Mahomes vs. Hurts, unprecedented duel of black quarterbacks at the Super Bowl

To be in the limelight and have two starting black quarterbacks in the Super Bowl, I think is special. I’ve learned more and more about the history of African American quarterbacks since I’ve been in this league, about those who came before Jalen and me and set the stage for usMahomes pointed out to the media this week.

And now I’m glad we can do the same for future generations. It’s going to be a great game between two great teams and two great quarterbacks. I can not wait to be thereadded most valuable player to his team of the season.

It’s historic […] I didn’t see that growing up. There have only been, I believe, seven African-Americans in our position who have already played in the Super Bowl. It’s a slow evolution, but it’s happeningsaid Hurts, without including himself in this list.

The 24-year-old is right about the number put forward. Above all, four of them have reached this stage in the last 10 editions: Colin Kaepernick (2013 with San Francisco), Russell Wilson (2014, 2015 with Seattle), Cam Newton (2016 with Carolina), Mahomes (2020, 2021, 2023 with Kansas City).

The pioneer was Doug Williams in 1988 with Washington, before following in his footsteps Steve McNair in 2000 with Tennessee and Donovan McNabb in 2005 with Philadelphia.

The fact is, for a very long time, black quarterbacks have faced nagging skepticism from NFL executives about their suitability for the most important job in football.

NFL","text":"C'est parce que des gars comme Doug Williams ou Donovan McNabb jouaient bien, que cela a permis à d'autres comme Jalen et moi de nous faire une place dans une équipe de la NFL"}}">It’s because guys like Doug Williams or Donovan McNabb were playing well, that it allowed others like Jalen and me to make a place for us on an NFL team.affirmed a very respectful Mahomes.

NFL","text":"Donc, si nous pouvons continuer à montrer que nous pouvons constamment être excellents, je pense que cela ouvrira encore des portes, afin que d'autres enfants puissent croire en leur rêve de devenir un quart-arrière d'une équipe de la NFL"}}">So if we can continue to show that we’re consistently great, I think that will open doors again, so that other kids can believe in their dream of becoming a quarterback for an NFL team.insisted Mahomes.

At 27, the Chiefs point guard is one of three black quarterbacks to have lifted the Vince-Lombardi trophy (2020), along with Williams (1988) and Wilson (2014).

We have come such a long way. It was so difficult, there were so many obstacles, but we succeededWilliams said in an interview with ESPN.

Every time we take big steps and accomplish things that have not been accomplished before, yes, it means a lot to all of us. Yes, there is a lot of emotion. When there are two black quarterbacks in the Super Bowl, it’s no longer possible to ignore what you can do, that you got to that point where you knew you could be, despite all the barriershe added.

If black quarterbacks are increasingly making a name for themselves in the league – they were 11 starters out of 32 teams at the start of the season – this only further highlights the very low number of African-American head coaches. , since only three will have been in office: Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh), Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay) and Lovie Smith (Houston), who has just been replaced by another black coach in DeMeco Ryans.

Assistant to Andy Reid as coordinator of the offensive squad of the Chiefs, Eric Bieniemy has several times spent unsuccessful interviews, while his expertise is unanimously recognized. His hard work once again helped lead Kansas City to its third Super Bowl in four years this season.

For Mohammed, he deserves to be head coach for so long. He did everything the right way […] I don’t know why he hasn’t been hired yet. Afterwards, it’s great for us, because we keep one of the best coaches in the league.