The Good and the Bad
In the last two seasons we’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. In 2019, good teamwork created results in a Super Bowl Championship brought home by the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2020, we saw the good teamwork created results in a 14-2 season and a return trip to the Super Bowl, but then… on February 7th, 2021 we saw bad teamwork create ugly results in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Misconception
Let me start by speaking from atop of my personal soapbox. Quarterbacks get too much credit in the good times, and too much blame in the bad times. No one quarterback has ever won a single game by himself, and no one quarterback has ever lost a single game by himself. Football at any level — HS, College, NFL — is the ultimate team sport, and it takes 11 individual players to constitute a team (on each side of the ball), together on the field at the same time. No one single play, wins or loses a game, yet society blames the last individual event that is observed in a decision as to what caused or created the results. I’m writing here today to emphasize what Teamwork truly entails, and yes it goes far beyond what is most people’s normal train of thought.
Starting at the Top
The Chiefs owner is now Norma Hunt, with Clark Hunt as CEO, and before him it was Lamar Hunt’s team. With all 3 representatives we have always seen 100% support, without meddling in player acquisition or affairs. They hire people that have football knowledge, then they let the player personnel staff select the right coaches, players, training staff, doctors, locker room managers, equipment managers, grounds keepers, etc. We have seen that sometimes, who they hire doesn’t always go as planned, but over the span of 61 years, I do believe the ownership group has served the Kansas City and the Chiefs very well.
Front Office Staff
Team President Mark Donovan has control of the business side involving the Kansas City Chiefs organization, but how does he contribute to teamwork? He’s the one that makes it possible to fill the stadium seats with fans, which in return makes Arrowhead a loud thriving environment on game days. He makes the parking lot a safe place for tailgaters before each game, which in return works as the NFL’s largest pregame pep rally, to get fans in the right frame of mind to cheer their home team, and to jeer the visiting team. There is much that he does, that is not thought about by the average person on the outside, looking in. Such as community events, player appearances, media cooperation, team travel arrangements, and more.
Player Personnel Staff
It starts with the General Manager Brett Veach: he’s the face of the scouting group and well known by fans and other teams from across the league. There are many more persons behind the frontline scene that are instrumental in player acquisition, such as Director of Pro Personnel, Director of College Personnel, numerous scouts which include college players for drafting, and pro scouts for free agency. This group is highly important to find and obtain the proper group of players that have talent, good health, season long endurance, and most of all, the ability to fit the team from a chemistry standpoint, which allows for teamwork cohesion.
This department group also consists of the advance scouts, (can’t film them live) which much can be gained by attending opponents’ games. Our own game video personnel are highly vital to Andy Reid in coaches’ challenges on plays within the game, when needed. The video department is also vital to in game adjustments by all coaches in control of the offensive, defensive, and special teams’ units. The video personnel are responsible to film and to organize game film for the team and players to self-scout themselves for game by game improvements throughout the entire season.
The Coaches
Having quality coaches is a must, and in Andy Reid, the Chiefs have one of the best in the business. The head coach selects the rest of his supporting staff, and Andy is responsible to have the right mix of assistants teaching football technique, motivators to demand and elevate top level play from every individual player. It is the assistant’s responsibility to improve players from one game to the next game, ideally from training camp through the entire year, then peaking in the final game of the year.
In Super Bowl LV we saw teamwork ugliness, caused by “Murphy’s Law”… what could go wrong, did go wrong! This day gone bad does not change the fact that the Chiefs entire coaching staff is one of the best in the league: the true work of a team, from top to bottom. Next year with the player changeover we need to see improvement in the trenches OL/DL, better toughness, mental and physical, across the entire team. Much of the same off-field facets of the game apply to the coaches an equal amount as the players, namely focus on the end of season goal.
The Players
The Chiefs had the right mix of players in 2020 season, but injuries decimated the offensive line starters. It has been asked and answered, numerous times, discussed to the point of exhaustion. Who or what went wrong, why did they lose the Super Bowl, when many thought it was ours for the taking, especially within the Chiefs Kingdom. Reality of how tough it is to win a Super Bowl, brought us faithful fans back to earth, maybe even the players themselves, might have been on that same spaceship. Now that we have been humbled, and can think clearly, do we still blame individual players for losing the Super Bowl? I sure hope not, for what I have learned over the last 3 seasons, reiterates more than ever, football is a teamwork sport.
- In 2018 season what part of teamwork failed the Chiefs? Defense!
- In 2019 season how did teamwork help them? After total teamwork failed the Chiefs in three separate starts of playoff games, and against the Houston Texans we saw all 3 team units, offensive, defensive, special teams fail, causing a 24 point deficit, yet revived top level teamwork won the Kansas City Chiefs a Super Bowl Championship.
- In 2020 season the Chiefs had good teamwork all year long, that enabled them to survive a difficult season, as every opponent they faced was bringing their best effort to dethrone the Champions.
- Teamwork is why the Chiefs were able to survive the Covid Pandemic as well as they did, and better than most other teams throughout the league. Season long injury complications were survived because of teamwork and next man up ideation, but in the end, the Team was not able to survive “Murphy’s Law.”
[Note: I must admit that I was wrong in predicting that it was Destiny for the Kansas City Chiefs to be a Dynasty.]
So, I ask one more time, did any one department, select group, or individual players contribute or cause any of the events above. No, of course not, which proves to me, that teamwork is the #1 ingredient needed to win Championships. Now, the players themselves have learned a valuable lesson, and I hope they will be motivated at a high enough level this offseason in a way that meets everyone’s expectations. That should include the Kansas City Chiefs organization and fans alike.
Now For the Rest of the Story
Bet you thought I was done lecturing about teamwork? Not quite! Behind closed doors and away from the Arrowhead property, what we don’t see or hear much is how much a Team’s family and physical training managers or instructors are vital, as the NFL has become a 365 days a year occupation. There are tremendous sacrifices that most anyone involved with a team has to make in order for their organization to become a successful championship level organization. Many view the sport as just a bunch of millionaires playing a football game, but what we may not see is how many hours away from the field and office that team personnel dedicate their private lives to the betterment of themselves and consequently, to the team.
This would include down time to let the body and muscles rest and heal, fitness training, injury rehab, pain endurance, hours upon hours of film study, time away from their families with all the traveling that they must do, both during the season and during the offseason. Many players, coaches, front office personnel don’t always know what the future will bring their way, but along with their families must be ready to change and/or adapt when the time comes.
As in my occupation, I have traveled for 25+ years and constantly change in what city, state I’m working at, then what job position I hold, so I somewhat understand an NFL environment way of life. Of course, I don’t make millions of dollars, but then I don’t have their talent level either.
The Bottom Line
Going forward what should we expect to see from the Kansas City Chiefs Organization? The 2021 reduced salary cap will handicap the team somewhat, but then all 32 teams have the exact same numbers to work with. As we have seen in previous years, Brett Veach continues to find a way to put quality players in place each and every given year. The offseason is as almost as important as the regular season, because of Covid we did not have a normal offseason regimen in 2020, and yes it affected teams play all season long. This offseason the teams will still have some restrictions, but the players must still workout on their own, then when they are allowed to be at the facilities, they are already in the desired physical fitness level that they need to be at. The entire organization after the rest and relaxation period, needs to recharge themselves, return with a new driven, dedicated to excellence, motivated outlook. “Team First, Team Last, Team Always” – that is the team motto that Andy has instilled in the players.
Last but not least, the Chiefs Fans need to be positive, because the Team feeds off of our energy, and they don’t need negative energy. GO CHIEFS!
Alan Haupt — ArrowheadOne
Happy Birthday to BerttheClock, aka: Chieflybrandt
our longtime walking Historical Dictionary.
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