Chiefs vs. Browns: 3 biggest reasons why Kansas City should dominate
By Matt Conner
Leadership Continuity
This is a simple, straightforward point but it’s one that’s lost in the constant news cycle of the NFL. When so much attention is paid on head coaching turnover and the unexpected in terms of leadership, then we can often forget about the fact that some teams—almost always the best teams—enjoy continuity at the highest levels of leadership.
Here’s what’s insane about the Chiefs—and what more reporters should be paying attention to on a national level—is that no one left the Chiefs this offseason worth noticing. There were minor coaching adjustments, to be sure, but a team that has been to the last two Super Bowls didn’t lose a single coordinator. In fact, they didn’t lose a hot young assistant who could be a coordinator elsewhere. That’s ridiculous.
We can beat the drum all we want for the likes of Eric Bieniemy to get a job, but if no one else wants to hire him, the upside (selfishly speaking) is that the Chiefs get to bring the band back together for another run.
This sort of continuity in leadership allows a group that’s already able to communicate effectively to take things further. This allows coaches to become even more intimate in their knowledge of player strengths and weaknesses. It allows for common language to develop about opposing schemes, and keeps everyone on the same page for what is wrong and what is right.
There’s a time and place to change leadership when a fresh vision is needed, but for the Chiefs, that’s not the case. They’ve won it all before and they’ve learned what it takes to get back again. This continuity will give them an edge at several points this season and few teams can even know what that sort of camaraderie is capable of.