NO A'S HANDED OUT BEFORE CHIEFS' FIRST GAME
August 2009
By John Landsberg
For the first time in many, many years, I am excited about the upcoming edition of the Kansas City Chiefs.
No, not Super Bowl excited. Just excited that the team might play football the way it should be played. A .500 season would be acceptable.
From Day One I was not a Herm Edwards fan. The Chiefs hired him as he was getting booted from the New York Jets. That’s not the best way to hire a coach.
When Edwards joined the Chiefs the New York media were reporting the same things about him that we soon learned in KC: He didn’t give interviews, he preached (soon known as “Hermanettes”), he was a horrible end-of-games coach, and his teams did not win often enough.
The media in Kansas City initially lapped up to Edwards because he was so accessible and gave them plenty of quotes. However, as the losses piled up they finally realized he had been simply blowing smoke up their butts.
A typical interview: “Coach, you called the same play unsuccessfully on the goal line four straight times. Why would you do that?” asks a media person.
“Let me say the object of the game is to get the football over the goal line,” says Edwards. “All I can say is we didn’t get it over the goal line. Sometimes it goes over and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s football.”
To me, though, the main reason I was turned off by Herm Edwards is that he proudly wore the label of being a “Players’ Coach.”
The term “Players’ Coach” to me in an oxymoron up there with “Jumbo Shrimp,” “Rush Hour” and “Dry Ice.” You are either a player or a coach. Trying to be both simply doesn’t work.
As an example, I (try) to teach college students. I know if I enter a classroom and attempt to show them that I am really just one of them I will be unsuccessful. They expect a teacher, not another “student” guiding them.
Early on I heard the story of the college professor who announced in her first class that she didn’t want students worrying about their grade. She proudly announced that everyone would get an “A.” She felt she was doing them a favor. She was wrong.
“When she said everyone was getting an ‘A’ the good students who had worked hard for their grades and took school seriously felt there was no need to put any effort into the class,” said one student. “The lousy students, who did as little as possible in other classes, did even less work since they knew they were still getting an ‘A.’”
That’s why I like the changes at Arrowhead Stadium these days. Things had become too lax under the regime of President/CEO/GM/Manager/King/Duke Carl Peterson. When he brought in his buddy, Herm Edwards as coach, the players were all guaranteed “A’s” just for showing up. They took full advantage of it.
To me, the biggest example of the country club atmosphere was when Peterson and Edwards allowed HBO to film the Chiefs’ training camp. Heck, even Larry Johnson pretended like he wanted to sign his contract and play hard while the cameras were rolling. It was a prelude to an absolute disastrous season.
Well, there is a new sheriff in town named Scott Pioli and he has brought in new head coach Todd Haley. It is very clear that not everyone in their class gets an automatic “A” just for showing up. See any HBO cameras at this training camp?
Pioli has set a tone throughout the organization that the tradition of being the worst team in pro football the past few years is no longer tolerated. I’ve been told that he has shaken up the entire organization, including setting up times when regular staffers can use the exercise room.
Does anyone think that Haley would have listened to Tony Gonzalez whine about not being thrown to enough and really care? Do you think that Dwayne Bowe will be dropping passes this season and act like it is no big deal?
Yes, things are Arrowhead Stadium are a-changing. To my way thinking these changes are long overdue and a breath of fresh air. There are no more A’s just for showing up…
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