Pop Back Into Place
Sometimes, when things are just a little off, I find that you only need to give a gentle pop back into place. For example, the last time we ever saw MVPat attempt a QB sneak, the outcome was nasty. Pat went into the pile of defenders with an intact knee; he came out with a kneecap that was pointed toward New York City. All that was needed at the time, was a simple pop back into place. If you recall the moment, it was scary, then it wasn’t. He was walking off the field. Still, that play and moment was traumatic enough that we haven’t seen a QB sneak into the pile since 2019, and I doubt that we ever will.
I’ve met people with many stories about popping things back into place. Some people pop their back into place by doing this reverse back-to-back thing. Some people can pop a shoulder back in place. The crazy crazy about this, is that these people swear by these adjustments. Today our Chiefs will have a minor adjustment that will make a huge difference. Today, we are getting our energizer bunny, Isiah Pacheco, back.
You may not be aware, but it’s simple if you think of it: these Chiefs have never had a season with Isiah Pacheco that has yet to end in a Super Bowl title. They are two-for-two! This season, more than ever in the NFL, we are seeing the re-emergence of the running back. Teams have their home-run-hitting running backs, and we get ours back. Let’s pause and thank Kareem Hunt, who filled in perfectly when he came off the couch to play a role in the 2024 Chiefs, but his breakaway days are behind him.
Isiah Pacheco gives our Chiefs more than his angry running style, which we love. Isiah Pacheco gives our Chiefs energy and passion. We forget it when he’s gone, but have you ever seen him not pop back up after a run?
It’s emotion in motion. When we needed to close out the Bills in the AFC Divisional round last January, the Bills still had a heartbeat. The Bills recipe called for stopping the Chiefs three times, calling their timeouts, and hoping Josh Allen could take them back down the field. When the whole world knew we were going to run, Andy Reid called for Pacheco to get the ball, and on back-to-back runs, Isiah made the first down, and that was that. The Chiefs were advancing.
Isiah Pacheco is used to dealing with adversity. It’s the saddest kind of adversity; he lost both his older brother and sister to untimely deaths in 22 months while he was still a teenager. While playing High School football three days after losing his sister, Pacheco popped back and rushed for a whopping 222 yards to honor her. This adversity has grounded Pacheco; you can see he is a young man of faith. He visibly wears a painted cross on his cheeks to honor the Savior.
Today, Chiefs fans, we welcome back Pop and his high-intensity energy. Just watch how his teammates respond to him. He brings a lift, an energy. This lift will come just in time for the stretch drive these Chiefs will need as we head towards the big-time games that await us. I can’t wait for his first touch today. Let’s go!