Eric Berry: Chiefs cornerstone or replaceable?

Kansas City quickly went on a three-game losing streak after losing Berry to the cancer diagnosis and ended up losing four of their last six and missing the playoffs after starting the season 7-3. While the Chiefs still had their best offensive and defensive players on the field for those final six games, they could not find a way to get enough wins to make it back to the playoffs. If you compare that to what the Chiefs were able to do without Jamaal Charles or Justin Houston for most of the second half of the season it raises some big questions about how much Berry really means to this team.

When you look at the Chiefs defense, the first thing that comes to mind is toughness. Kansas City has built a unit that has been put to the test repeatedly over the past several seasons. They have found ways to contribute just enough at the end of games to keep teams from winning in the final minutes. How many times over the past several seasons can you think of where the Chiefs had the lead late in the game and only had to make a couple of defensive stops to win the game? Most of the Chiefs wins in 2015 were of this variety. Kansas City’s offense may do enough to put points on the board and put the Chiefs in the position to win or maybe the defense scored to put KC in the lead. But game in and game out, headed into the final four minutes of the game the Chiefs were holding on just trying to close out the game.

Toughness is an element that Berry has always brought to the Chiefs team. Watching him fight through blockers and submarine into a running backs legs has become a staple of watching the Chiefs play on Sunday. Berry’s toughness and instincts have made him the player that he is today. He sees plays before they develop and is able to make plays that others don’t have the speed to make.

Chiefs fans throughout the country can always count on Eric showing up ready to play. If you ever get a chance to watch the team get fired up right before kick off the guy in the middle of it leading the team is Berry. His fire and passion is infectious and bring an attitude to the entire team that can’t be easily replaced. The defense thrives on his presence and his ability to make plays all over the field.

Next: More than statistics