Arrowhead Addict
FanSided

Why the Kansas City Chiefs need to shift their focus to the future

By Lyle Graversen

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 24: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs walks across the field in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans in the game at Nissan Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 24: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs walks across the field in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans in the game at Nissan Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Sep 20, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid (right) with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (left) against the Los Angeles Chargers during the third quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid (right) with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (left) against the Los Angeles Chargers during the third quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

Do the Chiefs need to make any coaching changes?

I think some fans will disagree, but I think most will agree with me that Andy Reid isn’t going anywhere (nor should he). That’s not to say I don’t have issues with some of Reid’s decisions and play calls this year. I do. However, if you made a list of the best coaches in the NFL right now, Reid is still on that list.

Every coach has strengths and weaknesses and Reid is no exception. The odds that K.C. would fire Reid and hire someone better than their current Hall of Fame-caliber coach are not good. Does Reid need to do a better job? Sure, but he’s still clearly the best option for this team. If you don’t agree with me, that’s fine, but I would wager that Clark Hunt agrees with me and simply isn’t even considering firing the coach that finally brought a Lombardi Trophy back to Kansas City.

I think the conversation becomes more relevant when you talk about the defensive coaching staff. The defense is hands down the worst it’s been in Steve Spagnuolo‘s tenure, and you can argue that he has had every opportunity to put his stamp on this unit. Spagnuolo’s biggest problem seems to be that he’s stubborn and wants to just keep running “his guys” out there, thinking that eventually, his scheme will win out. It just isn’t working. It took Dan Sorensen humiliating himself on national television to get him to make the obvious decision to play Juan Thornhill over him. This past week he kept Mike Hughes out there ahead of Rashad Fenton who anyone with eyes can see was playing better and it cost them an early touchdown.

Spags doesn’t seem to favor guys with more talent and athleticism over guys he just knows better and it’s costing the Chiefs. He trusts his scheme so much they keep doing the same things even when they’re getting beat repeatedly. Yes, he makes some adjustments, but his overall philosophy when things are going bad seems to be to just ask the players to play his scheme better as opposed to adjusting what they are doing to fit what is working or not working.

At some point, if the defense continues to struggle at this level, they are going to have to come to terms with the fact that an overhaul for next season is essential. Do you trust a guy who isn’t getting through to his current players enough to see improvements and oversee that overhaul? I wouldn’t make a change now, but the rest of this season would be an audition for Spags if I was in charge. Can you clean this up some? Can we see fewer mistakes—evidence that you are fixing some of these problems through coaching? Are you getting the right guys on the field? If not, they need to go another direction next season. Period.

While we’re talking about the defense, let’s talk about their core group of big names.

Home/Kansas City Chiefs News