Super Crystal Ball, Part II: the Unicorn, the Journeyman and the Prediction
Published continually since 1994
My friends, the big one is upon us and, yes, THE GURU is thinking about gameday fare. Hot snacks, cold snacks, lukewarm snacks. All the food that’s fit to eat.
Yet, as much as I’m excited to stuff my face, there’s a game to be played as the Kansas City Chiefs (17-2) seek to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, facing the red-hot Philadelphia Eagles (17-3).
How impressive do the Eagles look as they seek their 16th win in 17 games? As good as my father-in-law, SLICK WILLIE, in his recent Jersey City photo shoot, courtesy of THE FAIR CLAUDINE.
Willie is a student of the game, a former Philly firefighter whose love of the Birds is as real as the pinky ring on his left hand. A superstitious sort, he’ll watch the game solo with snacks at hand and, if the occasion calls for it, a celebratory swig of lager.
That beer may hit Willie’s pipes early if the Eagles’ peerless defensive tackle tandem, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, continue to have their way. The Georgia alums were outstanding once again in the NFC Championship game and will be a load for KC’s offensive line.
Of course, there are many others who will have their say in the outcome. There’s the obvious, like QBs Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, and Philly running back Saquon Barkley. Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and tight end Travis Kelce are also key, along with Philly’s dynamic receiving corps.
And then there are the under-the-radar guys who could rise to the ultimate occasion. Giants wideout David Tyree makes the famed helmet catch vs New England in Super Bowl XLII, Dallas cornerback Larry Smith picks off two passes vs. the Steelers in SB XXX, Seattle linebacker Malcolm Smith leads a stifling Seattle D in the SB XLVIII rout of Peyton Manning and Denver, etc.
With that in mind, let’s look at two men on the periphery - one from each team - that could make a difference today.
THE UNICORN
Philadelphia rookie Cooper DeJean knows he’s different because it’s mentioned everywhere he turns. He’s a white NFL cornerback, a Caucasian corner.
An NFL unicorn.
How rare is it to see a white guy at this position? Well, prior to last season, we hadn’t seen one on an NFL roster in a generation. That’s right. The last white man to start an NFL game at corner before this season was Cincinnati’s Kevin Kaesviharn1 in 2003 as he started three games at CB while transitioning to safety.
Kaesviharn spent the next six years exclusively at safety for Cincinnati, New Orleans and Tennessee, retiring after the 2009 season with 17 career interceptions and five fumble recoveries in his nine-year career. Total games played: 127, including 58 starts with 11 of those coming at corner.
The most ballyhooed white CB of the 2000s is, of course, former Giant Jason Sehorn, who started - and played very well - at the position in New York from 1996-2002. He was particularly good in his first two seasons as a starter with 11 interceptions, seven forced fumbles and two INT returns for touchdowns.
Sehorn seemed destined for superstardom but, alas, he tore his ACL and MCL while returning a kickoff in a 1998 preseason game - yep - against the Jets. After rehab, he was not the same player but was still a reliable starter who played a major role in New York’s 2000 run to the Super Bowl. His most memorable contribution: a pick six in the Divisional Round win against the Eagles.
The USC alum never approached that 1996-97 peak again but, still, he recorded 19 interceptions and forced nine fumbles while earning 73 starts at the position for the Giants. He ended his career in 2003, starting three games at safety for the St. Louis Rams.
Sehorn followed in the not-so-well-worn footsteps of players like Atlanta’s Scott Case2 (1986-89) and Washington’s Brian Davis (1988-89). Case is the last white Pro Bowler or All-Pro at the position, notching an incredible 10 interceptions in 1988 to lead the league3.
So, Cooper DeJean, a rookie, finds himself in a unique spot as the first white corner to start a playoff game since Sehorn. Right? Actually, no. Denver second-year man Riley Moss, who played with DeJean at Iowa, actually beat him to the punch on January 12 when he started against Buffalo. Three hours later, DeJean took the field against the Rams.
Three white corners4 in the league and two are from the same school? There must be something in the water in Iowa City, eh?
As for DeJean, he won’t be hard to spot today as he’ll likely be around the football. In the past five games, including the postseason, he’s forced a fumble while recovering three others. The youngster has quickly become a mainstay in Philly’s outstanding defense.
At a later date, we’ll explore why there are so few white cornerbacks in the NFL as we take a closer look at race in the NFL. And we won’t stop there as corner isn’t the only position where the lack of diversity is striking.
Black punters and kickers are almost nonexistent. There has never been a full-time black long snapper in the league. And only one white man (Christian McCaffrey) was his team’s starter at running back this season.
But, with the big game only a few hours away, those are conversations for another day. And I’m sure The Unicorn, who celebrates his 22nd birthday today, would agree.
THE JOURNEYMAN
Kansas City running back Samaje Perine fits the definition of a journeyman like a bespoke suit, toiling for five different franchises in his eight NFL seasons.
After being selected by Washington in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, he spent two seasons in DC before splitting time with Cincinnati and Miami in 2019. Then it was back to the Bengals (2020-2022) and on to Denver (2023) before landing with the Chiefs this year.
Perine’s college career was decidedly more stable as he dazzled during his three years at Oklahoma (2014-16) while rushing for a program record of 4,122 yards, surpassing legends like Adrian Peterson (4,045) and Heisman winners Billy Sims (4,118) and Steve Owens (4,041).
A unique blend of power and speed with biceps shaped like bowling balls, he also ran for 49 touchdowns and still owns the single-game FBS rushing record with 427 yards, accomplished against Kansas as a freshman.
Putting that KU game in perspective, Perine’s record is 45% better than the #2 rushing game in OU history, a 294-yard performance by Greg Pruitt vs. Kansas State in 1971. That, my friends, is one heck of an afternoon. And in a driving rainstorm, no less.
In the NFL, Perine’s story has been quite different. He’s never made the Pro Bowl and two-thirds of his NFL starts occurred as a Redskins rookie. He hasn’t had 100 rushing attempts in a season since that initial campaign and, this year, he toted the rock just 20 times for KC.
Yet, in an era where the average NFL running back lasts 2 1/2 seasons, Perine is in his eighth year and still contributing. In fact, he’s made himself not only dependable but valuable, especially as a blocker and receiver.
Case in point: while playing just 10 offensive plays, Perine iced the AFC title game against the Bills with a nifty 17-yard catch-and-run, wisely stayed inbounds to run out the clock. His ability to step up in big moments was no surprise to Chiefs fans, who painfully remember Perine’s 41-yard screen pass TD in the 2021 AFC Championship, kick starting Cincinnati’s comeback win.
Don’t be surprised if The Journeyman makes another play that matters in this one. The Chiefs trust him and he’s ready for his moment.
THE PREDICTION
My old buddy THE OLDEN DOMER calls me a “Chiefs hater” but that’s far from the truth as you won’t find many that admire Messrs. Reid and Mahomes more than I do. I’d share meal or my Chapstick with them if I could. But, when it comes to Super Bowl picks, I suppose my buddy is right as I’ve gone with KC’s opponent in each trip under Reid.
I was most confident with my SB XV pick as I felt the Chiefs’ head coach would be distracted by his son Reid’s legal issues and Tampa would dominate KC’s reshuffled offensive line. On that call, at least, I was right. The equivalent of that blind squirrel finding a nut.
In each of the Chiefs’ other appearances under Reid, I felt Kansas City faced a better team. Two years ago, when they matched up with the Eagles in SB LVII, here’s what I wrote:
I believe Philadelphia has been the best team in football this season and, though this is Coach Sirianni’s first trip to the big dance, the roster has guys like Jason Kelce and Brandon Graham who helped lead the team’s magical 2017 run to the title…
I also don’t think we’re looking at a mismatch on the sidelines, despite the 22-year delta in head coaching experience between Reid and Sirianni, now in his second year at the helm of the Eagles. From a historical perspective, I think back to 1982 when a second-year coach by the name of Joe Jackson Gibbs led Washington to the Super Bowl XVII title, beating Miami and their legendary leader, Don Shula. To me, the experience factor is overrated when you have got excellent players…
…the Chiefs’ chief concern is at offensive tackle as Donovan Smith (LT) and Jawaan Taylor (RT) face uphill battles against Niners defensive ends Chase Young and Nick Bosa, respectively. I can’t wait to see what Andy Reid and offensive line coach Andy Heck dial up in an effort to prevent a repeat of the Tampa Bay massacre.
Fast forwarding to today, I feel much the same. Philadelphia is the better team. The experience difference between the head coaches isn’t a big deal. And Kansas City’s offensive line faces a major challenge, making a repeat of the loss to the Bucs entirely possible.
I called that Tampa game correctly but, in the past 10 Super Bowls, my record is a middling 6-4 with three losses due to the KC misfires. The fourth defeat? The Pats’ comeback against Atlanta.
I learned my lesson in the Falcons game and never picked against Tom Brady in his final three Super Bowl appearances. But have I learned from seeing Mahomes do it time and time again?
I think so. Or at least 51% of me does. My confidence level isn’t sky high, but I’ll go with the Chiefs in another one that Mahomes and his mates pull out at the end. Hey, the man has seven game-winning drives this year, so I guess he’s doing something right.
Keep a close guy on Perine - and DeJean - and call it Kansas City, 26-245.
That’s it from here, folks6. Enjoy the game and God bless!
Kaesviharn beat the odds by making it to the NFL all the way from Division II Augustana College of South Dakota.
The school’s best pro player? Karl Mecklenburg, a star outside linebacker and defensive end (1983-1994) for many of those John Elway-led Denver teams. Mecklenburg is a legit Hall of Fame candidate, earning four All-Pro nods and six Pro Bowl trips. He set the team’s single-season sack record (13) in 1985 and, while that mark is long gone, he remains third in team history in that category with 79.
Case was particularly noteworthy, picking off 17 passes during the four seasons when he was primarily a corner, and notching 30 INTs over his 12-year career.
Only one player has exceeded that number since - Trevon Diggs of Dallas in 2023 (11).
Miami’s Ethan Bonner, a Stanford alum, is the other.
Alternate score: Eagles 33, Chiefs 20 LOL
The season mark sits at 184-102 (.643) after my 0-2 conference title performance, dropping the playoff mark to 9-4 (.692). Let’s see if I can squeak out one more win.