A coach that has already built a team and has an established track record of success is probably better off not worrying about wins in the preseason so much as “warming up” his veterans and making decisions about depth and long term development.

Players, on the other hand, typically want to come away with a win any time they set foot on a field because they are competitors and during the preseason, for many players, the stakes can be even higher because they are out there competing for NFL jobs.

For a team that’s in the process of rebuilding, like this year’s Chiefs, I believe this preseason can/should also be considered very important in terms of preparation, player evaluation/development, practicing (Chan’s) new plays in actual game settings and perhaps above all, how that final 53 man roster feels about their accomplishments and failures. I say one critical thing that absolutely needs to happen immediately, if not sooner, especially for Herm, Chan, Brodie and the offense, is learning how to win. After last season, even the veterans need swagger and the more they have of it going into the regular season, the better.

I also agree somewhat with SeanB’s point about it not necessarily being a bad thing if they lose. With a young squad like this, the last thing I want to see on Sept 7 is an overconfident Chiefs team going up to Foxborough. I would prefer however that they lose no more than 1 game for a couple of reasons: 1) I see no reason why they can’t beat at least 3 of the teams they’re facing (Arizona, Miami, St. Louis) and 2) swag-itude.

Just a thought.