Kaz's Korner

When I was a kid growing up in New York, Green Bay's Bart Starr was the best quarterback in the NFL and the Packers' Vince Lombardi was regarded as the best head coach. That must be true because the Super Bowl winners are presented the Vince Lombardi Trophy just like the Kansas City Chiefs were awarded after Sunday's 38-35 victory over Philadelphia.

The Starr-Lombardi tandem remained prominent until the turn over the century when Bill Belichick and Tom Brady replaced them at New England. This head coach-quarterback team combined for many Pats' wins and was considered the best combo until Belichick unceremoniously dumped Brady as he approached 40 years old.

Five years ago, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid started an unknown name to NFL warfare at quarterback named Patrick Mahomes who came on the scene like a ball of fire and remains the best quarterback in the league, being named the NFL's Most Valuable Player for the 2022 season and also was the MVP in Super Bowl LVII.

Mahomes is the 13th quarterback with multiple Super Bowl wins and is just the sixth to win multiple MVPs, joining Brady, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, Terry Bradshaw and Starr.

Mahomes tied Brady as the only quarterbacks to bring their teams from double-digit deficits to victory in the Super Bowl.

This Reid-Mahomes combination is now regarded as the best tandem in the NFL and promises to stay that way for years to come.

After Sunday night's game Reid told the media, "Mahomes strives to be the greatest player ever. That's the way he works and he goes about his business humbly."

Despite playing the Super Bowl on only one good ankle, Mahomes connected on 21-of-27 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns plus he rushed for 44 yards and had an almost perfect Quarterback Rating with 99.4 in the second half when he brought his team from a 10-point deficit.

He is the first quarterback in NFL history to lead the NFL in passing and to win the Super Bowl. The others are 0-6 in Super Bowl wins with Brady being the last to do it in 2017 but lost to these same Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.

Reid out-schemed and out-executed the Eagles, especially in the second half when the tight ends and running backs would chip the defensive linemen before going out on their pass routes.

I believe the Eagles' defense lost the game by paying too much attention to tight end Travis Kelce and single-covering the rest of the receivers, who ended up beating them.

A defensive holding penalty by Eagles' cornerback James Bradberry on a third-and eight with less than two minutes left in the game spelled the difference. Some say the call was controversial while Bradberry, himself, admitted grabbing the jersey.

The Eagles had to use their final two time outs after that and Mahomes scrambled for a first down and then knelt down three times and Harrison Butker calmly kicked a chip-shot field goal as time ran out to secure the 38-35 victory and the Lombardi Trophy for the Chiefs.

Channelview native Jalen Hurts played as well as Mahomes and probably would have been the MVP if the Eagles didn't blow that 10-point halftime lead. He was 27-for-38 passing for 304 yards and 15 rushes for 70 yards and three touchdown which tied a Super Bowl record for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.

Andy Reid, who has now coached two black quarterbacks to Super Bowl wins (Donovan McNabb was the other when Reid was with the Eagles) says he plans on returning for the 2023 NFL season "if they'll have me".

He'll have most of his team back plus will have 11 draft picks so he should pick up right where the team left off Sunday and be strong for another five seasons.

KWICKIES...Scottie Scheffler successfully defended his Waste Management Phoenix Open title at TPC Scottsdale .and regained his No. 1 spot in the world. He fired a six-under 65 Sunday to defeat Nick Taylor by two strokes. He took the No. 1 ranking from Rory McIlroy with his fifth PGA Tour victory.

And while on the subject of PGA Tour golfers, Tiger Woods will play in his first Tour event tomorrow at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles for the Genesis Invitational. He has not played competitively since July, 2022 in the British Open.

I hate to brag, but the final thing I said in last week's column was that Kansas City would beat Philadelphia in Super Bowl 57 with a field goal winning the game.

The Houston Texans new head coach DeMeco Ryans has already brought in Arizona's Matt Burke and San Francisco's Bobby Slowik-both young coaches-- to his staff. Former Texans defensive star J.J. Watt said he'd be available to help out but has no desire to be a coach.

The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners have reached an agreement in principle to leave the Big 12 after the 2023-24 athletic year allowing the two schools to join the Southeastern Conference a year ahead of schedule.

The Houston Astros last week signed pitcher Cristian Javier to a five-year, $64 million extension that will tie him to the team through the 2027 season.

\ JUST BETWEEN US...Spring training is beginning in Florida and Arizona for players reporting early ahead of the World Baseball Classic with pitchers and catchers two days behind them. Players will be introduced to three new rules that will be in effect this season: 1. Two infielders will be required on either side of second base and all infielders must be within the outer boundary of the infield when the pitcher is on the rubber; 2. Base size will increase to 18-inch square from 15 inches causing a decreased distance of 4 ½ inches. 3. A pitch clock will be used set at 15 seconds with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners on.