The Top Ten Ways K.C. Will Be Better in 2021 – Will the Kansas City Chiefs turn out to be more like the St Louis Rams Greatest Show on Turf and fade to black now that they’ve won one Super Bowl? Or, will they be back stronger than ever and bring another Lombardi home? Those St. Louis Rams never did. Sure they got to another Super Bowl, but were then denied by none other than the same man (QB) who just denied the Chiefs of their second. QB Kurt Warner was the NFL MVP and SB MVP in his first season as a starter, in 1999. Patrick Mahomes also got his NFL MVP in his first year as a starter, 2018, but had to wait one season (because of Dee Ford’s hand, or head or whatever) to gain his Super Bowl MVP, following the 2019 season. The biggest difference in this comparison is that Kurt Warner was age 28 when he won his Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes was 24.
The biggest question now is: can these Chiefs get back there again in February of 2022? Those Rams got back there, but it was one year removed from their win in February of 2000. Those Dick Vermeil Rams teams were constructed much the same way Vermeil’s K.C. teams were: big weapons on offense, light in the pants on defense. So, will these Chiefs be better next year? I say yes. Ten time yes.
Improved Rushing Attack
While many may not see the Chiefs rushing attack as the most important element of their high powered offense, it may be the key to unlocking that power. Clyde Edwards-Helaire will return for his second year and will receive the added benefit of already knowing Reid’s offense as well as his offseason plan. While I doubt Le’Veon Bell will be re-signed, I expect Darrel Williams to return. With a base salary of $1.85M, Damien WIlliams should be back as well and I thought Damien could have been the MVP in Super Bowl LIV (Damien Williams chose to opt out last season to help care of his mother).
Once Per Year Room Repair
Each year, for the past two offseasons, the Chiefs have been able to fix one position. In the 2019 offseason, Brett Veach said they were attempting to fix the Safety position, and they signed Tyrann Mathieu and drafted Juan Thornhill. Safety position fixed. In the 2020 offseason, the Chiefs brought back CB Bashaud Breeland — which was unexpected — then drafted L’Jarius Sneed and then the CB position went from a need to a strength. This year, everyone’s favorite villian of the Chiefs position groups is the offensive line. If the Chiefs are true to form, the Offensive line is about to get a makeover and personally, I can’t wait. Bookend tackles Eric Fisher (30 years old) and Mitchell Schwartz (turns 32 in June) appear to be done. Fisher has an Achilles injury and according to David Bell will be ready to return to action around week 9 at the earliest. I think he’s lost for the coming season which also means he’s likely done. Mitchell Schwartz is rumored to be retiring. Even if he does return, I don’t expect much.
So, what would this fix look like –> a major overhaul.
Martinas Rankin will be in the mix at Tackle (or Guard). Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is returning and has been working out, although his last active year was a down year for him. Kelechi Osemele was instrumental in Clyde Edwards Helaire’s early season success. If he returns, the OL will be the better for it, even though he injured both knees. Nick Allegretti will be in the fix-mix at Guard. Center and Tackle look like they are the target positions for both Free Agency and the Draft. Whatever the Chiefs do, I believe the OL will get fixed — at least half way — this offseason. Meaning, Veach and Reid may choose to restructure their OL over the next two offseasons. However, someone must protect their frachchine QB… NOW!
Industrial Strength Juan Thornhill
Juan Thornhill suffered an ACL injury late in the 2019 season keeping him from playing in the Super Bowl last year. This year, playing in the Super Bowl meant much more for him than other players:
“I didn’t have a chance to play last year and it hurt me a lot to be at the game but not really able to be on the field with my team. This whole offseason in my mind, I was thinking that we would get back to the Super Bowl. There was no other option. So it definitely means a whole lot to me just being able to actually step out there and play in the Super Bowl.“
With the outcome not being exactly what Thornhill was looking for, his approach to the 2021 season will be much more purposeful and focused. On top of that, Juan Thornhill will be at full strength. He wasn’t the player we knew and saw when he was a rookie and that’s because he was coming back from the ACL. With that now being a thing of the past, and a full offseason to concentrate on studying and getting better, I expect Juan Thornhill to be at Pro Bowl level, like Price Carter predicted he would be last summer.
Hitchens: 3rd Time’s the Charm
Anthony Hitchens was better in the last half of the 2020 season. I expect his raised play to continue in 2021. Why? Because it’s his third season in the same scheme, DC Steve Spagnuolo’s system. In December, SI.com quoted Hitch as saying:
“I’m finally getting comfortable in one and hopefully can be the same one for years to come. Just like with everything in life, the more you do it, the more comfortable you get and the better you get at it as long as you work at it.”
David Bell said recently that he was expecting Willie Gay Jr. to make Anthony Hitchens a better player… and I think that prediction comes to fruition this coming season.
Second Coming of…
LB Willie Gay, CB L’Jarius Sneed and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire are all going into their second seasons. That should mean increased elevated play for each of them. Sneed was recently ranked in the top ten of a redraft of the 2020 NFL Draft. I can see a Pro Bowl in his future. Gay was coming on strong when he was hurt in the playoffs and then lost for the rest of the postseason. CEH will get the benefits of a second go round.
Plussed Trust in Veach
Trust in Veach activism is at an all time high and I have no qualms admitting that I’m the Queen of that scene… err… King of the thing. However, I had a recent encounter with a Twitter blogger who said that Veach is terrible at drafting, but I think he had it wrong. You can’t judge the full value of a GM based on his draft picks alone. If you aren’t aware of it yet, it was Veach who brought, then QB prospect, Patrick Mahomes to the attention of Andy Reid (before Veach was ever given the GM job)… and we all know how the rest of that story played out. Last offseason, Veach had the untenable task of bringing all his Super Bowl players back for a #runitback campaign… and he did exactly that, which was huge in helping to get the team back to the Super Bowl (plus, helping K.C. host three AFC Championships in a row). Finding late round CBs who have excelled in L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton are some of his most recent draft successes. While we may be waiting for RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire to prove his 1st round value on the field, evaluating a GM based upon his full resume, is important to understanding his value. Plus, I’m as excited about the moves Veach and his crew will make this offseason, as in any offseason the Chiefs have ever had.
Coaching Return Value
The Chiefs are returning nearly all their coaches, expect Britt Reid and RB Coach Deland McCullough. You may not have seen this story, but it bares reconsideration:
The Linebacking coach on the Chiefs squad… is a better job than the DC coach for the Titans? Exactly! Any time you have the: devotion, undivided attention, and continuity of your coaches, it’s not just better for your team in the long run, it’s an improvement. Just think what this means to a player like Anthony Hitchens. If your team is on a winning tract, which the Chiefs are, then maintaining your coaches, is a major league move (or non-move, as the case may be).
Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill
Is there any doubt about who the best QB-WR-TE trio (Mahomes-Hill-Kelce) is in the NFL right now? How about, ever? The best of all time according to Fantasy Writer John Cooney. With Hill and Kelce ready to bring it for another season, I look for them to be improved. Is that even possible? Yes! However, it may mean each of them takes a lesser role. Why? Because that opens the door for another playmaker on offense, someone besides Hill, Kelce or Patrick Mahomes. When that happens, the rest of the league should just call it in. Even the Bucs.
Reid Em and Weep
While the best assessment of the Super Bowl I’ve heard has: 1) the Chiefs not making adjustments between their first and second games with the Bucs last year while, 2) the Bucs were saying, what can we do different? We also know that when Andy Reid has a lot of time to prepare, he knocks it out of the park. He just didn’t do that during his two weeks of prep for the Bucs in SP LV. The “Why?” is not now as important as is the question: “What happens next?” I expect both Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo to have learned all they can learn from their recent SB loss, then make all the necessary changes to come out on top in 2021.
One impression I came away with following the Chiefs SB failure was the vision of Andy Reid sitting, tinkering in his basement last offseason and drawing up new plays — and this is important — based upon the previous season’s successful plays. So, why is that important? Because… Reid will not be designing plays to win with, based upon his 2020 successes, they’ll be based upon the ways he can beat those who beat him. That’s a critical component of any team leader: analysing why you lost as much as recognizing how you were successful. This is one of the reasons I believe in Andy Reid: he’s willing to put emotion aside long enough to do the work of looking back, so he can move his team forward.
Double Duty Daddy: Patty
Patrick Mahomes is a Daddy (or will be later this year). No, literally, he’s a Daddy. He’s also still the Daddy of everyone in the rest of the National Football League. To the first point, becoming a father has been the most transformative process of my life… one I am still gifted with on a daily basis. Now fully grown, my daughter is the most creative and talented person I know and it’s pure bliss just to live in the same world where she lives. To the second point: Daddy Patty will be all the better for it. He’ll also be better for having his Turf Toe fixed. Some have complained that Patrick Mahomes has played two of his worst games in the past two Super Bowls. That’s so laughable. In SB LIV he led the team back from being down by ten. In SB LV, he threw the ball from angles only angels dare to dream. As long as Kansas City has Patrick Mahomes at the helm, he’ll not only have the Chiefs contending for more than the next dozen seasons, but leaving a highway of hardware along the way. Oh what a prize litter bug!
Honorable Mention
While I didn’t address the Chiefs pass rushers, a pass rushing Defensive Lineman will probably be taken in the draft, and it wouldn’t surprise, if that player is taken in the first three rounds. This is said in recognition of the Chiefs Defense needing a stellar pass rusher to start across from Frank Clark. If K.C. is able to consistently pressure opposing QBs from the opposite side from Clark, it makes Clark back into the high performing edge rusher he was signed to be, and sets DT Chris Jones up for more huge plays. Of course, this need could be satisfied simply by signing JJ Watt in Free Agency. Which, may not be simple at all.
Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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