One of the nice things about the two-week break leading up to the Super Bowl is that it gives us more time to look back on how we got here. Reflecting on the paths each participant took to reach the championship can be instructive.
Shameless plug — I recently recorded a podcast with Mia O’Brien on this very subject — but we want to hear from you, Jaguars fans!
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What’s your biggest takeaway(s) from this year’s Super Bowl participants?
My answer: Elite passers are no
longer a necessity to reach the Super Bowl. Though Drake Maye would’ve had my MVP vote this year, and Sam Darnold has more than proven himself as a franchise quarterback, neither would be where they are without coaches who put them in positions to succeed. Darnold/Seattle has Klint Kubiak, who recently agreed to become the Raiders’ new head coach, and Maye/New England has Josh McDaniels, who has already won six Super Bowls on the Patriots’ staff. Consider that 70% of Super Bowl-winning QBs from 2001-23 had the last name Brady, Manning, Roethlisberger, or Mahomes. Parity has returned in recent years largely because the league is full of forward-thinking offensive coaches who are adept at maximizing skill sets and sequencing play calls. They may have surpassed the quarterback position as the most vital asset an NFL team can have.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
