2016 Chiefs: Beyond “T” and “A”

Talent & Aspirations: this year’s Kansas City Chiefs are full of it but, there’s more to this team. This year’s version and roster is shaping up nicely but there’s something else that’s happening here and I can’t quite put my finger on it. There’s tons of talent across the board and the team is filled with aspirations of championships to be… even just around the corner. But, there is more than that happening here. It’s big too. It’s beyond “T” and “A”… talent and aspirations.

Clark Hunt made a shift in organizational structure three years ago and now both his head coach and his general manager report to him directly. One doesn’t rule the other. Hunt rules. Chain of command became less of a chain and more of a… community. With one person sitting at the head of the table.

That may be the answer I’m looking for here. Community. There seems to be a sense of community that didn’t exist here with the Kansas City Chiefs before three years ago.

So, what could that mean?

I’ll come back to that question in a little bit but first, let’s take a look at how the team itself has changed from a talent and aspirations point of view.

The talent here is unquestioned. However, some still like to question whether or not quarterback Alex Smith is good enough to lead this team to a championship. I don’t think you have to look any further than last year’s winner, the Denver Broncos, to see that it doesn’t take a legend in his prime to accomplish that feat. Although the Chiefs split the season series with Denver, the reality is they were only two solid plays away from sweeping the Super Bowl Champions last year. In the meantime those same Broncos have had a rough go of it this offseason and the Chiefs look primed to capture the AFC West title and home field advantage in the playoffs.

On the other hand, some have argued (moi), that it was Alex Smith who led the San Francisco 49ers to the brink of a championship before he was concussed in 2012, and Colin Kaepernick took over, but that it was Smith who would have led them to a victory in that Super Bowl. While we’ll never know the answer to that one, it’s safe to say most 49er fans currently think the team traded away the wrong quarterback three years ago.

In any event, Kansas City has talent at the quarterback position. In fact the Chiefs have talent all over the field and especially at key positions where it counts, the skill positions: Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, Tight End Travis Kelce, Running back Jamaal Charles, Charcandrick West, Spencer Ware and they’ve added the best right tackle in the game in Mitchell Schwartz. On defense, tackles Dontari Poe, Jaye Howard and Allen Bailey, Outside Linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali, Cornerback Marcus Peters, Inside Linebacker Derrick Johnson and Safety Eric Berry.

Plus, the draft should allow them to add at least two new talents.

What the Kansas City Chiefs seem to have… is greater that the sum of it’s parts.  It’s grown since Andy Reid and John Dorsey came to town. Now, it’s a family style community. And it’s more than that.

Next: What does Kansas City Have to Offer?