The Chiefs One Goal: Win The Super Bowl

There may be only one team who wins it all this year, like any other year, but that doesn’t change one fact: the goal of the 2014 Kansas City Chiefs is… and must be… to win the Super Bowl!

“Let’s go win the Super Bowl.”

Think it. Say it. Speak it out loud. Let it sink in. Believe it.

It’s no less plausible for these Chiefs to win it all, as it was for the 1969 Mets to win the World Series. Now, I’m not even hinting that the Kansas City Chiefs organization has been the miserable mess that the Mets were prior to their 1969 dream season. The point is… if it happened to that team, why not the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014?

Every solid company, organization or institution has a mission statement. A mission statement is a lighthouse beacon showing the way forward for everyone in the organization. From there, all people within the organization hone their own vision and redefine their specific skills so that the greater group goals may be achieved.

Like going to the Super Bowl… and winning it all.

If the Chiefs are not setting out to win the Super Bowl… this year… then, as fans, we should be at the very least, disenchanted. However, there’s no reason for disappointment at this point because at this very moment the Chiefs are just as close to achieving a February, 2015 Super Bowl berth as any other team in the AFC.

Do the Chiefs have a legitimate chance to make it to the Super Bowl? You bet they do.

Let’s see how the Chiefs come out when addressing a few potent questions about the possible championship makeup of this team.

Do the Chiefs have superior talent in key positions on offense?

Absolutely. RB Jamaal Charles is one of the best in the league. WR Dwayne Bowe looks to have one of his better years upon his return and is a top ten receiver when he’s on his game… like he was in the playoffs last year. Alex Smith is a top 12-13 QB (according to Peter King of Sports Illustrated) and Smith’s 2013 numbers (3,313 yards, 23 TDs/7 INTs) are comparable to last year’s Super Bowl winning QB Russell Wilson (3,357 yards, 26 TDs/9 INTs). Travis Kelce could go “beast mode” and be a game changer. The lightning quick De’Anthony Thomas appears to be everything, and more, than Dexter McCluster ever was.

Does the Chiefs defense have playmakers in the right positions?

Yes. Oh my yes. Even with what seems like a somewhat marginalized defensive backfield (I phrase it that way that because we never did get a chance to see all the starting DBs on the field together at the same time in the preseason), even so… the Chiefs have five legitimate Pro Bowl performers on the defensive side of the ball: DT Dontari Poe, OLB Tamba Hali, OLB Justin Houston, ILB Derrick Johnson and S Eric Berry. Not many teams can boast all of the playmakers the Chiefs have, especially those who are located in the key positions the Chiefs have them in.

Are the Chiefs special teams… special in any way?

Oh yea. First of all, there’s punter Dustin Colquitt who consistently pins teams inside the 15 yard line. With Knile Davis, Joe McKnight, Albert Wilson and De’Anthony Thomas serving as kick returners, the Chiefs will likely end up with one of the most outstanding special teams units in the league again. Plus, most people “in the know” agree that the Chiefs special team’s coach Dave Toub IS the best special team coach in the league.

Could the Chiefs team weaknesses keep them from winning a Super Bowl?

Yes. But you could say that about every other team in the NFL. This is an aspect of head coach Andy Reid’s approach that is very positive, “minimize mistakes because winning games can often come down to one or two plays.”

Can this Chiefs team possibly go on a season ending winning streak like many Super Bowl winning teams do?

Yes. Last year’s winning streak is testament to the fact that the Chiefs can win in bunches… then win and sustain… a long string of victories. Winning nine games in a row can give a team confidence like nothing else. It can give the Chiefs players good reason to believe they will be there when the smoke settles at the end of the playoffs this year. Winning breeds winning. Plus, the Chiefs schedule near the end of this season is much easier than it is at the beginning of the year. Following the Bye Week in week 6, the Chiefs have games against the Rams, Jets, Bills, Raiders twice and the Cardinals. Team who had a combined 35-45 record in 2013 and all very winnable games.

Is superior coaching in place for the Chiefs to guide the team to the big prize?

Yes. Andy Reid is widely recognized as one of the best coaches in the league. Reid’s teams are 43 wins over the .500 mark in the regular season. He’s led teams to 7 division championships and has one conference championship to display on his mantle. The naysayers will say, “Yea, but he didn’t win the big one.” Well, would you rather have a coach that’s been to the big dance or one who’s never been there at all? The point is, yes, the Chiefs have a head coach, right now, who’s good enough to get them to a Super Bowl and then help them win it when they get there.

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The pieces are in place. The scouting and the coaching have paid off. The players are primed and pumped. The fans want it as badly as the players do. While “wanting” a Super Bowl victory doesn’t make it so, setting the goal to win the Super Bowl is a mandate. It has to be.

The Chiefs, born of an AFL legacy, have an early tradition of success which dates back to the early 1960s. The everlasting presence of Chiefs announcer, former Super Bowl’s I and IV QB, Len Dawson, who was also SB IV MVP, reminds us that, if at first you don’t succeed… just wait four years. Of course the Chiefs players who were in Super Bowl I didn’t “just wait” around hoping it would happen. They set their goal to win it… and they did.

And, you can be sure Lamar Hunt was right there with them setting that goal, year in and year out.

Earlier this summer I traveled to visit my cousin Rusty Morse in Arvada, Colorado. Rusty’s interest in sports predates my own lifelong pursuit of pigskin bliss. Needless to say we had much to talk about as I began to share some of my Chiefs adventures writing for Arrowhead Addict with him. As it turns out, Rusty operates an organization called “The Armchair Zebra ™.” In the 1970s, 80s and 90s Rusty was issued a press pass. Along with the privileges that come with being a full fledged member of the media, he was able to contact active and veteran NFL players by mail. Rusty once sent out a form, for Hall of Famers to fill out, that just so happened to included AFL architect, and Chiefs Founder, Lamar Hunt.

The form asked each Hall of Fame player and owner to finish this sentence: “I CONSIDER MY GREATEST GAME TO HAVE BEEN: ___________________________________”

When Lamar Hunt replied he stated (see the actual letter below),

"“The Kansas City Chiefs finest moment was the 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV — January, 1970.It is my favorite because it symbolized the top achievement of Pro Football for that season — the goal of every team in the NFL.Lamar Hunt, Founder, Kansas City Chiefs”"

Let’s not forget who the Chiefs are and where they came from. The Chiefs rich tradition began with it’s first AFL Championship in 1962 as the Dallas Texans and since then they’ve finished first or second in their division 25 times.

This offseason I’ve heard several players use these words, “I want to help this team win a championship.” That should always be the first criteria for bringing any new player to Kansas City.

Lamar would be proud. I’ve always revered Lamar Hunt. His admonition, “The goal of every team in the NFL….” says all we need to know about what this year’s team should be striving for.

A Super Bowl victory!

Can you see the red and gold ticker tape falling from the sky now? I can.

Go Chiefs!!!!