Chiefs Obscura
Well, I am just thrilled to announce I was wrong about last week. Chiefs didn’t rest players, and it’s a good thing, because Oakland folded faster than an origami instructor on a tight deadline. Also, Chiefs had their hands full with San Diego for the first quarter and, even though the final result was a blowout, Chiefs would have struggled without their full complement of stars (excluding Ware and Houston obviously). With the bye week secured, Andy Reid will have an extra week to game plan, players will have an extra week to rest and Dorsey will have a week to tweak the roster. I wanted to take this non-game week as an opportunity to look at some obscure Chiefs stuff to keep things interesting.
Tommy Brasher
Some of you may recognize Brasher as the former D-line coach for the Chiefs. He retired from that role in 2016, but stayed on as Chiefs’ special projects coach. That spot was vacated by Brad Childress who took on the role of co-offensive coordinator this year. Why should you care about the director of special projects? Because it potentially explains a lot about what’s gone on with the Chiefs this year. Chiefs faced major losses on defense both due to injury and free agency, but they’ve somehow managed to field a very competitive defense. While they have slightly less interceptions and far fewer sacks, Chiefs have forced 6 more fumbles this year than last year (19) and recovered 8 more (15). The offense, on the other hand, saw a significant decline in productivity despite the infusion of new talent in Mitchell Schwartz and Tyreek Hill. Personally, I think it’s no coincidence that the switch from an offensive coach to a defensive coach for Special Projects coincided with a better than expected defense and worse than expected offense. Brasher’s main job is scouting upcoming opponents. He’s naturally going to have slightly better advice for the defense than the offense. If Clark Hunt would spring for it, Reid and Dorsey should consider adding an additional coach to special projects. Someone with an offensive mind.
Brock Olivo
You may never have heard Olivo’s name if you’re not a Mizzou football fan. He was the first player to win the Mosi Tatupu Award for college football’s best special teams player. Perhaps by now, you have guessed, or remembered, that Olivo is Chiefs‘ Assistant Special Teams Coach. With the news that both Denver and SanDiego are interviewing Dave Toub, Chiefs may soon be leaning on Olivo to coach their stellar STs units. As an NFL player, he led Detriot in STs tackles, back when they were the league’s best Special Teams unit. He also provided depth at RB and FB. Since then, he’s worked for a variety of outfits as a coach including Coastal Carolina University and UFL team the Omaha Nighthawks. After his CCU team (where he was Assistant coach, RBs coach and STs coach) won back to back Big South Conference Championships, Chiefs tapped Olivo to be Toub’s #2. At 40 years old, if Olivo can prove himself a worthy successor, Chiefs should maintain their STs dominance for years to come. If he fails, it could set the team back quite a bit.
Dadi Nicolas, Victor Ochi
and Paylor’s Deleted Tweet
Dadi Nicolas is out with a tear to his patella tendon, that’s really bad. Worse than an ACL. The recovery process is complex and only 79% of players return post tear. Even the ones who do may not return at 100%. Nicolas has a decent chance since he’s still young, but it could be a couple years before he’s back to 100%. Terez Paylor initially tweeted that Nicolas had an Achilles rupture, but shortly later deleted the tweet. It’s unclear whether he had a bad source or whether new info came to light. The tweet wasn’t up very long. In light of that, Chiefs have signed Victor Ochi off the Jets practice squad. He was extremely productive in college, but at 6’1 245lbs, he’s much smaller than the average OLB. Ochi will take some time to adjust to NFL competition, but should be able to contribute on STs and has some future potential as depth. He has a great first step and motor.
Lamar Hunt Jr.
Clark’s brother Lamar Jr., the owner of the East Coast Hockey League Missouri Mavericks (an NHL minor league team basically), recently purchased the rights for a USHL expansion team (the top level junior professional hockey league 20 or younger) that will play in Overland Park. What does this have to do with football? This is much the same path that the Hunts took in building Sporting KC up. If Kansas City can field great football, baseball, soccer and hockey teams, it will absolutely raise the profile of the city nationally. The more attention KC gets, the easier it is to sign UDFAs and retain veterans. The fact that Kelcie could have made more money in endorsements elsewhere didn’t keep him from signing his extension, but it easily could have. A better overall sports scene helps with that.
Terrance Smith, #48
Smith has been starting with Justin March out. He plays with an edge and made a big hit Sunday on STs. He wears 48 because it’s twice 24, his dad’s old number. He honors his father who was shot when he was young. Smith’s dad was shot by police when he held Smith and his Mother at knife point. His mother made sure that Smith didn’t just think of his dad for the tragic results of his mental illness, but remembered the good in him too. It’s so easy these days to write people off over the worst moment of their life, but no one is purely good or purely evil, it takes courage to recognize both, but still focus on the positive. Credit to Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star, “Chiefs Terrance Smith Honors Father Shot by Police Two Decades Ago.”
Joel Stave
Most people haven’t paid much attention to Chiefs’ PS QB Joel Stave. Perhaps that’s because most of the scouting reports on him aren’t particularly flattering. Stave possess great arm strength, good size and solid mobility. His accuracy is spotty and he doesn’t make good decisions. He threw about the same number of interceptions as TDs in college, but still somehow managed to amass a 30-10 record good for the most wins by a Wisconsin QB and the 3rd best win percentage. What’s most notable about Stave is not what he is, or what he could be, but when he was signed. Stave was signed to the practice squad November 8th. Exactly two days after Nick Foles floundered against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That certainly could be taken as an omen regarding Foles’ status with the team next season.
At a time when I’m tempted to worry about the Steelers or the Patriots, I prefer to ride a chill vibe, enjoy the Chiefs’ first AFC Championship since 2010, and dig deep to tackle some uncovered or under-covered narratives. Enjoy the bye week gang. Can’t wait to see what Reid has cooked up for his first home playoff game. Who knows, maybe we’ll even see some hungry pig. Go Chiefs!
Bonus Thought
I find myself guilty of this as well, but everybody is writing Miami off. Sure Pittsburgh seems to be the superior team on paper, and will be playing at home, but Miami has a decent defense and a surprisingly competent offense. That game is a total trap game for the Steelers. Tomlin knows he’s playing a backup QB, he also knows the Chiefs have two whole weeks to prepare for the Steelers. It would be easy to not take Miami seriously enough and wind up losing a close game. Ndamukong Suh is well known for his dirty play and Roethlisberger is injury prone, Steelers need to be careful. One botched protection could stop their playoff run cold. Any given Sunday. After all, if the Bucs and the Titans can beat this year’s Super Bowl winner anything can happen, right?
And those are my Sizzling Takes. How about yours?
