LAS VEGAS — Chase Young recalls the first Super Bowl that still sticks in his mind was when he was 8 years old growing up in Maryland.
“I think I remember the Patriots playing against the Giants, who had an undefeated season with Tom Brady and were 12-5.” [team] With Eli, I think his name is David Tyree, he caught the ball on his helmet,” Young said. “I think that’s probably the most memorable thing.”
It’s a pretty good memory.
The Giants were 13-6 when they faced the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII after the 2007 season, but this was a small and understandable mistake.
Young checked out David Tyree’s helmet catch highlights from Eli Manning.
And he was reminded of how the Giants actually won that game — with pass rushers Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiola and Justin Tuck terrorizing Tom Brady and the prolific Patriots. They kept the difference to just 14 points.
Young nodded.
“D-linemen in general, we definitely have the ability to change the game,” he said. “That’s definitely something we’re looking forward to.”
That’s every pass rusher’s goal when preparing for Patrick Mahomes’ impact.
The best quarterback in the NFL is trying to win his third Super Bowl, but you’re constantly giving him a hard time trying to give him the slightest chance of beating him.
There was a time when Young was considered the next big thing, a quarterback threat.
That time is not now.
A linear career path wasn’t for him.
In other words, no team is expected to have Young and Nick Bosa anchoring the same defensive line.
Both were premier players at Ohio State and entered the NFL as monster prospects.
Bosa was selected by the 49ers with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and Young was taken No. 2 overall by Washington in the 2020 Draft.
Top edge rushers like this are scattered all over the league.
They don’t join forces.
It’s unusual to have both Bosa and Young together preparing for the 2024 Super Bowl against Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“From Ohio State to here, it’s just crazy. This wouldn’t have happened a generation ago,” Young said. “It’s definitely a good feeling to have one of my closest friends playing there with me. It’s definitely exciting.”
Bosa is the enforcer the 49ers needed, with 53.5 sacks in five seasons and 44.5 in the past 50 games.
Young was initially a similar alpha player in Washington, earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after racking up 7.5 sacks in his first season.
Not much went right for Young after that.
He did not suffer an on-field tear in 2021 until suffering a serious injury in Week 10 that tore not only the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, but also the patellar tendon.
Reconstruction of the right knee required a portion of the patellar tendon from the left knee to be transferred.
Recovery was difficult.
Young appeared in just three games in 2022.
In April 2023, the managers did not pick up his fifth-year option, which was an unthinkable event.
“I felt like no one imagined that they would get hurt or that bad things would happen to them in life. But we all know that’s part of life and things happen.” Young said. “It all depends on how you deal with adversity.”
Washington’s grand plan centered around Young, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne — four first-round picks on the defensive line — didn’t work.
At the NFL trade deadline, Sweat was traded to the Bears for a second-round draft pick.
Young was traded to the 49ers for a third-round pick, a very meager return for a player the team was drooling over. Recall that after the Giants defeated the Commanders in 2019-20, it seemed like they had lost the Chase Young sweepstakes. Overtime in a meaningless Week 16 game?
The Giants dropped to No. 4 in that draft and selected Andrew Thomas, the team’s left tackle.
As it turns out, the Giants were lucky to let Young slip away.
After the Bengals took quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick, managers were eager to scoop up what would become a premier pass rusher.
The trade was quite a shock to the system for Young, and he joined the 49ers, a team that immediately jumped into playoff contention and was ready for the Super Bowl.
However, the change in circumstances hasn’t returned Young to his pre-injury form. He had 2.5 sacks in nine regular season games (no starts).
Young was in the starting lineup in the playoffs, but had no sacks or quarterback hits in 101 snaps in wins over the Packers and Lions.
“I didn’t know much about him,” safety Tashaun Gipson told the Post. “Just watching him personally, obviously he’s a natural freak. He was a top pick, Defensive Rookie of the Year. Injuries are part of the game.
“I wouldn’t trade him for the world, no matter what. He’s a hell of a player and he’s still the No. 2 overall draft pick.”
Young is not under contract for the 2024 season.
He hasn’t done enough to warrant a return to the 49ers.
Free agency is waiting for him.
Finding a way to drop Mahomes a few times to help the Niners bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Santa Clara would definitely hurt his case to stay.
“Pat Mahomes is one of the best players in the business,” Young said. “Every year he always ends up in this game and there’s a reason for that. All credit to Patrick. We’ll do everything we can to stop him.”
