, Andy Reid, is any slouch. It’s just that Bill Belichick well…is Bill Belichick.

I would see one of the main goals of both teams to be the task of confusing the opposing quarterback. I’m sure much preparation has taken place on both sides to try to accomplish that goal and also to avoid it.

I believe the first quarter is critical. The Chiefs are fast-starters. If this were a thoroughbred race, the Chiefs would get the track announcer’s first call. It is important that the Patriots stay with them. They cannot afford to play come-from-behind football. In that case, the Chiefs will do what they did to the Colts in the 2nd half. Damien Williams…Damien Williams…Damien Williams. Pound…pound...pound. That ground-approach would chew up the clock. It would keep the Patriots offense off the field.

In conclusion, I’m looking forward to this game with great anticipation. I’m curious as to the strategy and tactics that both coaches employ.

No, I wasn’t a football player, but I certainly enjoyed a good chess match.