Codependency, Confidence and Coaching: What’s Wrong With the Chiefs

Codependency, Confidence and Coaching: What’s Wrong With the Chiefs – It has been said, in the world of fencing, that the only thing an expert need fear is an amateur. This is due, not just to the uncertainty of the opponent’s approach, but largely due to the reckless courage of those with nothing to lose. Last year, with an awful defense, and a brand new starter, Chiefs were the ones who played with reckless abandon, allowing them to win, or stay in games they had no business being in. 

This was especially evident against the Ravens, and the Rams. This year, however, Chiefs have moved, in stance, from amateur to expert. Mahomes executes the offense flawlessly. Reid calls plays carefully, and Spagnuolo seems to favor lower risk play-calls, when all his starters are healthy. However, as a front-runner, they seem to take blow after blow, from courageous ‘amateurs’ with nothing to lose. After this latest loss, it’s time to flip the script, in several categories.

Codependency

A significant part of the decision making process, for Reid, this year, has been the defense. He’s trusted them, multiple times, to put the game away, when it matters. The results on this are mixed, but more importantly, it shows that the Chiefs have become co-dependent: the defense counts on the offense to bail them out, and vice versa. This approach promotes too much passivity. There is no ownership of big moments. No determination to win each rep, no matter what. Last year, Bob Sutton’s defense was utterly terrible but… it forced the offense to play each snap depending on themselves to win the game. It is this attitude which produces results, and you can be sure Chiefs opponents have it. An improved defense can be an asset to the Chiefs, just as the return of Mahomes has been, but it can’t change the aggressiveness of players and coaches, or it will continue to weaken the team.

Confidence

Confidence is critical in being able to execute, but too much confidence sets you up for failure. There’s a reason hockey players don’t touch the Stanley Cup, before they win it. The moment you believe that destiny is on your side, the fire, in your heart, dies a little bit. Destiny, in fact, is a cruel mistress. Ask the Los Angeles (San Diego) Chargers. Everyone (besides Chiefs fans, who know better) believed this was the year they would challenge the Chiefs for the division. Injuries and age, however, have left them near the bottom of the division.

All of the talk, from Chiefs coaches and ownership, about the Super Bowl, was fun in the off-season, but it left me uneasy. All year this team has felt like they were focused on the long term goal… while their opponents were focused on the game in front of them. K.C. needs to have confidence in their abilities, but they need to lose faith in their Super Bowl destiny. Nothing is guaranteed. Time to start acting like it.

Coaching

Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo have bad games here and there, but ultimately, they’re only a few tweaks away, from being excellent coaches. Dave Toub, on the other hand, has some serious work to do. It’s tough to be a coach, in this league, long term. It takes long hours and little time spent with family. For a guy like Toub, with unfulfilled aspirations of being a head coach, this can wear on you. Reid’s decision to make Toub an assistant head coach is almost certainly a bid to get Toub the shot that he, so badly, wants. Whatever responsibilities have come, with his new title, there can be little doubt that they have negatively impacted his primary job. The special teams units have been heavily penalized and dealt with a lot of near misses. Last Sunday, it all came to a head. Multiple awful mistakes on special teams that cost Chiefs the game, and were easily prevented by sound coaching. Toub needs to gather himself, and regain his focus. Chiefs can’t overcome this level of incompetence in the regular season, let alone the playoffs.

Conclusion

Even with all the injuries they’ve faced, this season, Chiefs have enough talent to both reach, and win, the Super Bowl. Such a trip, however, remains contingent on attitude, perspective and coaching. Every player needs to try to win ever play. Coaches need to rely on themselves, not their counterparts. Perhaps most critically, Dave Toub needs to prove he’s still got it.

If the Chiefs can do all those things, and focus on the game in front of them, there’s no reason they should lose another game, even to the New England Patriots. Aggression, execution and effort are all that’s required. The pieces are in place. Time for Andy Reid to make the right moves. Go Chiefs.

Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne

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