When your team loses the way the Kansas City Chiefs have lost this year — and the past 25 years — in the playoffs, fans and follower can be known to blow a gasket or two. The future of the Kansas City Chiefs has already begun to take shape while the freshly passes gas we’re smelling form Chiefs fans is justifiable but plenteous.
Oddities and Futures Commodities
With the announcement of ex-Chiefs OC Matt Nagy taking over the head coaching job in Chicago, the Chiefs have begun the search for a new offensive coordinator. One of the challenges that anyone who follows the Chiefs should have with that is… Matt Nagy had the rug pulled out from under him in the middle of the Chiefs most recent meltdown. HC Andy Reid said afterwords, “Matt called all the good plays, I called the bad one.” That was hilarious. Right?
Some fans want running back coach Eric Bieniemy to take over the OC role in K.C. and while I think he is as deserving as anyone, and may well end up in that post, I can see how he could become another Reid-puppet who must move-over-rover at critical times in game situations… a scenario that will never allow the Chiefs to move forward.
In case you’re wondering, there are now 6 head coaches in the league who have worked as assistants under Andy Reid. Of these coaches, only John Harbaugh has won a Super Bowl. They are other are:
1. Matt Nagy – the Bears
2. Todd Bowles – the Jets
3. John Harbaugh – the Ravens
4. Sean McDermott – the Bills
5. Doug Pederson – the Eagles
6. Ron Rivera the Panthers
.
Freshly Passed Glass of Happy-Gas
There is plenty of “Hank Stram Curse” talk going around now that the Chiefs have blown another big lead in the playoffs. I can understand anyone’s super-frustration over the fact that Andy Reid has now had two playoff games in which he’s blown an 18 point or larger lead which represents half of the total number of such losses in NFL history. After all, who wants to be known for that kind of history?
So, let’s take a look at that so-called curse. 18 months ago, shortly after Muhammad Ali passed away, the KC Star’s Vahe Gregorian published a piece called, “Muhammad Ali and Hank Stram Had a Unique Bond” in which he recounts,
“Shortly after returning from Zaire and his “Rumble in the Jungle” knockout of George Foreman in 1974, Muhammad Ali flew to Kansas City for an exhibition at Kemper Arena. Ali, who died June 3, always knew how to seize a scene, and this was no exception. And not just because he called out the “one-horse town” for failing to fill “this little chicken coop. Legendary Chiefs coach Hank Stram, whose team was 3-6 in what became his last season, was vigorously booed when he was introduced to a sparse crowd of about 3,000.
So during a break, Ali took the microphone, looked up to Stram’s suite and played to the crowd:
“Hank Stram, I’m going to put a curse on you,” Ali said, waving his hand over the crowd as if to make it official, according to a report by The Associated Press at the time. “From now on, you’ll never win another football game until I OK it.”
As it happened, he OK’d it seconds later.
If you weren’t around during the days of Ali and only heard about his Babe Ruthian-style prognostications — all of which came true as far as I can tell — then you might also not know that Ali was all about “speaking his vision into reality” and making things happen with his words. If you were around you’d also know he was more playful than serious.
Why… 44 years later… we’re having this conversation… is a mystery unending? However, I do believe people often need to have a leader they can believe in. Nothing more. Nothing less. However, it would be great if such a dynamic leader, who was bold enough to publicly prognosticate a successful Chiefs future, could take over for the Chiefs and make it happen. I fear, that anything less than that, will not lead the Kansas City based Chiefs out of this annual and perpetual circling of the drain.
Oddities and Futures Commodities
Have you heard this one… the Chiefs should burn Arrowhead down and move elsewhere in the city, like to the Kansas side in Johnson County.
I totally get being upset with the Chiefs and/or Andy Reid, but unless you want to see this team in San Antonio, this kind of talk needs to stop.
Freshly Passed Glass of Happy-Gas
Some pundits would like to see the Kansas City Chiefs completely clean house including releasing Derrick Johnson. While we could all see that DJ has lost a step, whether or not it’s because of age or two Achilles heel injuries in the past three years, I think the leadership skills and attention to preparation by DJ can’t be diminished. So, am I saying I want to see the same group of inside linebackers return in 2018? Yes, Absolutely. Now, I’m not saying that DJ should start but, when you can keep a guy on your roster who not only can continue to contribute quality part time snaps but is also a coach on the field and on the sidelines… you need to keep that guy.
Oddities and Futures Commodities
I’m glad to see that Brad Childress is retiring. No, I don’t dislike Childress but do think that the tried-and-true methods he’s promoted or, no matter what his methods were, the Chiefs are in need of new blood and he doesn’t represent that.
Speculation and news rumors that DC Bob Sutton is on the chopping block sound right to me. The team needs to change over to new and divergent approaches and Sutton can not represent those kinds of changes. It’s been suggested that John Fox be asked to come in and take over as DC but I’m more in the mode of attracting young coordinators, perhaps a college coach who is a dynamic D-man and is willing to take chances and has a personality. By personality, I mean, someone who shows some sideline emotion and has the ability to motivate his players.
Since we’ve heard that Alex Smith’s house is now up for sale, we can also project that Patrick Mahomes II will be the new QB in 2018. I think it’s an oddity to think that Alex Smith had nothing to do with this loss. I’m not saying I blame this loss on him but ask yourself this question: were there times when Smith could have left the ball fly in the second half? He appeared to wait until his last throw to do that, a long pass on 4th down that sailed over 5’8″ Albert Wilson’s head (what I’m still wondering is why weren’t the Chiefs targeting their best WR Tyreek Hill on the last play?). In other words, I don’t think there’s anyone who is without responsibility for this loss.
So, hold onto your hat. I’m of the opinion that if the Chiefs, keep on keepin’ on… then we’re going to see, the same ole same ole. And now, I think we can all agree, that’s not going to cut it! Change and “re-building” appears to be the theme of this offseason already. Go Chiefs!
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