There is a man they call “Mattress Mack” (Jim McIngvale) from Houston who recently wagered $3.46 million on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to beat the Kansas City Chiefs and win today’s Super Bowl.
His problem, though, may be that he didn’t ask Lawton businessman Ervin Randle for his prediction before placing that bet.
Randle, who owns Classic Chevrolet in Lawton, has a unique viewpoint on Super Bowl LV since he played for both teams during his eight-year career and he’s been quizzed by many about his pick for the game.
“Everyone is asking me about the game and wanting to know who I’m cheering for,” Randle said. “The Bucs drafted me and I played there for six years and then I played two years for the Chiefs. Both are great organizations and I am very thankful that they gave me my opportunity in the NFL.
“Both teams remain close to my heart. In fact, I just got back from Tampa where I got to visit with many of my old friends. Bruce Arians, the Bucs’ coach, was the running backs coach when I played for the Chiefs and he and Andy Reid are both good friends of mine.”
Randle was the 64th pick (third round) in the 1985 NFL Draft and played in 105 games during his NFL career. And, as an outside linebacker, he has the knowledge to evaluate both offenses and the challenges they present, including the much-anticipated battle of top quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.
“The thing with Brady is that he’s doing a great deal of dinking and dunking, throwing those 5- to 7-yard routes,” Randle said. “If he starts going deep and floats the ball, the defensive backs these days will chase those down and load up on them.
“But they’ve been successful with that style. They’ll throw a couple of short routes then if they need a couple yards for a first down, they can get it on a running play.”
As he switched to talk about Mahomes, you could sense that he is impressed with the young star and the Chiefs’ offensive schemes.
“They do such a great job of disguising their RPO (Run-Pass Option) schemes and it’s hard to tell whether it’s a run or pass. Then when you have a quarterback who can do so many things, it makes it tough on the defense.
“I think he’s one of the most versatile quarterbacks I’ve seen. They start on the 20, which most drives do now with the rule changes, and it’s no problem for them to go 80 yards to score. When you have a defensive line that’s running all over the field, from sideline to sideline, it will wear them down. If things open up, he will run up-field. If not, he’s been known to throw that shovel pass. He’s so good at so many things.”
But Randle sees some positives within the Tampa Bay defense, most notably a good inside linebacker by the name of Devin White, a second-year player from LSU.
“The thing that has really helped Tampa slowly rise to this point is the defense,” Randle said. “I’m confident that 45, White, can play on or off the line of scrimmage and make some plays. He’s gotten some interceptions and he’s a solid tackler.
“And Tampa, when it comes to speed on defense, they match up well with the KC receivers. The key in my opinion will be third down. They have to cover (tight end) Travis Kelce because he can work any part of the field — inside, outside, deep — and the thing about him, even though he’s a tight end he catches the ball and then has the ability to run for extra yardage.”
However, Kelce is just one of the big threats.
“Then you have (Tyreek) Hill who is so explosive that he can catch a 5-yard under route and then take it the distance. And I like their running back (Clyde Edwards-Helaire), he’s back and that will be important.”
Randle said it’s simple to see why these teams are the final two standing.
“These coaches are both what you’d call players’ coaches,” Randle said. “They ask you, ‘what do you see’ because they want you to learn the finer points of the game and offer input. They let their guys just go out there and play.”
Randle says another asset for the Chiefs is Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
“I played against Bieniemy and I hope he gets his chance,” Randle said just days after the veteran assistant was interviewed by six teams but never got an NFL head coaching position. “I think we’re moving forward and we will see more good minority coaches. The Chiefs didn’t get into two straight Super Bowls by being lucky.”
To this day Randle is still thankful that he reached the NFL, however, it wasn’t an easy path from Hearne, Texas, a community of 1,200 just a stone’s throw from College Station and Texas A&M.
“I grew up wanting to be an Aggie, I was a die-hard fan growing up,” he said. “But when my mom and I went on a recruiting visit, the coach told me I was too small for them. Mom looked at the coach, grabbed me and took me out of there.”
That’s when Baylor entered the picture.
“We went next to Baylor where Grant Teaff was coaching,” Randle said. “When he started talking to us and we got around to size, he said, ‘Hey, I made Mike Singletary a good linebacker and I can do the same for you.’ Mom then said, we’re poor and we can’t pay for his college. That’s when Coach Teaff said, ‘Son, you will be the first to get a full scholarship from me.’”
He learned another lesson from Teaff.
“The first day of practice I broke my thumb,” Randle said. “I will never forget it, he said, ‘hey you will just have to get tough and play with pain.’ That was a good lesson for me. It made me realize that anything good takes hard work.”
The bottom line is simple.
“During my career at Baylor we went 2-1-1 against A&M, so that really made me feel good that I could show the coach who said I wasn’t big enough that I could play at that level,” he said.
Those lessons Randle learned on the football field have helped him emerge as a very successful businessman, however, he gives a great deal of the credit to his partner, wife Bridget.
“She’s been there by my side through all of this and has been a rock for me,” Randle said. “I told her that sports shaped me to be a businessman and it also taught me never to forget where I came from. Remember, there is somebody out there trying to beat you. But never give up on your dreams.”
While this writer could tell that Randle wasn’t up to making a prediction because of his love for both teams, he did offer some hints.
“My heart is still in the game of football,” Randle said. “When I was back there in Tampa, I told reporters that my heart is still in Tampa, I will forever be tied to the Bucs.
“But I really believe the Chiefs have one of the most electrifying offenses I’ve seen. It doesn’t matter where they start, they get to the end zone.”
With that being said, looks like “Mattress Mack” better get ready to pay off that $3.46-million-dollar wager.
And, it looks like all his customers who bought mattresses in his Super Bowl promotion will at least be comfortable as they try to sleep tonight, even though they won’t be getting that new comfort for free.
Randle’s final thought: “It should be a great Super Bowl, one that fans should enjoy.”
At least the fans of the winning team will enjoy the game, and it appears Randle will smile regardless of how it turns out. He still loves both teams because they gave him his chance to be a part of the NFL which opened so many doors for the poor small-town kid from central Texas.
The Link LonkFebruary 07, 2021 at 02:00PM
https://www.swoknews.com/sports/after-career-with-both-bucs-chiefs-randle-hard-pressed-to-play-favorites-for-super-bowl/article_d34e11f4-0191-5edf-9372-06ca81064929.html
After career with both Bucs, Chiefs, Randle hard-pressed to play favorites for Super Bowl - The Lawton Constitution
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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