Chiefs Grand Design: Plans on Plans on Waffles

Chiefs Grand Design:

Plans on Plans on Waffles

by Laddie Morse

What was the Kansas City Chiefs grand design, you know, their offseason plan? It might as well have been, plans on plans on waffles. Which, of course, makes no sense at all… and… that’s where I’m at with this collection of talent.

Plans on plans on waffles.

I stole that line from comedienne Michelle Wolfe (from her “Nice Lady” standup bit) who was sharing about how she was trying to kiss off a guy she’d gone out with once, and she was doing this via text and thought that this message would get rid of him… but it didn’t. What I’ll never get rid of is… the idea that this collection of players was anywhere near the team that Andy Reid and Brett Veach planned on going to war with during the 2018 offseason.

After all, they:

• brought back a guy they cut early in the offseason in Ron Parker
• kept 7 or 8 UDFAs (which has to be a record)
• traded for two UDFA defensive backs in the 24 hour period before the cutdown deadline
• said goodbye to their all-time leading tackler who’s now sleeping with the enemy
• chose 4 new offensive starters since a year ago (Watkins, Erving, Ellis and Mahomes)
• chose 4 new defensive starters since a year ago (Fuller, Ragland, Hitchens, and X. Williams)…
• […that’s a 36% change rate for the O and D combined]
• 42% turnover rate for the whole roster [22 new players not on the opening day roster in 2017]
• and they also like to say they’re not re-building but retooling instead.

It begs the question: how many people in an organization need to change before the “identity” of that organization has changed?

I remember when Derrick Thomas passed away and I thought the basic character and personality of the Chiefs had changed. One significant person can do that in any company. Ask yourself how you feel about the Raiders defense now that Khalil Mack is no longer going to be bewitching our offensive tackles? It’s just not going to be the same team without him. Not just performance wise, but their very identity has been unquestionably altered.

At a going away party the staff threw for me in 1997 — after ten years there — the school counselor said to me, “I’m so sorry to see you leave, I felt like you were the spirit of the school.” While that was a touching comment, it shows how much a person’s view of an organization can change when one person moves on.

In an article called, “What is the connection between organizational, culture, identity, and image?” Marzia Polese writes that:

“Organizational identity refers to what members perceive, feel and think about their organization. It is a commonly-shared understanding of the organization’s values and characteristics. Being grounded in the meanings and organizational symbols, it is embedded in organizational culture.”

In a sense, when so many players on the Chiefs have been changed, then the way people, “perceive, feel and think about their organization” changes with those alterations. The second part of this definition remains static and/or unchanged as the basic symbols, not only the branding of the team and it’s logos, but the concepts of what Andy Reid and Brett Veach stand for, have become “embedded” in the team’s culture and consequently, it’s communal identity.

So, unless the Chiefs up and move to Vegas, then change their: name and logo and colors and owners and coaches and players… then so very much of the “idea” of the Kansas City Chiefs… remains. However, we can’t assume the organization is just made up of objects like an arrow with a KC in the middle or a shirt with the team name on it or Arrowhead stadium. It’s not only these “things” — and they are important — but it’s the history, the stories, and most importantly, the people.

I say most importantly but… I was having this conversation with my daughter recently about what makes up the “identity” of her company? She has run the Missouri and Kansas regions for her company for the past the 3 to 4 years now and they’ve undergone some changes so I wanted to know from her vantage point: what is the identity of a company? She quoted a Billionaire who was asked this same question who said: the true identity of a good organization is, “love.”

Now, before you think I’m going all hippy-dippy on you, the idea is simple and seems to hold true here. I may not agree with all the moves that Brett Veach makes… and I may not approve of everything Andy Reid espouses to… and I may not agree with all of Clark Hunt’s decisions either… but one of the main reasons I remain a Chiefs fan — through thick and through thin is — the people in it appear to be genuine and caring.

Sure, my favorite color just happens to be red. However, the heart of my allegiance to the Chiefs is the people in it, and the history of the people who have gone before. You may not have seen this because it came late in the day on Sunday, but it’s these kinds of people who have made up the Chiefs and who do the organization proud:

FYI… Parker Ehinger was traded to the Cowboys a few days ago.

It may not matter to you that I am clarifying my admiration for the Chiefs organization, but when so many changes in personnel come in one offseason, it’s good to know why one remains a fan of this team… because obviously… this team has changed significantly.

So yes, the reason I am a Kansas City Chiefs fan is… LOVE. I guess you could say this site is a “Labor of Love” (that’s my shameless allusionary Labor Day comment). And… that begins with the other fans I care so much about… like the people I get to visit with here at ArrowheadOne every day. Tell me, please, what keeps you rooting for the red and gold?

A word before I go: here is a list of the final cuts by the Chiefs over the weekend. Before moving onto the LA Chargers game, I’d like to share a few surprises to me on this list:

TE Jace Amaro – I know there has been some conflict about how consistent Jace Amaro’s offseason performance has been but I thought he was a better pass catcher than Alex Ellis and good enough to make the 53 man roster.

CB David Amerson – while I was not unhappy that Amerson did not make the team, I was very surprised. It’s rare that a GM will cut ties with a player he signed so early in the offseason (February 16).

ILB Ukeme Eligwe – Eligwe is a better athlete than Ben Niemann but it just goes to show you that a player’s instincts and knowledge on the field trumps all other assets.

DT Mike Purcell – Purcell looked really good to me in the preseason games, always in the right place at the right time. I thought he did well enough to beat out Jarvis Jenkins who is 30 years old and 3 years older than Purcell.

CBs Keith Reaser and Will Redmond – these two came in with great hope of transcending their previous disappointments. However, Brett Veach kept bringing in younger players who all exceeded their abilities. I wasn’t so surprised at their being cut as I was disappointed for them.

Any surprises to you? Or, we could talk about love. Or not. It’s up to you.

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