Chiefs defensive end says a basketball hoop is big reason for KC’s great team chemistry
When any Chiefs player is interviewed for a podcast or radio show, one question is nearly always asked: What’s it like playing with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes is one of the NFL’s best players, so it’s no surprise that’s a common query.
Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna was on the Woodward Sports Network last month in Detroit, and, sure enough, the Mahomes question was posed. That led to an interesting observation about the Chiefs’ team chemistry and how basketball plays a big part in it.
“He’s an exceptional leader man,” Danna said of Mahomes. “He’s modest, humble, one of the humblest dudes in the locker room. Everybody knows what he can do on that field, and I got a lot of respect for him because he’s an even better person off the field. He engages with everybody.”
Danna then mentioned why the Chiefs team chemistry is unique and how basketball unites them.
“Usually in the league, offense hangs out with offense. Defense hangs out with defense,” Danna said. “But in our locker room, everybody’s engaging with everybody and I think that’s because we got a basketball hoop in our locker room. So before practice, before meetings, we’ll be three on three, two on two, and it gets intense in there
“That’s our warm up before practice. We don’t need to stretch.”
Danna was then asked about the importance of camaraderie for a football team. He said it’s a huge difference-maker.
“I think that’s a big part of what makes a team great, knowing that your brother next you is gonna go up to bat for you every single play,” Danna said. “There is nothing like in the middle of a game looking at your teammate’s eyes and like giving them that knowledge that it’s time to go, bro, and he’s relying on you just as much you rely on him. I think it’s really important to have that engagement, to have that unity. Without it, some teams win and they may do what they do, but the teams that win a Super Bowl that go far and are making names for themselves are the teams that are brought together, that’s a family, that grinds together.
“I feel like that’s a really big part to having a great organization and a great team. Like the Warriors, look at them. They just won again, but you can tell all them dudes on the court, they hang, they’re family there. You can tell the chemistry is through the roof.”
Here are a few of other highlights from the interview.
Thirteen seconds
Another common question for Chiefs players this summer is about the team’s 42-36 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills in an AFC Divisional playoff game. Danna was asked about it.
“When the dude (Buffalo’s Gabriel Davis) caught the ball with 13 seconds left, you could hear a pin drop in the stadium,” Danna said. “Dudes were probably thinking like, ‘How are we gonna get home? I’m gonna have to book my flight, pack my bags, pack the home up.’ But who else are you going to get the ball to when it’s 10 seconds or 13 seconds left on the clock? Give it to the MVP. He’s been an MVP for a reason. He was Super Bowl MVP.
“The coin toss, that was so electric man in our stadium. I probably felt the ground shaking. If there was a roof on our stadium, the roof would have been blown off. That’s how loud our fans were.”
The AFC West
The Chiefs are hoping to win a seventh straight AFC West title, but it likely won’t come easy. Their division foes beefed up their rosters during the offseason, and Danna was asked for his thoughts.
“Really man it comes out one game at a time,” he said. “We can’t be looking at the schedule two months ahead and worried about other teams. We don’t play the Broncos until like December, so that’s like the second half of the season. So we’re worried about what’s in front of us. We got two Chargers games and they loaded up. Raiders loaded up but they all loaded up to ... beat us.
“That’s why everybody’s loading up these teams. We’re gonna do what we do. We’ve got to come and prepare like we’ve been doing. And we’re excited for the challenge. We never back down from it. I’m excited to see what the AFC West is gonna look like.”
Tyreek Hill trade
The biggest Chiefs story of the offseason was their trade of All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. Many fans and pundits thought it would spell doom for the Chiefs. Danna, however, has faith in coach Andy Reid.
“Oh, that’s my guy. Man. Shout out to him. A lot, lot of respect,” Danna said of Hill. “But it’s part of the game and its the nature the game. Some people come and go and you’ve got to do what’s best for you at the end of the day, but it’s gonna be a change and we’re looking forward to the new additions that we did add.
“And coach Reid is a magician. He’s a wizard so I wouldn’t be betting against him too many times because he’s been doing this a long time.”
Chiefs fans
“Any time you step in that building, in Kansas City, Arrowhead, that facility, the fan base, they’re serious about the Chiefs,” Danna said. “We’ve probably got one of the best fan bases, if not the best fan bases. Good barbecue in the parking lot (too).”
Here is the conversation.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 12:13 PM.
