KU’s Bill Self admires ‘hungry’ Kansas City Chiefs for reaching Super Bowl again
Bill Self has been impressed by the Kansas City Chiefs making good on their “Run It Back” mantra thus far this NFL season.
“The thing that amazes me, it just amazes me,” Self, the University of Kansas’ 18th-year men’s basketball coach stated emphatically Monday on his Hawk Talk radio show, “is that they somehow managed a way — of course they have the best player on earth — but they somehow managed a way to take the success they had last year and make them even more hungry to have success this year.
“They are better this year than last year,” Self added of the Andy Reid-coached KC team that went 14-2 during this past regular season and after a 22-17 win over Cleveland and 38-24 victory over Buffalo has advanced into the Super Bowl LV versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Feb. 7, Tampa, Florida).
A year ago, KC followed a 12-4 regular season with wins over Houston (51-31), Tennessee (35-24) and ultimately San Francisco (31-20) in Super Bowl LIV in Miami.
“The difference between them and the rest of the field this year is greater than what it was last year in my opinion,” Self stated.
Self, who has publicly proclaimed himself a big Chiefs and Royals fan in the past, said he had full confidence the Chiefs would shrug off an early deficit Sunday and win their AFC championship game over Buffalo.
“Granted I don’t understand football like so many do, (but) I thought yesterday that was a game when it was 9-0 it was like, ‘Big deal,’’’ Self said.
“When they (Bills) scored a touchdown (to go up 9-0), how cool was it: ‘Let’s call Mecole Hardman’s number after he just kind of screwed it up.’’’
Hardman’s fumble on a muffed punt set up the Bills inside the Chiefs’ 5-yard line. Quarterback Josh Allen needed just one play to hook up with Dawson Knox for a score.
Undaunted, Hardman scored a 3-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, then set up another score with a 50-yard run down the left sideline.
“How much confidence should that guy have knowing that the (coaching) staff has that much confidence in him?” Self asked of Hardman.
“To see no panic, of course it’s a long game, they won by 14 points. Did it ever feel like it was that close? No,” Self added. “That was a game they had control. Once they got through the second quarter (up 21-12), it was like, ‘Oh my gosh they’ve got this.’ Every time Buffalo got a stop it was almost like it was luck because you can’t stop those guys when they are clicking like that.”
Self said, “no question, no question,” when asked by Hawk Talk host Brian Hanni if he was predicting a Chiefs win over Tampa Bay.
“Too much speed,” Self assessed as the difference.
“I do think it’ll be a fun Super Bowl. I do believe the Chiefs will win, but there’s something about a guy (Tom Brady) that can end his career — if he ever decides to quit — in a way that … I was hearing the other day that if he were to win this year that would cap the greatest professional career by any athlete in any sport ever. That’s what they were saying,” Self said.
“You stop and think about it, who else could even challenge? Tiger (Woods) maybe; Jack Nicklaus maybe. I don’t even know who else could even challenge, but to go to 10 and to win seven (actually 14 conference title games, winning 10) with two different franchises, one (in which) you totally change everything, that would be pretty impressive. He’ll play great,” Self added of the 43-year-old Brady, who won six Super Bowls with New England prior to joining the Bucs this past offseason. “So will the Chiefs. They’ll bring it. It should be a fun game.”
Self, of course, is pulling for the Chiefs and his friend, KC coach Reid.
“That would be an exaggeration (that they are great friends). We text every now and then,” Self said of contacting KC’s coach. “We went to the Bon Jovi concert together. It was an invitation of Charlie Weis (former KU football coach). He (Reid) and Charlie are buddies. We went and spent some time together. I’m so happy for them,” Self concluded of Reid and the rest of the Chiefs organization.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 8:35 AM with the headline "KU’s Bill Self admires ‘hungry’ Kansas City Chiefs for reaching Super Bowl again."
