Kansas City Chiefs: Win Now vs. Building For the Future Part Deux

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

For those of you still paying attention, last week I discussed my understanding of how and why some teams *cough Broncos cough* are going out and seemingly attempting to buy a championship. I stated that I understand the need they are addressing. Manning is getting closer to leaving and they want to put people in place around him in order to get that final ring of his career. So I get it Mr. Elway, you want another ring and will do whatever it takes to get it.

That is one side of the free agency equation. The other side of it is to go out and sign players that may not be as good as say a 30 plus year old defensive player, but have the potential to be great with good coaching and putting them in an environment to succeed. That mantra is what the Chiefs seem to be doing. Head Coach Andy Reid and General Manager John Dorsey are by no means breaking the bank when it comes to signing free agents. Both Reid and Dorsey are known for building teams through the draft and they are following it to the “T”. One could say that they are limited by the fact that the cap space for the Chiefs is small in comparison to say the Oakland Raiders who keep spending more and more.

When teams take the time and effort to go all in for one year it can have successful results or it can end with disaster. Two teams come to mind that tried to build a dynasty through big name signings, the Eagles, and more recently the Broncos. Both of those times the results of that mega spending resulted in unfavorable results. The Broncos came the closet to building a great team, only to see themselves fall really short of a Super Bowl victory.

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We as fans love to sit around and watch as our favorite team signs the big names, but rarely do we think about the consequences of those long term signings. If you are like me you were flabbergasted at the Chiefs for letting so many players go to other teams that had a vital role in the organization. So on one hand I was sitting there thinking this is insane that we cannot keep anyone, and at the same time I had faith in what Reid and Dorsey were planning. Sometimes you don’t always need the big names to make a team better. A big name can bring that motivation that your team is missing or that key component that puts them over the top. However, if you bring in some unknown or untested players you have the chance to really get something amazing for not nearly the cost of a big name.

Finally, the need to go out and get the stars to help improve your team can in fact be the catalyst you need in order to succeed. But a team can also improve with the Dressler signings and the Vance Walkers, it all depends on how you look at things. So when it comes to the win now, or build for the future it all depends on what you think. As a fan I don’t like to see my rivals make so many moves, as someone who kind of understand the other side of the coin, I get why they are doing things this way. Its all opinion. That is what is great about football, there are so many different steps a team can take to the offseason, and we have to attempt to make sense of the moves and hope that we don’t fall straight on our faces.

This is where the Addicts come in. What are your thoughts on approaching the offseason. I would like to know where you stand on this and lets get a good conversation going. So how about it? Do you go out and get the best to win now? Or do you build through lesser known names and the draft? Sound off below.

And as always GO CHIEFS!