Kansas City: The In & Out Chiefs

Growing up as a kid in the 60s, outside of L.A., I had many an opportunity as a teenager to go to the In & Out Hamburger stand. In & Out, it was the supreme being of hamburgers and now Andy Reid and John Dorsey might as well change the name of the K.C. franchise to the In & Out Chiefs.

Has there ever been a busier time in Kansas City Chiefs history than the past 4 months and 4 days… since Andy Reid was hired as the Head Coach?

If you’re a Kansas City Chiefs fan then you’ve got an opinion about the moves they’ve made. Some you may like, others, not so much. One way or the other, fans need to see that these Chiefs are making one thing clear: change is gonna come <– If you like Otis Redding and you really want to go old school, right-click on the link and get that wax track spinnin’, slip into your comfy bath robe and grab a cask of your favorite libation then sit back to really absorb the rest of this “piece.” Of course, you might want to re-think that if you’re still at work.

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If you’re a Chiefs fan… and it’s likely that you are if you’re reading this column… and you’ve also had the opportunity to visit one of our great country’s Southwestern states where they serve In & Out burgers… then you probably don’t mind Kansas City being called the In & Out Chiefs. However, there’s a good reason for it. Look at all the Chiefs who’ve been ushered out and who they’ve also brought in during this period of time:

 OUT:

Kevin Boss, Steve Breaston, Glenn Dorsey, Eric Winston, Ryan Lilja (retired but also rumored to return), Javier Arenas, Matt Cassel, Andy Studebaker, Patrick DiMarco, Steve Maneri, Corey Greenwood, David Mims (stolen from practice squad by Ravens), Alex Tanney, Ropati Pitoitua, Brady Quinn, and Peyton Hillis.

IN:

Alex Smith, Eric Fisher, Anthony Fasano, Geoff Schwartz, Mike DeVito, Donnie Avery, Sean Smith, Dunta Robinson,  Akeem Jordan, Chase Daniels, Travis Kelce, Knile Davis, Nico Johnson, Sanders Commings, Eric Kush, Braden Wilson, Mike Catapano, Husain Abdullah, Marcus Dixon, Mardy Gilyard, Chad Kilgore, Ryan D’Imperio. You should also include all the UFAs: Tyler Bray, Darin Drakeford, Otha Foster, Frankie Hammond, Demetrius Harris, A.J. Hawkins, Colin Kelly, Rob Lohr, and Brad Madison.

The lists above may not spell out the magnitude of the metamorphosis… but, it may be better understood though graphics, like the three below.

I’m going to miss little Stevie “Poet-Laurette” Breaston. It’s going to be tough around here without Glenn Dorsey underachieving — who are we going to kick around? Mr. Winston’s sage wisdom’s will be missed as well. Here’s hoping some team finally gives that gypsy a home.

.Javier, you will be missed when we play the Broncos. Good luck in the desert. Matt, please wipe that look off your face — yea, the one that says, “I never really knew what I was doing here.” To you, Andy Studebaker… thank you… it’s always good to have a cheery teammate warming the bench. Mr. Maneri, you go boy!… and if your new position with dah Bears doesn’t work out, maybe you can get a part as a plunderer in Johnny Depp’s next pirate movie. You got the chops my man.

Please note: these players do not include the following UFAs, that have been added IN: Josh Martin, Brad McDougald, Rico Richardson and Ridge Wilson. The lists  above are not exhaustive of all the changes made this off season but, clearly show a prodigious pattern of planned permutation.

While some of the player moves were not  the doing of Reid and Dorsey it is striking when you go down the list of all the players who have been on the way out, especially when you look at them as: starter, starter, starter, starter, back-up, starter, starter, back-up, back-up, back-up, back-up, back-up, starter, starter and starter. Nine player who were starters for some part of the season and now they’re gone.

That’s a lot of… transmutation… in a very short period of time.

Nathan Bramwell wrote a piece called “Looking at the Chiefs in Free Agency So Far”  on March 16th and said,

"For Dorsey to go out and get all these guys, you have to believe he either thinks the roster was in need of a jump start or the team is close to competing for a playoff spot now."

Many Kansas City Chiefs  fans and bloggers could be heard early in the off season saying the Chiefs were not as bad as their 2-14 record would indicate. However, no other team in the NFL has had the rate of changeover the Chiefs have had so, the alterations could be argued to be needed changes. There’s a bit of truth in both views.

From time to time, as a writer, when I’m working on a blog, something happens that strikes me and in this case it was about the difference between the  players coming in and the players going out. That difference in the newbies could be the… intensity of their demeanor. When rosters are reseated, you of course hope the new guys coming in are more talented but, it’s also a good sign if there is change in attitude too. The players being brought in appear to be, at least to some degree, more sharply focused… or this may be better typified by saying… no more Mr. Nice Guys at One Arrowhead Way.

Doesn’t that give you a warm, fuzzy feeling deep down underneath the chest pocket of your fire-engine red Chiefs pajamas?

So, the In-N-Out off season is in full bloom.  Of course the above lists don’t include a tabulation of the coaches and administrators who have made the transition.

The change has not been restricted to the player’s roster alone. The Chiefs also signed a scout recently: Brett Veach, who handled scouting for the Southeastern region of the country, making pilgrimage from Philadelphia’s freedom city to our glorious mid-west fountain town of hope and light.

More Importantly, a new Director of Scouting has been added: Chicago Bears director of pro scouting Chris Ballard has left the team to take a job with the Chiefs and will oversee their pro and college scouting departments while reporting directly to John Dorsey.

It’s been an In & Out off season and could be seen as a pigskin-administrator-spectators-performance-artistis’ dream come true. Well, that just me. However, if you like change… you’re probably in-love with this off season. If not… you might want to keep up with the Royals til September.

Now… I just wish they had an In & Out Burger in Kansas City… but, I guess we’ll have to settle for the Chiefs version… which means… Arrowhead tailgating, which is of course, unsurpassable.

Go Chiefs!

What do you think of your “new” Chiefs Addicts? Ready for more IN-N-OUT? Or have you had enough?