NFL reminds Chiefs fans (and everyone) what it's all about leading up to Week 1

The latest Milham's Minutes zeroes in on the start of a new year, opportunities for Xavier Worthy, and much more.

Football, especially for Kansas City Chiefs fans, is more than a game. It;’s a passion that seeps into our lives, influencing everything from our moods to our relationships. A victory? It’s like winning the lottery. A loss? It lingers like a bad hangover. While we ride these emotional waves, let’s not forget: the NFL is a business, plain and simple. That tension between our love for the game and its business side is what makes football so intensely captivating.

This is never more obvious than during the NFL's mandated 53-man roster cuts. Dreams are made or shattered, and for general managers, it’s a tightrope walk between the heart of the sport and the cold, hard cash that keeps the franchise afloat.

Take last week’s cuts for the Chiefs, the result of months of grinding—from grueling training camps to the high-stakes preseason. At the end of the day, the Chiefs' front office had to make decisions that weren’t just about talent; they were about ensuring the team’s future in a league where every move counts in dollars and cents.

For fans, football has a magical quality that can make life’s rough spots smoother—or rougher. My work week might be the same, but the result of the Chiefs game can sway everything. It sounds ridiculous, but if you’re reading this, I bet you get it.

But let’s be real—the NFL isn’t just about the love of the game. It’s a business, through and through. Owners don’t buy teams to throw all their money into payroll or create the best fan experience out of the goodness of their hearts. They want a return on their investments. The Chiefs, your reigning Super Bowl champs, are worth a cool $4.85 billion, sitting 24th in the NFL’s value rankings.

That’s serious cash. The Dallas Cowboys? They’re the crown jewel, worth a staggering $10.1 billion—a mind-blowing 2,346% jump since Forbes started ranking teams in 1998. Winning increases the on-field value and perception, but even the worst franchises are worth serious dollars in 2024.

This business side can feel like a slap in the face to fans who bleed for their teams. Remember the movie Invincible? It’s underrated. Kevin Conway, playing Frank Papale, drops a line that, I believe, sums up how one football moment can make everything okay.

""You know how I used to tell you about Van Buren scoring that touchdown back in '48? ... That touchdown got me through 30 years at that factory.""

Most football movies focus on the game—that’s what gets fans through the gates. But moments like roster cuts pull back the curtain on the sometimes brutal business side of the NFL.

It’s not that roster cuts are evil or that owners shouldn’t make a profit. It’s just that they’re a stark reminder of why so many fans hold on tight to the purity of lower levels of football. Your local high school team isn’t worried about streaming revenue. Sadly, even college football is starting to look more like the NFL, with dollars dictating decisions.

In the end, we all wish every training camp hero could make the team. Nikko Remigio lights it up on returns. Justyn Ross has untapped potential. Swayze Bozeman? I’m a huge fan. But roster cuts force a tough reality check: who are the best 53 guys to help the team win, all within the salary cap? Talent alone might trim the roster by 30, but factors like positional depth and contracts play a big part in who stays and who goes.

It’s not personal. It’s just business.

Rookie Radar: Xavier Worthy has massive opportunity in Week 1

Head coach Andy Reid has a few options to counteract wide receiver Hollywood Brown's absence in Week 1. The first sensible approach is to run more 12 personnel, leaning on tight ends Travis Kelce and Noah Gray. However, if Reid sticks with his usual three-wideout sets, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy will likely play a significant role against the Baltimore Ravens.

There’s no surefire way to predict exactly how new defensive coordinator Zach Orr will approach Reid’s offense, but the rookie 31-year-old coordinator will certainly have his work cut out for him. Baltimore lacks the sheer speed to contain Xavier Worthy one-on-one, which could lead to plenty of bracket coverage on the rookie wideout. While Baltimore’s safety duo of Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton is among the best in the league, they’ll have their hands full against Kansas City’s dynamic offense.

Veteran wide receiver Justin Watson will likely see more snaps with Brown out. Reid will likely design specific plays for Worthy, using Watson to draw deeper coverage and open up lanes for the rookie. Worthy will need to capitalize on these opportunities in the middle of the field, turning short catches into significant gains to punish the Baltimore defense.

Chiefs fans shouldn’t overreact if Worthy has a quiet game against the Ravens. Instead, focus on his targets and the designed plays he’s involved in. Few rookies become immediate game-changers in Reid’s scheme, but if Worthy succeeds with the opportunities the Hall of Fame coach creates for him, that will be cause for celebration.

Chiefs Recall: Green's, Gonzalez's big days hand Dolphins first loss in '02

I’ve only owned two sports jerseys in my lifetime, both likely obscure to casual fans in 2024. The first was an Allen Iverson Denver Nuggets jersey. The second was one of the more underrated quarterbacks in Chiefs history, Trent Green. That Youth Small jersey is long gone, but it left me with a lasting admiration for the Iowa native and his Kansas City career.

I decided to rewatch one of Trent Green's starts and landed on his September 29, 2002 outing against the Miami Dolphins. It was still early in the season, but Dick Vermeil's Chiefs were already under .500 and facing off against the then-undefeated Dolphins. However, Arrowhead was rocking, and so was Kansas City's offense in the eventual 48-30 win.

Green threw a career-high five touchdowns that day, three of them to Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez. The basketball convert hauled in seven catches for 140 yards, including a 42-yard rumble into the end zone. This game was a clear reminder of how much Kansas City's offense ran through Gonzalez—his catches were so well-defended that it seemed impossible to stop him, yet Gonzalez was simply that much better.

Despite giving up 30 points, the Chiefs' defense was pivotal in this shootout. Three of Miami's final four drives were cut short by interceptions, with safety Greg Wesley snagging two of them. Wesley was a ballhawk that season, finishing with six picks—and just for good measure, he repeated that feat in 2003 and 2005. The Arkansas native was always in the right place at the right time against the Dolphins.

The 2002 Chiefs went on to have one of the league's best offenses, often trying to outscore their struggling defense. Green's performance and connection with Gonzalez could only carry the team so far, but that offense was undeniably fun to watch.

Watch of the Week: HBO's The Newsroom

No matter how much we focus on football, there is no denying the important political proceedings this coming November. News shows seem to have more in common nowadays with SportsCenter than the CBS Evening News, the program I grew up watching with Dan Rather or Bob Schieffer. In that vein, my wife and I decided to start rewatching an HBO show called The Newsroom.

If you're familiar with Aaron Sorkin's work, you know his style isn't for everyone. His rapid-fire dialogue and dense scripts can be a bit much, but for me, The Newsroom is a timely and entertaining show. The characters are smart, zealous, and flawed in ways that make them feel relatable, and the storylines tackle then-current events with a mix of drama and idealism that kept me hooked.

Jeff Daniels delivers a great performance as Will McAvoy, a news anchor trying to balance journalistic integrity with the pressures of modern media. The show can be preachy at times, and some of the romantic subplots feel a bit forced, but overall, it’s a solid watch. If you enjoy intelligent, dialogue-driven drama, The Newsroom is definitely worth checking out—even if Sorkin's style isn't usually your cup of tea.