Browns, Chiefs have commonalities
Bills assistant Daboll looks like a fit for LA
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Despite their long and storied histories, with the Cleveland Browns having joined the NFL in 1950 and the Kansas City Chiefs with the AFL-NFL merger some 16 years later, the two franchises have rarely met — and never in the playoffs.
They are certainly familiar with each other headed into their divisional round showdown Sunday, though.
Start with the coaches: The Browns’ Kevin Stefanski, who missed their first playoff win since 2002 last week in Pittsburgh due to COVID-19, was a summer intern for Chiefs counterpart Andy Reid during his days with Philadelphia. Stefanski later followed Reid disciple Brad Childress to Minnesota, learning many of the nuances of his system along the way.
Then consider the quarterbacks: The Browns’ Baker Mayfield hosted the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes during a visit to Texas Tech, before he transferred to Oklahoma. Later in their college careers, Mayfield and Mahomes waged an epic duel that shattered all kinds of records — each team rolling up 854 yards of total offense — and ended with the Sooners claiming a 66-59 victory in 2016.
Finally, ponder the rest of the rosters: John Dorsey helped build both teams as general manager, only to watch them succeed from afar. Browns running back Kareem Hunt got his start in Kansas City before off-field issues led to his release. Just about everyone else has a former teammate, college or pro, standing on the other side.
“It’s always fun to play friendly competition,” Mayfield said, “and play against people you are familiar with.”
“I’ve known him for a long time, since I was a senior in high school,” Mahomes said of Mayfield, “and to be able to play on this stage is special. He got the better of me in college. I’ll try my best to get the better of him in the NFL.”
There is an end to the similarities, of course. The long-suffering Browns haven’t won two playoff games in a season since 1950, long before the term “Super Bowl” was coined by Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt. Kansas City has won five straight AFC West titles and still has the tailwind of winning its first Lombardi Trophy in five decades.
“They definitely are a building team. Very good team. Very young team,” Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. “We cannot take this opponent likely. We have to play this game like any other game, come out and play hard and be the Chiefs.”
TAMPA BAY at NEW ORLEANS: Drew Brees periodically discusses his long, extraordinary NFL journey in terms of fate and destiny.
The Saints quarterback says, for example, that his career-threatening throwing shoulder injury at the end of the 2005 season was meant to be. It precipitated his departure from the Chargers and move to New Orleans, where he shattered passing records and won a Super Bowl — all while helping rebuild a beloved American city that was reeling from Hurricane Katrina’s devastation.
So when six-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady decided to leave New England and begin a new chapter with
Tampa Bay, in the NFC South, Brees couldn’t escape the sense that he’d see Brady in a high-stakes game in January.
This rare postseason matchup of record-setting quarterbacks older than 41 is set for Sunday night, when the Saints (13-4) host the Buccaneers (12-5) in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.
“Listen, when Tom Brady signed with the Bucs and I knew that he was coming to our division, I envisioned this game,” Brees said. “I envisioned this game happening because I knew our aspirations as a team, to be in the playoffs and beyond. And I certainly knew what he was bringing to the Bucs and that talented roster.”
Similarly, Brady figured that success in Tampa Bay would hinge on how he and Buccaneers handled their encounters with the Saints.
“They’ve been one of the top teams in the league for a long time and they’ve had some tough playoff losses (on) some really fluke plays,” Brady said, referring to a last-second loss to Minnesota on a long passing play three seasons ago, and an admitted officiating blunder that helped the Rams beat the Saints in the NFC title game two seasons ago.
“Other than that, there’s not a lot of bad about” the Saints, Brady said. “They’re pretty spectacular.”
Brees and Brady have been doing “spectacular” for two decades now. No wonder there’s so much buildup for this game.
“We were texting back and forth on Monday just kind of chuckling at this whole scenario,” Brees, who was turning 42 on Friday, said of an exchange he had with the 43-year-old Brady. “That’s 85 years and a lot of football experience that’s going to be on the field.”
Notes
CHARGERS: In the early 1990s, Tom Telesco and Brian Daboll were both students at St. Francis High in upstate New York. The two could be pairing
up again soon since Daboll is a favorite to replace Anthony Lynn as the Chargers’ next head coach, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
Though nothing has been decided and the process is ongoing, Daboll does appear to be Telesco’s first choice, something that, given their history together, has been widely speculated.
Telesco, the Chargers’ general manager since 2013, recently downplayed his connection with Daboll, telling reporters last week not to read too much into it.
But that familiarity certainly hasn’t hurt Daboll’s chances in a season during which he has established himself as a popular head-coaching candidate because of his work as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator.
The Bills finished second in points and total yards in the NFL in 2020 with young quarterback Josh Allen making his first Pro Bowl. Allen, in his third season, showed significant progress, finishing with 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
Allen has a similar skill set to Justin Herbert, the Chargers’ rookie quarterback who played well enough this season to become the favorite to become the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year.
Daboll and the Bills beat Baltimore 17-3 in the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday. Under NFL guidelines, he has to finish the season before officially taking a job with another team.
Telesco said last week that he would be patient making this hire, suggesting that he could wait until after the Super Bowl if necessary.
FALCONS: Arthur Smith has signed a contract to be Atlanta’s next coach, the team announced Saturday. Smith, a former Tennessee Titans assistant, agreed to terms Friday. Neither Smith nor any other team official will be made available to reporters until next week.
Smith takes over a franchise that’s 28-36 since losing the Super Bowl four years ago under predecessor Dan Quinn.