The Kansas City Chiefs are two days away from kicking off their title defense season. Jacob Harris of Sports Illustrated wrote on Tuesday that while the Chiefs are getting mentioned as a potential dynasty, there are some who believe the franchise cannot reach those heights. This is likely because the only way to do that is to operate the way that Bill Belichick has operated with the New England Patriots.
According to the analyst, there’s no doubt that the “cold, militaristic machine” Belichick built over decades at the helm worked for the Patriots. Yet, he believes it’s not the only way long-term success can be found. He thinks the Chiefs might be able to prove there’s another approach that works just as well to dominate the NFL.
He started his argument by saying that the Chiefs’ head coach, Andy Reid is, in several ways, the anti-Belichick. Reid is considered an offensive genius while New England’s head coach is thought of as a defensive guru. The biggest difference between the two men though is how they are viewed when dealing with the men they’re coaching. In particular, Reid is said to be among the most player-friendly coaches in the league, ever.
His training camps are reportedly among the most intense in the NFL, but he still finds a way to allow his players to “be themselves.” By contrast, the militaristic approach of the Patriots had people wondering whether their newest quarterback, Cam Newton, was going to be able to mesh with the squad.
Harris also posited the question as to who was really responsible for the Pats winning as often as they did. New England wasn’t a dynasty until Tom Brady arrived.
The Chiefs coach has had a plethora of quarterbacks under his tutelage that have seen success, the analyst said. However, he added that Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, and Alex Smith weren’t on the same level as Patrick Mahomes. There’s a comparison to be had when talking about Drew Bledsoe giving way to Brady and Smith eventually giving way to Mahomes.
While the pairing of good head coaches and great quarterbacks are needed in order to build a dynasty, Harris said, the Chiefs are undoubtedly building things in a way that is different from the NFL’s gold standard for dynasties.
The analyst believes what Kansas City is building is special because it’s not trying to follow the blueprints of those that came before them. They’re trying to blaze their own trail and possibly setting their own standard.