We've got a playoff game coming up in two weeks, and Chiefs fans everywhere are doing the deep impassioned contemplating about where we'll be playing and the excitement of seeing our team there, especially coming out of this extraordinarily memorable 2015 Chiefs season.
The most comprehensive part of the philosophy is always how our players match up -- again: Do we have a shot at this thing? Every year we get this far I run my cerebral machinery ragged working through all that -- every true Chiefs fan does.
Here is some of what that is about this year.
Our pass rush missed Justin and Tamba big-time on Sunday. Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel ran all over us -- we're lucky he simply couldn't get passes to his receivers at key moments. He could've killed us if he'd made one or two connections he should've made. On the other hand, the pass rush still did a decent enough job of flustering a young inexperienced quarterback so he couldn't make those throws.
Will our vaunted pass rush continue to be that critical component to get that playoff win Jan 9-10?
Will our O-linemen get enough of the job done to get that playoff win Jan 9-10?
Our defensive backfield is playing at the highest level right now. They have to be commended for keeping Manziel from making the big play Sunday. Ron Parker is a fierce strong safety, Eric Berry is Pro-Bowler demonstrating the highest level of leadership, Sean Smith is a pass-snuffer who should be a Pro-Bowler, and many are saying Marcus Peters is the difference maker -- and what a year he's having. The only thing is that Peters can lose guys, being too aggressive.
Against a team with a playoff-caliber quarterback, will our D-backs help get that playoff win Jan 9-10?
Our special teams have been typically exceptional this year, but there have been some hiccups. The James Winchester-Dustin Colquitt snap issue seems to have been resolved. Colquitt has also had some very atypically poor punts of late, and he is one of the keys to the Chiefs sustained No. 1 ranking in field position advantage. He's got to have every punt be true and inside the 10 (as usual!) for us to keep that edge. Cairo Santos has shown to be quite reliable, so we should be good in the field goal department -- any Chiefs fan with any memories of past playoff disappointments related to the kicking game knows how important that is!
Will the Chiefs special teams be resilient and clutch for us to get that playoff win Jan 9-10?
Alex Smith is being commended as one of the best quarterbacks in the league right now. There is so much truth to that consideration. As we've pointed out a hundred times before, he's smart, he's resourceful, he's protective-of-the-football, he's relentless, he's skilled. There're 25 other teams who'd kill to have him.
How will Alex do in a playoff game? He has already played in a few of them. With the 49ers he had a stellar game against the Saints, one of the classic divisional playoff games in NFL history. Right after that he struggled against the Giants, but that was mostly because the 49ers receivers were playing abysmally. In that infamous game after the 2013 season against the Colts, Alex actually had a terrific game.
I know we can't expect him to be Superman all the time, but part of my thinking revolves around our second half performances of late. I really wonder, though, how come we simply can't score points in the second half of games? Yeah, we did score points late in the Raiders game, but only after our defense got them the ball deep in Oakland territory; we scored zero points in the second half of the Chargers game. Yeah, we did score a few in the second half of the Ravens game, but not in the Browns game -- zero points yet again.
We're not sustaining those important second half drives. I know we did have a great one in the Ravens game, and maybe I'm making more of this than I need to.
When we need it and need it bad, will we have a critical time-chewing drive to get that playoff win Jan 9-10?
Andy Reid is being talked about by some as a candidate for coach of the year. It is obvious that he has done a lot to keep the Chiefs playing smart, inspired football for the duration. He also does a fine job of preparing for games. My concern is the predictability of his playcalling.
Late in the game against the Browns on Sunday, in a 3rd down situation just like the one mentioned above, he called one of his patented swing passes to Travis Kelce -- you know the one, Smith fires a quick pass to the right side and Kelce has two receivers to run interference so he can rumble for the few yards to the first down.
The Browns swarmed him.
It's like, how could they not see that coming a mile away.
Now the Chiefs do run other plays off that set, and they do work frequently.
Now, I'm not even saying Reid has to do that in particular (though I think it'd be amazing to see, of course). What I am saying is while he does have innovative play calls, he could do much more particularly with play action. That's the key. Alex Smith is someone who can be "out-of-control" in a very controlled way. Make stuff happen from that! Keep the defense out of control! Remember Hank Stram from Super Bowl IV? "It looks like a Chinese fire drill out there! Look at Kassulke! He doesn't know where to go!"
The great thing is that Reid too has tremendous playoff experience, and lo-and-behold, he has actually got the Chiefs to get scores with less than two minutes left, particularly at the end of first halves of ball games. Reid previously has been notorious for not being able to get that clutch scoring drive when needed.
Will we get the most from the play-calling and game-managing to get that playoff win Jan 9-10?
Now, these are just some of the more significant items banging around in our craniums as we get ready for that vaunted date. This hasn't even gotten to the philosophy philosophy part yet. We've done the football philosophy, and there is indeed so much more.
What about the philosophy philosophy?
There is a saying attributed to Socrates, and it goes something like this. "If you have a good wife, you'll be happy. If you have a bad wife, you'll be a philosopher."
I like to think being a Chiefs fan is something like this.
Anyone who's been a fan for some time knows too well the cruel reality of our playoff "success". Since the merger in 1970 -- yes, just after the last pre-AFC/NFC-NFL-format Super Bowl won by, yes, the Chiefs -- the Chiefs have been in the Super Bowl a grand total of zero times. Only once have we even been in the conference title game to try to get there. Only six teams since have not made at least an appearance in the Super Bowl since -- the Jaguars the Texans the Browns the Lions the Jets and, ahem, the Chiefs.
The "Super Bowl" name was invented by Lamar Hunt, so renowned that the NFL holds exclusive rights to those exact words -- unless you pay the NFL you must use the words "big game" or other such pap if you intend to make money from its reference. Hunt created the AFL for his team, the one that would be the Chiefs, to have a league of teams to play against. He eventually worked out the AFC-NFC merger, one that established the NFL as the premier sports organization in the country. As such the trophy for winning the AFC championship and moving on as the AFC's representative in the Super Bowl is named, yes, "The Lamar Hunt Trophy".
The Chiefs have never won The Lamar Hunt Trophy.
Oh, we had our chances. Oh yes, this where we get to be philosophical.
For you see, after all of our heartbreaking losses in playoff games, I've come to the realization that it just isn't going to happen unless it is meant to happen. I've spoken frequently of a curse against this team, and I'm not going to try to justify it or explain it -- I've already done too much of that, and most Chiefs fans who've endured through the eons understand.
I've done all kinds of rationalizing this or rationalizing that about the Chiefs fortunes or misfortunes as the case may be, and it has gotten to the point where I've stopped. Yes I do the requisite football philosophy things, you know, the things I just wrote about above -- will Alex Smith do this or that, will Justin Houston be game-ready come Jan 9-10 -- all the standard mental (and emotional!) gyrations.
But the philosophy philosophy things come down to just a few things, really.
Some of it is in the very important question Why is this important? Lots of ruminating on that question is done by all, certainly, and I can't think Chiefs fans don't do three or four lifetimes full of that. Just as important as that is merely this simple and wonderful truth.
That Chiefs fans are some of the most dedicated in the world.
That is something we can all take tremendous pride in. Yeah yeah I know detractors will say all fans are great and ya-da-ya-da. Sorry, but there is proof of the exceedingly passionate nature of Chiefs fans.
One is their devotion in light of the horrific playoff nightmares we've endured. That is a true testament to a fanbase's greatness. Not to say we should always lose to keep being the proudest sad sacks with the most character or anything! But we've been toughened up to appreciate our team in very special ways as a result. Granted there are Browns fans, and fans of other teams who can say the same kind of thing, I'm with you on that. Chiefs fans and Browns fans have reason to commiserate together, true.
Thirdly, just how much the fans are in the game. I can only think of that game back in 1990, when the Broncos offense was backed deep in their own territory, they had the ball at, like, the two yard-line, and the fans were going nuclear. Poor John Elway! He couldn't think straight! The referee called an official timeout and told the fans to quiet down. He actually did that! How comical! How much is that a testament to the fans' phenomenal enthusiasm.
But here's the final piece of the philosophy endeavor that is just as important, and this is the thing that is the best of all.
The Chiefs are actually making truly meaningful strides in setting up Got-It Football.
This starts with Clark and John.
It appears to me, from what I can see, it really does seem to me that Clark has been doing what it takes to be that successful franchise. One thing he said recently helped make his approach and his commitment easy to see. When asked about how his team came back from that early season losing, he said, (something like) "I've really wanted to make this team steady." "Steady" was the key word, he said he really wants there to be a steadiness to the Chiefs. To me that says a ton.
Then there's John Dorsey. Here's what I think. You can correct me if I'm wrong -- I don't know everything, so forgive me. But I think Jack Steadman was a great personnel man, but a lousy football man. And he ran the team for years and years and years. Sure he gave the reins to people like Jim Schaaf , but he didn't do a very good job either, simply because Steadman did not have the football savvy to really make the organization's steadiness successful.
Carl Peterson was a great football man, but a lousy personnel man. Those football skills helped get the Chiefs great success in the 90's, but I believe our playoff failures were in part because of Peterson's inability to get enough Got-It infused into protracted on-field success. We may think about blaming him for '95 for not getting a better kicker than Lin Elliot or a better quarterback than Steve Bono, but the key for a general manager is making sure whatever you had that got you wins in the regular season, gets you wins in the postseason. A lot of that is in the steadiness -- Steve Bono had a terrific year at quarterback in '95, but he was never going to be good enough to be successful through the years.
Look at the ways Dorsey has drafted and picked up free agents. Charcandrick West and Albert Wilson are key contributors on offense -- free agents, and starters who've done exceptionally well.
The personnel comes in his ability to get players who are gamers, who are winners, who are leaders. Who hasn't been inspired by this team? Eric Berry is one who's at the top of the list, he's a no-brainer, but there are so many players on this team who look like they're in it to win it. It is just something I haven't seen as much on other Chiefs teams. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't mean for a second to give short shrift to any other given past Chiefs teams or players, really. Others have had some measure of Got-It, yes.
But this team is special.
And because of that, here's my approach to playoff time Jan 9-10.
Not even worrying about it.
Yes I'm a wildly passionate Chiefs fan! Yes I want the Chiefs to win! Yes I will revel in great success! Yes I will be crushed if we lose! Yes I will ride the insanely spasmadic roller coaster ride of a close playoff game!
But the fact is, I already know about Chiefs history. I've already endured it. I'm a grizzled Chiefs fan veteran, war-wounds still scratchy and aggravating. It doesn't even matter now. I've accepted it, every team is an NFL team, every game is made to be a ruthless battle, so let's enjoy the ride win or lose.
What I do know is this.
This is a good Chiefs team, top to bottom.
There is no reason not to take pride in that. And because of that, because of the steady success that Clark and John and these players are devoted to achieving, because of the steady measure of Got-It this team is exhibiting, I'm sure the Chiefs will not just win a playoff game sometime in the next five years or so, they'll do much better and go much farther.
And that knowledge, that assurance, right now, is great with me.
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