The Chiefs are entering a new era on offense, as second year quarterback and first-round pick
Patrick Mahomes will be taking over the offense after the departure of Alex Smith, who was
traded after serving five seasons as Kansas City’s quarterback. Though Mahomes has been
touted as one of the most purely talented quarterbacks to enter the NFL in recent history, there
are plenty of questions surrounding his ascension to the starting role.

Despite the raw talent, there have been questions about Mahomes’ mechanics and ability to
thrive in the professional game. There has been little regular season film to look back on, as
Mahomes has just one career regular season start under his belt to this point.

Mahomes will, however, be surrounded by some experienced talent. Tyreek Hill and Travis
Kelce, the team’s top pass catchers from last season, are both returning. Second year
runningback (RB) Kareem Hunt will also return after a 2017 season in which he led the league
in rushing as a rookie. In addition to the returning talent, Kansas City signed wide receiver (WR)
Sammy Watkins in the offseason. Watkins is generally regarded as an explosive player, and he
scored eight touchdowns playing for the Los Angeles Rams.

On the defensive side of the ball, there are plenty of concerns. Kansas City lost their long-time
defensive leader middle linebacker (MLB) Derrick Johnson in the offseason. To replace him,
Kansas City signed former Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens. Kansas City also traded Pro
Bowl cornerback (CB) Marcus Peters, despite the fact that the cornerback position was a liability
for the team at times last year. Kansas City hopes CB Kendall Fuller can help fill that role, as he
came over from Washington in the Alex Smith trade.

The secondary continues to be a concern, especially after a knee injury suffered by Daniel
Sorensen who was likely to play a starting role at safety this season. The Chiefs re-signed
safety (S) Ron Parker, who was cut by the Atlanta Falcons at the end of the preseason. While
there are plenty of new faces on the defense, Kansas City will lean on the experience of their
returning Pro Bowl starters, including S Eric Berry and defensive end (DE) Chris Jones.

The 2018 Chiefs enter the season with a great deal of uncertainty and analysts have had a hard
time predicting how the new-look team will fare. While the Chiefs have gained a reputation for
being a consistent and maybe sometimes boring team, the 2018 season looks to be different as
the Patrick Mahomes era begins in Kansas City.

Cover photo courtesy of chiefs.com.

Since reaching his current standing in the music world, Drake has received quite a bit of criticism for being a pop star instead of a true rapper. His music isn’t as deep or socially conscious as Kendrick or Cole. Instead, he’s a rapper out to make popular music, not necessarily aiming to convey a message or make a point. I think Drake is even beginning to accept this. Calling “More Life” a playlist, instead of an album, seems to me a cop-out aimed to shield Drake from the criticism of hip-hop heads who will dismiss his success because he has pandered to the pop charts and strayed away from traditional rap. Calling it a playlist sends a message to the listener that this collection of 22 songs is just something to enjoy, rather than examine. At the end of the day, though, it’s hard to knock Drake, as he’s enjoyed more commercial success than maybe any other rapper ever. All 22 of the tracks on “More Life” managed to chart the Billboard Top 100 at the playlist’s release.

This playlist seemed like a glimpse into the past of Drake’s career. The first two tracks on the album had me wondering if “More Life” was a second version of “If You’re Reading This” or “What A Time To Be Alive.” By “Passionfruit,” it was clear to see that there would be a little piece of every Drake album featured on this.

Drake has plenty of bangers on the playlist in tracks like “Free Smoke,” “Portland,” and “Gyalchester,” featuring some of hip-hop’s most commercially successful artists like 2 Chainz, Young Thug and, of course, Quavo. Before he even released this, I absolutely freakin’ knew there’d be a Quavo feature on this.

We see the pop star Drake that hip-hop heads complain about in songs like “Get it Together” and “Madiba Riddim.” It’s not that these tracks aren’t enjoyable or well produced, but they’re pandering to a pop audience rather than a hip-hop audience. Fluffy tracks like these make Drake vulnerable to criticism from hip-hop elites, but, at the same time, the fact that he has such a wide pop following speaks to his star-power and ability to reach across genres.

Speaking of reaching across genres, my favorite version of Drake appears as there are several tracks on the playlist where Drake crosses over into R&B. “Jorja Interlude” appears early in the tracklist and is fantastic. “Teenage Fever” is one of the best songs on “More Life,” sampling Jennifer Lopez on the hook. In principle, that seems kind of awkward, but hey, it made for one of singing-Drake’s best songs to date. The R&B spectrum of Drake’s portfolio is the best version of Drake. Not many other rappers can pull off a record like this, at least not like singing-Drake can. In fact, this ability to cross over into R&B music is something that set Drake apart early, as he was able to capitalize on this in “Take Care” on tracks like “Marvin’s Room” and “Doing It Wrong.” I wish Drake would accept that he’s not the best rapper in the game and embrace his ability as a sort of hip-hop/R&B artist because this is where he truly excels. I’d like to see that all-singing, no-rapping album that he has speculated about, but until then, I guess we’ll just wait.

“More Life” also displayed Drake’s continuous fascination with incorporating foreign cultures into his music. On “More Life,” he continues to incorporate Carribean beats and accents into his own music, despite the fact that he’s received some criticism for this. To be honest, the accent kind of throws me off. I’m not sure when Drake began to think he was Jamaican. Like dude, you’re from Toronto. Drake is blem, for real.  Either way, it’s different, and Drake deserves some credit for being able to pull from Carribean music and make popular music in the United States.

The absolute best part about “More Life” is Drake’s effort to bring grime, the British cousin of American hip-hop, into mainstream American music. Drake features grime artists Skepta and Giggs, who absolutely crush their verses. The best song on “More Life” is “KMT” featuring Giggs. Drake himself even attempts the British accent on “No Long Talk,” and it actually kind of works. If “More Life” introduced me to anything new, it’s grime. This is the best, and most original, part of “More Life.”

Ultimately, “More Life” was alright. It’s fun to listen to, but not much else. It’s hard to critically assess “More Life” because Drake wasn’t aiming to wow anyone with a profound message or a life-changing revelation. At times, I felt like I was still listening to “If You’re Reading This” or “Take Care.”

But “More Life” was made for fun, and that’s what it is. In my opinion, “More Life” is a sign of Drake’s inevitable decline as a true rapper. Other than the grime thing, he doesn’t do or say anything new. At times, it seems like he’s making a desparate reach to reinvent himself, but ultimately falling short. I’m not saying Drake won’t remain popular, but I feel that moving forward, traditional rap may increasingly disown a tired ole Drake, and he may have to pander more than ever to the pop audience in order to remain at the throne of music where he currently resides.

“More Life” was nothing new. But it’s hard to be too critical of Drake, who harnesses his star-power and achieves more commercial success than anyone else in the industry. So don’t look to deep into “More Life.” You’ll ruin it for yourself. Instead, use the equalizer on your Spotify to boost the bass, take a drive and enjoy “More Life.” Drake may fall someday, but for now he’s still the king.

More ‘chun for ya head top, so watch how you speak on Drake’s name, ya know?

Cover photo courtesy of Genius.

After the initial rounds of the tournament, four countries advanced to the championship round: The Netherlands, Japan, Puerto Rico and the United States.

In the championship game, the United States blanked Puerto Rico 8-0 under the leadership of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman. Stroman was ultimately named Most Valuable Player of the WBC. In three starts, he posted a 2.35 ERA. In the championship game, he allowed just one hit through six innings on the mound.

Their win in the WBC finals was a special moment for Team USA, as this is the United States’ first WBC title. Texas Rangers’ catcher Jonathan Lucroy described the moment, saying, “It was an amazing feeling. You’re not representing an individual team, but an entire country.”

The victory was especially sweet for the players who chose to represent the United States, as they felt let down by many of their peers. Star players like Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper opted not to participate in the WBC. Many Team USA players feel that their victory may have reconciled this for future WBC games. Lucroy said, “I can’t see anyone turning this down again, not after seeing what we did. I think we’ve changed how everyone will look at the WBC.”

Manager Jim Leyland said, “I don’t mean this to sound wrong, but up until this point the other countries were probably into this event a little bit more than the United States. But we had players that wanted to be here, and that’s the players you want.”

After their first WBC title, the US hopes that they have made the WBC a bigger deal in the eyes of Americans.

During his nine years in Kansas City, Charles posted nearly 10,000 all-purpose yards and found the endzone 64 times. Kansas City will certainly remember Charles as one of the best players in franchise history.

This is not a shock, but it’s still really sad. It’s like having a really old dog. You know he won’t live forever, but you don’t really ever expect him to die. For me, finding out Charles had been cut was like finding out Santa Clause wasn’t real. But alas, the NFL is a business and Charles’ departure is the reality.

Regardless, all Chiefs fans will look back and have fond memories of Charles. Just like they still wear the 58 at Arrowhead, I’m guessing we’ll still be seeing those 25’s for years to come. I don’t really care what anyone else thinks, Charles was the best runningback I’ve ever watched play. It’s hard to describe his style of play. He was unlike most other players. He had the Olympic speed that allowed him to bounce outside and run past the other 21 players in the blink of an eye. But at the same time he was a bruiser. He didn’t even weigh 200 pounds, but I’ve watched him repeatedly run the ball between the tackles, throwing defenders off of him and putting guys twice his size on their back. And through the air, his hands were as trustworthy as any back I’ve ever seen. Throw it to him out of the backfield or line him up out wide. Didn’t matter. He was going to beat his defender and make someone look foolish. Charles could’ve been a punter and still would have found a way to make a play. He simply had a nose for the endzone and a killer instinct. Simply put, Charles was electric.

Those who have been loyal to the Chiefs even in the darkest of seasons will remember Charles as a beacon of hope, especially in the years when the Chiefs coaching staff was incompetent and the roster was untalented. The fact that Charles was on the field meant that we had a chance. I’ve got to say, Charles made watching 2-win seasons a little less frustrating.

Now that Kansas City is looking like a Super Bowl contender, it seems wrong that Charles couldn’t stick around to win a ring with the team with whom he spent nine years. He carried that team for years and deserves it.

Despite all this, the NFL is a business and releasing Charles was a practical move. With two promising young backs in Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West, it didn’t make a ton of sense to pay Charles the $7 million he was due this season. Personally, I’m not entirely convinced that Spencer Ware is the answer. He was inconsistent last year and oftentimes couldn’t deliver when they needed him to. I was hoping that the Chiefs would find a way to get Charles to take a pay cut, but with little cap space and a new monster deal for Eric Berry, finding money for a 30-year-old runningback wasn’t exactly a priority for general manager John Dorsey and the front office. It’s sad, but it’s the reality of the NFL (Not For Long). Charles will probably find a new team during free agency, as he is a proven player and plenty of teams have a need at the runningback position.

Honestly, Charles always seemed too good to be true. What he did was simply unreal. If I hadn’t seen him in person, I might think he was just a myth. Wherever he ends up next, I wish him the best. I just hope to God it’s not Oakland.