The Top Ten Reasons K.C. Wins SB LV – There are so many reasons that this version of the Kansas City Chiefs will win Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s hard to condense those reasons down to only ten. However, I’ll give it my best shot!
Clark Hunt’s Evolution
Chiefs primary owner, Clark Hunt, made the decision to place the Head Coach and General Manager on equal footing 8 years ago when he hired Andy Reid in 2013. Ever since then, the Chiefs have been on a tear winning 91 out of 121 regular seasons games for a .711 winning percentage plus a 7-and-5 playoff record including a Super Bowl win. “Clark Hunt’s Evolution” could easily be #1 on this list, but it’s also a good place to start.
Ascendance of the Secondary
David Bell and I have had several personal conversations over the past few months about how the Secondary started out this season as the weakest position group and is now a strength. The addition of L’Jarius Sneed is in no small part the most significant reason for this group’s turnaround. There are other reasons as well: the continued development of Rashad Fenton, Charvarius Ward’s overcoming a broken hand to return to his considerable form, and Bashaud Breeland’s learning to discipline himself. What will not go overlooked is the recovery of Safety Juan Thornhill. Remember, Thornhill didn’t get to participate in the playoffs at all last year and his excitement to contribute has already been apparent.
Brett Veach & Scouting Dept
The late round additions of L’Jarius Sneed, Nick Allegretti, Rashad Fenton and the signing of UDFAs Tommy Townsend, Tershawn Wharton, and Yasir Durant are recent feathers in Brett Veach and his scouting department’s collective caps. In his piece called, “These Chiefs: Destiny or Dynasty” Alan Haupt does a great job of breaking down the Chiefs current roster.
Chris Jones and Frank Clark
DL Chris Jones has the same number of Tackles in 2020 as he had in 2019 (36 to 36), eight more QB Hits (28 to 20), and 1.5 fewer sacks (7.5 to 9.0). DE Frank Clark has had what most see as a down year in 2020 compared to 2019 in Tackles (37 to 29), one more QB Hit (15 to 14), and two fewer Sacks (6.0 to 8.0). As pointed out previously, Clark draws a lot of double teaming as well as producing once the playoffs arrive. In the game vs the Bills he had: 3 Tackles, 2 Sacks and 2 Tackles for a loss. Jones and Clark will give any opponent’s OL nightmares.
Tyrann Mathieu & His Clone Army
Tyrann Mathieu has become one of the best Safeties in the NFL, if not the preeminent Safety. Often called, ‘The Landlord” he’s actually become more than that to his teammates. He’s a coach on the field and flies around making plays with his head. Not that he targets offensive players with his helmet, but he can often be seen pointing at his head after a play… meaning… “He knows more than you.” What has now become apparent is, his approach to the game. That approach has rubbed off on his teammates, and you can now see other Chiefs DBs emulating his heady, aggressive, “style” of play. You could perhaps join this “Top Ten Reason K.C. Will Win SB LV” with “The Ascendance of the Secondary,” but Mathieu deserves his own category… as well as his influence!
Spags-Bieniemy-Daly-Coaching Dept
As much as the Veach Boys deserve all the Good Vibrations that can be heaped on them, the Chiefs coaching staff has been perhaps the most overlooked reason — and for sure the least written about — organizational group responsible for the team’s success. DC Spags is vying for his 3rd Super Bowl ring. DL line coach Brendan Daly is vying for his 5th Super Bowl ring. DB Coach Sam Madison, his 3rd. DB Coach Dave Merritt, his 4th ring…. etc… etc.. The Chiefs simply have one of the best coaching staffs ever assembled.
3 Headed Monster:
Kelce, Hill, and Mahomes
I’m wondering, has there ever been a greater trio of passing/receiving talents than Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce? If you’re a Chiefs fan, you can see the answer to that question as clear as day. If not, then you’d likely want to argue the answer. However, Mahomes is already being talked about as the eventual GOAT. Kelce has done things no other TE has ever done and is already talked about in best ever terms. Tyreek Hill’s special speed and quickness have now taken a back seat to his route running and football knowledge as he’s considered by many as the best wideout in the NFL. To quote lyrics from Cinderella, “Put ’em together and what have you got,
Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo”… in other words, magic! Pure magic!
Everything About Andy Reid
When you see former players hug Reid after a game… or when you see Reid take the blame for losses (which are few)… or when you see the stack of new plays on 3X5 cards… or… or… or, the list is long and seemingly endless. It’s not just one great thing about Andy Reid. It’s everything. His ability to listen and incorporate the ideas of his own players and GM-scouting staff, shows his humanity in the form of trust. To quote Jim Nance, “What’s better than trust?” I agree, and that also means Andy Reid is likely the best to ever pull on a coaching jersey (if they make such a thing).
Greater the Sum of the Parts
While there are many reasons the Chiefs will win SB LV, there are many more national pundits that just don’t get it. Period. They just don’t get it. What is it they don’t get, you ask? The idea that the success of these K.C. Chiefs is based upon so much more than one reason, one player, one coach, or one GM. This organization’s success is based on the results being greater than the sum of the parts. Still don’t get it? Ask yourself, would Patrick Mahomes be the same great QB without Andy Reid? Maybe, you say? However, maybe not is the best answer. Would Travis Kelce or Tyreek Hill be as good as they are without the arm of Patrick Mahomes? Or, the creative play calling of Andy Reid? Would Andy Reid be as good as he is without the support of his coaching staff… like Eric Beiniemy, Andy Heck or how about Steve Spagnuolo? The answer seems clearer when you think back to the days of Bob Sutton (sorry, please don’t upchuck all over your screen).
Would Brett Veach be as good as he appears to be without the help of his stellar scouting crew? Would Clark Hunt look as good as he does had he not hired Reid in the first place? There’s just no way to say… this, or that, is the one, two, or even three reasons the Chiefs are a great success. It’s all of those things and when you put them all together, the result is more than the sum of the parts. IOW… it all adds up to more than it adds up to.
Experiential Blend
The #1 reason is… the team on the field. Reid and crew have pushed all the right buttons to create a season in which they lost one game out of 15 (I’m not counting game 16, because the Chiefs only started backups, mostly). What the coaching staff has become experts at is, combining the experienced players with the newbies. Who would have thought Tershawn Wharton would have become such a dynamic contributor on the DL, in his UDFA rookie year? Or, how about L’Jarius Sneed this year or Rashad Fenton last year. Last year the Chiefs started the inexperienced Charvarius Ward at CB and now he’s one of the better CBs in the league. Ward had started only two games in 2018 and had an INT that would have sent K.C. to the Super Bowl had it not been for Dee Ford’s hand offsides. Nick Allegretti, a 7th round pick in 2019, had 100% of the Offensive snaps in 8 games this year and has progressed to become a rock on the OL. Rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire has moved into the starting role and made a name for himself on an offense that already has big names Good-N-Plenty. Why and how are these Chiefs able to do this? Trust (see #3).
Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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