Are The Chiefs Still Ascending Or Is This Pretty Much It?

[dhitter 1,424]

Interested in your take on this. Kansas City has gone through seasons (not many) where they were pretty good. I'm not talking about the Stram Years.

 

Let's start with Schottenheimer. Coached 10 years. 9 winning seasons of finishing 1st or 2nd in the division. Got us to the playoffs 7 out of 10 years. 2 division titles. 1 appearance in the AFC championship. 18-3 against the Raiders. A nice run but not anything legendary franchises are made of. The 2-7 playoff record is very troubling.

 

The Vermeil years were fun. Offense was fun to watch. Had only 2 losing seasons out of 5. Chiefs were a Top 5 offense every year Vermeil was coach. But only 1 playoff appearance. 0-1 in the playoffs.

 

Now we have Andy Reid. Like Schottenheimer, Reid was a proven commodity when the Chiefs hired him. He has lead the Chiefs to 4 straight winning seasons and 3 post seasons out of those 4 years. Like Marty he is dominating the Raiders to the tune of a 7-1 record so far. Unfortunately, he is also similar to those other coaches in that his playoff record is not very good. 1-3.

 

So is this another blip in our history? A nice run with some playoffs scattered here and there? Or is this different? To me the Chiefs could go a long way to getting more fans to buy in if they can win the AFC West again. You know KC has never won the AFC West division two years in a row...ever. All the other franchises have done so on multiple occasions. This is a ridiculous stat....but true nonetheless.

 

What say you?

[xen 1,010,220]

Where it's different for me is unlike Marty and Dick, the current regime is not putting player loyalty ahead of trying to be great and win championships.

[oldtimer 8,686]

ok let me put on my Wilkie hat on

 

I have to wonder how many years Andy has left with this team..not till he gets fired but till he just runs out of "want to" and retires. He has been here 4 years and has one more with Smith realistically and 3 years to get Mahomes to the point where we absolutely know whether he is SB capable or not and then probably a couple of playoff appearance before getting there.. If Andy has another 6 years  in him and Mahomes  turns into a higher echelon//elite talent  here I'd say yea it'll be different if Dorsey & Reid can stay as a team. I think Clark is more driven than his dad and Reid// Dorsey are more balanced than the heavily Defensive mind of Marty or offensive mind of Vermiel.

 

 All that being said ..If Mahomes falls on his face the Reid// Dorsey team will part and we'll be in for another rebuild and this will be Marty prt 2

[wilkie 1,518]

Thanks for the backhanded compliment OT but I think that is a great question.   We all have to wonder in the back of our minds if this ascension by the Chiefs is going to continue to rise or if we have arrived at our level of competence.

 

Heres my take:    Stram was coach in an era when there was not much significant competition for the AFL championship.  Yes there were the Raiders and the Jets but really nobody else on a par with them.   Denver was a joke.   San Diego was a sometimes thing.   The AFC East  ( used to be just the East and the West) had little competition.   He got a lot of mileage out of that class of 1963 but when we merged with the NFL and the competition became more intense,  he was not nearly as effective.  I think he had the benefit of the times in which he coached.

 

Schottenheimer was the real deal.   What a great defense he put out there.   Yet a significant number of his starters had been drafted by Jack Steadman and Frank Gansz a year before he and CP took over.  I thought he was a very good coach and his record proves it.   But after Montana,  he couldn't find the right guys for the offense.  His most productive offensive years after 1995 were when Barry Word and Greg Hill were his RBs.   Just not enough.  Never got as close to going to the superbowl as that year Montana got a concussion in Buffalo.

 

Vermiel years were fun years.   Great offensive line in the NFL and perhaps one  of the best backs in Priest Holmes.   But,  and this was brought home to us in that New Years Day playoff,  we couldn't stop anybody.  

 

So here we are today.   I think this team is much more balanced than the Schottenheimer and Vermiel years.   We have more than the minimum amount of offense.  And our defense is pretty stout.   We have weaknesses of course,  particularly against the run,  but it seems like the team is maturing together.

 

OT is right.  The future rests with Mahomes.    Seeing him play,  his delivery down the field looks like Elway.   I am not at all saying that he anyway compares to Horseface,  but he has the gun.   Most probably the fortunes of Reid and Dorsey rest on his ability to be an NFL quarterback.

 

In the mean time it sure is fun to know that any given Sunday we have a chance,  and in some cases much more than a chance,  of progressing to the playoffs.  I am enjoying the ride.  But being a 50 plus year Chiefs fan still fills me with nagging doubts.   We've been on the cusp before.   Meanwhile,  lets all say a big prayer that Derrick Johnson still has gas in the tank.  He's the guy we need right now.

[West 6,714]

I have to ask what evidence does anyone have that Dorsey is still not working to improve talent and competition at each and every position?

 

I see ZERO evidence of that...ZERO.

 

Also, What evidence does anyone have that Reid has lost his fire?

 

I see ZERO Evidence of that as well.

 

Also, I agree with Xen.  The Management of the Chiefs is not about loyalty to anything except the PROCESS of IMPROVING.

 

One can argue that KC should have focused on IMMEDIATE help from the draft this year vs Mahomes, but you  have to go after franchise QB's when they are there to be had.

 

And given what the team paid for Mahomes, he better be a franchise QB when he takes over.

[liquidfriend 1,151]

The team is reshuffling the deck while working out a way to continue to be a competitive team. They hit the ceiling in their current form.

[Calichief 3,016]

Where it's different for me is unlike Marty and Dick, the current regime is not putting player loyalty ahead of trying to be great and win championships.

Nor do they blantantly ignore one side of the ball.

[DieHard 2,061]

I think they are trending upward. Dline and Olne are young. RBs are young. WRs for the most part are pretty young. CBs are very young. If they were fat a happy wanting to ride into the sunset, they would be shopping for hired guns. I feel like this teams is still moving towards where they want to go and not trying to maintain.

 

Dumping Poe, Charles, Smith, Howard. All players that could contribute for a run now. For guys like Kpass, Hunt, Mitchel and Jones speak of building the future without going into the tank this year.

 

Ford better play out of his mind this year. I think that Dady and Kpass have a better chance of being second in sacks than Ford, but it is a contract year for the young pianist. We shall see.

[jetlord 10,209]

Agree with Diehard.  Except for the questions with the run defense, the Chiefs are young and have upside.  I don't expect them to win the SB with the present starters, but they can win a lot of games and have the seeds of a solid line on both sides of the ball,  An ILB, edge, and CB would be nice, but no team is perfect and Mitchell, Jones, and Special K may fill some of the softer parts of the D.  It's possible the Chiefs can keep winning while transitioning to the Mahomes era.

[omahacolt 208]

just factoring in the afc

 

i think they have a top 3 coach.

 

i think they have a top 5 roster

 

they have a good enough qb, they have a solid home field, they always have a good running game, and they have a good defense.  mainly  a pass rush and good secondary.  which i think is ideal these days when it comes to having a championship caliber defense.

 

the chiefs are legit contenders.  a top 3 team in the afc.  i could see them making it to the super bowl

[xen 1,010,220]

OC I think the playoffs would have to fall just right for us to get to the big game. That means a 1 seed and someone else to do the heavy lifting by taking out the high powered offenses not from our division. Andy owns the west teams. Stillers, Patriots would need to go out by some other hand.

[Calichief 3,016]

OC I think the playoffs would have to fall just right for us to get to the big game. That means a 1 seed and someone else to do the heavy lifting by taking out the high powered offenses not from our division. Andy owns the west teams. Stillers, Patriots would need to go out by some other hand.

If we get great play at WR and stop the run, we could make it all the way.

[omahacolt 208]

OC I think the playoffs would have to fall just right for us to get to the big game. That means a 1 seed and someone else to do the heavy lifting by taking out the high powered offenses not from our division. Andy owns the west teams. Stillers, Patriots would need to go out by some other hand.

if they come to arrowhead, the chiefs could beat either team.  not saying i would put money on them but i could see it happening.  

[dhitter 1,424]

if they come to arrowhead, the chiefs could beat either team.  not saying i would put money on them but i could see it happening.  

The Steelers did come to Arrowhead...and they beat us. I understand where xen is coming from. The Chiefs are a good team that has flaws. The Steelers absolutely destroyed us on the ground. And even though we came close to tying it at the end...I see that as the difference in the game. Not a very balanced team when the other guys can run at will. That has to improve... a lot.

[Calichief 3,016]

The Steelers did come to Arrowhead...and they beat us. I understand where xen is coming from. The Chiefs are a good team that has flaws. The Steelers absolutely destroyed us on the ground. And even though we came close to tying it at the end...I see that as the difference in the game. Not a very balanced team when the other guys can run at will. That has to improve... a lot.

Stopping the run more than our own run game. If we can pass consistently it will open up the lanes. I think ware has a bounce back year.

[xen 1,010,220]

The Steelers did come to Arrowhead...and they beat us. I understand where xen is coming from. The Chiefs are a good team that has flaws. The Steelers absolutely destroyed us on the ground. And even though we came close to tying it at the end...I see that as the difference in the game. Not a very balanced team when the other guys can run at will. That has to improve... a lot.

I blame the offense for not producing TDs against a shitty defense.

[Spfdchiefsfan 621]

Also remember, we didn't have Johnson, and Houston was not himself, and WHY IN THE HELL was he covering Antonio Bryant on a fly route?????  I can still see that play wondering  WWWWWTTTTTTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[West 6,714]

Its a new season....Who says the Pats will stay healthy at key positions all year?

 

I think OC summed it up well.

w

[oldtimer 8,686]

I don't see Arrowhead  as the Playoff Home Field advantage it was cracked up to be.. the record just does not back it up..still a great venue but the HFA just is not there

[KCSLC2008 606]

Its a new season....Who says the Pats will stay healthy at key positions all year?

 

I think OC summed it up well.

w

Tom Brady is on the cover of Madden so maybe that will happen? I'm only half kidding.

[Vonschnitz 130]

Where it's different for me is unlike Marty and Dick, the current regime is not putting player loyalty ahead of trying to be great and win championships.

That's quite an assumption.

[Vonschnitz 130]

Thanks for the backhanded compliment OT but I think that is a great question.   We all have to wonder in the back of our minds if this ascension by the Chiefs is going to continue to rise or if we have arrived at our level of competence.

 

Heres my take:    Stram was coach in an era when there was not much significant competition for the AFL championship.  Yes there were the Raiders and the Jets but really nobody else on a par with them.   Denver was a joke.   San Diego was a sometimes thing.   The AFC East  ( used to be just the East and the West) had little competition.   He got a lot of mileage out of that class of 1963 but when we merged with the NFL and the competition became more intense,  he was not nearly as effective.  I think he had the benefit of the times in which he coached.

 

Schottenheimer was the real deal.   What a great defense he put out there.   Yet a significant number of his starters had been drafted by Jack Steadman and Frank Gansz a year before he and CP took over.  I thought he was a very good coach and his record proves it.   But after Montana,  he couldn't find the right guys for the offense.  His most productive offensive years after 1995 were when Barry Word and Greg Hill were his RBs.   Just not enough.  Never got as close to going to the superbowl as that year Montana got a concussion in Buffalo.

 

Vermiel years were fun years.   Great offensive line in the NFL and perhaps one  of the best backs in Priest Holmes.   But,  and this was brought home to us in that New Years Day playoff,  we couldn't stop anybody.  

 

So here we are today.   I think this team is much more balanced than the Schottenheimer and Vermiel years.   We have more than the minimum amount of offense.  And our defense is pretty stout.   We have weaknesses of course,  particularly against the run,  but it seems like the team is maturing together.

 

OT is right.  The future rests with Mahomes.    Seeing him play,  his delivery down the field looks like Elway.   I am not at all saying that he anyway compares to Horseface,  but he has the gun.   Most probably the fortunes of Reid and Dorsey rest on his ability to be an NFL quarterback.

 

In the mean time it sure is fun to know that any given Sunday we have a chance,  and in some cases much more than a chance,  of progressing to the playoffs.  I am enjoying the ride.  But being a 50 plus year Chiefs fan still fills me with nagging doubts.   We've been on the cusp before.   Meanwhile,  lets all say a big prayer that Derrick Johnson still has gas in the tank.  He's the guy we need right now.

If Mahomes pans out, the team can build around that.  A great QB can carry an otherwise mediocre team and give them a chance to win a SB.  Plus, the Chiefs are comparatively very young.  Reid will not leave until his development of Mahomes is complete.  He wants to prove that his years developing and succeeding with McNabb were not a fluke. I don't think he is leaving anytime soon, unless he gets a heart attack from his obesity.

[West 6,714]

DJ is truly amazing...

 

w

[DieHard 2,061]

That's quite an assumption.

I think he means contract wise. They didn't sink big money into Poe or Charles or Hali or Smith. Players that played very well for us, but who's best days are behind them.

[Vonschnitz 130]

I think he means contract wise. They didn't sink big money into Poe or Charles or Hali or Smith. Players that played very well for us, but who's best days are behind them.

True.  And they draft a year ahead of a player's free agency.  To be successful, that is the only way to do it. I see what you mean.