The Chiefs have an offense that has been described as futuristic.
But they went deep into the past for a key play.
Via Lakisha Jackson Wesseling of NFL.com, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said their fourth-down conversion to set up their first touchdown came on a play they saw in black-and-white.
“That play comes from – if I’m not mistaken- a 1949 Rose Bowl,” Bieniemy said. “I probably shouldn’t be giving this away. The Rose Bowl Michigan vs. USC. And so, it’s just a play we’ve been working and wondering when we can polish it off.
That was actually the 1948 Rose Bowl, which Michigan won 49-0 over Southern Cal, but Bieniemy could be excused for that since it was 21 years before he was born.
That single-wing look they used was a staple of coach Fritz Crisler’s Michigan offense, and the fact the Chiefs would go to the lengths to look at that kind of archival footage is part of the reason they’re celebrating tonight.
The sheer amount of choreography involved in Damien Williams’ 4-yard run to the 1-yard line was impressive, but the willingness to save it for the biggest stage took as much nerve as it did research.
