Quote:
Originally Posted by arrwheader
So I am just now getting around to processing my feelings about this game. I was there. Ponied up the 700 bucks for tickets for me and my wife to attend. I left and mostly just shut out the feeling of leaving Arrowhead after another playoff loss.
I figured hey I’ll process this later and in a few days I’ll feel better and I’ll forget about the Chiefs for awhile and be ready to jump back in after a few months of the off season.
Surprisingly I’ve found myself pretty pissed off. Pissed off that myself and most Chiefs fans knew that they should have fired Sutton last year or we would have another potential playoff failure delivered by this asshole. Everyone seemed to know it but the guys on 1 arrowhead drive. I’m pissed of that we wasted an historic offense because of that bone headed decision that we all knew and watched as the season drug on would bite us in the ass.
Yea yea Sutton is gone now great. Thank god they made the right decision but at what cost? They waited too long and blew a shot at the Super Bowl. Mahomes will be here for a long time the offense will remain intact and we will have another draft to build on but each year is different. Andy said it in his press conference after the game. “Don’t forget how hard it is to get here.” Yea Andy we know and thanks for blowing it by not making this decision last year that most 10 year old fans could see.
A lot of people have more hope after this loss than others and I guess I still do as well. I just can’t help but feel a little discouraged by the fact that the Chiefs just can’t seem to get out of their own way. Why will it be any different next year?
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Like you, I tend to relate more with anger when it comes to these things than sadness. In fact, when I hear the phrase "heartbreaking loss", it makes me want to vomit. Nothing about football and the Chiefs shortcomings "break my heart", but they sure do piss me off!
Anyway, I feel that the honest answer to your question is this:
A complete lack of ruthlessness on the part of this organization.
The Chiefs during my tenure as a fan, and probably going back to the beginning, have always been hell-bent on presenting themselves as the "good guy above the fray". During Lamar's time, it was unthinkable to sabotage the long-term friendship in the name of success. It just wasn't done. An example from the old days might be this; suppose that George Toma was the absolute WORST groundskeeper in the league as opposed to the best. The Chiefs would have a shitty field until that man retired, and just have to deal with it, because there was no way in hell Lamar would have fired him. He was a friend. Same with Jack. Same with Carl.
Lamar prized relationships over results and a lot of that had to do with having such initial early success and believing that his way of doing things was the right way, and that eventually, things would come back around again. I don't know how much AFL history you have under your belt, but Lamar's teams dominated the AFL, going all the way back to Abner Haynes and Cotton Davidson in the early 60's. So by the time we get to Super Bowl I, there's already a long tradition of winning at a high level.
If you look at Clark, he initially started out on the same path. Carl was kept FAR too long, and Peeholi was in no danger whatsoever of being fired until the fans had to stage a revolt and let Clark know that keeping Scott was NOT okay. Everyone of his siblings wanted to fire the guy, but Clark initially did not. And you see him surrounding himself with like-minded company. Reid is clearly loyal to a fault as well, and I'd wager quite a few people working under him are geared the same way. It's a culture thing, and it goes back all the way to the beginning.
"Only distasteful teams and people make a phone call and leave a message to fire/release a player". Okay, that's fine on general principle. But what if you need to move fast to seal a contract or pick up a new asset, and that particular player is not readily available? What if that asset in question is highly important and you're in competition with another franchise to secure his services, and you can't
wait to have a sit-down with the guy you are releasing in order to get this deal done? See, Dorsey was that kind of a guy; move fast, get it done, and remember this is a business above all else. That's what a good GM does. Let the coach babysit the tears and egos, that's HIS job.
Funny thing is, after this latest playoff loss, I'm guessing that Clark might be having some serious remorse over letting Dorsey go.
Why? Because Dorsey was more of an embodiment of that ruthless way of doing things, and because I'm betting and hoping that Clark is finally starting his final transition OUT of the "Old Chiefs" business model. I would REALLY hope that after the Berry contract and this playoff loss, a loss where as others have said that he brought in a bunch of Alumni, banged the drum, had the trophy bearing his father's name sitting in the building for 3 days, and in general became HEAVILY invested in this game, is now finally feeling a loss the same way that we the fans have been feeling them for YEARS.
You see, I'm betting it's no longer abstract to Clark. I'm betting that this one was not only embarrassing, but that it HURT. And when it hurts, that's when you want to start making changes. That's when you want to make it so that your chances of having to experience that hurt again are greatly lessened.
I don't expect our operations to mirror NE overnight. But the swift shit-canning of Sutton is a step in that direction, and I hope we don't have to experience another AFCCG loss to keep our owner properly motivated. And I'm betting we won't.