2016 Chiefs: Beyond “T” and “A”

Kansas City proper is identified by it’s skyline like many other cities. But what is unique to Kansas City? It’s fountains? Jazz? Barbecue? Certainly not mountains… that’s Denver. It doesn’t have a bay like Frisco or lakes like Minnesota or Chicago nor does it have a coastal association like many NFL cities. No, Kansas City is nestled in the “heart” of our country. And that seems to be precisely what John Dorsey and Andy Reid have captured within the walls of the organization: heart.

This team certainly has a heart for one another.

New Chiefs Jimmy Wilson, Stevie Brown and Mitchell all said they spoke with other players who previously were Chiefs and got positive feedback about the organization. That hasn’t always been the case and it certainly does not apply to all organizations out there today.

So, what does it take to “have a heart?” First of all, it takes a willingness to put yourself out there… a willingness to communicate how you feel. That seems to be one of the positives of this group of people who call themselves Chiefs right now: they are excellent communicators.

Several stories within the organization made these Chiefs the feel good story of the NFL in 2015 (minus the reported Doug Pederson impediment). Overcoming a 1-and-5 start and climbing the mountain of 20 years without a playoff victory will do for starters. Keeping the core of this team together to begin the 2016 campaign sounds like the right thing to do so adding another group of positive contributors should help the Chiefs climb another mountain this season. Perhaps that mountain is: reaching the Super Bowl for the first time since January of 1970.

It looks like the communication between Andy Reid and John Dorsey has improved over the past three years. Reid and Dorsey are clearly getting better at drafting together as the years go by. Here’s a look at who they’ve drafted with the positions in bold and the players that are no longer on the roster highlighted in yellow.

One trend that stands out about this group of prospects who were drafted by the Chiefs is that Dorsey and Reid don’t have a problem letting those players they drafted go, if they feel they aren’t performing well or fitting into their plans. That’s something I think previous general manager Scott Pioli had a problem with. He could never admit he wasn’t successful with a prospect he’d drafted. That’s one reason I think he brought a few of them with him to Atlanta when he moved there.

This may be a clue about what is distinctly different with these Chiefs. They have no qualms about taking the players they like… trying them out… then telling them the truth about the fact that they aren’t working out… and moving on to other prospects.

They drafted DB Sanders Commings and gave him a fair opportunity to succeed and then moved on from him. The same with Nico Johnson, Mike Catapano and Eric Kush. And I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that none of those men will ever say anything bad about their time in Kansas City.

Next: Has Kansas City Had a Problem Attracting Free Agents?