Laddie Morse
When you listen to and watch many national pundits talk about the Kansas City Chiefs and their success over the past four seasons, one word that keeps coming up is dynasty. While that’s fun to think about if you are a Chiefs Kingdom fan, it doesn’t really explain the “why” of the Chiefs success. In other words, what makes these Chiefs so darn successful when other Chiefs teams, over the past 50 years, have been good, but not good enough? I think the answer could be found in the word, “synchronicity.”
HC on the Field
The quarterback has been called the “Head Coach on the field” by many teams. The one’s that really mean it have a better than good shot at winning a title. When Patrick Mahomes was drafted 10th overall in the 2017 draft, the story was that he had a photographic memory to go along with his considerable physical tools. So, the idea that he could become the Chiefs HC on the field wasn’t that difficult to grasp.
I’ve often thought that HC Andy Reid was the biggest reason why the Chiefs were successful. However, after yesterday’s media coverage, I don’t think it’s because of Andy Reid alone… but more of being about Andy Reid’s relationship with his QB. Sure, we know that Reid has had a good relationship with 99.9% of the players who have played for him, but it specifically goes to the HC-QB relationship, and how that works, that is the reason for all they’ve accomplished together.
And We’ll Have Fun, Fun, Fun
Last year the Chiefs introduced fans to a play call “Snow Globe” versus the Raiders. Many, including Chiefs fans, thought it was a sign of disrespect. I don’t see it that way at all. Andy Reid likes to have fun and teaches his players to be themselves and let their personality show, as much as possible. “Snow Globe seems like a natural out growth of that kind of thinking:
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During the Chiefs press conference this week, Patrick Mahomes said Andy Reid called him at 4:00 AM and he said, “Coach, it’s four in the morning” to which Reid replied, “Yeah, but I just saw a play I like and I’m excited to share it with you.”
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Challenging Situations
During the media event with Patrick Mahomes sharing, he told us when asked, “What has been his toughest situation:”
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So, for PM being forced to “think on his feet” was the way Andy Reid developed his young quarterback to think like him. Mahomes went on to say, he never forgot to know what formation went with a specific play again.
Boom! Instant synchronicity!
2-3 Jet Chip Wasp Y Funnel
Synchronicity explains a lot of things. Like, how could the Chiefs know that the play, “2-3 Jet Chip Wasp Y Funnel” would work without some kind of trust and faith in the system and the players? That’s also called, synchronicity.
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Puppet Master Reid
From 1992 to 1996 Reid served as the Green Bay Packers Assistant Offensive Line and Tight Ends Coach. The 1996 season was the year the Packers — and Brett Favre — won the Super Bowl (XXXI) over the Patriots, under the leadership of HC Mike Holmgren. The next year the Packers lost the Super Bowl and Andy Reid had moved on to become the QB Coach and Assistant HC. The point is, Reid has had many different kinds of experiences in the NFL. Holmgren had plenty of experience as a QB Coach of the 49ers in the 1980s, so he got to work with Joe Montana and Steve Young. Did some of that rub off on Andy Reid? I’m pretty sure it did.
Experience is everything in the NFL and Reid had his fair share of losses and victories prior to the time he came to K.C.. He also had the fore-knowledge that a great QB is vital to success and so, the first player he ever drafted with the Eagles was Donovan McNabb (with the 2nd pick in 1999).
Relationships
Andy Reid has long valued his relationships. From Pete Arbogast, an announcer for the USC Trojans Football games, to his days as a BYU assistant, to his year as an Offensive Line Coach for San Francisco State, Northern Arizona, UTEP and Missouri before he ever set foot on the frozen tundra of. theGreen Bay Packers. Reid experience has been diverse.
Part of any good relationship is listening. In the video above of Super Bowl LIV Mahomes asks OC Eric Bieniemy “Do we have time to run wasp?” and Bieniemy replied, “You like wasp?” which is a reflection of how Andy Reid runs his team. He listens. Not with the intent of waiting til someone is done just so he can speak… but really listening then replying to their point(s). How many Head Coaches, or Offensive Coordinators, would listen to their own players in a critical situation in the most important game of the year?
That takes balls… or in this case, trust. Having trusted his players and coaches previously, EB knew exactly what to do: listen and… trust.
Many have written about the close relationship that Patrick Mahomes has with Travis Kelce. Since Kelce was a QB for his High School team, the Cleveland Heights Tigers, he has come to think like a QB thinks and in Mahomes case, they have synched up. That’s what Mahomes has also done with HC Andy Reid. Synched up.
Definition
Dictionary.com defines synchronicity as: “an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated” so… this may not be the best word to describe Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes relationship… but it’s darn close.
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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