Chiefs Brass, Fans Team Up To Land Eric Winston

The Kansas City Chiefs knew they needed Eric Winston.

And so did their fans.

According to Winston, who recently signed with the Chiefs as a free agent, the organization put on a “full-court press” for his services.

I’ve often questioned Scott Pioli’s aggression in free agency but if Winston’s account of the team’s approach is to be believed, I’m wrong.

“The organization really put on a full court press,” Winston told Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com. “Mr. [Scott] Pioli called me multiple times, Coach [Romeo] Crennel called me, Coach [Brian] Daboll, Coach [Jack] Bicknell. They did so much more than I think any other organization did.

“Obviously, most organizations, the GM calls, ‘Hey, we’re excited about you coming,’ or the head coach calls, ‘Oh, we’re excited about the possibility of having you here,’ but the organization kind of put on a press of, hey, it’s not just me, it’s everybody and that meant a lot to me.”

I doubt the Chiefs go that hard for every free agent that they are interested in but it is good to know that when they have a player they really want, they have a solid approach to reeling them in.

I know a lot of you aren’t on Twitter but KC fans have a huge presence there. It is a great way to interact with players and get news (follow @arrowheadaddict) but in this case, it appears the fans in Kansas City may have helped land Winston.

“I told one of the interns on the way in to go to the facility, ‘These fans around here mean business. They’re blowing my Twitter up,’ and I loved it,” Winston said. “I thought it was really cool and I thought it was great that they were so into it and that they knew everything that was going on and they actually knew who I was and what they felt like I could do.

“That was just another piece of the puzzle that ended up coming together.”

Not too shabby Kansas City.

Too bad Peyton Manning isn’t on Twitter.