Year after year, casual NFL fans that have been playing too much Madden and fantasy football underestimate the effect coaching can have on the success of a team. Every offseason brings a bunch of personnel changes and the introduction of new talent via the draft, and all of a sudden every fan thinks their team will be great because of this player or that player. When in fact a team's success (or even an individual's) is the sum of many parts, and nothing changes that equation more drastically than coaching.
The consistency, continuity, and leadership Andy Reid and Brett Veach have brought to the Kansas City Chiefs is the reason they are as balanced as they are. Balance equals resiliency, and now the Chiefs can beat you in many different ways which significantly lessons the likelihood of an early playoff exit. Stop one strategy and they can win with another.
This team is not perfect and injuries can affect us down the stretch as they do any team, and just like any team they can certainly be beaten. But make no mistake Andy Reid, Brett Veach, and by extension their staffs are the reason this is one of the best Chiefs teams ever. My suggestion is to enjoy the ride, wherever it may lead us, because it will not last forever.
It also seems to me that Andy attracts his pick of high-quality assistant coaches. Almost like Nick Saban being able to “draft” while others “recruit”.
I totally agree, and then you add Mahomes into the mix and literally every player and coach want to work with them. It's a significant advantage and Veach can use that as leverage in negotiations. "Want to play with (and learn from) the best to ever do it? Want to put that on your resume as a coach?" Another reason this team is as good as it is.
Oh, I am enjoying it. The Chiefs are 123-46 since Reid arrived. That means he is 53-29 in games when Mahomes doesn't play, and he took over a 2-14 team.
Being a Chiefs fan is like being in sports heaven right now. I am going to bathe in it while it still lasts. Everything ends someday.
Nick Wright was all over this top 5 in offense, defense and special teams and how few teams have done it and how those teams almost always were super bowl winners. BUT--there was no deep, or even shallow, dive in how it works using your marriage or The Avengers as an analogy.
Defining the balance and showing how it worked in the game was illuminating. If only there was some place I could go to read all about this on a regular basis--oh, there is. HERE!! Thanks Seth. One of your best articles.
Nick is going to look pretty smart if the Chiefs pull off a Bizarro 2007 Patriots season, and go 19-1 (with a loss in the first game and a Super Bowl victory).
Great content, Seth! I know there is some angst this year over the WR corp, but outside of that this is just such a well-rounded team. Frankly, with Mahomes and Kelce doing their thing, the other receivers are mostly just fine as complementary pieces. I think Veach may deserve to be the team MVP for building what he has. The 2022 draft was insane, and we won the Super Bowl with lots of young players. Now look at the depth this year, virtually everywhere, and it's Veach's doing, as he shuffles the money around. He let JuJu walk and basically took that money and signed Edwards, Tranquill and Omenihu. Not just balance, but depth, my friend.
Lol, at Rashee Rice just selling his route so hard on a screen pass that the corner is standing out of bounds while Pacheco dances across the goal line.
Great analysis, Seth. And you earned some nice brownie points at home for appropriately crediting your wife (though I suspect she may deserve more like Mahomes-level credit). 😀
The competence and continuity of Hunt, Reid, Veach, and Spags—each of whom is top-notch in his field—give us such a leg up on our opponents.
In the past, I held my breath through every defensive series and could only enjoy the offensive possessions. Now, it’s almost as fun to watch our D as our O. And the Butker/Townsend combo makes our special teams terrific as well.
I think we still need to pick up a WR who is a third threat to help out Kelce and Rice (like Sammy Watkins was to Kelce and Hill). With a week to go before the trade deadline, any chance you might do an article analyzing whether there’s any WR you think is worth the salary and draft capital to pick up?
I really don't see a need to trade for another WR, I think MVS has been underutilized thus far in the year and he showed vs the LAC that he can make a difference in a game. If Rice and MVS get more targets consistently going forward with Kelce as the obvious leader in targets, you still have Harman, Toney, Skyy, Gray, and the RB's to help fill in the gaps.
Can I just comment on how decisive Rice is with his YAC when he catches the ball? I started getting used to seeing receivers catch the ball, turn around and immediately stop or step/run backwards to avoid a tackle. Hill and Demarcus Robinson regularly did this. I see Kelce do it occasionally, and saw MVS do it recently. It always seems right at the sticks too. They have the first, then run backward and don't have the first down. Rice doesn't do this. He catches it and he just bursts forward, no hesitation. It's noticeable and much appreciated
I think the only question that remains after your analysis... what does the team do after a loss? When one or two of the three units does poorly and the Chiefs lose, how will the team respond? Will they stay married? Will they come together and pull through? Or will they fall apart? Adversity will come. Will the coaching staff be able to keep the marriage together? Andy Reid is a hall of fame coach! I like our chances.
It is logical when you consider that when things have been bad it was because of asinine decisions like continuing to have Skyy return punts when he had never done it and was demonstrably not good at it and when things are going well it’s because players are just executing at a high level. If you want to say he’s improved simply because he’s stopped trying to have Skyy return punts then I guess I’ll give you that but I don’t give him much credit for that because it took waaaayyyyy too long for him to stop trying that. Also that fake field goal tush push he tried the other week doesn’t give me much confidence in his coaching either. Add that to the fact that teams ALMOST always succeed when faking a punt or field goal against our special teams unit and I still see a lot of room for improvement despite us having a fantastic kicker, punter, and now punt and kick returners as well which I see as the primary reason for our success on special teams this season.
Last year was the blip, he was always a good SPT coach. From 2022 article, "This is only the second time in Toub’s decade with the Chiefs in which his unit has been ranked outside of the top 10 — and just the fourth time in his career." In 2021 the unit was 3rd. Wear your T proudly.
Special Teams must be terrible league-wide if the Chiefs can give up TWO fake punt conversions in the first few games of the season and still be ranked in the top 5. I think Townsend and Butker (when healthy) are terrific players; I’m less convinced that Toub is still an upper-echelon ST coach.
Excellent article, again! Thank you for pointing out the horrible call on Thuney that took 7 off the board. NFL fans (haters of the Chiefs) apparently don't see this and the Bell play, but I don't care. It's fun to watch them grovel.
I am still concerned about our receiver situation. When the Chargers started doubling Kelce, we only scored one touchdown in the 2nd half. However, it is hard to not trust Andy. Now with Spags having a young, fast defense, this is really getting fun. With our kicking specialists and Hardman, it's a great time to be a Chiefs fan!
An apt metaphor to a strong, healthy marriage in your article. Just as a complimentary pass rush has an effect greater than its constituent parts, complimentary football where the offense keeps possession long enough to allow the defense to catch its breath leads to a sum greater than its parts.
This team is just amazing. Playing team ball everywhere so you never know who can make a play. Great point of including the special teams in there too. They are less important, but can also wreck a season. There's a great video about the tragedy of the 2010 Chargers who were 1st in offense and 1st in defense, but missed the playoffs due to 32nd ranked special teams. Thanks Uncle Toub!
Year after year, casual NFL fans that have been playing too much Madden and fantasy football underestimate the effect coaching can have on the success of a team. Every offseason brings a bunch of personnel changes and the introduction of new talent via the draft, and all of a sudden every fan thinks their team will be great because of this player or that player. When in fact a team's success (or even an individual's) is the sum of many parts, and nothing changes that equation more drastically than coaching.
The consistency, continuity, and leadership Andy Reid and Brett Veach have brought to the Kansas City Chiefs is the reason they are as balanced as they are. Balance equals resiliency, and now the Chiefs can beat you in many different ways which significantly lessons the likelihood of an early playoff exit. Stop one strategy and they can win with another.
This team is not perfect and injuries can affect us down the stretch as they do any team, and just like any team they can certainly be beaten. But make no mistake Andy Reid, Brett Veach, and by extension their staffs are the reason this is one of the best Chiefs teams ever. My suggestion is to enjoy the ride, wherever it may lead us, because it will not last forever.
It also seems to me that Andy attracts his pick of high-quality assistant coaches. Almost like Nick Saban being able to “draft” while others “recruit”.
I totally agree, and then you add Mahomes into the mix and literally every player and coach want to work with them. It's a significant advantage and Veach can use that as leverage in negotiations. "Want to play with (and learn from) the best to ever do it? Want to put that on your resume as a coach?" Another reason this team is as good as it is.
Oh, I am enjoying it. The Chiefs are 123-46 since Reid arrived. That means he is 53-29 in games when Mahomes doesn't play, and he took over a 2-14 team.
Being a Chiefs fan is like being in sports heaven right now. I am going to bathe in it while it still lasts. Everything ends someday.
Nick Wright was all over this top 5 in offense, defense and special teams and how few teams have done it and how those teams almost always were super bowl winners. BUT--there was no deep, or even shallow, dive in how it works using your marriage or The Avengers as an analogy.
Defining the balance and showing how it worked in the game was illuminating. If only there was some place I could go to read all about this on a regular basis--oh, there is. HERE!! Thanks Seth. One of your best articles.
Nick is going to look pretty smart if the Chiefs pull off a Bizarro 2007 Patriots season, and go 19-1 (with a loss in the first game and a Super Bowl victory).
Great content, Seth! I know there is some angst this year over the WR corp, but outside of that this is just such a well-rounded team. Frankly, with Mahomes and Kelce doing their thing, the other receivers are mostly just fine as complementary pieces. I think Veach may deserve to be the team MVP for building what he has. The 2022 draft was insane, and we won the Super Bowl with lots of young players. Now look at the depth this year, virtually everywhere, and it's Veach's doing, as he shuffles the money around. He let JuJu walk and basically took that money and signed Edwards, Tranquill and Omenihu. Not just balance, but depth, my friend.
I am also happy with the signing of Mike Pennel assuming he still has gas in the tank.
The depth is what I think really sets this team apart.
Lol, at Rashee Rice just selling his route so hard on a screen pass that the corner is standing out of bounds while Pacheco dances across the goal line.
I saw that and actually laughed.
Great analysis, Seth. And you earned some nice brownie points at home for appropriately crediting your wife (though I suspect she may deserve more like Mahomes-level credit). 😀
The competence and continuity of Hunt, Reid, Veach, and Spags—each of whom is top-notch in his field—give us such a leg up on our opponents.
In the past, I held my breath through every defensive series and could only enjoy the offensive possessions. Now, it’s almost as fun to watch our D as our O. And the Butker/Townsend combo makes our special teams terrific as well.
I think we still need to pick up a WR who is a third threat to help out Kelce and Rice (like Sammy Watkins was to Kelce and Hill). With a week to go before the trade deadline, any chance you might do an article analyzing whether there’s any WR you think is worth the salary and draft capital to pick up?
I really don't see a need to trade for another WR, I think MVS has been underutilized thus far in the year and he showed vs the LAC that he can make a difference in a game. If Rice and MVS get more targets consistently going forward with Kelce as the obvious leader in targets, you still have Harman, Toney, Skyy, Gray, and the RB's to help fill in the gaps.
Don’t forget Watson 👍.
Can I just comment on how decisive Rice is with his YAC when he catches the ball? I started getting used to seeing receivers catch the ball, turn around and immediately stop or step/run backwards to avoid a tackle. Hill and Demarcus Robinson regularly did this. I see Kelce do it occasionally, and saw MVS do it recently. It always seems right at the sticks too. They have the first, then run backward and don't have the first down. Rice doesn't do this. He catches it and he just bursts forward, no hesitation. It's noticeable and much appreciated
Yes! I love this about Rashee!
I'm disappointed that you didn't mention how smoking hot your wife is when you wrote an entire paragraph about your marriage. Get it together!
I'm still getting better, gotta give it a little more effort next time out. I'll look at the film and adjust.
Also, always precede the noun “Wife” with the adjective “Trophy”.
I think the only question that remains after your analysis... what does the team do after a loss? When one or two of the three units does poorly and the Chiefs lose, how will the team respond? Will they stay married? Will they come together and pull through? Or will they fall apart? Adversity will come. Will the coaching staff be able to keep the marriage together? Andy Reid is a hall of fame coach! I like our chances.
Who says they're going to lose?
Everyone of you who wanted Taub fired early last year deserve a scarlet T
I’m still not convinced Taub is responsible for the special teams success. We have fantastic players in that unit.
So when things are bad, his fault, but when they are good, not his achievement? That doesn't seem logical.
It is logical when you consider that when things have been bad it was because of asinine decisions like continuing to have Skyy return punts when he had never done it and was demonstrably not good at it and when things are going well it’s because players are just executing at a high level. If you want to say he’s improved simply because he’s stopped trying to have Skyy return punts then I guess I’ll give you that but I don’t give him much credit for that because it took waaaayyyyy too long for him to stop trying that. Also that fake field goal tush push he tried the other week doesn’t give me much confidence in his coaching either. Add that to the fact that teams ALMOST always succeed when faking a punt or field goal against our special teams unit and I still see a lot of room for improvement despite us having a fantastic kicker, punter, and now punt and kick returners as well which I see as the primary reason for our success on special teams this season.
Last year was the blip, he was always a good SPT coach. From 2022 article, "This is only the second time in Toub’s decade with the Chiefs in which his unit has been ranked outside of the top 10 — and just the fourth time in his career." In 2021 the unit was 3rd. Wear your T proudly.
I will. I still think Toub is a good but not great special teams coach and would love to see an upgrade there :)
Special Teams must be terrible league-wide if the Chiefs can give up TWO fake punt conversions in the first few games of the season and still be ranked in the top 5. I think Townsend and Butker (when healthy) are terrific players; I’m less convinced that Toub is still an upper-echelon ST coach.
Great view of the week #7 Chiefs ..... and love the "Thanos" headline. So with a snap of the Chiefs fingers, which half of the NFL teams are gone?
Rest of the AFC West probably should be relegated, so there’s three to get you started....
Excellent article, again! Thank you for pointing out the horrible call on Thuney that took 7 off the board. NFL fans (haters of the Chiefs) apparently don't see this and the Bell play, but I don't care. It's fun to watch them grovel.
I am still concerned about our receiver situation. When the Chargers started doubling Kelce, we only scored one touchdown in the 2nd half. However, it is hard to not trust Andy. Now with Spags having a young, fast defense, this is really getting fun. With our kicking specialists and Hardman, it's a great time to be a Chiefs fan!
An apt metaphor to a strong, healthy marriage in your article. Just as a complimentary pass rush has an effect greater than its constituent parts, complimentary football where the offense keeps possession long enough to allow the defense to catch its breath leads to a sum greater than its parts.
Thanks for the Rice highlight gif, Seth. I know that was just for me 😉
This team is just amazing. Playing team ball everywhere so you never know who can make a play. Great point of including the special teams in there too. They are less important, but can also wreck a season. There's a great video about the tragedy of the 2010 Chargers who were 1st in offense and 1st in defense, but missed the playoffs due to 32nd ranked special teams. Thanks Uncle Toub!
(Was that not the most wholesome paragraph you’ve ever read in a sports column?)
Yes . . .
Yes it was.
Nice this one is free - but columns like this are why I am glad I subscribe. Thanks! JF