Why the Chiefs’ dynasty talk is an uphill battle. And why they could make it work
Over five weeks this spring, as a pandemic halted sports across the country, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes took part in the same activity as millions of other Americans.
He watched “The Last Dance.”
Mahomes was captivated by the 10-part documentary series that captivated the career of Michael Jordan and his sixth and final NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls. But he observed the show from a different perspective than most of us.
Not the perspective of someone who wants to Be Like Mike. Of someone who could Be Like Mike.
In eventual legacy. But also in securing a supporting cast that stays invested in the pursuit of championship after championship after championship.
“When you see we have a lot of these guys coming back that want to be a part of this — they want to be part of this culture,” Mahomes said of the comparisons between The Last Dance and this Chiefs team. “They want to be part of trying to build a dynasty.”
Dynasty.
The Bulls had it.
The Chiefs are in pursuit of one. They’ve made that clear, but really, what team that wins a championship in any sport doesn’t talk about trying to win another?
Maybe it’s the immediacy of the conversation that makes this feel different — Mahomes didn’t sidestep the questions about it in his post-Super Bowl news conference; Chris Jones held court in front his locker that night, all but guaranteeing it would happen.
Or maybe it’s the fact the Chiefs are the Vegas odds-on favorite that makes this feel different, their 6-to-1 chances this year an improvement over where they stood at this time last year.
Or maybe it’s just Mahomes — that simple. The Chiefs have arguably the league’s best player; he’s only 24, and he’s under contract for a dozen years.
But for all of the reasons to support the idea of the Chiefs doing it all over again, the counterpoint has an important element on its side of the argument.
History.
It ain’t easy.
Back-to-back? Well ...
Repeat winners used to be commonplace in the NFL. From the league’s inception, too. The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls in the ‘60s. The Miami Dolphins went back-to-back in the ‘70s. The Pittsburgh Steelers repeated twice more in the same decade. The San Francisco 49ers in the late ‘80s. Then the Dallas Cowboys’ reign in the early ‘90s.
Pretty frequent.
But in 1994, the NFL instituted the salary cap. It lived up to one of its intentions — it leveled the playing field.
In the salary cap era, 26 teams have won the Super Bowl. Among the initial 25, only two won it again the next season. The Denver Broncos went back-to-back in the 1997-98 seasons, and the New England Patriots did it in the 2003-04 seasons.
That’s it. That’s the list.
It’s been 16 years since anyone accomplished what the Chiefs are trying to accomplish in 2020. Sixteen times champions have talked about the desire to win another the following season. Sixteen consecutive times, they’ve failed. In fact, since the Patriots double-dipped in 2003-04, only two winners have even reached the Super Bowl. Even been one win away.
Worse yet for some. Among the past 17 champions, seven actually missed the playoffs altogether the following season. That’s 41% going home before the tournament starts.
But in the realm of comparisons, the Chiefs do offer a contrast to those worst-case scenarios. The most recent Super Bowl encore flops endured significant changes as a team, whereas the Chiefs’ roster has endured so little. The 2016 Broncos revamped their offense. The 2013 Baltimore Ravens turned over eight starters. Both were watching the postseason on TV.
Is that what it takes to turn the trend? Something more?
The Chiefs actually have a source of reference — their head coach.
On the other hand...
OK, so the history demonstrates the difficulty. But the Chiefs’ head coach has come so close to altering it. Andy Reid was an assistant for the Packers when they won the Super Bowl to cap the 1996 season. They reached the Super Bowl again the next year but lost to the Broncos.
The lesson? Extensive.
“There’s a tremendous amount of urgency to go into that and attention to detail,” Reid said. “You hear coaches say this, but it’s real, if you want to play at that level. There are a bunch of different obstacles that you have to go through during a season. I think it’s no more evident that the one we just had.
“You gotta have the right mindset. You literally have to take today and work on it to try to get myself better. And do it each play. And do it tomorrow. And then you keep building that until you have opportunities to play games. And when you get into games, whether you win or lose, you’ve got make sure that you learn and continue to grow from those games.
“On top of that, every once in awhile, you need to catch a break here or there. That ball’s not round. It bounces funny. You hope it bounces your way and you catch a couple breaks. But the attention to detail becomes a huge thing for you. And be willing to work.”
In looking for reasons why the Chiefs can be an outlier, they adequately check some of those boxes. A willingness to work? The right mindset? Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy illustrated the lack of complacency after a training-camp practice with a description of Mahomes — a “competitive prick,” he called him.
It’s a tone.
And that’s a start.
“I feel like once you win one, you want another one,” wide receiver Mecole Hardman said. “I feel like that’s kind of a motivator. You can’t get complacent with what you did last year. Obviously, no one is talking about that stuff anymore. It’s over.”
They’re saying the right things, at least. Only a 17-week stretch in the fall and winter will prove its effectiveness.
But one of the Chiefs’ veterans has noticed a difference in tone for another reason. After an offseason without football — without minicamps and organized team activities (OTAs) — there’s been an eagerness.
Training camp suddenly didn’t feel routine. Because nothing about this year has felt routine.
“It actually feels like it’s more ramped up this year, whether that’s guys eager to play (after) COVID and not being able to have OTAs and stuff, or whether it’s feeling the urgency of what we need to do to come off as defending champs and knowing we’re going to get everyone’s best shot,” right tackle Mitchell Schwartz said. “But, I mean, this year, guys are flying around. There’s a lot of good competition — obviously a stacked roster, so you’re going against someone who’s almost at the best at their position pretty much every play. So it makes things pretty difficult.”
Whatever the reason, it’s almost uniform in response — even with a Super Bowl logo draped behind them on the practice field, it’s a rare topic of conversation. Or nonexistent, even.
Again, it’s a start.
On Sept. 10, the evidence in this case study will begin to become apparent.
“I’ve been out there a couple of days watching the team, and I don’t feel like there are any guys that are living on last year,” safety Juan Thornhill said. “Last year is last year. This is a new season. I feel like everyone is still hungry, and we’re determined to get back.”