I have been a fan of the Chiefs ever since I first discovered pro football (early to mid 1960′s) and I honestly cannot remember this franchise ever being in this bad of shape or ever seeming so without direction and hope. If there is a light at the end of this tunnel, it’s going to require the Hubble Telescope, outfitted with night-vision, for me to spot it.
One question that perhaps begs asking is whether some major change has occurred in the sense that some core problem now injects and permeates a culture of haplessness into this organization and if so, what might that be? Herm Edwards? The quarterback carousel? The veterans? The rookies? Carl Peterson? Clark Hunt? Or some dysfunctional combination of some or all these elements?
Well, for me, one thing is apparent above all. There is total breakdown of leadership throughout. Herm Edwards, regarded by many as one of the best motivators in NFL, can’t seem to find any way to coach up his team. The only time I’ve seen Carl Peterson make an appearance this season was after the Denver game. The Brodie Croyle experiment and every Plan B associated with that have decapitated the offense. Veteran playmakers, rather than providing an example to their younger teammates, are found looking for any way out or for trouble at 2:00 AM Saturday morning. Rookies do not seem to be improving in any measurable way. What Clark Hunt is doing to fix any of these problems is anybody’s guess
Would hiring a new head coach turn things around any quicker? I highly doubt it; more likely it would only set us back a couple more years, at a minimum. Would replacing Carl Peterson offer immediate improvement? Perhaps, but only if that new GM was onboard with keeping Edwards around for at least a couple more years in order to give this young team time to gain the skills and experience they’ll need to one day be competitive. Perhaps too a new GM might inject a fresh way of doing business into a place where the management approach has worn itself out on the players, agents and fans with whom it has done business for the past twenty years.
What about the veterans on this team? It simply cannot be argued that they are giving much of themselves in the way of game-time leadership. Not to single him out, but Brian Waters has perhaps had the most to offer (to the press anyway) on that subject and while he seems to be talking the talk, is he really walking the walk? The quality of play demonstrated so far by the offensive line that he leads is reason enough to believe otherwise. The same holds true for veterans on our defense.
Well, what about Clark Hunt? Well, what about him? Isn’t he supposed to be the buck’s final destination? If lack of leadership is the core problem with the Chiefs, as I believe it is, then responsibility for that should rest squarely on the shoulders of ownership. But that begs yet an even bigger question – does Clark Hunt have it in him to do what it takes to assume control of this franchise and set it on a proper course?
I believe the answer to that question is that it’s too early to say. Lamar Hunt had a tremendous passion and vision for the game that I doubt will ever be matched by his son. This generational “passion gap” may unfortunately be something that plagues Clark Hunt for the rest of his tenure. Hopefully not; time will tell.
My real suspicion however is that the Cold Dead Hand of Lamar Hunt still holds this organization firmly in its grip and until Clark Hunt fulfills all the tasks and promises assigned to him as executor of his father’s business estate, he will be handcuffed to his father’s ways and wishes for a time yet and thus unable to fully move forward with his own vision and personnel for this franchise. Until that day arrives, don’t be too surprised if leadership seems to be in chronic short supply.
Yes, something major did happen to this organization. It happened the day our founding Chief took his place with The Great Spirit. His hour of mourning remains with us now and for a time yet still.
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Damian Nelson, aka Double D, resides in Kansas City, Missouri, is a father of six who works in the Healthcare IT industry. Most importantly, he is a lifelong Chiefs fan, (tracing his fan roots all the way back to Chiefs' Huddle Club days down at Muncipal Stadium) and season ticket holder. He is among Arrowhead Addict's earliest commenters and some might even say its greatest of all time. As AA Senior Contributor, his much anticipated weekly "Double Take" feature analyzes Chiefs' DVOA stats during the regular season, serving as a popular, compelling, and provocative read.
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